It is time consuming though, constantly checking the Facebook page, hearing that incessant Tweetdeck beep every time something new happens (even if it’s not of any interest to you whatsoever), your inbox filling up with “New comment on [insert inane discussion on LinkedIn that you are beginning to wish you hadn’t joined in with because the truth is you’re not that bothered about relating the Roy Hodgson appointment to the recruitment industry and it’s all descended into a tit-for-tat football banter discussion anyway which is all very well, but of no use to your business]. Sorry, clearly I needed to vent.

Back to Olly. He is a sweet little robot who will attach to your laptop/desktop/tablet. And because plans for building him are online under a creative commons license, you can even build your own. Well, you’re allowed to, whether you can or not is not for me to say. I know I can’t.

Olly is short for olfactory. He will monitor your social media campaign and, each time someone retweets your tweet, mentions your name, joins a discussion etc, he will emit a small whiff of perfume. The scent can be tailored to you. The idea is that Olly is much less distracting than all those constant emails and notifications but you can still monitor your social media strategy ensuring you won’t miss a thing. My advice? Choose your scent wisely. “Freshly baked cookies” will only make you hungry and make your colleagues angry that you don’t have any for them. “Freshly cut grass” may upset the allergy sufferers. Perhaps a hint of your partner’s perfume or aftershave? As long as it’s not Old Spice, obviously. Anyone got any better ideas?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-18059740

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/jan/20/five-best-places-to-live-in-world

We have all heard of candidates who have found out, via ex-colleagues and friends, that people they have interviewed with have called their ex-bosses for an off the record chat. Needless to say the candidates have been horrified, but do the people who make these calls realise why what they are doing is so wrong?

http://www.thesite.org/homelawandmoney/askthesiteqandas/legalandrightsqandas/badreferenceorbadluck

Naturally, I don’t like graphs or charts (my dismal attempt at sarcasm) but this info graphic is definitely one in which I took particular interest… even if it could be a little more in depth.

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/mac/infographic-apple-by-the-numbers/2069

Enjoy!

Internet advertising jumped by 14.4% in 2011 to reach £4.8 billion, notes the report from the Internet Advertising Bureau UK (IAB), conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Online and mobile advertising recorded the biggest increase in internet advertising in five years – a £687m rise on the previous year.

Video advertising also continued to grow and now accounts for 10pc of all online display advertising. Online video expenditure doubled to £109m, from £54m in 2010, growing over eight-fold since 2008. On the other hand, mobile advertising grew by 157pc in 2011, recoding a rise of £203m. Rise in mobile adverting was driven by increased smartphone ownership, the development of touchscreen technology, 3G, and towering tablet sales.

Banner ads on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn registered a 75% increase and reached £240m last year, fuelled by increasing popularity of social media networks, which account for 27% of all the time spent online in the UK in 2011.

“Online and mobile advertising have experienced staggering growth since this study began in 1997. The 2011 results are full of breakthroughs for digital; with online display passing the £1 billion barrier for the first time, proving that advertisers increasingly recognise the central role that online plays in their marketing campaigns”, said Tim Elkington, director of research and strategy at the IAB.

Finance sector spent the most on display advertising, followed by entertainment and the media, then technology, reported the IAB.

Fee income is back up to pre-recession levels, hitting the £900m mark, even beating 2008’s boom. As expected, public sector cuts have impacted on some agencies who are exposed to that market. However, other agencies saw promising growth. To continue this growth, Matthew Freud, CEO of Freud Communications (which grew by 14% in 2011) argues that PR professionals – “dwarves” of the marketing world – need to start being more assertive and charging what they’re worth.  He calls upon his “fellow dwarves to rise up and seize this day.”

So, why is PR recovering more quickly than many other industries? Firstly, more and more companies are realising how incredibly important reputation is for a business to succeed – especially in a world where people’s opinions are shared instantly and publicly. Secondly, PR professionals are often naturally good at using the digital conversation economy to their advantage.

Whatever the reason, 2012 is looking good, so if your boss is cancelling social events “in light of the economy”, you should smell a rat.

http://ecm.hbpl.co.uk/re?l=ewgw4hIf3lhf3It

Even if you are happy where you are, the wisest employees know to still keep one eye on the job market and forge a relationship with a recruiter they can trust to notify them whenever their ideal next move comes up. They can decide whether they are interested or not on a case by case basis. After all, your dream job might only come up once in a blue moon and so that is the time to gird your loins and go.

Then there are others, not so fortunate, who deep in their heart know they should have walked long ago. To see if you are one of them, click:

http://www.thesite.org/workandstudy/gettingajob/careerladder/needanewjob

In my humble, and not very valued opinion – the article may as well be called; “Digital Marketers, vote Boris!”

Tactless Mr Johnson, utterly tactless..

http://www.brandrepublic.com/news/1128671/now-time-capitalise-londons-digital-potential-says-boris/

-          Make sure you are sending your CV not only to a recruitment consultancy that is specialist in your discipline, but the most relevant consultant at the company. If you believe you are what we would call a “Grade A” candidate (i.e. highly placeable) phone that consultant before sending your CV, in order to jump the queue. A good recruiter should be able to recognise your quality from a short phone conversation and arrange a time to meet you there and then.

-          Start by just contacting one consultancy, the one you consider to be the best in your sector. If you are happy to agree exclusivity with the consultancy you will ensure you get top priority – not only is the pressure on the recruiter to deliver, but they know that if they can find you the right role they are guaranteed a placement. I have seen candidates send their CV to 20-30 recruiters and direct employers in one go, including all of them on the same email – these candidates may think that this gives the recruiters urgency, when in fact a quality recruiter would step back from helping them because there is no focus in their approach and they are over-exposed.

-          Remember that a quality firm is a recruitment “consultancy” and not an “agency”. The consultant should be able to give you solid advice on structuring your CV, interview technique, a detailed account of the companies that they are briefing you on and anything unique to these firms, and tips on areas such as negotiating job offers, resigning etc. All of this is free of charge, and definitely worth taking advantage of. It can dramatically boost your chances of landing your dream job.

-          If you do decide to use more than one recruiter, or make some additional direct applications, keep your recruiter informed of your progress. If they know that a particular application is moving quickly, or a company is putting pressure on you to make a decision, they can try and speed up the timing off your other interviews to try and keep things running simultaneously for you. It is also important to trust your recruiter and be open about what you are trying to achieve/how different options rank against each other, so that they can focus on getting you what you want. Sometimes candidates might try and keep their cards close to their chest, which hinders the process – if you feel you cannot trust your recruiter from the outset, maybe you are using the wrong consultancy!

-          Where possible select consultancies through the recommendation of friends/colleagues, and then let the recruiter know that they were recommended. In my experience, quality candidates tend to mix with other quality candidates and if someone has been recommended by a candidate or client that you highly rate, you will give them top priority.