Your Internet Presence – Part 6: Technical Vs. Social Skills

September 25, 2012March 12, 2018Leave a comment

Technical versus Social Skills

To maintain your good, or positive, online presence, it’s necessary to balance your technical talent with your social expertise. You need both to demonstrate your online prowess.

Dictionary.com defines these two skills, as follows:

Social:

Seeking or enjoying the companionship of others; friendly; sociable; gregarious
Living or disposed to live in companionship with others or in a community, rather than in isolation

Technical:

Belonging or pertaining to an art, science, or the like
Skilled in or familiar in a practical way with a particular art, trade, etc…

Your Internet Presence – Part 5: LinkedIn

September 18, 2012March 12, 20181 Comment

Making the Most of Your

Guest posted by Lyn Nelson

LinkedIn is the leading online professional networking tool. No matter which industry you're in, or at which stage in your career, networking is still the #1 way to land a job, and LinkedIn is the best way to leverage your network online.

Whether you're a LinkedIn beginner or pro (or are still staring wide-eyed at it trying to make sense of the chaos), here are a few tips for why and how LinkedIn can work for you, without eating up your life.

Your Internet Presence – Part 4: A Good Impression

September 11, 2012March 12, 2018Leave a comment

The Good

There are many ways to make a good impression through your Internet presence. Although we are focusing on business etiquette, your overall presence is essential to your professional image. And, remember, everyone is involved in business in some way. A student’s business is focused on schoolwork and school-related and extracurricular activities, getting into college, earning a degree and preparing to launch a career. No matter what stage of life you are in, establishing a good professional brand is a worthy goal.

Your Internet Presence – Part 3: Avoiding Disaster

September 4, 2012March 12, 2018Leave a comment

The Bad & The Ugly Continued…

Six Disaster Areas to Avoid!

As you strive to clean up and improve your Internet presence, using your SWOT analysis, let’s delve a bit deeper into some of the possible weaknesses and threats to your Internet presence. In last week’s post, I suggested that you assess your headshots and other photos that are posted to your Facebook, LinkedIn and other sites. Here are some other online issues you should address and assess:

Your Internet Presence – Part 2: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

August 28, 2012March 12, 2018Leave a comment

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

The Internet can be a good thing. But Bonnie Prince Harry -- who was caught literally with his pants down in photos that have resulted in massive exposure (so to speak) on the Internet this past week – has learned that the Internet can also be a very badplace. And, as the Royal Redhead’s Las Vegas photos have apparently resulted in damaged relationships, expected disciplinary action by the British Army and an anticipated dressing down (sorry) by Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales has also discovered that the Internet can have its ugly side.

Your Internet Presence – Part 1: The Fishbowl

August 19, 2012March 12, 2018Leave a comment

The Fishbowl called the Internet

Establishing a presence on the Internet is akin to having your life displayed in a fishbowl. While maintaining a positive presence can be a very good thing, if not handled properly it can be a very bad thing. It all depends on how you craft your Internet image – or brand – whether your presence goes swimmingly well or it sinks you!

The following are among the current media that project you onto the Internet:

Stand Up!

May 28, 2012March 12, 2018Leave a comment

Failure to Stand Could Mean a Failure to Succeed

Several years ago upon entering my daughter’s high school guidance office for an appointment, two male students and their belongings were sprawled and strewn across all the available seating. They ignored me and continued to address each other as though no one else were present. I almost asked them to remove their jackets, backpacks, books and other paraphernalia to make room for me to sit, but I was so fascinated by their behavior that I opted to wait and see if their manners would kick in. They didn’t.

Failure to stand on certain occasions can damage your brand. Just as people will remember a poor handshake, they will also recall if you failed to stand when meeting them.

The Three E’s Might Outweigh the Three R’s

May 8, 2012March 12, 20182 Comments

A Degree Is Not Enough

A study conducted by the Carnegie Institute of Technology has prompted a recent flurry of articles in Forbes and other news sources, websites and blogs. According to the study, 85% of a person’s financial success is due to his or her “personality and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead,” and only 15% is due to “technical knowledge.” Although the study was apparently published in the 1970s, I’m happy to see it being discussed because these findings reinforce the need for business etiquette training to enable people to network effectively and build relationships. In other words, it supports the premise that the Three E’s – Etiquette, Ethics and Empathy in the Workplace – and Life – are just as important as, and might even outweigh, the Three R’s - Reading, writing and arithmetic.

Introductions Deconstructed (Rules and Exceptions) – Part 3: Awkward and Special Situations

March 27, 2012March 11, 2018Leave a comment

The Rules
(And their Exceptions)
Part Three of Three Entries

This three-part series winds up by focusing on those awkward, unusual, new and special situations.

Who’s that lady?

You’re on vacation with your parents and you see your basketball coach and his wife in your hotel courtyard. Oh, how cute, they’re holding hands! Your parents want to meet them, so you walk over only to discover that the woman with your coach is not his wife, to whom you were introduced at your school’s sports banquet last year.

You say:

Jeanne Nelson

A degree will get your foot in the door. Your soft skills will open it.

Category: Communication