Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

How to clean up your social media accounts

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It’s time for spring cleaning, but are you neglecting your social media accounts? Just as you’re supposed to change your smoke detector’s battery when you change your clocks, the change of season is a good reminder to pay attention to your social profiles.

Review your social media goals

What are your plans for social media? What do you want people to learn when they visit your profiles? What feeling do you want them to have? What do you want them to know about you — or NOT know about you? What do you want them to DO when they land on your website? Take the time to audit your profiles to ensure you’re putting out the right messages.

Ask a friend or a coach what they think when they visit your social media profiles and when they look at your streams of information. Make sure you aren’t missing the mark when it comes to shaping a reputation you want to own.

Google Yourself

At least a few times a year, you should Google your own name. You want to know what comes up when people search for you online. What pictures show up? Are they of you? Is there someone who has your name and comes up before you online, even in LinkedIn? Make a note of things that show up high in search, and make a point to spend extra time making those things the best they can be. (For example, LinkedIn likely comes up high in search. Manage your profile there first, before you spend time anywhere else online.)

Update Your Bios

When is the last time you reviewed your bios? Whether they are short (like Twitter’s) or longer (such as your LinkedIn Summary), now is the time to give them a once over. Make sure to include new accomplishments and look over your materials with fresh eyes to update them.

Be sure you keep everything consistently updated. If you update LinkedIn, be sure to also update your resume.

Once you’ve addressed the big picture: scrub your profiles!

Review your “tags”

It’s a great idea to look into what photos you’ve taken over the past year and de-clutter. Be sure photos where other people tagged you are appropriate and speak to your brand. If not, find the “Untag” button. In Facebook, get started by “viewing your activity log.”

Un-follow

Is your LinkedIn feed getting too spammy? Are you tired of seeing the overly politically charged updates in Facebook? Weed out people you don’t want to hear from. In LinkedIn, you can block people (which means you won’t see their updates, and they won’t see your content, either). LinkedIn won’t notify the blocked people! (Just click on the arrow next to the endorse button on their profile.)

In Facebook, if you don’t want to “unfriend,” people, you can unfollow and they won’t be any wiser! Choose the  “following” button on the person’s Facebook page and select. “unfollow”

Disconnect from apps you aren’t using.

Have you given “permissions” to apps you don’t use anymore? Disconnect them!

In Twitter: go to settings and apps – disengage from anything you’re not using now.

In Facebook, find apps behind the Activity log button.

Change Your Passwords

Update and change your passwords.

If you have trouble keeping track of passwords, you can use a password management program such as LastPass. Also, be sure you are using your personal email for LinkedIn; it’s not a good idea to use a work email or an email you never check!

Manage your brand

How are you engaging?

Check how you’re engaging in your networks. For example: look along the left side of your Facebook profile – are there groups you aren’t using? Feel free to remove yourself.

How about LinkedIn groups? Did you join a bunch and never engage? Consider focusing on a few groups for the next few months.

If you use Twitter, click on settings, and check apps. You may want to revoke permissions for some if you are not using them.

Your visuals:

On one hand, a consistent photo makes it easy for people to follow you, but this is a good time to consider a change. IF you have a business, make sure you check your logos and other visuals to make sure they still fit and are on brand.

Your email addresses and notifications

Are you checking your LinkedIn email regularly? Sometimes, people forget what emails they’ve listed for different networks, use a new email address and miss out on opportunities.

What now?

Now that everything is clean and tidy, commit to creating a stream of content that will demonstrate your expertise and grow your influence and presence in your field of choice!

 

How to get a job at the holidays

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GobbleAre you excited about Thanksgiving this year, or dreading it? Maybe you’re between jobs and not really feeling the spirit? Don’t despair and let it ruin your Thanksgiving and holiday season. With a little preparation and the right attitude, you can turn festive occasions into opportunities for you to meet new allies for your job search. Follow these tips to turn your not-working into effective networking at any event.  [Read more…] about How to get a job at the holidays

Can You Uncover Your Passion in a Job You Don’t Love?

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jad_badge_greenHaving a job you love is a wonderful goal. Having passion for your work and enjoying what you do is something most would agree is something to strive toward.

Today’s post is a contribution for the annual Job Action Day. The theme is inspired by Mike Rowe’s online commencement speech for Prager University. “He suggests, instead of following their passion, jobseekers should consider following the opportunities that are available to them—and then bring their passions with them to the job.”

Have you consciously identified a need to have passion for your work vs. considering your job a practical necessity? Do you let your bias regarding this impact your job search? Have you hesitated to pursue job opportunities because you aren’t committed to or excited about the work? Of course, the best career or job is the one in which you’re using the skills you enjoy. But, not every job needs to address all of your passions. It makes sense to use every job as an opportunity to learn something new and keep an open mind; you may find that you really enjoy something you never imagined would appeal to you.

Sometimes, however, a job can be just a job. Many, many people take care of problems at work not because they are passionate about what they are doing, but because they take pride in a job well done. It’s powerful to recognize work can be a way to make a living and doesn’t need to be steeped in passion.

If you are concerned that you should be more passionate about your work, here are some steps to take to make the most out of your current job, no matter what you do.

Evaluate your job.  Maybe there are parts of your job that play to your passions without you even recognizing it! For example, if you are in customer service, you may dislike handling problems all day, but solving concerns is something you really enjoy. Give credit to all the parts of your job that appeal to you.

Leverage your interests. Perhaps you can influence a change in your current work environment. If you’re in a job that doesn’t offer much in the way of upward mobility, consider offering to volunteer to head up an initiative that does play to your passions. For example, maybe you’d like to see your company recycle more, and you can offer to help work on that. Or, maybe you want to organize a collection to donate to the local food pantry. Perhaps you’d like to have a series of speakers come to talk to you and your colleagues. If you volunteer to set it up, your employer may support this effort. Just because your job may be static doesn’t mean you can’t extend yourself and try new things.

Get my free white paper: 5 Mistakes Job Seekers Make and How to Avoid Them.

Learn new things. Would you like to extend your career in a different direction, but you don’t have the resume to support the change? Identify what skills you are missing and take a class. Or, use volunteer opportunities to help get some experience. For example, if you don’t have any formal experience using management skills, managing that food drive or planning a speaker series can give you some of these skills.

Leverage your passions outside of work. If you don’t have a passion for your work, make more of an effort to enjoy your time outside of work. You may even find that newfound passion can become a side business that leads to work happiness down the road. Are you a creative person, but you work in an uncreative profession? Look for a hobby or take a class. When you’re not working, you have more control over how you spend your time, so be sure to tap into your passions. When you spend more time doing what you love, it helps your overall happiness, which will positively affect how you feel at work.

You may be surprised to learn you have an opportunity to include many more passionate interests in your job and in your free time than you may have realized!

Planning a career change? Answer these questions first

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78812ab61d7065484780b48cfe2efa4c-2You know what they say: “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” If you’ve been coveting the greener grass of a career change, be sure to stop and reflect before you plan a major shift. While transitioning careers sometimes makes sense, many people mistakenly believe a career change will solve all of their problems. Even successful career changers may be surprised to find that they encounter the same (or worse) problems in their new careers. Before you start to explore what’s on the other side of the fence, consider the following reasons not to change careers. [Read more…] about Planning a career change? Answer these questions first

Write and speak like a professional

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Write and SpeakEveryone you meet will form opinions based on what you say and write. That’s why I’m so excited to announce my new book, Write & Speak Like a Professional: Success in 20 Minutes a Day.

Strong written and spoken communication skills are crucial to opening doors. Millennial Branding’s research showed soft skills topped the list of “must have” skills that employers want, with 98 percent of employers saying communication skills are essential. It’s up to you to make the most of every opportunity to prove you’re capable and confident.

It’s no secret first impressions matter – that’s been the case since the beginning of time. What’s new, in our increasingly fast-paced, digitally connected world, is how a simple stroke of a keyboard, or an email gone awry, can quickly damage a professional reputation. On the other hand, a stream of consistent, well-written social media updates can just as easily raise your profile and impress people you’ve never met who may positively influence your career.

As a job search coach and social media strategist experienced at helping job seekers and business owners market themselves online and in person, it’s clear the most successful professionals try to improve their communication skills at every opportunity. Whether your focus is networking, job search, or excelling at work, it’s more important now than ever to know how to present yourself in person and in writing in this hyper-competitive work environment.

Write & Speak Like a Professional: Success in 20 Minutes a Day provides instructions and exercises to improve your communication abilities and offers insights and ideas to help refine your skills in every aspect of your job or career. It includes instruction on everything from networking to resume writing and interviewing.

Learn how to:

  • Network professionally — online and in person
  • Create cover letters and resumes that get you noticed
  • Approach job interviews with confidence and poise
  • Use social media appropriately and effectively
  • Introduce yourself decisively and make a great first impression
  • Write emails people will read
  • Much, much more!

Communication skills are just as important in the workplace as they are when looking for a job, so you’ll also find details about how to impress people at work and how to write clear, concise business emails that will get the best results. With attention spans growing shorter, it’s never been more important to learn how to hone in on your message and eliminate non-crucial details. This book helps you recognize if you’re missing opportunities to communicate succinctly and demonstrates how to remedy any problems.

Whether you’re attending a meeting, or writing a memo, it’s up to you to put your best foot forward. This book provides the resources to help you identify any deficiencies or problems you may not have considered.

  • Are you using words in your emails that call your professionalism into question?
  • Does the tone or inflection of your voice make people think you aren’t confident?
  • Could you be doing more via social media to expand your reach and extend your influence in your professional community?
  • How are your listening skills?
  • Does your body language send the message you want people to receive?

Read this book to learn how to improve your ability to make a strong first impression, and how to extend and enhance that impression so your colleagues and supervisors will listen carefully when you speak and appreciate what you write.

Click here to download a free chapter from the book : Communicate Using Social Media.

Be sure to touch base to let me know what questions you have, and feel free to share your best communication tips in the comments! Post on social media using the hashtag #WriteSpeak.

Learn about my other new book: Manage Your Time & Your Life: Success in 20 Minutes a Day.