Should Your Boss Be Your Facebook Friend?

Facebook – every one seems to have it nowadays. Your friends, classmates, old junior high teachers, and heck, even your grandparents have profiles on this social networking site. With it’s ever increasing scope, eventually you’ll discover that your boss is on Facebook as well.

So, should you befriend them? There are a lot of factors at play there, and Career Builder does a good job of laying out both the pros and cons of being Facebook friends with your boss.

Career Lessons From President-Elect Obama

Whether or not your supported President-Elect Barack Obama, you have to admit that his story is inspiring and that he ran one of the best campaigns in recent elections. Monster.com has a great article that shows how you can take practical advice from the Obama campaign and apply it to helping you in your career:

• Anyone Can Grow Up to Be President: And you can do any job you want as well. Set a goal, make sure you are qualified and apply yourself.
• The Road to Success Is Long and Hard: Obama didn’t just decide to be president. First, he got an education. Then he worked in the community and was elected to the Senate. Then he ran for the Democratic nomination and then finally for president. While no one knows for sure where a path might lead, working hard each day pretty much guarantees progress.
• Networking Is Crucial: Obama didn't do it by himself -- by some accounts, he had more than 1 million others helping him reach his goal. How are you using -- and growing -- your network?
• The Internet Is an Important Tool: Beyond the basics of a Web site, Obama used blogs, videos, social networking, discussion groups, e-commerce and email. You too can use these media as ways to get the message out about what you can offer to employers.
• A Personal Brand Is Powerful: More than anything else, Obama’s message was singular and on track: Change and hope. This focus defined Obama to others and helped these others amplify his message even further. It also helped that his brand was consistent across the way he looked, acted and sounded, as well as his message and attitude. While this might not be your personal brand, especially during a job search, you can institute the same consistency in how you present yourself and your message.
• Maximize the Interview: Each time he was in front of the camera, Obama was poised, fluent and answered questions in an authentic manner. Most people don't enjoy interviews, so consider: Obama did five, 10 or more interviews each day. Practice makes perfect no matter what you’re interviewing for.
• Get Support from Family and Friends: Often, a politician's family is wrongfully seen as a prop, to appear when needed and put away when completed. In reality, a public figure is also a private figure, with relationships, personal responsibilities and interests. Families are often the keystone to this private life, providing the support that allows politicians to work successfully in the public eye. Many of us who work -- or are looking for work -- sometimes forget that our families and friends are there to support us, and that it is our responsibility to reach out and ask.
• Say Thank You: Obama's acceptance speech was both inspiring and humble. He didn't shirk from acknowledging the people who helped along the way. It isn't hard to say thank you, yet sometimes we easily forget.
• Take a Rest Before You Start: No doubt Obama will use the time between election and inauguration to pull together his team, but he may also take a few days’ break to recharge from his long campaign. Likewise, if you are changing jobs, take a few days -- or even a week -- before you start your new position. That short break will leave you reenergized.
• When You Step Up to the Plate, There Are No Losers: While John McCain and Sarah Palin lost the election, they also gained something from it. McCain earned 46 percent of the popular vote. He built a team and has become a greater influence within his party. Meanwhile, Palin put her name on the map, gaining valuable experience on a national stage. While neither won the prize they were seeking, both are further ahead than before, and this will help both McCain and Palin as they consider next steps.

Use the Holidays to Spread Cheer More Effectively

I know that the holidays are still a ways away, but like every year, they will be here before you know it.

So I thought it would be a good time to pre-prep you on the “naughty and nice” ways to treat your network during the season of giving.

Naughty: You send out pre-engraved, homogenous company holiday cards with nary a signature.
Nice: You write a personal note to each recipient, even if it's just a few words.

Naughty: Giving everyone a generic gift that your clients may not be interested in - or able to enjoy.
Nice: Recognizing that not everyone likes chocolate or drinks wine, and instead giving people something that reflects their tastes. Stumped? Try giving out potted plants, personalized gifts (e.g., mugs, caps), or gift baskets of spices. Or make a donation to a charitable organization in which a client has expressed interest.

Naughty: Throwing a holiday party and not allowing folks to bring a guest.
Nice: Forget the party! Most people are busy enough around the holidays. Why not throw a post-New Year's brainstorming session for friends and clients wherein you all help each other set professional goals and offer up advice and support?

Naughty: Your holiday card is the only time you reach out to your network each year.
Nice: Call everyone personally, apologize for being out of touch, and schedule a time to grab lunch or a drink in January.

Naughty: You call in favors at the eleventh hour, stressing out vendors and well-connected friends who are very busy during the holidays.
Nice: Plan ahead for business and don't pull any strings during the holidays -- unless, of course, your job is on the line.

Network at your New Job

You might think that as soon as you land your new job, networking should be the last thing on your mind. However, all of the experts say this isn’t so.

In fact, internal networking, right from the beginning, is key to maintaining the upward trajectory of your career. Here’s how to successfully launch your networking campaign at a new job.

Why Network from the Start?

“When you start in a job, you’re going to be judged early, and you want to be judged as someone who makes things happen,” says Richard Moran, a partner at venture capital firm Venrock Associates. Introducing yourself to coworkers in a wide range of roles is a good way to begin.

So networking is important from the get-go. But given your newbie status, your internal networking should be carefully calibrated. Soon after you start a job, “you’ve got to increase your visibility, but without being pompous,” says Bill Behn, managing director for financial staffing firm SolomonEdwardsGroup.

Whom to Network With

Even early on, your network needs to go beyond the folks in adjoining cubes -- without embracing everyone on the payroll. But where to begin?

“Start your networking with people who started the same job you have about a year ago, because they’ll tell you what you’re going to be measured on,” advises Moran.

After that, says Gayle Lantz, president of consulting firm WorkMatters Inc., “ask your boss who the most important people are for you to meet.”

Next, seek out people with more clout, Moran says. “Organizations have samurai who are out there doing the big stuff every day, and you have to figure out who they are and whether you can become one,” he adds.

How to Make Internal Networking Happen

When you’re new on the job, you want to make a lot of contacts fairly quickly while also building your reputation as a hard worker. “You don’t want to be the person who’s hanging out at everyone’s cubicle,” says Brendan Courtney, a senior vice president at staffing firm Spherion. “You want to take advantage of those opportunities that happen during lunch or while you’re getting coffee.”

When you’re asking for more substantial advice, be mindful of your colleagues’ full schedules. “Breakfast, before the workday starts, is a good time to pick people’s brains,” Courtney suggests.

Cast Your Network Across the Company

It’s also important to extend your network beyond your department or division.

“There’s a body of research that says that your weaker ties get you jobs; your stronger ties are mostly to people who already know each other,” says Jeanne Hurlbert, president of Optinet Resources LLC and a professor of sociology at Louisiana State University. “Strong ties can have positive payoffs in terms of promotion.”

So look for opportunities to branch out. “Volunteer to serve on a cross-functional team,” advises Lantz. “Meeting regularly with people from other departments is an ideal way to network and learn about other aspects of the business.”

A Mentor Can Supercharge Your Networking

Especially when you’re a rookie, a mentor can be a great help in extending the upward reach of your internal network.

“There are usually three or four people who set the tone of the company’s value system,” says Courtney. “It’s good to have one of them as your mentor; someone who can help prepare you for your next step in the organization.”

But, Courtney cautions, do tread carefully when choosing a mentor. “If you’re creating a mentor relationship outside your immediate manager, you have to let your manager know,” he says.

Relax and Let Your Network Work

Finally, most of your internal networking efforts should be low-key and informal. “If you set up too many meetings too early, people will think, ‘What does this guy want from me?’” says Behn.

And although networking is important, many other priorities will compete for your attention in the beginning. Says Moran: “You don’t have to start networking before lunch on your first day.”

Don't Get Drunk: And Other Networking Tips

We all know that networking events are one the most important ways of making connections that can benefit your career for years to come. However, a lot of people don’t understand the most basic truth of these events – sure it looks like a party, sounds like a party, even smells like a party – but it isn’t a party. You’re on the job.

As Miss Manners would say “Etiquette is Important,” and this article by Caroline Levchuck details the four most common mistakes people make at networking events.

I’ll let you head to that article if you’d like, but I’ll spend a few pixels laying out what, in my opinion, are the best and most crucial points.

1. Don’t Get Drunk: Just because the bar is open, doesn’t mean that you have to try to prove something. This is a professional event, not a social one, and you don’t want to do something that will not only alienate contacts, but might wind up on YouTube.
2. Dress Appropriately: Dress conservatively for the event. Show people that you are a professional (i.e. – don’t wear flip flops and a puka shell necklace).
3. Do Your Homework: Don’t arrive with nothing to say. If you do this, you’ll either be too quiet and you’ll go unnoticed or you’ll end up babbling incoherently. Either way, you’ll finish the night with a rolodex as desolate as an Old West ghost town.