Category Archives: Social Media

March 28, 2007 · 4:28 pm

Online Reputations Affect Employability

The FT has today ran an interesting article – Careless Talk Online Can Cost Candidates Jobs.  Well I would say it’s interesting as I’m quoted in it.  It raises a good point though, we often Google candidates to see what’s said about them online.  I also run searches on My Space and PR Week to see what pops up and now with networking services like Linked In and Viadeo you can virtually get potential candidates CVs online at the click of a mouse.

In fact, if anyone a bit more geeky than me can tell me how to add widgets to my blog to link to my Linked In and Viadeo profiles I’d be very grateful.  I’ve been trying to work it out for days and it’s getting the better of me.

Your online reputation can work both for and against you as far as job hunting is concerned.  Certainly it can raise your personal profile – I know of one blogger who is always being recommended to me for roles, but I’ll keep his name to myself until I can persuade him to move jobs.

We take recommendations, on Linked In for example, very seriously.  Those sorts of social networks are a great place to pick a few brains and find out who is rated as the best amongst their peers.  You are much more likely to be headhunted for your dream role if you make your presence known online. 

I’d be careful about putting anything about your wife-swapping, drug taking days on your blog or profile though, you never know when your next potential employer may Google you.

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Filed under Recruitment, Social Media

January 11, 2007 · 10:42 am

Headhunting Social Media Style

I’ve recently decided to take advantage of all the lovely information on the interweb and start networking a bit more proactively with fellow bloggers.  Yesterday, I tried a quick experiment of emailing some internal comms bloggers to see whether I could pick their brains on the internal comms market who they rate as the top practitioners.  I had varied results. 

Marc Wright of www.simply-communicate.com and Charlotte Butler of www.melcrum.com both suggested I use their sites for advertsing – at a price, obviously.   

Wayne Clarke called me up and we had a good chat about internal comms and who is doing great things out there – thanks Wayne!  His details are firmly in my contact book.

Lee Hopkins came back to me on email and suggested a number of avenues to try.  First on the list was to contact Neville Hobson. Your fame is far reaching Neville!  I am of course already in touch with Mr Hobson ever since our sponsorship of Delivering the New PR.  Watch this space for an innovative use of Second Life that we are partnering with Neville on.  Secondly, Lee said I should try Linkedin.  Again, I’m already on Linkedin and have in fact made a few contacts that way.  I definitely don’t use it to its full potential though so it’s a big kick in the pants for me to do more. 

The final two suggestions were the ones that really interested me.   Firstly I was directed to JOTW and Ned Lundquist.  From a recruiters point of view this is an extremely interesting development in job hunting.  Thousands of people worldwide share their knowlege on who is recruiting and what they are looking for.  I contacted Ned immediately.

The last idea was to look at IABC and search for UK internal comms professionals, which I did but not with any great results.  It’s certainly something I’ll be keeping an eye on though.

Check out Lee’s podcast with Peter Vogt at eBay, it makes for interesting listening for internal comms bods.  I’ll be keeping in touch with Lee too!

Social Media networking is one of the ways forward for headhunting I feel.  Headhunters have been networking for years.  I’ve spent hours trawling through my contact book and asking top level PR people "do you know anyone that could do x, y and z?".  Journos also get the odd call, although they’re harder to gleen information from.  They’re always keen to know what’s in it for them.  My answer to that is, my undying gratitute and help to move into PR when you’re fed up being a hack.

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Filed under Internal Comms, PR, Recruitment, Social Media

December 31, 2006 · 3:15 pm

Blogging Backlash

As 2006 draws to a close and a new year dawns I have begin the yearly ritual of clearing out my favourites on internet explorer and found my favourite headline of the year.

Enraged Locals Drive Blogger From Barrow-in-Furness

I’ve never been to Barrow, but it sounds, erm, delightful!

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Filed under Current Affairs, Social Media

December 7, 2006 · 10:57 am

The World’s Leading…..Christmas Shin Dig

It’s the morning after the night before, and oh what a night.  Those scamps from The World’s Leading had a good turn out for the mob party of the year with tinsel a plenty and copious amount of booze – courtesy of my boss.  Hurrah.. ooo…keep the noise down I’ve got a bit of a headache this morning. 

It was great to meet some new faces, and a couple of old ones.  No doubt we’ll be along to the next one – I feel a Valentine’s theme coming on….

Special mention to Kewal Varia at Spark who spectacularly managed to single handledly spill a couple of bottles of wine and a dozen bottles of beer – despite being told to sit still for fear of knocking over the tray.  Some people just don’t like being told what to do.

A bit of gossip from the night…….  who whispered in my ear that their MD is really really tight?  Answers on a postcard please….

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Filed under Christmas, PR, Social Media

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December 4, 2006 · 6:43 pm

Party People!

Ding dong merrily on high!  Here at Indigo Red we are full of the festive spirit.  As such, we’re sponsoring a few drinks on Wednesday night with those anonymous rascals down at The World’s Leading.  The great and the not so good tech PRs will be there with Christmas trinkets in hand (it’s how we’re going to recognise each other – well it’s better than an FT and a wilting carnation).   

Best of all, the beer is on our boss – ho ho ho!

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November 22, 2006 · 7:52 am

Google Gracious Me! Part 2

So Google has come up trumps again.  I got into work this morning to find an email, from me.  Actually not quite from me, but from as near as me as you get without actually being me.  Erm.. I’m confusing myself now.  I got an email from Sarah Hayman – the Sarah Hayman who lives in Australia and writes about hospitality and tourism (and beats me in the Google rankings).  She informs me however that she was actually writing about training information and has moved on from that these days.

She typed her name, my name, our name, into Google and up popped Wedlog!

Most bizarre seeing my own name in my inbox.  I wonder if a flurry of Sarah Haymans will contact me now? 

The Sarah Hayman Society – current membership – 2.

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November 13, 2006 · 8:52 pm

Google gracious me!

The power of the blog has hit me with full force this evening.  How many of us have Googled our name to see where we come in the rankings?  Usually, I’m down there on page 1, 278,792.  However, Philip Young mentioned on Friday how, if you type his (reasonably) common name into Google he tops the charts.  I typed mine in tonight and find I’m listed fourth, out of 1,179,000 – only beaten by a Sarah Hayman who writes about Australian tourism and hospitality and a Sarah Hayman who is a nordic skier.

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