A quick scroll through LinkedIn offers a dizzying array of job titles. CEO, Editor in Chief, Social Media Guru. Funny? Yes. Entertaining? Sure. Professional? No.

As a blogger, you want to showcase your many skills. Writing, editing, marketing, social media. These are all skills that you, as a blogger, have developed on your own. Those late hours you spent working tirelessly on your blog’s site design and researching articles are definitely notable. However, there is a difference between working personally on your blog for 5 hours a week and conducting a growing and sustainable business through your blog.

Inflating your job title or transforming it into something a little different is a sure way to kill any credibility aka professional klout you may have. Professional or personal, no one will take you seriously if you call yourself Social Media Guru or Blogging Ninja – trust us, we’ve seen and heard people do this and HR recruiters are not impressed.

Will a fancy job title get you noticed in a flood of submitted resumes? Possibly but don’t forget that a a job title, like any other claim, requires proof.  You should be able to back up your title with qualifying professional experience. Simply saying you are a social media expert and not having previous job or consultant experience won’t cut it. A title like “CEO”  of a blog feels forced and actually takes away from your professional credibility.

Instead of using a lofty job title, boost your resume with HR-friendly keywords that will catch the eye of hiring managers and recruiters. Search fellow colleagues profiles on LinkedIn to see how describe their job. Scour job postings and research what words are used consistently in the job’s qualifications and responsibilities. Talk with any acquaintances who have HR experience and see if they can can offer tips or keywords that will help your resume get read.

Here are keywords for your resume that you should utilize:

Marketing – Trend analysis, brand development, website statistics, project management, measurement reports, email marketing, social media monitoring, SEO optimization

Public Relations – Placements, media monitoring, tracking, outreach, pitching, story ideas, event planning

Writing – Detail-oriented, content development, proofreading skills, research-focused, published stories

Social Media – Digital trend analysis, editorial calendar, social media monitoring,  familiar with content management systems, content creation for Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Pinterest, goal-setting, blogger outreach, cross-platform integration

Using these HR-friendly key words, adding in important skills details and listing relevant examples where you successfully executed a project will be more impressive to your future employer than a job title.

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Coffee runs, press bag-stuffing, paper filling, email organizing. Welcome to the glamorous world of interning!

With summer comes a new crop of eager college students (or recent graduates) who are looking to break into the media or fashion industry with a coveted internship. However, landing that dream internship can be as tricky as finding a studio apartment in New York that can hold your bed AND dresser AND shoes. (New Yorkers, you know what I’m talking about.) Plus, with college admissions rising and, in turn, college graduation rates increasing, the competition in the media/fashion internship land got 100x more vicious.

That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply for your dream internship – it just means that you have to get smarter and more dedicated while on the internship hunt. Copy/pasting your resume without a cover letter won’t cut it, kids. You have to stand out, be the best all the while showing off your personality in limited doses. Sounds intimating? Don’t worry – we’ve got you coveted.

Here are five tips to not only getting an interview but scoring the coveted internship:

1. Master the Art of the Cover Letter: The surest way to make your resume disappear into the email black-hole is to not attach a a cover letter with it. The cover letter is hands down one of the best resources you have in your arsenal. Nestled in three concise paragraphs, the cover letter conveys your job qualifications, professional desires and unique personality. Easily digestible and accessible, a cover letter sets your application a part from the rest so don’t forget it. And always make sure to personalize the letter (Dear Mrs. X or Dear Hiring Manager) as it shows you didn’t just send your resume off on a massive BCC chain email.

2. Be Passionate: We’ve met with many interns and if there’s one thing we know right off the bat, it’s if they are passionate or not. There’s a look in their eye, an excited tone in their voice, a feeling of true nerd joy that fills our office the minute we come across them. It’s truly palpable and it’s what your future employer is looking for as well. Look, we get it. Following Twitter, creating databases, pinning nonstop. It’s not fun for most people but we are true social media nerds and we are looking for talent who feels the same. If you don’t, it just won’t work.

3. Do Your Homework: The worst thing you can do going into an interview is to not know what is going on with the company in question. It makes it look as if you don’t care and aren’t interested. You should be familiar with their recent product launches, press placements, social media updates, and latest updates. All of these information can be found on the company’s website and only takes an hour for you to get caught up. But it really does pay off, especially when the HR manager asks if you saw the most recent news release and you can successful say yes and explain why you thought it was riveting.

4. Demonstrate Your Strong Oral/Written Communication skills: Every employer is looking for those students who can write and talk speak clearly and write in a concise manner. These written and oral communication skills are absolutely required in today’s professional field. If you can’t write and can’t talk effectively, you will have trouble not only getting your interview but keeping your internship as well. You have (or are pursuing) a college degree. Show off your skills and you will succeed. Fail to understand how to use spell check or how to punctuate your sentences properly and you will have a problem. Note: please have someone proofread your resume/cover letter. Spelling mishaps and grammar errors are non-negotiable.

5. Say yes. To everything. Yes, coffee runs might seem fruitless but guess what? You are there to help out in every area. It may not be thrilling, it may even be draining (try getting coffee/pastries for an entire press event filled with editors. Yikes). But it is your job to assist your manager in every way. Hopefully, your manager will see your enthusiasm and start giving you more important tasks. But you always have to start at the bottom.

There you have it, our tips for getting and keeping your internship. Intense and chaotic, internships are honestly the best way to get your foot in the door in any industry, not just fashion and media. Everyone at IFB started off as an intern somewhere and it completely pays off.

Just remember: if you work hard, good things happen. Oh, and don’t steal office supplies. Talk about bad job karma.

image credits: Francisco Garcia for Holt Renfrew, found here

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We first got in touch with the fabulous studio ARROJO for our runway show last month. We fell in love with their edgy looks, their hair care products, and their enthusiasm for working with bloggers.

As we’ve interviewed mostly fashion brands for our Ask the Brand series, we thought it would be interesting to bring you a new perspective. Enjoy!

Tell us ARROJO’s overall thoughts on social media in the fashion industry.

We’ve always believed trends are influenced by the street. One great thing about social media is that it is ubiquitous –– anyone can do it. It’s actually giving even more power to the street. The communication of bloggers and influencers –– with new looks and new ideas posted every day –– creates a dialogue between communities and individuals that pushes out new trends. More and more, fashion designers are looking at this movement and using it as inspiration for the runway. User-generated content is leading us into a world where the woman or man on the street influences the direction of fashion. We think it is brilliant because we see ARROJO as part of this movement. For example, in early 2011, we instigated a new drive to bring bloggers into the salon. Many opted for ombre hair color –– for which we were one of the pioneers –– and then we saw the trend take off. It gave us an elevated sense of connection to the fashion industry.

At what point in your marketing strategy do you incorporate Social Media – is it considered from the beginning, or do you find ways to fit it in later?

It is part of the big picture of building the ARROJO brand. Everything we do –– from promoting salon appointments to announcing a new product launch to working fashion & trade shows to connecting with fellow professionals –– is pushed out through our social media channels.

How big is your social media team?

In-house we have one full-time social media employee. However, as part of the brand strategy, the whole creative team is involved in developing our presence and success online. We also work with Socialyte, a social media consultant.

What are the daily activities of the ARROJO’s social media team?

Updating our social networks with the most relevant news. Tracking & growing influence. Maintaining and growing our hair inspiration blog, Stylenoted.com. Working on bringing fashion and beauty bloggers and social influencers into our ARROJO studio salon. Organizing events with bloggers and social influencers.

In what capacity do you work with bloggers?

We invite bloggers into the salon for hair services. Depending on the bloggers’ level of influence and/or commitment to talking about the brand, we offer complimentary and discounted appointments to them. It’s all about creating a mutually beneficial relationship. They want to look great, and coming to us guarantees great hair. We want to expand our brand recognition, and working with bloggers guarantees quick and direct exposure to a hip young crowd.

We have used top bloggers like Trop Rouge as models for our fashion shows. This helps to promote the events as the bloggers talk about it online.

We also gift product to bloggers. Again, this instigates online conversations about our product line. We hold events with bloggers to strengthen relationships and bring new people into our space. For example, last Christmas Holiday we hosted a Woman In Need Charity event which was managed by Keiko Lynn. Sponsors like Coach got involved and we had a trendy young crowd spending the day in our facility, while taking part in a good deed.

How do you select bloggers to work with?

We base it on their level of influence and the commitment to the ARROJO brand.

What value do you think blogger collaborations have to a brand, as compared to traditional marketing?

In our work with Socialyte.Co we’ve discovered that bloggers are better aligned as media properties with large followings. Their influence is measurable and the return on investment is quickly apparent. Building relationships with these influencers has given ARROJO a better understanding of the market, where social media is heading, and how to really be a step ahead of the competition.

Bloggers are the epicenter of social. They are the key individuals who influence the tastes and preferences of millions of individuals, who in turn influence the taste and preferences of millions of less connected individuals. In the past brands would dictate trends, spending millions pushing these (hopeful) trends on the masses. Blogging truly puts the consumer in the driver seat, and allows them to clearly state ‘this is what we want’.

In the end it basically mitigates risk of launching a multi-million dollar initiative that may fall flat. It is the ultimate combination of quantitative and qualitative analysis, advertising, near real-time data mining, and even POS marketing if integrated properly with a brands e-commerce.

How do you measure the overall value of bloggers and social media?

There is no set value of an influencer. A blogger who speaks to a niche market can be of much higher value to ‘X’ brand that in may be for ‘Y’ brand.

Through Socialyte.Co, we have access to bloggers who are selected using a proprietary algorithm that blends art and technology. Using a combination of several third party analytical tools, outward facing numbers (facebook, tumblr, twitter, bloglovin, lookbook, etc), and analyzing engagement on those mediums, we are able to create a comprehensive snapshot of visitors, demographics, location of readers, and engagement, and how they fit in with the brands goals and objectives.

The big question is how valuable is a blogger with 500,000 unique visitors and low engagement vs a blogger with 10,000 unique visitors and high engagement, and how that individual influencer fits in with the portfolio of bloggers we are working with for said campaign to maximize impressions, clicks, and conversions.

Those types of influencers are most valuable to the ARROJO brand and we actively pursue opportunities to connect and work with them.

Do you have any tips for bloggers looking to engage with brands? How can they make themselves more attractive to brands?

Work with professionals, and be professional. Respond to e-mail, don’t make excuses, and try new things. Use common sense and don’t step on any toes.

As we a forge a path in this new and exciting industry, the core values of high integrity, professionalism, and business ethics should be in the forefront of everyone’s minds. Brands are taking a chance in a new space by working with you. The harder you work to support and achieve the goals and objectives of that brand, the more likely they will be to contact you for future campaigns, and your reputation will grow within the industry.

When working with professionals, professionalism is attractive.

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This week we had the pleasure of chatting with McKenna McCarville, the Director of Marketing and Public Relations for Kooba. We already love their 5 looks 1 bag series, so we were excited to go a little more in depth.

Enjoy!

At what point in your marketing strategy do you incorporate Social Media – is it considered from the beginning, or do you find ways to fit it in later?

Like most brands social media is very important to our marketing strategy. It is something that we take into consideration from the very beginning of any marketing initiative that we start. Our social media fans are very loyal…although we might not have the most fans compared to other brands, ours are very engaged and interact with us regularly through the different mediums.

How big is your social media team?

We are a tight-knit operation here at Kooba! Our social media team is one person.

In what capacity does Kooba work with bloggers?

We are constantly working with bloggers and looking for new ones to partner with. We launched a campaign for our Fall 2011 collection called 5 Looks 1 Bag where we partnered with a few of our favorite bloggers and had them style one of our bags in five different ways. The campaign was extremely popular and we are bringing it back for spring. Kooba is all about functionality and most if not all of our bags can be worn multiple ways. This campaign is a great way for people to see how their favorite blogger interprets one of our bags into their own style and it helped showcase the versatility of the product as well.

How do you select bloggers to work with?

It really happens by chance either perusing the Internet and coming across one that we think fits well with the brand (as well as the brand fitting well with their platform.) Also, referrals or recommendations are always great.

What value do you think blogger collaborations have, as compared to traditional marketing?

Blogger collaborations are extremely important and useful in today’s retail environment and they are an important piece of a brands’ marketing strategy. Some of our biggest traffic drivers to Kooba.com are bloggers websites. They play a crucial role in marketing today and I believe will have an even bigger impact in the future.

How do you measure the overall value of bloggers and social media?

The reach of a campaign is very important as well as sales of products themselves.

Do you have any tips for bloggers looking to engage with brands? How can they make themselves more attractive to brands?

One of the most important factors when researching whether or not to collaborate with a blogger is seeing what their platform is. Do they have a voice? A following? What makes them unique in compared to other bloggers? Having an angle is so so so important in today’s blogosphere.

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Your resume. You stress over making it perfect, sweat every little detail – from the wording, to the layout, all the way down to your “Special Skills.” It’s your ticket to your dream job and you know it needs to be good.

It makes sense when you think about it – when you are applying for a job in the digital world, your new boss is going to want to know what your digital life looks like. So how do you stand out from the crowed of up-and-coming fashion bloggers scrambling for an open position?

Brand yourself.

It’s not as scary as it sounds, you don’t need billboards or even crazy design skills – let’s start small. Choose a color scheme you love and few fonts you can’t get enough of and use them across the board; on your blog posts, your Twitter profile, business cards, letterhead, even your traditional resume (the list goes on and on!) That wasn’t hard, right?

The next step is just as easy: streamline your profile pictures. You want your Google + page, Linkedin profile, Twitter profile, Pinterest account etc. to all have the same little square image so that people who don’t really know you still know they are looking at the same person across all your digital channels. When your future employer see this they’ll see your attention to detail, dedication to your craft, and above all your understanding of the digital space. It’s simple, and yet very, very effective.

For example, when I applied for the job here at IFB I sent in my resume and cover letter – both of which linked to my web page. The font on my web page matches the font on my resume and I use the same background image across all my spaces (my blog, Tumblr, Twitter, even my Facebook – which might be a little over the top, I admit…)

Here's a screen shot of my blog - all of my branding is based off of this look - Navy text, and the beige and white chevron background.

Here's my web page - simple, but effective, keeping the navy blue text and chevron background going!

Here's how my tumblr looks - you can tell it's the same theme, right?

The chevron background and navy links look lovely on Twitter!

And hello Chevron on Facebook (and the same pic again, see!)

Here I am looking branded on Google+

The next thing to keep in mind when building your digital presence – you user names. This is an area in which I am seriously lacking. In some places I’m Crissie Fuller, in others Fuller.Cris and sometimes just the name of my blog, Chicasaurus-Rex. Ideally you want to have the same name across all platforms, whether you choose your name or the name of your blog is really up to you. However, Erica Domesek of PS – I Made This suggested using your blog name during IFBcon (and really, if you want to see great branding, check out her blog/twitter/book/etc!) But whichever you choose keep it consistent. And don’t forget: you want to  have exactly the same handle on Twitter and Instagram (if you can)!

Besides just the look of your brand – you want your voice to be consistent as well. You should always sound like you. It’s fine (good even!) if you are slightly more formal on LinkedIn and in cover letters – but you should never use big words and fancy phrases just to sound smart; your employer (and especially one hiring in the digital space) wants to hear your voice, not some regurgitated version of “the ideal cover letter” you found on google.

To Summarize: 4 Easy Steps to Creating Your Personal Brand

1. Use uniform fonts and colors for all your online and offline collateral (blog, twitter, business cards etc.)

2. Streamline your profile pictures. Use the same one for all your online accounts.

3. Make sure your user names all match!

4. Find your voice and always write in it – alter the tone to fit the audience that you are speaking to, but be sure you always sound like you!

Do you have any experience with creating a personal brand? Tell us about it in the comments!

[top image via BlackBirdTees]

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