When I started this post, I planned to provide a few tips for landing a job in social media in 2012, but I found myself heading in a different direction.

After all, sometimes the best advice on what to do, comes from focusing on what *not* to do. So here are my thoughts on what you should avoid during an interview, if you’re hoping to land a job ( a legitimate, good job that is) in social media.

If you do not want to get called back for a second interview, do any of the following, and I bet you won’t:

• Talk incessantly about growing Facebook and Twitter fans, particularly how you ran a contest to see how many “likes” you could amass in a 24-hour period. All that tells me is you’re a two-bit hustler, and tactic-driven. Not interested.
• When asked what blogs, trades and books you’ve read or read to stay on top of trends, go on and on about how much you love Mashable. Sorry folks, as much as we all enjoy Mashable, it cannot be your only source of news, period. I’m sure the great folks over there would agree.
• Act like you’ve run Facebook ad campaigns, when you haven’t. Trust me, once the conversation moves to targeting and click-through rates, you won’t be able to muddle through.
• Go on and on about blogger outreach and influencer relations, when you have not established relationships with influencers or connected with bloggers.
• Talk about tools you’ve never used, as if you have. Not everyone has had the opportunity to work with Radian6 or Sysomos and that’s okay. It’s not cool to fake it. Be honest. A lot of this is still very new.
• Discuss your internet fame for as long as possible. Chances are, the person conducting the interview is already familiar with it. You are not there for an ego boost.
• Tell the interviewer that you’ve been trying to get a job in social media for two years because you love to tweet.

I hope these seven tips help you in some small way.  There’s definitely more where they came from, but I bet you may have a few of your own. If so, share them in the comments.

And good luck.

BTW, I’m looking for a Social Media Account Executive. Interested, read more about it here. 

Happy New Year!