Five Quick Tips to Rock Your Network® Online

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

1. Pick Three: There are MANY social networks online to choose from, I recommend picking three so you can manage them effectively. For job seekers, I recommend: LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Yes, I said Facebook.

Facebook’s fastest growing population is adults age 35 and older. They have 600 million users, 200 million members use Facebook primarily on their smart phones. With LinkedIn, there are more than 300,000 recruiters as members and 100 million members.

2. Create a branded bio: Tell a story in your profile (bio). Don’t just regurgitate your resume information. Know that chemistry helps you land and KEEP a job. Likability counts, so be interesting.

3. Know what you want: When you start networking online, it’s important to know what you want from the activity. If you want a job, be sure your profile is on brand and professional. Have a professional headshot as well.

4. Join a group: Know that in order to make the most of an online group, you’ve got to take an active role. You can take a leadership role in online groups. You can answer members’ questions and provide your expertise.

5. Be relevant and add value: Social networking gives you a chance to demonstrate your thought leadership and set yourself apart from your competition. As an executive and leader, it is even more critical to demonstrate your expertise online.

For example, these experts say…

Every executive should be on LinkedIn. We look at LinkedIn before ever looking at a resume. — Wayne Mitchell, executive recruiter, Career Thought Leaders Conference & Symposium, March 2011

The Facts: 83% of employers now use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to find new hires, according to a survey by recruiting platform Jobvite. Of those, by far the largest number, 89%, rely mainly on LinkedIn, followed by Facebook at 28% and Twitter at 14%.

In a survey of more than 500 human resources managers, Office Team found that 36% of respondents believe it’s at least somewhat likely that resumes will eventually be replaced by profiles on social and business networking websites. —Wired Workplace, 2011

Take Action: Review your current social media and identify at least three action items from the above list you can implement immediately. Make an action plan to effectively manage your online network. If you’d like more tips, join my upcoming class, Rock Your Network Online, starting next week Tuesday, June 7.

© 2010 – 2011 | Wendy J. Terwelp | All rights reserved.

Wendy Terwelp has helped thousands of clients get hired faster and be rock stars at work since 1989. A recognized expert on networking, both online and off, Wendy was dubbed LinkedIn Guru by The Washington Post and has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Fast Company, The Business Journal, Careerbuilder.com, Monster.com, NBC, ABC, and more as well as numerous radio and television shows. She has published hundreds of articles on the web and in print and wrote the ultimate networking book, Rock Your Network®. Rock your career and buy the book at http://knocks.com.

How to choose a networking group

Wendy Terwelp 3 Comments

You’ve been to so many networking groups, clubs, socials, business after 5’s, breakfast meetings, etc. it’s overwhelming. Plus, you now have so many business cards you can wallpaper your bathroom. Sound familiar?

Here are some tips to help you pick the right group for you – and dump the groups that are no longer a right fit.

First, ask yourself some tough questions:

1. Who needs to know about you to help you reach your goals?

2. Does this (name them) networking group serve your target audience?

3. Does this group have members who ARE your audience – people who know or serve your industry or company targets?

4. How much time does active membership in each group take?

5. How often do they meet?

6. How big is your personal commitment?

Know that if a group is not working for you, it’s OK to cancel your membership. However, it’s NOT OK to break ties with those people in the group you enjoy most.

Next, pick three!

If you’re just starting out  or trying to whittle down your obligations, pick at least three types of groups.

Peer Group: For brainstorming, education, and commiserating. Nobody gets you and your situation  like your peers.

Prospects: A group that is your ideal target market or who knows or works with your ideal target market.

Professional business group: Hiring decision-makers often Google your name before meeting with you. Membership in a professional organization can boost your online presence.

After choosing your three groups…

You’ll need to know when a group’s a great fit for your career – and when it’s not. With some groups, you’ll know after the first meeting it’s not a food fit; others take time to gel. For example, if you’re active in the group and meeting the right people, it may be a good fit. The goal is not to collect business cards. The goal is to build relationships that grow with you, your career, and your business. It comes down to this:

If you’re not building relationships in the group, and you’re just going for the food, it’s not a good fit.

Want more networking tips? Read Rock Your Network®.

Got ideas? Share how you decide if a group’s a right fit for you.

Image created by SnapHappy Creative LLC.

©2009 – 2011 | Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.

No Time to Network? Have you got 5 minutes?

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Oftentimes people tell me they have NO time to network. They’re working full time. They have kids. They made too many commitments already, how can they make any more?

If you’ve got five minutes, you have time to network. Here are some quick tips, excerpted from my book, Rock Your Network®

  1. Combine networking with things you already do. Take five minutes before activities to rehearse your new sound bite, and if it’s an event, plan who you’d like to speak with and why.
    a) If it’s your first event, sometimes you can get a roster of attendees or at least a list of speakers.
    b) If you’re in line at the grocery store, instead of reading The Enquirer headline, network.
    c) If you’re at a child’s soccer game, network with fellow parents.
  2. Send thank-you notes. An attitude of gratitude goes a long way in rebuilding your network.
  3. Provide a genuine compliment. “Nice shoes,” is OK. Better is, “Diane, great post on the e-forum. I really liked the thoughtful way you addressed the issue of the “best of” list. You turned the negative direction to a positive and provided some great tips to help other members get on the list.”
    Notice how the compliment is specific, rather than general, pointing to a specific action Diane took and how the writer felt about it.
  4. Send your praises. Take a few minutes and send a congratulatory note to people in your network. [When you get LinkedIn updates, who’s been promoted? Who’s updated his or her profile? Who got a new job? Super easy to take a minute and send a congratulatory email.]
  5. Send an article of interest. Yes, a link to a great blog post does count. You know your good friend is always on the lookout for great marketing tips, you spotted a relevant tweet, send a copy. You’re reading The Business Journal, spotted an article you know a friend would love, rip it out and snail mail it. You want people to remember you when they need your services so they refer you.

These quick tips take less than five minutes to do. They help ensure your network is there for you when you need it. You’ve got to fuel your network to fire it up!™

©2009 – 2011 | Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.


Do One Thing

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

One finger

Just got back from the Career Thought Leaders conference where I was a presenter. What a positive experience!

Now, it’s back to work and there is a lot to do. I’m guessing I’m not alone in that feeling. Who hasn’t gotten back from a trip and then looked at the huge pile of work looming on their desk waiting to be completed?

The same is true for job seekers. With so much advice coming at you, it can be overwhelming, and sometimes tough to know where to begin.

Here are some suggestions to help you get things done and whittle that pile down to a manageable size.

1. Do ONE thing. Just one. Taking that first step is a start in the right direction. My friend Dr. Rich Schaefer, author of “Extreme Thought Makeover” says, if you want to get into an exercise routine, just take that first step on the treadmill. The rest will follow. The same thing with your work. Do ONE thing.

2. Baby steps. Yes, if you watched the movie What About Bob? that’s the concept. Break up those overwhelming tasks into smaller chunks. What’s one thing you can do right now that takes you toward your goal? Just one.

3. The daily list. Rather than making a huge list that has item after item after item on it, break it down. What are the top three things you’ve got to finish today? Make a list of action items before you go to work each morning. This way, you’ll get most things done and not respond to all those emails, tweets, calls, and questions before knocking some items off your list.

Getting a blog post in today was one of my things. What’s one of yours? Have you done it yet?

Share YOUR ideas of how you get things done. We’re listening.

How to Get a Raise in Today’s Economy: Start with a “Me File”

Wendy Terwelp 9 Comments

In my coaching practice, I recommend my clients start a “me file” when they land a new gig.

Part of this recommendation stems from the fact that when we work together on the “get a new gig” process, they’re struggling to come up with quantifiable achievements that we can use in their career documents, such as resumes and LinkedIn profiles, and during job interviews.

A Me File is something you can use throughout your career, not just when looking for a job, but to maintain the one you have and move up the career ladder.

First, decide how you want to track your information (creating the Me File). I recommend storing the data in a format that you can take home with you nightly. This is your personal information. Should you want to discuss a raise or explore a new career, you’ll want to have all of your information in one place, so you can take it with you and not have to rush around at the last minute and try to find it. Or worse yet, be escorted out the door, with no documentation at all.

My clients have used the following methods to store their Me Files: a notebook to document projects as they progress; an iPhone, using an app or notes to record items as they arise; a folder or large envelope to store print versions, like kudos from clients; a spreadsheet; and a Word or Google Docs file. 

I recommend printing hard copies of kudos from clients and your management team. This ensures you have a copy and can locate it, should you need to leave. It’s also nice to have hard copies for your next performance review. 

Use a tracking method that works for you. Again, this is your personal info, hence my recommendation to take it home with you nightly.

What to track for your Me File

This will vary, depending upon the level and type of position you hold. A good rule of thumb is to follow one staffing CEO’s recommendation to job seekers (and this holds true for career maintenance, lobbying for a raise, etc.):

“Put a BENEFIT STATEMENT into your resume – something that speaks of how you 1) made the company money, 2) saved the company money, or 3) streamlined procedures. Years of experience are immaterial and may indicate that you are just ‘old.’ Companies want to know what kind of contribution you can make to their success, not how many years you’ve been working.”

While the statement is a bit harsh, it is true. Your Me File will help you communicate your value to your colleagues, coworkers, and managers as well as future employers, networking connections, etc. Learning to communicate your value also helps you realize your value and increase your confidence. Suze Orman, financial guru, said, “When you undervalue what you do, the world will undervalue who you are.” Strong words.

Let your Me File help you realize all that you bring to the table.

Here’s what to track (again, this varies based on your title, level, etc.):

1. New clients you’ve brought in – how many? Name names AND how much money they’ve brought to the firm (including how much they are projected to bring in).

2. Sales growth over time. Example: Grew sales from zero to $500,000 in the first year.

3. Marketing ideas, those implemented, and the RESULTS quantified

Example: Led the firm’s website redesign and upgrade, yielding 88 new clients and $1.8 million in revenue within 2 years.

4. Recognition from your boss

5. Kudos from your clients

6. Productivity enhancements (saving your company money by streamlining procedures)

7. Cost cuts such as negotiated discounts with key vendors, etc.

8. PR you landed for the company, and name it. Example: Won Milwaukee Business Journal’s Woman of Influence Award or Quoted in The Wall Street Journal on (your area of expertise). If you can, the sales or leads resulting from it. Provide the numbers.

9. Ideas you have, which are implemented. Document how they either bring in money, save money, or increase productivity in some way. You can estimate projected results if your idea has not yet been implemented.

11. Honors, awards, recognition from the company, as well as relevant professional associations.

Use the Challenge, Action, Result formula to document your projects for the Me File. Here’s a sample:

Challenge: The Company needs new business
Action you took: Created a social media action plan, and set up 20 networking meetings per week
RESULT (always the MOST IMPORTANT): Generated 20 new clients in the first three months, totaling X in annual revenue.

This is a start. As one client told me, he wants to start his new gig off right. Begin tracking your awesomeness now! Even if you’re in mid-career or a long-term employment situation, start now! This can help you snag your next raise.

Check out my client Linda’s success story to see results in action.

And please, do share your results! Wishing you HUGE SUCCESS.

PS: Want more tips to get paid what you’re worth? Check out my newsroom. Enjoy!

© 2011 – 2025| Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.