10 Rules For Social Media from the Army Reserve’s Chief of Social Media

By LTC Andrew Morton, Chief of Social Media / Web, U.S. Army Reserve

1. Develop a “Plan on a Page”- Before you sign up for Facebook , twitter, LinkedIn or any platform you must evaluate who your audience is (internal and external), what your organization’s key communications goals are, and what’s your desired “end state”. Having a Facebook page is not a social media strategy it’s a reactionary effort to “keep up with the Jones.” Communications plans are a key part of any corporation’s strategy and social media is not immune to this step.
2. Integrate with all other mediums- Don’t “Work in a vacuum”- Continually ask how you can integrate with the other mediums (your media team, outreach/ events team, executive communications, etc). If your senior executive is doing a media interview he should be plugging your social media sites, and if the chief of corporate policy is sending out an internal communications directive she should be “asking for feedback” via your internal social media channels. Never miss an opportunity to plug and promote your sites through all your organization’s media executions and outlets! Continue Reading

More Employers Hiring Military Veterans, Yet Assistance Still Needed

The transition for military veterans back into civilian life is not easy.  This is also true for employers who want to hire them, but need a better understanding of what they have to offer.

A new poll from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) released this week shows that the majority of organizations—64 percent—have hired military veterans during the past 36 months, an increase over the 53 percent that reported the same in 2010.

Though more than six in 10 organizations have hired military veterans during the past three years, the number could hit 10 in 10 if only the civilian and military sectors widely understood the other’s job skills jargon. Continue Reading

68% of Job Seekers Optimistic About Their Job Prospects

Many U.S. job seekers are surprisingly optimistic about their job search, but critical of current government job creation efforts and doubtful that this year’s Presidential election will dramatically affect their employment prospects. An online survey was conducted by the career website, LiveCareer, and questioned over 6,100 users. These users represent people in the U.S. who identified themselves as looking for work during the last two weeks of January. Fifty-two percent of the survey respondents were unemployed and are part of the staggering 8.3 percent U.S. unemployment rate as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics last month.

“We frequently survey our users to understand their attitudes toward their job search,” says Jamie Freundlich, Co-CEO of LiveCareer North America, “With this being an election year, we wanted to get a sense of how politics might be affecting our U.S. job seekers’ attitudes and optimism.” Continue Reading

Intern Hiring Expected to Increase 12% This Summer

Employers expect to hire more college students for summer internships this year, according to a new study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Employers taking part in NACE’s 2012 Internship & Co-op Survey report plans to increase internship hires by 8.5 percent over last year and nearly all expect to pay their interns.

“This reflects the focus of these internship programs,” says Marilyn Mackes, NACE executive director. “Employers taking part in the survey use their internship programs to feed their full-time hiring efforts; as a result, they pay their interns to ensure the best talent pool possible.” Continue Reading

Stop Wasting Time in Meetings!

Technology is constantly speeding up the pace of business: Decisions once delayed for weeks are now made in seconds thanks to internet communication. Computer analytics puts real-time market information at our fingertips.  Transactions can occur anywhere, any time.

Logic holds that businesses that can’t keep up will be left behind. Continue Reading

Work Beyond the 9 to 5 to Pursue your Dream Career

For many of you who’ve taken entry-level jobs after college, you may feel as though it’s nowhere near your dream career. While our first jobs may be more enjoyable than others, in this tough economy, we usually take what we can get. At the same time, though, there’s much to be said for gunning for your dream career, even when you’ve just starting out in the working world. And the best way to accomplish just that is by making use of your time outside of working hours to continue developing skills needed for that eventual career of your dreams. Here are a few tips: Continue Reading

College Graduates with Work Experience May Have an Advantage

While work experience does not guarantee college grads jobs, it can’t hurt their chances.

College students take note: Prior work experience may be a requisite for getting your foot in the door with employers, a new Accountemps survey suggests. Nine in 10 (91 percent) chief financial officers (CFOs) interviewed said it is important for entry-level accounting and finance professionals to gain practical experience while in college.

CFOs were asked, “How important is it for entry-level accounting and finance professionals to have gained work experience in the field while in college?” Their responses: Continue Reading

Why Recruiters May Not Be Honest With Candidates

You have probably heard the expression: you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression. Job candidates should consider this thought if they plan to work with recruiters. This means having what I believe is the total package of skills and personality. After all, recruiters want to present the best candidates to fill employers’ positions.

However, if recruiters don’t feel you are the best candidate, they may not tell you why. Here are a few reasons why: Continue Reading

Job Seeking? This is Your Current Job

Don’t think you have a job, think again. Even though you may not have a steady income, do not discount the work that should go into a job search. For now, your job search is your job. Remember these tips: Continue Reading

C-Level Branding Perfection: 5 Steps to an Outstanding Personal Branding Statement

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez of Great Resumes Fast

As a major player in the corporate world, you are charged with the responsibility of going above and beyond to show that you have what it takes to deliver as a C-level executive. This isn’t such an easy task, especially when you are up against some of the toughest competition in the country.

So it’s crucial that you get your personal brand in tip-top shape by starting with an outstanding branding statement.

Do you know how to create an effective branding statement? Here are five steps to get you on the right track: Continue Reading