I come to you today with a cautionary tale of the woes of the Internet. Don’t worry I’m not about to start preaching about how good the old days were and how I wish we could all go back to corresponding by letter and using quills… although anyone that knows me will know this to be true! Instead I come with a warning, of the perils of disclosure, and how it can get you into trouble in the workplace.

The virtual love train for Twitter has far exceeded my expectations, especially as ‘flash in the pan’ was what first sprung to mind. I remember my first interaction with Twitter, forever the cynic at new social inventions, I entered my details with a raised eyebrow and expected to find a whole host of things I had to gripe about.  But shockingly, I loved it, and still love it. It has turned out to be a socially convenient, work friendly, staple of my day- my boss was even the one to alert me to the wonders of Twitter Fox; allowing me to be at one with my Twitter stream, tucked neatly in the corner of my browser, twinkling away when a new tweet appears.

Although Twitter is a fantastical tool and especially handy for job seeking, like anything fabulous on the Internet you can waste hours idly reading people’s tweets until you end up somewhere and have no idea where you began! N.B to my boss: I don’t do this… honest! Time-waster browsing aside, there is a bigger problem with Twitter. The potential for rants. You see a white box with the potential for 140 characters worth of getting-things-off-your-chest. Cue angry messages about irritating late trains, rude people in shops, poor customer service… and you can’t help but feeling a little better knowing that you’ve released your negative energy into the vast abyss of the world wide web.

And of course the potential for rants is endless, especially when you spend a large proportion of your day at work. Let’s face it, there are going to be annoyances to you in the workplace. Your sleep deprived, desperation for caffeine makes you intrinsically angrier than usual, and your colleague has just done that one annoying thing too many…

Just typing the words, ‘I hate my boss’ or ‘I hate my job’ into the Twitter search brings back a scary amount of angry employee rants. But has the term ‘Facebook fired‘ escaped their attention?! Many office workers have gotten into trouble, and even fired for their errant Facebook statuses, which either incriminate them in falsely claimed sick days or has alerted the company to their intense dislike of the business.

Either way, choosing to disclose your hatred of work on Twitter or Facebook is a seriously misjudged and terrible idea. Helen Popkin, on msnbc.com calls it ‘virtual darwinism’- people who fail to realise the error of posting such rants on public channels, almost deserve their fate.

And if anyone isn’t familiar with the infamous Cisco/Twitter related job incident, read this and cringe at your leisure.

So the moral of my cautionary tale is this: if you want to keep your job, avoid social networks on those days when you just might blow… or it could be far more trouble than it’s worth. And remember the ‘delete’ key may not save you; Google has a lovely way of caching historical data so your deleted tweets may still turn up somewhere you don’t want them to…

Sales, and recruitment in particular, is populated by optimists. In fact in an interview, if you said something like, ‘to be honest I’m actually quite cynical and pessimistic about people…’ you probably wouldn’t get the job.

But surely being an effective recruiter is all about being able to spot the forgeries?

In rec-to-rec, our clients are faced with a continuous and familiar problem; because we all work in recruitment, we all feel the imperative to ‘fill the job’, and whether you like it or not it can influence your judgement when recruiting for your own company.

In the candidate-driven market of the middle bit of this decade many managers within recruitment firms cheerfully glossed over an intuitive ‘I’m not sure…’ because they needed a bum on a seat and it was more optimistic to look the other way and give the candidate the benefit of the doubt.

Not so nowadays. Particularly in the SME sector, where I mainly operate, many firms have overhauled thoroughly their selection, interview and assessment processes, in a way that candidates would not have put up with pre-recession.

The result has been varied. Some managers have undoubtedly thrown the baby out with the bathwater, mindful of the New Rules and over-obsessing about a decision a candidate made in their career that made them uncomfortable. Or passing up a perfectly good candidate because of a prejudice of some kind.

Others have got the balance between scepticism and optimism about right, and some, it must be said, still just say, ‘send me lots of CVs, if they were trained by XYZ they must be good.’

So where does that leave candidates? My advice is simple, don’t apply for a role that you don’t really want, or don’t have the skills or experience for. If you do, it will either be spotted by the savvy firms and you won’t get the job, or it will be overlooked by the ‘optimistic’ ones and you’ll not get past probation.

Bad either way really, and I’m not even a pessimist.

How face-to-face interaction helped Manchester’s marketing community

On 18th November 2009 the UK’s largest marketing jobs advertising platform hosted its inaugural networking event in Manchester.  More than 130 marketing, media and communications exponents descended on the Walrus Canteen and Lounge bar, intent on developing their career prospects.

Many of the attendees were looking for marketing jobs in the North West and saw the juncture as a chance to meet local recruiters and hiring companies.  Others were there simply to mingle with industry peers and broaden their networks.  Employers benefited at both ends.

Titled the ‘Manchester Link-up’ the event was the second of Only Marketing Jobs’ regional tour, which aims to connect marketing professionals with significant industry luminaries; matching jobseekers with recruiters, and networkers with other like-minded contact-makers and career-builders.  The ‘Link-ups’ are aimed at all marketing disciplines, from graduate to senior level.

Tapping into business-oriented social networking sites, Only Marketing Jobs structured the event around its LinkedIn marketing community in the North West to produce an occasion that was educational, enlightening and fun.

Throughout the night two fabulously gregarious clairvoyants used tarot cards to provide a staggering number of accurate profiles, whilst confidently predicting intriguing insights into their futures.  By day Suzie Sharpe and Olivia Stefanino are professional career coaches, encouraging individuals to look more deeply at their personal brands and consider the benefits of enhanced profiling.  Their involvement helped define a distinctive experience for all.

Jeremy Bassett, SME Ambassador for CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Manchester, who co-sponsored the event, said: “The networking evening represented a unique opportunity for CIM to engage at a level quite different to our traditions.  We were staggered by the response of the attendees.  The Link-up is a great initiative and we hope to be a part of future activities.”

Invaluable interaction

For many a social event of this nature was a new experience.  With online channels so readily available the desire for physical interaction has receded over the years, especially within Generation X.  But for many, the chance to interact with other marketing people, both newcomers and established professionals, proved invaluable.

Ghida Basma, a marketing and advertising professional from Manchester said: “As someone attending her first networking event, I felt at ease with everything and enjoyed socialising with other marketers, who were kind enough to offer exceptional advice and insight from their own experience.”

Networking events are, of course, what you make them.  Sitting in the corner observing the room will get you nowhere.  You have to get involved because the more effort you put in, the more you get out.  Justin Moore, recruitment manager of specialist Creative & Marketing staffing agency, MacPeople, was certainly no wall-flower: 

“I made sure I got amongst it and used the time to get to know as many relevant people as possible.  This event represented a perfect opportunity to make new contacts that will convert into new business! This is certainly an event to highlight in your diary for the future!”

Speed networking

A key component of the event was the speed networking session, where attendees were invited to converse with as many new contacts as possible in an hour.  This broke the ice and provided an electric atmosphere that set the tone for the rest of evening.

Each chat lasted five minutes before the chinking of a glass signalled it was time to move onto the next person.  The decision of whom best to engage with was made easier by the use of a traffic light name-badge system, where a green label indicated a jobseeker; orange suggested a networker; and red denounced a recruiter/hirer.

Hayes Client Services, one of the event’s sponsors, made the most of the experience by using each five-minute slot as a preliminary interview for prospective hires into their expansive hiring programme.  In total they identified 10 prospects, all of whom were invited in for formal meetings the following week.  James Goodrich, HR director of the Manchester-based direct marketing agency, said:  “The outcome was beyond our imagination.  To attend an event like this and be able to simultaneously meet so many relevant marketers suited to our business was extraordinary.”

Relationship development

The enforced engagement provided some excellent platforms from which to build and the remainder of the evening was spent developing initial conversations.  With preliminary drinks coming courtesy of the sponsors, the mood amongst attendees was certainly relaxed, accentuating the benefits of offline social interaction, opposed to digital processes or, indeed, more formally structured affairs.

Richard Gahagan, Co-founder of Sales & Marketing specialist recruiter, Adam Recruitment, said: “We attended the event wearing three hats: firstly, to help the jobseekers; secondly to promote ourselves to prospective clients; and thirdly, to network amongst other business leaders.  We were delighted our sponsorship paid dividends in all regards.”

Predicting the future

With the UK preparing to exit recession 2010 hopes to herald the dawn of better times for marketing professionals.  Whilst the jobs landscape remains uncertain there are positive signs.  As marketers begin to see the welcome again mat appearing at company doors, those associated with the industry should be doing all they can to stand out from their competitors. 

So getting out there, meeting people and showing them you are serious about your career, your business, your future, is one proactive element of a successful personal and commercial branding campaign.  Hiding in the shadows serves no purpose.

“This was a well-attended and organised event and a real good turnout.  Met loads of people and made useful contacts,” concluded Naheem Bhatti, a senior marketing manager. 

And that, of course, is what it was all about.

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs

How face-to-face interaction helped Manchester’s marketing community

On 18th November 2009 the UK’s largest marketing jobs advertising platform hosted its inaugural networking event in Manchester.  More than 130 marketing, media and communications exponents descended on the Walrus Canteen and Lounge bar, intent on developing their career prospects.

Many of the attendees were looking for marketing jobs in the North West and saw the juncture as a chance to meet local recruiters and hiring companies.  Others were there simply to mingle with industry peers and broaden their networks.  Employers benefited at both ends.

Titled the ‘Manchester Link-up’ the event was the second of Only Marketing Jobs’ regional tour, which aims to connect marketing professionals with significant industry luminaries; matching jobseekers with recruiters, and networkers with other like-minded contact-makers and career-builders.  The ‘Link-ups’ are aimed at all marketing disciplines, from graduate to senior level.

Tapping into business-oriented social networking sites, Only Marketing Jobs structured the event around its LinkedIn marketing community in the North West to produce an occasion that was educational, enlightening and fun.

Throughout the night two fabulously gregarious clairvoyants used tarot cards to provide a staggering number of accurate profiles, whilst confidently predicting intriguing insights into their futures.  By day Suzie Sharpe and Olivia Stefanino are professional career coaches, encouraging individuals to look more deeply at their personal brands and consider the benefits of enhanced profiling.  Their involvement helped define a distinctive experience for all.

Jeremy Bassett, SME Ambassador for CIM (Chartered Institute of Marketing) Manchester, who co-sponsored the event, said: “The networking evening represented a unique opportunity for CIM to engage at a level quite different to our traditions.  We were staggered by the response of the attendees.  The Link-up is a great initiative and we hope to be a part of future activities.”

Invaluable interaction

For many a social event of this nature was a new experience.  With online channels so readily available the desire for physical interaction has receded over the years, especially within Generation X.  But for many, the chance to interact with other marketing people, both newcomers and established professionals, proved invaluable.

Ghida Basma, a marketing and advertising professional from Manchester said: “As someone attending her first networking event, I felt at ease with everything and enjoyed socialising with other marketers, who were kind enough to offer exceptional advice and insight from their own experience.”

Networking events are, of course, what you make them.  Sitting in the corner observing the room will get you nowhere.  You have to get involved because the more effort you put in, the more you get out.  Justin Moore, recruitment manager of specialist Creative & Marketing staffing agency, MacPeople, was certainly no wall-flower: 

“I made sure I got amongst it and used the time to get to know as many relevant people as possible.  This event represented a perfect opportunity to make new contacts that will convert into new business! This is certainly an event to highlight in your diary for the future!”

Speed networking

A key component of the event was the speed networking session, where attendees were invited to converse with as many new contacts as possible in an hour.  This broke the ice and provided an electric atmosphere that set the tone for the rest of evening.

Each chat lasted five minutes before the chinking of a glass signalled it was time to move onto the next person.  The decision of whom best to engage with was made easier by the use of a traffic light name-badge system, where a green label indicated a jobseeker; orange suggested a networker; and red denounced a recruiter/hirer.

Hayes Client Services, one of the event’s sponsors, made the most of the experience by using each five-minute slot as a preliminary interview for prospective hires into their expansive hiring programme.  In total they identified 10 prospects, all of whom were invited in for formal meetings the following week.  James Goodrich, HR director of the Manchester-based direct marketing agency, said:  “The outcome was beyond our imagination.  To attend an event like this and be able to simultaneously meet so many relevant marketers suited to our business was extraordinary.”

Relationship development

The enforced engagement provided some excellent platforms from which to build and the remainder of the evening was spent developing initial conversations.  With preliminary drinks coming courtesy of the sponsors, the mood amongst attendees was certainly relaxed, accentuating the benefits of offline social interaction, opposed to digital processes or, indeed, more formally structured affairs.

Richard Gahagan, Co-founder of Sales & Marketing specialist recruiter, Adam Recruitment, said: “We attended the event wearing three hats: firstly, to help the jobseekers; secondly to promote ourselves to prospective clients; and thirdly, to network amongst other business leaders.  We were delighted our sponsorship paid dividends in all regards.”

Predicting the future

With the UK preparing to exit recession 2010 hopes to herald the dawn of better times for marketing professionals.  Whilst the jobs landscape remains uncertain there are positive signs.  As marketers begin to see the welcome again mat appearing at company doors, those associated with the industry should be doing all they can to stand out from their competitors. 

So getting out there, meeting people and showing them you are serious about your career, your business, your future, is one proactive element of a successful personal and commercial branding campaign.  Hiding in the shadows serves no purpose.

“This was a well-attended and organised event and a real good turnout.  Met loads of people and made useful contacts,” concluded Naheem Bhatti, a senior marketing manager. 

And that, of course, is what it was all about.

Simon Lewis | Editor | Only Marketing Jobs