Here’s the article that we reference in the below video interview, Why you shouldn’t bring your social media (completely) in-house
Tag Archives: Employment
PR Executive, one of the most stressful jobs
Career Cast has come out with “The most stressful jobs of 2012” and to my surprise, Public Relations Executive followed not far behind Police Officer.
At #7 on the list, PR Executives even come before the Corporate Executive on the stress test. This doesn’t mean that every Public Relations Executive is going to have an extremely stressful job; it just means the majority of them do. Just the same, the police officer who sits behind a desk for eight hours a day isn’t going to be as stressed out as the one who patrols the streets.
Why is the Public Relations Executive so high on the list? PR Executives are in charge of maintaining the positive image of the corporation, company, person or government entity they represent. Sometimes this is a difficult task, especially when the client is involved in any type of scandal or controversy. Being the intermediate of communication, the PR Executive often acts as the voice of the client while interacting with the media and the public. In a very competitive field, meeting deadlines and making speeches is a large part of the job.
Ironically, the Event Planner comes in at #6 on the list, which is often categorized as a type of Public Relations. Moral of the story… If you’re looking for a place to relax, the Public Relations industry is probably not for you. But if you’re looking for a career that is going to keep you on your toes and give your something different to do everyday, then you’re on the right track.
Watching what you say in social media
Watch what you’re sending out via your social media channels. If you’re saying something negative about your job, there is always the possibility of another employee, or worse your manager seeing it and having negative repercussions because of it. With social media as the center of everything, many large corporations have internal social media policies. So, it doesn’t matter if you’re off the clock and sitting at home in front of your laptop at 10pm, if you decide to tweet about how much work sucked today, or how this one customer or worse yet, manager, really got on your nerves, you should probably think twice about it.
An Apple employee in the UK sent out a facebook post that portrayed Apple in a negative light, which he claimed was private. At this point, everyone should know NOTHING on Facebook is really private. After management found the post, the employee was immediately fired, no questions asked.
If your employer has an internal social media policy, I would advise you to take it seriously, especially with a company like Apple that has such a huge social media presence. Even if your company doesn’t have an internal social media policy, it doesn’t make sense for a company to ignore someone defacing their brand to the world via social media. So before you hit that post or tweet button, think twice about what you’re saying. Because it’s probably not worth the risk if it can get you fired.
Related articles
- Be social: Do you really need a social media manager? (marketing.yell.com)
- The Baconator on Social Media (waxingunlyrical.com)
- ClearDebt speak up about the possibility that debt management companies could be banned from using social media (cleardebt.co.uk)
- Social media and your employees – building a policy (simplybusiness.co.uk)
Recruiters prefer Facebook over Linkedin
According to a recent study by research lab Potentialpark, recruiters actually prefer interacting with students and graduates through Facebook over Linkedin.
Potentialpark surveyed more than 30,000 students and grads around the world, focusing on more than 500 companies spread over the U.S., Asia and Europe.
According to Mashable-
Within the European survey respondents, 48% said they prefer to connect with recruiters via LinkedIn, while only 25% said they prefer connecting via Facebook. When asked to explain their reservations about Facebook, the majority of respondents said Facebook is “not the right place” to interact with employers or that they are “uncomfortable sharing private information.”
Not an out of the box finding, privacy will be a very present theme for employment at least in the near future. However, Potentialpark uncovered that more than a third of the top 100 employers in Europe have a Facebook page solely for recruitment purposes. It appears that employers have multiple reasons for interaction. Here are some highlights:
- More engagement
- Low overhead costs
- Larger network
- Interestingly enough…The Like Button
LinkedIn will now include your volunteer experience
Good news for high schoolers and college grads who have yet to earn real world experience. LinkedIn announced today that it will now be adding a new “Volunteer Experience & Causes” field to profiles, allowing users to highlight unpaid philanthropic or charitable experiences.
Within the “Volunteer Experience & Causes” section, users have the ability to click the causes most meaningful to them, and add specific organizations which they support. LinkedIn made this addition after recent surveys showed that promoting your philanthropic involvement can really improve a successful job search. The company used a poll of almost 2,000 professionals in the US and a staggering 41% reported that they consider volunteer work on par with paid work within the evaluation process. The statistic that shocked me the most- of managers surveyed, 20% gave a job to a candidate based on this volunteer experience.
Power to those who are out and about making a change in world. I think it’s an incredibly worthwhile way to spend time. As does Abraham Harrison President Chris Abraham, who’s recently been having a blast working at Miriam’s Kitchen. It is unfortunately a catch-22. In a perfect world, we’d have all the time we’d like to not only bring home the bacon, but hopefully provide said bacon for another family that needs it. Although this is not possible for all working ladies and gents in this economy, community service is something to proud of and a good networking tool to meet companies that are both fiscally and socially responsible.
Setting up Successful Facebook Pages
Facebook insight by former Abraham Harrison intern Matt Carroll:
When Facebook emerged onto the scene in 2004, it was solely a college student network. After just a few years in existence, the company went public and opened its doors to anyone and everyone who wanted to create relationships and a presence online. The number of members began to skyrocket.
The company became popular because of its simplicity. As time has gone on, many wonder- has Facebook has held true to their original goal of clarity?
For small businesses, Facebook is a great way to get their name out there. But many small businesses have limited employees and limited time to train employees on how to monitor the company’s presence online. Social media monitoring can be a surprisingly daunting task. The internet is unforgiving, and many mistakes aren’t merely erased.
Facebook, being a free amenity, provides companies with a cheap alternative to many monitoring devices. The only hurdle is training employees to navigate the site, which can be confusing for a first time user. This is where Open Forum’s article comes in.
The article provides Facebook users with step-by-step instructions that can save users hours of time spent learning to how create a business page.
Thank goodness for the internet and google’s search engine, which provide anyone with an almost infinite encyclopedia of instructions for just about anything one can think of. As time goes on, and new outlets are created, instructions might be needed to educate first time users. Facebook should recognize its appeal as a major outlet for businesses and should provide users with simple how-to’s to teach those not so technologically savvy on what to do. Or maybe they won’t have to. It is clear that younger generations are proving themselves quite adept with technology.
Related articles
- Top 10 Small Business Facebook Pages | Social Media Examiner (bjconquest.com)
- Small Business: Social media not worth it? (boston.com)
- Facebook video calling powered by Skype (blogs.skype.com)
- Facebook flaw means Page creators can easily lose admin rights (zdnet.com)
- How to create Facebook Badges (techebook.wordpress.com)
The Abraham Harrison Culture Featuring Sheila Papaleo
I’m not saying it makes it all worth it, but a shiny check in the mail reminds me that working at Abraham Harrison is actually a job, and not just fun and games as I regularly assume.
Thanks to Sheila Papaleo, those checks are written, processed and sent out on the regular to all Abraham Harrison team members. But that’s not the whole of Sheila’s bread and butter, she’s the operation behind all bookkeeping and finances.
On most days she works with Sara, COO of Abraham Harrison, keeping track of client accounts for invoicing and payments. She’s the gatekeeper of the bookkeeping system and accountable for ensuring that every penny is counted. She also spends a lot of time working with Chris and Mark (of Abraham AND Harrison fame), having deep talks about cash flow and other financial shenanigans.
Sheila is no stranger to bookkeeping, she’s been at it for almost 27 years now. Abraham Harrison has brought Sheila her first employment from home, which she relishes. It’s quite a transition from working in fields like manufacturing, construction and property management but Sheila says that she’s gained a ton of great experience and knowledge from working for a social media firm. I’ve also been informed, (not by Sheila, she’s far too modest) that she’s a wee bit of a movie/Hollywood/all things theatrical Goddess. If she chooses a different career path, we may just have to look for her on the silver screen.
It seems to be a common refrain among AH employees but when asked, Sheila is quick to agree that there are many “best parts” to working from home. Casual Friday becomes casual everyday with a business wardrobe of pajamas, shorts and tees. (Don’t be fooled, we’re all very stylish.) Time to to groan at your schedule for the upcoming week? Not so, since Sheila can pick her own hours. Sheila points out that this job is perfect for the current economy. “In today’s economy, working from home not only benefits the employer (very low overhead costs) but the employee (saving money on gas, business clothes, and take-out lunches).”
I’m sure all Marketing Conversation readers have noticed that President Chris Abraham can be kind of a hoot from time to time. When I asked Sheila about any past stories, she was quick to recount how she discovered Mr. Abraham’s sense of humor.
“This past January, I got to meet Chris in-person when he was in Houston. Being new to the area, I had no idea what kinds of restaurants were around, so I picked the Rainforest Cafe in Katy, Texas. I think I was a little nervous about the meeting because I totally forgot how loud it can be in the Rainforest Cafe. So, amidst the sounds of waterfalls, thunderstorms, and the animatronic animals and insects, we had a nice lunch and a great conversation (even if we had to speak a little louder than usual). I apologized about a hundred times, but I think Chris was amused at the whole situation.”
Chris, Mark, all of AH remain amused and impressed by Sheila’s accomplishments and commitment to the team. It’s evident that she loves her co-workers and job, and she’s quick to reiterate this sentiment. Sheila says she’d like to remain here for many years to come, hopefully when we’re a Fortune 500 company. Although we’re not Fortune 500 yet, Sheila promises to stick around. Life is good as she’s planning nuptials for next November. Here’s to you Ms. Papaleo!
Exploring the Abraham Harrison Work Culture Featuring Aleena Hasnain
I imagine many students and recent graduates wonder why someone would choose to take a virtual internship. I was hesitant myself; now that I have, I realize there are many great reasons to consider such a unique opportunity.
The choice to pursue any opportunity depends whether or not it’s a “good fit”. To understand my reasons for choosing this kind of internship—and my assessment of that “fit”—you have to understand my circumstances.
Like many young people today, I have good grades and a strong resume but I’m job hunting in a weak economy. I took the first job that I could get at school, which I ended up not liking. But hey, it’s a paycheck.
As the school year came to an end, a lot of other responsibilities started piling up. I had to set aside time for my two online summer classes, studying for the GREs and applying to graduate programs. All this, with the right time management and pre-planning, didn’t require a lot of time, but it did mean that I had to always be available for essays, online tests, mentor appointments, the GRE test and graduate program information sessions. Thus, preventing me from working a standard full-time workweek in a small cubicle.
Once school ended and I moved back home, I found myself living at home, bored, while the gap in my employment history grew. That was, until I learned about Abraham Harrison and their virtual internship positions. I had a phone interview with my now current supervisor, RuthE. She told me about the company, the intern’s responsibilities and some of the benefits of a virtual internship. I agreed to join, realizing that this could be a great opportunity for both Abraham Harrison and myself.
Choosing a virtual internship was a great decision
I have the flexibility needed to juggle the other things on my plate, while still gaining work experience. I enjoy coming to work because work is anywhere I want it to be! I can work from my home desk, library, Panera Bread or Starbucks. Heck—I can work in my pajamas. No dress code, no commute and no fetching coffee (except for myself). Working virtually obviously means I have to be independent. Do I miss interacting with co-workers and working on group projects? No. Thanks to technology, I still get to do that through a virtual internship. I am in constant communication with my supervisor and project manager through Gmail, Gtalk and/or Skype. Business meetings are held through Skype and whenever we need to bounce around ideas or share something, we always share our screens with one another.
Even though I love my co-workers, it’s good not to have someone breathing down your neck making sure you are working diligently. Abraham Harrison allows me to work on projects such as campaign outreaches, showing me that I am trusted with important responsibilities. It’s great having an internship where I can apply everything I have learned in my public relations classes. What makes this virtual internship so meaningful to me is that it is an applied internship. There’s no doubt we learn when our professor lectures on how to research, plan, implement and evaluate a campaign, but it’s completely different being a part of the process.
My internship at Abraham Harrison has impacted my work ethic and impacted me as a person. I have learned the key to any successful task: time management. I’ve learned to work under deadlines, I’ve learned to ask questions, to take the initiative, to set goals, to tackle all tasks with enthusiasm and a positive attitude.
This internship not only will leave me with these characteristics, but with professional relationship for future networking opportunities.If you are the type of person who is self-motivated and can work independently, that wants a flexible schedule, than perhaps a virtual internship at Abraham Harrison may be a “good fit” for you.
“I Followed You On Twitter, Now You’re Fired!”
A social networking site is a place where we can hang out with friends, friends that are far away or friends that we don’t see everyday. These networks, like Facebook and Twitter reach to the corners of the earth, and can send your message to wherever they may be. This is one of the great things about social networking but this is also one reason why you should be careful while you are at it.
Facebook and Twitter let us connect with people who we want to talk to, especially in hard times. These are some of the places we can seek sympathy or a place where we can shout our deepest regrets, frustrations and other complaints. Twitter and Facebook sometimes become oceans of stress where employees or students and others swim after a long hard day.
You have so much freedom that you can even curse at your boss, call your professors names or just let your anger flow out into the web. But what if your boss or your professor saw your post? What if he is following you on twitter and even retweeted your tweet? That is where your story ends.
There are cases of employees being fired because of what we can call social media misuse. We may forget that however a thing was done, it was still done. We may be too confident using social networks and actually forget that there are people listening to what we say. Priya Ramesh relays a list of what we can implement as rules in using social media in the post “Ten Things to Include in Your Social Media Policy” on CRT/tanaka :
- Be conversational, participate on social networks in a meaningful way and refrain from saying anything that might hurt your employer’s, customers’ and in some cases even competitors’ reputation.
- Everything that you post online is visible by all. You do not have permission to share any information that compromises [Company X] policy, management positions and customer information.
- Please refrain from posting items that could reflect negatively on the company’s reputation including comments or other posts about drug or alcohol abuse, profanity, off-color or sexual humor, and other inappropriate conduct.
- Respect the law, including those laws governing defamation, discrimination, harassment, and copyright and fair use.
- Don’t use the company logo, unless specifically authorized to do so.
- Don’t reference staff, members, partners or vendors without their approval.
- If you publish content to any website outside and it has something to do with work you do or subjects associated with [Company X], use a disclaimer such as this: “The views expressed here are my own and don’t necessarily represent my company’s positions, strategies, or opinions.”
- Ensure that your social networking conduct is consistent with the all policies contained in the Employee Handbook/HR guidelines.
- Make sure that your online activities do not interfere with your job performance.
- If you see something that questions your company’s credibility or any customer complaints, alert your PR/social media/marketing team that’s responsible for responding back. DO NOT feel like you need to respond to negative comments online.
Just being professional inside and outside the company and being reminded that we shouldn’t let social media take away our human norms can help us prevent this kind of trouble. Also by remembering to respect our fellow humans be it in person or online we won’t lose anything.
Facebook, Best US Employer
Facebook is the largest social networking site today. Being huge as it is, it is not surprising that it is one of the biggest companies where people in general would like to be employed. It would be a big honor to be part of it, not to mention the great opportunities and the salary of course.
Alina Popescu states in her “Facebook, Best Large US Company to Work for” :
According to a recent survey published by Glassdoor, the company operating the popular social site ranks first among the best US employers.
The social network outran Southwest Airlines and management consultants firm Bain & Company on the list compiled by Glassdoor, an online site where users publish feedback on employers. General Mills was fourth on the list, while public relations firm Edelman was fifth. Also in the top ten were Boston Consulting, software company SAS Institute, Slalom Consulting, online retailer Overstock.com and Susquehanna International Group, private equity investors.According to the survey, poor communication within a company is what makes employees most unhappy, while the top trait of highly rated employers is ”a very solid and distinct company culture,” said Robert Bohman, Glassdoor’s chief executive.
A company as big as Facebook could really offer lots of quality jobs to a lot of job seekers with the right talent and skills.