High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Personal Branding, Social Media, and Innovative Leaders

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

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• 5 Personal Branding Tips: "They should treat themselves like a brand regardless – day job, home, personal life. They have to put their personal brand in two to five words, and they have to be very honest in what they stand for."


• Tips for Using Social Media to Get a Job: "There are lots of local groups sharing job opportunities on Facebook if you search by job type and location."


• 10 Traits of Innovative Leaders: "These leaders believed that the best and most innovative ideas bubbled up from underneath. They strived to create a culture that uncorked good ideas from the first level of the organization."


• Top 10 Skills to be Successful: "You don’t need to know how to build the next Facebook, but a basic understanding of how the Web works and how software and apps are built can be a game-changing advantage."


• How to Future Proof Your Career: "Future-proofed skills can either be essentials (e.g., health, security, utilities, etc.) or play an important part in facilitating a drastic change in the economy, like technology."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

1. Your Career Needs to Be Horizontal
"Given the hierarchical structures of most organizations, we will still have upward career paths. More and more however, the real contributors will be the process owners and project leaders that are able to provide horizontal leadership."

2. 10 Steps for Flourishing at a Job Fair
"Career fairs can be the perfect occasions to network with recruiters who could help you land an interview. Don't waste your chance to make a good impression."

3. Nonprofit Careers: How to Make Your Career Meaningful
"Finding ways to combine a smart career trajectory with the causes you hold dear is another way to give back."

4. 22 Tips to Refocus and Re-Energize Your Job Search 
"I've boiled down thousands of pages of advice into 22 game-changing tips that are gaining traction in the real world – tips I’m using in my own job search."

5. Technological Know-How is a Job Requirement
"In a world where everyone must become a technologist, how can we land an exciting technology job in an entirely new category — or simply become more technologically sophisticated in the way we approach our current, traditional roles?"

Conquering Uneasiness about Technology

If you didn’t grow up in the era of digital technologies, including social media sites and smart phone apps, you may be uneasy about technology. At work, do you find yourself wasting energy on concealing your lack of tech know-how? If so, it’s time to switch your mindset and focus your efforts on learning the technology that’s been holding you back.

Start with Commitment

Getting comfortable with technology requires a commitment of time and effort. Start by learning those technologies that will help you professionally; then pursue those that interest you. Sharpen up on the basics of common business/industry software applications. Master your email program or smart phone to better organize and manage your work schedule and tasks. Try out smart phone apps or other device applications that provide access to relevant business information or tools for improving efficiency. Learn how your company or co-workers are using social media, like LinkedIn or Twitter, to share business-oriented information, including following industry leaders to find out what they are saying and doing.

Turn to Sources that Can Help

Although many of these skills can be self-taught, you shouldn’t feel like you have to go it alone. For example, spend time talking to co-workers about what they are doing with various technologies, and ask them to share a few tips. Do the same with friends or family members who can assist. Look for training opportunities at work, classes at community colleges, or workshops offered through the community, including public libraries.

With diligence, practice, and time, you can become far more knowledgeable and competent using technology, and one day, you may find that you are the one who others turn to for advice.