The Offline Community

When I had just graduated from school, armed with my degree, and with hopes for the future, little did I know my future would be months and months away. Noone tells you that the degree is not really the key to the kingdom. That was never part of the "Once Upon A Time" story. In any event, hard reality set in as well as boredom, so I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had gotten some feedback from one HR recruiter and of course, they were looking for someone experienced. No problem. I got it. I however asked whether I could be considered as a volunteer - no salary, just to learn the ropes. It would have been an awesome experience, because it was an international organisation, and one I always had dreams of working for, and the chance to learn first hand about the industry was too tempting to not ask. I was certainly not getting the experience sitting at home watching Oprah and though not getting paid was not my ideal situation (man cannot live on bread alone), I was still willing to get out there for free, and get my feet wet, do the drudge work, make copies, fax - but get a feel for what made the PR team in an organisation such as that one, tick.

The short, though resounding answer to an equally short question was "no", which even then was mind blowing to me. It still is.

I eventually got a job I was not excited about, and which had nothing to do with communications or marketing, but my boss recognised where my true interests were and would put me on related projects with the Marketing team, who were more than willing to use me and pimp me out and I was more than willing to be used and pimped. I eventually got a job in PR 3 months later.

...but it begs the question, how are organisations or associations really helping young people to get the experience they need and to encounter the hard realities that this job is not as glamorous as they think it may be? Or any other job for that matter. I have had interns who, it was clear, really needed the internship experience to understand that the divide between school and the workplace is very wide. And especially with PR, there is a conception that it's glam - you're in the paper, or on television, or you go to all sorts of events and hob nob. You give them a task like faxing media releases, or getting feedback from customers, who may sometimes be irate, and they are aghast that THIS is what you want them to do. Well, THIS is usually it. It's often fun, and often not. Are we preparing students for the realities that await them?

What was your first job experience like? Was it paid or was it voluntary? What is your organisation doing to ease fresh faced, eager graduates into the real world?

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What should you, Nicki Minaj and Justin Bieber have in common?

I know just a couple things about Nicki Minaj

1. She is an up and coming female rapper (another one) who I am hearing about more and more each day
2. She is of Trini origin - a Trini dougla
2. She got her break when she was discovered on MySpace by some big jefe record executive

I know even less about Justin Bieber except for

1. His name has been a Twitter trending topic for weeks now
2. He got his break when he was discovered on YouTube

How do you intend to catch your big break??

Before, it was the employer who pulled out the bells and whistles to make themselves attractive and accessible. Now, with social media, it's the prospective employees and the big-dreamers who are really putting themselves out there to get the attention of employers and dream peddlers. How are you using social media to self-promote?

Are you using a business-oriented social network like LinkedIn?
If your Facebook page currently has photos of last weekend's drunken club session, it may not be the best channel for promoting yourself professionally. Nix that idea IMMEDIATELY! Consider using a site like LinkedIn to sell who you are and what you can offer, while having the opportunity to network with people in your field. And don't just create a profile and leave it sitting there. Get recommendations from past employers/colleagues. Get out there and make yourself visible. Follow groups which are related to your field, get involved in discussions, post answers to questions - interact and exchange.

Are you following the RIGHT people?
We all have our interests. I follow travel tweeters, but I also follow a lot of PR/comms/social media marketing tweeters. Twitter may be like a huge chatroom for most, but make it a chatroom with a purpose and with an end goal in mind if you're looking to catch that lucky break.

Are you blogging?
Blogs are a great way to have your say and share your expertise, while putting yourself out there. But...

Are you mindful of the content you post online?
Don't use your blog to only be critical, divisive or just plain cantankerous. Offer useful solutions, show your creativity in resolving issues, show that you can be a positive part of a community. So while we may not always agree with what others may say, we don't have to be nasty about it. Offer contributions, not deconstruction! And F bombs may not be the best way to paint yourself fabulous, so don't use the F bomb on Twitter or elsewhere if you're not too pleased about something.

Is your CV current and innovative?
Ensure that your CV is current. Don't put outdated info on your LinkedIn site, which midway through a conversation you realise is not the whole story. Super fail. And depending on what you're looking for, and the audience you're trying to reach, why not integrate short video, or a podcast telling people about yourself. Though I think here, we are lagging in this area, it's an idea especially if you want to show yourself as on the cutting edge of your field. HR is using video conferencing, and social networks in some areas to recruit new hires. Why should you be limited to a standard CV?

Are you checking out who's checking YOU out?
So you have set up these social media channels to sell yourself but are you even checking to see if anyone is browsing the merchandise. Just as traditional marketers measure to see whether their message is getting across, you need to ascertain whether you are being noticed. So monitor your hits to your blog, who subscribes to your RSS feed, who's retweeting you, following you, who's connecting with you, who's responding to your discussion topics etc. Don't leave it to chance.

Are you getting the word out?
I don't think we have many mind readers out there so be vocal about your objectives and start exploring those avenues relevant to your professional needs. Let people know that you are looking for new opportunities. The more people who know you're looking, the greater the chance of you getting that job. If we can use social networks to find a date (more on this later this week), why can't we be honest about our professional desires? Get it out there!

Justin Bieber's mum used YouTube to post his performances for friends and family and inadvertently got him his dream job. Now he is all over Twitter. Why? I am not quite sure but there is really something to be said about using social media to follow your dream. Start building your networks now before you really need it. It takes time to build that network and that following, so don't waste time. Get it going.

p.s. Findind a G-rated/fit-for-purpose photo of Ms Minaj for this blog was a challenge. Be mindful of your content, right?

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