Social Media Week Infographic: Impact on Job Hunt

Or, Should You Post Those Spring Break Party Blow-out Pics?

From The Role of Social Media In Pre-Employment Candidate Screening - Statistics and Trends, Go-Gulf.com

Guess which Major has the worst Return on Investment

Ok, so I do a post on Broadcast News salaries, and then one on rising student debt.  Wouldn't you know that right after, I'd run across a link to "8 College Degrees with the Worst Return on Investment."  So I wander over to the Salary.com site with more than a little fear and trepidation.  And guess who comes in at #1: Communications.

  Here's what they had to say -

You'd think the ink-stained newsrooms and TV studios are full of wealthy and famous journalists. Not quite. Although these skills require lots of education and training, they buried the lead regarding the lack of payoff.

Return on Investment (ROI) is a standard measure of how much an investment (say, in your college education) will generate from increased earnings in the future.  The folks at Salary.com calculated costs based on averages in a recent College Board study for a four-year liberal arts degree at a public institution ($37,343) and at a private college ($121,930).  Returns were based on median salaries for a set of "typical jobs" requiring that degree, assuming a 30 year career with average salary boosts covering inflation and productivity increases (i.e. improved skills coming from experience).  The three jobs they listed for communication are

• News Reporter -  Median salary: $37,393; 30-year earnings: $2,205, 438; ROI if Public College: 58%;  ROI if Private College: 17%.
• Copywriter (our upstairs neighbors in Ad/PR) -  Median salary: $52, 549; 30-year Earnings: $3,099,338; ROI if Public College: 82%; ROI if Private College: 24%
• Marketing Coordinator (our downstairs neighbors in Comm Studies) -  Median salary: $50.455; 30-year earnings: $2,975,834; ROI if Public College: 79%; ROI if Private College: 23%.

So who did we "beat" to earn the top spot? Retail/Tourism, Nutrition, Religious Studies, Fine Arts, Sociology, Psychology, and Education.

One might ask, then, what degrees provide the best ROI?  Math, Information Technology, Human Resources, Economics, Biology, Engineering, Marketing, English (writing).  All have their "typical" jobs with ROI for Public College over 100%; some over 225%.
  I will note that some of the jobs considered in this set of majors (PR manager in Marketing, Communication Manager and Web Content Manager in English) are also typical jobs for people with communication degrees. 

• Public Relations Manager - Median salary: $86,127; 30-year earnings: $5,079,767; ROI if Public College: 135%; ROI if Private College: 41%
• Communications Manager - Median salary: $88,498; 30-year earnings: $5,219,609; ROI if Public College: 139%; ROI if Private College: 42%
• Content Manager - Web - Median salary: $79, 674; 30-year earnings: $4,699,170; ROI if Public College: 125%; ROI if Private College: 38%

So perhaps it's not quite as bad a major as this study makes it out to be.

And we all do this stuff because we love what we do anyway.

Sources - 8 College Degrees with the Worst Return on Investment. Salary.com
8 Degrees That Will Earn Your Money Back, Salary.com

Revised to add specifics for PR Manager, Communications Manager, and Web Content Manager (11/30/2012)

Off-Topic: Student Loan graphic

 A lot of students are piling up a lot of student loan debt, and the proportion that's having trouble making payments is increasing.

















For our students, and others looking for jobs and careers in media-related fields, there's another reason to monitor your student loan borrowing and try to keep it to realistic levels.
  For the most part, salaries in media fields - particularly news - aren't that great.  Sure, the big names in the top markets can pull down arguably outrageous salaries, but to borrow a "hot" phrase, that's the 1%.  In broadcasting (full post on report here), the median salary for early career positions outside the top 50 markets are in the $25,000-$35,000 range, and median starting salaries for people with no previous fulltime experience run in the $22,000-$25,000 range.  (Median means that half the people with that job have higher salaries, half have lower).  And salaries are not keeping up with inflation - with inflation at 2.9% last year, median salaries in TV only rose 2%, and median salaries in radio news increased only 1.2%.
  The poor showing for median salaries isn't limited to news media or communication jobs more generally.  While the cost of college and student loan debt has skyrocketed over the last decade, median income for those with a college degree has been stable or falling.  As the figure below shows, costs at public colleges have risen 72% since 2000, while full-time earnings for those college grads has dropped 14.7%.

  So, here's my precautionary bit of advice for "media" students - borrow realistically, particularly if you're planning on working in media.  Starting pay isn't great, particularly if you've got student loan debt and payments to make, and you don't want to have debt issues sidetrack or delay your career.

Source  -  Federal Student Lending Swells,  Wall Street Journal

(updated to include last figure and paragraph on cost vs. earnings)

RTNDA/Hofstra Broadcast News Salaries Report

(Erased by error - second attempt)

The latest of the RTNDA/Hofstra annual looks at the economics and operations of broadcast news stations has been coming out in parts - the latest of which is their look at salaries.  There's a lot of details and breakdowns in the study - job type, by market size, by the size of the station's news staff, etc. - so I'll recommend taking a look at the full report. 
  But here's some highlights - median salaries are up - slightly.  The growth in median salaries in the last year failed to keep up with inflation (2.9%) - TV news salaries were up 2%, radio news salaries grew 1.2%.  That result really isn't a surprise - median salary growth over the last 5 and 10 years both fell below inflation levels for the period.  In fact, only the News Director's median salaries grew faster than inflation in both periods (there was a bigger spurt in News Writer salaries over the last five years, bringing them more in line with reporter and producer salaries).

  Top staff and talent in TV's 50 largest markets can do well, pulling median salaries in excess of $100,000.  In smaller markets, News Directors had the highest median salaries in smaller markets, running from $100K in markets 51-100, to $56,500 in markets ranked 150+.  Line reporters and producers/writers earned considerably less, particularly outside of the top 50 markets (in the $25K-$35K range for median salaries). Those numbers rose to the $35-45K range in markets 26-50, and $40-70K range in top 25 markets.  As has happened in the last few reports, median salaries for Web/Mobile writers and producers tended to run 10-15% higher than their TV counterparts.
  As expected, radio news salaries are lower. In larger markets (population 250K+), median salary for radio News Directors are in the $45-47K range, falling to $37K in medium markets, and $27K in small markets (population under 50,000).  The median salaries for radio news and sports anchors tend to be in the same range as those of the News Director, with reporters and producers about 10% less in medium and small markets.  While the growth in median salaries from last year (2011) was minimal (1.2%), the median salaries in radio news for anchors, reporters and producers have risen in the last decade, with the resurgence of news/talk and sports/talk formats (30-40% over the last 5 years, 30-56% over the last 10).

Now for the scary numbers - the median starting salaries for people with no previous fulltime experience in broadcast news.  Median starting salaries for newbies in TV news are run in the low $20Ks.  Top median starting salaries (with no experience) are for those with some specialized skills (multimedia, studio technical, assignment editors); with median salaries in the $25K to $27K range).  If there's a good side, its that the lowest reporting starting salary for TV news hires with no experience was $15,000.
  Interestingly, median starting salaries for radio news hires are a little higher than those in TV, but share minimums in the $15,000 range.

Source -  2012 TV and Radio News Staffing and Profitability Survey, Part VI: TV and Radio News Salaries Barely Edge Up,  RTNDA research report

Research - What Recruiters Look At in Resume Scans

Just in time for the next batch of graduates, and following on the previous post on resumes, comes a research report from TheLadders.
  The study followed 30 professional recruiters as they did their jobs over a 10 week period.  One result, that recruiters spend an average of just six seconds on a resume before they make an initial decision on whether the candidate is a possible fit or not.  The study also used eye-tracking to record where they looked, and for how long, when they examined resumes.

In the short time that they spend with your resume, the study showed recruiters will look at your name, current title and company, current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education.

  The two resumes pictured give an example of the "heat map" of the recruiter's eye movements.  The study found that the resume to the far right was looked at more thoroughly, and for a longer time.  They suggest that was due to the clear and concise format that made it easier to locate "the most relevant information, like skills and experience"
  One piece of advice coming out of the research was that you should make it easier for recruiters to find pertinent information by creating a resume with a clear visual hierarchy. 
  Another post mentioned some other resume no-nos -

• Get rid of the "Objective" - If you applied, it's already obvious you want the job, and if it's not what you applied for, they'll wonder why you've wasted their time.
• Separate relevant from irrelevant work experiences and consider leaving the irrelevant off.  Also, don't list hobbies or volunteer work unless they involve relevant skills
• Don't include personal info, particularly social security numbers
• Offer, but don't list, references - unless they specifically ask for them.  (And make sure the people you list are aware that you've listed them, and that they'll say good things)
• Make sure you list an email address, and make it "professional"
• If you're looking for a new job while already employed, don't include current business contact info (unless they know you're looking).
• Keep it to one page

Sources - What Recruiters Look At During The 6 Seconds They Spend on Your Resume,  Business Insider
11 Things You Should Never Put on Your Resume, Business Insider

The Changing Media Job Market - And How to Work It

From the Career Guide Tips website - some observations on how the search for a job has changed (and some personal thoughts):

1. Passive job searching is no longer an option.  The days when that recruiter would offer you a job based on a glance at your resume or a short chat at a job fair is over.  At least for starting jobs in media businesses.  The one exemption is for later media jobs - an offer may well come once you have a history of producing good product, and someone notices.
2. Fewer jobs means more competition.  You might think that more competition in media markets might mean more jobs out there.  But the new competition is succeeding by being leaner, and older media is responding to competition by cutting back on staffing.  Add to that the fact that a lot of the folks who got downsized in traditional outlets are looking for jobs too, and it means you have a lot more competition for what jobs open up.
3. Mistakes, even minor, are not tolerated.  Proof that resume and cover letter!  When a job search can generate hundreds of applicants, the folks going over them are looking for reasons to eliminate candidates from further consideration.  Seeung mistakes is a quick and easy call.
   This advice is critical for media jobs in particular, where even small errors can prove costly for employers - mistakes in production can render content unusable, and mistakes in journalism can result in lawsuits.  If you're sloppy when you're looking for work, they'll worry that you'll be sloppy when you work.
4. Social media is the new recruiting tool.  “Social media has made a huge impact for job seekers,” says Lavie Margolin, career coach and author of “Lion Cub Job Search: Practical Job Search Assistance for Practical Job Seekers.” “Employers are using social media to post job openings and look into candidate backgrounds via private Facebook pages. Job seekers have an opportunity to increase their visibility … via their LinkedIn page and possibly a blog that is industry-focused.”
   For jobseekers in media or content related fields that last bit is critical - not necessarily that you need a fancy industry blog - but you need something that can serve as a showcase for what you've done, and illustrate your skills and what you can do.
5. Customization is critical.  This is a bit of a corollary to #1.  Sending out a bunch of standard resumes and cover letters isn't as helpful as doing a little bit of customization.  Most job postings emphasize certain skills - and you should focus your letter and resume to emphasize your interest and skills in that area.  You want to show potential employers that: 1) you actually read the job ad/posting and put some thought and effort into your application; 2) you have the skills that they're particularly looking for; and 3) you can adjust to changing circumstances.
6. Networking is more important than ever.  Being known can help to differentiate your application, and will at least assure a good look rather than a scan (unless it's in a negative context).  A network can also help you learn about coming opportunities so that you can get your package in early.  Daniel Newell, job development and marketing specialist for San Jose State University’s Career Center, advises job candidates to "join groups and attend socials through sites such as MeetUp and LinkedIn. Attending a casual social and being active in online and offline groups can open many doors to employment.”
   In the media field, internships can also be a good way to start networking, as well as beginning to accumulate that portfolio of your work.  Joining student chapters of relevant professional organizations can help, as can attending local events of the professional associations.

These are some good pointers.  A few I even pointed out in the last JEM 499 class. And if you wanted to boil it down to a single, simple, concept, it would be this: BE PROACTIVE.  Approach the job search as a job, rather than something you do between graduation parties.

Source -  6 Ways The Job Search Has Changed Post-Recession,  Career Guide Tips