What's in a title? A digital marketer by any other name would smell as sweet.
Creative thinkers in digital marketing and social media are bypassing conventional job titles for innovative and original positions that better speak to the nature of their jobs and their tasks. Their spin on traditional headers might make you look twice at their business cards, but they do demonstrate new ways in which the fast-evolving worlds of social media and marketing can be approached and conceptualized.
Meet the Social Media Ninja, the Ringleader, the Ambassador of Buzz, the Web Marketing Therapist, and the Community Trailblazer.
The Social Media Ninja: Katrina Kibben, Monster.com
"To be honest, I'm not 100 percent sure where my title and position are evolving to, but I know it will be led in part based on my talents."
When Monster.com was looking for a social media expert, they posted the open position, naturally, on Monster.com. To help it stand out, the job search website displayed some HR innovation with a unique title, and Kibben joined the team after answering the ad for a Social Media Ninja.
iMedia Connection: How did the title "Social Media Ninja" come to be at Monster?
Katrina Kibben: After my first interview, Monster's director of social media relations (Kathy O'Reilly) and senior global VP of corporate communications and social media (Janet Swaysland) explained how they were expanding the in-house social media team at Monster and were looking for a "band of ninjas" -- people who could:
- Collaborate with a team to monitor and analyze social media activity
- Make recommendations based on insights and trends
- Serve as an agile member of a highly visible team within the Monster marketing group.
The ninja title was something Kathy and Janet created and worked with Monster's internal recruiting team to approve. They wanted to stay away from guru, maven, and other titles like that, and thought ninja was more action- and results-driven.
iMedia: What was the interview process like?
Kibben: One unique aspect was a work sample I had to complete in my final interview. I was handed a press release and told to create a very basic social media strategy to increase awareness of the story. This project was great insight into what my day-to-day role would entail.
This was also a pretty long interview process. As you'd imagine, several candidates had applied since this was such a cool opportunity to work with a well-established brand. Both Kathy and Janet even tweeted about the job opening, driving even more attention to the role.
iMedia: What technically falls under your job description as a Ninja?
Kibben: I work on a team of three to implement social media strategies that support Monster's business initiatives. We really take the time to look at what social media channels will be most effective in reaching our target audience and never take a "fill in the blank" approach. My focus within the team is on our social media campaigns for job seekers and helping the team wherever I can with my technical knowledge (HTML, SEO, etc.)
Social media also does not work as a standalone solution at Monster. Our team works directly with PR and marketing to support all of our campaigns. It's a real team effort.
iMedia: What would you say are the biggest challenges of your job?
Kibben: My biggest challenge is reminding myself to never get in a groove and to always keep testing new strategies. With most jobs, you get into a pattern, and in social media you never can because the pieces are always moving. No two days are ever the same. While this is really challenging, it's also what I love about my job. There's always something new to explore and learn.
iMedia: How do you see your position -- and your title -- evolving over the next few years?
Kibben: I get that question a lot -- including if the next step is Samurai. But since a Samurai traditionally kills himself/herself in the end, I'm opting out of that title! To be honest, I'm not 100 percent sure where my title and position are evolving to, but I know it will be led in part based on my talents.
One of the best parts about working at Monster is that there are a lot of opportunities to try and learn and continue to grow. As long as it supports our brand strategy overall and helps our key audience (job seekers and employers), you're asked to innovate all the time. I can take my strengths and apply them to create a role that works for me, in an area where I can best support our business.
Next page >>
