Social Media Specialist

I follow several social media blogs, including Hubspot, Hootsuite and social media guru Rebekah Radice’s blog. However, there is so much information that I also rely on my Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn news feeds to keep me up to date on tips, tricks and changes in the social media world. I also read industry publications such as Social Media Today and the Social Media Examiner, and I am a member of the Social Media Club.

The constantly changing world of social media requires managers to stay on top of the latest developments. How do you update your skills and knowledge of social media?

“Blogging and Twitter and stuff”. Excuse yourself for a bathroom break and don’t come back.

“All of the conversations going on between people and people and businesses and such online”. Not bad.

“A trendy term to describe a new kind of mass media”. Totally acceptable.

Watch their body language and listen for cues that indicate they see feedback as an opportunity to improve — and that they willingly apply it to their writing.

Ability to align content with readers’ needs

Content marketers must understand the market, industry, and audience they’re serving. That means listening to customers and influencers, identifying customer needs, and providing content relevant to the industry. Ask:

For interview questions about marketing failures there are several things to note about your answer:

☛ Do not get defensive. If you had an expectation that failed, admit it.

☛ Explain how you found out it failed using numerical, analytical measurements as examples.

☛ Describe the adjustments that you made in order to make the campaign more successful.

“Oh, shut up”. Perfectly OK, especially if the expert turns purple for a moment first. They’re just sick of hearing this question, which means they’ve been around the block a few times.

“It’s complicated, but here’s a high-level view…”. Nice!!!

“I track clicks from Twitter”. Nope, sorry.

Most people are unaware of the power of Google+ and have a profile because they heard that it is useful for search engine optimization (SEO). Being a fairly new social network, on Google there is camaraderie that is rarely felt in more established networks. You can join communities (types of forums for different interests), host hangouts, troubleshoot technical problems, or do subtle product promotion. Social updates will rank on Google, and search results will feature in the top pages in your followers’ search results.

The social media world can be a very dynamic and opinionated place, meaning that there are plenty of opportunities for something to go wrong. Your potential boss wants to know that you can keep cool in these situations and deal with it accordingly.

Make sure you state that you would stay calm and inform the correct parties if necessary – they want to know that you wouldn’t crumble under the pressure! So maybe bring up a previous occasion when something went wrong for you and how you resolved it – giving an example can be a brilliant way of proving you’ve got what it takes.

There are some universal answers to this question, including engaging with fans and responding promptly to comments and messages. Beyond these, many of the platforms differ in the ideal cadence and content of posts. Analyze the potential employer's social media activities and prepare to discuss best practices for every network it uses.

Social media managers need to know how to define success for social media campaigns. Do you utilize social media campaign tools such as Klout? How do you use KPIs and analytics to prove the success of your campaigns? Need to add some tools to your kit? Check out this post.

This is probably one of the first questions many social media employers will ask – they want to know that you’ve got passion and commitment to the industry, and asking you what attracted you to social media can be a brilliant way of working it out.

A good answer would be to state that it’s an up and coming industry with plenty of room to progress and enhance your skills. This shows that you’re in it for the long haul and you’re a candidate that thrives under pressure – they want someone who will actively seek out ways to improve themselves.

The answer for this questions proves you have spent time researching the company’s current social media campaigns, and have taken the time to find workable solutions for any problems with the current campaign.

If you’re applying for a social media job, then your prospective employer will probably want to see/hear about what you’ve done in the past. They’ll want to see how you can use social media on a commercial level – so this is a brilliant chance for you to showcase your talents.

A great way to tackle this question would be to tell them about a project you’ve ran or assisted with and talk about the success of this. Remember to focus on stats in particular – if you increased the engagement of your social media platform, make sure you state by how much. You want to wow your potential employer by your past achievements, so make sure you’ve got some stats at the ready.

There's no one right answer to this. The best answer will come from doing your homework. Research your potential employer's current activities across all channels. Then, produce a plan, with action items and metrics for success.

Show that you know about the social media efforts of major brands. Glamour Magazine, for instance, is taking advantage of Google Hangouts to engage their fans in ways that print cannot. This Hangout campaign by Glamour features staff, online personalities, and brands, while cleverly and subtly advertising products.

Look for signs of excitement and enthusiasm. You likely have a keeper if the person touts the personal benefits of creating great content.