Getting Results from Social Media

Summary

ISA 2012 Automation Week Track: Human Performance Thursday, 27 September, 1:30-3:00 pm, Room 204A Jon DiPietro Domesticating IT The nature of work is changing. As our march from the industrial age to the information age accelerates, “Linchpin” author Seth Godin insists “There are no longer any great jobs where someone else tells you precisely what to do." His advice is to become what he calls a “linchpin” rather than a “cog.” In order to do so, you must be different and find a way to stand out. But as John D. Rockefeller said, “Next to doing the right thing, the most important thing is to let people know you are doing the right thing.” And so the challenge becomes finding a way to let people know you are doing the right thing. Fortunately, there is no shortage of tools and technologies—social media among them—at our disposal today that allow us to do just that. It is not enough to participate in social media, and it is not even enough to understand its workings and implications inside and out. More and more, first impressions will be made not by cover letters, resumes, and handshakes, but by Tweets, blog posts, status updates, presentations, and e-mails. The quality and effectiveness of the content we produce in these various digital spaces will increasingly play a crucial role in shaping how we are perceived by our colleagues and peers, and the degree to which we are successful in spreading our ideas. And companies looking to hire know this too. Each year, software company Jobvite posts an annual social recruiting survey.  They ask employers how they plan to use social media for talent recruitment. Here are a few interesting data points. 89% of employers said they did or would be using social media for recruiting talent:   Which social networks do you plan to use for social recruiting?   Nearly three quarters of employers search for candidates’ online profiles:   There you have it. Nearly nine out of every 10 employers are looking to social media to find employees, and almost three-quarters of them will search for your online profile before you come in for an interview. What will they find? ABOUT THE PRESENTER Jon DiPietro is the principal of Domesticating IT, an Internet marketing consultancy, and co-founder of #CareerGravity, a personal branding and career development website. He is a Certified Inbound Marketing Professional and author of the book, Social Media for Engineers and Scientists, and frequently speaks on Internet marketing and social media topics at conferences, workshops, and symposia.