Powering Up

When I think of this phrase, I immediately think of my childhood video game hero – Mario. Well, it isn’t all about the flash and power that he shows with his new overalls and fireballs (you know what I’m talking about), it’s about the growth from the various levels in your career and the different challenges, experiences and learnings laid within. Being put into a situation where I can dig my hands in even deeper and learn from amazing leaders while helping mold the social landscape of a large organization – that’s where I’m fortunate enough to be able to grow.

In this, I’ve stepped back from my blog, and even Twitter a bit, to immerse myself in my new role that has evolved my understanding of not just the tools and tactics we use on an every day basis, but the inner workings of building a social business and the strategies that are integrated within. It’s at the ground floor with the team where we’re busting out the gritty, constant and iterative work and mapping out what this road looks like for our organization. That’s where the meat of my focus has been and though an excuse is an excuse, it’s taken time for me to reorganize myself with this exciting and challenging transformation in my career and life.

What’s Next?

A whole lot of work is yet to be done but to be honest, stepping away from my blog for a bit has helped me put into perspective where my online home was and where I know it can grow to. This next level of my career really goes hand in hand with my written word and how I talk about my career and experiences, to help better not only myself but you all who come here to read and converse on the same. Hopefully you’ll still stick around for the ride!

Your Moves

Enough about me. I’m curious on what you’ve been working on, what new moves you’ve been making and how you’ve been powering up?

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Sidenote: While writing this, I realized that Chris wrote a post last year on ‘leveling up‘ – similar in thought and analogy but he provides more of a how-to – well worth the read.

In hindsight, I’m appreciative of the adversity that I’ve gone through. It’s what has helped me evolve – personally and professionally – turning that adversity into opportunity. It’s made me realize that we’re all on a roller coaster – a ride that you either hang on for as long as you can until it decides to make a pit stop, or one you get thrown off of. As I write this post for all of you who have endured part of that ride with me, I wanted to let you know that I hung on.

For those of you who’ve been with me through this ride, you know that I endured a layoff late last year and went through the monster that is – the job market. It was a brute for a good while, but I took that adversity and utilized it to build up my independent skills and consult with some great companies this past year.

But during this time, I was patient. I continued to hustle. And I continued to push on and reach for those goals that I set for myself. I had faith and I believed – not only in the work I was putting in, but the people – you all – that offered a nudge along the way.

My Next Steps

I’m here to tell you all that I’ve accepted a new role as DeVry University’s Social Media Manager. Words can’t describe how ecstatic I am about this opportunity – being able to work for a great organization and with a super smart group of people. There’s a lot of work ahead, but I wouldn’t be excited if I weren’t confident in the organization’s vision and where they’re headed – in the social space but as a business as a whole.

Where does that put me? Right in the beautiful city of Chicago. I’ll be making the transition to the windy city during this holiday month and kicking off 2010 in a great way.

But now, all I have to say now is…

Thank You

To everyone who’s taken stake in me, my vision and my grind. To the community of smart folks who I continue to learn from every day. To the numerous friends that have had my back from the get go (you know who you are). Really, there’s a long list of people to thank, so I won’t try to name or link back to every single one of them…

Instead, just thank you.

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m currently not a 9-5er and love workshifting on days I feel the need. Doing work in the digital space gives me the freedom and flexibility to do so. It’s how I stay connected with my community, how I continue to learn and grow, and how I’m able to get closer to that next opportunity. Most would probably think that I’m an advocate of this lifestyle – but I’m not all for it, as I question this logic with this piece of my comment:

We work at all times of the day because we’re able to. But does that mean we have to?

We’re wanting and given this flexibility so that we can adhere to different work and life styles, but when do we realize that it may be having an adverse effect on our personal lives than actually helping our schedule? This is a thought that I’ve gotten into deep discussions about recently with Teresa Basich. Talking shop on work methods and how we can better manage and create efficiency in our everyday and professional lives.

Don’t get me wrong – I love that I can work on projects throughout the day, while creating blog posts and connecting with folks on Twitter and other networks – but the deeper I get into this space that I love, the more I realize that the line is becoming blurred to the point that people can’t pull themselves away and disconnect online, and reconnect offline.

I’m conflicted and wonder where we draw the line and get back the time that the non 9-5 life has taken away? Are we spending these newly found working hours inefficiently, or is it the desired course of the digital space, giving us the responsibility to utilize it efficiently?

I’d love to hear your side of it.

Anyway, what led me to wanting to do this giveaway is because I feel it’s a great read and definitely a book you should have in your collection (no, Rohit didn’t pay me to say that). Plus, I have several copies of it and would love to share the wealth with one of my awesome readers. Among the copies are a signed one from Rohit himself but that one won’t be up for grabs. What I will do, though, is give one lucky person a chance to win one of the regular, non-signed copies of Personality Not Included.

How to Win

• Leave a Comment – Tell me why you’d want this book in your library. Tell me you like Rohit, tell me you like chickens with sunglasses, or just say hi. Also, leave a valid e-mail so I can contact you if you’re the lucky winner.

• Subscribe – Be sure to subscribe to the RSS feed and watch for a follow-up with the winner!

• Choosing a Winner – The contest will close Thursday, January 29th and the winner will be chosen (and posted) Friday, January 30th, by the most humane way possible, random selection.

So, have at it – and good luck!

Update: Comments are closed and the winner will be announced Friday.

To backtrack a bit, this post came about as I tweeted about my feelings on the topic and Arik Hanson dropped a reply that struck me:

Shocking to me that people think LinkedIn is a short-term solution.

Short-term

That’s kind of scary if you ask me but it’s a bit of reality. I’m glad they’re at least being proactive now, but with more layoffs and companies shutting down, the competition out there is even tougher (trust me I know) and setting yourself apart from the crowd is key. Taking the necessary steps before having to go through this and giving networking and building relationships some time to marinate, as it’s not a short-term solution, will ultimately benefit you during your search.

So, please, if you have a job, or not, and haven’t setup a LinkedIn profile or aren’t networking with people already, do it now.

These steps have helped me immensely as I go through this phase of my career and I hope it does the same for you (though I hope it doesn’t reach that point for you):

• Connect with people - Network your butt off and build positive, mutually-beneficial relationships. I can’t preach this enough as every day, I am thankful for my network and the people I’m truly able to call friends. Twitter is a great starting point to connect with like-minded folks and build those relationships. Taking it to the next level, make your way out to tweetups and conferences. They not only helped solidify the relationships I already made online but was able to meet many more smart people in the process.

• Keep your resume current - This should be a no-brainer. No matter if you have a solid job or not, always keeping your resume up-to-date is critical. Competition is fiercer than ever and though your qualifications matter, getting your resume out quickly is also key. Additionally, keep your LinkedIn profile current. Job seekers aren’t the only ones Googling names. Employers are doing the same to see what type of presence you have online and at the least, what your LinkedIn profile says. Here are some more tips from Chris Brogan on making LinkedIn work for you.

• YourName.com – If you haven’t done so already, reserve yourname.com now. Seriously. Go to 1and1.com or your domain provider of choice and scoop it up. I admit, not everyone has to be a blogger, but I’d recommend at least making a static page with your elevator pitch, a picture of yourself, links to all of your networks and ways to contact you. This way, employers have a one stop shop to your entire online presence.

• Network when in need - This ties in with my previous point of connecting, but takes it a step further. The work you put into connecting with folks in your industry and building those relationships comes into play here. Lean on your network and let them know your situation. You might be hesitant to tell people, trust me I was, but there’s no shame in asking for help. The people that you can call upon to read your blog post will undoubtedly be willing to help in your time of need.

I can honestly say that following these steps prior to going through the latter (and during) has definitely helped me in my search and connecting with even more people than I would have without. We all pray that none of our friends or family will have to go through this but if it does happen, I hope tackling these steps beforehand will make the ride a bit smoother as it has with me.

These points were what I found most helpful but I’m sure there are other ones that people can benefit from. What tips would you recommend?