My Facebook feed is currently full of pictures of cute kiddies, loved-up statuses and Instagram-frosted cupcakes. Yet when I recently obtained a Master’s degree from an overseas university, in a ceremony which took place in Spanish and Catalan (two of the four languages I speak), I hesitated to upload the photos to my account. If the internet is supposed to be the 21^st century’s great equaliser, why does online etiquette still dictate that women can brag about their love lives, but not their careers?

Fortunately, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Internet networking groups are creating a safe space for women to voice their achievements and concerns, create contacts and support each other in blazing new career trails. If you’re not comfortable blowing your trumpet all over your standard Facebook feed, why not look at joining a group which allows you to do so in a more receptive online environment?

Networking groups mean social media can become great ways to share ideas and professional contacts – not just pictures of wedding dresses. Group London Women Mean Business, for example, began after organiser Melanie Berenblut posted the simple phrase “Would anyone be interested in meeting up to network?” on LinkedIn. As well as creating space for online debate, such groups often hold regular events, and so also serve to facilitate real-life networking.

Online networking groups may be particularly relevant for women looking to break into traditionally male-dominated careers. If knowing your HRMS

from your HTML is all in a day’s work (or you’d like it to be), you might particularly appreciate the existence of groups such as Girl Geeks and GeekGirlMeetup, which provide a diverse mix of online seminars, real-life unconferences and hashtags for women everywhere from Oslo to Oxford.

Website Meetup.com, traditionally used for organising leisure pursuits, is also being used to the advantage of women looking for professional opportunities. As the Women in Science and Engineering group in Melbourne puts it, “We can discuss everything from our research to our shoes… it is whatever we want it to be.”

With the advent of the internet, no woman need be an island. But how we use it to connect depends very much on us. Newly-obtained haircuts, offspring and domestic skills are real achievements as much as anything else, and have their place. The problem comes when we let our professional triumphs and accolades fall by the wayside. The internet is an infinitely powerful tool – let’s start using it to make connections as well as cupcakes.

“The internet is an infinitely powerful tool – let’s start using it to make connections as well as cupcakes”

Bio: Penelope Labram is currently Content Manager for international job search website JobisJob, which has its seat in Barcelona, Spain. As such, she has her finger firmly pressed to the pulse of trends in recruitment, the labour market and social media. She is strongly committed to helping women use technology to further their career. You can follow her @jobisjob.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

One of my favorite things to do to pass time when I travel is observe people and strike up conversations with total strangers. And it has often worked for me in several ways, be it on my flight when I travel, while at the bus stop or when I am at places that I have never been before.

Strike up a conversation

I know some of us may not be comfortable talking to strangers and it is just the way we are. But I understand that I am making myself approachable and likable to the other person by making a small friendly gesture, an eye to eye contact, a smile, talking about the weather or probably sharing a story or experience about me which somehow relates to them. This can help them open up their mind, start a conversation and share something that is of common interest.

Life is quite often like this. Every day we meet someone who wants to know about somebody or who knows somebody that we want to know about. And as an HR professional who loves to network, I always keep this in mind. Not just to connect with others with an ulterior motive but to learn something new, some experience that I never dealt with before or probably help each other out by sharing experiences that help us grow as a person.

 Stories help you build connection!

I know of an incident that happened not to me but to one of my close friends while she was on her journey from Dallas, Texas to Tampa, Florida. As it turned out, the two hour journey helped land her a job when she got talking to a lady sitting next to her. Fortunately for her

that random person on that flight was a recruiter. She sparked up a conversation seeing the PHR Prep book in the hands of that recruiter. This helped her understand that the lady was an HR professional and they started talking about job searches and interview processes in different companies. She indicated that she is looking for a position in health care industry. Unfortunately, the recruiter was a headhunter in the financial industry.

But to her surprise when my friend got back home, she received an interview call from another recruiter who happened to be friends with the lady she met on the flight. And my friend got that job. How cool is that?

I am sure they might have felt much more comfortable talking to each other in a casual manner rather than sitting in an interview room across each other or at a crowded networking event.

So start striking up conversations and build connections, you may never know who knows who!

Have you had any experience like this? Would love to hear from you!

About the author: Nisha Raghavan is the author of Your HR Buddy blog and a co-host of DriveThru HR. A former HR Generalist with extensive experience in Talent Management and Development, she specializes and writes about Employee Relations, Organization Development and how companies can keep their employees more engaged through Employee Engagement Initiatives. Her experience in the corporate world was as an HR Deputy Manager at Reliance Communications Limited, India.

You know the routine. You attend a networking event, professional conference, association meeting and collect a bucket load of 2 x 3 inch business cards from a collection of professionals, ranging from the gentleman who sat next to you at breakfast to an engaging mentor-worthy executive.  Then the event ends and you transport the business cards from your suit pocket to your work bag and forget about them until you arrive to work the next morning.

Now what?

Traditional networking wisdom would tell you to take the time in the next couple of days to log each contact’s information onto a spreadsheet and then follow up with an email (and log that too).  Sound like a lot of work?  Probably because it is and the fact that it is time consuming and really not top of mind (after all the conference is over and you have a stack of work to get to done) leads to a high likelihood of business card abandonment.

A better way to deal with a stack of business cards is to embrace social media to make your life easier.  I constantly hear colleagues, friends, and family lamenting the main social sites calling them a time-zappers when really if used effectively they can be a time saver.

Below are a couple of tips for how to manage newly made contacts that will not consume your time for half a morning.

• Business card reader apps. If you have a smart phone or tablet then you can utilize this immediately.  After collecting a business card you can take a photo of it and it will automatically be added to your phone contacts.  Some of these apps go so far as finding the contact on LinkedIn and sending them a connection request.  How is that for a time saver?

• In the moment notes. Immediatel
  text your ex back

  y after you collect someone’s card, take 30 seconds to jot down something you learned about them on the back of the card.  This will help you remember what was meaningful about this particular person. Trust me after a long day of networking many of these contacts will blur together and you may remember that someone has a daughter at UCLA and loves mountain bike riding but deciphering if it was Cindy at GM or Greg from Target will be more challenging.

• Connections through LinkedIn. Instead of taking the time to enter contact information on a spreadsheet, invest that time by finding your contacts on LinkedIn and sending a connection request with a personal message that refers to something you learned about them (jotted down on the back of the business card- see point 2) when you met.

Remember, the point of sharing business cards isn’t to increase the number of contacts on your spreadsheets. Business card exchanges are solely for staying connected. Utilize social media  and allow relationship building and productivity to co-exist.

What has worked for you?

Photo credit: iStockphoto

About the author: Maggie Tomas works at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota as Associate Director and Career Coach in the Graduate Business Career Services office. Her background includes teaching and career counseling at the college level, namely at the University of St. Thomas, University of California Santa Barbara, and  Brooks Institute, where she served as Director of Career and Student Services.  She is a contributing writer to several blogs and publications including Opus Magnum, Women of HR and Job Dig.

The statistics spouting the importance of networking are sprinkled in every career article from the small college newsletter to major international publications.   We all feel the pressure to expand our network, meet new people and make a stellar first impression.

As a career coach working with MBA students who are looking to get connected in the business world, the most common question I encounter is about networking.  In this tough economy many of students I work with are also juggling multiple roles such as full time professional, involved parent or caretaker. I often get an exasperated look when I bring up the importance of networking because the thought of adding another item to an already full to – do list is overwhelming.

Here are some of the best, most applicable, tips on how to network with limited time.

1. Be prepared. You don’t have time to waste so come to any networking event with a plan. Know who is going to be attending, look them up on LinkedIn, find any commonalities you have to discuss, and then make the connection.  This creates meaningful networking and allows you to leave at a reasonable time because you had a plan of attack.
2. Be focused. I say this because I have been there, in the moment at a networking event, and all I can think of is my kids waiting for me at home, the school project that needs to be done or the paper that isn’t yet written. That makes the networking meaningless because your mind is elsewhere and you won’t appear genuine.  You might as well have not been at the event at all.  If you have taken the time to attend, then make sure to make it worthwhile and be present.
3. Utilize an established network. When you have children at home, going  blindly to a networking event outside of your network will be more challenging and take more time, and you may not find others there who are in your same  situation (i.e. balancing mult
   how to more exciting to get my ex back

   iple roles).  It makes most sense to attend a networking event affiliated with your school (undergrad or grad), company or passion (think volunteer groups).

4. Join a professional association. Yes, the dues are high but you have access to a ton of networking events each month and you can pick and choose which events best fit your life and schedule.  Many are breakfast events which are the best way to squeeze in a little professional networking during a jam packed day without impacting your “at home” or “at work” responsibilities.
5. Network everywhere. A dear friend of mine from California recently networked her way into her dream job.  How?  She met the hiring manager at her daughter’s toddler dance class!  She started chatting with the other parents, made a great contact, kept in touch, one thing led to another and voila!  Networking as a parent is unique in that many of the people who are sitting next to you at your son or daughter’s after school events are also professionals and may be able to impact your career.

Ultimately networking is about building relationships.  As a business professional there is nothing that will impact your career success more than having a strong network.  Make time for growing your network in a way that works for you.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

About the author: Maggie Tomas works at the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota as Associate Director and Career Coach in the Graduate Business Career Services office. Her background includes teaching and career counseling at the college level, namely at the University of St. Thomas, University of California Santa Barbara, and  Brooks Institute, where she served as Director of Career and Student Services.  She is a contributing writer to several blogs and publications including Opus Magnum, Women of HR and Job Dig.

This is the 4th post in our Women of HR series focusing on career. Read along, consider the advice and we invite you to comment with insights of your own.

You have a job, so you’re not really worried about your digital footprint.

You received so many invitations to join LinkedIn, you finally built yourself a profile. Now, if you could only remember your password! People keep talking about social networking and personal branding, but you are too busy to keep up with all of that; you’re working.

Don’t be complacent. A job today is no guarantee of a job tomorrow.

A CareerBuilder survey of more than 3,000 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes provides some sobering statistics: more than a third (35 percent) of American companies are operating with smaller staffs than before the recession. Thirty-six percent of companies will hire contract or temporary workers in 2012 and this percentage has been inching up every year since 2009 when it was 28%.  The survey, conducted by Harris Interactive late last year, says 27% of companies will hire temporary or contract workers in Q1 2012.

An M Squared poll of independent consultants suggests a temporary (or “flexible”) workforce is a permanent change. Fifty-five percent of independent consultants surveyed expect their revenue will increase in 2012. Could an outside consultant accomplish your job? If you don’t generate revenue (sales) or create product ideas, your position could be outsourced.

You don’t have to just sit around and wait for 36 percent of companies hiring contract workers to equal 50 percent. Act now to own and manage your professional reputation.

You should always act as if you may be facing a job search. If you are an expert in your field, other people should know it. Grow your reputation and stretch your network beyond the walls of your office or company. If you do not, you will face a big challenge should the time come when you need to either market yourself as an independent contractor or find a new job.

If you’ve poo-poo’ed social media, consider these four uses for tools such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to assist you being prepared:

• Demonstrate your expertise. Even if you don’t have a lot of time, you can easily make a habit of sharing useful information via links to posts or articles you read. It’s not difficult to contribute to conversations in all of these networks, which will help you cultivate an aura of expertise (assuming you are, in fact, an expert). When you do enter the social media fray, you may be surprised by how quickly you can become part of a community of other leaders in your field.If you play your cards right, before you know it, colleagues will be looking to you as a mentor and calling you an expert.

• Expand the network of people who know, like and trust you. You no longer need to rely on your brother-in-law or neighbor to introduce you to someone who could potentially hire you. Social networking broadens your network to include new mentors, colleagues, and contacts from around the world and right next door! We all know the best opportunities come via networking and a TIME Business article hits the nail on the when it compares job searching to throwing paper airplanes into the galaxy. In the article, Gerry Crispin, principal and co-founder at CareerXroads, cited surveys suggesting “… At least 28% of all hires came from employee referrals, although (Crispin) suggests the number may be even higher.” Don’t leave your network to chance. If you don’t spend time online expanding your network how will you effectively identify mentees? If you’re not up-to-date and cutting edge with your skills, how will you help those coming along behind you?

• Learn information you wouldn’t otherwise know. No doubt there are conferences and events you might like to attend, but can’t swing the travel or the time. It’s likely someone is “live tweeting” the events. If you join Twitter, with a little know-how, you can find and follow all the best information and learn what people are saying without ever leaving your home or office.

• Get hired and attract opportunities to you. Whether it’s a job opportunity you were not even seeking or a contract you need to land to pay your bills, creating a meaningful digital footprint can make the difference between being on the inside, or being outside and looking in. Results don’t happen overnight, though; don’t wait until you desperately need an online presence to try to create one. Start now. You won’t be sorry.

Are you convinced? These are just are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reasons you should consider creating your online presence. Take it one step at a time and be sure to let me know when your first unexpected opportunity lands in your lap!

Photo credit: iStockphoto

About the author: Miriam Salpeter, author of Social Networking for Career Success, is a CNN-named “Top 10 job tweeter” and contributor to U.S. News & World Report’s “On Careers” column. Quoted in major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and NBC news for her cutting-edge career advice, Salpeter is an in-demand writer and speaker regarding job search and social media. Follow her on Twitter (@Keppie_Careers), Facebook, LinkedIn or Google+.

When you went to work this morning, you had a job. When you came home, you did not.

Maybe you hated your job so bad, you just quit without having a new position lined up. More likely, your employer terminated you and you’re devastated. Whatever the reason, you’re back in the job market again.

If you were terminated through no fault of your own, take a day or two to recover from the shock and assess your financial situation. Determine how long your severance pay and your savings will last; be brutal in cutting out discretionary expenses.

If you aren’t already following a regular exercise routine, establish one now. Exercise is a great way to reduce stress and keep yourself in shape. Now is not the time to have health problems.

The job may be gone, but you’ve still got your skills and will be a valuable employee to an appreciative employer.

Networking is a Valuable Tool

Start networking almost immediately. Work your contacts to see if they know of any jobs where your talents and skills can be put to good use. If you want to expand your networking beyond known contacts, consider joining LinkedIn, an online networking system for business people in every field. A basic membership is free and allows you access to thousands of groups where members have interests similar to yours.

If money isn’t an immediate problem, consider setting up your own business. Many people go on to operate successful businesses after losing a job. You could be a freelance consultant in your field. It’s even possible, if you lost your job due to an economic downturn, your employer will hire you back on a freelance basis.

Temporary Jobs Can Lead to Permanent Positions

Temping is another option for finding work. Register with the temporary employment agencies that specialize in your field. It is not uncommon for a temporary assignment to turn into a permanent position as many employers like to “try out” employees before hiring them.

Be Positive!

Above all, keep a positive attitude. On bad days, it’s easy to wallow in self-pity and feel worthless. Consider this: You got your last job because of your skills; your skills will get you another job.

Make a list of your major accomplishments at your last job, and the skills you used to achieve them. Review it whenever you feel down. The list will come in handy at job interviews and make it easier for you to adopt a positive can-do attitude before a prospective employer.

If you feel like you’ll never be hired again, it could turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Photo credit: iStockphoto.com

About the author: This post was contributed by Kelly Austin from highersalary.com and is geared towards helping people make specific, positive changes that will avoid mistakes and propel them toward their goals and towards success.

This is the sixth post in a series where Women of HR writers share their thoughts and reactions to a manifesto, Six Rules Women Must Break In Order to Succeed.

 ********************************

Do I agree with the authors of  The Six Rules Women Must Break in Order to Succeed who believe,

In order to succeed at the highest levels in business, we need to rethink the conversations we are having in our heads and tell ourselves a new story. Women must think differently?

Absolutely.

The stories we tell ourselves are powerful. When we believe certain thoughts, we always find evidence to prove our beliefs. For example, if I believe “to get ahead in my company you have to suck up and be just like the CEO,” I can find lots of examples of people who have gotten ahead that way. And then I tend to ignore all the other evidence and examples of people who are succeeding in their own way.

Part of the problem is that we want to ignore reality. Every place has politics. You see it in your place of worship, your kid’s schools and even in your Homeowner’s Association. Arguing with this reality directly violates Rule #4 – Be Politically Savvy. Women are quick to write off ‘office politics’ as an old-boys networking game and one they aren’t interested in playing. But the truth is, office politics is an area where women can excel and use their natural talents to their advantage.

Office politics is all about relationships, networks and communication. Those of us who are reality TV fans have watched how alliances often make it or break it on Survivor. The same is true in the office.

Instead of believing the thought “Office politics are manipulative,” think of some ways you can turn it around and come up with some beliefs you can support:

• Developing relationships with key people in my office is smart and efficient
• It’s helpful to let my boss know when I’ve succeeded
• Aligning myself with people who are interested in my success gives them the opportunity to help others

When you believe these stories, you’ll start finding evidence to prove them true. The mentor you want and need may suddenly appear, and now you’re poised to ask them to help you. Your powers of observation and intuition can operate on full alert at the office -  without making you feel icky.

You can be authentic and sincere and succeed at office politics. Office politics won’t go away just because you ignore them. Just change the name of the game so you can win – or at least have more fun trying!

Photo credit iStockphoto

Recently, as a large weekend dinner party was winding down, I sat back and enjoyed a glass of wine while dragging a spoon through the last of the whipped cream on my plate. I started contemplating rolling my full belly in the direction of home, when through heavy-lidded eyes I saw someone take the seat next to mine. “Hi,” he said. “I actually work in your industry, and I was curious about any business opportunities you may have. Maybe I could send you an e-mail?”

In that moment I realized: I was back on duty.

I could have brushed him off nicely, or asked him to call me on Monday, or made a joke about having left my HR hat at home – I’ve done all those things in the past. However, he was doing exactly what you’re supposed to do – networking with a new contact in an attempt to establish a relationship that may be advantageous in the future, and being proactive about his career. I, in turn, am usually the first point of contact for my company, and highly aware that I make the “first impression” for our brands. We want that impression to be unpretentious, accessible, yet professional and high-quality, and they hired me for reasons that support that image. And you never know – maybe this was an opportunity for me, too. So I told him about our brands and markets, and gave him my contact information, and tried not to let my wine buzz affect my ability to answer his questions and make him feel heard.

Personal branding is a term that gets used incessantly these days, and like any trendy idea, has launched a host of associated impenetrable jargon, books, advocates, and strategies. My take on personal branding is that you should be conscious of the kind of person you want to be, and make a concerted effort to ensure that most of your communication and interactions are as authentic as possible. Your company’s brand should ideally be similar to your personal brand. Employees who complain endlessly about their company’s dress code, policies, marketing, or environment are often really saying that their company brand doesn’t jive with their personal brand; that they are working in the wrong place for them.

I wish to be seen as unpretentious, accessible, yet professional, which means I am in the right job for me at the right time. Hooray. Yet it also means, in a 24/7 access world, that I am never really entirely “away” from work, and that the lines between company representative and personal brand get blurred. Finding a balance between them, and a separating line, is an ongoing process.

Nowhere is this balance more tenuous than in the online realm.

I take pains each time I comment on a blog somewhere with my thoughts on, say, dating, or the best way to season marinara sauce, to remember that those opinions will become part of my online persona as soon as someone Googles my name, and that business and personal will be indistinguishable in that search result. I used to be able to keep some separation through different user names, but with the new comment verification programs that require real, full names, or a tie-in to Facebook, Twitter, or a similar tool, those distinctions are gone.

Even at work, I am conscious of the way my personal choices affect the perception of Human Resources within the organization. If I get a drink after work with a coworker, I worry about the perception of favoritism, or that others will worry about my ability to be impartial. My solution, thus far, in order to allow myself the ability to have fun personally yet maintain an HR brand that is open to everyone, is to accept almost every invitation extended, so that I am the friend of everyone, at every celebration, supporter of every cause, in the background of every photograph. It’s an expensive and time-consuming solution, but I’ve yet to find a better one.

I have, I hope, many years ahead of me, to work and to live my life. This means many years of recorded information, through photographs, e-mail, blogs, and the like. Many people choose to stay away from technology- stand outside the photo, shun carrying a cell phone, but that isn’t me – I embrace just about anything that fosters connection between people and expands my world. For me, the benefits outweigh the hassles. Yet finding a balance between the many sides of my “self” will be a challenge, and one that gets a little more complicated with every year.

Photo credit iStockphoto

Well have I got the solution for you!

Pareto Principle for Networking

Strike with a Confident Hand

Over time you will build up your own library of stories and you can start to part your wisdom but, until, then I urge you to attend, strike with a confident shake of the hand and listen like you’ve never listened before.

Damon is our Women of HR Featured Contributor this week. Click over to meet him and see what he has to say about himself, his career, and his views on the workplace and the women in it.  

In survey feedback from our Women of HR readers, one of the leading topics of interest was the “good ole boys.”  This is a fascinating topic to me.

I am raising a son and my sister is raising a daughter. They are 14 years old, one week apart in age and living proof of differences among genders. There is scientific proof as well. Why don’t we talk about gender differences in behavior, styles, communication, etc.?

Why don’t we speak about our common ground? Does it have more to do with fear than reality? Is it about comfort zones?

The reality is, a comfort zone is a comfort zone for men  – and women – and there are many things we can do to create comfort zones.

What am I speaking of?

I am speaking of networking, communicating, and being clear about your goals.

Networking

Since the “good ole boys” have been gathering long before my time, were here, and still are here in much larger numbers in the C-suite than women, the ownership is on us to network and leverage our outstanding communication skills to help each other.

If you want to know where the “good ole girls” are, you really should not have to look too far in your own area for a network. If you do, then do what we did in Atlanta and start a network locally. We meet for dinner once a month and have a speaker. We share responsibilities to plan, coordinate, and drive executive membership. Our group has members from all industries in positions ranging from Director to C-level  in finance, IT, HR, sales, general management and operations.

There are also external organizations that you may join. Women in Technology (WIT) and Board of Directors Network (BDN) are two in my home town that are exceptional women-led organizations. WIT promotes and supports the upward mobility of executive women in technology and BDN does the same for all executive women.

Once you network and find a path on the outside, bring what you learn back inside your organization and share it with your boss and peers. Invite them to share the experiences. This does not have to be solely discussed with women inside your firm. Any manager would benefit from understanding the dynamic of these organizations,and how to develop and foster these dialogues internally as the war to attract and retain talent is on - and it always will be.

Communicating

Men and women do not always think the same.

If something is on your mind, you must communicate. Do not assume that if you work hard and do a great job you will get the dream job solely for that reason. Inside the “good ole boys” network they are speaking a language which may be foreign to women. Keep in mind that the “good ole boys”  do not always even know that they are excluding women, they may assume the discussion is uninteresting to us or they are simply unaware.

Being Clear About Your Goals

Seek out trusted people inside your company of all cultures and both genders and be clear about your goals. I am assuming your goals are written down and top of mind?

One thing for sure, the “good ole boys”  goals’ are.

Getting In the Zone

So, enough about the “good ole boys.”

Network, communicate, be clear about your goals and go out and create some comfort zones of your own.

Debbie is our Featured Contributor on LinkedIn. Come over to meet her and ask a few questions of your own.