I'm gonna say it... Social media is not a profession

[LuckyTheDog]

Communications is a profession. Social media is a tool used by communications professionals.

I filled out a job application online. One of the questions was "Do you spend at least 75% or your time using social media tools?"

I wanted to say something like: "Well, of course not. I handle a wide variety of communications for my organization -- including media relations, internal communications, speech writing, op-eds, etc. Sure, social media is important to what we do, but if I spent 75% of my time on just that, I'd be fired."

But, alas, there was no chance to provide a response like that. All I got was an opportunity to check "no." And that means the HR people will throw my application in the trash and call in for interviews people less qualified than me, with much more narrow skills.

Sigh.

[bluerum]

1. Agreed. But hr folks are generally just asking the questions they.are told to ask.

You probably do not want to work there if they want people who actually spend that much time on social media.

Best of luck in your job search.

[Liberal Veteran]

2. Next you are gonna tell me web-surfing isn't a real sport.

[rhett o rick]

3. And what a great sport it is. What other sport lets you drink while you participate. nm

[Rex]

4. A drinking contest!

.

[thelordofhell]

7. Hunting

[rhett o rick]

10. But of course. It goes w/o saying, it's an integral part of hunting. nm

[hifiguy]

8. Bowling

and darts.

[randome]

5. Social Media

<img src="http://www.google.com/imgres?hl=en&biw=1280&bih=699&gbv=2&tbm=isch&tbnid=2FbN_uc97NcfQM:&imgrefurl=http://eitherorbored.wordpress.com/tag/peanutweeter/&docid=3uex4GmkOwA8oM&imgurl=&w=500&h=435&ei=BgKbT6bdOoig9QTS9qWLDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&dur=3621&sig=111681497343413731752&page=2&tbnh=153&tbnw=177&start=18&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:17,s:18,i:154&tx=126&ty=164&vpx=566&vpy=344&hovh=209&hovw=241">

[Chan790]

6. How I tackle those questions...

I say yes. I view the question indirectly as "Do I spend the optimal amount of time on social media content?"

If the op-ed, press release, video of the speech, infographic, article, etc. can be spread via social media, it's social media whether we actually put it on the twitter or Facebook feed. Do I spend even 70% of my time generating that kind of social media content? F**k no. But I create and proliferate 100% of the content that can and should be spread via social media. If the people upstairs have no idea what proportion of my time that really is, that's not my issue. I could spend more time on it but that would be wasted time and effort.

I let them think what they want to think because what they care about is the result, not the effort. They're asking the wrong question and I'm answering the right one.

[RadiationTherapy]

9. Communication and Social Media is whatever your paying client understands it to be.

Adapt, adopt, and so on.

[coalition_unwilling]

11. Since employers are engaging in rampant age discriination with no

repercussions whatsoever, I reserve for myself the right to lie profusely on job applications, resumes, interviews and so on.

They want to discriminate on the basis of age? Caveat emptor is my response.