Archive for June, 2010

Margo Rose: HR Social Strategy & New Media Evangelist!

For those of you who know me well, you already know I’m a home-town pride kind of girl. I love to extoll the virtues of Cincinnati, Ohio. So, you can imagine my excitement about today’s social media day event. It starts at 5:00 p.m. at an uber-hip spot downtown called, Lavomatic. If that isn’t a boat load of awesome, it gets better because the event is followed by another cool event: Ignite Cincinnati (which will take place at The Know Theater).   Ignite Cincinnati is an event where you can hear dynamic speakers present super sharp presentations (with the limit of 15 slides, and a strict time limit).    Why are these events important, and why should you care? Here’s my top 5 reasons:

1. Everybody who’s anybody will be there.
2. If you want to network with the local social media giants, this is your chance.
3. If you want to run with the tall dogs, aim for the high bushes.
4. If you are looking for a job, there’s no better place and time to meet contacts who can give you a leg up.
5. If you are a business person and you want to get face time with other up and comers, this will be your moment.

No, I’m not on the event planning team.  No, this isn’t a sponsored blog post, and no, I’m not trying to kiss the tushes of the people who threw this event together.  For that reason, I’m not linking back to names, other blogs, and restaurants.  As a blogger, it is my responsibility to be transparent, authentic, and most importantly honest.  I’m going to this event because I am a budding entrepreneur and I want to network with Cincinnati’s best and brightest.  I hold my colleagues in high esteem, and I am proud to be among them.   This is a gorgeous day in Cincinnati, it will be even more gorgeous if you come downtown, and shake our hands.

Your social media pal,

Margo Rose also known as @HRMargo http://linkedin.com/in/margorose

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Looking for a job is an adventure.  That’s a euphemism for it sucks, and it’s difficult, but it can also build character, and be a another growth opportunity.  When you think about a growth opportunity what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  When someone is coaching you and says, “This is an area of opportunity,” what type of feelings does this comment elicit?  The purpose of this post is to make you feel really uncomfortable, particularly if you are doing the wrong stuff while you are looking for a job.  What I hope this post accomplishes is to provide you with useful tools to clean up your image, present a strong employee brand, and build your strengths so when you knock on doors, you are prepared to put your best foot forward.

Regardless whether you work for a company, or if you are in business for yourself: It’s YOU & Company. You are the brand, the product you are selling is YOU.

1. Don’t use your baby picture as your twitter, facebook, or linkedin profile.  We know you where cute when you were a baby.  We’re certain that your baby is adorable.  But, for goodness sakes, that’s not your professional image, so replace it with one that is.  Make sure your picture is clear, in focus, and preferably a shot of just your head and shoulders. Your profile picture is not your “glamor shot.”  Make sure you are wearing a shirt that covers your shoulders.  This is not your “match.com” profile, so make sure it represents you in a way that speaks to your strength.

2. Don’t ever tell the person who’s interviewing you that you’ll take anything–you just need a job really bad–needy and desperate is really unattractive.  Sorry, we know the recession is kicking the tails of a lot of people, particularly the heads of households who have mortgages to pay, and mouths to feed.  Figure out what you want to do, and do it.  Ask for the job you want to have.  If you don’t have the credentials to do that job, find a way to get them.  Sell yourself.  Sell what you can do, not what you can’t.  Are you squirming yet?  It’s ok.  If this is your wake up call, I hope it shakes you out of your sleepy stupor, which brings me to my next point.

3. Get off your butt, and knock on doors.  Even if you don’t feel like it, make a few calls.  The passive “sit at my computer and apply for a zillion jobs on a job board,” will not suffice for face to face networking.  I’m not saying using job boards won’t work…what I am saying is don’t allow the passive search to be your only search.  If you use job boards, create a strategy for how you will find someone at the company where you want to work.  Leverage people in your contact network to help you get a foot in the door.  This brings me to my next point.

4. If you are using facebook, twitter, and linkedin to source for a position, good for you because recruiters are doing the same thing.  But, don’t be negative.  Don’t try to be sexy.  Don’t use poor grammar.  Don’t bug people to death.  Do not ask a stranger on linkedin, or any other platform, to introduce you to someone when they don’t have a clue who you are, or why they should help you.  This is a sure-fire way to tick them off.  A high profile recruiter was tweeting about this issue last week.  Think of it like this…if a total stranger came up to you and said, “your sister is really hot, I’d like to ask her out on a date…will you “hook us up?”  You’d probably hit the ceiling right?  This is an extreme example, I know.  Yet, it isn’t that different.  Every time I give someone a reference, my professional reputation is on the line.  If I recommend someone who acted like a jerk to the person I recommended them to, that makes me look bad.  So, please understand, when you ask someone you don’t know to make an introduction on linkedin, or anywhere else…make sure you have the credibility, and integrity to back up your request.

5. Don’t put 500 tweets into the #HireFriday stream in a row.  If you must, schedule 1 per hour.  You can use cotweet.com, or socialoomph.com to schedule tweets.  Let me reassure you, we are passionate about helping job seekers in the HireFriday stream on twitter, facebook, and linkedin.  There are many recruiters, hiring managers,and executive coaches who monitor our stream.  We will RT your tweets.  Help us help you.  Don’t be over zealous with self-promotion.  It isn’t classy, and it looks bad.

6. Don’t call a company you’d like to work for without doing your research in advance.  Show the person you are speaking with that you know a lot about them, and you have the credentials to be of service.  They will be flattered that you did your homework.

7. Don’t act needy.  Remember you are not a job beggar, you are a resource person.  Figure out what the company needs.  Find out what their weakest link is. There is an old saying, “we are only as strong as our weakest link.”  Don’t be the weakest link.  Demonstrate how you can improve their bottom line.  Let them know how you can remove their head ache.  Find out what work related problem keeps a hiring manager up at night.  Create a plan and a strategy for how you can solve the organization’s problem.  This isn’t hard to do.  Google the company.  Check court records to find out what law suits are pending.  This will enlighten you about their “issues.”  Never mention, “uh I see you are being sued by…”  Rather, arm yourself with as much information about the organization as possible so you can show the interviewer how astute you are.  Research articles, periodicals, advertising campaigns, and anything else that will give you insight about the strengths and weaknesses of the company.

8. Don’t lead with the chin.  My Dad used to train Olympic Boxers.  That was his favorite saying. Be over prepared.  There’s nothing worse than over selling and under delivering.  Be clear about your core competencies.  Discover what core competencies are required for the job you want.  Always remember, your credibility is on the line.  If you over sell your abilities you might rise to the position, but you won’t be able to do the job once you get there.  And, trust me, there’s nothing worse than getting fired for a job that you were not qualified to do in the first place.  Stay inside your window of knowledge, and don’t sell what you don’t know.

9. Don’t be passive, be active.  Looking for a job can be so stressful.  I know what it’s like to be unemployed for a protracted period of time.  2009 was like the “twilight movie” for companies, and job seekers alike.  The recession of 2009 sucked the blood out of a lot of organizations, and many tumbled.  I know a lot of job seekers who drained all of their savings.  It was a bleak time in our Country’s history.  Things are looking up, but not fast enough.  Many industries are still dragging along.  The jobs that are available may not be the job of your dreams.  It’s ok to take a short gap job to pay the bills.  Everybody has to survive and thrive.  Just be sure to stay current in your field.  One way to do that is by volunteering in your chosen industry.  If you have to work 2 or 3 jobs to keep food on your table, take your solace by remembering that just because it is difficult now, it won’t be difficult forever.  Forever is a very long time.

10. Don’t ever lose your hope.  It might be the only thing you are hanging on to, and I know what that’s like too.  When I was looking for a job, my hope and faith was the only thing that kept me going.

Job seekers, it’s ok to lean on your community.  Surround yourself with supportive people.  Negative people will suck the life-force right out of you.  Stick with the winners, the positive people who tell you how great your are, and that the job you want is right around the corner.  Just because you don’t have it now, doesn’t mean you are never going to get it.  Remove the words “always,” and “never” from your vocabulary while you are job hunting.  There’s nothing that will tear you down faster than over generalizing, and using absolute terms.  Be positive.  A positive attitude might not bring you the results you expect, but a negative attitude won’t bring you the results you want either.

If this post ticks you off. GOOD, because sometimes we need a pat on the back, and sometimes we need a thwack on the temple.  I’m acting like a dutch uncle in this post.  Usually, I’m the opposite.  I’ve been observing some crazy behavior by job seekers online.  I hope this wakes them up.  If you’d like to add to this list, by all means leave a comment.  Check out this super cool video by the Vice President of monster.com

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HRMargo Social Media HR Evangelist

Every now and then you encounter someone a through social media platform that inspires you. That’s one reason I invited March Birch to be on Compassionate HR this evening. His work inspires me. One reason I invite guests on my blogtalkradio show. is because they motivate me. They push me forward to continue on my path of self-improvement, and professional development. Another reason I invite my guests is that each of them, in their own special way, is changing the world for the better. Mark Birch is one of those people.

I had the pleasure of meeting Mark through linkedin. I discovered he’s in a class all his own. Now, sit back, relax and read all the incredible things Mark is going to discuss on tonight’s show.

He invested in “SocialWish”, a social fundraising website. How cool is that? In addition he’s going to discuss:

The challenge of staying motivated to raise money, and join causes

The ability of Social Media to drive increased participation and contributions

How SocialWish allows people, organizations or charities to put in their wishes, causes that they are raising funds for, and leverage social media to engage potential donors to contribute

Mentoring and helping entrepreneurs to succeed

Small businesses and entrepreneurs are the engine driving growth in our economy

Critical for those you have succeeded to help those who are trying to succeed

Mark makes time working with early stage entrepreneurs to strategize, help raise funds, build connections

The incredible Fund Raising he’s done for for Multiple Sclerosis

His Recent bike ride through the MS Coast the Coast in NJ. This was a 170 mile bike tour. As if this isn’t enough, he’s planning future cycling fund raising tours

He’s going to tell you how to find balance between work, life and volunteering

Mark has a young family with one 4 year old son and another on the way, and he still finds time to engage in steward leadership

He’s going to share the importance of both quality time AND quantity time

As a successful business man he’s going to share his goal setting techniques and how to stick to them

Mark discloses: his personal mantra. Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.

He suggests that ach of us ought to look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”

He reminds us to realize that each and every day that we are blessed

How are we going to fit all this into a 1 hour show? Listen in tonight and find out. http://blogtalkradio.com/comphr If you find this of interest, will you please share this post with your friends on facebook, and twitter?

Thanks again for checking in and reading my blog.

What follows is Mark’s bio:

Mark is a technology entrepreneur and business development executive with an extensive track record building new ventures and expanding global markets.

Mark currently works as a Managing Director at Columbus Holding Group, a US-Korea business gateway company, where he is responsible for M&A, capital raising and marketing solutions focusing on enterprise business software and social media markets. He is also an Advisor for SocialWish assisting in marketing, sales, strategic planning and capital raising.

Mark previously was a Regional Director at Logica, leading sales of banking solutions to global banks. Prior to Logica, he was a Consulting Sales Director at Oracle Corporation within the Strategic Accounts group selling ERP solutions, and before Oracle, he managed CRM sales and delivery as the CRM Practice Director at Headstrong, a business technology consultancy. Mark has also held senior sales executive positions at E.piphany and Siebel Systems within the Financial Services group. Mark began his career as a commodities trader where he developed a keen sense of risk and market awareness.

Mark graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Boston University. In his non-working hours, he is actively involved in fund raising activities for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and hitting the open-mic circuit playing his guitar.

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HRMargo Social Media HR Evangelist

While all too many people boast, “Thank God It’s Friday.” I’m shouting from the rooftops, “Thank God It’s Monday. Why: because I’m passionate about my work, and serving my clients. How many of you embrace what you do? Do you look forward to each day, particularly Monday? Below, I offer my top 5 tips to make Monday productive, more importantly, how to infuse this day with humor, and joy.

1. Drink coffee, and lots of it.  Ok, I’m a coffee aficionado.  If you prefer tea, or juice, and it makes you feel good–enjoy each sip.
2. Think positive: thinking positive thoughts may not bring you positive results each and every time, but I will guarantee this: if you think negatively, you will never reap positive results.  So, why not turn that frown upside down, and adopt a upbeat outlook?
3. Organize your day. When you start your day think about your priorities. Make a plan for how you will achieve today’s goals.  If someone distracts you with their priority, and that person isn’t your boss, ask yourself, “how important is it?,” and act accordingly.
4. The best time to reach most business people is between 8-9:30 a.m., and between 4-5:30 p.m.  I learned this simple tip when I was the Director Of Membership at The Cincinnati Zoo.  I discovered it is easiest to reach business decision makers before they tilt full swing into their day, and when they are winding their day down.
5. Do something kind for one of your colleagues.  Make sure you do this anonymously.  This unselfish act will make you feel better.  It is an ego-free way to build character, and a tremendous way to make the world a better place to live.  I’m a big believer in random acts of kindness.  Not only does it make me more productive, it boosts my self-worth.  A coaching client once asked me: “How do you build self-esteem?”  I told her, “by doing esteem-able acts.

These steps are simple, pain-free, and fun.  I am always looking for ways to embrace life, and extrapolate all the joy I can from each moment.  So can you.  What I propose isn’t difficult.

May your Monday be productive, and know I am always in your corner.

Your friend,

HRMargo Rose

http://linkedin.com/in/margorose

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HRMargo Social Media HR Evangelist

Are you harnessing the power of social media, It’s easier than you think, according to the video I posted here.  I want my HireFriday community to watch this video, cogitate its meaning and think about ways you can tap into the power that is social media.  How can you delve deeper into your contact network to find people that can lead you to the companies where you want to work?  How can you create an appealing online presence that draws recruiters and hiring managers to you?  Watch this first, and I’ll offer some tips after your viewing.

My Top 5 Tips For Job Seeker Empowerment

1. Join a job search focus group–find a job search buddy, and touch base several times a week–movitate, support, and encourage one another.
2. Don’t waste time on social media platforms unless you have a laser targeted focus.
3. Focus your time and energy on your search-if you find a great company online, and you think you are a fit, leverage your contacts on linkedin to help you get in the door.  Do not ask people to connect you to a contact, unless you know them, trust me, this will irritate them.   Just today, one of the thought leaders in our industry tweeted about this very issue.
4. Pick up the phone, I don’t care how savvy you are on the web, if you are conducting a passive search, spending most of your time on job boards, your search will sink into quicksand. Be a proactive rainmaker.
5. Attend webinars that will keep you abreast of the latest trends in your industry, the more articulate you are about the best practices in your field, the sharper you will sound during your job interview.

If you have the funds, hire a reputable resume writer, and career coach. I know of a select few that I trust. Your online brand is critical. It is your equity. It can make you, or break you. Google yourself, see what pops up. Give your facebook page a facelift, and clean it up. Recruiters are looking at your page, so are hiring managers. #Fact. Tweet positive up beat statements, relevant articles, and be careful to give your online community something memorable, and information of value.

I make my living as a social media strategist.  With that said, I meet as many people IRL in real life as I can.  I attend industry relevant networking meetings, professional associations, conferences, tweet ups, meet ups, clubs, and events.  Social media is a great place to learn of these events.  Bottom line HireFriday community: every now and then, step away from you key board.  That’s right, I said it.  Back away from your computer, open the window, and smell reality.  Unless you are looking for a job working remotely from your computer–put on your walking shoes and pound the pavement.  Your friends in the HireFriday community are here for you when you return.  Find us on facebook, linkedin and of course, on twitter.

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