Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

4 Reasons to Use Social Media to Market Yourself

My friends Miriam Salpeter and Hannah Morgan are always on the cutting edge regarding the efficient use of social media for your career.  Now, in their new book, Social Networking for Business Success, they provide advice for how to launch and grow a business or personal brand using social media.  Here are four gems to start.

 

Keep up with the economic trends

 

Research shows the global workforce will become more and more reliant on freelancers and independents to get jobs done. Use social media to begin to market yourself and you will be ahead of the curve.

 

Grow your network

 

When it's time to land a new job or gig, you can't always rely on your close network to help you connect to opportunities. When you use social networking tools, you can engage with people from around the country and around the world and become a thought leader in your field.

 

Demonstrate your expertise

 

Anyone who hires you will want proof that you are as good as you say you are. When you use social media to demonstrate your expertise, you can show how well you know what's going on in your industry.

Highlight your emotional intelligence

Social media is great to showcase those hard to categorize skills, such as leadership, communication and judgement. When you maintain a vibrant community online, for example a LinkedIn group or Google+ community, you show an employer your leadership potential. Similarly, when your social media streams are 100% professional, they demonstrate you can stay out of trouble and represent an organization well.

Chat with Dan Schawbel: Promote Yourself Better Today

I'm thrilled to share that at long last, my pal Dan Schawbel is releasing his new book, Promote Yourself!  I couldn't wait to talk to him and get the scoop on what this new title brings to the current literature about Millennials.  Here's what Dan had to say.

Dan, given the success of Me 2.0, what did you want to accomplish with this new book?

Both of my books are targeted at millennials but with advice that can benefit anyone who is serious about building a successful career. While Me 2.0 was focused on getting your first job out of school, this one focuses on how to advance your career when you already have a job. My goal will this one is to support my generation, give them a reference book and changed how they are perceived in the workplace, from negative to positive. From a professional standpoint, I turn 30 after the book comes out so it marks a new phase in my life and it's my best work. I've made a lot of sacrifices to pull this book off and it took me over three years to get this publishing deal. I hope my story inspires others to work hard and never give up on their dreams.

What's a secret or two of Promote Yourself that readers won't find on the Personal Branding blog?

Promote Yourself has an exclusive study I did in partnership with American Express on millennials in the workplace and over 75 interviews with millennials, their managers and executives from top brands like EY, PepsiCo and DreamWorks. I've relentlessly researched the topic, I lived the topic and now I'm reflecting on it in this book. 

You have done such a great job of branding yourself in addition to giving advice to others on branding.  What are one or two personal must-dos every day?

Read as much as you can. When I wake up, I just start reading so I know what's going on in the world and the latest workplace trends. The more I learn at the beginning of the day, the smarter I will be as I work through my projects during the day. The most successful business people I know are also the ones that read the most. If you aren't in touch with what's going on around you, it's extremely easy to become irrelevant and lose your edge.

Make at least one new connection each day. We are living in the social age and the more connected you are, the more valuable you become. If you want to increase your value, and your network, you must strive to reach out to new people. It's never been easier to connect and you can do it on social networks ,at conferences, at association events and even through your college alumni network.

What is the greatest hurdle you've faced in establishing and sustaining your own brand? 

The biggest hurdle is to be able to constantly think of new ideas, keep my name out there and adjust to new economic realities and topics. It's getting increasing hard because of how fragmented the media is, how the publishing and speaking market is changing and just the sheer global competition.

Anything exciting happening around the launch of Promote Yourself that readers should know about?

I have two really exciting things going on for the book before and after it comes out. I'm going to have a New York City launch event where I'll be keynoting and having a panel of corporate executives on with me. Also, I've worked with a computer animator to create a new infographic video that's coming out soon called "Why Millennials Matter".  For more information, please feel free to check out our website!

Chocolate and Business? Sign Me Up!

What's not to love about a book that uses the analogy of chocolate?

I'm sure Rose Fass felt the same thing as she was writing her new book, The Chocolate Conversation : Lead Bittersweet Change, Transform Your Business.  An experienced business transformation consultant and a former executive at companies like Xerox and Gartner, Rose shows us how leaders can avoid a meltdown and instead drive change by the way they communicate in a language that all stakeholders can understand - just like chocolate!

I asked Rose to share of our top tips for leaders coping with change here:

• When faced with a merger or acquisition, keep in mind you need to establish new standards and rethink your worldview.  Appoint an integration manager to address cultural differences and work to create a third identity.

• Every leader's job is to translate and create an emotional connection with his or her constituents. It’s important that people see themselves in the change that has to happen in your company. You can’t call yourself a leader if no one is following you.

• Craft your message carefully.  Distill it to its essence.  If you use message discipline effectively, it will translate into operational discipline.  Listen to your people, seek feedback, and do something with it.   

Rose uses a lot of big business examples in the book, but I believe the advice she gives about the art of conversation apply in our personal lives as well.  Sometimes, even when you're technically speaking the same language, you have to be a great translator.  This talent can mean the difference between whether a change initiative succeeds or fails.

How to Make the Most of Your 15 Minutes

There comes a day in many of our lives when we will briefly become famous.  For one of my friends, that day came early on, when he was the first baby born in Boston in the year 1974 (his photo was on the front page of the Globe).  For me, that day was in 2006, when an article about my book They Don’t Teach Corporate in College went viral from the front page of Yahoo! and led to instant bestseller status.

Since the advent of reality television and social media, exponentially more people have gained their 15 minutes of fame, but the sad truth is that most squander it.  They make bad decisions and let the attention go to their heads.  Just a short time after their fame peaks, the average person returns to obscurity with nothing to show for that time in the sun. Should you be lucky enough to find the spotlight unexpectedly shining upon you, here are some guidelines to follow so that you use the situation to your advantage:

Stand proud on that soapbox

While everyone is paying close attention to what you have to say, fine-tune your pitch and use the opportunity to educate them about what you do and why you do it.  Ideally, your 15 minutes should be a jumping-off point from which you can solicit attention for current and future projects or initiatives that are important to you.

Accept a busier schedule

Work/life balance is certainly critical in the long-term, but not while you’re taking advantage of your 15 minutes.  Keeping in mind that people’s interest will only last a short time, cram as many activities (phone calls, interviews, events, meet-and-greets, etc.) as you can into each day.  Trust me.  The sleep you’ll lose now will be worth it in the end.

For more tips, head over to the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Get a Job with a Little Help From Your Friends

My friend Chris Russell was one of the first pioneers of the online jobs space, so I was excited to hear about his new online networking site, Jobs With Friends.  Whether you're actively job searching or not, the site makes it easier to leverage who you know in addition to what you know.  Here's what Chris had to say when I asked him about JWF.

Chris, why did you decide to create Jobs With Friends now?  

Because its finally time to leverage ALL the connections in your personal and professional networks. When people say you should network, that is true but until now there havent been any tools to assist active job seekers. 

Why do job seekers need Jobs With Friends?  Can't they just use LinkedIn?

Your network is bigger than just Linkedin. Jobs With Friends lets you combine both Facebook & Linkedin contacts to form one complete database of people you know and see where they work. Plus we can show more jobs at each company since we tap into a larger job network (indeed.com). And it has one click 'Ask for Referral' buttons along with several other features you cant find anywhere.

What's the best way to start using the tool?

Make sure you import both your Facebook and Linkedin contacts, then upload your resume so your connections can download a copy if you ask for a referral. After that, start to browse the companies that your friends work at. You'll discover interesting jobs and information. It really forces you to 'company hunt' versus job hunting. You can also invite your friends which will allow you to see where their connections work as well. 

What tips can you share regarding online networking etiquette?

Firstly keep your correspondence brief and to the point. People are VERY busy these days so dont send long emails. Second, check your spelling and grammar. Dont use text message acronyms in your email. Leave those for the phone. Thirdly every time you meet a new contact offline be sure to connect with them on Linkedin. That's how you build your virtual rolodex. You should constantly be connecting with people in your industry. Finally, share their stuff. Retweet their posts. Like this status. Nurture that online relationship just as you would in a face to face setting.

Where can people get more information?

Jobs With Friends is a free service, just visit us to sign up.

Do You Talk At People or With People?

Bill Boorman kindly invited me to speak at his TruLondon human resources conference here in London.  I use the word “speak” loosely because Bill expressly told me not to bring a presentation.  The Tru events are known for their informal structure, and I was to bring nothing except 5 questions about my topic that I could pose to the group.

This approach made a lot of sense.  After all, all Tru conference participants are HR executives who are experts in their own right.  What’s more valuable – for me to stand in front of them for an hour doing a one-way knowledge dump, or for all of us to interactively share what we know back and forth, generating new ideas and building on established ones?

Of course, it does put the audience on the spot.  No longer can they show up to an event and expect to passively sit with their minds somewhere else.  They will need to think, and they will need to be engaged.  And even if it wasn’t exactly what they expected, I am willing to bet that nine times out of ten, they will be more satisfied afterwards.

Is Your Communication a One-Man Show?

Whether or not you are in a role in which you routinely make remarks to a group, it’s worth considering if you could talk more with people than at them.  You see, even in a one-to-one conversation, talking at someone is less effective.  Your mind is made up as to the message you want to get across, and you aren’t thinking about how that message is being received or whether your remarks are appropriately customized for your audience.  You may not be paying attention to non-verbal cues or reading between the lines, and you may not be allowing the person a chance to respond and provide feedback.

Loosening Your Grip on the Reins

On the other hand, when you talk with a group, your agenda is more flexible.  You are working with your audience to have a discussion that benefits all involved.  By providing some baseline information that establishes context for the conversation and then asking open-ended questions that draw your audience out, you are partnering with others to shape the direction of the interaction.  And this can have unexpectedly positive results.  You might, for example, come away with data that helps you up your game – data that you never would have thought to seek out on your own.

For other suggestions, have a look at my full post over at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Real Gender Differences in Communication

Remember Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus?

Romantic relationships are one thing, but no one talks much about how Mars and Venus fare at work.  In fact, there are significant verbal and nonverbal differences in the way the two genders get their messages across in the office.

Verbal Communication Differences

In the area of verbal communication, men tend to speak more concisely while women tend to elaborate or explain their points of view.  Men tend to assert their ideas as if they are fact, while women tend to phrase their ideas as questions and add disclaimers (“I might be wrong…”) or hedges (“Maybe”).

Men engage in verbal bantering and derogatory comments to establish rapport while women think a certain level of formality is more appropriate.  Men make demands of the team while women try to gain consensus first.  Men want to talk about plan specifics while women want to talk about needs and feelings.

Men don’t give positive feedback as frequently, whereas women think it’s important for reports to feel valued.  Men more often make decisions based on careful analysis of the facts, whereas women are more likely to spot the right decision quickly, often as a result of intuition.

For nonverbal communication differences, have a look at the full post at Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Rule #1 in Business: It’s Not About You

Every day, I get at least three requests from people who want to write guest posts on my personal blog.  I have given up responding to these people.

Why?  Because looking at my blog for 30 seconds will tell you that I don’t do guest posts. I have never done guest posts.  I may include tips from other experts, but the writing is always my own.

Yet people continue to ask me, because THEY want to do a guest post.  They are making this initial interaction all about them.  It doesn’t matter what I want or need.

This is not a good strategy for building relationships with people, especially managers and co-workers who have no vested interest in doing what you say.

What’s in it for them?

You might have heard the story of the salesman who greets a prospect by announcing, “I want to tell you about a great new product that has a thousand new features, all for the low price of…” The prospect stops listening as soon as she hears the words I want and slams the door in the salesman’s face.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to enter a negotiation or interaction with someone by expressly stating what you want. As I said in this post back in 2010, no one cares – they want to know what’s in it for them.

For my advice on how to proceed, check out the full post on Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Is Business Travel a Blessing or a Curse?

It’s fun to travel with colleagues.  No, really.  Back when I worked at CA, my whole team traveled from New York City to Las Vegas once a year for our company’s annual trade show.  After the highs and lows only a harried week of work in Vegas can provide, I really bonded with these people.  Many years later, I still keep in touch with many of them.  And I still love Vegas.

Traveling with co-workers, however, involves a set of informal rules of which it’s helpful to be aware.  Here are a few that I’ve learned over time.

1. Don’t insist on sitting together on the plane.

Plane etiquette is tricky.  Some people don’t mind gabbing away the whole time, while others would like nothing more than sit silently with their iPad and relish the calm before their trip’s storm.  Because it can be difficult to ascertain your co-worker’s camp and awkward if you get it wrong, sit apart unless you can’t avoid it.  You can probably use the quiet time yourself.

2. Do use the trip as an opportunity.

During a trip, you will probably have more chances to converse with your colleagues than usual.  Use the time to get to know them as human beings.  Express curiosity about their family and hobbies and be open in answering their questions about your lifestyle.  The closer you become when you travel, the stronger your relationship will be back at the office.

3. Don’t let your guard down too far.

Of course, there is a such thing as getting too close.  Always look presentable and avoid inappropriate conversation topics such as sex, drugs, current personal struggles, mean-spirited gossip, and anything you’d be embarrassed about if your boss found out.  Never use a business trip to launch a physical or sexual relationship with a colleague.  Even if you are both single, this is not the time or the place.

For more dos and don'ts for traveling with colleagues, check out the full post on Intuit's Fast Track blog.

What No One Tells You About Getting Raises

According to Tribe HR’s  Pay Raise Index, women received more pay raises than men during 2012, but men earned larger pay raises. TribeHR analyzed salary and workplace recognition (“kudos”) data from 20,000 employees at 2,200 small to medium-sized companies between Q1-Q3 2012, and found that, 7.4 percent of women received raises while only 6.2 percent of men received raises.

Overall, the Index reported that average salary increase for employees at small and medium-sized businesses grew by almost 11 percent between Q1 and Q3 2012. The size of the average salary raise grew from 8 percent in Q1, to 13 percent in Q2, but then dropped to 11 percent in Q3.

Peer Recognition: An Under-the-Radar Influencer

More interestingly, however, the study also examined the correlation between salary increases and employees who had received documented recognition for a job well done. It found that 85 percent of documented recognition was given by peers, and that employees who received recognition from peers were two to three times more likely to earn a pay raise.

So it’s recognition from peers rather than recognition from managers that matters most.  Go figure.  In any case, it has always been important to purposefully raise the visibility of your terrific contributions within the organization.  But given this new information, it’s now essential.  If you want a raise this year or next, it’s up to you to document as much positive feedback from your peers as possible.

How do you do this?  Find out more over at Intuit's Fast Track blog.