Handle Recruitment
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Posts Tagged ‘Facebook’

How do I get into fashion PR?

Friday, February 3rd, 2012

This week, Guardian Careers ran a live Q&A session for all those job seekers looking for expert advice on breaking into fashion PR. And Kelly Hopkins from our PR Division took part to offer her words of wisdom.

To see the full Q&A visit the Guardian site here. But in the meantime, here are our top tips:

  1. There’s a common misconception that in order to break into this industry you must take part in unpaid internships. This simple isn’t true – there are plenty of reputable companies that offer paid internships. Do your research, and when applying make sure you tailor each application to the particular company. The fashion industry is extremely competitive – you must make your application stand out from the crowd.
  2. Start building up contacts within the industry through networking events and conferences. The individuals you meet and connect with, may very well be able to offer good advice, or perhaps know of organisations looking to take on new staff.  And it’s not uncommon to find a position by regularly attending such events.
  3. Another common question we get asked is whether a PR degree is a ‘must have’.  If you have gained a PR degree and have some work experience then that’s obviously great but other degrees are viewed upon favourably too – the important thing is showing that you have had the nouse to gain some solid relevant experience.
  4. Get social! Twitter, Facebook and blogs are a must have for those interested in breaking into fashion PR.  Organisations everywhere are turning to social media to source information, share news, and even look for employees. So if you are not using them, you may very well being missing out. And blogs are a great platform to demonstrate your knowledge of designers, media, and of course your writing skills! They can easily be set up, and make you stand out.
  5. Speak to a specialist recruitment consultancy who can offer you advice on the best approach. They will also be able to provide you with assistance on creating stand out CVs, covering letters and interview advice.
  6. Last but by no mean least – never give up! The economy might still be facing uncertainty, and competition for jobs is fierce, however perseverance does pay off.

Follow these tips, and you’ll be well on your way. And get in touch below with your experiences – we’d love to hear them.

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Posted in Fashion, Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »

New Year, New Job?

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Happy New Year to all our readers.  We hope you had a nice and relaxing festive break – we certainly did!

As 2012 starts, plenty of professionals start to think about a new job. And if you’re one of these people, you’ll be pleased to know that despite gloomy forecasts about the economy and the employment market, there are plenty of opportunities out there. We’ve been inundated with new roles in the past week, and we’re looking for talented candidates to fill them! (more…)

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Posted in Job search, Job searching, Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »

Managing your brand on social media

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

We’ve blogged before about the consequences social media can have on an individual’s job search, but what about the damage it can do to a consumer brand?

In recent weeks, the news has been filled with stories of well known organisations handling their customers badly on social media sites.  Qantas was heavily criticised for its failure to communicate with passengers – some left stranded – when its planes were grounded due to industrial action. Blackberry – known for its business use – failed to communicate with customers at all during its recent service outage, and only last week Easyjet ran into problems.  Easyjet was bombarded with hostile Tweets following its decision to remove a blind lady from a flight because she didn’t have the correct paperwork allowing her guide dog to travel as well.  Whilst the issue was resolved, the concerns the lady in question and angry social media users voiced, was the lack of response from the company on its social media channels to the situation. (more…)

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Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

What information would a prospective employer find about you on social media?

Tuesday, November 15th, 2011

Whilst browsing Twitter recently, we came across a great infographic detailing how recruiters are using social media in their candidate search. The illustration, courtesy of Reppler, can be found here.  But for those who want a short summary, the survey of more than 300 hiring professionals found that:

  1. 91% of respondents claim to screen candidates via social media.
  2. Facebook comes out on top with 76% of those surveyed citing this as the main source to look up job seekers.
  3. 47% look at social media profiles as soon as they receive an application.
  4. 69% admitted to rejecting an individual based on what they found on a social media profile.
  5. 68% claimed that details of a candidate sourced on the web resulted in a candidate being hired. (more…)

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Posted in Job search, Recruitment, Social Media | 4 Comments »

Handle arrives on Facebook

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Here at Handle, we have been successfully using Twitter and our blog to promote opportunities and build our own brand awareness. We’ve had a fantastic reaction to both and have seen great results – even if we do say so ourselves!

But as an organisation we never stand still and are pleased to say that we have taken our next step in the social media world by launching our very own Facebook Page. Here you’ll find all the latest news and jobs from us, see what we all look like and find out what it’s really like to work here.

Be sure to take a look, and let us know what you think. What else would you like to see on there? Share your comments below, or ‘like’ our page and post a message on our wall! We look forward to engaging with you on the page.

 

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Posted in Handle Recruitment, Social Media | No Comments »

New Facebook changes and what they mean for marketing professionals

Monday, October 31st, 2011

In recent weeks, new changes to users’ Facebook profiles, with the arrival of the new ‘Timeline’ feature, have caused much debate on social media sites. But what other changes are afoot, and will they have a profound effect on the way marketing professionals carry out their jobs? It appears so.

A recent article in Utalkmarketing details the new developments very well, and is well worth a read. But here’s a quick summary of the important points:

  1. Recent changes instigated by Facebook mean that in order to show up on a user’s news feed, brands are going to have to work much harder. Gone will be the days where simply ‘liking’ a business’s page means its content appears on your homepage.
  2. As well as getting tough on spam marketing, Facebook will stop showing posts from pages that are dry or lack regular content.
  3. Apps will be the new driving force in creating brand promotion. With users being able to see what their friends are up to via the newsfeed (for example what music they might be listening to via Spotify), businesses ought to be thinking carefully about integrating with Apps associated with their brand. (more…)

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Posted in marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

Is the future of advertising going social?

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

The world of advertising is rapidly changing. Where several years ago, big brands were spending the majority of their advertising budgets on television and print, new trends have come to light recently to suggest that social media is the new place to invest advertising spend.

For example, Marketing Week recently reported the cost (per click) of advertising on Facebook has increased by 74% in the last year within four of the world’s biggest media markets. This indicates a surge in popularity and use of Facebook ads.

Where just a few short years ago, online marketing was widely dismissed as quirky but a waste of time by many, big brands are increasingly seeing the value in social advertising. In fact, the value has increased to the extent that advertising on Facebook and Google has diverted funds from traditional media.

With these trends in mind, what does the future hold for advertising? It is, of course, hugely unlikely that online spend will ever overtake television budgets, but could this type of advertising be a viable replacement for print media or e-marketing?

Quite possibly. While they won’t render these forms of advertising obsolete, many big brands are already taking a good look at where their advertising budgets are going. And many are opting to invest more heavily in social media.

The reasons for this are simple. The benefits of social advertising far outweigh those of print media and even e-marketing. This is because Facebook ads are highly targeted – and appear unprompted on screen. Think of it in terms of what might grab your interest. Where you might flick past an advert that doesn’t apply to you in a magazine, it’s harder to ignore an advert that pops up automatically on your home page, knows your age, gender, likes and dislikes and your interests. It’s also harder to ignore than an email campaign, which relies on grabbing your interest with its headline and on you clicking through to a different page.

With Twitter selling promoted Tweets, Facebook increasing the cost per click for advertising and new sites like Google+ set to take off in a big way, perhaps social advertising is where the future of the industry is going. What’s your view?

 

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Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Branded pages: not just for Facebook?

Friday, June 17th, 2011

Recent news suggests that Twitter is to make a move towards branded pages – something Facebook already does.  Why? It is hoped it will assist with ad revenues.  It is expected that the pages would work in a similar way to Facebook – allowing businesses to deliver messages to those using Twitter and encourage them to visit their site.

As it currently stands, and some of you may have already witnessed, brands can pay for promotional tweets and can sponsor hashtags.  We’ve been following the responses to the idea on the popular site Brand Shandy, and there have been mixed views.  We had a chat with our resident Twitter expert, Kelly Hopkins to get her view. And here’s what she had to say: (more…)

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Posted in Social Media | No Comments »

Using social media to find your dream job!

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011

Originally posted on SimplyHired

Recruiters and organisations are increasingly using social media to find candidates who are different and stand out from their peers.  Forget the traditional job board approach; they are now using the likes of Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and blogs to connect with talent.  With a multitude of platforms at your disposal, how do you ensure you are using the correct ones, and getting in front of the right people?

  1. First and foremost, remember that any social media profile you have can be found through a simple Google search. It is becoming more frequent for potential employers to look up a candidate prior to interview. Don’t forget though that employers are human too, and more often than not they are simply curious about who they are meeting and what you do. However, ask yourself if you would be happy with what they might find. You wouldn’t want a comment made by a friend, or a picture of you from years ago spoiling you chances. Be careful about what is in the public domain, and if you are using Facebook ensure your privacy settings are tight.
  2. If you are using Twitter, make sure you spend some time building up your followers. If you are interested in working in the music industry for example, make sure you are following experts in this field, and start commenting on what they are discussing. This will not only encourage people to follow you back, but it will also help portray yourself as knowledgeable in your sector. If a potential employer looks at your Twitter profile, you will be seen in a good light if they can see clear examples of your interest in their industry. (more…)

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Posted in Job search, Job searching, Social Media | No Comments »

A black (twitter) cloud over advertising?

Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

As social media continues to shape and influence how we communicate, so too does it change the way in which products are advertised and promoted. It may not be as simple as the obvious TV and brand sponsorship partnerships we so often see, but social media is increasingly being used to advertise and create brand awareness.

This is all the more poignant with the recent news that a UK-based PR agency has had a case brought against them by the Office of Fair trading (OFT). They were discovered to be paying people to write about certain products.  The OFT concluded that they felt the marketing and online advertising , in the form of comments about services and products in blogs and on twitter, was deceptive.

What the OFT want to see is that when bloggers and Twitter users endorse a product they must state a relationship with the brand.  In the UK, one example (across Twitter) is Liz Hurley. Whilst she has been the face of Estee Lauder for 17 years her Twitter page has no mention of her association. But recently she has started to talk about certain products within the range that she particularly likes.  Coincidence or not??? (more…)

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Posted in marketing, media, Social Media | 1 Comment »