Does Your Twitter Handle Belong in Your Resume?

In the day and age of social media, emails and personal websites, our world is gradually becoming paperless. One *exception to this paperless world is your resume/ CV (*even resumes/CVs are becoming paperless, but most employers will prefer a hard copy for the final interview or will print off your “paperless” version onto paper during the application process).

But is the bridge between online and on-paper one that should be built? Or rather, does your social media contact information belong on your resume/ CV?

In my opinion, yes. I put my twitter handle in my resume. Where you decide to put your social media information is personal preference, but I decided to make my twitter handle very noticeable and included an entire section under “skills” where I include which social networks in which I am active.

I also have my blog (the one you are reading right now!) listed under relevant experience/ projects. However, I only suggest you include blogs in your resume that you regularly write for or that have received some sort of recognition.

Putting your social media contact information on your resume not only let’s the employer reviewing your resume/ CV that you’re tuned in to using social media, but that you have nothing to hide. Let’s face it, they’re going to google you regardless if you put your twitter handle on your resume/ CV or not. Why not beat them to the punch and say, “Here I am and this is why you want me to work for you” (this is also made under the assumption that your social media identity is kept clean/ professional. I think this is a safe assumption to make for most PR pre-pros). Showing employers that you have nothing to hide, but instead are actually borderline showing-off your social media identity not only shows candidness and professionalism, but confidence in who you are as a pre-pro and your willingness to make life easy for him or her.

As a result, your social media identity tells them even more about you:

• Personality type
• Personal brand
• Interests/ Hobbies
• Aspirations
• Skills (especially writing and using technology)

This type of information is especially helpful to your employer when applying for jobs that are out of state or area. It lets him or her get a sense of who you are and whether or not you would be a good fit for the company. It provides the employer a sneak peak to your feature film.

Some employers even place high-importance on the use of social media contact information. Here’s what some of the pros said:

Worob It’s the first thing I look for when reading resumes.

thescottbishop If you have an active and valuable twitter brand…add it to your resume (but be aware of what you tweet).

prtini Absolutely a good idea if you’re applying for PR/SM jobs. Shows you are involved online. Important for

employers to know.

sjhalestorm Fits very well into contact info. – gives feeling that you are involved, not hiding. Give potential employers all the opps you can to stalk you by including Twitter handle (+ others) – then impress them.

Additional Resources

Report today in the UK mentions use of Twitter handle / LinkedIn details on your CV

Careerealism’s Resume: 20 Down and Dirty on What to Include

Brand Republic: Social Media talent vacuum in PR and Marketing

(Special thanks to @kionsanders @bitty_boop @Lmnovo @patrickbjohnson @aaronwolowiec @AdamVincenzini @dfriedman16 @TBlinkedin @lisaatufunwa @PattyBaragar @EstrellaBella10 @AlexiaHarris @han_ma @ Worob @thescottbishop @PRtini @sjhalestorm)

Even Losers Get Their Time to Shine

Photo by Visualogist

On January 13, I guest-moderated the twitter chat PRStudChat with the topic, “Social Media in the Classroom and the PR Educator’s Role.” However, I came a long way from December’s chat to get the spot as January’s moderator.

Due to a final exam, I had missed the majority of December 16th’s #PRStudChat at the usual 12-o-clock hour, where I was up for nomination to receive a scholarship from BurrellesLuce a gift of PR and social media books from PFS Marketwyse. I raced through an all-essay exam, writing two pages before most were finished with the first. I sped home, ripped off my coat and shoes, threw down my books and things, nearly yanking off the screen of my Macbook while flipping it open. I had 20 minutes left of #PRStudChat; there was still time.

I tweeted with the fervor of an angry bull, RT-ing and answering upcoming questions as if I were disseminating a bomb. But it was too late. Shortly after I had joined the chat, the voting poll had closed. I lost my chance to shine.

Luckily a good friend of mine, Rachel Esterline, and emerging PR standout Kion Sanders had won the prizes. Even though I felt the sting of having lost the contest (as a former collegiate-athlete, I think it goes without saying that I’m naturally competitive), it was good to see two deserving friends of mine recognized for their hard work and contributions to the online PR community.

Much to my surprise, co-founders and co-hosts of #PRStudChat Deirdre Breakenridge, PR 2.O expert and co-author of Putting the Public Back in Public Relations and Valerie Merahn Simon Senior Vice President at BurrellesLuce media monitoring and measurement approached me about guest-moderating January’s #PRStudChat shortly after December’s chat.

Whether it was because of my crazy priorities (#PRStudChat over an exam? A no-brainer, right?) or my crazy amount of tweeting and engagement during the last 20 minutes of December’s chat that landed me in the spotlight of January’s #PRStudChat is beyond me.

Whatever the case may be, I was honored to have served as 2010’s first guest-moderator of #PRStudChat and would like to publicly thank Deirdre and Valerie for giving me such an exciting opportunity.

20 ways PR students can beat the winter break blues

With the semester’s end approaching, many PR students will take the next few weeks to regenerate before Spring Semester.  However, just because you’re on break doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be doing your homework! Here are some things PR students can do during break to maximize their job search:

1. Update your resume. Assess what you did over the past semester that would be worthy of your resume. Also, prioritize what you should keep on your current copy. You should be updating it about every six months.
2. Clean up your portfolio. Add projects from the past semester and reorganize the contents. You may also want to look at your past projects and edit them. You will be surprised how much your writing can change within a semester.
3. Visit a PR firm or job shadow a PR professional. Contact a PR firm or PR professional in your area and set up a few hours for you to come in and watch a day of work. If they say the office is slow because of the holidays, ask to come in for an informational interview instead. Many PR professionals work right up until the holidays.
4. Research. Look up information on companies that you may want to apply to once you graduate. Create profiles of each company so that you can refresh your memory when the time comes to apply.
5. Start planning. Look for summer internships and mark the application due dates in your planner. It may also be helpful to create an “internship list” so you can view dates at a glance.
6. Blog. Start a blog about your thoughts about PR, about your job search, etc. This makes excellent practice to informally enhance your writing skills. If you already have a blog, make an effort to post two or more times a week during break.
7. Do -it-yourself PR plan. Conduct a four-step PR plan for for a local company or non profit. Present your plan to the company or non-profit after the holidays for the chance of freelance work or internship/ job opportunities.
8. Be a news hound. Read several newspapers (print and online) every day and watch national and local news stations. Discuss current events with friends and family and impress them with your worldly knowledge.
9. Write your own news. Write a local news article, feature story or opinions piece. Edit it and make sure it conforms with AP Style. If it’s good enough, send it to your local newspaper for the chance to be published.
10. Perfect your pitch. Practice by writing pretend pitches for a “client.” Learn the beat of different journalists to help you discover different angles for your pitches. If you’re new to pitching, research good and bad methods of pitching and learn from them (many can be found on The Bad Pitch Blog.) Since it’s the number number one complaint about PR pros, it’s better to practice now before you have to do the real thing.
11. Review what you learned. Brush up on your old PR notes from past classes. You’ll be surprised how much you have forgotten already.
12. Become a social media superstar. Learn how to use social media, such as twitter, effectively. If you already do, ask yourself, “how can I do this better?” and engage even more.
13. Do your winter reading. Read PR books such as Putting the Public back in Public Relations by Deirdre Breakenridge (@dbreakenridge) and Brian Solis (@briansolis) or The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR by Al Ries and Laura Ries.
14. Get organized. Sort through all of your graded assignments, notes and handouts and file them in a file folder or cabinet. Do the same on your computer with any e-copies.
15. Back up your hard drive. Think about all the assignments, projects, resumes, cover letters, photos, music, etc on your computer. Now think of all of that disappearing within one minute. Feeling motivated yet?
16. Use a new technology such as Google Wave, Skype, etc.
17. Use a new device such as Kindle, Smartpen, GPS system, etc.
18. Use a new software such as InDesign, Microsoft Publisher, etc.
19. Go shopping. Fellow PR hopeful Rachel Esterline (@rachelesterline) has a great list of items on which a young PR pro can spend their Christmas money.
20. Have some fun! You don’t want to be burned out before semester even starts, do you? Find a balance between work and play during your winter break. It will keep you energized and motivated for the upcoming semester.