News

PR agency’s hashtag job hunt takes a Twitter bashing

An attempt by a Sydney PR agency to create buzz by hiring a new member of staff via Twitter has backfired with the #SocialCV hashtag being hijacked by users poking fun at the company’s attempts to establish its social media credentials.

Within minutes of Mumbrella posting a story about Porter Novelli’s job hunt – which will see the best three tweets getting an interview – the #SocialCV hashtag was trending as Twitter users raced to subvert it.

Storify selection of tweets:


At the time of posting, Porter Novelli was not picking up the phone and it was unclear whether the agency was aware of the growing hashtag storm. Social media strategist Karalee Evans, digital media director of rival agency Text 100 told Mumbrella: “If it were me, I’d pick the most retweeted (obviously bad) and offer them a day in the PN office making the team coffee and seeing the world of PR behind the scenes. Flip it. Own it. Move on.

“They need to embrace it asap and say something like ‘whilst we’ve been enjoying your light-hearted stirring of our hashtag, serious applicants should also tag us!'”

7.40pm update: Porter Novelli has tweeted: “Just got back from a meeting… who pressed the viral button? Nothing job-worthy just yet – but thanks for the enthusiasm tweeps!”

porter novelli tweet

 

In a statement, boss Annalise Brown said: “We were hoping to create some conversation – or virality – around the hastag #socialCV but this has certainly exceeded our expectations. As far as we’re concerned it has made the competition a little more challenging for applicants, to cut through all the noise – but we’re still hoping to find our next account executive. At least we know more people will know about our competition tomorrow! All the serious candidates interested in joining us can find full details on our blog

ADVERTISEMENT

Get the latest media and marketing industry news (and views) direct to your inbox.

Sign up to the free Mumbrella newsletter now.

 

SUBSCRIBE

Sign up to our free daily update to get the latest in media and marketing.