By CAREEREALISM Founder, J.T. O'Donnell
For those of you that don't 'tweet' - let me tell you the #1 thingyou are missing out on: generosity. Twitter is the most giving community I've ever experienced. Yes, there are spammers and unsavory folks who are trying to make a quick buck, but get past that, do your homework on the right way to use Twitter and you can enter a world that, until now, has only been dreamed of. Let me explain....
Twitter is the great equalizer. You don't need extensive credentials, lots of money or a secret password to become a player in the Twittersphere. Anyone can sign up and tweet. Aside from internet access, there's no barrier to entry. Your success on Twitter will be determined by your ability to convey your message in a mere 140 characters. All it takes is some thoughtful consideration of what to say and how to say it. In other words, those using Twitter effectively have mastered how to say more with less. (A trait we can all work on, don't you think?)
You'll connect with the greatest folks you'll NEVER meet! In the last 7 months I've used Twitter, I've made more professional contacts, and even have a whole new set of folks I call friends, that started via simple Twitter exchanges. Like minds show no discrimination on Twitter. You can connect and befriend people on Twitter that I GUARANTEE you may not have otherwise. Where else can you get access to someone clear across the country (the world, for that matter) who lives in a small town that you most likely never intend to visit in your lifetime?
The Twitter community is rooted in kindness and good professional etiquette. If you want people to follow you, listen to you, and most importantly, respect you on Twitter - you need to create interesting, non self-serving tweets that make people say, "That was worth reading." Honestly, Twitter's power to do good makes me giddy. Why? Because it helped me make a dream come true...
Twitter Makes 'FREE' Worth Something. Years ago, when I became a career strategist, I took a course on how to promote my services. The advice given was, "Charge as much as you can. The higher the fees, the more satisfied the customer will be because they won't want to feel they made a bad buying decision, and thus, will embrace your ideas and rave about your services." The old, you-get-what-you-pay-for theory. As you can imagine, that didn't sit well with me. I already knew thousands of people were unhappy in their careers and couldn't afford working with a professional strategist (and that was in a good economy!). Fast forward to today, and Twitter's enabling me help those who need it most!
We started the Twitter Advice Project (a.k.a. T.A.P. into CAREEREALISM) less than 2 months ago. The idea was to have professional experts (I was lucky enough to convince a few charitable colleagues using Twitter to help me) donate their time and expertise to those in need by tweeting answers to career questions sent in by followers of the CAREEREALISM Twitter feed. As of today, we have 19 AMAZING experts tweeting to OVER 5,000 followers in need of advice. The program has exceeded every expectation I had for it. I get tweets daily from job seekers, thanking us for donating our time to help them get the advice they need. I've received dozens of requests to join the program from fellow experts as well. The best part everyone can participate. Experts who want to share their advice can tweet their own answers that will show up in the search results on Twitter, or they can post their advice directly on the original blog post of the question. And job seekers can easily go back and look at all the questions we've already answeredto immediately see the advice shared by the experts. Or, if they have a new question, they can submit it to us at twitter@workitdaily.com and get it answered directly.
So, if you are one of those folks who's been saying, "Twitter?! What do I need to do that for?" - I hope I just convinced you to get on board. There is a lot of wonderful giving and receiving going on via Twitter. The kind of stuff that makes you feel really happy. Don't miss out on your chance to experience the generosity of Twitter. Whether you choose to give or receive - it's all good!
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There you are: sitting on the beach, covered in sunscreen, reading your favorite book, drinking your favorite drink under the cool shade of an umbrella. Life doesn't get any better than this. Suddenly, a door slams, a phone rings, a printer turns on. You jolt back into consciousness. You're at work, sitting in your cubicle, without even a hint of sunshine streaming in from outside.
When you're working a full-time job, finding time to enjoy the warm, bright summer weather can be a challenge. This is especially true for young professionals, as many of them are used to having summers off (or, at the very least, having a flexible summer schedule). But there's no need to feel trapped behind your cubicle walls. Go out and enjoy summer!
Here are a few tips for making the most of your summer while working full time.
1. Grab Some Foldable Chairs
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Keep a couple of foldable camping chairs at the office so you and a co-worker can catch some rays during lunch—whether it's in the park or the parking lot.
2. Keep A Beach Bag In Your Car
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Keep a bag full of summer supplies for your favorite summer activities. Having a bag (or, in my case, a backseat) full of towels, sunscreen, and swimwear keeps you prepared for anything. Friends hitting up the pool after work? You're covered. Once the clock strikes five, you can head to your destination of choice immediately.
3. Plan An Office Outing
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Plan an office field trip to the beach, the park, or the pool. Just do something fun so your brain can recharge and refresh!
4. Organize Group Walks
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Get a bunch of co-workers together and go on regular walks around town during lunch. (Or you could suggest a quick jaunt over to the ice cream shop.) This is a great way to get some fresh air, sunshine, and exercise.
5. Eat Lunch At The Park
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When you find yourself eating out, hit up places with a deck, porch, or patio of some sort. Obviously, eating out every day isn't really a feasible option for most of us, so look into alternative ideas as well. Pack a lunch and hit the park for your own little picnic.
6. Organize Office Sports
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Whether it's setting up an official office sports team or just hanging out with your colleagues a few times a week, playing sports is a great way to get out and enjoy the weather. Have a field nearby? Try setting up some slow-pitch softball games. Or see if you can get a basketball hoop for the office so you and a few co-workers can shoot some hoops at lunch.
7. Join A Professional Group
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During the summer, professional networking groups often have fun events like harbor cruises, pub crawls, and outdoor mixers. Find a professional group in your area and make networking fun this summer.
8. Have An Office BBQ
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Get your grill on! Talk to your boss about setting up an office BBQ. Ask everyone to contribute their favorite dish, side, or drink. Fire up the grill and relax! Hey, it's summer after all.
9. Wake Up Early
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Yes, yes, I know...waking up early is an incredibly painful and unbearable experience for some of us, but waking up even an hour earlier has its benefits—especially in the summer. Go for a morning run, putter around in the garden, or watch the sunrise with a loved one. Talk about starting the day off right!
10. Strategically Use Your Time Off
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Strategically use your vacation days around holidays. This way, you can make a potentially long weekend longer without having to use too much of your precious vacation time. Half days are also pretty awesome. It's amazing how much you can do with four extra hours! If you want an early weekend but don't want to burn up your vacation days too quickly, try taking a half day on a Friday instead of using a full day off.
11. Bike To Work
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If you're one of the lucky few who live within walking or biking distance of work, take advantage of it! Not only will you get plenty of fresh air, but you'll also save money on gas, which is always a plus!
There are plenty of easy ways to enjoy summer when you work a full-time job. So this summer, try out a few of these ideas and make the most of the sunshine and warm weather—while they're still around!
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