How to Achieve your Goals

 

The answer to this question is consistency. Regardless of what you are trying to accomplish, if you are consistent in your approach, you will be successful in achieving your goals. Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself. Look at it this way; if you want to develop tennis skills, you have to hit tons of tennis balls. If your goal is to run a marathon, you have to run…A LOT! If you want to learn a new language, you have to immerse yourself in it for long periods of time. Show me a leader in any arena, and I’ll show you a model of consistency.

It’s a New Year and if you’re like me, you felt an obligation to declare a resolution or two, something in your life that you want to accomplish. If you’ve had trouble in the past sticking to your resolutions then let me help…BE CONSISTENT! It doesn’t matter how you do, the bottom line is successful people just figure out a way to get it done.

Many of you will make resolutions to find a job before you graduate. The best piece of advice I can give you is to be consistent. The bad news about the job market in the media is enough to make anyone feel hopeless. But let me assure you, there ARE jobs out there. And the students that are consistent and persistent are the ones that are finding them.

A consistent approach also includes not cutting any corners, especially in your job search. Tend to your professional network. Do your employer research. Have your resume and cover letter looked over again…for the 20th time! Work on your smile and handshake. Practice your interview responses out loud in front of the mirror. Dress your best. Trim your nails. Yes, all these little things count.

Beating yourself up over past failures will get you nowhere. We’ve all been in situations where things just didn’t go our way. It’s more important to learn from your mistakes and only use the past as a reference point. A much better use of your time and energy is to focus on the future. Visualize success by keeping your eye on the prize. The pictures in your mind will carry you through.

So, don’t miss out on this opportunity to be consistent in your approach to fulfilling your goals. TODAY is your chance at a new start. Decide what you want to accomplish and take action. Don’t stop until you reach the finish line. Be consistent in everything you do and success is sure to follow.

5 Tips for Successfully Attending a Career Fair

1. Create a game plan
2. Start talking
3. Find out what’s next
4. Make a good impression
5. Network with everyone

Create a game plan
When possible, arrive early to the career fair. When you arrive, pick up a map of the booths and take a quick stroll around to locate where your preferred employers are stationed. Start at the bottom of your “preferred employers” list so that you can be warmed up and confident when you approach your top targets. Before you leave, it’s a good idea to return to the employers you’re interested in the most to say thanks and restate your interest. Be sure to write your name and major legibly on your name tag.

If you’re introverted, consider attending with a friend. It can be easier to approach an employer if you have a friend by your side. That said, be sure that you’re the one that shines in that exchange.  Work with your friend so that each of you know which employers are of greatest interest to each of you, so the person with the greatest interest is the one that has the floor when interacting with that employer.

Start talking
It’s important to realize that recruiters spent a great deal of time and money to be at this career fair. If they weren’t looking to hire, they wouldn’t be there. Don’t be shy when it comes to introducing yourself. You only have a few minutes to impress the recruiter, especially if there is a long line.

1. Offer your handshake and say hello.
2. Start with your polished introduction that you’ve practiced and then let the conversation flow naturally.
3. Ask any questions you’ve prepared in advance for that particular recruiter and take notes sparingly.
4. Hand the recruiter a copy of your resume.

Don’t be afraid to speak with companies outside of your field. For example, students interested in business often shy away from tech companies however; tech companies may have positions in human resources, accounting, and finance available.

What’s next?
Before saying good-bye, you need to know what to expect next. Is the employer hosting an information session later that evening? Will they be interviewing on campus in the next couple of days? Do they want you to submit your resume online in GauchoLink? Ask the recruiter HOW you should follow up with them and WHEN. Be sure to get a business card, reiterate your interest in the position and extend your hand for a good-bye handshake. Be sure to thank them for their time and for coming to the event.

Make a good impression

Do…

• When shaking hands, be sure to look the recruiter in the eye and smile confidently.
• Be professional, enthusiastic, and courteous to everyone you meet.
• Be yourself and let your personality shine through.
• Think of your conversation with the recruiter as a mini interview because really, that’s what it is.

Don’t…

• Be shy or stiff
• Ramble, fidget, or slouch
• Say anything negative about yourself, your current or former employer or boss, or anyone for that matter.
• Chew gum, eat, or sip a beverage while in conversation with a recruiter.

Network with everyone
Besides recruiters, there are many other people at a career fair. Talk to other students while waiting in line or when walking around. They just might have an inside tip about talking with recruiters that you didn’t know. You never know, you might just make a new friend in the process. Don’t hesitate to talk with the Career Services staff members that are hosting the event. Many of them have relationships with several of the recruiters and would be more than happy to help with an introduction.

Photos by Palmer

5 Tips for Students in Preparing for Career Fairs

Career fairs offer a unique opportunity to get face-to-face with employers who are looking to hire you. They bring dozens of recruiters for a variety of industries, all in one place, all in one day. If you’re graduating soon and looking for a job, what more could you ask for?

I surveyed UCSB career counselors and created our top FIVE tips for preparing for a career fair.

1. Research Employers
2. Polish Your Resume
3. Dress for Impress
4. Practice Your Handshake
5. Prepare and Practice Your Introduction

Research Employers
It’s critical to know who’s going to be at the career fair before you show up. Log into your GauchoLink account and review the list of employers that will be in attendance. Many of them will also indicate which positions they are recruiting for. Create a list of employers that are of most interest to you and then review their website to find something to introduce into the conversation. It will make you more confident with your interaction with the employer.

Polish Your Resume
Make sure you get your resume looked at by a career counselor or attend Resumania to have an employer critique it. We recommend that you create a separate resume for each recruiter you plan to meet. Also, create several generic ones that you can pass out to employers you weren’t expecting to meet. In addition to your resume, consider bringing a portfolio of other work samples you are proud of. Show you’re serious about your job search buy printing your professional documents on a quality resume paper available at most print centers.

Dress to Impress
First impressions are extremely important and, since career fairs are professional events, it’s essential to look your best. Leave your gym shorts, cut off jeans, and t-shirts at home. Make sure you look clean, neat, and well groomed. Iron your clothes; polish your shoes, clean under your fingernails and use cologne, perfume, make-up, and jewelry very conservatively. Looking sharp also goes along way to increasing your confidence.

Practice Your Handshake
When approaching an employer, engage your full hand, palm to palm. Grip firmly but don’t crush. Look the recruiter in the eye while shaking his or her hand and smile. Pump 2-3 and then release. Try rubbing a little antiperspirant on your hands for a nice dry handshake.

Prepare and Practice Your Introduction
The most important thing you can do to prepare for a career fair is to know what you have to offer. Your introduction should be relatively short and include a) your name; b) your major/minor c) your year in school and d) your experience, skills, and/or accomplishments that are proud of that are relevant to the employer. Share a unique story about your experience that helps get you remembered. Don’t be afraid to show some enthusiasm. You want the recruiter to remember YOU, not just your resume. Ask yourself how you can stick out from the other 500 equally qualified and experienced students. Practice your introduction out loud in front of a mirror or with a friend until it just rolls of your tongue.

Using Social Media to Help Students Create & Manage their Professional Brand

Social Media & Personal Branding- InternBridge- Gallardo.ppt

This is my webinar PPT for the 2010 InternBridge Online Career Conference (http://www.internbridge.com/workshops/cscabout.htm) on August 20, 2010.

Webinar Summary: Personal branding is the internet’s hottest buzz word and according to an article in Time magazine,” The majority of kids coming out of college today are essentially generic”. In order for students to develop their personal brand, they must first understand themselves and their unique value to a potential employer. Their personal brand is only effective if it communicates why they are different from the next candidate and motivates an employer to choose them. The focus of this workshop is to help students utilize social media to set themselves apart from the crowd and command more opportunities.

Tuning into Twitter- CSU Fullerton Panel Notes

How are you utilizing Twitter?
Professionally, I manage the UCSB Career Service Twitter Feed (currently with over 1600 followers) to disseminate information regarding upcoming events/workshops, new services, Job of the Day, and information related to the campus, specific UCSB departments, and the Goleta/Santa Barbara area job market.
Personally, I started using Twitter as a way to connect via text messaging with family/friends while my wife and I were expecting our first child in early 2008. Currently, I use Twitter for career information, sports & news updates, and for information related to UCSB, Goleta, & Santa Barbara. I also share information about what’s going on in my community, at UCSB, and related to my interests (wine, tennis, music, etc…)

What benefits do you feel it has?
I feel it has a lot of benefit for stay on top of the most current news and information on specific topics. The purpose of Twitter is to not only be informed regarding topics and things that you are interested in but to share information with others. It can also be a valuable tool for building/managing your online professional presence. Ex. I learned about a blogging opportunity from Cramster.com via Twitter and have guest blogged for them on several occasions. This has given me the opportunity to share an area of expertise and build my online professional brand.

Why should someone explore using it?
People should explore Twitter to get current news and information regarding a specific topic. Companies should integrate in their recruiting practices and students should utilize it as an additional resource in the job search. You should also explore Twitter as a tool for creating and managing an online professional brand.

What tips do you have for maximizing the tool?
Don’t just follower Twitter feeds that are of interest to you but also share information relevant that is of relevance to you. Definitely use 3^rd party clients (like HootSuite or TweetDeck) for managing multiple social networks, lists, and for making everything a lot easier.

How can someone get started?
Use the Twitter search feature to see what being tweeted about a topic of interest. When you’re ready to create a FREE account, search for feeds that you’d like to follow. There are many uses for Twitter so you want to decide how you want to you use it: information collection, brand management, etc…

What things should they consider before getting started?
Twitter, as with all social networks, is intended to be “social”. It’s about promoting yourself and creating online presence or digital resume. What that looks like is up to you.

Do you have any “success stories” to share?
Employers have registered for our events and connected to us because they have found us on Twitter.
Guest blogging opportunity
Latest career information and trends

Twitter Job Board Resources:

http://www.TwitterJobSearch.com
http://tweetmyjobs.com/

 By Company

@attjobs – Jobs at AT&T
@mtvnetworksjobs – Jobs at MTV
@TRCareers – Jobs from Thomson Reuters 

 
By Industry
@alldevjobs – Developer jobs
@ArtDirectorJobs – Art director jobs
@cwjobs – Copywriter jobs
@jobsinhiphop – Jobs in Hip-Hop
@journalism_jobs – Jobs in journalism
@juicyjobs – Green jobs
@libgig_jobs – Library Jobs
@mediabistrojobs – Media job listings from mediabistro.com
@medical_jobs – Medical jobs
@media_pros – Jobs for media professionals
@narmsjobs – Retailretail

marketing jobs
@PRSAjobcenter – Jobs in public relations, communications and marketing
@reflectx – Physical Therapy jobs
@seojobs – SEO job listings
@socialmediajob – Jobs in social media
@travelmaxallied – Healthcare jobs
@travelnursejob – Jobs for traveling nurses
@usmusicjobs – US Music Jobs
@web_design_jobs – Web design and other graphics jobs

 
By Job Type
@findinternships – Internships and entry level jobs for college students
@freelance_jobs – Freelance jobs
@heatherhuhman – Entry level jobs and internships
@Project4Hire – Freelance and temporary jobs
@jewish_jobs – Jewish job listings

Other Resources:

HOW TO: Find a Job on Twitter (via Mashable.com) http://mashable.com/2009/03/13/twitter-jobs/
HOW TO: Build the Ultimate Social Media Resume (via Mashable.com)
http://mashable.com/2009/01/13/social-media-resume/

 
HootSuite- social networking management client. For my money (it’s FREE), it’s the best client out there. http://hootsuite.com/dashboard#

• –Manage multiple social networks (Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, etc..)
• Team workflow (multiple users)- allows more than one person to access an account
• Statistics- print & export
• Multi-column view with tab layout- view home, sent, mentions, and search feeds.
• Easy follower management- quickly see who’s following you and who you’re following
•  WordPress integration
• Save as draft messaging- come back and finish a tweet later
• File uploads- attached video/photos via TwitPic & TwitVid
• Tweet scheduling- send a tweet at a date/time that you specifiy
• Twitter list management- group like feeds into one list
•  Save searches as columns
• Ping.fm Integration- update multiple social networks at once
• Clickable hashtags

You 2.0 – How to gain a competitive edge using social media

The importance of building an online professional brand has increased with the popularity of social media. Whether we like it or not, employers are checking Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and other web 2.0 sites to find information about us that is being used to make hiring decisions. What they find can help or hurt our chances of securing employment. In the current economic climate, we can’t afford to look generic. As a career counselor, I meet with lots of students and what I’ve learned is that few take full advantage of the benefits of using social media in their job search. In this post, I will highlight ways to use social media in creating and managing an online presence that enhances your professional brand to gain a competitive edge in the job search.

First, let’s meet Lily. Lily recently graduated from UC Santa Barbara this past June and is currently looking for a job in advertising/marketing. She earned a B.S. in Psychology and completed her degree with an impressive 3.2 GPA. During her senior year, she held a leadership position as the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Psychology Association. She worked a couple of part-time jobs during her time at UCSB and also spent 2 quarters interning for the marketing department of a local non-profit agency. Lily utilized the resources at the career center to research occupations, take career assessments, and attend an interview skills workshop. She also attended a company information session and made a few marketing contacts at the Spring Career Fair.

Lily has been proactive about preparing herself for the working world but has heard terrible things about the job market and the economy in newspapers and on TV. She’s also heard some horror stories from her friends who are also struggling to secure jobs after graduation. A few of her classmates decided to enroll in graduate school simply to avoid finding a job altogether. A few others have applied for Teach for America or Americorps but are still waiting to hear back. Yet others have decided to move home with their parents, who are sympathetic with them about the tough economy, and have generously offered to float them for a couple of months while they continue looking into their options. All the news about the competitive job market, company layoffs and downsizing, and the rising unemployment rate has students like Lily scared and approaching the job search process in the wrong way. She doesn’t realize that her insecurities and fears can come across in the job search, especially in interviews, inadvertently sabotaging her chance at landing a job.

In other words, Lily is your typical recent grad, one of many across the country today who has graduated from college and still looking for employment. But Lily can’t afford to be generic. It’s a highly competitive job market out there and it’s important that she demonstrates why she is not just your average recent grad. These days, she needs more than just a resume to attractive potential employers. By creating a powerful, professional brand, Lily can demonstrate why her skills and experience should be highly valued by employers, set her apart from the crowd, and command more opportunities.

Lily needs to ask herself a few questions: Who is she? What is she known for? Why does it matter? The secret behind a powerful brand lies in creating and providing value. This means creating a knowledge base or expertise and being a resource and information provider to others. When you think in terms of creating value and being a resource to others, your mentality changes from “What can this employer do for me” to “How can my skills benefit the company”. This demonstrates that Lily has an understanding of her strengths and how they can be applied to benefit the employer.

Lily isn’t a stranger to the web 2.0 world. She’s been using Facebook to connect with friends and created a LinkedIn profile that she hasn’t done much with it. She’s also created a blog for a class project but hasn’t maintained it in a few months. Whether she realizes it or not, she already has a brand based on her online presence. Because a large percentage of employers admit to researching potential candidates online and making hiring decision based on that information means it’s time for Lily to clean up any “digital dirt” and start maintaining a professional online identity. This is the most powerful way to create a dynamic online network of the people Lily wants to connect with and provides her with the opportunity to showcase her skills and expertise. Social media doesn’t replace Lily’s resume but it can set her apart from the crowd and take advantage of the fact that employers are already looking for her online.

Here is my advice that Lily (or anyone) can use to create a professional online brand and revitalize the job search:

1.      Have a completed profile. Create a profile or bio that is reflective of your professional aspirations and goals. Check out other people’s profiles to get some suggestions. This is how people find you now and recognize you in the future so being honest is important. If you are a student looking for a job in sustainability, indicate so in your profile. Regardless of the social media tool, make sure your profile is 100% completed. LinkedIn actually shows you with a progress bar exactly what you need to do to get your profile to 100%. Facebook allows you to manage who sees the information in your profile. I suggest after creating your professional profile, that you adjust the security settings to allow anyone to view your profile, not just your friends. The idea is to take advantage of the fact that employers are looking for information about you online and that you can control the information that they find. Also, it’s a big mistake to not use a professional-looking photo of you. Having a completed profile helps you use social media to its fullest and shows potential employers that you mean business.

2.      Establish a marketing plan. Simply creating an account is not enough. Like a website, just because you build one, doesn’t mean people will come. With Twitter, for example, people need a reason to follow you. Start by sharing information that’s appealing and relevant to you and your job search. Read professional, career-related blogs in the industry that you are interested in and leave thoughtful comments for the author. Why not consider listing your web/blog address, Twitter handle, Facebook username and/or LinkedIn profile in your email signature? Facebook recently announced the opportunity to create a unique username that will give you a distinct web address for your profile. Just like a business card, your online professional brand is only useful when you get it out to people.

3.      Update your education/work experience. Just like your resume, social media offers the chance to promote your education and work experience. It’s important to make sure that these sections are robust. But you don’t have to start from scratch. As a matter of fact, I cut and pasted the education and experience sections of my resume straight into Facebook and LinkedIn. However, unlike your resume, you are not confined to one page. So include specific bullet points about your involvement in class and research projects, volunteer opportunities, student organizations, fraternities/sororities, and internships as well.

4.      Engage with your networks regularly. The real benefits of social media are when you make connections and build a network. Join professional groups that you might be interested in. Better yet, if you’re not finding what you’re looking for, then create your own group. Invite your contacts to join, post links to relevant articles and websites, and engage in discussions around topics of interest. Also, update your statuses regularly to indicate what projects that you are working, conferences you’ll be attending, or new websites that you find useful. In LinkedIn, get recommendations from people who can speak on behalf of your skills and experiences.

5.      Utilize 3^rd party apps. There are literally thousands of 3^rd party applications that can enhance your social media experience. Apps can make it easier to connect with others, share information, and further extend your professional brand. In LinkedIn, I’d recommend Trip Planner and Books. Trip Planner helps you connect with others that might be traveling to the same conference as you or could be used as a conversation starter (I see that you just got back from Argentina?). Books show others how you are feeding your brain and can include those that you’re reading for professional growth or for pleasure.

Web 2.0 and a Better Professional Life

 

This post is a collection of web resources that my colleague Dr. Don Lubach (@DonLubach) and I (@IgnacioGallardo) presented on today, May 20, 2009 at UCSB’s Professional Women’s Conference. We actually used Posterous in place of PowerPoint which worked great. I think that PowerPoint is dead, finally.

—————————-

UCSB Professional Women’s Association Conference 2009

Presented by Ignacio Gallardo & Don Lubach

LifeHacker
What is it? A blog with tips and downloads for getting things done.. A place where multiple authors share thoughts on a similar topic. In this case, it’s the topic of working smart. This is Hints from Heloise meets web 2.0.
Why should you care?  Do your friends ever watch you dialing your phone and then gently inform you that you can do this with your voice? What about the first time you learned about 1-800-Goog-411? If you’d like to experience that again and again, go to lifehacker. Founded by a female geek, Gina Trapani, it’s all about sensible use of tech tools. And also low tech tools.
Example:  In defense of distraction
Example:  Farmer’s Market tips example

BrazenCareerist
What is it? Web service and the top destination for young professionals. A community of leaders, forward-thinking organizations and everyone else who realizes that the way we define ourselves in both work and in life needs to change.
Why should you care? Intelligent dialogue and community interaction is what’s value on Brazen Careerist. What you will get out of Brazen Careerist is not a defined path, but the encouragement to define your own path. Brazen Careerist was founded by Penelope Trunk. Her career advice appears in more than 200 newspapers and magazines including Time magazine, San Francisco Chronicle and Boston Globe.
Example: Community Feed
Example: Coachology– Looking for advice? The Brazen Careerist coach’s specialize in a variety of personal and professional issues.

Spreeder
What is it? Free Speed Reading Trainer
Why should you care? If you spend as much time on the internets reading career-related and/or news articles like we do, this will help you read online articles much faster while still retaining information.
Example: NACE Special Report

Evernote
What is it? Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere.
Why should you care? — Especially if you have a phone. You can create a system that makes it OK for you to lose things.
Examples– How used: (video by a woman who uses it with her iPhone to capture books)

Twitter
What is it? Real-time micro-blogging service
A favorite tutorial

Why should you care? Twitter is about conversation and relationship building. It’s about building credibility and trust with the exact right target market. Remember the adage, “People do business with people they like. People do business with people they know. And people do business with people they trust.” Once you’ve built credibility, people will naturally want to know more about what you do and maybe they’ll do business with you. Once you’ve built trust, they’ll tell others about you.
Example: UCSB Career  
Example: Twitter Search

YouTube
What: Youtube is not just videos of kids doing skateboard tricks. It has everything. And it can be used for good. I have been using it to entertain a group of seniors at Wood Glen Hall every Tuesday for 4 years. Really. Consider using YouTube while you wait for your department’s beleaguered training budget to recover.

Example:

Posterous
What: Innovation blogging software. And you’re experiencing it right now!
Why should you care? Innovative, user friendly, multi-platform, and has nice pipes out to popular social media sites. You can post from a variety of email addresses and your phone. We also like the nice, clean display. Attachments and autoposting are handled very cleverly. Your presenters had an easy (and fun) time working together to post this talk using Posterous.
Example: You’re looking at it…

TED
What is it? Ideas worth spreading. Business books, creative magazines, a view into the future. All rolled into a conference that has been captured and shared. Dr. Kuchura Morin has presented. Ted 2nd Tuesdays.
Why should you care? A great source of inspiration. Please come to Career Services every 2nd Tuesday. Join our facebook group. Just watch the first TED video that looking interesting to you and, well, you’ll see.

LinkedIn
What is it? A giant, business-minded professional social network. Facebook but with a suit on.
Why should you care? LinkedIn is slowly becoming THE place to network with like-minded professionals, find jobs, and create/expand your professional brand. But it’s not only about making connections, it’s about making these connections be a resource to you.
Examples : LinkedIn Groups
Examples : Guy Kawasaki shares LinkedIn Job Hunting Tips

Remember the Milk
What is it? A powerful online to-do-list and task management application
Why should you care? Seems like we all have more and more to do in our daily lives. Keeping track of everything you have to do each day can be pretty touch, especially if you are balancing a career, a family, and/or school. With Remember the Milk you can keep track of tasks, lists, to-do items, and much more. It’s become increasingly important to have a convenient, easy-to-use, online solution for managing tasks that integrates nicely with other technologies.
Examples: Here are a few things you can do with RTM
Examples: Share tasks with others

Career Services
What is it? It is where Ignacio & Don conduct their careers. Ignacio manages the website.
Why should you care? Links to great career resources. A lot of free content. As fellow professionals, we invite you to our workshops and public events — the more you understand how we work, the more we can all serve the students. We want you to have a working GauchoLink account so you can post jobs for your department. We are ready to help you with this.

Top 5 Web 2.0 Apps for College Students

Especially when in comes toFacebook, today’s college students are no strangers to the benefits of socialmedia. More than 80% of college students have profiles on Facebook. However,when I randomly poll students here at UCSB regarding the other major socialmedia sites out there, I see very few hands go up. For whatever reason, itseems that students have yet to embrace the rich value of other social mediatools.

Here is a list of five ofmy favorite web 2.0 apps that can help you network, collaborate, communicate,and make your daily college/life tasks a bit easier. Of course there is alwaysa learning curve and not every tool is for everyone. But I urge you to try themout for yourself and see which ones indeed make going about your day a littleeasier. Best part, each service is free.

Cramster- http://www.cramster.com/
Last month, a Mashable online article rated Cramster #1 in their ‘10 Must-Try Social Media Sites for CollegeStudents’ (http://mashable.com/2009/04/16/social-media-college/).Cramster prides itself as the premiere community of study groups for collegestudents taking Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering,Math, Mechanical Engineering and Physics. Membership is free however there is apremium member option for approximately $10 a month that provides you with additionalbenefits. As a member, I can create a profile, get step-by-step solutions totextbook problems, access lecture notes and resources, try practice problems,post questions and answers on the Q&A Board, and accumulate Karma points thatcan be redeemed for rewards.

I found thePractice section quite useful. You can browse practice problems by subject andby degree of difficulty (easy, medium, & hard). Their Q&A board acts asan online tutorial service and allows you to post questions and findinformation that is not typically found in textbooks. For the most part, I’vefound the board to be active and busy and can be a valuable resource forstudents. Cramster also offers information via their Study Blog, where industryexperts and guest bloggers post useful information on just about everythingfrom study tips to social networking. But I don’t need to tell you that, youreading one right now.

Twitter- http://twitter.com/
I’ve been completely fascinated with the quick rise and transformation of Twitter,especially over the past couple of months. I originally signed up for anaccount in February of 2008 and thought that it would be great way for friendsand family to stay connected as my wife and I anticipated the arrival of ourfirst child. I tweeted when I found out we were having a girl and I tweetedwhen we were on our way to the hospital after my wife went into labor. With onetext message, I was able to update everyone important to us about the arrivalof our daughter, the time of birth, weight, and length.

The way I am using Twitterthese days has completely changed. Now I use Twitter to connect with friends,get the latest sports news from ESPN, network with other professionals in myfield, stay updated on current trends in many different industries, and share information- with new uses constantly emerging. I know what the critics are saying; who reallycares about what you’re doing right now or the last thing we need are moreinterruptions in our hyper-connected lives. But with Twitter, I’m able totailor the information that’s of interest to me with no obligation to respondlike email or IM. Twitter proved to be invaluable resource during the recentJesusita fire in Santa Barbara.The local radio and news stations were tweeting fire updates and the SantaBarbara Red Cross was sharing evacuation information. As a student looking fora job, particularly in the social media industry, Twitter has to be consideredamong the top resources to network and learn about any industry.

LinkedIn- http://www.linkedin.com/
During Joel Cheesman’s keynote at the 2008 National Association of Colleges andEmployers Annual Conference, he said, “If you are not encouraging your studentsto join LinkedIn, you are doing them a disservice.” LinkedIn is all aboutmaking connections and building a professional network. Admittedly, it took mea while to see the value and viewed it as just another social networking site.But once I constructed my profile, added a few contacts, and began networkingwith likeminded people across the country in my profession, I soon began torealize the potential of this site.

I recently blogged aboutways students can use LinkedIn to find a job. I revealed some tips to buildinga network, created a professional brand, find hiring managers, and getting theword out to that you are looking for a job. (See my blog for the post: http://ignacio.posterous.com/). Onceyou’ve built your network, it’s important to find a way to add value to it.Recently, I created a group specifically for career center staff interested inlearning ways to use Twitter at their university/college. I gathered someuseful links and resources, invited other career center staff in my network tojoin, and began a discussion. Within just a couple of weeks, there were over 50members from both in and out of my network productively engaged in dialogue,sharing information and resources, and making new connections.

LinkedInrecently added a couple new features, ‘Answers’ and ‘Polls. The new ‘Answers’feature allows you to submit a question for the entire LinkedIn network to viewand respond to. You can also be an expert by answering questions and sharingyour knowledge. The ‘Polls’ feature allows you to quickly and easily create apoll, distribute it to your network or to a selected group of professionals(targeted by the expertise you are looking for), and collect useful data thatcan be analyzed and shared with everyone in your network.

Posterous- http://posterous.com/
I believe people blog to have a voice, to express opinions and perspectivesabout the things they care about which wouldn’t normally be heard in mainstreammedia. When I finally decided to start a professional blog, I needed to select bloggingsoftware. I use Google’s Blogger for our family blog to share photos, videosand updates about our new daughter with family and friends. I had thought aboutusing Blogger for my professional blog as well but ultimately decided it wouldbe more valuable to experience other software instead. With that in mind, Ilooked for software that took a new approach to blogging. As it turned out, thesearch wasn’t long and the results were clear.

Posterous, in my opinion,is the most innovative blogging platform out there, primarily because it usesemail as its primary interface. It’s extremely easy to set up, allowingyou to post new things online fast, even from multiple email addresses. Usingemail as a blogging interface makes perfect sense. All you have to do is sendan email to: post@posterous.com and your new entries are posted instantlyto your blog. If you can use email, then you can have your own website to sharethoughts and media with friends, family and the world.

Two additional uniquefeatures are attachments and autoposting. When you attach files to an email,Posterous performs cleverly. Photos are resized with the option to view inoriginal size, videos are flash encoded and embedded, and mp3s are added to aflash player. Posterous also allows you to integrate your blog posts with othersocial media platforms. For instance, with the autoposting feature, it’spossible to configure Posterous to automatically update your blog, Twitteraccount and Facebook account, all at the same time. For students looking tocreate a professional brand using an innovative blogging platform, Posterous isthe way to go.

Remember the Milk-http://www.rememberthemilk.com/
In college, keepingtrack of everything you have to do each day can be a pretty tough challenge. Asa college student, I was a list maker and used a daily calendar to keep trackof deadlines for class projects, work hours, and meeting times with my academicadvisor or career counselor. Even more so today, having a convenient onlinesolution for daily task management that integrates nicely with othertechnologies is crucial. Remember the Milk provides just that solution.

At first glance, RTM canseem a little intimidating. But after you spend a little time learning all thefeatures, you will soon begin to discover what a simple yet powerfulproductivity tool it can be. It allows you to create and manage tasks, sortthem into convenient lists, and assign due dates and reminders. You can choosetext-message and e-mail reminders of due dates and it supports mobile access fromany web-enable cell phone. You can also add new tasks by sending an email to aunique address created for you. Instead of logging into RTM each time to createa new task, I created an email signature template which I fill out and sendaway. Emails sent to this address automatically appear in your RTM inbox whichyou can file under the appropriate list or check as completed. Some of theother highlights include full integration with Google Calendar (which doesn’teven have a task manager), the ability to add tasks via Twitter (although I’lladmit I haven’t really played with this feature yet), and a Firefox extensionthat adds a to-do list directly to your Gmail account.

Advice on Using LinkedIn to Find a Job

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For most students feelsearching for a job can be difficult, especially if you limit yourself to joblisting websites or waiting for your parents to call you with a position. Inthis strange economic climate, it takes a creative, proactive job seeker to besuccessful. One commonly overlooked job search tool, or at least one that manystudents don’t know how to effectively utilize, is LinkedIn .

LinkedIn has over 39million members in 170 industries. Most of its members are employedprofessionals with successful track records and not people looking to postsomething on your “Wall” or comment on your status. Professionals on LinkedIninclude executives from Fortune 500 companies, non-profit leaders, and morethan a few human resources managers. Most disclose what they do, where theywork now, and where they’ve worked in the past. Talk about a target-richenvironment, and the service is FREE.

There are many resourcesavailable on the web that offer tips and advice for maximizing LinkedIn foryour job search. I’ve summarized my favorite tips below that can have youtaking advantage of this powerful social networking tool in no time. If youhave a friend who’s looking for a job, encourage them to check out these tipsas well and invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn. Just one important notebefore you begin implementing these tips. It’s a really good idea to make sureyou’ve filled out your profile thoroughly and professionally and have added atleast 10 connections.

As a career counselor, it’smy job to help students find jobs so feel free to add me to your network ofconnections as well (http://www.linkedin.com/in/ignaciogallardo).Here are my tips for using LinkedIn to find a job:

1.      Get the word out. It’simportant to tell your entire network (family, friends, professors, etc…) thatyou’re looking for a job. More so today, a job search these days requires the“law of big numbers”. The more people who know you’re looking, the betterchance you’ve got a landing a position. Use LinkedIn’s “status updates” to letyour network know about your current situation.

2.      Find out where people with yourbackground and education are working. Find companies that employ people like you by doingan advanced search for people in your area who have your skills, education, andexperience. If you want to write, search for “journalism” if you want to codein Ruby, type “Ruby on Rails.” Study the people that come up in your search tofind trends.

3.      Find out where people at a companycame from.LinkedIn “Company Profiles” show the career path of people before they beganwork there. This will help you to figure out what a company is looking for innew hires.

4.      Check if a company is still hiring. Company pages on LinkedIn include asection called “New Hires” listing people who have recently joined the company.If you’re feeling particularly courageous, you can ask these new hires how theygot their new job. Chances are that if they recently got hired to a new job,they are going to be excited to share how they landed it. At the very least youcan examine their backgrounds to surmise what made them attractive to the newemployer.

5.     Get to the hiring manager. LinkedIn’s job search engine allowsyou to search for any kind of job you want. And when you view the results, payclose attention to the ones that you’re no more than two degrees away from.This means that you know someone who knows the person that posted the job—itcan’t get much better than that. (Power tip: two degrees is about the limit forgetting to hiring managers. I never help friends of friends of friends.)Another way to find companies that you have ties to is by looking at the“Companies in Your Network” section on LinkedIn’s job search page.

6.      Build your network before you needit.  No matter how the economy or your career isdoing, having a strong network is a good form of job security. Don’t wait untiltimes are tough to nurture your network. The key to networking, however, isfilled with counter-intuitiveness. First, it’s not who you know—it’s who knowsof you. Second, great networkers are not thinking “What can this person do forme?” To the contrary, they are thinking, “What can I do for this person?”Remembering these keys and you’ll be on your way to becoming a master networkerin no time.

7.     Create your professional brand. Join groups related to yourindustry and actively participate in them. Submit discussion topics, addinteresting articles and leave comments for other group members. Better yet,create your own group related to your interests and build it up by postingquality industry-related news and information. Then invite contacts to joinyour group and to engage in discussions.

8.      Use LinkedIn selflessly. Why don’t you find a high school teacher or a non-profit leader from yourhome town? Link up with them and offer to help their students by telling themabout UCSB and how you got in. People will be more likely to help you out whenthey can if you’ve helped them first.