People on the Move in the Social Business Industry, Sept 19, 2011

The hires in the social business space continue to heat up, in fact the market research data (read the report) shows that hiring is the top spend in 2011. Expect there to be more hires over coming quarters.

Both the submissions on this job announcement board, as well as available social media positions at corporations continue to pour in.

In this continued digest of job changes, I like to salute those that continue to join the industry in roles focused on social media, see the archives, which I’ve been tracking since Q4, 2007.

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People on the Move in the Social Business Industry:

  • Josh Elman joins Greylock partners, stemming from an impressive background as a silicon valley product lead at Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Zazzle and more. I had the pleasure to learn more about Josh’s role, here’s to his growth, and his new role.
  • Rob Tarkoff joins as the CEO at Lithium, and founder Lyle Fong moves to Chief Strategy Role. Congrats Rob, I look forward to meeting you soon.
  • Matthew Epstein (Moustache included) has cleverly used social media to campaign himself to get an interview at Google, where he was seeking a position. While it wasn’t the right fit, his experience and mastery of using these tools showed prowess and he accepted an offer at Sigfig, where he can put his talents to work.
  • Mike Pascucci is moving on from being a Social Media Strategist at Ektron to Sr. Community Manager for Zynga, in their Boston studio. He will be managing all of the Social aspects of the games which come out of their Boston studio
  • Ryan Nichols, leaves Appirio and is now the VP Apps for Podio, a work platform that allows businesspeople to build lightweight social apps to get everyday tasks done. They target SMBs and have over 50K signed up since our launch in March. R&D is in Copenhagen, he will be building up a go-to-market team in San Francisco.
  • Dave Peck joins Bullfrog Media as Partner Strategic Alliances, Business Development, Social Strategy Consulting
  • William Ward joins S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, Syracuse University as Social Media Professor Teaching Social Media to Students and Pros
  • Brad Grier joins Empire Avenue as Director of Social and Community Management Community development, relationship building, social media support.
  • Keith Jason Bates joins www.loveyourshoes.co.uk as Senior Link builder and Social/SEO analyst Link builder and Social media
  • Eric Doyle joins www.wavesquad.com as Principal, Founder company vision, accounts strategy, client relations, business development
  • Mike Spataro joins NM Incite as VP, Client Services Manage the media & entertainment market
  • Rob Murray joins 7Summits as Senior Vice President Murray will drive 7Summits’ social business solutions while expanding the  agency’s national business through management of key strategic alliances.
  • Tom Huxtable joins Engage Sciences as Chief Revenue Officer Marketing, new business and company management
  • James Lubbock joins FreshNetworks as Account director Defining and implementing strategy across our key accounts, and expanding our client base.
  • Matt Arkin joins 33Across as President, Arkin will oversee all revenue and operations, as well as help guide the strategic growth of the business.
  • Allie Savarino Kline joins 33Across as VP of Marketing Oversee all marketing initiatives.
  • Behrooz Rezvani joins 7Summits as Board of Directors as a new Board of Directors Member will help influence direction of 7Summits
  • Chris Trygstad joins Amplifon, Miracle-Ear Division as Senior Online Marketing Specialist Developing and implementing Miracle-Ear’s online marketing strategy.
  • Gautam Ghosh joins BraveNewTalent India as Platform Evangelist and Lead-India Marketing Drive user and customer growth in India

Submit a new hire:

Seeking a job?

  1. See the Web Strategy Job Board, which includes paid submissions from the top brands in the world.
  2. Community Manager jobs by Jake McKee
  3. Social Media Jobs by Chris Heuer
  4. Social Media jobs, filtered by SimplyHired
  5. Social Media Job Network by James Durbin
  6. 25 places to find social media jobs by Deb Ng

Additional Resources:

Please congratulate the new hires by leaving a comment below.

10 Replies to “People on the Move in the Social Business Industry, Sept 19, 2011”

  1. There is a lot of interest out there for social experience, but internal recruiters are being swamped with bad resumes.  The problem is everyone wants to be in social, which means if you want a job, even a high level one, you need to stand out with more than your resume.  If you have experience, your resume still looks like every other resume they see, from job titles to what you do.  

    The best way to get a job is to use your social networks to identify companies you want to work for, and connect to executives in the divisions you want to work for.  Don’t look for social” titles, look for PR, Marketing, Corporate Communications, Technology, and Brand, and Emerging Technology titles.  

    My traffic is through the roof with people looking for new employees.  The job descriptions are well thought out, the salary fair (and in some cases really good).  The problem is the people applying forget that if they want to get hired for social work, they should demonstrate how good they are by connecting with the company (and no, a single LinkedIn connection isn’t enough).

    If you want to move, create a google and about me profile in those cities.  If you want to work for a company, create a slideshare presentation similar to what their company does with social. And if you see a job posting, don’t just apply.  Write about the job and what you’d do so that recruiters can find you with a simple google search.

    It’s a hot market.  Are you doing what you need to get found? 

     

  2. Jim, I’m not surprised.  Social business is growing, and due to a recession, more people looking for jobs and innovation is high.  Those are great tips for those seeking a job Jim, thanks.

    Questions:  

    1) Does a social media professional have to use the tools to be considered a candidate?

    2) What’s more important?  Using the tools in a business context? or being savvy enough to learn them?

    3) How many resumes do you get with “Guru” in title?

  3. Ah yes, connecting with the company you’d like to work for is important, but remember there is a fine line between connecting and social stalking. There is such a thing as too eager. 

    Another thing is that there are many people who consider themselves social media strategists who don’t know the difference between strategy and tactical. The best candidate will have the ideas and know the correct implementation of said ideas. I’ve been seeing a lot of one people who can only do one or the other.

  4. You asked: “Are you doing what you need to get found? ” –  My answer – Yes, I am – I did and I was found! I am one of the very few social media professional on Maui, Hawaii.  Your tips are very helpful and I will pass along.  You’re right – the social media market is hot – job seekers who are serious about doing social media as a profession should be serious about “standing out” from among the social media “gurus” out there. Now I am off to check your website 🙂

  5. 1) You have to use the tools, because at this stage, they are all expecting player/coaches.  If they’re hiring you, or if you’re being repped by a recruiter, they expect you to have a level of expertise that includes familiarity with the tools.  It’s no different than knowing Silverpop or Omniture for a marketing director.  You may not have to work on it day in and day out, but you should be able to know when it’s being used correctly and when you need to train staff to use a tool more effectively. 

    The exception is if you’re looking for a position for an internal transfer. That is still the easiest way to get hired.  Your familiarity with the position is a big win, and if you can make it a lateral transfer, you’re not held to the same standards.  

    2) In terms of getting hired, it’s  knowing the tools in a business context.  If you don’t know them you’re counting on the decision maker to trust that you’re at good at learning as you think you are. That adds a lot of uncertainty into the hiring decision.  Now, that doesn’t mean the job itself needs that level of knowledge.  It’s that to get hired, you have to convince your future boss their level of risk is low.  Many jobseekers make that mistake – assuming that how something could be done is the same as how someone gets hired. 

    3) None.  I’m pretty sure jobseekers have been scared off that one.  I would say that of the people I talk to, there are a number I would call guru.  Usually to market them to managers who want a “guru.”   That’s one of my chief complaints on titles.  They are a new form of compensation, so you have to know when to use them and when not to when you’re looking for work.  I’d say if you’re marketing to small business, it’s a bit more acceptable, than if you’re pitching a corporate client. 

  6. A good point.  They aren’t the same thing, but when it comes to managers, you sometimes have the problem that they don’t know the difference either. 

    Another issue is that companies are going to have obstacles to implementing social media.  Candidates and consultants who complain about those obstacles need to ask themselves what their job is.  If the company got it, they wouldn’t need you.  

  7. Yeah it can be tough. You want them to embrace social media because there are lots free tools, lots of opportunity to be incredibly creative, get your message to the masses, and engage with people directly…but at the same time, you don’t want to downplay it so much that they decide an intern can handle it. 

    What I’ve run into more often than not (but thankfully, not at my current job) is that companies know they need it, but have no idea why, what social media can and can’t do, and how to do it “right”.

  8. Yeah it can be tough. You want them to embrace social media because there are lots free tools, lots of opportunity to be incredibly creative, get your message to the masses, and engage with people directly…but at the same time, you don’t want to downplay it so much that they decide an intern can handle it. 

    What I’ve run into more often than not (but thankfully, not at my current job) is that companies know they need it, but have no idea why, what social media can and can’t do, and how to do it “right”.

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