Entry-level is a new series profiling those who are working their first media jobs out of college. Want to be featured? Send an e-mail to d.ceceliamartinez [at] gmail [dot] com with a photo and answers to the questions below.

Name: Benjamin Brown (@RedLeader656)

Location: Albany, NY

Gig: Founder and CEO, New Hand Media

Education: The College of Saint Rose, 2009

Length of job search: My job search lasted months. During school, I was working for Apple Inc. as a computer tech at one of their retail stores. It was a great job and I was paid well, but there was so much that I felt I was missing. So, making one of the most important decisions of my life, I decided to quit my job and relocate to Charlotte, NC. It was there that I got a taste of the real world and how bad the economy actually is. I spent eight to 10 hours a day sending out resumes and calling companies, never hearing a word back from any of them. This went on for about six months, until I finally ran out of money and had to come back to Albany. I was disappointed, but learned a lot about life and the job market, so for that I’m forever grateful.

Why he decided to start his own business: The difficulty of finding a job in established companies. There are a lot of marketing and ad agencies out there, but in an economy like this, most of them are looking to let people go rather than hire. After a huge amount of disappointment and frustration, I decided to start my own business. I knew what I wanted to do, and I knew that I could do it better than most people that I had come across in the same field. I found what I loved and now I’m making a career out of it.

What’s been the hardest part so far: Just making the leap forward to do it. You have to jump in head first and hope that you don’t smash your head on the rocks at the bottom. It’s sort of a leap of faith. All of your time, money and effort are focused on getting your name out there and generating buzz for your brand. It’s nothing short of petrifying, but you just have to believe that you’re going to make it, otherwise no one else will.

What attracted him to social media: Social media has changed the way that we live our lives. We now have the ability to converse and connect with consumers in a way that wasn’t possible five years ago. Right now there’s a mini ‘gold rush’ going on to see who can take advantage of these cutting edge technologies. The ability of something like Facebook to allow you to target very specific audiences is incredible. The other thing that amazes me is how platforms like Twitter have really given a lot of power back to consumers. Ten years ago, marketing and ad campaigns were generated in sort of a cookie cutter fashion, with no real feedback. Now people can talk about your brand on an exponential level, reaching far beyond their immediate circle of friends and family. This ultimately makes brands much more accountable for their actions and messages.

His dream client: Some sort of niche brand that I could help develop into a titan in the market. I would love to be able to bring some small brands into the marketplace in a big way.

Ultimate goal: To make sure that I love every minute of what I’m doing. When you hate your job and you’re miserable at work every day, what’s the point? I want to ultimately make a sustainable company that is able to develop interesting and impactful brand awareness. Of course I’d also like to make loads of money, but that’ll come later if I keep doing what I love.

Advice for job seekers out there: Find what you love and do it! Read every book that you can about starting a business, find online resources and apply that to something that you want to do for the rest of your life. It’s never been easier to get a small business going that’s made of nothing more than your voice talking about what you love. Now is the time to get into the game because like I said, social media has become the great equalizer. It’s going to allow you to get your message and content out there. If you’re passionate about what you’re doing then do it every day and go at it as hard as you can. At the end of the day you’re going to be happier with yourself.

Have you considered the possibility of starting your own business, or are you content holding out for a full-time job, no matter how long it might take?

Entry-level is a new series profiling those who are working their first media jobs out of college. Want to be featured? Send an e-mail to d.ceceliamartinez [at] gmail [dot] com with a photo and answers to the questions below.

Associate Editor Alex J. Tunney

Name: Alex J. Tunney

Gig: Associate Editor, Data Conversion Labs

Education: The College of Saint Rose, December 2008

Length of job search: Roughly a year, not counting my time in retail.

How he landed the job: A temp agency pulled my resume off of Monster. I’m a temp now, but it might lead to a permanent position.

What kept him motivated throughout his search: Positive feedback. I realized “We’d probably hire you in a better economy,” isn’t the worst thing I could be hearing.

Ultimate dream job: An editor of some kind (for a newspaper, magazine, or whatever) while being an essayist on the side.

Advice for job seekers out there: Keep on plugging away and network, network, network. I got lucky, and I’m still networking even though I have job, because you just never know what may happen next.

Anyone else out there land a job through resume posting on job sites? Let’s hear your story, too.

Targeted 'hire me' ads miss the mark.

Two of my favorite blogs recently wrote about a  crop of young job seekers that are trying to landing their dream jobs by taking out targeted ‘hire me’ Facebook ads. First MediaJobsDaily covered the story, and then Joe Grimm at the Ask A Recruiter blog at Poynter did a pretty thorough write-up earlier this week about the trend, and whether or not it is actually effective.

The more I read about these ads, the less I like them. Though I am currently employed, I spent a significant amount of time last semester refining my resume, scouring job boards and practicing my tough-interview-question answers.  I know there are a lot of recent and soon-to-be graduates out there are getting increasinly desperate to find a job in their field — but this is not the way to make that happen.

Here are five reasons why ‘hire me’ Facebook ads need to die, now.

1. They’re a fad — Sure, all the cool kids may be doing it now, but does anyone every really respect a bandwagon jumper? There’s a reason we all don’t still wear bra strap headbands or giant shoulder pads. When they first came out, those people that bought Facebook ads to find a job were thought of as creative, as pioneers. But after more and more people started plopping down $30 for an ad targeting their company of choice, it lost its originality. Buying a ‘hire me’ Facebook ad now doesn’t prove you’re a self-promotion guru, it just means you can read a blog and copy someone else’s idea.
2. They can be creepy — The Poynter article covered this, but I felt that this point deserves to be reiterated. Targeted Facebook ads in general are creepy, and tend to read like scams (Oh wow, 22-year-old Hispanic females are needed to write about journalism? It’s my lucky day!). The concept of putting your picture on there also isn’t the best idea. It’s not like your winning smile or awkward haircut is going to demonstrate your job skills, and it may even make some employers uncomfortable because it draws attention to your appearance — there’s a reason recruiters advise applicants not include a picture with a job application.
3. They can’t replace networking — ‘Hire me’ ads are kind of a more watered down version of job board ads, which — let’s face it — aren’t the most effective recruiting tool in the first place. It’s like the difference between advertising and public relations. Networking is about building genuine relationships within a company and demonstrating your value over time to sell yourself the right way. Direct advertising is a way of selling yourself, but more like the telemarketing mindset of selling. Not to mention, it can make you come off as a little desperate.
4. They don’t demonstrate your skills — The majority of these ads read something like this: “Hi, my name is _____, and I have a _____ degree from _____. It’s my dream to work for your company. Can you help me?” That provides the viewer of the ad with very little information, and it’s almost 100% devoid of personality. Sure, those that click through will land on your LinkedIn or website, but the ad itself does nothing to demonstrate your abilities, skills or creativity. Instead, take the $30 to $50 you would spend on a targeted Facebook ad and put it towards obtaining software, taking a class, getting a camera or buying supplies to work on a project or learn a new skill. Wouldn’t you rather be noticed for that great video you produced that went viral as opposed to a three-sentence ad?
5. They don’t work — Thomas Pardee, profiled in the Poynter article, has spent a little over $52 and received 130 clicks from Hearts and Condé Nast employees, but has yet to receive one single piece of feedback. Marian Schembari, featured in the post at MediaJobsDaily, spent $150 and failed to get a job at any of the companies she was targeting, although she did land a job doing book publicity. She ultimately left that job to go to culinary school. There hasn’t been word that any one of these ads has helped these job seekers gain anything more than a little bit of publicity on employment blogs.

I think it’s also important to note that even if someone at your targeted company did love your ad, that wouldn’t change the fact that many big media companies just aren’t hiring.

What do you think? Are ‘hire me’ Facebook ads a waste of money, or am I just mad because I didn’t think of it first?

Update: Check out the original case studies/project outline for the Facebook ads: http://www.onedayonejob.com/blog/use-facebook-ads-to-make-employers-hunt-you-down/