So you enjoy social networking. You post updates, pictures and words of wisdom on your Facebook page, Twitter, MySpace, etc. You enjoy drinking and just having a good time. What better way to share this with your friends and family than social networking sites? Before you post that picture of you or post your opinion to a political issue, ask yourself, "What would a potential employer think if they saw it?"
We live in an information overload society. We can share our entire life with complete strangers if we want to but do we really want to do that? Could you damage your reputation before you even have a chance to meet someone? If you keep up with social networking news, you'll find articles and comments from people who've lost jobs, clients and even relationships because they were so free in sharing their private lives. I've personally removed friendship connections from LinkedIn because of offensive language from Twitter updates. When given the opportunity to put your best foot forward don't forget about your social networking pages. More and more employers are searching candidates via Google and Facebook to find out more about them before they invite them for an interview.
If you want to still share your personal life then consider having two profiles one for your professional lifestyle and one for your personal lifestyle. Let close friends and family read about your Friday night conquest while your professional associates read about your volunteerism. It’s especially important in this economy when there are fewer jobs and twice as many candidates.
Many small business owners take weeks off during the holiday season to spend much-needed time with their family. As hard as you have to work when you run your own business, one can't question why this is a common practice. Don't miss the opportunity to get on the minds of your clients before the start of the new year.
One way to stay on their minds is to send a personal greeting card or gift. I personally encourage business owners to take the time to handwrite a card and send it. Most people are so use to e-cards, E-vites and text messages that seeing a handwritten card will draw them in. This isn't an opportunity to sell a new service but just say "I appreciate your business and look forward to working with you again." It's also an opportunity to network with people you've met. If you have their business card and it has a mailing address, send them a card. It can be something as simple as letting them know that you wish them well and hope to get to know them better.
The right hand-written card along with your business card, might prompt them to check out your website. Of course, most people don't have time for hand-written cards. As a virtual assistant, I'd be careless if I didn't mention that this is a service your virtual assistant can complete for you. Even if you don't have a virtual assistant, the extra time taken to provide this personal touch will be well worth the time.
Recently my sister and I decided to re-evaluate our business plan. When we started our business, we wanted to devote volunteer hours to assisting non profit organizations. When we first tried doing this in 2005 and 2006 we sent emails and letters and followed up with phone calls. No one responded. I continued to call one homeless shelter and finally got a call from the Director. She was very busy and said she would call me back. It never happened.
Since then, we've volunteered with one organization but that was it. As we reviewed our orginal plan, we decided it was time to revisit this goal. My sister contacted Dress for Success Atlanta. She received an auto email that said for us to call them to schedule an interview. This auto response would probably have deterred me as I would have had the opinion that they obviously didn't want our help. My sister followed up and scheduled an interview. She met with Christina, Director of Operations, and was excited when we discussed how we could help. Finally, we had found an organization that needed our help and was ready to receive it.
Dress For Success Atlanta does a lot of wonderful things. Like many non profit organizations, they have experienced financial difficulties due to the declining economy. Christina is currently fulfilling the role of three people. I understand now why she can't respond to every request for volunteering; she simply doesn't have the time.
My company, Indispensable Assistants, will continue to look for organizations that need some assistance. We're returning to our roots. With this weak economy many non profit organizations have experienced an increase in the number of people who need help, but have experienced a decrease in donations and volunteers. I think that if you're a member of a group, or have a group of friends, it would be great to see if you can carve out one day a month to give back to those who give so much. At Dress For Success, they're behind on their clerical work, they need people to help sort their inventory, and a new system to capture their clients' information. If we're too swamped to help in their office we can always write a check to help with their declining donations.
I'm glad I took the risk. This isn't something I would ordinarily do. I had to step out of my comfort zone. Its time to think outside the box and do things that make you feel uncomfortable. So many people are so insistent on not making changes. I'm glad I did.
