Would you want an employer looking at your social media?

Whether you agree with it or not, most employers will check your social media before meeting you. So it’s important to create a professional online presence.

Imagine you are going for a job interview. You choose a professional outfit, practice speaking in front of the mirror, and get ready to impress your interviewer with your experience and dedication. You know you are going to make a wonderful first impression.

But, what if your first impression wasn’t when you walked into the interview room to meet your potential employer?

What if your first impression was when they did a quick Google search of your name and viewed your social media accounts?

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ITC Industry News Bulletin #34

In this week’s airline, travel and tourism news, Tourism New Zealand celebrates a huge social media milestone, Air New Zealand impresses its customers with great coffee and much more.

TOP STORIES

TNZ exceeds staggering 2.25 million social media fans!

Tourism New Zealand is doing an amazing job of marketing our beautiful country on social media. The organisation has just surpassed 2.25 million fans, with 2 million ‘likes’ on Facebook and 253,000 followers on Instagram.

“To put it into context, our 2 million Facebook followers put us in the top 10 NZ Facebook pages – right up there with the All Blacks!” said director of marketing Andrew Fraser.

Mr Fraser said Tourism New Zealand is leveraging these channels to market NZ as a great destination to both prospective travellers and those currently visiting.

“The beauty of social media is that it enables us to engage with individuals at different stages of the holiday cycle, be it during planning or while they are here, and tailor our activity to fit with their changing requirements,” he said.

He added that he’s looking forward to seeing the organisation’s social media presence expand even further in 2016.

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ITC Takes Scholarships to the World Wide Web

International Travel College of New Zealand (ITC) has created a social-media-based competition for its 2013 scholarships.

“We thought it was a great way to engage high school students with the competition, but it also recognises the exciting role that social media has come to play in the travel and tourism industries and in education,” says ITC’s Marketing Director Claire Huxley.

“From online bookings to travel blogs and popular review sites like Trip Advisor, the internet increasingly plays a part in how people plan, experience and share their travels. ITC also offers online learning and e-books – so the web is a big part of our learning environment.”

Students will be asked to create a video or a blog that shows their passion and enthusiasm for the travel and tourism industries and their commitment to learning. They then need to post a link to their entry on the ITC Facebook competition page. The public will vote for their favourite entries, and students are encouraged to get family and friends involved in the voting.

“It’s such a great format,” says Claire, “like our own version of the X Factor or New Zealand’s Got Talent! We are really excited about giving students this chance to show us what they can do and the internet provides a perfect space for them to really get creative.”

ITC, which has campuses in Botany, central Auckland and distance learning, has been a premium supplier of training programmes for the airline, travel and tourism industries since 1996 and is conscious of staying on top of changes in the industry.

The college’s tutors have real-world experience, its two Airport Training Centres simulate actual airport environments, and strong connections with industry groups and operators provide students with onsite work experience and jobs.

“That all helps us to keep in touch with what’s important to employers in the industry and travellers and tourists in New Zealand and worldwide,” says Claire. “The role that the internet and social media plays has become increasingly clear and we are keen to make sure our students get to experience that as well.”

To find out more about the ITC 2013 Scholarship competition visit

https://www.facebook.com/ITCNZ/app_399543336780182

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