Over the past few years, Facebook has transformed from a college trend to a worldwide phenomenon in terms of users and marketing value. Users have enjoyed being able to reconnect with old friends and family members and businesses have been successful by utilizing it as a cost-efficient marketing tool. Facebook is no doubt an incredible way to communicate with others but users need to be careful and responsible for the content posted on profile pages.
Below are some general tips and rules of thumb for utilizing Facebook:
If you don't know someone, don't become his or her friend on Facebook - With the number of users on Facebook, it's easy to get people confused and chances are, you will get friend requests from people you don't know. Some people simply befriend everybody on Facebook even though they don't know most of the people they are sending out requests to and this is not the best practice for utilizing this form of social media. If you don't know someone requesting to be your friend on Facebook or vice versa, do not accept the friend request. You can usually send a message through Facebook to verify the person's identity if you want but keep your friend list to only people you know and have met. This will avoid people you don't know and might not trust getting a hold of your profile information and anything you post on there.
Watch what you post on your profile page - Freedom of speech is beautiful but understand that using Facebook to criticize someone, post inappropriate material or lash out at a business may get you in more trouble then you think. Numerous people have been let go from their jobs for criticizing their employers through Facebook posts and the same can happen to you if you are not careful. Even when you think someone will not see it, you might be surprised as to who finds what you post and it can cost you in the end. Try to avoid posting anything that might be offensive, degrading or nasty about someone because it might end up in the wrong hands.
Decide early on what type of information you want on your profile and stick to those guidelines- Some Facebook users put all kinds of information from where they currently live, their phone numbers, e-mail addresses and where they work on their profile pages. When setting up your page, decide whether or not you want users to know where you live, a number to call you or e-mail you. This will help you determine whether or not you want random people calling the number you posted on your Facebook page or sending you e-mails for similar reasons. You have the ability to control what you want people to see and decide how private you want your profile to be and stick to it. This will help prevent you from being bothered or annoyed while utilizing Facebook.
It's okay to say no in certain situations- Web-sites and web browsers have several different ways in which news articles, videos and pictures can be shared through Facebook. With the use of Smart Phones, pictures and videos can be uploaded within seconds of be taken. If you are at an event in which you could be photographed or videotaped, watch your actions and who has the camera. It's okay to decline having your photo or video footage of you taken. Chances are, it won't be the first time the professional photographer has heard that and nothing can be posted about you on another web-site if nothing is shot to begin with. Beware of who is taking pictures or video and realize it could end up on Facebook.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Burnt Bridges Are Almost Impossible To Rebuild
Even though it's been said time and time again, "never burining a bridge" is good advice and practice that will hold for a long time. Upsetting someone or destroying a relationship with a customer, client, hiring manager or even your boss can have negative consequences for a long time. Burning the bridge that stands between you and another person could cost you career opportunities later on due to the connections that person might have with others. While others might anger us and not treat us well, burning a bridge with someone can lead to negative effects for a long time.
Most of the time, burning a bridge can come from someone losing his or her cool during a conversation or situation with another person. Losing a temper can lead to heated discussions and make for an unpleasant situation. Situations can be stressful but losing your temper on someone can make the situation even worse. If you feel upset over a particular situation, take some time to cool off and calmly talk to the other person involved in the matter. That way, the other person won't feel you are attacking him or her and you can still have that relationship for the future. Heated discussions can lead to inappropriate behavior and both sides and burning the bridge as a result of it can hinder your success in the future.
During a job search, there have been situations in which candidates burned bridges with the hiring managers over simple tasks. Throughout my college years, many of the people I interned for or heard speak at other events had one or two stories of job candidates blowing up at them over small matters such as not sending in a resume like the hiring manager had asked or following directions. Hiring managers determine whether or not you will get a chance to interview for a position and destroying that relationship before it starts can not only eliminate you from that position but probably several others. This hiring manager might know people who work at competitors in the same industry or other people looking to hire talent. Burning the bridge with a hiring manager can prevent you from getting other opportunities for positions later on.
In addition to losing it with hiring managers and other company personnel, many people burn bridges by utilizing social media or job seeker groups to voice their displeasure towards an individual or company. This practice is often not appreciated by those being trashed in these interactions and can burn a bridge with more then the person being mentioned. That person's connections might see what was posted or written and may not appreciate what is being said either.
Even though it may be hard to do at times, never burning a bridge with someone can help alleviate stress and missed opportunities later. Destroying a relationship with someone can have negative consequences that can never be rebuilt after the altercation. A burnt bridge is impossible to get across and you might miss the opportunities on the side if you decide to burn it in the first place.
Most of the time, burning a bridge can come from someone losing his or her cool during a conversation or situation with another person. Losing a temper can lead to heated discussions and make for an unpleasant situation. Situations can be stressful but losing your temper on someone can make the situation even worse. If you feel upset over a particular situation, take some time to cool off and calmly talk to the other person involved in the matter. That way, the other person won't feel you are attacking him or her and you can still have that relationship for the future. Heated discussions can lead to inappropriate behavior and both sides and burning the bridge as a result of it can hinder your success in the future.
During a job search, there have been situations in which candidates burned bridges with the hiring managers over simple tasks. Throughout my college years, many of the people I interned for or heard speak at other events had one or two stories of job candidates blowing up at them over small matters such as not sending in a resume like the hiring manager had asked or following directions. Hiring managers determine whether or not you will get a chance to interview for a position and destroying that relationship before it starts can not only eliminate you from that position but probably several others. This hiring manager might know people who work at competitors in the same industry or other people looking to hire talent. Burning the bridge with a hiring manager can prevent you from getting other opportunities for positions later on.
In addition to losing it with hiring managers and other company personnel, many people burn bridges by utilizing social media or job seeker groups to voice their displeasure towards an individual or company. This practice is often not appreciated by those being trashed in these interactions and can burn a bridge with more then the person being mentioned. That person's connections might see what was posted or written and may not appreciate what is being said either.
Even though it may be hard to do at times, never burning a bridge with someone can help alleviate stress and missed opportunities later. Destroying a relationship with someone can have negative consequences that can never be rebuilt after the altercation. A burnt bridge is impossible to get across and you might miss the opportunities on the side if you decide to burn it in the first place.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Linked In: A Powerful Tool For The Professional and the Job Seeker
Since social media started booming as a popular form of communication, LinkedIn has grown to become of the best business tools available. Seasoned professionals can utilize it to keep in touch with clients, customers, former co-workers and colleagues and job seekers can use the site to look for jobs and network contacts. LinkedIn can help sell your experiences and capabilities with a well written profile and keep in touch with past and present co-workers. LinkedIn does take time but is beneficial in the end.
Even though it does take time to write up and develop, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for the following reasons:
LinkedIn is a remarkable and beneficial tool and below are tips on getting the most out of utilizing it:
Only Accept and Request To Be In Networks of People You Actually Know, Have Worked With or Have Done Business With
As a general rule of thumb, if you do not know someone requesting to be in your network, do not accept them as a contact until you have verified who he or she really is. Sometimes you can send a message to a person requesting to be in your network as a way to verify his or her identity but if you do not know the person at all, do not accept them into your network. This will help you manage your contacts and who you are connected with.
If You Are A Job Seeker and Wish To Send an Introduction to Someone, Make Sure the Introduction is Meaningful and Clear
Asking a contact to pass your introduction along to another contact is a great form of communication but take time to proofread what you wrote and make sure it's clear, concise and to the point. If your contact can't understand what you are trying to communicate, neither will the person who he or she will be sending it to! Take the time to write introductions that are meaningful and will help get your foot in the door with another person.
Use Personal Discretion When Putting Up Phone Numbers, E-Mail Addresses or Other Forms of Communication
If you don't want random calls on your cell phone, don't put your cell phone number on your LinkedIn profile. If you don't want e-mails to a personal account, do not put your personal e-mail on your profile. With more and more users utilizing LinkedIn each day, there is a greater chance that someone will take time to call or e-mail you to a personal e-mail address if it is on your profile.
Do Not Use LinkedIn to Bash Former Employers or Companies
LinkedIn messages are sometimes forwarded to other e-mail accounts and with Twitter and Facebook, information can spread very rapidly to a large number of people. Taking the time to openly bash a former employer or supervisor could end up in the wrong hands and might even eliminate you from contention for future positions. Once it is posted or written, that message can be spread like wildfire.
Even though it does take time to write up and develop, LinkedIn can be a valuable tool for the following reasons:
- it offers the capability to showcase your talents and experiences to a large group of people
- research can be done on companies, which can be beneficial for job seekers
- messages and introductions can be sent to contacts all over LinkedIn
- it can be used to network and build business relationships
LinkedIn is a remarkable and beneficial tool and below are tips on getting the most out of utilizing it:
Only Accept and Request To Be In Networks of People You Actually Know, Have Worked With or Have Done Business With
As a general rule of thumb, if you do not know someone requesting to be in your network, do not accept them as a contact until you have verified who he or she really is. Sometimes you can send a message to a person requesting to be in your network as a way to verify his or her identity but if you do not know the person at all, do not accept them into your network. This will help you manage your contacts and who you are connected with.
If You Are A Job Seeker and Wish To Send an Introduction to Someone, Make Sure the Introduction is Meaningful and Clear
Asking a contact to pass your introduction along to another contact is a great form of communication but take time to proofread what you wrote and make sure it's clear, concise and to the point. If your contact can't understand what you are trying to communicate, neither will the person who he or she will be sending it to! Take the time to write introductions that are meaningful and will help get your foot in the door with another person.
Use Personal Discretion When Putting Up Phone Numbers, E-Mail Addresses or Other Forms of Communication
If you don't want random calls on your cell phone, don't put your cell phone number on your LinkedIn profile. If you don't want e-mails to a personal account, do not put your personal e-mail on your profile. With more and more users utilizing LinkedIn each day, there is a greater chance that someone will take time to call or e-mail you to a personal e-mail address if it is on your profile.
Do Not Use LinkedIn to Bash Former Employers or Companies
LinkedIn messages are sometimes forwarded to other e-mail accounts and with Twitter and Facebook, information can spread very rapidly to a large number of people. Taking the time to openly bash a former employer or supervisor could end up in the wrong hands and might even eliminate you from contention for future positions. Once it is posted or written, that message can be spread like wildfire.
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