I had a Skype interview with Eric Rattner,
Account Executive at Hospitality eBusiness Strategies (HeBS Digital)
in my social media class yesterday. Eric graduated in the Hospitality
Management Program at SU in 2011. Before joining HeBS Digital, Eric completed
several internships in hotels and restaurants. I felt delightful of speaking
with him about his job search tactics as a student, his current position and
company, in addition to the internet-marketing and social-media trends. Here are
some highlights of our conversation:
Job Search Tactics as a Student
Eric began building a network both online and offline when
he was a student. He was informed by one of his connections regarding the job
opportunity at HeBS Digital. Then, he applied for the position on LinkedIn,
went through the interviewing process, and secured the job offer.
Eric shows us a great example of finding jobs online. As a
matter of fact, 89% of the U.S. companies are relying on social networking
sites for recruiting. Among them, LinkedIn accounts for 73% of the internet
hires through social media (Wright, 2012). Job seekers have no choice but to
practice the social-media job-search tactics.
Work at HeBS Digital
HeBS Digital is an e-marketing firm that helps clients
develop internet strategies and design/manage their websites and social media
accounts. HeBS Digital is growing and has won many awards over the past 10
years. Eric loves the company and enjoys what he is doing. Besides the
technical skills, having good work ethics, being reliable and professional, and
being able to take responsibilities are important in HeBS Digital.
Everything Eric said is important for a student who starts
his/her professional life. I hope students will appreciate the expectations and
rules set by their professors. It would be easier for a professor to teach the
content of a subject (i.e. the technical skills) without paying attention to other
aspects of education. I, however, believe that a good professor should also
“train” students how to be a good citizen (e.g. work ethics and
professionalism) and how to think independently (e.g. critical thinking and
problem-solving skills). Things like arriving on time, showing respect to
others, remaining undistracted by cellphones, and participating in class
discussion may seem “silly” but crucial in preparing students for the real-world
settings, would you agree?
Internet Marketing and Social Media Trends
According to Eric, it is always important to measure the
effectiveness of a company’s social media strategy. Pinterest and Google Plus are new but emerging platforms. Companies also need to pay close attention to Google
Social Integration and see how it may affect SEO (Search Engine Optimism).
In the past, I have noticed that some hotel chains set up
social media profiles for the brand in the corporate level while many others
allow each property to create/manage its own social media accounts.
Restaurants, on the other hand, often manage their social media accounts in the
corporate level. Eric suggested that having a social media account in the
property level allows more personal conversation between a hotel and those
customers who actually stay in that hotel. I agree, but I also feel that each
hotel brand, in the corporate level, should have an active account in all major
social media profiles. Similar to sales and promotions, a hotel chain can
broadcast a commercial in a national network while at the same time, individual
hotel properties can put an advertisement in a local magazine or video. Why
can’t a hotel chain have many social media accounts, one in the corporate level
and the others in the property level?
Social media and internet marketing is important for every
business and definitely a growing field. HeBS Digital is now hiring, so as many
other social media firms. Surprisingly, according to a recent study by the
Society of Human Resource Management, only 12% of the companies being surveyed
reported that they have at least one full-time employee who is managing the
organization’s social media activities (Leonard, 2012). This could be a very
exciting finding for students and job seekers who are interested in social
media because there will be many job openings in the field soon when the other
88% of companies finally realize the importance of having full-time social
media staff. My suggestions to students who want to work in the social media
field include: (a) take some relevant courses in social media --- also think
about what other skills required for a social media officer,
will other seem-to-be-irrelevant classes be helpful in building some
transferable skills? (b) begin building a personal brand as a social media
expert by engaging in intellectual
conversations online; and (c) network, both online and offline.
I very much appreciate Eric’s insightful information. What
are your thoughts about this interview? Any suggestions or comments for me,
students, and other social-media professionals?
Interested in my conversation with Eric Rattner? Please
check out the tweets about this interview on #HPM200 Guest Speaker @rattner31.
References:
Bill Leonard. (2012, March). Your active role in social
media policies. HR Magazine, p.
105.
Aliah D. Wright. (2012, March). Your social media is showing:
A candidate’s online presence may say more than a resume. HR Magazine, p. 16.
Although I was not a part of this Skype Interview with Mr. Rattner, this summary has made me think, yet again, about the importance and ever growing factor of Social Media. We did discuss this fact in our guest speaker sessions for the HR class. I remember the day that I signed up for Facebook. At first, I was very against it, but my friends convinced me to get one. So I did. And now of course, much like every other college student, I am hooked. I think Facebook is a great tool for people to stay in touch and interact with their friends. However, now with the ever growing trend of using social media sites for job recruiting and even selection, I have become more and more paranoid about what is on my page, as well as the privacy settings. It is a scary thought that a potential employer will judge me based on what my friends have put on my Facebook wall. They are my friends, not me. It also bothers me a little bit that they could potentially forget about an amazing interview and choose not to hire me just because of what is on my page. I try to monitor what is public and visible on my profile, but my idea of professional or acceptable may be very different than that of the person that is interviewing me. I do not think I am going to get rid of my Facebook profile, and I do not want to worry about every little think I post. I guess I, just like everyone else, will have to make an adjustment when entering the work force and more carefully monitor my profile.
ReplyDeleteRachel Braun