How to Network via Social Media

Facebook is great for staying in touch with friends, sharing funny cat videos or seeing what an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend is up to, but can it help you get a job? Absolutely. Social-media websites such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are great platforms for networking and keeping up with industry trends.

"The benefits can be huge. Although time consuming, if you do it correctly, you can gain lots of attention, fans, followers and clients," says Ashley Jones, owner of Skylight Creative Group, a marketing, graphic design and photography company. "I've done a lot of networking through social media for myself personally, my two companies and also helping other companies through their startup/launch process."
Here are Jones' top seven tips for networking via social media:

1. Don't post something just to post it. Make sure your content is relevant or interesting.

2. If you're using social media to network, stay professional. There's a tendency to relax and get too casual or personal.

3. Use the tools to their full potential. If you're on LinkedIn, join groups, answer questions or get your name and profile out there to meet new people. No matter the platform, don't expect people to come to you if you're not engaging.

4. Don't spam or post too frequently. People are bombarded with updates, messages, etc., and if you post too much fluff, you'll lose your audience fast.

5. Don't just post the same thing across different platforms. It's OK if you occasionally post something you tweeted to Facebook or upload a Facebook photo to Pinterest, but if you're constantly posting the same content across all platforms, why would anyone follow you on more than one platform?

6. Keep your content fresh. Don't let your last post sit for a month before another update. Keep things new so people come back and check for updates.

7. Follow up with connections. While this may be time-consuming, it goes a long way when you respond to a comment, post or message. It's a great way to let your fans or followers know you care.
The key to networking is becoming an active part of the community or industry of interest. Contribute to the conversation. Ask for advice about your current job or job prospect. Interact with others, and thoughtfully answer their questions. Post links to relevant articles you find. Networking should be a mutually beneficial experience, so if someone helps you, return the favor.

Susan Ricker is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues.

How to increase your workday productivity...

Why You Never Finish Your To-Do Lists at Work (and How to Change That)

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LinkedIn released a survey last year revealing that our professional to-do lists are in dire need of a makeover. Turns out, we’re not so good at “doing” the things we tell ourselves we need to do. In fact, almost 90% of professionals admitted they’re unable to accomplish all the tasks on their to-do list by the end of an average workday.
So if you’re sick of tackling the same stale to-dos every day, it’s time to change that. Here are five tricks to increase your productivity and help yourself actually make it through your list.

1. Keep a Single To-Do List For Work

Let’s be honest: If you wanted to get a complete view of everything you had to do for work right now, chances are you can’t find it all on a single list. Instead, you have a few post-its here, a saved draft in your email there, stickies or text files on your computer, and maybe an app or two on your phone.
And while it’s generally good practice to separate work and play, having a single place for your work-related tasks is a must. So pick your method of choice, and start consolidating. It can be anywhere: a handwritten list inside your trusty planner, a document you keep on your desktop, or an app on your phone.
Make sure, however, that you can add to your list from anywhere—which means that if you use a desktop app, you’ll want to set up a system to capture to-dos incurred away from your computer, such as assignments you get while in a meeting. I personally like to write these down on sticky notes, and then delete or toss them once I’ve transferred them to the master list.

2. Follow the 1-3-5 Rule

Now that you have a comprehensive list of everything you have to do for work ever, you should define a daily to-do list. On any given day, assume that you can only accomplish one big thing, three medium things, and five small things. (Note: if you spend much of your day in meetings, you might need to revise this down a bit.) Before leaving work, take a few minutes to define your 1-3-5 for the next day, so you’re ready to hit the ground running in the morning. If your position is one where each day brings lots of unexpected tasks, try leaving one medium and two small tasks blank, in preparation for the last-minute requests from your boss.

Yes, I know it can be tough to narrow your list of to-dos down to 1-3-5—but it’s important to prioritize. Like it or not, you only have so many hours in the day and you’re only going to get a finite number of things done. Forcing yourself to choose a 1-3-5 list means the things you get done will be the things you chose to do—rather than what just happened to get done.

Planning ahead like this also means you’ll be able to have more informed conversations with your manager when he or she drops something new on you that needs to be done right away—as well as the tools to re-prioritize your other work. For example, when a surprise presentation falls on your lap, try: “Sure, I can get that to you by 3 PM, but the Q1 reports won’t be ready until tomorrow then, since I’d scheduled to work on that today.”

3. Complete One Significant Task Before Lunch (Your Least Favorite One, if Possible)

I’ll admit that this one is tough for me, but it works. Take one of your big or medium tasks and tackle it first thing in the morning, before email even if you can. There’s no better feeling than crossing off a tough task before lunch. Author Brian Tracy calls this ”eating your frog,” adapted from the famous Mark Twain quote: “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.”

My co-founder, Kathryn, often defines her “frogs” in the evening to prepare for the next day; with that, she’s prepared to tackle them in the morning, and it keeps her from pushing off less pleasant tasks for many days.

4. Use Your Calendar as a To-Do list

If you find that you always overestimate how much you can get done in a day, an effective approach is to put your to-dos on your calendar, just like a meeting. Rather than outlining your daily to-dos onto a list, schedule them, leaving enough time each. Sending in your W2 confirmation information to HR might take 15 minutes, while preparing the Q1 strategy for your team may require a few hours. The important thing is to be realistic.
Lifehacker, a favorite site of mine, put it best:

Most people don’t schedule their work. They schedule the interruptions that prevent their work from happening. In the case of a business like ours, what clients pay us to make and do happens in the cracks between meetings, or worse, after business hours.”

When you try this approach, also make sure you block time in your calendar for catching up on email, brainstorming, or other important-but-not-deliverable-oriented tasks. For example, try blocking an hour in the morning and an hour in the afternoon to work through your inbox—and then don’t spend time in between trying to handle emails the minute they come in, when you’d really planned to be working on something else.

5. Reduce Meetings to Increase Productive Time

Finally, if you find you really can’t get done what you think you should be able to in a day, despite all the advice above—consider whether you might be suffering from meeting-itis.
As economist John Kenneth Galbraith once said, “meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” In fact, multiple surveys done on the subject reached similar conclusions that somewhere between a quarter and half of the time spent in meetings is a waste, not to mention, you can’t really get your other to-dos done while you’re sitting down talking to someone else.
The solution: Limit your meetings. Before scheduling a meeting, think about if this could be resolved with an email or phone call first, or by popping into someone’s office for a few minutes. If a meeting is required, list the key agenda items to determine the necessary participants and the shortest amount of time you can schedule. And yes, it’s totally OK to schedule a 20-minute meeting, no need to round to 30! If you must have meetings, try to group them together to leave large uninterrupted periods of time during your day for the real work to get done.

Yes, reorganizing and planning ahead are both investments upfront—but just think how happy you’ll be when you actually get a full day’s to-do list crossed off. So get yourself organized, get all your to-dos in one place, minimize your distractions, and start conquering that (one-day-sized) list!

This article was originally published on The Daily Muse.

50+ Job Skills You Should List on Your Resume

There are lots of reasons it might be hard to cobble together a decent resume. Maybe you've been unemployed for a long time, maybe you're trying to switch careers or maybe you're a mom who's been home raising kids for a few years.

Whatever your situation, there's good news. Resumes are changing. Your skills are just as valuable as your formal employment and can help sell your resume to a potential employer.
Ford R. Myers, career coach, speaker and author of the book "Get The Job You Want, Even When No One's Hiring" (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) encourages job seekers to draw on a variety of past experiences, in both paid and non-paid positions, when applying for new employment.

"These transferable skills, acquired during any activity - volunteer positions, classes, projects, parenting, hobbies, sports - can be applicable to one's next job," Myers said. "By adding transferable skills to a resume, employers get a better understanding and broader picture of who they are hiring - as well as the interests, values and experiences that the candidate brings to the table."

Myers divided transferrable skills into five broad skill areas and gives examples of how you can describe each:

Communication: writes clearly and concisely, speaks effectively, listens attentively, openly expresses ideas, negotiates/resolves differences, leads group discussions, provides feedback, persuades others, provides well-thought out solutions, gathers appropriate information, confidently speaks in public

Interpersonal Skills: works well with others, sensitive, supportive, motivates others, shares credit, counsels, cooperates, delegates effectively, represents others, understands feelings, self-confident, accepts responsibility

Research and Planning: forecasts/predicts, creates ideas, identifies problems, meets goals, identifies resources, gathers information, solves problems, defines needs, analyzes issues, develops strategies, assesses situations

Organizational Skills: handles details, coordinates tasks, punctual, manages projects effectively, meets deadlines, sets goals, keeps control over budget, plans and arranges activities, multi-tasks

Management Skills: leads groups, teaches/trains/instructs, counsels/coaches, manages conflict, delegates responsibility, makes decisions, directs others, implements decisions, enforces policies, takes charge.

By: BusinessNewsDaily Staff
http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/

Three Attention-Getting Tactics for Cover Letters

By Charles Purdy, Monster Senior Editor

Hiring managers and recruiters can receive hundreds -- or even thousands -- of applications for each open job. Typically, they can spend only a few seconds scanning a candidate's cover letter before moving on to somebody else's. So if you're looking for a job, your cover letter has to capture a reader's attention right away.

According to career coach Evelyn Salvador, author of Step-by-Step Cover Letters, one way to get an employer to really notice your cover letter is to infuse it with personal-branding elements, such as a slogan, testimonials or a mission statement. “Each of these elements is optional, but it might just be the thing that makes your cover letter stand out from those of other candidates," she says.

Salvador has specific tips for using one (or all) of these elements:

A Slogan
This brief sentence or phrase can be placed under your name at the top of your letter, in the far-left margin or in italics at the bottom of your cover letter. A slogan should succinctly encapsulate the value you bring to an employer -- if you need help crafting a slogan, look to language in the job posting or on the employer's Web site for inspiration.

Salvador's examples include:

• For an elementary school teacher: "Helping students take positive steps toward their future"
• For a sales manager: "Meeting challenges, overcoming obstacles and closing sales"

Testimonials
Stating what others have said about your performance adds credibility to the information you provide in a cover letter. Testimonials can include excerpts from letters of recommendation, customer thank-you letters, vendor satisfaction letters, performance reviews, internship summaries, staff memos and other commendations.

A Mission Statement
This element should be succinct and clearly state what your mission is, specific to your career goal -- it could describe what you plan to do or have done, what you believe in or why your profession is important to you -- or another statement that demonstrates the value you'll bring to the employer. Salvador's examples for a teacher and sales manager include:

• "Each step a child takes in his life has an effect on his future. I would like to help students take positive steps by creating an educational experience conducive to learning."
• “If the customer is happy and you are making a sale, it's a win/win. I believe in making customers happy."

Are you ready for a career switch?

Given the recovering economy, emerging jobs and pure human nature, career switches are common. What may have been a great job 10 years ago can be obsolete now, or you may simply be ready for your own life change. But how can you prepare yourself for a career switch? The overwhelming advice from career coaches and human-resources consultants is to do your homework and play to your strengths. These experts share the following advice for planning your next career steps.

Understand the work involved in switching careers
Before you quit your job, know what you’re getting yourself into. “When people change careers in this market, the No. 1 thing they must be aware of is that they need to develop the new industry or role experience and knowledge,” says Megan Fox, career coach and résumé writer. “A lot of people think they can tweak a few transferrable skills and land their dream job, when in fact it takes strategic planning and re-education to make a successful career change. These kinds of activities not only make you more qualified for the new role, but they display a sincere passion for the switch. I also encourage my clients to pick either an industry change or a functional role change, one at a time, as it is much easier to do than trying to completely change your job and industry type at the same time. Take baby steps and you’ll be able to make the change without sacrificing too much in salary.”

Use transferable skills to your advantage
You may think you’re ready for a career switch, but how can you convince hiring managers that you’ll be a valuable employee? “For job seekers dealing with career changes, we find it advantageous to conduct an assessment of the transferable knowledge and skills that were developed in the individual’s previous career and how that may apply to the new career path they intend on following,” says Lynda Zugec, managing director for The Workforce Consultants, a human resources consultation company with offices in Toronto, Ontario and New York. “Interpersonal skills, problem-solving ability and project management are all examples of knowledge and skills that can be applied in differing context and careers. We try to focus on these transferable skills to understand the benefits and applicability to our business. Some of the skills we focus on include the following:

• Communication: This entails the ability to communicate at all levels of an organization and across different generations.
• Strategic thinking: The ability to determine and envision where an organization is going. This will help align work efforts with company goals and objectives.
• Partnership building: Work rarely occurs in a vacuum, and the better their skills in deciding who they can best partner with to achieve desired results, based on their skills and knowledge, the better off we will be.
• Conscientiousness: Time and time again, conscientiousness proves itself to be among the No. 1 predictor of job performance. We hire individuals that pay attention to the details. Spelling and grammatical errors, lost and misplaced files or general disorganization can have major implications.
• Technical skills: We look for individuals with up-to-date and relevant technical skills. They are among the most desirable.”

Be prepared before you leave your current job
You can start making your career switch before you leave your current role. Krista Mazzuca, director of human resources at Community Renewal Team, a nonprofit human-service agency in Hartford, CT, offers these suggestions:

• Think carefully about the field you want to switch into and what it will take to land a job in that field. Don’t assume that going back to school will guarantee that you’ll obtain your desired position — often you need both the credential and experience. Find out as much as you can before enrolling in a school program.
• While you’re still employed at your first job, get as much experience as possible that moves you in your desired direction. How can you volunteer in the community, change assignments at your company or find synergies between what you’re currently doing and what you hope to be doing?
• If you’re a manager, be prepared for a change in status. You may have to start near the bottom in your new career, which may mean that you’re working a defined shift, in a cubicle and taking direction from someone younger than yourself. You might also have to take a substantial pay cut. The person interviewing you for the position will want to see that you have thought about this and have acclimated yourself to the possibility. Prepare a good answer as to why you’re changing fields. Be candid, but frame your argument around the hiring manager’s point of view.

What to expect from the job market in 2013

By Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder
Employers are heading into the new year with cautious optimism. The economy has been growing at a gradual but steady pace and is poised to stay on this path in 2013 barring any major disruptions. More employers are expecting to hire than in recent years, but the modest recovery, along with the weakened global market, means that companies will continue to play it safe.

This guarded approach to hiring was apparent in the results of CareerBuilder’s 2013 U.S. job forecast*, which polled more than 2,600 hiring managers and human-resources professionals and more than 3,900 workers across industries and company sizes. According to the report, more than 60 percent of employers say they are in a better financial position than last year. Twenty-six percent plan to add full-time, permanent employees, up three percentage points over 2012. However, due to mixed expectations for the coming year, the number of employers planning to reduce headcount is trending up as well. Nine percent of employers say they plan to decrease headcount, up from 7 percent last year. The fiscal cliff is likely on employers’ minds; whether or not the U.S. goes over it may impact actual hiring behavior.

Temporary and contract hiring on the rise
When companies are cautious about making major hiring commitments, they often turn to staffing and recruiting companies and temporary workers to help meet increased market demands. The study found that 40 percent of employers plan to hire temporary and contract workers in 2013, up from 36 percent last year. Among these employers, 42 percent plan to transition some temporary workers into full-time, permanent employees over the next 12 months, perhaps as they see how various economic factors play out over the course of the year.

Where the jobs will be
It may not be surprising that the top two positions companies plan to hire for in 2013 are sales (29 percent) and information technology (27 percent), two fields that have continued to experience healthy growth. Other roles employers will hire for include customer service (23 percent), engineering (22 percent) and production (22 percent).

Location-wise, the West and the South will again lead other regions in hiring plans as they have in past forecasts. Twenty-eight percent of employers in the West plan to add full-time, permanent workers in 2013, up from 24 percent in 2012; 9 percent plan to reduce headcount, the same as last year. In the South, 27 percent of hiring managers anticipate adding full-time, permanent employees in 2013, up from 23 percent in 2012. Nine percent will likely reduce headcount, up from 7 percent last year. Both the Midwest and the Northeast will hire more than last year, but headcount reduction will tick up as well.

Small businesses show confidence
Small business hiring will rise, but likely so will headcount reduction, as companies remain unsure about financial stability and market demand. Hiring plans increased at least three percentage points over the year across small business segments, while plans to downsize trended up the same amount. Nineteen percent of businesses with 50 or fewer employees plan to add full-time, permanent staff in 2013, up from 16 percent in 2012, while 6 percent plan to reduce headcount, up from 3 percent last year. Of the companies with 500 or fewer workers, 24 percent plan to add full-time, permanent headcount, up from 21 percent in 2012; 7 percent plan to make cuts, up from 4 percent last year.

Companies fight to close the skills gap
The demand for skilled positions has continued to grow at a much faster pace than the supply. However, companies are finding solutions to narrow the skills gap, which they’ll continue to implement in 2013. Workers looking to fill highly skilled roles should pay close attention to the following three trends in the new year:

1. Employers scouting workers from other companies: Employers will be more aggressive about approaching workers with the right skills, whether or not it’s solicited. Nineteen percent of workers say they’ve been asked to work for another company in the last year without applying for the position. Sales workers have been courted the most, at 33 percent, followed by professional and business services workers at 31 percent and IT workers at 26 percent.

2. Employers will pay more for qualified candidates: In an effort to keep and attract the best workers for skilled positions, employers expect to provide higher compensation for both current and potential employees. Seventy-two percent of employers plan to increase compensation for existing workers — up from 62 percent last year — while 47 percent will offer higher starting salaries for new employees — up significantly from 32 percent last year. Most increases will be 3 percent or less.

3. Companies will take matters into their own hands: Oftentimes workers possess a base level of skills that, with the right training, can be built upon to meet an employer’s needs. So instead of waiting for applicants with the right résumé to come to them, employers are taking the initiative to “re-skill” workers to fill positions. Thirty-nine percent of employers plan to train people who don’t have experience in their particular industry or field and hire them for positions within their organizations, up from 38 percent last year.
*Totals may not equal 100 percent due to rounding or respondents being able to choose more than one answer.
Matt Ferguson is the CEO of CareerBuilder.

Your 2013 Job-Search Guide

Now that the holidays are over, the nonstop party hopping has ended and the New Year’s ball has dropped, it’s time to get serious about your job search. Yet the thought of job searching can be overwhelming — where do you start? How do you avoid missing any steps?
We’re here to take some of that anxiety away by breaking down the job-search actions to take throughout the year. While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to job hunting, this should serve as a guide to ensure you’re setting yourself up for a successful search.
We’ve put together a brief quarter-by-quarter overview to help frame your job-search plan for the year. Each job seeker should go at his own pace, but we think this timeline can help you stay on track.

• Q1 (January – March): Devote the first few months of the year to getting organized — organize your thoughts, organize your application materials and organize your contacts. 
• Q2 (April – June): A few months in, you should be going full-steam ahead with your job search. Your days should be filled with applying, following up, networking and (hopefully) going to interviews. If you’re a college student, get a head start in your professional job search by tapping alumni, using your school’s career resources and making initial contact with companies of interest.
• Q3 (July – September): At around the mid-year mark, take a step back to review what’s working and what’s not in your job search. It’s not too late to course-correct to ensure that you reach your goals during the back half of the year.  
• Q4 (October – December): During the last few months of the year, take advantage of the season. Network at holiday parties, consider seasonal job opportunities and take the time to thank those who have helped you professionally throughout the year.

Q1: Get organized
Here’s a closer look at what to get started on right now:

• Put your goals in writing: Before diving into your job search, take a step back and organize your thoughts. Do you know what you want to do next? Have you researched the positions that fit your interests and expertise? Do you have the skills needed to get the job you want or do you need additional education? Once you’ve thought all of this through, write down your goals and how you’re going to achieve them. Doing this will help focus your search.
• Conduct an audit on your application materials: Have your application materials gone untouched since the last time you applied for a job? Do you even have everything you need? To find out, conduct an audit: Do you have a recent résumé and cover letter? When was the last time these documents were updated? Do you a have any supporting materials that might be needed for applications, such as client work, writing samples or news clips? Also look at your online presence: Are your profiles on professional social networks up to date and do they match with the content of your application materials? Would creating a personal website to house your portfolio potentially give you an edge in your search? After you’ve determined what you have and where the holes are, get to work. Remember, you want to create personalized résumés and cover letters for each position to which you’re applying, so keep that in mind when making changes. Check out this infographic for a guide on how to refresh your résumé.
• Reconnect with contacts made during the holidays: Did you meet potential professional contacts during your holiday party-hopping? Now that the season is over, it’s time to follow up. Don’t wait too long — as more time passes, it’s more likely that your new contacts will forget your meeting and won’t think of you for job opportunities. If you’re squeamish about cold calling semi-strangers, start by writing emails. Remind them who you are, how you met and how much you enjoyed the conversation. Ask them if they have time to speak again on the phone or in person. Once that initial connection is made, you can talk more specifically about your career goals and how they may potentially help you achieve them.

By Debra Auerbach