Mobile
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
News Are you addicted to Facebook and in need of a job?
Posted By Cheris Hodges on Tue, Jul 28, 2009 at 10:18 AM
You have a Facebook page, right? You even have Facebook mobile.
But you don't have a job.
A recent CNN story says your social networking skills are about to get you paid.
While many job seekers heed advice on joining social media sites to use as networking tools, they are also warned not to invest too much time -- especially at work -- in these all-consuming, often-addictive online vehicles.Until now.
"With social media becoming a major player in how people communicate and interact with each other, it's natural that this industry needs a marketplace," says Jim Durbin, vice president of social media at Durbin Media, an interactive marketing firm. "A lot of jobs in online marketing are all now requiring some level of social media expertise. The real question is whether the jobs coalesce into new departments and position, or if they become skill sets under old departments."
That's right, those hours on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are about to get you a job. If you've noticed, everyone and every business seems to have a social networking account as a part of their marketing these days. Why not, it's free and many of the people they're trying to reach are on those sites.
These are the top five jobs that social networkers are being recruited for these days:
Jobs for Facebook addictsIf you're a social media guru, here are five jobs to consider in your next job search:
1. Recruiter
Candidates have been on social networks for years now, and it's about time recruiters joined them. Daniel says Dan Temps' recruiters can find candidates faster, screen them better and reach out to individuals they wouldn't see otherwise.
"Dan Temps believes that the environment candidates are accustomed to in a social network will keep the conversations and information real," Daniel says. "Candidates don't feel they are being pressured in that environment like they would in a more formal interview or screening process and are more likely to get real with our recruiters."
2. Strategist
Many companies are seeking social media strategists to find the best way to interact within various social sites and online communities. In this role, you would be the face of social media for your company, creating and maintaining an effective social media strategy by interacting with users, growing brand awareness, creating buzz, increasing traffic and providing valuable information. To thrive in this position, Durbin says you must have a proven track record of achieving goals, or companies will be hesitant to hire you.
3. Enterprise architect
"This is the most exciting job in social media and requires someone with broad experience in networks, multiple platforms, development, security and political infighting," Durbin says. "This is a very rare find. It's for companies looking to completely revamp their content management strategy and internal networks. It could be the most important role in a company in the next five years."
4. User operations analyst
For any company with an online presence, user experience is one of the most vital parts of the business. The only way to monitor that is to have someone in charge of the experience themselves. No matter if the company is blogging, has a Web site or pages on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, user operations analysts interact with users, answer queries, investigate problems and keep track of user habits.
5. Director of social media
Similar to a strategist, companies need someone to organize company blogging, viral marketing, podcasting, etc. This person has a background in building teams and who really gets the promise and the purpose of social media, Durbin says. These folks should be wary of new technologies and be all over blogs, RSS, have Facebook and Twitter accounts, and know the difference between his or her employees playing and researching on MySpace and YouTube.
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