According to the Houston Business Journal, Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio registered the nation’s strongest employment gains during the past five years. Houston ranked No. 1 with 129,800 jobs created. Dallas and Austin followed at No. 2, and No. 3 with 71,300 and 56,100 new jobs, respectively. And San Antonio followed-up at No. 4 with 32,600 new jobs.
You can be sure it says something to have four Texas cities ranking in the top five. Looks like the saying, “everything’s bigger in Texas” has a great deal of truth behind it.
BP is being criticized from coast to coast and from beach houses to the White House. Many ask how the company will survive the backlash. Unfortunately, there is no magic wand for a crisis of this magnitude.
Some feel it could be too late for BP to recover from the worst oil spill in U.S. history. Yet, upon review of other public relations nightmares, BP has an opportunity to rally if its leadership applies lessons from other past crises.
In March 1979, an accident causes a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. It was the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry. The accident was exacerbated by decisions made by operators overwhelmed with irrelevant, misleading or incorrect information. Widely publicized, the incident had far-reaching effects on public opinion about nuclear power.
In the March 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker ran aground in Prince William Sound in Alaska spilling 10.8 million gallons of crude oil in the largest U.S. oil spill crisis to that point. Because of the spill, the Exxon brand suffered in the public eye. Exxon Mobil is financially stronger today than when the spill happened and, though arguably, the company recast itself as environmentally sensitive.
In October 1994, an academic discovered a flaw in Intel’s P5 Pentium microprocessor that would produce the wrong answer to some mathematical equations. With no response from Intel, he posted a message on the Internet. Word of the flaw spread quickly through the media. Intel's statements that it was minor were not accepted by computer users. The backlash from customers forced Intel to change its position and offer to replace every chip – resulting in a $500 million charge against Intel's revenue.
Many things make a reputation, but one tiny spark can cause a veritable blaze that can destroy a brand. Products are recalled. Executives are caught in comprising situations. Plants explode. Security is breached. Employees wreak havoc. For further reference on reputation management, look at the Pierpont Brief titled
“Five Public Relations Nightmares and How to Avoid Them.”
The acceptance and embrace of social media has come in waves, with some industries and entities quick to jump on the bandwagon and others still refusing outright. As early adopters, we get ourselves in a tizzy if a consumer- or technology-focused company doesn’t practice social media in at least one form, knowing that they’re missing out on critical brand awareness and opportunity for engagement. But what about the more traditional and conservative organizations? Do we get upset if they don’t have a meaningful and active online presence?
The question we need to ask ourselves is this: Are traditional and conservative organizations not trying to achieve the same goals as other companies – increased mind share, message connection and audience buy-in? The answer is, of course, an overwhelming yes – so why do they get a “get out of social media free” pass? And should they?
One of the most interactive – and popular – portions of Woodlands Church’s social media platform is its Sunday PM service, where members and guests are encouraged to tweet questions and comments directly to the pastor using the hash tag #SundayPM. The comments – moderated and reviewed before posting – are then sent directly to the screens facing the audience, encouraging ongoing dialogue and participation. Additional social media-inclusive events include Church Online – a live simulcast of the entire church service – and the church’s Facebook fan page, which has already grown to more than 4,000 fans.
Woodlands Church disproves the theory that you have to be a large, consumer-focused public company to successfully engage in social media. Many of the church’s goals are applicable to for-profit organizations, and therefore can learn from their social media successes, such as:
Connect and engage with your audience. The competition for mindshare is intense, with increasing numbers of competitors entering the marketplace every day. To be successful, utilize social media to connect on a one-to-one basis with your audience, cultivating a meaningful experience and connection with your brand. It’s this feeling of inclusion and importance that will keep them coming back for more.
Don’t let fear hold you back. Many perceive that the “entire organization” is against social media and therefore fear presenting the idea to management. While it’s true that people may fear what they do not know, it’s also true that they embrace creative ideas that will set them apart from the rest. When presenting the option for a social media plan to your supervisors, be sure you come armed with facts, qualitative and quantitative data, and speak their language – often ROI, audience increases or increased brand awareness.
Evolve continually. Social media is anything but cookie cutter, and each program must be uniquely tailored to the company, industry and goals it’s meant to serve. If after a few months you’re not seeing results, don’t give up entirely – just evaluate where things could be better, make improvements and move on.
In today’s job market, presenting a résumé is quick and easy – it basically involves clicking a button and sending it via email to the prospective employer. But there are several important points to keep in mind before hitting the send button.
- First, make sure you are sending it to the right person. If it’s misguided, it may never get to the individual in charge of hiring.
- Research the company’s Web site and learn all you can about the company before sending your résumé. Compose an intelligent, short, cover letter to accompany your résumé and make sure it is addressed to the appropriate person.
- Review your cover letter and résumé carefully. Have someone you trust proof them. By not checking for grammatical errors, you may risk sending a flawed document and jeopardize any chances for future employment. Résumés are a prospective employer’s first impression of you as a candidate – and could be the last impression if your résumé is flawed, has typos or is not clear and well-presented.
- Résumés should preferably be limited to one page. They should be simple and easy for the prospective employer to read and determine if the candidate has the right qualifications for the job. Keep the design simple, steering clear of elaborate graphics and fonts.
- Remember that hiring managers receive and review many résumés during the hiring period. Tailor your résumé to the specific job you are seeking. Emphasize your skills and qualifications that will help you stand out from others.
If you’ve been fortunate enough to make it to the interview stage, the following tips should be considered:
- Try to get to the interview early. At the very least, be punctual.
- Dress professionally, be assertive, speak clearly and look into the eyes of the interviewer.
- Try to be relaxed and at your natural best. Remember, the interviewer is interested in how you perform under pressure and whether you have the skills and personality that would make you a good fit for the company. In other words, performance and whether you would fit in with the company’s culture are two main considerations for hire.
- Answer all questions honestly. Highlight your strengths and accomplishments and state why you feel you are best qualified for the position.
- As stated in the résumé section above, you should do extensive research before you go into the interview to show that you are informed and knowledgeable about the company and how you could contribute to its success. Give the hiring manager a reason to take a chance on you and set yourself apart from other candidates vying for the position.
- Take a portfolio of your work and demonstrate your accomplishments throughout the interview. Don’t wait until the end of the interview to show your work.
- Ask questions – it shows you are interested and want to learn all you can about the position and the company.
- Finally, ask for the interviewer’s business card and send a hand-written thank you note – yes, hand-written and via snail mail – it makes a difference. Write a clear, well-thought out and concise note that demonstrates your appreciation of the interviewer’s time, expresses your enthusiasm and interest in the position and appreciation for being considered.
Hopefully, if you follow these tips, you will succeed in making it to the second round of interviews and become a finalist for the position.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science may stink to high heaven, but the Digital Influence Weekly is coming at you with that fresh Old Spice scent!
The corpse flower, now blooming at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, has been the big buzz this week in Houston. For those not familiar, the flower (affectionately named Lois) is supposed to give off a powerful stench when it blooms. Yes, it is odd to go out of your way to see something that smells like a rotting corpse, but it is truly a chance-of-a-lifetime experience. There have only been 28 recorded bloomings in the U.S. Why are we talking it about it here? A museum fan has given the flower a voice of its own through Twitter. Lois the flower is now tweeting at CorpzFlowerLois. Capitalizing on Houston’s corpse flower frenzy, the museum has embraced the account and has used it to keep the fascination with Lois strong and the visitors coming through the museum’s doors. The lesson – keep an eye out for opportunities to capture online momentum generated by the community.
Traditional media outlets are gearing up to make their sites and social media programs more effective for their readers. This article from Mashable talks about the six things traditional media has done, needs to improve on and will be doing in the future in regards to social media. Many media outlets are still adopting these tactics so be sure to keep an eye out for new venues to offer up thought leadership and engagement for your company. Your company’s expertise could help shape the caliber of conversation in online forums.
It’s always a good idea to keep your company’s social media policy updated. If you are curious about what other companies are doing in terms of social media policies, check out this Fast Company article. The article includes links to the social media policies for many recognizable companies and organizations. These policies run the spectrum from highly detailed (CNN and BBC) to sparse (Ford). An effective social media policy should be simple and reference existing company policies where applicable.
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