May
24

How I Landed a Job Using Social Media

backupifyA month ago I received an amazing job offer, and it all started with Twitter.

I started off college as a marketing and advertising major, and upon graduation became heavily involved with social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube) to network, share ideas, and meet potential employers. I then developed a blog to demonstrate my ideas and theories to showcase my passions and knowledge.

After about a month or two of networking on Twitter, I ‘met’ Dharmesh Shah, co-founder of Hubspot and investor in Backupify (among several other things). He stumbled upon my blog and commented on it to give me more advice about entering the Boston marketing field.

Rob May, founder and CEO of Backupify saw that Dharmesh also tweeted to me (and then was driven to my website that Dharmesh commented on) and made the connection.

Rob then tweeted to me asking if I was looking for a job around Boston this summer, we exchanged emails, and then met up in person for an informal dinner interview. About a week later, I received a job offer from him to be Backupify’s Marketing Analyst and take over most of the company’s marketing initiatives. I was absolutely thrilled with this position since I would be able to utilize my social media and blogging expertise which I have done for my personal brand, and now I can do that for a company that I strongly believe in.

Because of the amazing way that my career search journey turned out, I encourage all who are looking for a job/career to start demonstrating their skills and they will get picked up. I never imagined that my dream job would find me just by me doing what I loved to do, but it worked out perfectly.

If you love writing, start blogging and networking with fellow bloggers. If you love social media, start tweeting and making online connections. If you love humanitarianism, start volunteering and keeping track of your connections there. I guarantee it will land you a job if you act with diligence and passion and make connections in the field you are interested in.

Jan
05

Now What?

From my perspective, it seems that college students either dread graduation and want to stay another year, or they cannot wait to get out on their own as soon as possible. For me, I was the latter. I felt this way because I knew what type of job I wanted, I was confident in my skills, I knew the right people to help me along the way, and I was ready to start my own life.

The only thing holding me back from being completely stoked about graduating early as I did was the economy. Although the odds are against recent college graduates today, I was ready to take on the challenge. I turned a potentially negative situation into a positive one.

Since graduation three weeks ago, I have been keeping myself very busy. My particular interest, and an area in which I would like to secure a career, is social media marketing. In order to learn the in’s and out’s of this niche industry, I am networking like crazy and learning how to use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Google, and Blogger. Updating these sites on a daily basis has become my full time job. Now, that may seem pointless if I am not making money from it, but I see it otherwise. I am learning how to use social media and studying how businesses use it for relationship marketing, and I am also meeting some amazing people along the way. I am looking to secure a job around the Boston area, and have found everyone around there to be more than willing to help me out, whether it is giving me some tips, conducting an informal phone interview with me, meeting up, networking me with someone else in the field, or giving me job leads.

Although I do not have a job as of yet, I am completely fine with that because I am learning so much about the field I want to get into. I find this more than worth the time. My next step will be to attend various events in the Boston area including Tweet Ups and other social networking events. Getting my name out there, building good relationships, and generating tons of content are the three major things I have learned thus far and have made those an imperative for me to achieve each and every day. I know that with hard work and dedication, I will secure my dream job very soon.

Dec
21

The End of the Road

I never thought going into my freshman year of college at Western New England College that I would be graduating early, met some incredible friends and an amazing boyfriend, and had great experiences along the way. My 3.5 years in college truly transformed my life.

College brings people to the realization of who they are, what they want to do, and teaches them how to problem solve. It is not about all the technicalities taught in computer sciences classes, cell structures taught in biology, or definitions of every nitty gritty marketing term. It would be impossible and unreasonable to expect a student to remember everything they learned in college. However, the combination of different projects, presentations, problems to solve, and exams all teach students how to THINK.
In high school I was a good student but never strived to be the best. However, college taught me my true potential and I have been working every day to be the best I can be at what I love to do. I love to do marketing and advertising. Marketing Communications/Advertising is my major and I am truly passionate about it.
College also teaches you who your true friends are. You realize that you must surround yourself with those who will have the best influence on you. If you surround yourself with great people, you will be a great person. I have gone through waves of friends both at school and at home and have realized the few, loyal friends that I will hold onto forever. Since students are around each other virtually 24/7, they learn how to get along, how to effectively argue, and how to hold a deep conversation. All of these were not always possible in high school since you don’t usually live, eat, and sleep with your friends as you do in college.
I have come out of college as the best person I believe I can possibly be at this time. I have found my true passion for marketing, I have developed great friendships, and met the man of my dreams. I had no idea I was going to find all of this at such as small college. I am ambitious, I love to learn, I am passionate about what I love to do, and I always put in 110%.
I also love to help out others. I have learned that you can get no where in life if you are truly selfish. To give is to get. I love to give to others. Whether it is advice, a couple bucks, a ride somewhere, or a shoulder to cry on, it matters. The people in your life will shape who you are and bring joy to your everyday life. So cherish each and every person in your life. I do.
I hope almost every college student gets out of college what I have. Learn what you love to do, develop and keep those meaningful relationships, and work hard every day!

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