The Power and Influence of Social Media

One Tweet and your vacation is over. One video on YouTube and you're suddenly a superstar. One connection made on Linkedin and you have an interview for your dream job. Another click of a button on Facebook and you are reunited with a long lost friend or relative. If you are not active online, you may not be aware of the power and influence of Social Media.

Someone who knows someone who knows someone; that is likely how you met your best friend, secured your last job and found your favourite boutique. Every time you meet someone there is the potential to generate new opportunities. The difference between networking face to face and online is approximately one billion people! Of course, this does not mean that you will automatically generate new opportunities without any effort anymore than if you attended a networking event and chose not to introduce yourself to all in attendance. The power and influence of social media will not be recognized if you do not manage your reputation and connect with others to increase your network and enhance your visibility. The decision to stand out in the crowd or stay lost in the crowd is directly related to success or failure.

The World's 25 Most Reputable Companies lends insight into what is important in establishing a visible and highly respected brand. Google any of these organizations and it is clearly evident these organizations are fully aware of the power and influence of Social Media.

By establishing your personal brand and harnessing the power and influence of Social Media you will have the ability to achieve infinite possibilities.

Stop! Don’t hit send…

Don't hit send...yet! The impression you leave could be a long and lasting one. Do you want to brand yourself as professional, intelligent, mature, patient, considerate and understanding? Although those managing an executive career would share a resounding "yes" too many are taking a high risk with online comments which could be construed as arrogant, antagonistic or lacking compassion and professionalism.

Today we are sharing comments with hundreds, thousands and potentially millions of people! It is true that our enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of us but it is during these times that you must take your fingers off the keyboard! Walk away, take a deep breath and enjoy a cup of green tea. Heightened emotional states do not present a foundation conducive to presenting a professional personal brand.

A recent thread of numerous comments on Facebook had one individual standing out from all the rest. Approximately 10 people shared complimentary, friendly, light comments regarding a photo but one individual chose to post accusatory, insulting, rude comments using inappropriate language. The intended recipient certainly gained my respect when he simply ignored her unfounded and unnecessary comments. If an employer was able to view this profile, it would be a very easy decision to eliminate the obvious troublemaker from a list of potential candidates for hire.

Standing behind your values, morals and opinions is acceptable unless you feel the need to initiate an offensive online diatribe with someone who disagrees. A conversation which continues on long past any chance of a reasonable conclusion or mutual agreement may only impact a few, whereas online you could be leaving a permanent, negative impression that will be seen by hundreds, thousands or even more! Don't comment back and forth to the extent that you have exhausted a topic. Agree to disagree or simply let it go! Any professional, social interactions entered into online require respect and should never reach the "I'm right and you're wrong" stage.

Offering advice can be seen as thoughtful, giving, generous and further enhance the expertise and professionalism of a personal brand but a recent Linkedin discussion easily portrayed an individual as anything but, when the advice offered contained more personally directed negative criticism than it did positive advice.

Think positive, think professional and give serious consideration to the personal brand you wish to establish. Online comments have the potential to increase your visibility and your opportunities! One bad day and a few emotional or negative comments could easily tarnish an otherwise impressive personal brand and eliminate you from consideration as the next CEO or VP! Don't hit send until you are sure the comment you are posting is appropriate and professional!

Santa’s Professional Resume

It's that time of year again! Santa has his professional resume perfected, (click on picture to view), and is looking forward to flying out to his next assignment.

Ho Ho Ho!

The next step for most would be a job interview but Santa will be able to skip this step in the process as his expertise eliminates any potential competition. Even the Grinch was no match for Santa. And so it is, with full confidence that Santa is ramping up for the busy season ahead!

Santa Claus is admired by children everywhere, but for those mature individuals who are currently in career transition, you may also want to look up to him as an ideal role model. He has a clearly defined career path, a professional resume filled with accomplishments and a never ending list of references, which have all contributed to an outstanding reputation. He acknowledges the importance of personal branding, consuming cookies and milk at every stop despite his expanding physique. Santa has also been successful in establishing his online presence. Google Santa and review 1,880,000,000 search results!

Do you need a free resume critique, advice on personal branding or perhaps some ideas on how to increase your google ranking? Make your New Year's resolution today to find out about the executive career management services available at Elite Resumes.

Don’t Wear A Mask

Wearing a mask for a Halloween Party or any costume party can be exhilarating, mischievous or just plain fun! An occasion that many look forward to when it is acceptable to hide behind a mask, deceive others as to your true identity, assume the looks or personality of a favourite idol or simply seize the opportunity to scare the living daylights out of your friends!

Enjoy the party while it lasts because as a professional managing a career, this is the only time it will be acceptable to hide behind a mask or deceive others regarding your identity, history or qualifications. If you are in a job search, don't wear a mask! Companies, recruiters and HR professionals are searching all available resources online, including Facebook to discover who you really are. Connections and testimonials on Linkedin as well as groups and companies you associate with all provide revealing information. Have you created Twitter lists for those you follow. What name have you given those lists and more importantly, what are the names of the lists that follow you? The name of these lists are a clear indication of how others perceive you.

The following are default images for profile photos on various social media sites and if not updated with professional images will leave a negative impression undermining your chances for consideration as a potential candidate.

Choosing to hide behind a mask will sabotage any effort to portray a credible, genuine and authentic brand. Don't wear a mask online or off unless you're off to a costume party.

Happy Halloween!

What Email Address Are You Using For Your Job Search?

What Email Address Are You Using For Your Job Search?

professional@email.com

Are you using a professional email address for your job search? An email address that is not outdated? One which identifies who you are? An email address that is easily deciphered even when hand written?

I’m sure we can all agree that an email address such as sexykitten@, beerking@ or gonefishing@ lacks the professionalism expected from anyone who is serious about managing their career. Get rid of them or use them exclusively for the singles sites.

Dots, dashes, underscores: Unless you are an extremely neat printer, it is possible that you’ve added your email address to a list in the hopes of receiving some important correspondence that will never be sent. Is it a dash or an underscore or maybe that line was supposed to represent a dot? Don’t leave anyone struggling to decipher your email address. For those of us who require reading glasses, a neatly typed email could still present a problem with the use of symbols which are smaller than letters.

You are known as George Brown but you created an email address cbrown@. This was done because you wanted to confuse people? I’m going to send the email to gbrown because I’m sure I must have made a mistake when I entered it as cbrown@. One more email that you will never receive.

What were all those numbers George added to his email address?

I just received an email from latvicus@. Since I have no idea who it is, I’m going to delete it. How was I supposed to know it was George Brown? His middle name you say?

It is completely understood that a common name requires some modification to obtain an available address so a middle initial or full name will be necessary; GeorgeLatvicusBrown@ or georgelbrown or georgezbrown. No, your middle initial is not a z but does anyone else know that? It still enables anyone looking at it to recognize that you are in fact George Brown who introduced himself to you at the last networking meeting you attended. But who was gb1234@hotmail.com?

If you are using Hotmail or AOL you’ll need to update to a new address. Those continuing to use them are dating themselves and perceived as not keeping up with the times. @gmail and @rogers are both very popular today. Did you acquire the domain for your name or business? If so, you will have access to create email addresses such as, george@georgebrown.com or martin@aneliteresume.com.

What email address are you using for your job search? What does it say about you?