On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Is Using Social Media at Work a Good Idea

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Is Using Social Media at Work a Good Idea Facebook announced this week is has 500 million users. And not one of them ever, ever, ever uses it at work.At least, that's what some employers would like to believe. But the truth is, employees do use Facebook at work. They Twitter. They comment on blogs. That's just reality. That's why I thought it would be interesting to look at how companies are handling the issue of employees using social media -- and how some of them are just ignoring it. Here's the column I did for Gannett/USAToday.com...While many employers wring their hands over the use of social media by employees at work fearing legal problems or lost productivity the evidence is mounting that letting employees tweet or check Facebook during their workday is not only inevitable, but it may make good business sense. Social media often seen as a place to chat with friends or tell strangers about what you had for dinner has evolved into a marketing tool that employers are harnessing to do everything from increasing th eir brand awareness to recruiting top talent. Further, studies show that employees allowed to use social media on the jobs help drive profitability, improve customer service and contrary to employer fears may help workers do their jobs better. For example, a Forrester Research study found that 70 percent of 303 information-technology workers who use social media said it makes them more productive. Further, a recent Right Management survey found that 51 percent of those working for employers with more than 10,000 employees said that social networking seldom interferes with productivity, while 41 percent of those at smaller companies report it seldom interferes. Social media is still viewed as a threat to productivity, but 10 years ago, they probably said the same thing about the Internet, says Helene Cavalli, manager of marketing communications for Right Management in Philadelphia. I think employers believe employees will waste time (on social media), but the truth is, theyre ju st as likely to walk to the kitchen and talk to other people. Cavalli points out that social media interaction isnt always about discussing a new movie or dishing the latest gossip. It also can be about exchanging professional information and learning about industry trends. Thats a view shared by Trish McFarlane, human resources business partner for St. Louis Childrens Hospital. McFarlane says she has first-hand experience with how online interactions can pay off at work. Her boss recently asked her to find out how other companies engaged their employees, and how the hospital might be able to do similar projects. Instead of launching into time-consuming research of the issue, McFarlane turned to her social media network through her blog, HR Ringleader. Within a couple of days, I had 23 comments from people who went into great detail about the projects they were doing and offering me information, she says. And, if I had any questions, I could ask them, because they all included their e-mail addresses. McFarlane says her boss understands Im not flitting around all day on Facebook, and recognizes the value of social networking. The Forrester survey found that 72 percent of respondents reported social media helped them get answers to their questions, and 68 percent said it helped them gather information they needed to be successful. Still, some companies have shied away from social media after warnings from legal experts that employers could be opening themselves up to a bevy of problems. For example, lawyers warn about workers divulging proprietary information or making discriminatory comments that could result in a lawsuit against an employer. On the other hand, some employers simply ignore social media: A report by Manpower says that 75 percent of employers dont have a formal policy in place regarding social media use at work. I definitely think the benefits outweigh the risks, McFarlane says. And, employees are going to do it anyway. They can talk a bout work on Facebook using their (smart) phones, or they can tweet at midnight from home about work. That ship has already sailed. McFarlane says that the key is companies educating employees about proper communication on social media sites such as Facebook. You have to allow for a little bit of normal conversation you may put some personal information out there but the key is that employees understand what the company wants them to share. For example, a glitch in a customer service process may have employees proactively using Twitter or Facebook to explain the problem, and how theyre working to solve it. (An Edison Research study found that of the 17 million Americans actively using Twitter, half of them followed a company, brand or product). Customer complaints are dealt with in real time, and workers feel like theyre contributing to the companys success by helping deal with a problem. Cavalli says that employees should be coached on how to play an active role in promotin g their employer brand online, and informed of the no-nos: Sharing confidential information or being negative, for example. She says leaders can model proper behavior online. I think you definitely need rules in place (for social media use at work), and you certainly cant anticipate everything that will happen, Cavalli says. But it is a fantastic medium to help you learn from your peers and other experts, and gives you an access to that information you wouldnt have had before.Do you think it's OK to use social media at work? Social Bookmarking

Free Online Guides to Resume Writing and Job Application

Free Online Guides to Resume Writing and Job ApplicationThere are a lot of free guides available online that claim to provide a 'guide to resume writing and job application'. But is this really true?While it's true that many free online guides can provide some useful tips and information, this is typically not the case with tips and tricks for good resumes and job applications. These are basic requirements for any job seeker or recruiter to know about, if they want to land the job. You will find nothing in these free tips that can improve your resume or job application skills, nor can they tell you what questions to ask to land the job you want.There are a lot of individuals who will take advice from anyone who provides this type of information. Because of this, they believe this advice to be helpful, but the truth is that it will make no difference to you. Even if someone tells you to change your picture in your resume, or to include a picture of yourself at some age, if it isn't tr ue you will end up missing out on the most important piece of this process: the resume and job application. It is critical to get the information correct first time, because if you don't, there will be no point in changing anything, since you'll just be wasting your time and effort.What you will find on many free online guides are tips about 'good' resumes, but these tips will almost always be outdated. Since companies are not going to read these types of guides, they are going to disregard them.Resumes are designed to help the employer get to know you, and that is why they are filled with information that is needed to create a nice impression. If you have a question, or if your resume looks a little bit odd, it is usually something you can change without too much hassle.Your job application is designed to make you stand out from the competition. So if you want to be the next best person for the job, you need to start by making sure that your resume and job application is at the top of the pile.Also, you should ensure that the job application and resume you create are perfect in every way. If they aren't, it is unlikely you will get an interview for the job.Use these free online guides to help you through the job application process, and remember that your resume and job application is your only hope of landing the job of your dreams. This is the first thing recruiters will look at when looking at resumes, so don't leave anything to chance.

Choose a Job Opportunity that Matches Your Personality

Choose a Job Opportunity that Matches Your Personality Impact of Your Personality on Your Career List three words that describe you. These three words are just a start to defining your personality, that is, the qualities and traits that are unique to you and make you who you are. Your personality plays a large role in the workplace. It affects how you: perform your work communicate with others deal with conflict demonstrate your worth to the organization The list goes on. Ironically, it is easy to overlook your personality when you are deciding on a job opportunity. Job Decision Considerations When you are considering a job, you naturally make sure your interests and skills are a great match. In a recent blog, I touched on making sure your work values fit with the company culture. This is definitely important and often overlooked. In the same way, we often neglect to make sure our personalities match the job too. When deciding on a job opportunity, ask yourself, “How well do I fit into this company, the work environment and the culture?” But how do you find out about the personality of the company? Here are some ideas: Ask questions at the end of the interview about the environment. What is the interviewer’s favorite thing about working there? What is their least favorite thing about working there? How would they describe the company culture? Do some research. What information is available about the company? Talk to people. Do you know anyone who works for the company? They are a great source of information about the company’s culture and the work environment. Is There a Match? Once you have some data, compare that data to your information about your personality. Given the information you have, will this job be a good fit for you? An easy transition? If your personality does not match the company culture, you can find your energy drained at the end of each day because you are putting so much effort into fitting in. The work itself can be draining enough let alone layering on the energy you exert trying to force your personality to fit into that work environment. Ultimately this can adversely impact your job performance as you are exhausted and may begin to resent the job itself. Personality is a key component to deciding if a job is right for you yet also a component that is easy to overlook. Make sure a job opportunity is a successful match for you by ensuring that your personality is a good fit for the organization’s work environment. Have you ever found out the hard way that your personality did not fit with your company or career?  Let us know in the comments section below!

Ask the Chief Happiness Officer - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Ask the Chief Happiness Officer - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Im introducing a new feature on the blog: Im now taking questions. Seriously, ask me anything related to happiness at work. Just call me the Miss Manners or Dear Abby of the workplace. The way it works is you ask a question (either in a comment to this post or in an email) and I answer it in a post on the blog. If you want me to, Ill anonymize your question so you wont get caught asking for outside advice. Go ahead and ask, Id love to help! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

How to Get Started on Your Strategic Career Plan for the New Year - Hallie Crawford

How to Get Started on Your Strategic Career Plan for the New Year At HallieCrawford.com, we understand the importance of having a clear career path. I’m clear on my path now, but it wasn’t always that way. 16 years ago when I founded my business, I was clueless about what I was going to do long-term. I had jumped around from job to job- I had 5 different jobs before age 28- and I knew I wanted to coach but I had no idea how to run a business, much less create a strategic career and business plan. I learned by trying and failing often, which put me behind schedule in reaching my goals. A recent study showed that the average professional will change jobs 10 to 15 times in their career. I want to help you understand what I have learned in order to determine and define your strategic career plan. There are three main keys to a strategic career plan: Define your career aspirations. Build your personal brand. Develop your plan. For more information about creating your strategic career plan, download our free presentation, 3 Keys to Unlock YOUR Strategic Career Plan. To define your career aspirations, you need to determine who you are, where you are going, and how you will get there. This will allow you to create a better vision for your career future. For example, think about your interests, your values, and your strengths. Next, ask yourself about your career goals. This can include the lifestyle, work environment, and position that you want. Then, think about what you may need to do to reach those goals, perhaps additional schooling, training, or sharpening a skill set. (Not sure if your career is the right fit for you long-term? Take our free Ideal Career quiz!) Having a personal brand is important, but underutilized. In fact, less than 15% of professionals have a defined brand. Your personal brand is related to your career aspirations in the sense that it involves knowing your values, your strengths, and your soft skills. However, a personal brand goes a little further. It includes the results you achieve because of those three things. Your branding statement should include the following elements: who you serve, what unique value you provide, and how you deliver (your results). With these elements, you are in a better place to create your strategic career plan. To do this, think about where you want to be in one, three, and five years from now. However, start about thinking about five years from now first, because this allows you to create more of a long-term vision for yourself. Then determine where you need to be in three years and in one year to make that happen. This is something that you should write down and check quarterly. We hope that you have a wonderful holiday season! We wish you and your family the best for the holidays, and a peaceful, prosperous, happy new year. Certified Career Coach and Founder of HallieCrawford.com

A Guide to Writing Resume and Cover Letter

A Guide to Writing Resume and Cover LetterThe purpose of this article is to provide a guide to writing resume and cover letter correctly. You have to be prepared if you are interested in landing a job. You do not have to read this article to realize that having an impressive resume is important. This is a vital first step in being considered for any position.The reason why a strong applicant needs a good cover letter, resume, and interview is because it makes the difference between whether or not the employer will hire you. The interviewer may assume that a weak resume means that the job seeker does not want to work for the company. The employer's evaluation takes into account the skills, experience, and background of the applicant.It is vital that the employer's mind is on the job, and not his or her thoughts of what a good description of the job requires. A few mistakes in the resume and cover letter can make a huge difference in how much the hiring manager looks at the details of the job. The employer may want to move on from the candidate with poor information, and will be less likely to select another candidate.The company and the individual to request that the resume and cover letter to be completed and sent out to the appropriate people before the actual interview. The hiring manager has the advantage of doing extensive research and examination before making a decision. An applicant may not be as prepared as a hiring manager is, and may lose the job if the hiring manager makes a negative evaluation of the resume.Many prospective employers will not ask for the details of the resume unless the person provides them. The hiring manager's first responsibility is to ensure that the applicant has all of the relevant skills needed for the job. Otherwise, the hiring manager is much more likely to say no to an applicant who is unprepared.Sometimes an applicant may not submit all of the information requested by the interviewer. This is the time when the interviewer makes a judgment call as to whether or not the applicant is worth the effort. If the applicant is qualified, the interviewer is just as likely to accept the candidate as the candidate who submitted the necessary information. This often happens to people who had their resumes finished in a hurry and did not write it in the manner the interviewer expected.Before going to a job interview, have a few extra copies of your resume and cover letter ready. Give the interviewer your resume and cover letter before the interview. This will give you a chance to explain your points in detail and convince the hiring manager to hire you. Then, leave your resume, cover letter, and resume folder with the interviewing manager.

Donald Lau, Americas Top Fortune Cookie Writer, Is Quitting

Donald Lau, America's Top Fortune Cookie Writer, Is Quitting The man who’s been delivering us inspiring fortunes for 30 years is nearly out of ideas. For 30 years, Donald Lau has served as “Chief Fortune Writer” at Wonton Foods, which bills itself as the largest manufacturer of fortune cookies, noodles, and other Chinese staples. Now, he’s stepping down. Why? He’s got writer’s block. “I used to write 100 a year, but I’ve only written two or three a month over the past year,” Lau recently told Time. In the ’80s, when Lau first landed the role at the Queens and Brooklyn-based company, cookie fortunes were, well, fortuitous (think: “A dream you have will come true”). But today, he says, the premium is on new, inspirational sayings that promote Yogi tea bag-style well-being. The pressure has led Lau to hand his soothsaying responsibilities to another employee: James Wong, a nephew of the company’s founder. Lau will continue to serve as Wonton Food’s Chief Financial Officer. Time writes: The company has explored fortune-writing contests and soliciting fortunes online, and they also keep track of diner reactions. A run of brutally honest fortunes about a decade ago didn’t go over well, and authorities briefly investigated the company in 2005, after 110 Powerball lottery players won about $19 million after using the “lucky numbers” on the back of fortunes. Once a jilted wife wrote in to complain that her husband had gotten a fortune promising him romance on his next business trip, and a satisfied customer wrote to say he got a new job after reading a fortune about a new opportunity coming his way. “When they eat their fortune cookie, I want the customers to open the fortune, read it, maybe laugh, and leave the restaurant happy,” [Lau] says, “so that they come back again next week.”