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Three innovative ways to add social media to your job application

In today's competitive job market, it's no wonder that the average applicant has to send in 200 cover letters to get one single interview (a statistic overheard at a career services office). But what can us social media savvy job hunters do to show our expertise goes above and beyond the typical Facebook user or Instagram photo-enhancing college student? Why not include our beloved social media in the application? Now, not all potential employers will appreciate a creative resumé, but some who are looking to hire for jobs such as PR, advertising, graphic design and communications may fall as deeply in love with your new resumé as you are. 

Create a Digital Portfolio
More and more companies unfortunately do not have the resources to fly interviewees out to location. Many applicants are unhappy with the impersonal nature of phone or Skype interviews. Although you cannot physically hand them your portfolio to look over, you can create a digital portfolio with links to the work you've done. 

I personally suggest Wix. A friend told me of the site and I've found it incredibly user-friendly. Just like a blog, you can also choose a theme for your site which will give a potential employer more insight to who you are. 

Incorporate a QR Code
I must admit, I don't use too many QR codes from day-to-day, but I think a QR code is a great addition to any resumé. Giving the human resources personnel a chance to stray away from the ever-repetitive traditional resumé won't hurt your chance of standing out, either. 

There are plenty of free QR building websites. Simply have a link of the website you want the QR code to connect to and after a few clicks, your new QR code is ready for some action. I've seen some utilize it as a connector to LinkedIn or a digital portfolio. 

One important thing to remember is that some job sites won't accept a resumé with any kind of image. Be sure to check before submitting your application. 

Score Yourself
Potential employers want to see numbers. How many events have you planned? How many articles have you had published? What percentage did you exceed a goal by? For social media specifically, include your Klout score. Or, rate your social media expertise and skills using charts and visuals. 

Check out my Pinterest board for some innovative resumé ideas.

 

The Power of the Guest Pinner

Pinterest is like an internship, what you put in, is what you get out. The more you pin and interact with other pinners, the more attention your username and boards will receive in return. Some users and businesses, like Etsy, have taken pinning to the next level by inviting guest pinners to contribute to their boards.

Etsy utilized popular sellers on their own website, popular bloggers and other representatives from well known brands to attract more traffic to their boards. Inviting influential individuals to guest pin can give fresh insight to a board in a rut. Having the guest pinner promote the collaboration on their social media outlets will help to draw even more attention to the site and can help a business rapidly gain followers.

Guest pinners are one new aspect featured with Pinterest for Business. Other exciting, innovative ways to use Pinterest to promote a business include using the site as a sort of online focus group. Pinners can like and comment on products that businesses are promoting. It's overall a phenomenal way to get fast feedback from customers from all over the world.

Pinterest for Business is an exciting new addition to the already phenomenal online. Don't underestimate the power of inviting a blogger, a local celebrity, a famous/successful alumni, your company's CEO or it's Creative Director to contribute to your boards!


 

Oscar de la Renta promotes new fragrance with Pinterest

Oscar de la Renta, one of the world's most prestigious fashion houses, recently release a new fragrance, Something Blue. To promote the fragrance, Erika Bearman - better known as OscarPRgirl - utilized Pinterest and Instagram to creatively have her followers share the news of Oscar's latest fabulous product.

Bearman announced the promotion by introducing the fragrance to her blog and invited her followers to contribute to the Pinterest board by sharing pictures using the hashtag #mysomethingblue. As of February 9, the board has a total of 460 pins; each pin with multiple repins - furthering the reach of Something Blue's promotion. See the description included with each of her pins below.

"What's your something blue? Instagram your ideas with #MySomethingBlue and OscarPRGirl will feature it on pinterest and facebook. Request a sample or purchase Oscar de la Renta’s newest fragrance, Something Blue www.oscardelarent..."

Bearman also utilized Twitter to announce the fragrance and the invitation for her followers to contribute. 

Things to think about:

• User generated content saves the PR department some time by having the content presented to them - they simply have to pick and choose and upload the images to Pinterest. Inviting the followers to contribute to the Pinterest board also creates excitement and a desire to get involved. Each pin and repin also furthers the reach of the announcement of the fragrance's arrival. 

For next time:

• If the contributor's username was somehow included in the pin, it would have generated even more user excitement. However, it would have been a little more complicated and would be  much more time consuming due to the hundreds of pins.

How to utilize it in your campaign:

• Promoting a product
• Any kind of contest
• "Instagram your #WelcomeSpring2013 outfit and see if it makes our Pinterest board!"
• "Share your favorite photos from Saturday's event with #LLSGrandFinale and check our Pinterest to see if you and your friends are featured!"

Any other thoughts of how to utilize Instagram and Pinterest to promote a product?