Resume time. We’ve all been there. The dreaded sigh as you crank up the pot of coffee late night to start, tweak or completely redo the resume. Whether you are searching for your first job or have been working for awhile, there’s something tedious and stressful about updating it. What’s the right format? What do I highlight? How do I stand out?

There are so many questions to answer. And while what makes a resume great is certainly subjective, below are some of the tips I’ve learned about writing a resume if you want to work in social/digital.

1- Watch your length.

If you work in the industry or want to, you should know this: Attention spans are short these days and time is valuable. It’s why we omit needless words and keep our copy short and sweet. The same applies for resume writing. As you work through your bullet points and format, be conscious of how long your content is. I’m a big believer in sticking to one page, but that rule is only mandatory if you’ve been working a couple years. As you go in your career and build upon your experience, focus on quality over quantity to make sure the length is as succinct as possible.

If you work in social you should be able to communicate in 140 characters. Brevity, my friends, is key.

2- Relevancy is what matters.

At one point in my career I had the privilege of reviewing resumes for a postgraduate internship. As I poured through the stacks, I saw resumes that were four pages long and dated all the way back to high school jobs as a cashier at Walmart. These were smart, talented kids who got bogged down in an information dump.

Here’s the thing though: More information on your resume doesn’t make you more qualified. Just as we touched on in the first point, quality over quantity is key. Being a cashier has no relevancy to working in social, so you should absolutely cut it.

If you’re a first-time job seeker that lacks truly relevant, real-word experience, focus on your classes, projects and writing. Hone in on the skills you developed in college versus the hourly job with no relevance.

For experienced professionals who want to switch to social media (and currently don’t work in the industry), it’s important to focus on the skillsets you have that would be valuable in the role. If I’m looking to hire someone in social that doesn’t have industry experience per say, that’s okay as long as they showcase their communication skills, creative ability, passion to learn, ability to produce content, etc.

And finally, if you’ve been in the industry awhile, don’t keep roles on your resume simply to fill up whitespace. Take more real estate with the jobs that are relevant and omit the ones that don’t add much value.

3- Sell yourself, not your job.

This is one I can’t stress enough: Your resume should not be a copy and paste of your job description and/or classwork. If you work in social media, there are certain assumptions hiring managers can make about the roles you have had. Don’t tell the hiring manager you managed a calendar; tell them how you have helped affect process. Don’t tell the hiring manager that you managed accounts; tell them how you grew the community x percent by doing x. Don’t tell the hiring manager that you manage the creative; tell them how you helped influence a content strategy that drove x amount of engagement.

A job description won’t do you justice if you want to work in this industry. Use strong action verbs and showcase numbers wherever you can. Your resume is about selling yourself, so do it and do it well.

4- Link to work.

The work that we do in social media is public, so don’t be afraid to highlight it on your resume. It’s often the best selling point you can have. Where applicable, link to the accounts you manage, campaigns you’ve run, content you’ve produced, etc. on your resume or in a portfolio. Seeing your work (or projects if you’re a student) will be a lot more powerful than simply telling the hiring manager about it.

5- Be creative, but not crazy.

Hiring managers often have to flip through thousands of resumes, so you do need to stand out. When it comes to your resume design, it’s important to standout and be creative… but it doesn’t mean you have to go crazy. This is a creative industry, so create a resume that reflects your personality but won’t detract from the bulk of your work. Here’s an outdated example of the format I use. It’s different enough to stand out from the rest without going overboard (as some people will be more traditional).

6- Promote personal accounts, that make sense.

If I’m looking to hiring someone for a social media role, I want to know that they are active on social media platforms. That said, people applying for social media jobs often feel pressure to to promote every single social media account they have, even if they are more personal in nature. That’s not necessary. Stick to the ones you use professionally, like Twitter or LinkedIn that will highlight your writing, ability to connect with people, etc. Hiring managers will often seek out your other accounts, but if you use them strictly for personal, it doesn’t mean you have to highlight them. Even as someone who works in social, it’s important to highlight the ones that put your best foot forward professionally. A few links to accounts will help me understand if you “get” it.

What resume tips have you learned along the way? Share them below!

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There’s inspiration in this industry everywhere you look. From stellar content to new ways to leverage the platforms, teams and leagues are constantly innovating. Below are several solid ideas I’ve come across recently that are worth noting, remembering and tucking away for inspiration.

1- Oregon Ducks: Facebook Live Roll Call

Oregon found a unique way to leverage Facebook Live as a way to not simply push a broadcast but also to engage. They held a roll call where they encouraged fans to comment where they were tuning in, then they mapped out fans across the US in real-time. The broadcast earned more than 52,000 views and 4,000 comments.

I love this on so many levels. Social media is not just about pushing out information; it is also about pulling fans into your brand. As the platforms continue to evolve and new tools are added, we have to find ways to leverage them to build community. This is a perfect example of that.

2- Braves: 360 Schedule Release

The Braves found a clever and unique way to bring their schedule to life way beyond a graphic or a GIF. Like the Ducks, the Braves leveraged a new(er) tool on Facebook to get fans to interact, creating a 360 photo to unveil their 2017 schedule.

It’s easy to get caught up in how things are always done, but when we take the time to step back to figure out creative solves, amazing work is done. Don’t get stuck using content, tools, etc. the same way you always do. Think outside the box and innovate to bring fans in, like the Braves did.

3- Colorado: Illustrations

It can be hard to find a way to mix up your content week after week. The Colorado Buffaloes stepped up their GIF game with dynamic illustrations. While it might be too labor intensive to do these every game, they would be a great series for a rivalry game, big moment, etc. It’s a great way to diversify your content and mix it up.

On his first touch of the game, Phil Lindsay goes for 33! Buffs approaching the red zone! #GoBuffs pic.twitter.com/OL5ckS906p

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 24, 2016

This graphic (@Matt_Sisneros) is too good only to use once. Everything for gameday at https://t.co/OyEjE9ZfAy pic.twitter.com/NTQJ6VKQjN

— Colorado Buffaloes Football (@CUBuffsFootball) September 17, 2016

4- Cincinnati: Snapchat Geofilter

A lot of teams and leagues are taking advantage of Snapchat’s geofilters. They are cost efficient and a great way to empower fans in stadium to share on behalf of your brand. There have been some fantastic ones so far in the sports industry, like this one from Cincinnati.

The #Bearcats are loving the #BeatHouston gameday 👻 filter & you will too! Send us your best selfie starting at 9am! pic.twitter.com/WFPs3S0VIV

— Cincinnati Football (@GoBearcatsFB) September 15, 2016

What I really love about Cincinnati’s geofilter is it plays into the way fans use Snapchat Lenses, but is much more cost efficient. No, the helmet doesn’t animate like lenses, but it still “transforms” their fans into a Cincinnati player versus having a branded, text overlay for fans to share.

5- Dodgers: #DearVin Campaign

Before Vin Scully’s last game with the Dodgers, the team encouraged fans to submit letters to him using #DearVi. They then took some of the UGC content and turned into content for their own channels. This is a great way to get fans involved and thank them for participating (with zero cost except time).

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#DearVin by @BryanCranston pic.twitter.com/x6ec4RnTAs

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 24, 2016

#DearVin by @ItsAlexandraaaC pic.twitter.com/RD3CmMWjRE

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 24, 2016

Same, @BBrett_01, but we're going to give it a shot tonight. #DearVin pic.twitter.com/aJO6b44FAl

— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 23, 2016

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What other great ideas have you seen in the industry lately? Share them below.

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When Instagram Stories first came out, everyone likened it to Snapchat Stories. That’s on the surface though. The tool is actually a completely different opportunity. Instagram Stories sets itself apart form Snapchat because it lets you upload content you’ve created (swipe down to upload). This means you can tell your story in a more meaningful, dynamic and interesting way.

Teams and leagues are already starting to develop unique ways to leverage Instagram Stories, from awesome replays to gameday hype videos. Below are three things to keep in mind when using the tool, plus loads of inspiration from some of the best Stories I’ve seen in the business.

1- Don’t treat it like Snapchat.

Let’s be honest, we’ve seen enough players running onto a field to last us a lifetime. Instagram Stories is not the place for long, drawn-out raw footage that looks the same over and over again. Take advantage of the fact you can upload content and make it worth your fans’ time.

This doesn’t mean that everything has to be super polished, but it does mean that you can plan. Define your story, the purpose and execute right.

2- Find synergy.

There’s an interesting opportunity to find synergies between your in-feed posts and Instagram Stories. How can you leverage the tool to drive deeper storytelling in a moment?

For example, maybe at the end of the game you have your final score graphic and leverage Stories to showcase “plays of the game”. Use in-feed post to drive people to Stories (or vice versa) and let the two work together and drive more consumption of your content.

There are also opportunities to drive engagement for fans. Red Bull, for example, leveraged Instagram Stories to have users pick their favorite photo to be used a post. Think out-of-the-box as the opportunities are endless.

3- Test and learn.

So as mentioned in the first bullet, I think that there’s an opportunity for more polished content on Instagram Stories. But, maybe that’s not what consumers want? The beauty of this tool, and the rest of social, is that it’s okay to test and learn. Try a more polished story, then try a raw story. Try uploading photos versus video. See where consumers stay the most engaged by watching your drop off rate. As a marketing, it’s your job to figure out and gay-sauna-nice.com what your audience wants.

 
And one more thing before we get to the fun part (inspiration): Don’t slap your Stories content everywhere. Define a unique approach for each platform and think strategically about where it (and vertical video) makes sense. There is something to be said for content created specifically for each platform.

Now enjoy your Instagram Stories inspiration from some of the best in the business:@MiamiDolphins, @BoilerFootball, @MLB, @huskerfbnation, @clemsonfb, @clevelandbrowns, @Dodgers.
 

What’s your initial reaction to Instagram Stories? Share your thoughts below.

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