Last week, the Econa student organization held a lecture by Trond Blindheim on building personal values in the job market and the right usage of social media for that task.
Trond Blindheim is acknowledged both in the advertising industry and in the academic field. He is a sociologist educated at University of Oslo that now teaches marketing communication and consumer behavior at Oslo School of Management (Markedhøyskolen), where he serves as rector. He has written numerous books and articles on marketing, consumption, and advertising, such as: Norsk reklamemusikk: Jingle bells, eller musikk fra helvete (Norwegian advertising music: Jingle bells or music from hell) and Hvorfor kjøper vi? (Why do we shop?)
The lecture was opened with stating how important grades in university actually are. They show that the individual is willing and capable to chase the best results, which is a trait highly appreciated by the HR.
A personal brand is fairly important on the market these days. According to Trond Blindheim, to achieve a quality brand, one should be unique in their positioning strategy. In other words, they should find out what they excel at but also what is uncommon in the job market and make it the pinnacle of their skill set. Having a clear picture of the competition is fairly important as well and allows job seekers to emphasize the right skills and stand tall over the competition.
Trond Blindheim urged students to set their agenda themselves and to not let others do it for them. The first impression is important in any social interaction, and attractiveness goes hand in hand with positive perception. To boost up this perception during job application, a combination of personal attitude and professionalism is required.
Social media is and always will be part of any HR evaluation.
«People offering jobs always look at social media profiles of the applicants,» noted Blindheim.
Afterward, he offered a couple of suggestions on how to manage social media appearance from the point of view of a person who has evaluated many applicants.
- Underline your diligence with many statuses and articles.
- Many friends and many likes give the impression of a popular person.
- If you are a careless asshole on social media, there is a huge chance that you are one in real life too.
- Social media is a platform for reflection.
- Have a clear idea about how would you like others to perceive you.
- The choice of a profile picture is very important.