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“We want to bring in someone who knows about social media.  You know… that Facebook thing.”

I remember these words so clearly.  They were spoken by a woman not much younger than my mother.  When I initially arrived at this particular job interview, I saw her an immediatly convinced myself of how intelligent and well- educated she must be.  Having worked at a well- known local law firm for many years, the woman presumably knew everything about things I had never heard of, short of my fascination with the movie Legally Blonde.

When she uttered those words, however, and stared seriously into my eyes, I knew that social media was something that her J.D. did not cover.  Now, the woman who had probably seen nearly everything in her decades of experience in the legal world needed me– a 23- year old with a B.A. in Journalism– to take the reigns of what might be one of the most important public relations tools since the creation of the press release.

Status Update:  Job Market is Growing

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When I first logged into a small, college- student only site called Facebook in 2005, I never knew that I might one day be able to make a career out of poking, tagging, and friending– let alone make $65,000 a year doing it.  Now, the Occupational Outlook Handbook says that this specialty in PR is going to continue to grow, and that those of us who know how to Tweet and Status Update are going to be at an advantage.

“The recent emergence of social media in the public relations is expected to increase job growth as well. Many public relations firms are expanding their use of these tools, and specialists with skills in them will be needed.” – Occupational Outlook Handbook

The median salary for a person who specializes in social media is $51,000, while the salary for an entry- level PR professional can be as low as $17,000, demonstrating the great advantage one has if they know their way around Myspace.

Catching Up with the World’s News Feed

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It’s hard to believe that a concept such as social media– something that I see as so simple– is something that PR professionals are still trying to wrap their heads around.  When I began explaining my skills to the woman conducting the interview, I could tell that she understood me about as well as I would understand the jargon in a legal proceeding.  She explained that her company understood the importance of social media in public relations, but that nearly no one in the office knew how to use it.

What also astonishes me is that companies are now offering social media training courses to help current and aspiring PR professionals understand how to use this new tool; It’s astonishing that something that seems so simple to so many in my generation is so difficult that it would require an entire seminar.

What is a Twitter?

Social media jobs are growing, and it seems that those who are not well- versed in this crucial tool will need to look for new career options, or learn and embrace the innovation.  In the meanwhile, those of us who are self- proclaimed “Facebook Addicts” will have no shortage of work in public relations.

By: Crista Leigh Collins

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