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LinkedIn For Co-eds

By Marty on June 20, 2011 in Business, LinkedIn, social media

Hi there college students. Welcome home for summer break. Hope your semesters/quarters/trimesters were fruitful and that you learned a lot. So what are you doing with yourselves until next fall? Hanging out? Traveling? Looking for work?

Now is the perfect time to create your professional online persona on LinkedIn. More than just an online resume it is the first place recruiters go to search for talent. Human resource departments are using paper resumes less and less every day. You can keep it updated for those that still request a traditional resume but definitely transfer it to this online portal. This is important because there’s always a chance that an employer will find you online first during a time when they’re not visiting your campus for interviews. So who knows? Its possible that you could even bypass your campus’ career development department for an opportunity.

In addition, your LinkedIn profile gives an overall impression of you as a person, which is really what an employer is hiring. It’s not just your unique talents or the newest academic theories that you can contribute to a company but also your extended knowledge of the world. Remember everything you have ever heard about being a “well rounded person”? This is easily reflected in your activities, organizations, personal interests and the books you read. Can’t fit all of that on a resume but LinkedIn is customized to do that and much more. Not to mention the value of the recommendations that employers, professors and others can leave on your profile.

And speaking of your campus career center more of them are recommending, maybe even requiring you to create a LinkedIn profile. They are the people who deal with human resources professionals around the country and around the world so take their advice and begin editing yours. The summer is the perfect time to do so. This way when you return to campus for the fall term you can schedule a traditional resume and LinkedIn profile review with the career specialists.

So take a couple of weeks early on this summer to work on your profile. Here’s an approach I would suggest.

Take a few hours each day the first week to begin piecing the basics together. Keep your traditional resume open on your computer and work back and forth between each of them filling in updated information on both.
Then the second week focus on connecting with as many other LinkedIn profiles as possible. You could grow your connections by the hundreds if you really push it. Connect with me. I’d be happy to share my list with you and give you tips.
Also during the second week join the maximum of fifty (5o) groups related to your future profession and personal interests. This will expose you to thousands more professionals and you can interact with them directly within those groups and make more connections, etc., etc., etc.

Remember to send me an invitation to connect and reference this blog post. I’d be happy to help in any way that I can.

Whether you have a summer gig or not, take advantage of your time by focusing creating and revising your professional online presence. You’ll reap enormous personal and professional benefits for the effort.

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Insights from My LinkedIn Event at the Wright Institute

By Marty on May 9, 2011 in Blogging, Business, Entrepreneurs and Work From Home, facebook, General Interest, LinkedIn, social media

If you ever get the opportunity to attend anything sponsored by the Wright Leadership Institute don’t ask questions just go and take plenty of cards with you. I went to the Connect to Success with LinkedIn Networks and Training Event at their headquarters in downtown Chicago on Thursday May 5th and received a wealth of information.

The evening began with about a half hour of networking before the presentations. Mine actually started in the elevator bay on the way up to the event. I met a good handful of interesting people in that time and in fact that was one of the questions we were asked when the formal meeting began. How many of you met a few new people in the back of the room before the presentations started? That was the key to building our network “hubness”.

Dean DeLisle is well known in the social media realm especially on LinkedIn and he gave the first presentation. He is also the social media coach for the Wright Institute. Dean gave great pointers on how to maximize our LinkedIn profiles. His keys points for me were:

When prioritizing which social media platforms to use LinkedIn should be your first focus. Here’s why. It’s the one that most fully rounded profile of you as a person and professional. From there you can cut and paste details to Facebook, Twitter and any others you belong to. That makes your social media presence consistent throughout.

Also search your name online to verify the thoroughness of your profiles. Your social media profiles are always the first to appear on search lists.

Use LinkedIn for the 2nd and 3rd degrees of separation. It’s not just 6 degrees of separation as in the popular literature but only 3 the LinkedIn way. Any updates to your profile (information edits, blog post feeds, updates you type in under your profile picture, connections) go to the feeds of your 1st, 2nd and 3rd level connections

On average 4% of your network (Those 1st, 2nd and 3rds mentioned above) sees what you post so the more connections you make the more people will see and will potentially want to connect with you.

Here’s an example of LinkedIn hubness showing the primary connections and 2nd and 3rd degree connections that extend from them. Still don’t think it’s important to have a LinkedIn profile? Fill in the gaps in yours and grow your indirect connections (4% of 13 million is 1,690,000) by millions.

Dr. Bob Wright , cofounder of the Wright Leadership Institute gave the second half of the presentation. Cranes Chicago calls him a top executive coach so these tips come from a guy who knows what he’s doing.
Some of Bob’s major pointers for me were:

One of the New Laws of Networks is that You Must Give to Get. In other words you must be a net giver. Give more than you want. It’s known as the “host strategy”.

One of the keys to ultimate success is knowing Network Science. You want to go from being a Node (individual) to a Hub (a major connection source). LinkedIn can help improve your “hubness”.

Here’s a question to ask your clients. “What are your five major challenges?” If you want to know how to help them just ask.

There were lots of other good pointers but you’re going to have to check out their upcoming free events and determine what value you can apply from the experience.

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Blogging While Brown 2010 in Review, Friday the 18th

By Marty on June 28, 2010 in Blogging, Business

This year’s Blogging While Brown Conference in Washington, D.C. was great as usual. Actually I rate it as better on a personal level since, as a second time attendee, I was meeting old friends from last year again. Many of us tweet and Facebook through out the year to stay in touch so the reunion effect was really nice. Made more new friends this year too of course and I’ll introduce you to some of them over the next few days.

I got into the nation’s capitol on Friday afternoon and didn’t get to catch the first session Who We Are, What it Means, Why We Matter. Had to check into the hotel and freshen up after a full day of travel. Fortunately Maurice Cherry one of the panelists had someone taking notes which you can read here. Maurice is the owner of 3eighteen media and creator of The Black Weblog Awards. He was joined on the panel by University of Iowa professor Dr. Andre Brock, and blogger Anna John of Sepia Mutiny.

It was good to see Andre again and to meet Maurice. He and I had a chance to chat briefly while I took some video of him and Lamar Tyler – one half of the Black And Married With Kids blog – talking to each other. Didn’t meet Anna – because I missed the panel – and walked by her a couple of times during the weekend not realizing who she was so may be we’ll catch up next time around.

Speaking of meeting new people, I bumped into a couple of folks on the way from the Metro to the conference center. At the rail station near the center I met Patrice Muhammad of the Fascinating Womanhood blog who happened to be asking the attendant for directions to the Washington D.C. Conference Center, the conference meeting site. Along the way we met a young guy, Leon Scott who helped us find the right meeting room in the humongous center. Check out his site and Listen to Leon for his humorous take on life.

A fun tradition of Friday night is game night. After the panel there was light food for the dinner hour. Got a chance to roam the room with my camera and video cam (continuing to network as I went along of course) and got some nice stills and digital film. Working on composing the images into something decent very soon so hang tight.

After chowing and hearing from a few sponsors we got down to the fun part of the evening. We had seriously amazing prizes this year. I sat in at the spades table with Andrea Amir of Smart Money Chicks. We played Danyelle Smith Little, The Cubicle Chick , and Curtis Johnson the Communications Associate for the NAACP’s national office. Andrea and I dispatched Danyelle and Curtis and moved on to the championship round against Michelle and Deirdre on our way to winning netbooks. Yeah, netbooks, niiiice.

As you can see we had a wide range and breadth of professional and online experience to mix and mingle with and learn from. And this was just Friday night. Over the next few days this week I’ll write about my insights from the great panels during the main Saturday sessions. Plenty of great tools you’ll be able to use for your personal and professional blogging. Stay tuned.

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Inbound Marketing University Class 1

By Marty on June 23, 2010 in Blogging, Business, General Interest

How to Blog Effectively for Business

Now that spring quarter is over and I have the summer to myself, I am back to working on my first social media certification. HubSpot’s Inbound Marketing University was recommended to me within the last year but I couldn’t fit it in with classes, work and home work so now is the time and today was day one of my certification studies. And perfect timing now that my new company Aqueduct Media Corp. has officially launched online this week.

Part of my homework assignment was to write a blog post about three best practices that I will adopt into my blogging strategy. Smart strategy on their part to assign work that spreads their reputation. Not a best practice directly from the video but definitely one I noticed and will begin to incorporate. But take a look at my three take-away’s. Perhaps these or others may inspire you to improve your blogging.

The first best practice is one that I believe I’d ever thought of before and it involves managing your blog roll. Specifically cluing in on how to keep yours relevant. The helpful hint is to make it a habit to follow comments back to the commenters sites and read their blog rolls. That’s of course where you’ll see what interests them. Over time you should see a handful or more of common blog roll links on your most frequent commenters sites and that’s your que to include them on your blogroll as helpful links for the rest of your readers.

Best practice number two is to pick happy and passionate bloggers as contributing writers to add content to your blog. That makes perfectly natural sense to me. My contributing blogger Bridget Wright is one such person. I’m a happy go lucky guy in general and can’t stand to be around emotional boat anchors. Best to have a complimentary personality to keep the online tone consistent so this confirms how I operate. I’ll stay intentionally conscious of it should we decide to grow our team.

Tip number three is somewhat related to point one. Write about what interests your readers. Their blog rolls will give you an indication of this. I think focusing on fewer topics will help me get there. Up to this point I’ve been writing about a lot of personal interests some of which resonate with my readers from time to time but not consistently. A little more balance towards user needs and less towards personal musings. My mix will begin trending towards media, arts and techy stuff all of which grad school and my new company are about so I think I’ll have this under control sooner than later.

Take a look at the video and see which three tips can help improve your blogging. I also encourage you to create an account, go through the entire series and see if you don’t come out a better blogger at the end.

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McDonalds Franchise History Maker Herman Petty

By Marty on June 14, 2010 in Business, General Interest

Last year I learned the historic significance of one of my favorite McDonalds franchises here in Chicago. Plaques on a building are usually a big deal so one day I made it a point to put the camera in the car and park so I could I read this one.

Herman Petty (second from right below) was the first Black McDonalds franchisee at this site on 67th and Stony Island in Chicago back in 1968.

Over the years Mr. Petty has moved on to owning numerous franchises in the McDonalds chain. This current site was reopened in 2008 under the ownership of Yolanda Travis, herself an owner of four franchises under the McDonalds umbrella.

Current owner Yolanda Travis So the next time you’re on the south side of town and the hungries start to kick in stop by this historic business anchor for your next cup of coffee and breakfast biscuit.

And if Yolanda Travis happens to be behind the counter or helping out in the drive through tell her thanks for continuing a great tradition of entrepreneurship.

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Dispelling the Myth of “Being An Entrepreneur Is Easy”

By Bridget on May 12, 2010 in Business

I just sat down at my desk this morning to begin my work day. I have checked my calendar for my to-do’s, synced my phone to get all of my appointments for today and re-freshed my cup of coffee as I elevate my feet in a relaxed position to begin typing away. Yes, ’tis the rough life of working from home. But wait…is it really that good?

Of course not!

What I didn’t tell you is how I have 15 articles that are due by the end of day today, three short guides that I must write and submit to my editor for approval and blog posts that I am overdue on with my other blogs. Does it still sound cushy to you? Let me continue…

Expect the Unexpected

I also have to work into the wee hours of the night tonight because I have an early morning doctor’s appointment today. I can’t afford to NOT get paid for tomorrow so I have to work overtime tonight since I’ll be off tomorrow. And, there are mounds of paperwork that’s on my desk that I have to get signed, mailed or faxed off if I want to get paid, put out job bids and type up proposals. Doesn’t sound so cushy now, does it?

The other day my daughter commented how cool it must be to work from home. No doubt! Cool it is, but major work nonetheless. I am sure I work way more hours and spend more time on my computer than my corporate peers do. When my husband comes home from work, he’s done with work. He’s tired, but he’s finished. I have to stop working around 3:00, tend to household and parenting duties, then resume my position back at my desk at 9:00, even 10:00 some nights. So my job never ends. But, I would not trade it for anything!

The Demands of Being Your Own Boss

As physically demanding and mentally tasking being self-employed is, I couldn’t fathom working in a rigid nine-to-five environment. Yes, I have to work a lot of overtime. Yes, I have to stay up late a lot. And yes, I often miss the camaraderie and “cooler-talk” from Corporate America. But as a trade, I get to take power naps in the middle of the day. I get to have long lunches whenever I want and not have to answer to anyone. And I get to sit on my deck and enjoy a cup of coffee while listening to the birds sing. Oh yes, ’tis a sweet life!

When you make a choice to become self-employed, you have to consider ALL facets of this lifestyle. People mistakenly think that it’s all one way and that it’s easy all of the tie. It is not. Prepare yourself for the entrepreneur’s life by first realizing that hard, long work is required. If you’re going to be successful, grow your business and make a name for yourself, you’ve got to be the one who does it. It takes a certain level of business maturity and self-motivation to be successful on this journey. You can do it, no doubt. But do you WANT to do it?

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What’s Your Motivation to Work from Home?

By Bridget on April 13, 2010 in Business

Just about everywhere I go, people want to know what is it that I “do” that allows me to work from home. Most of them think I DON’T work (which is far from the truth) because my schedule is so darn flexible. I can do two hours of work, have lunch with my kindergartner, get my nails done, grocery shop for dinner and be back at my desk to meet my afternoon deadlines. It’s all in a day’s work, but to some it sounds like all I do is have fun. Far from the truth. For instance:

I’m up usually well past the time that everyone else in my house has gone to bed.
I work on weekends…sometimes.
I have to work when I’m sick, tired, etc. No one else is going to do it for me.
I have to depend on me to create my paychecks. Nothing comes automatically for me. Not even health insurance.

Who would want this type of lifestyle, on purpose? There are a lot of people who say that they want to work from home, but do they really mean it? Are they committed to being focused? Are they driven enough to market themselves continuously? Most days, I work completely alone with only my music or the humming of the dryer. Admittedly, working from home does indeed have perks, but it IS work nonetheless.

Working from home is more than a great idea. It’s hard work but it’s also rewarding work. What you have to ask yourself is what is your motivation for wanting to work from home? Is it to be there for your kids? For solitude, flexibility or convenience? Or is it to get-rich-quick as some programs claim? The bottom line is that whatever your reason(s) may be that you feel are drawing you home, make sure that you’re ready and able to be focused and committed to the lifestyle.

I’ve got to run now. I’ve tivo’d The Housewives of New York and I’m going to watch it while I finish writing a few articles that are due tomorrow. Somebody’s got to do it!

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Conveying a Level of Professionalism From Home

By Bridget on March 30, 2010 in Business

For some, working for home is a license to be totally comfortable and have a lax attitude. While working from home is indeed very flexible, you also have to be careful to not come across as “too” casual and give your clients a sense that you’re not serious about their business. It’s important to convey a level of professionalism in all situations whether that’s in handling phone calls or in billing clients. The comforts of home can sometimes creep up on the homeworker and make them feel as if they don’t have to try as hard or do as much as the corporate worker. Not so! As a matter-of-fact, you must try even harder because you need to be taken seriously as a business person. Here are some things to do to ensure that you stay professional:

1. Answer the phone in a professional manner. Even if you don’t have a separate phone line between home and work, you can still be professional. Instead of the basic “hello”, try answering with, “this is ____”. This will make you sound professional and as if you’re answering the phone at your desk (which you are). I’ve gotten into the habit of doing this both with my business line and with my cell phone. I often do business on my cell phone and when I answer with “this is Bridget”, it changes the entire tone of the phone call and we can conduct business in a professional manner.

2. Eliminate background noise. This goes in line with the phone answering, but this primarily means to eliminate distractions so that you can focus. Now I love to crank up Fergie about as much as the next person, but be careful that you don’t bob and weave your head so much that you type in the wrong information on your proposal. Let Fergie loose AFTER you’ve sent the email off.

3. Display and enforce your office hours. Wait, that’s only if you’ve established office hours, which I hope you have. When you keep office hours, it keeps you organized and keeps (hopefully) others from distracting you when you’re not “working”. This is a huge deal for those who work from home, so look for a lot more posts from me on how to establish and keep your office hours firm. It’s very important for your professional image and keeps you from worker burnout.

What other things can you do to stay professional?

- Dress for work every morning.

- Put on makeup (for ladies…and men too if you roll like that!)

- Be at your desk at the starting time of your office hours.

- Take a designated lunch break.

- Look in a mirror while you’re on the phone. Image is everything!

Stay tuned for LOTS more tips and advice on how you can stay professional working from home and other great information about the work-from-home lifestyle. This is going to be a fun ride!

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Organizing the Work from Home Lifestyle: – Handling it All One Day at a Time

By Bridget on March 17, 2010 in Business, General Interest

I’ve been working from home now for over 10 years and to be honest, it’s still a work in progress. Being organized and staying on top of deadlines is not only a task but it requires constant tweaking from time to time and a reassessment of where I need to be in relation to my goals.

Being organized and working from home can sound like an oxymoron. And some days it can feel like one too! When you work from home, no doubt you have other responsibilities that cry (literally) for your attention and attempt to zap any remaining energy that you have left. Not to sound negative, but to be realistic, and that is to be completely honest with you and tell you what to expect and how you can work around that thing called “Life.”

Here’s how:

Plan your days the night before. Sit down and make a list of the things you need to accomplish for the next day. Be specific and be general. List any emails you need to return, calls you need to initiate and any work that needs to be completed. Write it down! If it’s in front of you, you are likelier to get it done and concentrate more on what’s in front of you than anything else.
Focus, focus, focus. This is what I have on my desk right now as a reminder that everyday that I’m working, I must stay focused. Working from home is a challenge for some because of its lack of social interaction or other home distractions. It’s important to stay focused so that you can accomplish your daily goals and get the important things done. Even if you have to divide things up into chunks, it’s important to stay focused and driven on getting things done – - which brings me to the next item…
Work in chunks. That’s right. Take the big project that you have due and divide it up into workable chunks. The worst thing that you can do is to try and have a “work-a-thon” where you attempt to get it all done in one day. That’s a mistake waiting to happen! The body gets fatigued and so does the mind. If your project is not ‘chunk-able’ then pace yourself on getting it done by working on it 30 minute to one-hour increments.
Take frequent breaks. Pace yourself so you don’t get tired or bogged down in your work. Frequent breaks also help you to feel rejuvenated and help break the monotonous stress of long hours of work.

Since I have been following these simple, short bullets, I have found that my work production time has increased significantly. Staying focused, frequent breaks and chunking my work has helped me to gain more clients, produce more quality writing work and have an overall sense of accomplishment. Introducing these things into your work lifestyle can be a significant help for you as well. Production increases as does quality and performance. Give it a try for a short period of time and see if it helps your work at home lifestyle as well!

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1 2 … 4 Next »

Blogging While Brown 2010 in Review, Friday the 18th

Inbound Marketing University Class 1

McDonalds Franchise History Maker Herman Petty

Dispelling the Myth of “Being An Entrepreneur Is Easy”

What’s Your Motivation to Work from Home?

Conveying a Level of Professionalism From Home

Organizing the Work from Home Lifestyle: – Handling it All One Day at a Time

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