It always amazes me how people can get jobs by purporting themselves to know things, rather than having actual abilities. I know I have made hiring mistakes with people like this…have you? When hiring, it is imperative that you make sure someone knows how to DO the work. What if it was their manager or editor or coworker? What if their portfolio has been heavily edited by someone else or is full of pieces by the “department” but not by the individual?
Always get multiple references from reliable sources and unless you have first hand knowledge of their abilities, give them a test. Check them out on LinkedIn…who do you know that they know? Do they have a lot of referrals? What do their personal social media profiles look like? Why did they leave their last job? Don’t just rely on that person’s answer, dig deeper into who this person is by asking mutual contacts for details. The best case scenario is that everyone says the person is awesome. Worst case scenario is that you save yourself time, money, and liability by not hiring a dud.
Perhaps the candidate wowed you in their interview by using all the right words. They said things like “SEO” and “target audiences” and “integrated strategies.” Sometimes the biggest duds can give the best first impressions. Unless you are hiring for a bullshitter, then by all means, just go on first impressions. Otherwise, test your candidates! Can they spell? Can they make good strategic decisions? Would you trust them with your dog, let alone your company Facebook page?Design your test based not in a live environment, but based on a situation they may encounter.
Sample scenario: Our company is launching a new Facebook game. It’s targeted to this demographic. Take two hours to research and present me with: a social media launch plan, a web advertising plan, and include sample tweets, Facebook posts, web ad copy, and keywords to target.
Then sit them in a cube outside your office and tell them to get to work. If they know what they are doing, they should at least have an idea of where to start. If they panic, run for the hills, or give you a cut and paste document with paragraphs from Wikipedia…well then you may have a problem.
Making a bad hiring decision costs you money and time…two things that are so precious when it comes to promoting a company, engaging customers, and maintaining a positive online reputation. Don’t take your chances and go with your gut…back up your intuition with facts.
What do you think? Any other advice for hiring in the social media or digital marketing arena?
Ohio Social Media Policy & Guidelines 2010 -
Ohio’s social media policy was created in 2010 to provide guidelines to State of Ohio employees on the use of social media and the integration of gov 2.0 (or #gov20) in state government.
This was a collaboration with Ohio Governor Ted Strickland’s office, the Ohio Department of Commerce (Cara [Keithley] Posey), Ohio Department of Administrative Services (Ron Sylvester), and the Ohio CIO’s office.
LongHorn Steakhouse social media response in less than half a day…from a staff member from the specific location I referenced
My customer loyalty means something to you. If it doesn’t, it should. After all, Forrester Research says loyal customers are more reluctant to switch companies, willing to buy more products, and are more likely to recommend your company.
I want you to consider my loyalty a sign. Obviously you are doing something right, whether it’s as simple as you have a great location to the fact that you offer an awesome product or you have killer customer service. I also want you to know that while I am likely to recommend you to everyone I know, I’m not the type to answer the survey at the bottom of a receipt. So I expect you to do some leg work and figure out what it is that makes me, your loyal customer, happy. And when you find the answer, reward it and replicate it.
While at my first week at Signature Worldwide, I went to lunch with my boss at LongHorn Steakhouse. I don’t know how many years it had been since I’d been to a LongHorn…I had no real positive or negative feelings about the brand. But my boss told me that they had good salads, so I ordered an entree salad and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.
I generally do not go out for lunch. I eat every day at my desk while working or checking Facebook or reading the news. I opt for quick lunch options that fit in with my schedule, but there is only so much fast food anyone can take. I decided to give LongHorn carryout a try. I walked in to order at the bar and was greeted by a smiling blonde bartender named June. June took my order and offered me a free Diet Coke. She put my dressing on the side and made sure I had warm bread and sent me on my way with a smile in less than ten minutes. I returned to my desk at work to enjoy my warm bread and crisp salad and thought fondly of my lunch experience. It was certainly worth the $9.99, which was higher than what I’d pay at a fast food restaurant, but the level of service and the product made it worth it to me.
Over the coming months, I started ordering salads to go from LongHorn at least once a week. I always looked forward to seeing June and knowing that she would never forget my dressing and would always send me back to work feeling happy. I even started to go to LongHorn with my family once every few weeks, introducing them to my new-found restaurant of choice.
Today, however, I walked in and was not greeted by the hostesses as usual. The bar was busy and June was rushed. She still greeted me with a smile, but no free Diet Coke today. She got my order, packed to perfection, and still sent me on my way in 10 minutes or less. I left feeling a little disappointed…not in June, but in the restaurant. Something seemed amiss today, and I wanted to smack anyone who had caused sweet June to deliver less than awesome service. I wondered if anyone knew that I came to LongHorn because of the service I received? Because June gave me a free Diet Coke and made me feel valued for choosing them over another takeout option? Because the hostesses always thanked me and opened the door for me, even when I just got a salad to go?
So, this post is for LongHorn and every other brand. I count on you to reward good service. I count on you to recognize that little things like a free Diet Coke make a huge difference in me feeling valued to you. I count on you to notice that June builds personal relationships with those of us at the bar and makes us feel special, even though we just stop by for a takeout lunch. I count on you to give her credit…heck, give June a raise. At the end of the day, she coupled with the good food I never knew you had, are what keep me coming back.
Now, back to my salad…
Google Alerts is one of the best free listening tools on the web. Many business professionals still do not understand the value that these alerts can bring them when they do client research and build content for their own social media voices. (This is important for everyone…not just for those professionals “in charge” of social media.)
You define what’s interesting and Google Alerts finds it and brings it to your inbox as it happens, daily, or weekly. If you don’t know how to set one up, visit www.google.com/alerts and enter your search terms, decide what you want to see (type), how often you want to see it, and how much you want to see (volume.) Depending on the subject, you may only want news or you may want to also get blogs and videos, it’s all up to you. You also may want to receive this information daily or weekly or narrow it down to what Google considers the best stuff, but for reputation related searches I suggest as-it-happens and all results. I certainly want to know everything said or posted about me or my brand.
How Can I Use Alerts for Client Research?
Consider not only what’s relevant to you, but what’s relevant to the client.
How Can I Use Alerts for Social Media?
Monitor alerts for relevant content and consider sharing on social media.
Keep yourself in check.
Share good ideas and content internally.
Final Thoughts
Cara Posey, Director of Marketing for Signature Worldwide
I have left the world of government for a new challenge. I am now the Director of Marketing for Signature Worldwide, a training and business solutions company. Check us out on Facebook. I will still be talking about government and higher education, but also about customer service, sales, training, social media, and more. Just think of it as extending my horizon.
Mayor Shows Government Leaders How to Use Social Media in a Crisis -
Government leaders have a thing or two to learn about using social media in a crisis from Mayor Cory Booker of Newark New Jersey. First lesson: use social media to listen to and help your citizens. Social media is not just another push communications channel for your campaign messages. Second lesson: people will remember you for how you respond in a crisis. Personal responses garner so much more goodwill than generic ones (see the difference, comparing Booker with NYC Mayor Bloomberg in this Village Voice blog post calling Booker the hero of the snowpocalypse.)
Government staff and campaign staff alike should take note of this example of leadership.
I heard recently about a local private sector leader who is very skeptical of hiring public sector folks. Many public sector employees are looking for work right now nationwide due to the recent election and various changes of administration. This prejudice seems so unfounded to me, as I know many public sector employees who are exactly the kind of people I’d want to hire. I hope that this person and others like her will reconsider their misconceptions and interview some of these potential candidates.
Here’s five reasons why public sector employees are great hires:
These five reasons are based on my personal experience. What else would you add? I know there are even more reasons why public sector employees can be tremendous assets in other sectors.
While candidates may understand the purpose of using social media for campaigning, if they haven’t been in office the past two years, they may not know a thing about Gov 2.0. I blogged the other day about how candidates used social media in the mid-term elections, but actually transitioning that use into administrative use is a whole other thing.
For those politicians that aren’t aware, there’s been a big movement to actually use social media in daily government to engage with citizens. This means that citizens can have an online relationship with programs and initiatives that matter to them: state parks, veterans services, travel and tourism, education, etc. We’ve also worked to improve transparency and efficiency: providing information online, creating web forms, and more.
So when you walk in and take over the office in January, I suggest you consider the following:
From my standpoint, using social media as part of government is becoming far less a value-added feature and far more an expectation. Check out GovTwit and you’ll see there are over 3,100 people or entities at all levels of government that are already active. Check Twitter and search for #gov20 and see what’s going on out there…the level of involvement and discussion may surprise you.
I guess my point is, you’re not the first administration or individual to grapple with the idea of using social media in government. While you may not even realize the opportunity of using it within your administration or organization at this time, it benefits you to consider this sooner rather than later. Find out what’s already been done. See how you can actually build upon this to make government better and help serve citizens more efficiently. Create more transparency.
Because, in the end, wasn’t the point of running for office to actually create positive changes and make things better? I hope you’ll consider how Gov 2.0 will be part of that equation.