One of the themes that repeatedly came up at the last Conscious Growth Workshop was the problem of giving your power away. Instead of focusing on your true desires, you erect false structures in front of your desires and then feed your power to those structures as a delay tactic. Here are some typical scenarios of [...][Read Entry]

Dear Experts, My question is simple. Why would management not give me good pay despite me being the best employee (unofficially confirmed by the bosses). Recently our Business Development Director came in and saw the way I handled my work and appreciated it a lot. In his words, "I have never seen ...[Read Entry]

I have earned a lot of money in my life. But I have never had an extravagant life. I don't own a house. I've never bought a new car. I've never bought a new piece of living room furniture, and I do not own a single piece of real jewelry. What I have spent money [...][Read Entry]

"Listening, not imitation, may be the sincerest form of flattery." - Joyce Brothers

This quote (I love quotes) came to mind when I started writing this article.  And while not I'm not a big Joyce Brothers fan per say, I think there's more truth here than not.  After all, none of us really likes being copied - but we love when someone shuts the heck up and lets us talk, right?

So why wouldn't our approach to social media (even for recruitment!) be the same - at least at its base?  Why wouldn't we start by ensuring that every single soul we pull in to talk about social engagement or ambassadorships understand the importance of listening to our industry or "customers" and how it should be a priority over broadcasting to them?  I think this is important - and sometimes gets missed in the rush (or pressure) to get on board and ride the social media wave.  Besides - we'll have a much better feel for who is talking about us and their perception of our [employment] brand if we'll listen and monitor what's being said already.

In a previous article titled Making Friends on Facebook vs Teams at Work I mentioned a few departments that might be ideal to have involved on a de-centralized Social Media team.  It was actually a follow-up article from my intial ask of the readers here to Whisper about What's Broken where I received some solid feedback about team building around social teams.  So this is another quick chapter to touch on what might conceptually come next in an ideal world...  Teaching our teams to listen and monitor the conversation that's already going on.

There are lots of ways to monitor what's being said about a company or brand that will enable your or team members to actively reach out and take part in conversations.  SocialMention.com, Google Alerts and Searches managed through RSS feeds are just a few.  And while there are several options out there that can be purchased and customized, I've always been a fan of free tools like NetVibes that can function as an aggregator of sorts.  Of course if you're serious (and have a budget) you'll want to give some solid consideration to commercial options that will provide not just notifications but also analytics, reporting and even delegation of tasks.

Need some help with NetVibes?  No worries!  Check out this quick video on how to set up a page with some of the basics. (okay, it's not terribly quick - but it's good!)
Once you've gone through it I think you'll see easily enough how to incorporate various blog, twitter, or major engine searches.  NetVibes is just one way to help manage your time and stay aware of what's going on around your brand while avoiding that Social Media Time Suck.

 

 

Enough importance can't be put on digging in and finding out what people are saying about your product or company.  Once you understand what's being said it's that much easier to craft your approach or decide how you'll engage the influencers out there.  I think that ideally there are subject matter experts or "point" people that are primarily responsible for listening and (gasp!) reporting on what's found online.  But they shouldn't be expected to shoulder the entire listening portion of the project alone. 

If a person in HR were to stumble on a message board where people were gathering to complain about an interview process or continually ask the same question about pay and benefits it would be nothing less of irresponsible to not pass along to a Recruiter (if not their "social recruiting" team) a link to the conversation.  The same would be said of the Recruiter that while sourcing for retail applicants came accross a website dedicated to complaining about a particular product.

It's everyone's job to listen first.

Originally posted on RecruiterGuy.net

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Leading meetings, speaking in public, standing up to a workplace bully, or sharing ideas with your boss are all positive career enhancers. Your ability to present yourself articulately in the workplace will massively affect how far your career will travel.

Some studies of elementary classrooms indicate that young girls receive more positive attention from teachers. This is often linked to the earlier development of communication skills by girls than boys. So, too, in the workplace, the employees who are more willing to speak up - intelligently, of course - receive more attention from the organization's leaders.

Speaking in public is a skill every employee needs to cultivate. Whether that involves speaking up at a meeting, or talking to your child's classmates about your career, or actually making public presentations, speaking is one more tool you can use to achieve your personal life and work vision and mission.

Your professional image and your communication skills matter, as well. Your communication and the image you present create the first impression - often the lasting impression - on the people you meet.  Making a good impression isn't quite good enough. It's important to take the time to make the best possible impression you can.

Related: Your Image is You | Work Like You're Showing Off

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Make the Best Impression originally appeared on About.com Human Resources on Friday, January 29th, 2010 at 09:38:54.

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By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Ben Eubanks You finally got your dream job. Everything is coming up roses. You couldn't be happier! Well, at least at first. Then, like almost everyone else, you start to realize the job wasn't everything you'd hoped for. Maybe the culture wasn't what you expected. Maybe your boss ...[Read Entry]

In a recent research study conducted by the Conference Board it's concluded that in 2009 the global productivity fell by 1% on average which is the first time in 19 years it's declined as measured as output per worked hour. On…[Read Entry]

Exercise for 30 minutes a day. Sleep eight hours a night. Floss. Good habits are the building blocks of a healthy life. The same goes for your career: small daily habits add up to big success. The earlier in your working life you develop smart daily practices, the easier they will be to maintain and the [...][Read Entry]

I collect data points constantly, and I index them by topic, and I always hope that they will come together in an interesting, useful way. Lots of times, that doesn't happen, and I  just have to throw ideas away, because I have a rule for myself that I have to be useful in every post. But today [...][Read Entry]

President Obama recently announced a mentoring program for boys who live in the D.C. area. Michelle Obama started a similar program for girls last fall. Children who participate in both programs will be paired with members of the President's administration. They will receive guidance from these men and women, which will hopefully set them on a path to a successful future. Don't you wish you could have taken part in a program like that when you were younger? What a benefit it is for these children to receive guidance from successful adults.

Having a mentor can be extremely valuable to children, but it can also be essential to adults who are starting off on their career paths. Getting advice from someone who has been where you are now can help you advance in your career. He or she can introduce you to the right people, help you avoid making serious mistakes and give you pointers on getting along with your boss and co-workers.

Read More: Why You Need a Mentor

Why You Need a Mentor originally appeared on About.com Career Planning on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 13:45:34.

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As he exited the Tonight Show this week, Conan O'Brien skillfully negotiated a $45 million severance package.  The deal includes $12 million in severance pay for his staff. 

Most of us aren't in the position to negotiate a deal like that - or to make sure staff are compensated, as well, and I give him a lot of credit for taking care of his people, as well as himself.  

For regular folks though severance pay is typically a difference story.  Some people think that employers are required to give them a severance package - they aren't.    If  you're lucky enough to be offered a severance package, or you have an employment agreement that provides for severance, you may be able to negotiate a better deal, but maybe not.  In many cases the offer is the offer and it's etched in stone - take it or leave it.

Here's more on severance pay from the employer's perspective from Susan Heathfield, About.com's Guide to Human Resources.

Related: Severance Pay | Severance Packages

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Negotiating Severance Packages originally appeared on About.com Job Searching on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 14:29:45.

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Remember the first networking event you went to â€" you know, the one where you were really going to network? I remember mine.  It was shortly after I lost my job.  I was really concerned about networking with other job seekers.  I judged them to be broken, problematic and useless to me in my job search. Little [...][Read Entry]

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Tai Goodwin For most of us, work is a requirement. And until we uncover or create the opportunity that allows us to work our passion, we may be in a job that's just, well…a job. Accepting your 9-5 is just a job works fine until you finally start listening ...[Read Entry]

By CAREEREALISM-Approved Expert, Heather Huhman Congratulations, you've done it! You landed your first job. You bought new clothes, printed some business cards, and even decorated your cubicle. But what comes next? No matter how excited you are for that first paycheck, it's important to keep learning beyond what's required in your ...[Read Entry]

By nature, I'm an introverted, mildly sad person. Of course, if I were to behave that way at work, I'd be less helpful to my career coaching clients and to listeners to my radio show.

So, before starting work, I literally say to myself, "Show Time:" I pretend I'm my most energetic, upbeat self. Forcing myself into that mode actually makes me feel more upbeat. Yes, fake it 'til you make it. It really is like that old song, "Whistle a Happy Tune:" When I fool the people...I fool myself as well." All that song's lyrics are instructive, so here's a link to them. At that site, you also can make that song a ringtone on your cell phone.

Also helping to keep me upbeat is my recognizing that even world-class experts are often wrong. CEOs lose millions of shareholder dollars, graduates of top medical schools kill patients, Al Gore predicted rapid, devastating global warming, after which there has been a decade of flat or declining average global temperatures with many experts predicting no increase for another 10 to 15 years. Indeed Nicholas Kristof in a New York Times article summarized research that finds that expert predictions are little better than what a chimpanzee's. So, while I do my best to be smart and I acknowledge my extent of ambiguity on an issue, my awareness of humans' great fallibility, enables me to sally forth without undue hesitation.

I'm also helped to be confident by maintaining a sense of perspective. My advice is unlikely to make that much difference: The recipients may not follow it or they may follow it and it won't improve their life much. Too, I remember that I'm but one of seven billion people on the planet, in a tiny slice of the infinity of time. Yes, I try, absolutely, to give the best counsel I can, and I spend much reading, studying, learning so that my advice is the best possible. But I don't overinflate my advice's import.

Other techniques that may help you be your most confident self when it's Show Time:

• For some people, clothes indeed make the man (or woman.) Dress in the way that makes you feel most confident. Chris, the client, who I just finished a videoskype session with, said that wearing his father's watch makes him act more confidently.
  

• Join Toastmasters. It's a supportive way to gain poise and public speaking skills. It's also a terrific networking opportunity.
  

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Dear Experts, I have a follow up question from your webinar on Wednesday. Should I continue to be at my current job although I am completely clear it is not a company on my interview bucket list? Would it be a better idea for me to quit my current job and secure ...[Read Entry]

"Career transition” is on a lot of minds these days. The U.S. has more than 15 million unemployed â€" and if you count the discouraged and underemployed, the number is more like 27 million. You may be one of these people seeking a new job, or you may be one of millions of others who [...][Read Entry]

I have been a fan of Alexandra Levit for some time.  If you are even remotely interested in career development, HR or job seeking, her voice is one of the clearest and best.  You can find her almost anywhere when you simply google "careers.” When I received a pre-publication copy of her new book NEW JOB, [...][Read Entry]

I think I'm over the happiness thing. I think I am thinking that the pursuit of happiness is, well, vacuous. I don't think people are happy or unhappy. Because I think knowing if we are happy would require knowing the meaning of life, or the ultimate goal, or the key to the world, or something [...][Read Entry]

You've lost your job or you have found a new one and you're moving on.  As you depart, it's important to take the time to say farewell to your co-workers.  Both to let them know you're leaving or have left and because you want to be able to stay in touch and provide them with your personal contact information. 

 What's the best way to say farewell to your co-workers? Don't send a mass email.  Instead, send personalized individual emails or messages via LinkedIn, rather than group messages, so your farewell message is personal. You can use this sample farewell message to let colleagues, clients, and your connections know that you are moving on.

Here's more how to say goodbye gracefully, including  what to say, how to say it, and how to send a goodbye note.

Related:: Goodbye Letters | Resignation Letters

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Sending Farewell Messages originally appeared on About.com Job Searching on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at 06:00:17.

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