Comments on: From {Young Minds}: Updating the Interview Process to Find Qualified PR, SM Pros

By: BGleas

BGleas — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:55:23 +0000

Actually it depends, although the hiring manager may not know much about SM, they're probably interviewing you because they want to get into that space. The job could actually be an excellent opportunity to build a company's social media presence from the ground up.

By: Rachel Esterline

Rachel Esterline — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:05:14 +0000

I know people who knew nothing about social media last year, yet their specialty at work is social media. Not only do I wonder how they got the job, but how the interviewer didn't see through it.

I would love to have an interviewer ask me about my experience with HTML. I don't think they ever have asked that. I also think that they should ask about which communities I have experience in.

It might be a good exercise for the interviewer to have the potential employee design a social media plan for a "client" to see how they think on their feet.

By: marydemingbarber

marydemingbarber — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:03:54 +0000

Good conversation here and post Heather. The question about balancing time between online & offline responsibilities is a wonderful one and really relates to the discussion on David Spinks and Sonny Gill's posts about the 9-5 work day. From my perspective it's all about achieving that balance because of engagement online and in real life relationships. Today's professionals need to be able to do both and know when to turn off the online relationships for real life ones, or personal life.

Lisa -- if a hiring manager you're talking with doesn't understand social media and you very much want to work in that environment, the job might not be for you. There are professionals out there who still successfully work in an environment that doesn't include social media. Most have a tremendous amount of experience in the field but if a company isn't a good fit for you, don't pursue the opportunity. I've always felt an interview is a two-way street. It has to be a match for both parties.

Looking forward to reading more of the comments here.

By: heatherwhaling

heatherwhaling — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:46:03 +0000

Hey, Danny — those are good questions to ask as well. Along those same lines, I like to ask people what they have in their Google Reader. It's a good way to understand if they're committed to ongoing learning about public relations and social media.

BTW, thanks for the Geben well wishes. Much appreciated!

By: heatherwhaling

heatherwhaling — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 20:43:38 +0000

Good question. You're right, many new grads may not have implemented social media for a business before, but it's still important for them to demonstrate an understanding of the social web. Can they point to examples of their own social media use? Having participated in the #prstudchat (a Twitter chat between PR students, professionals and educators), it seems there are a growing number of college students looking for ways to incorporate social media into their skill set.

An entry level person probably wouldn't be responsible for building an online community right off the bat. Perhaps there are others areas that are more relevant? For example, can they write a social media release, in addition to a traditional press release? Are they strong researchers who could build a traditional media list, but also identify appropriate bloggers to pitch? Tanks for reading and commenting!