Alex Fenton - Employability, Digital and Creativity

Employability, Digital & CreativityAlex Fenton : SBS / Employability Hub

a.fenton@salford.ac.uk

Real & Virtual NetworkingNetworking activity

Employability, Digital & CreativityOverview• Intro

• What do we mean by digital & creativity?

• Your digital presence online, does it matter?

• Real and virtual networking

Alex Fenton - LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/in/alexfenton

Employability, Digital & CreativityIntro – Alex Fenton• Member of SBS employability hub

• BIP supervisor (in the area of digital, seo, social media, digital marketing etc.)

• Run web development company Edinteractive.co.uk

• Member of Research Centre for Digital Business

• Course leader for Search & Social Media Marketing (Professional Development course, MCUK)

• Who are you?

Digital and CreativityWhat does this even mean?

Your digital presence onlineIs this important?

Your digital presence onlineAccording to careerbuilder.com survey

Your digital presence onlineAccording to undercoverrecruiter.com survey

Your digital presence onlineAccording to our man at thecandidate.co.uk

“The vast majority of employers are now using Google to find people’s social media platforms. Making a mistake in the recruitment process can be costly. It also helps to validate CV’s and any concerns that people may have.

It is certainly higher in the digital sector and the decision makers are more likely to search. However HR people managing the process have their reputation to uphold and won’t put people through if they’re social profiles paint a bad picture. It also helps ensure that 1st interviews aren’t a waste of time, so it can be for extra screening points, even through the candidate is unaware.

More and more employers are adopting this, outside of digital too.”

Colin Telford, The Candidate.co.uk

Your digital presenceWhich sites are important?

• LinkedIn• Facebook• Twitter• Google (results)• Google +• Your own website?• Others?

Your digital presenceChecklist - Activity

1. Google yourself, making sure you are not signed in to Google at the time

2. What do you see?3. How can you clean up your digital

presence?4. Who what SEO, Search Engine

Optimisation is?

Your digital presencePrivacy settings & things to avoid

Your digital presenceDo you need your own portfolio website?

• This is crucial for jobs in digital particularly

• What are the advantages of your own website?

• What could you use? Wordpress, Tumblr, LinkedIn?

• Creative Hive?

What is Creative Hive?www.creativehive.org

• Built, run and supported by Business School staff, working with MediaCity• Creates real world opportunities and connections

between students, staff, the community and industry (circa 1000 members)• Provides a unique web space to allows people to

show work digitally at www.creativehive.org and in person at MediaCityUK

You get your own free websiteBlog your thoughts and show your work off

Customise it Change the look of your website

See other peoples work from the UniMake new connections and find collaborators

Why do we blog orshowcase our work online?

• Represent your idea with Lego SeriousPlay

Creative Hive @ MediaCityUKwww.creativehive.org/live/mediacity/

Creative Hive Livewww.creativehive.org/live

Creative Hive Livewww.creativehive.org/live/prog

• Cross Disciplinary Collaborations• Performance• Film• Creative Writing• Fine Art• Audio installations• Music• Creative Technology• Sculpture• Painting • Graphic design• Comedy• Drawing• Web design• Animation• Photography

Video from Creative Hive Livehttp://creativehive.org/live/prog/

Join and try out Creative Hivewww.creativehive.org

•Open a browser at: www.creativehive.org• Click ‘Join Creative Hive’ from the top right• Complete the details using your own name without spaces for the username e.g. alexfenton• Leave web address blank unless you have another website•Who is member 1000???

www.facebook.com/groups/creativehive

#creativehive

www.creativehive.org

Real & Virtual NetworkingWhat does this mean?

Thanks!Drop me a line..

• Email: A.fenton@salford.ac.uk• Twitter: @alexfenton• LinkedIn:

uk.linkedin.com/in/alexfenton