Career Advice | TOG Solutions

Joining (And Staying In) the Right LinkedIn Groups

May 3, 2010

In the age of digital business networking, it’s obvious that no site has done a better job of it than LinkedIn. While it has expanded its features to integrate Twitter, utilize apps and, most recently, the ability to follow companies, the Groups feature has been a long-standing hallmark.

Within LinkedIn Groups, there have also been changes over the years that included member-generated content, including discussions, job postings and news articles. However, one thing that has not changed is how many groups a user can join. At the moment, the limit is 50.

Though 50 groups seems like a big number, long-time users have found no problem reaching that upper limit in a very short period of time. Meanwhile, new LinkedIn groups pop up at a relatively fast pace.

Because of this, the question then lies in which groups are the most useful to you?

To figure out which LinkedIn groups are right for you, consider the following elements:

Industry or Field – Search groups based on the industry or field you’re in or about to enter.
Location – Professional organizations in your region tend to have groups, along with regional groups created by individuals.
Company – There are many groups associated with companies or former company employees.
School – LinkedIn groups are constantly launched for schools either by the institutions themselves or by fellow alumni.
Hobbies or interests – You never know if a particular hobby or interest could turn into a business opportunity for you.

After joining the groups you want, observe the discussions, job postings and news articles for the next couple of weeks. If you find that these groups have a great deal of useful activity, you will certainly want to remain an active member.

During your trial period, you should also make note of any users who are attempting to use the group as a mailing list for their own purposes rather than the groups. If this is the case, you will probably want to either think about limiting the group e-mails you receive or, in the extreme case, leave the group altogether.

Always remember, of course, the you can get a great deal out of LinkedIn Groups, so long as you are able to utilize this feature properly.

By Bob McDonald | Posted in Career Advice | Tagged groups, linkedin | Comments (0)

Do You Have a Professional Role Model?

April 29, 2010

Understandably, the subject of this could cause a bit of confusion. Most of you, at this point, would consider personal role models to be parents and prominent figures. However, when it comes to your own professional development, who can you look up to?

A role model, from a business standpoint, can simply be defined as they person who you can look to for any information. They serve as a mentor and can provide the blueprint for a work ethic you would be proud to follow.

With the volatility of the professional world, however, finding that role model, for some of us, has become increasing difficult. It’s almost impossible if you happen to find yourself in an organizational role that has been newly created and that no other person has any previous knowledge of what is entailed in your position.

Do you have to go it alone? Of course not. It truly is incumbent upon you to seek out knowledge. And realistically, that knowledge shouldn’t be too hard to find.

The first step in finding a professional role model is to seek out professional organizations that cater to your industry. Don’t be afraid that the people you meet work for other companies. There’s a good chance you will come across veterans of the industry who have been in the same position you’re in right now. And most of them are gracious with their time and would be more than happy to be of assistance.

Once you’ve been able to establish contact with a potential professional role model, take it slowly. Nothing turns people off more than inundating them with a thousand questions all at once. There will be plenty of time for that in the future.

Instead, consider scheduling something informal, like a lunch or coffee. Nothing breaks the ice like a sit-down at the local Starbucks.

Once you’ve eased into your professional relationship, you will find that your role model can be your greatest key to success.

By Bob McDonald | Posted in Career Advice | Tagged professional development, role model | Comments (0)

Lessons in Professional Development – A Trip to Wendy’s

February 15, 2010

No matter the economic or employment climate, the need for professional development is a given. For a professional in any management capacity, part of that development should involve gaining an understanding of the work that your subordinates do on a daily basis.

That idea has already crossed over into popular culture with the airing of the CBS reality series, “Undercover Boss,” in which corporate executives go undercover to one of their local offices and do the work of the people on the ground.

By Bob McDonald | Posted in Career Advice | Tagged cross-training, professional development | Comments (0)

Should You Background Check Your Clients?

February 5, 2010

As a job seeker, researching prospective employers is part and parcel to the entire process. Not only do you get to find more information about an organization prior to an interview, you can also seek out opinions from clients and former employees in order to determine if this is a right fit for you.

However, as an entrepreneur or freelancer, doing the same thing with prospective clients may seem, at the very least, awkward and at worst intrusive. After all, here is a potential source of income for you, and how is it going to look if you make mention of the fact that you want to research them a little further?

By Bob McDonald | Posted in Career Advice, Enterpreneurship | Tagged background check, clients, prospecting | Comment (1)

Job Fairs – Where to Go, Where Not to Go

February 2, 2010

Just like clockwork, you see the announcements online and in the media. It’s one of the signs of spring.

And no, it’s not the groundhog.

It’s the start of spring job fair season. And like in the fall, organizations and job seekers alike are gearing up to meet each other.

We have made it a note to discuss job fairs during the spring and the fall as it has consistently been an opportunity to at least speak with organizations to get an idea about the overall job market. Unfortunately, for many job seekers, there been more talk than opportunity, as the touch economic times has increased the number of fair attendees and slashed the number of employers.

Now that the employment outlook is looking better, it’s important for you, the job seeker, to get back to the fair circuit to see what’s out there. Unlike the last couple of seasons, though, you’ll find that the number of employers will likely be going up.

That, of course, leads us to the job fairs themselves and a pertinent question: When times were good, which job fairs were effective and which weren’t?

During 2006 and 2007, when the job market was still good and there were plenty of opportunities to be had, my work afforded me the chance to attend a variety of different fairs. As a result, it allowed me to conclude that not all job fairs are created equal.

At the top of the list are job fairs conducted by colleges and universities. These events are aided by a strong career services staff, alumni employers and venues that can accommodate large numbers of organizations.

Next up are non-profit and public organizations, such a local urban leagues and unemployment offices. Again, their community connections allow for a more diverse group of potential employers, giving you a better chance to connect with places you may want to work for.

Job fairs sponsored by employment periodicals and online job boards are hit and miss. In the past, some have taken the wise step in partnering with a non-profit or institution, in which case they are able to present more prospective employers.

Some, on the other hand, do no such thing and bring around the same employers over and over again. This does not bode well for you as a job seeker, who, even in the best of times, would be staring down the barrel of an hour and a half wait to see the same half-dozen employers you saw the last time they set up shop.

With all job fairs, be mindful of what employers will be at these fairs. If you see a job fair advertised that doesn’t have a list of employers, it’s probably best to skip it.