The point of this article is to strongly suggest that job-seekers should only spend 20% of their time working the job boards and most of the rest of it networking. A lesson in hire economics helps explain why.
With Thanksgiving in our rear view mirrors, it’s easy to shift our thoughts to holiday shopping and put our special attention to thankfulness behind us, as well.
But I urge you to reconsider. If you’re a professional, who’s active on the web (and shouldn’t we all be?), being thankful and giving back can yield real positive results for your careers and professional brand.
You’ve Got to Give Love to Get Love
Showing others appreciation on social networks should is not only a great way to stay in contact with your network, but it also builds your brand. When you take the initiative by liking, commenting and writing recommendations for your contacts, you also encourage them to do the same for you.
I don't know how many times I've gotten positive feedback from others after doing something as simple as congratulating a friend on their work anniversary. Simple acts like this are easy for us to do and mean a great deal to those on the receiving end.
Social networking sites like TheProfessional.me, LinkedIn, Facebook and others make it incredibly easy to show your online connections a little love. In fact, on TheProfessional.me, we've come up with several simple ways to get engaged on social media that will not only remind your friends and coworkers that you've been thinking about them, but also build your professional reputation as well.
Easy Does It
All it takes to start showing the love is a few minutes each morning.
Before you get too deep into your morning routine, take five or ten minutes to read through your social network newsfeeds. Pay particular attention to coworkers and other people within your industry and like, favorite or +1 any posts, tweets, or statuses that catch your eye.
Major life events like a new job, work anniversary, publication, or promotion are the perfect opportunity to congratulate your friends.
But don’t stop there. Show you’re really engaged by commenting on a couple of those updates. One of the ultimate ways to show the love is to share someone’s original content. This shows that you think enough of their update that you don’t mind attaching your own name and reputation to that post. Just be sure that whatever you share is appropriate, as it will be broadcast to all your connections on that network.
The more likes and shares you give other people, the more likes and shares you’ll start getting in return. But that’s not it; when you focus your efforts on the influencers in your field, people will see your name pop again and again. This improves your reputation and visibility within your field and people will start taking you more seriously.
And all just because you took a few minutes each day to give back to your professional network.
Click here for more tips and tricks on how to get engaged during and after this holiday season.
The instructor [Al Khalfan] was very knowledgeable in the field. He presented the materials and concepts with a professional touch. He also frequently adds humor to his teachings, which made it easier for me to understand. The support staff was all nice, gentle, caring, and very helpful. The materials, rooms and amenities were excellent and exceeded expected standards.
Great class, loved the interaction and team-building exercises. Plenty of materials and learning tools supplied. Although it was a full week's class, never boring. Donna [Russell] was awesome and gave many supporting examples for better understanding.
Thanks Microtrain for conducting a great PMP course that set me on a successful path to obtain my PMP certification. I have passed the test!
My Career Services Manager was very friendly and helpful and had excellent follow-up. She seemed to really care how things were going and kept me moving in the right direction. The resources available in job search were great and the visibility that there were jobs out there looking for my skillset was promising. Additionally, the training, as well as having an updated resume stating the Microtrain course work I had taken made me feel more confident and marketable as I looked for employment. It showed that I was dedicated and took project management and process management seriously.
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