How much tweeting is too much?

So, piggy backing off of all of the controversy, brought to you by, well, the one guy who tweeted the totally inappropriate pictures.. oh yeah, Rep. Anthony Wiener.

I feel like everything I read lately encourages social media users to USE THEIR HEAD when it comes to what they post online, however, based on things like this scandal, and some of the posts my young adult friends put online, some people are simply forgetting what that what they post online, doesn’t go away because of the delete button. People are updated on what you’re doing in real time. Chances are someone saw it before you deleted…

Its ironic that, just a day before this scandal came out, I read an article, on cosmopolitan’s website, of all places, discussing the 7 signs you’re tweeting too much (article is below, and its hysterical… refer to number one!)

http://www.cosmopolitan.com/advice/tips/anthony-weiner-twitter-picture-scandal

But this primarily women’s magazine has some great points.

1. What you post online is always there
2. Not every thought that crosses your mind is a brilliant one

However, I feel people neglect their full twitter potential. Instead of using it to connect to professionals, network and enhance career opportunities, they use it to update how much they drink, what their eating, and how much they hate their jobs. Who wants to hire that person.

Don’t get me wrong, I use twitter for fun things, and to follow an obnoxious celeb or two 😉 however, it is full of so much more potential, and I would love to see more young adults use it to further their career, or even their cultural awareness…

Things I’ve learned in college

I blame my lack of blogging on my lack of 1. Time and 2. A computer. Good thing, because of graduation, both have been fixed! I am now blogging from my brand new motorola zoom, which I love. And since I have some time before my big girl job with Marriott begins, I figured I would take this time to reflect a little bit on the things that college has taught me.

I can hardly believe that four years has gone by since I began my journey with Missouri State University. In beginning college I received many different pieces of advice, most of which I ignored and continued to live my life how I felt it should be lived. However, upon my completion, I can now confess that not all of it is total BS. Some advice really has weight and I have decided to dediczte this post to that.

Below are the top seven most important things I have learned in college. They may not apply to everything and everyone, but its how insurvibed, and if one piece of advise helps just one person, all the better.

1. Get Involved
The best way to network, to expand your knowledge, and to grow as a person is to get involved. It may sound cliche, but a lotI took away from college is from various leadership positions I help outside of class. join different clubs and organizations. You don’t have to be president or in a leadership position, but the more team building and group working experience you have the better you are at handling these situations in a work environment. It also puts you face to face with diffent advisors and other leaders on campus, which encourages professionalism and expands your network.

2. Clean Up Your Social Media
I’ve said it a million times, but its relevant here again. Clean it up. You won’t get hired if you’re making a fool of yourself on the internet.

3. Get to Know Your Professors
Before I got to school someone told me that if you pick one professors every semester to get to know, youll know 8 (or for some people 10 or 12) professors really well by the time you graduate. That’s 8 potential letters of recommendation, or 8 different connections to potential job opportunities. My advice to add to this is to get to know the professors in your major, and your department head. If they can recognize you, and even if theybjust know one thing about you it can go a long way. Make use of their office hours and class time. This also goes for the other students in your major. Get to know them, they’ll be great connections later in life.

4. Use the Library
I didn’t do this enough in school. Mostly because it never stayed open late enough for my study habits… however, as I got older I realized that it had a lot of really great things to offer (including a text book or two that I didn’t need to buy) but the library has a lot of different things to take advantage of, so use it.

5. Don’t Buy the Text Book until the Professor says so
It never fails. You spend $400 on a text book, never use it, and sell it back for $6 because the professor decided to upgrade to a new edition. Wait until they tell you you need it to buy it. My entire last year of college I didn’t buy a single text book, and I received some of by best grades.

6. Have Fun
Don’t spend all of your time studying. College isn’t just about learning book smarts, its also about learning social skills, meeting new people, and making life long friends. If there is one thing I did in college it was have a good time. I don’t mean you have to party all the time, but certainly make sure you take advantage of this time. You’re only in college once (well, most people are..) so enjoy it.

7. Use Your Resources
Every college and university is filled with different opportunities to help their students further their professional skills. Take advantage of all of these. The career center, career testing, resume workshops, mock interviews and career fairs are just a few examples of what Missouri State offered. I got my job through a recruiters fair, and I know many of my friends have too, and many who haven’t attended often regret not doing so.. Even if you don’t get a job offer, get business cards and send thank you notes. They’ll always remember you!

Those are my seven tips on college. I could probably write 100 more, but that would be excessive, and probably make me go into stories that I don’t want to discuss at this point in time. College was the best four years of my life, and while I know I’m in for some really amazing new experiences, I wish it didn’t have to end just yet. I guess that’s why some people take 6 years to finish, huh?

Network at an Airport?

So, my brilliant plans to blog are always thwarted by my crazy life. I wish I had just a little more time for it, but, after the surviving the past couple of weeks, well, I am in the home stretch. All the awaits me now is a job, and “the real world”. I couldn’t be more excited.

A couple of weeks ago, I actually started constructing a post about networking. It’s my favorite thing to talk about, to write about, and to encourage people to particpate in. More in more in our classes and our industries we hear the phrase, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” Well, to some people, that is really hard to grasp. They just spent four (or five) years working towards a degree, and now they find out that doesn’t matter, they just neede to know the right person?! Kind of frustrating… I know.

However, networking shouldn’t be a hassle, afterall “networking” is just talking. It’s a simple conversation with a stranger. I know this doesn’t come as easily to a lot of people as it does to myself (heck, I used to sit climb out my second story window to say hi to my neighbors,) but when it comes down to it, networking is just conversing.

I recently took a trip to LA for a job interview. On the way out there and back, I decided to try some different networking tricks. I have been lucky to be able to attend a lot of structured networking events, but I had never just gone out and talked to random people for the sake of finding out about them. So, out of the hundreds of people you come into contact with when traveling, there had to be somebody I could talk to.

I was surprised at how receptive everyone was to my friendliness. Just a smile can go a long way in the stresses of traveling. On my flight to LA I was seating next to a middle aged, well dressed gentleman. I just smiled, introduced myself and asked him is LA was his final destination. That was all it took, and we chatted and laughed for the entire 4 hour plane ride. I am not saying that everyone would have reacted this way; certainly some people like to be left alone when flying. I am just saying, it never hurts to try. With a simple smile and an introduction I started networking.

Only, it didn’t stop there. on the flight home I decided to sit at the bar in the restuarant to eat. I did this for two reasons 1. I was alone, so I didn’t want to take up a whole table and 2. The bar seems to be where all the people on business trips go to sit. Talk about some interesting people! My opener with them? “Where is your destination today?” Works like a charm. Everyone wants to talk about themselves, right? In half an hour I had met four more people. On that plane ride I sat in the same aisle as a young man in computer tech and a 17 year old on her way home from Spring Break.

What I learned from this experience is that, you never know who you could meet. That person sitting next to you could be your big break, or they could be someone who can just keep you company for a 4 hour plane ride. No matter how you look at it, it’s a win-win situation. After I got back from my trip, I couldn’t stop talking about these incredible people that I had met. Some of them I had only met for 30 mintues, but I still remembered everything we had talked about. After describing this experience, one of my sorority sisters shared an article with me that I have included the link to.

Airport Networking

The author includes 5 Keys to Successfully Network with Strangers.

I deeply agree with number 4 and 5. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from just taking a chance at networking with someone.

As for number 3, if you are trying to network for business purposes, this is definitely great advice. However, I am not one for stereotyping myself. I think that you can learn something from everyone. Even if they aren’t going to provide you with a career advancement, they might have some really great advice. For me, everyone I met was all about offering advice; advice on my career, on how to succeed in my interview, on what to do after college. It was a great experience, and something I think more student need to take advantage of.

Presentation is Everything

Sound familiar? Probably because every single person you have ever met has told you this at one point or another. No matter the context to which they were applying it, it literally can apply to everything you do in life. Whether it’s a project, a event or a culinary dish, the way something is presented is what makes it desirable.

Same goes for you and how you present yourself. And I’m not just talking about the way you dress. Presentation is more than nice clothes. It’s in the way you walk, the way you hold yourself and the language you use. As a graduating senior and a leader of mutliple organization I have been through many classes, seminars and conferences that teach you how to promote and brand yourself in a positive way. You are ALWAYS representing your self, wherever you are. You never know when you’re going to meet someone who you would like to impress, or who could be a potential employer. Here are some tips I follow in my day-to-day life I wanted to share.

smile
Someone who smiles is so much more likeable than someone who doesn’t. You don’t look at someone who looks angry and think, “That’s someone who I want to work with.” No, you think, “Are they going to kill me?”  or, “They’re not going to be fun to work with.” Not the greatest impression. Whether it’s in an interview, a meeting for a group project or even just being in class, a little smile can go a long way. Wherever you are, you should represent the best image of your self, and why not make that image a happy one.

dress appropriately and always dress for success
This is the most important rule
Sometimes this can require a little research because it depends on the occasion. Obviously, for an interview you know you should wear business clothes. My advice is to know the event you’re going to and what type of dress will be required. If you unsure don’t be afraid to ask. When in doubt my rule-to-live-by is dress it up. Also, so frequently I see my peers go to class in hoodies and sweatpants. While I have no personal problem with it, I think building professionalism at a younger age is really important, and something as simple as showering and wearing jeans can go a long way, even on campus.

learn the correct dialogue
Different industries, organizations and departments use different “lingo” and a word or slogan that might mean one things to one group could mean something entirely different to another. Before going to a meeting or interview where you might not be completely sure of what is going to be talked about, do your research first. Look at the companies website to maintain an adequate knowledge of their background as well as infer any industry norms. Also, ensure that you are being professional in your word choice. Don’t use slang or street terms. Start to move away from these in everyday life and your use of them will seem foreign when you get into professional situations, meaning they’re less likely to slip out.

know your audience
This is something that is hard for Generation X-ers to comprehend. Often, we don’t understand why certain people in older generations think certain ways or believe certain things.  I know it’s a huge barrier to breach, but when you are trying to network with someone, or get a job with their company, it’s important to understand where they might be coming from. Whether they are a Baby-Boomer or a Generation Y-er, the way they analyze life and the views they have will be entirely different from your own. Research it before going into a meeting or work place and you will have some background knowledge that will make your successes easier.

As always I am open to new suggestions and thoughts about new ways to promote your professionalism in college students while we’re still here.

What is the best advice you have ever been told about have to present yourself?

social media branding

In the past couple of weeks I have been thinking a lot about social media, technology and how it’s shaping our lives. It’s inevitable that our futures lie within these technologies, but when we come from a generation of “information overload” and “over-sharing” is it possible for these younger generations to actually be professional?

As a Senior, about to graduate from Missouri State, I have been conscientiously thinking about my “online presence.” Will these things that I put online in my past actually affect my likelihood of attaining a job in the future? And if so, why did someone not tell me that 6 years ago when I first signed up for myspace, and then again when I signed up for facebook. Now I have twitter, linkedin and two blogging sites and you’re honestly telling me that none of the things I have ever posted will ever be completely gone? sheesh!

The thing is, it does, and it will. I recently have taken a huge interest in social media branding. I attended a seminar for college students on social media and online presence and the things I learned were incredible. Here is a link to the blog Campus to Career which has all of the information from the seminar, as well as a lot of other valuable information for college students.

To reiterate some of the points made in the article, as well as some of my own personal thoughts on social media and branding yourself online I would like to mention 8 guidelines on how to market yourself online. Now as a disclaimer, I am in no way an “industry professional.” These are just rules I live by, and would encourage you to do the same.

1. Not everyone is perfect.
And if your sites aren’t perfect, don’t worry about it. Tackle one media outlet at a time, get really familiar with it, and seek feedback from people who use it all the time. I got some great feedback on networks like LinkedIn from social media professionals because they just want to help. No one is going to be annoyed by you.

2. Keep your settings on private.
And yes, I am well aware that there are software programs out there that allow corporations to see through these privacy settings, but not every employer will have them. Just to be safe, allow yourself that extra precaution. You never know when someone might tag you in a picture from 8 years ago at “that one party” and you don’t have time to go “untag” it. play it safe.

3. Be careful about who you add.
We all have the obnoxious friends that post inappropriate things on our walls, have crude profile pictures or are application junkies. Think twice about the person requesting you before you add them. It might hurt their feelings, but if it might hurt you professionally, that might be a sacrifice you have to make.

4. Clean up your image.
We all have those pictures. You know the ones I’m talking about. when you first got social media and you took the “myself in the mirror” picture. Or the, “my 18 year-old-self-holding-a-beer-can-because-I’m-in-college picture”. Everyone has fun. It’s just a matter of not exposing it to the world. This is a tough battle to fight with younger students who don’t yet appreciate the art of subtlety. Just think, if my BOSS right now saw this, what would they say? What about the boss of your dream job?

5. Connect to businesses and groups you’re interested in.
The best way to give feedback to companies you are interested in, is online. Like them on FB. Follow them on twitter. Establish an online presence with them well before you start seeking employment with them. That way, they can see that you have held interest in them for a long time. Kudos to you.

6. Use these sites to network.
It’s tempting to post ridiculous stories from last night, or use twitter to @ your friends. And that really is fine. But is that all you want these sites to say about you? Use these sites to connect to industry professionals. “Start a conversation.” Build yourself professionally. After all, the things you post will be there, forever.

7. Don’t be afraid to change your image.
So yes, you used to be the person to upload pictures from parties the second you got home. Or, you used to tweet about every little thing you did during the day. Don’t be afraid to change that. Yes, it might be online forever, but it will be apparent that those parts of you have matured, and you are making an effort to change your image.

8. Be positive.
This is more like one of my life mottos, not necessarily something to live by in social media. Consider this though. How many times have you been tempted to “unfollow” or “unfriend” someone because all they can talk about is “how much they hate their (insert here: life, job, significant other, family, etc.) ” Not exactly the type of stuff you want to surround yourself with in real life, never mind read online. So just remember, people see enough bad things throughout their days, they don’t want to hear about your bad life on top of it.