Sue Koch: Soaring Solutions LLC http://suekoch.posterous.com Soaring Solutions, LLC posterous.com Sat, 08 Jan 2011 11:23:00 -0800 Maximizing Social Media Internships http://suekoch.posterous.com/maximizing-the-social-media-internships http://suekoch.posterous.com/maximizing-the-social-media-internships
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 Of the infinite benefits of social media, another has been the introduction of new jobs and opportunity into the economy at a time when it is critically needed.  The other side of this coin is that many people believe that because they spent years using Facebook, they automatically qualify as a “Social Media Expert”.  Businesses often fail to look beyond the lack of business world application due to their urgency to get online, and resist making the financial investment to do it strategically. 

Photo by graur razvan ionut

 

 

Enter the social media internship.   The internship is an incredible way to benefit both the applicant and the business.  But it can also be a recipe for disaster if not managed appropriately.

When hiring an intern to manage your social media, ask yourself a few questions:

  •  Would I want this person on the phone with that huge deal I’m about to close, while the world listens? 
  •  Would I want this person to immediately react and speak on my behalf when my business, products or services are highly criticized in the public eye? 
  •  Is this person a savvy communicator, strategic thinker, and comfortable with a public presence?

It isn’t simply about the ability to navigate the social landscape, a successful social media or community manager must understand your brand, your voice, the etiquette of attraction marketing, and hold in very high regard the fact that they are responsible for representing your public image online.

Let’s also consider your responsibility as a business owner, and grooming young professionals to be masters of their craft and helping to launch them into a successful career.  

The intent of an internship for a student is to learn and grow by applying learned skills in a business setting.  If you toss them a bunch of content and tell them to “post and chat” they will not be making the most of this career growth opportunity.  The internship is not about ‘cheap labor’ it is a coaching opportunity that needs to be taken seriously by the employer.

Too often businesses are simply looking to reduce cost and get online so they can look the other way and ‘let social media run itself’.  This does not work.  Making the investment to educate your social media interns will not only benefit your online campaign and protect your reputation, it could just result in a long term employee who becomes a solid, strategic player in your organization generating substantial ROI on your initial investment.

This is your image at stake, and the potential of an eager young professional.  Aren’t both worth the investment?

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Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:34:00 -0700 Study Your Successes http://suekoch.posterous.com/study-your-successes http://suekoch.posterous.com/study-your-successes

The fact that volumes of professionals are finding themselves in job search is not new news.   This can be a scary thing ridden with many concerns:

 

·      What if there are no relevant openings?

·      I am competing against so many!

·      I haven’t done this in years, where do I begin?

·      What value do I bring to the table?

 

It‘s true that competition is abundant.  Every candidate must take things to the next level to ensure they are prepared and polished for every interview they land.

 

Consider any other competition, like a race.  If you want to achieve your goal, you practice.  Job search is no different.   You may think- “I don’t have time to practice, I need to get out there!”   What if only a few hours of practice could get you more interviews and offers more quickly than your peers?

 

Most candidates simply speak from their resume.  “I’m talking about myself” they think,  “I know my history. What’s to practice?”  If you want to stand out, there’s a bit more to it than that. 

 

Take a few hours to focus on one great accomplishment from each job.  What was the project or goal?  What did YOU do to create a resolution and bring it to success?  What was the benefit and impact to the company?  Next, identify the skills you used to analyze, bring to task, and succeed in this goal.  

 

Stay away from the computer and do this pen hand.  Neuropsychology proves key facts are solidified better.  To the brain, it is as if you are actually doing the action again.   Not only will this prepare you to speak in a polished manner and stand out, but it will also bring back a confidence you may have recently lost.  You’ll be sure to impress!

 

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Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:10:00 -0800 "Success" vs. Success! http://suekoch.posterous.com/2010/03/success-vs-success.html http://suekoch.posterous.com/2010/03/success-vs-success.html “Success” vs. Success

What is success? Getting up in front of a room of professionals and posing the question leads to very common answers:
• An esteemed title
• A “C-level” position
• A significant salary
• Owning a luxury car
• Living in a extravagant home
• Holding a power position
• A spouse & 2.5 kids in a 5-bedroom house with a white picket fence and a dog that pees outside only on command…

But I digress…

The point is, most people answer that question with stereotypical responses based on societal expectations, and most people are not as fulfilled or happy as they could be.

I know it sounds crazy, but you can have both. I didn’t believe it myself for too many years. I believed, as many do that:

Success means hard work and hard work must be painful and frustrating, and require you to sacrifice much that you love (including self) and live with a few (or constant) migraines. But that’s the price of success, right?

It is amazing how adding two little words to the end of the first question triggers much pause, and more varied answers. What is success, FOR YOU?
And perhaps your list includes some of the answers on the first list, and that is great! As long as it is about what makes YOU happy, and not what you feel you must prove to the world, or what you think the world is expecting of you.

What I’ve learned is:
Success means hard work but that kind of hard work is fun when you do something you love. It will be rewarding and the world (at least the part that matters) will love you for it, and abundance will naturally follow. Not a bad price for success, right?

So think about it, what is “success” vs. what is success FOR YOU?

Keep Soaring!

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