Social Media is a really popular career option these days, as businesses realize the importance of having a strong presence online and communicating with their customers.
But, as with any role, there are always people who proclaim to be “gurus”, “ninjas”, “wizards” or any other cringe-worthy job title, when in reality they’re anything but!
When recruiting for a Social Media Manager, you may not be an expert yourself, but it’s important to spot the fakers a mile off, before they ruin your online reputation!
We’ve already told you what you should look out for on a social media CV, but now here’s ten tell-tale signs that your social media candidate isn’t right for your vacancy.
1.) Suspicious Amount of Followers
When you’re checking out your social media candidate online, alarms should start ringing if they have a ridiculous number of Twitter followers for no apparent reason. Most people working in the industry will have – at most – a couple of thousand followers, so if your candidate is boasting about their hundreds of thousands of followers, it’s time to investigate.
It’s so easy these days to spend a couple of quid and BAM! – you have 100,000 Twitter followers! This. Is. Not. Social. Media. There are some great tools you can use to suss out if someone’s followers are real or fake (like Fakers.StatusPeople.com), and while they’re not completely precise – they should give you a pretty good idea of what type of social media “guru” this person is.
2.) No Interaction
Another tell-tale sign that those followers are fake and that your social media candidate isn’t right is if they don’t interact with anyone across their profiles. The first rule of Social Media: talk to people!
The worst social media accounts are the ones that simply broadcast to their audience and don’t engage with them. If they’re doing this on their own personal accounts – don’t let them do it to your business ones!
3.) Don’t Provide Social Media Profile Links In Application
What’s even worse than a bad social media presence? Not even telling you about it in the first place! It should go without saying that when applying for a social media role, the candidate should always include links to their social media profiles – but if they’re not serious about the role, then they probably won’t.
Also, make sure that they’ve included links to all of their social media profiles. While LinkedIn is important, you’ll want to see how they act on social media platforms right across the board.
4.) Only Use Twitter and Facebook
Following on from my last point, if the candidate only has profiles on Twitter and Facebook, then alarm bells should start ringing.
These days, it’s not enough to be proficient on the big two platforms – networks like Google+ and Pinterest are just as important, so it’s key to identify which platforms are right for your niche, and make sure the candidate can use them effectively.
5.) Post Same Content On All Platforms
While it’s all well and good being proficient on all social media platforms, it’s also important to know the difference between them.
If the same stuff is getting posted across all of their social sites, then it may be time to question if the candidate really knows what works on each platform.
6.) Can’t Explain Algorithms
Similarly, if they aren’t analyzing what works and what doesn’t, that might be because they don’t understand the algorithms that different social media sites use to determine what is good content and what isn’t.
If they can’t explain the differences in content strategies for different platforms, it’s time to panic!
7.) Can’t Produce Numbers
So they increased their last business’s Twitter followers “significantly”, or “saw a rise” in engagement on Google+? That’s great, but by how much?!
If the candidate can’t produce the numbers to back up their claims, then there’s a good chance they’re being vague for a reason. Numbers are vital in social media management – make sure your candidate knows them!
8.) No Analytics Experience or Knowledge
One of the reasons they’re not able to produce numbers could be that they just don’t have any knowledge or experience of analytics – uh oh!
Social media isn’t just about talking to people and creating entertaining content, it’s also about knowing what works and analyzing how your audience responds. If this candidate can’t do that, then I’m afraid they’re not up to the job!
9.) No Concern With Blogging
Social media and content creation (especially blogging) go hand-in-hand, so if the candidate doesn’t place a high importance on blogging, then their social media campaigns will be extremely limited.
Experience in writing high-quality content is important to consider when hiring a social media manager, so if their writing skills leave much to be desired, it might be time to reconsider.
10.) Inappropriate Personal Social Media Posts
Last but certainly not least, if a candidate doesn’t treat their own social media profile with respect, then there’s nothing to make you think that they’ll treat your business profiles any differently.
Boozy x-rated pictures, aggressive/offensive language or public criticism of former employees are all tell-tale signs that the candidate doesn’t take social media seriously enough!
So there we go, some signs that a social media candidate is definitely not right for your vacancy!
Do you agree with these signs or have any ideas of your own? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter @BubbleJobs! :)