University fires $100k/year social media director for lying on resume

Do you know what that job entails or what skills are required? You don't. And you don't know how hard people in the social industry work? Again, you don't. But thanks for generalizing about everyone in social media. You'd be amazed at what is involved. It goes further than just posting some Tweets.

For example, I have 3 clients, one is a fortune 500 company. Took us 11 months of research, strategy, focus groups, planning, content development, social platform role development, creative development, etc., just to get our first tweet out. Its more than picking up a phone and shooting out a Tweet.

I could talk about the skills required, the hard work involved or the challenges all day.

 

Your guess is wrong, as was noted above.

 

Sounds like an incredibly important and demanding job if you're posting here during that call!

 

I feel for people in the situation, I used to be there making $19k at my first gig, and less than enough to pay the bills at others. But I wouldn't let the industry's cheap labor practices constrain me and left almost exactly three years ago. I've been happily working in advertising ever since - and it has shown me that my writing skills can be used elsewhere and for much more money.

It makes sense if you choose to believe it.

 

Haven't been introduced to the client yet, so not allowed to talk during this call.

 

I really wish you would. Not kidding. I'm fascinated by this work, and would love to break in, even well below the six-figure mark.

 

Wanted to second BD w/Pompano's point that none of this is an argument in favor of this particular individual being qualified or remaining in this particular job.

 

PM me. I'll answer any questions you have. Haven't been on the site a lot lately, so you can also get my attention by Tweeting me. (details in the sig).

 

I would wager she probably was qualified, in that none of this seems to be performance driven. Whatever class(es) she was short, I doubt very seriously they had anything to do with her job. But, as stated above, a university has to have you believe that a university degree is important, or else, why have the university? If it were my call, I would have let her stay. (but I don't work in academia anymore).

 

Yeah, really. Tell us more. There are very few jobs in the universe that I have come across that I felt were so far above my head that I couldn't do them given the proper training and practice. Human beings are creatures of learning and habit. We adapt to our environment.

If the need was there, I could probably learn to work on cars. Wouldn't like it much, but I could learn to do it.

Unlike the person in question here, I DO have a university degree and about 20 years of writing, editing, design and broadcast experience. I'm no computer geek, but I've learned new software programs everywhere I've worked. I can probably do whatever it takes.

So tell us what you do all day and how you got the job in the first place.

 

I know that the job involves a lot of buzzwords.

In the newspaper world, that seems to be main thing that separates our "social media specialist" from mere reporters who tweet.

 

Then apply for one of these jobs, what is stopping you?