How to Turn Your Social Media Obsession into a Career

How to Turn Your Social Media Obsession into a Career This infographic, by the  University of Florida, outlines the ways in which you can turn your social media obsession into a career! Do you want to turn your obsession into a job? Takeaways: There are 850 million monthly active users on Facebook, with 77% of B2C companies saying they acquired customers through the platform. There are 107 million Twitter users in the US, and 34% of marketers have generated leads through the website. Small businesses leverage social media due to the visibility and self promotion. RELATED:  Do You Suffer from Social Network Overload?

One Trait That Gets Them Noticed for Leadership Roles - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

One Trait That Gets Them Noticed for Leadership Roles - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Belinda Parmar, CEO of the consultancy Lady Geek and author of “The Empathy Era” and “Little Miss Geek,” says, “Enlightened companies are increasingly aware that delivering empathy for their customers, employees, and the public is a powerful tool for improving profits, but attempts to implement empathy programs are frequently hamstrung by the common misconception of it as ‘wishy-washy,’ ‘touchy-feely,’ and overtly feminine. So empathy is de-prioritized, and relegated to the status of just another HR initiative that looks good in the company newsletter. It’s seen as a soft and frilly add-on rather than a core tool.” Parmar says it can be measured and that it’s a hard skill that should be required from the boardroom to the shop floor. Could empathy lead to your success, even if youre a new hire? It shouldnt come as a surprise that the  employees who  prioritize their bosss needs, interests, challenges and deliver results based on whats important to their  boss are the ones who consistently get  noticed for salary raises and promotions. This requires a healthy balance of empathy and emotional intelligence.  Theyre also smart about  keeping track of their accomplishments and saving their list of achievements for performance appraisal time.  The empathetic employee  schedules a time to meet with her employer based on when its convenient for her boss and then shares how shes been an asset to the team. Empathetic employees often become leaders Meghan Biro and Ashoka, recent Forbes contributors, concur that there’s plenty of hard evidence that organizations with happy employees, strong organizational health, empathetic leaders, and maybe even a social mission, outperform their peers. (See the study of more than 600 companies showing that those with organizational health in the top quartile doubled their financial performance: “Beyond Performance” by Scott Keller and Colin Price and the 2014 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For). The advantage of practicing professional empathy, an atunement to the needs of your boss and co-workers combined with healthy emotional intelligence of knowing how to prioritize your energy and time is a trait of a mature employee. This kind of emotional intelligence and focus on the others’ needs is the making of a leader. The milkshake model for empathetic leadership In his MBA course, Christensen tells the story of a fast-food restaurant chain that wanted to improve its milkshake sales. The company started by segmenting its market both by a product (milkshakes) and by demographics (a marketer’s profile of a typical milkshake drinker). Next, the marketing department asked people who fit this demographic to list the characteristics of an ideal milkshake (thick, thin, chunky, smooth, fruity, chocolaty, etc.). The prospective customers answered and the company responded to the feedback. But to management’s chagrin, milkshake sales didn’t improve. Then another researcher took a different approach to the situation by trying to deduce the “job” that customers were “hiring” a milkshake to do. He spent a full day in one of the chain’s restaurants documenting who bought milkshakes and when, and whether they drank them while in the restaurant. He discovered that commuters who ordered milkshakes to go purchased 40 percent of the drinks first thing in the morning. The next morning, he returned to the restaurant and interviewed customers who bought milkshakes to go, asking them what job they had hired the milkshake to do. “Most of them, it turned out, bought (the milkshake) to do a similar job,” he writes. “They faced a long, boring commute and needed something to keep that extra hand busy and to make the commute more interesting. They weren’t yet hungry, but knew that they’d be hungry by 10 a.m.; they wanted to consume something now that would stave off hunger until noon. And they faced constraints: They were in a hurry, they were wearing work clothes, and they had (at most) one free hand.” The milkshake was hired instead of a bagel or doughnut because it was relatively tidy and satisfying, and because trying to suck a thick liquid through a thin straw gave customers something to do during their boring commute. Understanding the job to be done, the company could then respond by creating a morning milkshake that was even thicker (to last through a long commute) and more interesting (with chunks of fruit) than the original. Proven success: Focus on what jobs people need to get done Several major companies that have succeeded with a jobs-to-be-done method: FedEx, for example, fulfills the job of getting a package from point A to point B as fast as possible. Disney does the job of providing warm, safe, and fantasy vacations for families. OnStar provides peace of mind. YouTube provides fast and easy video access and the ability to share videos. Procter Gamble’s product success rate rose dramatically when the company started segmenting its markets according to a product’s job, Christensen says. He adds this marketing paradigm comes with the additional benefit of being difficult to steal. For example, nobody has managed to copy Ikea, which helps its customers do the job of furnishing an apartment right now. The future of great leadership Empathetic leaders share an intuitive sense for what’s going on in the world that helps them identify new opportunities faster than their competitors. They get people to care about their vision by making it a shared vision. They start by tapping into the psychology of their target audience, seeking their feedback, and scanning for changes in thought or behavior. When you go a step beyond just hearing words to actively listening to customers, suppliers and employees, your firm will gain a gigantic advantage in creating products that will be in demand. Those who think about what makes a great leader will have an edge in someday becoming one. Whether youre a new hire hoping to make a great first impression or a seasoned employee seeking an executive role, strategic, sincere, and balanced empathy will make you  a more likable colleague, build your reputation as someone who can be trusted, and  in time could be the single trait that  helps you move up in your organization.   Beth Kuhel, M.B.A., C.E.I.P., is a career coach specializing in millennials. She writes about career strategies and improving the workplace for The Huffington Post, The Personal Branding blog,  TinyPulse.com  and Sharkpreneur magazine, and has been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, U.S. News World Report and  BusinessInsider.com. Connect with Beth on Twitter @BethKuhel.

Considerations Before Accepting That Coveted New Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Considerations Before Accepting That Coveted New Job - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The job market seems much better lately, and more and more offers are being extended to applicants. Some move into the new positions from other jobs, and others from being in transition. In both cases, those job seekers miss out if they don’t take a holistic approach to specific evaluation of the new opportunity. Often, the excitement associated with receiving the offer of a new job and accepting it, plus the flattery expressed by that job offer, may lead to a too-quick decision. It’s advisable to first do some meticulous due diligence in order to avoid a possibly costly mistake, because numerous questions need clear answers before you become able to make a final decision. Here are a few: How important to you are the content and the level of responsibility in the new job? Does the new job fit your personality? Does your new boss’s management style align with yours? Are there future opportunities for promotion? Will the new job satisfy your work/life balance? Are the commuting time and distance acceptable? Is the amount of business travel expected in the new job acceptable? And finally, is the compensationin the form of salary and bonusesacceptable? How about employee benefits such as health insurance and retirement plans? This may not be a complete list, but it’s a good beginning. People make life decisions based on their logic and their emotions. The outcomes are typically an aggregate of the two. Someone who’s been in transition for a while is more prone to make emotional decisions, and yet accepting a new job should be judged on the job’s merit and on logical reasoning. In such a situation as the acceptance of a job offer, it’s sometimes helpful to discuss the issue with a friend or, better yet, with a professional such as a career coach who deals with such matters frequently. The following might be a rhetorical question, but if you had a serious medical condition, would you seek a consultation with a friend or with a physician?

The 5 Components of Intelligence Required for Career Success

The 5 Components of Intelligence Required for Career Success In the past, Leadership has a very basic definition. Those who are smart and extroverted receive  accolade and move  up the ladder. Do you have all the components for success? With technology rapidly changing and our large exposure to information, the definition of a good leader is forcing us to be  Renaissance Women. To keep up, we must be able to present ourselves as a total package in and outside of work. Below are 5 components of your intelligence that can help bring you closer to being the Renaissance Woman. IQ (Intelligence Quotient): How intelligent  are you? This is the most popular quotient of all. The intelligence quotient tests your  general ability to comprehend ideas and process information. The IQ test is known for qualifying our aptitude into a 3-digit number; an IQ test score above 160 signifies true genius. The IQ test has been used to identify geniuses such as Albert Einstein, Bobby Fischer, and Galileo. PQ (Power/Political  Quotient): How reliable are you? The Power Quotient is your ability to provide value in your position. This quotient is a blend of how hard you work and how smart you play. When working on a task or project, those with strong Political Quotients work smart by staying organized; prioritizing meetings; and maintaining  open communication. Those high in this quotient  will be the valuable employee who is sought out for advice on the project. Develop this quotient by being actively involved in others development and by providing growth  opportunities to your team. EQ (Emotional Quotient): How do you handle yourself? The Emotional Quotient represents your  ability to control your  emotions and navigate through social situations. The EQ gauges  your natural ability to react to difficult interactions at work and completing each task with a harmonious solution. Traits for good EQ include high motivation, self-awareness, and motivation. Those with good  Emotional Intelligence have been proven to have greater mental health, strong job performance, and greater potential for leadership. SQ (Social Quotient): How do you interact with others? Are you friendly with other employees? Do you work well in teams? Are you a problem-solver?  These are great questions to ask yourself  when testing our social intelligence. The Social Quotient is the ability to read the emotions of others and interact accordingly. The SQ varies from EQ, as SQ represents your interactions with others on your team, in your department, etc. Social quotient tests your ability to harmoniously interact with your coworkers and fit into the culture and environment of your work place. CQ (Cultural Quotient): Are you aware of differences in the workplace? The Cultural Quotient is incredibly vital for the  now, international workplace. Many companies are stationed or work alongside offices in various countries. The Cultural Quotient is helpful in bridging gaps between employees to develop camaraderie and help embrace  differences in the work places. Here are some interesting cultural differences to remember: Russia: Russians do not shake hands over a threshold, or at a door. They believe this to be unlucky. India: When shaking hands, receiving a gift, or eating, always use your right hand. The left hand is believed to be unclean. Austria: When meeting with a group, ensure you introduce yourself and shake hands with everyone. It is seen as disrespectful to ignore any member within the group. These 5 Quotients help round an employee and develop a foundation for the future. If its ever hard to remember all of these quotients, just remember SPICE: Social, Power, Intelligence, Cultural, and Emotional. Each piece of the SPICE pie will empower you to be a better you at work!