Social "ME"dia: What Are You Waiting For?

Like it or not, social media has become one of the primary venues for communication regarding business networking and online job searches and applications. As of July 2011, professional social network giant LinkedIn reported that they would be providing a plugin that allows candidates to apply for jobs listed by employers using their LinkedIn profile. Today, at least 150 million use it, anyway.

Hiring managers are looking to use social media to hire qualified employees. Will you be among them?


GET OVER IT

Career Advisor Heather Huhman addresses many things social media-check her out. I've met many lately at various networking events that have no desire to create social media accounts that translate to an online presence. I add this to Heather's thoughts: why might you be afraid? In short, employers harness these platforms to make professional connections and to recruit talent. If you're not in, you're out.


EDUCATE YOURSELF

Not familiar with social media venues such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook for business? Take an online tutorial. Lynda.com has many free resources, and each social media platform has many training pages available to help you navigate creating an account with them. Most are free. Most can help you land the best job you've ever had.


MARKET YOUR TALENTS

When using social media, you control the content. Be honest. Use connections with past career relationships that will help you. Get recommendations. Post your resume. Use the search engines they provide to apply for jobs in which you're interested. Market yourself. If you're not great at doing these things, find a friend who is and get some help with it. It's your life!


GUT CHECK!™

The days of background checks and paper resumes remain. However, social media is fast becoming the best way to network and get a great job-quickly. The data is out there. So, do you want a great job? Do you want to be competitive? I challenge you to get on board. Don't wait. Chances are, hundreds are applying for the same position. Will you stand out online?

Organization and Time Management: Frenemies?

Are you a leader who is organized by design, or do you simply watch pensively as your seemingly mundane responsibilities pile up right in front of you? For some, this can be a challenge to the point where delegation of duties to employees is the only solution to "stay on top". Unfortunately, under the direction of those leaders who suffer in this area, employees trend toward marked productivity issues. Here are some things I've found helpful so far...

TAKE IT SERIOUSLY

Most employees can navigate through their own job description and can even go above and beyond when given clear, organized direction. In this economy, your understanding that workloads are more strenuous and that the lack of organization and time management dispensing from your leadership can be perceived as aloofness in terms of clear vision and goals for the forward movement of a division or of the company is paramount. Simply stated, this perception fosters an environment where loyalty will not survive and productivity will plummet. Start small. Be proactive. Displaying your ability to organize your time, meetings, calendars, and employee engagement opportunities will increase your bottom line. Do you want to improve these essential skills?

HARNESS TECHNOLOGY

Myriad tools are available to organize your life and your work. Several include smart phone applications such as Evernote and OmniFocus for the iPhone.  For a streamlined organizational system,  Microsoft's Outlook including Task Functions, Appointment and Meeting Request Functions are available and can be used across many platforms. Additionally, several time-tracking applications abound, such as Klok.

GUT CHECK!™

Are you asking your employees to take of some of the slack for tasks that you find boring or routine? Do you find it hard to start a process of organizing your workload or tasks for which you are responsible? The bottom line is the bottom line: the more you are able to get done and the less you have to manage, the higher the profits and retention rates will be for your organization.

In truth, people can generally make time for what they choose to do; it is not really the time but the will that is lacking--Sir John Lubbock