Networking, Use of Social Media & Diversity in Workplace May 2, 2015

What is Social Media? Social Media are tools that allow people to connect and network. It helps people create, share or exchange information, ideas, and pictures/videos in online networks. Some examples of Social Media used in the workplace: LinkedIn Twitter Other: Facebook ZoomInfo

LinkedIn - Introduction The best online professional network you'll find. It’s the place where professionals stay connected. Can add multimedia to resume-inspired profiles. Excellent job board; great search capabilities. LinkedIn is the most important cross-industry professional network around. Everyone serious about their career should have an account. With LinkedIn, you can find people from past jobs, volunteer work, schools, and professional groups. Similarly, people in your network can find you. Whether they're searching for someone with specific skills for a new opportunity or are merely looking for an introduction to another contact, LinkedIn facilitates that communication and many others that have real business and career value.

LinkedIn - Job Searches When it comes to finding employment or employees, LinkedIn offers great search tools that let you drill down by multiple factors. You can search for people or companies by location, field of expertise, skill level, and even keep the search to people within your network. People who use LinkedIn are usually looking to: find a job/clients, hire or partner with new people, keep tabs on their business acquaintances, and network, or more specifically, become visibly active in professional communities that matter to their long-term career goals.

LinkedIn - Networking Another reason people use LinkedIn is to keep pace with their professional network. LinkedIn provides numerous ways for users to discuss ideas and simply connect over conversation. First, a feed of "status updates," nearly identical to what you'll find on Facebook and Twitter is front and center when you log into the site. The status update feed can help surface trends among your colleagues, but more interesting and deeper discussions tend to take place on group pages. Groups consist of professional organizations, alumni associations, academic societies, and thousands of unique circles that reflect different interests. Using LinkedIn Groups tend to offer great value. Posting to discussion topics, updating your status, and replying to other people's posts all serve to keep your name and face in front of the people who matter to you and will have an impact on your career.

LinkedIn - Create an Account If you're invested in your career, you really should be on LinkedIn. The site makes it easy to have an account that provides real value without asking much of you in return. Setting up an account amounts to copying and pasting your resume into a few fields, and adding connections takes little more than browsing through the names that are already in your Web-based accounts. For hiring managers, LinkedIn has quickly become one of the most valuable places to find talented people. LinkedIn remains a great site that delivers real results for networking and connecting.

Twitter - Introduction Twitter is an online social networking service that enables users to send and read short messages. Real-time Information Sharing and Awareness: to get access to good information sooner than through other sources. Collaboration and Connection: Allows employees to become aware of what their colleagues are working on in areas of the company they would not normally access. Crowd-sourcing: Get rapid responses to questions because more people beyond normal network, including many technology experts, are aware of issues.

Twitter - Feeds Most companies have a Twitter feed that tweets information and updates on company news. Companies also tweet new job postings that go live on their website. You do not have to be a registered Twitter user to view company tweets. Networking is another reason people are on Twitter. It's a phenomenal place for meeting and sharing information with new businesses. Twitter and many like-minded companies will connect and then help each other out too. Build some allies and broaden your areas by referring and sharing with others.

Networking Events When you are in the process of searching for a job, attending networking events will help you get exposure to people and build a network of professional acquaintances in your city. These acquaintances might be able to assist you with finding the right opportunity. There are many reasons to attend networking events and we will discuss these in detail.

Networking Events To increase your visibility. Establishing face to face interaction is critical and attending business networking events is a key marketing strategy if done properly. One of the most important elements—and one of the most overlooked—to getting the biggest bang for your networking buck is to make sure your face and your message get in front of the same—and the right—people on an ongoing basis. To start relationships that will lead to strategic alliances, joint ventures, and referrals. Meeting people at the networking function is the important first step towards reaching your career goals. It's what you do after the event that is more important. Follow-up is key to deepening the relationships that will increase your exposure.

Networking Events To stay current on trends in your industry Attending networking events given by your professional association allows you to glean information about current and future trends. The information you gather at these functions can easily give you a leg up on your competition. To become connected to key influencers in your industry. Instead of going to every business networking event in town, select the networking events you attend wisely and attend regularly. Do some research. Find out which organizations attract the people you want to meet and you will get the biggest return on your investment of time, money, and energy.

Networking Events To learn from and to be motivated by powerful speakers. Many business networking events have speakers who are experts in fields that will be of interest to you. In addition to imparting important information, many of these speakers can often be the spark that jolts you into action. To socialize. Human beings are social beings and need the type of stimulation available when interacting face-to-face with others. It has become increasingly important for us to socialize, recharge our batteries, and preserve our sanity. To recruit talent and be recruited. Business networking events are a good starting point for your exploration of the marketplace. You will be able to enter into conversations with potential employers and get clear on what their needs are. You may well find what you are looking for right in front of you!

Diversity - Introduction Workplace diversity refers to the variety of differences between people in an organization. It sounds simple, but diversity encompasses race, gender, ethnic group, age, personality, cognitive style, people with disabilities, visible minorities, education, background and more. Employers in all sectors of the Canadian economy are now, more than ever, focused on attracting and retaining a diverse workforce. An organization’s success and competitiveness depends upon its ability to embrace diversity and realize the benefits. When organizations actively assess their handling of workplace diversity issues, develop and implement diversity plans, multiple benefits are reported.

Diversity in the Workplace Supporting recruitment challenges and skills shortages. Two major demographic pressures affecting the Canadian labor force today include: the large number of baby boomers approaching retirement age and the shortage of young people available to replace them. Employers consistently report challenges in recruiting the skilled talent they need in their organizations. Competition for employees will continue—and increase—as employers in all sectors are affected by changing labor force demographics. There is a wealth of skilled and talented people who are not effectively engaged in the Canadian workforce. The immigrant workforce, Canadian-born visible minorities, youth, mature workers, persons with disabilities and Aboriginal Peoples have all been overlooked in the past.

Diversity in the Workplace Diverse Experience Co-workers with diverse cultural backgrounds bring unique experiences and perceptions to the table in groups and work teams. Pooling the diverse knowledge and skills of culturally distinct workers together can benefit companies by strengthening teams' productivity and responsiveness to changing conditions. Each employee in a diverse workplace possesses unique strengths and weaknesses derived from their culture in addition to their individuality. Diversity in the workplace can leverage the strengths and complement the weaknesses of each worker to make the impact of the workforce greater than the sum of its parts.

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