HR Invites Employees to Participate in Social Media Project

University of Virginia Human Resources is inviting staff members to “tell us what you do” by tweeting, posting or emailing a photo or video and a short description of their contributions.

Through Aug. 30, staff members are invited to visit the My UVa Job Web page, tweet to @MyUVAJob, or post on the Facebook page to share their stories. Human Resources will randomly select submissions throughout the month for a range of prizes, including an Apple iPad.

The site gives a human face to the work that takes place on Grounds every day. Some submissions are short and sweet; Abdalla Mohamed, a grounds manager in Facilities Management, shares, “I make the face of the University beautiful.”

Staff members who work with students have a special love for their jobs. Meridith Wolnick, a librarian for first-year students, wrote, “I help first-year students learn to think critically and creatively about doing research.”

Others touch on the personal relationships that make the workday a joy. Kim Herring, a secretary for the radiological physics department in the School of Medicine, wrote, “I provide office support to a great group of physicists and dosimetrists; they are like family to me, but unlike other families that argue, we laugh. The most mundane task and the busiest of days can be fun if you work in an office like mine!”

“The social media campaign asks University staff to submit photos, videos and tweets showing and telling how they make U.Va. a better place,” said Susan Carkeek, vice president and chief human resources officer. “We have such brilliant staff here, including many unsung heroes who make the University’s mission come to life. This is just one way to show them off to their colleagues and the community.”

The site is an outgrowth of the Job Family Project, which will align the titles and market ranges for University Staff positions at the University. Project manager Elizabeth Allan came up with the social media concept after she was sorting through the more than 1,800 job titles that exist at U.Va,, ultimately devising 14 job families at the University.

“The Job Family Project will result in revised market ranges, clearer titles and easier job-posting processes for hiring managers,” Allan said. “But we also wanted employees to see their jobs as more than their title. We wanted to share the many talents and accomplishments that make the University such a great place to work, and offer employees insight into what they might like to do next.”

This fall, Human Resources will launch a related website that allows employees to see what any University Staff position’s typical work and educational requirements might be.

At the end of the day, staff members like Allison Holt, controller in the School of Medicine, said coming up with a brief tweet or post about “what they do” helped them articulate their job in a simple way.

“It was a challenge, but it gave me a new way to think about my work,” she said. “And it’s such a treat to learn what others around Grounds are doing, all in one place.”