/ Vol 27 / April 8 2016

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THE GRADUATE EDITION

What Grads Getting Crafty Creating
1 Really Want In 3 With Your 5 An Online
An Employer Resume Persona

What Grads 4 Interviewing Social Media: The

2 6
Need To Know Done Right New PR Platform

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What Graduates Really Want in an
Employer
Job seekers are becoming much
more selective in their hunt for
prospective employers than ever
before. In a recent discussion
with Hannah Walker, a soon-to-
be graduate from Bond Univer-
sity, finding a suitable employer
is all about size and atmosphere.
In terms of size, Walker
is aiming for a boutique local
agency to begin her career in a
social media marketing or public
relations role. She enjoyes the re-
laxed and hands on atmosphere,
believing she had the opportuni-
ty for more one-on-one training
and support.
Quality over quantity is
also becoming a common goal
amongst graduates. Emma Barff,
studying Bachelors of Business
at Griffith University, is seeking
a new age workplace. Think
Buzzfeed and workplaces that
promote a more relaxed and
comfortable culture, but still
press the envelop in terms of
their content.
I find those places inter-
esting. They offer a new working
culture that isnt all about mak-
ing as much money as possible.
Theres a new business from
home group emerging that I
really want to be a part of, Barff
said.
This business from
home trend is a real aspect of
marketing and public relations.
The Gold Coast, where both
Barff and Walker are located,
offers two examples; HarHar
Group and Ps in a Pod. Both
small firms offer varying services
and both are highly successful in
their areas, taking on competi-
tors with 10x the employees and
winning over local clients.
It will be interesting to
see where these trends take the
industry in the future; as they are
welcomed by graduates and are
creating a new form of differenti-
ation between competitor firms.
Emerging Trends:
What Graduates Need
to Know
Public Relations is a constantly
evolving industry new technologi-
cal advancement, employers begin
the search for skills to meet their
new demands. Here are three new
areas of demand in the industry
and corresponding skills :
Demand: Story Selling
Skill: Curation and Writing
The ability to sell your story is
about more than just writing
these days. Its using every possi-
ble tool in your toolbox to better
captivate the audience. Curation
is just a fancy word for know your
audiences and what theyre liking
and not liking. By curating this
information, you can better de-
velop your stories or content to
suit their interests, ensuring suc-
Image Source: Julie Fischer
cess in the digital world. Writing
skills are fundamental in landing
yourself the job of your dreams,
so understanding the complexi-
ties associated with language and
punctuation are a must.
Demand: Design
Skill: Multimedia
Knowing a range of multimedia
skills can really set you apart from
other applicants when searching
for the all important first job. Pho-
toshop and the ability to edit and
piece together video content are
highly sought after skills in cre-
ative industries. Coding is another
skill employers are having a hard
time passing up, as it adds another
dimension to your usefulness as
an employee.
Demand: Social Media
Skill: Writing for Digital
This seems obvious to most, but
capturing your publics interest in
140 characters is becoming more
of an art form than anything else.
Further, with the ability to become
a viral sensation, organisations are
becoming more and more focused
on utilising social media as a main
form of direct communication
with customers.
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Creating an Online Persona
Social media is changing the
Public Relations game. Organi-
sations have shifted their focus
away from print to online media.
This shift may soon be reflected
in the job hunt. With so many
potential employees obtaining a
job is harder than ever, but estab-
lishing an online presence can
really help a job seeker show-
case their talents and abilities in
a more modern fashion. Some
excellent ways to establish an
online persona is through Linke-
dIn, Blogging and an E-Portfolio.
LinkedIn is the premier
online business-oriented social
media platform. A strong Linke-
dIn profile will contain a high
quality photo, powerful call to
action and detailed summary
of past experiences. Many busi-
nesses recruit through LinkedIn
so by maintaining an up-to-date
profile job seekers really help
their chances of being hired.
Blogging allows writ-
ers and public relations prac-
titioners to demonstrate their
skills. By simply posting an arti-
cle a week, bloggers build their
online presence.
E-portfolios are becom-
ing a common way for job seek-
ers to present themselves, as em-
ployers are seek more and more
creativity out of their applicants.
An E-portfolio typically consists
of at least an about me section
(essentially a cover letter), a re-
sume, and sample work. They
can be made on many websites
such as WordPress, Wixx and
Weebly, which are all centred
around user frienliness. By cre-
ating an E-portfolio, a job seek-
er is able to display to potential
employers everything they could
ask for all in one place while
demonstrating their ability to
design and publish a website.
Social Media: The New
PR Platform
Public relations professionals
are finally harnessing the full
capability of having an immedi-
ate channel of communication
with their consumers and fans.
Its given rise to a number of
obstacles and opportunities for
PR professionals to overcome
and take on, and for graduates
to consider when entering the
workforce. Here are three major
ways social media has changed
public relations:
Constant Two-Way Communica-
tion
Social media platforms
have give consumers easy access
to any brand, company or person
they wish to complain to or com-
pliment. It is now pivotal that
any public figure or organisation
maintain a positive social media
presence, which usually involves
the employment of a team or in-
dividual to field comments and
posts that may negatively impact
their public image. Another as-
pect of this constant communi-
cation is the opportunity to go
viral. Companies are now using
witty replies as a way to gain the
spotlight and create a stronger
fan base.
24/7 Engagement
PR pros can now engage
their publics any time of day or
night. The ability to post a new
campaign or kick start a new ini-
tiative at any time of the day or
week, with little to no hassle, has
an abundance of opportunities
for companies with a social me-
dia presence. They can quickly
acknowledge current affairs or
developments in their industry
or business.
Citizen Journalism
Social media has allowed
everyone to become a journalist
and critic, with thier opinions
out there for all to see. Compa-
nies and public figures are now
forced to contend with their en-
tire consumer base being able to
post public criticisms or negative
experiences. Much like two-way
communication, they are now
forced to remain vigilant of any
negative output by consumers at
Image Source: The Talkative Man
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Getting Crafty with Your Resume
In the current job market differ-
entiating yourself from other po-
tential candidates can be hard.
This has led many individuals
to seek creative ways to separate
themselves from the crowd. So
what can you do to become the
tallest poppy in the field?
Create a resume that stands out.
Make your resume pop!
Everyone can submit something
basic that explains education, ex-
perience and skill set, but rather
than just explaining, show what
you can do. If you are experi-
enced with Photoshop why not
prove it by giving the employer
a highly creative and artistic CV
and Resume?
Use social media to your advan-
tage
Every company has a
Facebook page and Twitter ac-
count thats users, and more
importantly job seekers, can in-
teract with. Contact an organiza-
tion you are interested in directly
by messaging its Facebook page
or mentioning its twitter handle
in a post. Twitter is especially ef-
fective because you have to say a
lot with minimal characters.
Video Resumes
YouTube is another so-
cial media tool you can utilize.
Through a simple video you
can demonstrate to the employ-
er your creativity and skillset.
In fact, Pamela Kroll, teacher at
the University of Maryland, re-
quires all her students to make a
30 second video pitching them-
selves to employers because its
great practice for interviewing
and videos are becoming a much
more common form of resume.
Dont be afraid to be bold
and creative. If you try some-
thing different and stand out you
will be remembered.
Interviewing Done
Right
As new technology has been
introduced, the ways in which
interviews can be conducted
has grown. Each type of inter-
view brings with it its own set of
challenges, therefore, you must
prepare differently for every in-
terview. Whether the interview
is a video, phone, face-to-face or
something completely different,
there are some general guide-
lines to follow for optimal per-
formance.
Do your research
No matter the interview
you must show you understand
the company. Reading over an
organisations website and social
media materials is a good start,
but to really wow the interview-
ee read over recent company
news and case studies to prove
that you went above and beyond
with your research.
Treat every interview as if it was
your first
Lets say you get called
back for a second or even third
interview. While yes you have
established yourself as a viable
candidate, do not get compla-
cent or too comfortable. Each in-
terview is a new opportunity to
showcase your talents but more
importantly a new opportunity
to hurt your chances.
Stay calm and collected even when
you think youre not doing so well
Some interviews are
meant to really put pressure on
the interviewee. The way you re-
act to these stressful situations
shows the interviewer your char-
acter. By remaining calm and an-
swering the questions to the best
of your ability you prove that you
are able to overcome the many
hurdles lingering in any poten-
tial job.
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