Social Media and Building Your Career

July 17, 2016

Social Media and Building Your Career

Filed under: Blacks In Technology,Education,FlBlogCon,Marketing and Branding — William Jackson @ 10:30

Social Media and Building Your Career
by William Jackson, M.Ed.
Edward Waters College
@wmjackson Twitter
#MyQuestToTeach

For young adults moving into a career takes
planning, execution, diligence and sacrifice.
Technology can help in building skills that
can be applied to a developing Brand and to
start a career, creating a foundation that
helps to extend into the future.

Today’s future business owners and
entrepreneurs need to think of themselves
as CEO’s, CFO’s, Chairman of the Board,
and even company President of their
companies or non-profit. The journey to
success begins in the minds of those
seeking success and to contribute to the
human presence using platforms and
tools of technology as foundations that
build to success and beyond.

The process of Branding, Networking,
strategically positioning yourself,
building yourself as a Thought Leader,
Content Creator, Innovator, Educator
and other positions of influence are
establishing realities for the future.
The ability to Market yourself is
sometimes dependent on the versatility
of your Brand and the diversity of your
ability to diversify your intellect and
intelligence (there is a difference
between intellect and intellegence).

Just finding a job is a challenge, a
serious challenge with just a high school
degree. It is almost impossible with a
“certificate of attendance”, that is earned
from just attending school, but not
completing all the academic requirements
to earn and diploma. The goal is to build
a career that creates change towards
progress and builds a reality in helping
others to grow. In the job markets of today
no one stays in the same position longer
than several years. Employer loyalty
has changed where a career of 20, 30 even
40 years is a rarity.

Employees must be “courageous strategists”
and crafty in applying new skills at
becoming life-long learners. Degrees are
important, but so is common sense,
application and execution of talents,
skills and new found learning. Here are
some strategies that help employees grow
into careers that are current or not
even available today.

1. Define and Build your Personal Brand.
Having a Brand is not optional, each
person must establish their personal
Brand that builds who they are and
what they represent. There is more
to it than strength and weakness,
there is flexibility, application,
execution, networking, leadership,
collaboration and cooperation.
The list is just as diverse as the
thinking of the potential employee
needs to be.

2. Build your Foundation.
Building your ‘resume, biography,
curriculum vita, digital portfolio
and even apply the tools and platforms
of LinkedIn, Twitter, Tumblr, Rebel
Mouse, About.me and Instagram.
Use diverse platforms and tools to
spread your knowledge and to
help others.

3. Use your Brand.
Your Brand can communicate online
and offline. Networking is important,
getting out and “pressing the flesh”
with others so that resources can be
shared to build a relationship.
Being online is not an option that
can be wasted, networking is not for
the shy or timid. Being online provides
digital identity and can transform
your portfolio from being static to
dynamic and influential.
Each Social Media platform can be
leveraged to address demographics,
educational levels, gender equality
and even the diversity
of color and culture.

4. Keep your network alive.
Your real-life and digital networks
allow you to dynamically connect with
your community and the world.
There is more to it than fancy photos,
hoping your videos go viral, it is
positioning yourself to help others
and you to grow. Pay if forward
has benefits.

5. Stay Educated.
Learning is important, being a life-long
learner means staying abreast of new
technologies, understanding the development
of Apps, and gaining certifications and
degrees. Learning must be an integral part
of the growth and development of career
professionals. Your must know where your
libraries are, museum locations and even
cultural events. In today’s society you
must have a calendar that grows as you
grow in flexibility and ability.

6. Always have a backup or side career.
Being flexible, adaptable and scalable
are important to life-long abilities to
be flexible in your career options.
Depending on your goals and career
options side jobs build you to other
directions and can open doors to new
journeys. Be sure to balance your
time and avoid burnout.

7. Be clear on what kind of career you want.
Being specific and targeted is important
in the direction you want to move. No
guessing, prayer does help with deciding
which way to go and not to go or who
not to go with.

8. Human Resources is not always the best
place to go to for hiring. It is a start for
your application and other documents, but
use your connections, networking and friends
to move through the career options you have.
Being involved in community and cultural
clubs, volunteering, sharing your knowledge
and being a mentor helps to expand and
improve your influence and how you can
be hired.

9. Cultivate Relationships.
Business is about building relationships.
Just as countries do not start their
business dealings without learning about
their competition and collaborations.
A foundation for a relationships takes
time to grow, so expect to be in dialogue
and discussion to build mutual goals and
missions. It does help the have lunch,
dinner, play golf or bowling. Building
for the future can be fun also.

10. Marketing your Brand
No one can market your Brand like you can.
You have to be diligent, creative,
innovative, and mission driven. Your
Brand is you!!!!

11. Do not use your body to gain entrance
into your career, it will come back to bite
you later. Sexual servitude is not an easy
thing to live with mentally, socially,
culturally and even religiously. Selling
your soul may mean not getting it back
and slipping deeper and deeper into a hell
with no way out.

12. Relationships do not always have to be
sexual.
Don’t believe everything on TV. You may
create your own Scandals that transform into
an Empire of hate, mistrust, and
declaration on the moralities and ethics of
life.
“Before you climb into bed with anyone make
sure you climb into their head first.”
William Jackson
Get an understanding where your relationship
is going for you and them. Yes there are
“benefits with friends,” but will the consequences
kill your future happiness and personal dignity?

13. Digital Communication.
Take the time to answer voice mails, emails,
texts, faxes and all the ways people communicate
with you. Never assume you are so well connected
that you can afford to miss the next million
dollar venture or an opportunity to contribute
to a news story or even advise a political
future that could open doors for you.
Use resources like HARO – Help A Reporter Out
with contributing to developing stories.
Share your knowledge and expand your circle of
influence and connectivity.