Is your future boss watching you???

More than one in five employers search social networking sites to screen job candidates, according to a survey of more than 31,000 employers released by CareerBuilder.com this week and reported in Computer World.

The study found that the number of hiring managers that are turning to social networks like MySpace and Facebook to check out candidates’ online behaviour has increased to 22% of employers from just 11% in 2006. Of the hiring managers who use social networks, 33% said they found information on such sites that caused them to STOP considering the candidate for a job, and 24% found content on social networks that HELPED

Technorati Tags: careers,social networks

CONVINCE THEM TO HIRE a candidate. These managers said that profiles showing a professional image and solid references can boost a candidate’s chances for a job.

The top areas of concern found on social networking sites include:

• Information about alcohol or drug use (41% of managers said this was a top concern)
• Inappropriate photos or information posted on a candidate’s page (40%)
• Poor communication skills (29%)
• Bad-mouthing of former employers or fellow employees (28%)
• Inaccurate qualifications (27%)
• Unprofessional screen names (22%)
• Notes showing links to criminal behaviour (21%)
• Confidential information about past employers (19%)

“Hiring managers are using the Internet to get a more well-rounded view of job candidates in terms of their skills, accomplishments and overall fit within the company,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder.com. “As a result, more job seekers are taking action to make their social networking profiles employer-friendly. 16% of workers who have social networking pages said they modified the content on their profile to convey a more professional image to potential employers”

The report recommends that job seekers:

• Remove pictures, content and links that can send the wrong message to potential employers.
• Update social networking profiles regularly to highlight latest accomplishments.
• Consider blocking comments to avoid questionable posts
• Avoid joining groups whose names could turn off potential employers.
• Consider setting their profile to private so only designated friends can view it.

You have been warned!

Building your personal brand online

Technorati Tags: personal brand,social networking,careers

Are you on the right or the wrong side of the ‘digital divide’? The gap is nowadays less about if you have access to the web, but more about whether you understand how to participate in the networked society. If you have the skills, time and confidence to navigate the online chaos you will gain access to new opportunities, find audiences for your work and enrich the lives of others. With all the free online resources available to you at University, there is no excuse for being trapped on the wrong side of the divide.

Finding a job and managing your career progression involves understanding how today’s networks work and how to deploy them effectively. Building and maintaining your personal brand (both online and offline) is critical to marketing yourself as a prospective employee or business partner, or entrepreneur seeking funding. If a recruitment consultant thinks you may be suitable for a particular role and he idly Googles your name, what will he find? Perhaps those dodgy Facebook photos will surface to your embarrassment…but hopefully at the top of the list will be the photo of you receiving an achievement award from your University, or your blog which showcases your interests and experience, or your LinkedIn profile which has links to glowing testimonials from people who know you well.

So think of Google “as your reputation management system”. This term comes from the branding guru Chris Brogan whose words of wisdom are well worth bookmarking or following. He notes: “A personal brand gives you the ability to stand out in a sea of similar products. In essence, you’re marketing yourself as something different than the rest of the pack.”

Building your personal brand takes time. Here are a few starting points I’ve summarised for you from Chris’s advice on how to start developing your Google profile:

• Get a Twitter account for real time micro blogging
• Get a Flickr account for photo sharing
• Get a YouTube account for video uploading
• Get an Upcoming account to promote events
• Get a Del.icio.us account for bookmarking all those articles and other useful links that you find
• Get a WordPress account to start your blog
• Get a LinkedIn account for your professional network
• Get a Gmail account for use with Google Reader, Calendar, Docs, and other innovative free tools

There’s more to come in a future blog post. If you can’t wait J there’s much more about how to interact effectively on these sites and build your brand along the right lines in http://www.chrisbrogan.com/img/broganbranding.pdf

Volunteering Roles with Barnardo’s

 

Barnardo’s are looking to recruit two different campus-based volunteering roles for the next academic year. The roles are unpaid and the applicants must be students for 2008/09. Not only will both roles look fantastic when applying for jobs, they are also endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and you will have the opportunity to work towards a Career Development Award from CIM.

Barnardo’s are looking for creative, energetic and organised students from universities and colleges around the UK to work in groups as Student Event Fundraisers. As a group they would like you to run at least 2 events over the academic year with the aim of raising £700 to help continue their work with children and young people. http://www.barnardos.org.uk/get_involved/students/studenteventfundraisers.htm

They are also looking for inventive, determined and socially aware students from universities and colleges around the UK to volunteer as Student Brand Managers to help raise the profile of Barnardo’s amongst the students at their Institute. Working on your own, or part of a group, you will have the chance to get involved in campaigning and awareness raising activities, marketing, market research and much more! http://www.barnardos.org.uk/get_involved/students/studentbrandmanagers.htm

For more information on either of these roles or how to apply, get in touch with Sian Fraser, Student Programme Officer, on 0208 498 7523 or by email to sian.fraser@barnardos.org.uk 

The closing date for the applications is 31^st October and the positions will start in November 2008.

 

Are you new to the UK?

A new interactive learning resource to help UK institutions prepare international students for university study is now available online. ‘Prepare for Success’ has been developed in the Centre for Language Study at the University of Southampton. These interactive multimedia learning resources help you to discover what British academic culture is like, and what kind of academic skills you will need for effective study in the UK. The resource also provides considerable scope for you to improve your English language skills.

Please note that to run the resources on your computer you will need QuickTime 7 or above and Flash 6 or above installed.

The Prepare for Success website is: www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk

Work Experience Opportunities

Campus Group are an experiential marketing agency whose campaigns primarily focus on the UK student market. Each year they run marketing campaigns for many graduate recruitment clients such as Linklaters and RBS, and other brands such as Jack Daniel’s, 3 Mobile and The Foreign and Commonwealth Office to name but a few.

The company offers students the ability to get their foot on the career ladder with great experience working on marketing campaigns in a flexible working environment with payments ranging from £7-8 per hour.

They also offer those students working on their campaigns the opportunity to work towards the Chartered Institute of Marketing Career Development Award. This accreditation is a great opportunity and is very well received amongst employers post-university; giving those who participate a competitive edge over their peers.

Campus Group are currently looking to recruit students for the next academic year’s campaigns. All that you need to do is to send your CV to recruitment@campusgroup.co.uk

Further information is available here: campus_group_student_presentation or contact  Molly on 0207 688 8976 or molly.burrows@campusgroup.co.uk

 

Graduation 2008

The first graduates of the MSc Marketing Analytics programme collected their awards this week…see the photos below. Congratulations to you all!

If you would like to recommend a colleague to our new part time Executive Programme leading to an MSc in Marketing Analytics for working managers, further information can be found here www.management.soton.ac.uk/marketingdna

Graduation 2008

Career Opportunity for Marketing Graduate at Ultra Electronics

Ultra Electronics is a group of specialist businesses designing, manufacturing and supporting electronic and electromechanical systems, sub-systems and products for defence, security and aerospace applications worldwide.

www.ultra-electronics.com

The successful applicant will be a graduate who has recently completed their studies in Marketing, Business Administration or similar and is now looking for the opportunity to start their career in the exciting defence sector. The role requires a dynamic and personable person who is confident, organised, an excellent communicator and a focused self starter. The intention is to develop the successful applicant into a Marketing Manager within three years. Full training will be provided; some knowledge of the defence sector would be an advantage.

• Support the Marketing and Public Relations teams in their activities.
• Provide administrative support to the Marketing Team; planning, developing strategy, policy and processes and securing new opportunities.
• Ensure all reports and marketing material are provided to internal and external customers in a timely manner.
• To respond directly to customers for routine enquiries.
• Ensure that all information is current and provided in a timely manner to meet all deadlines and act as a progress chaser on behalf of the team.
• To assist in the preparation of bids, presentation material and data sheets.
• To undertake research, market assessments, project and technology tracking under own initiative and provide briefing material.
• To make appointments and co-ordinate the Marketing Team’s Diaries.

Due to the requirement to obtain security clearance, only candidates from European/NATO nations will be considered.

Salary £21,000

Please send CV to Will.Gimson@ultra-scs.com

Career Opportunity for MSc Graduates

Career Opportunity with Twinings International Marketing

If you are interested please email your CV to Rowen Douglas, rd@futureboardconsulting.com

This team looks at global marketing strategy for key markets – UK, US, Australia, Italy, France, Switzerland and Asia (Thailand, Philippines and China):

• Provide brand guidance and support to the local marketing teams
• Manage brand innovation and NPD
• Manage marketing projects which involve more than one market
• Encourage and promote best-practice marketing methods
• Develop international marketing strategic plans
• Share local country marketing initiatives
• Provide the business with market and competitive intelligence

The department can be seen as consultants/service department to the rest of the business and are responsible for brand strategy, sharing information between markets and guiding the direction of the brand.

Role

• Frequently supporting and liaising with teams across Ovo markets covering various aspects of the marketing mix (especially with the R&D team in Switzerland – Neuenegg)

• Communicating between markets ensuring that relevant information is shared, putting people in contact with the relevant teams

• Variety of projects:
  • Launching new products
  • Supporting projects that look at opportunities in new markets
  • Research-based projects
  • Collating information from across the markets

• Innovations and NPD projects – looking at how innovation is right for the brand, consistency.
• Ad-hoc marketing projects (e.g. fair trade, goodness claims, packaging re-designs, market research, repositioning)

. 

You will also need:

–          Practical intelligence

–          Demonstrable interest in customer development or marketing

–          Strong academic background

–          Proven leadership potential

–          Drive for results, and confidence to ‘own’ projects

–          The right to live and work in the EU

If you are passionate about the ‘customer experience’, have the desire to be an expert in either customer development or marketing then we encourage you to apply to this programme.

Opportunities and locations, starting September 2008

–          Ryvita (Poole, Dorset)  http://www.ryvita.com/uk/

–          AB World Foods, formerly GCosta (Maidstone, Kent) http://www.gcosta.co.uk/

–          Twinings (Andover, Hampshire) http://www.twinings.co.uk/home_flash.asp

–          Allied Bakeries (Maidenhead, Berks) http://www.alliedbakeries.co.uk/index.htm

Salary and package

£24,500 base salary plus benefits

 

Amazon are recruiting in Second Life on 29th May

Full details of how to join this online recruitment fair are available from:

http://www.jeff-barr.com/?p=1377

Thanks

Lisa

online resource for dissertation preparation

Don’t forget to make use of this resource to help you progress your dissertations:

http://www.erm.ecs.soton.ac.uk/theme1/index.html