5 Ways To Strengthen Your Network By Weakening It

5 Ways To Strengthen Your Network By Weakening It 67 The power of weak ties in our social networks, explained. This is a guest post by Frank Gullo. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. Recent academic research demonstrated the power of weak ties over strong ties, and emerging social network analysis services are showing that some organizations feel strongly enough about these relationships to invest money in analyzing them. The problem is that while social networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter have allowed us to build large professional networks, our weak ties really aren’t that weak. While technology has allowed us to exceed the 150 or so people Dunbar suggested as the limit with whom we can maintain social relationships, network size does not equate with diversity, and most of the weak ties in our professional networks are people who share our interests or work in similar professions or industries.eval And while there’s value in traditional weak ties (they are great for generating awareness and building advocacy), there’s a lot to be gained farther out, beyond the weak, and at the edge. These edge ties buttress our strategic networks and “drive change” and disruption.eval How can you cultivate more edge ties? 1) Connect with more people outside of your industry and field Attend local events or conferences aimed at an industry or profession with which you’re unfamiliar. It’s true that you’d be a neophyte in the subject matter and wouldn’t know anyone going in, but the fresh perspectives and different methodologies would more than make up for any initial discomfort. Imagine discovering a new technology-enabled process used in bioinformatics and recasting it to improve your corporate culture. Or learning about innovations in IT from a technology professional and realizing you could apply them in your law practice. If you’re not inclined to venture that far to the edge, attend an event in your field that emphasizes non-industry speakers or try a conference featuring a range of topics and speakers. For example, the Unleash: WD summit is “an industry event with no industry speakers” while BIF-8 is an event that gathers storytellers to reflect upon their personal journeys of innovation and transformation. 2) Webinars and Webcasts When you’re unable to attend events in person, tune in to webinars and streamed events focusing on subjects you know very little or nothing about. Follow the event conversations and chat in Twitter and try to connect with fellow participants. 3) Connect with Someone New on LinkedIn or Twitter Every Week While LinkedIn and Twitter facilitate new connections with people like us, you don’t have to use the tools that way. Once a week, try connecting with someone not known to you or any of your connections through some random means. Use a random word generator and then search the respective social network. Pick one of the matches and reach out and begin to follow the person’s posts. Resist the urge to filter selectively and pick people like yourself. At best, you will disrupt yourself, and at worst, you will have opened yourself up to new ideas. 4) Try Something New We all have bucket lists and things we’d like to try someday. Make a commitment to try something new every few months, ideally an activity that brings you into contact with new people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. For example, pursue a new hobby or craft, volunteer with a local organization, or take a training class. 5) Make an Anti-Bucket List Create a list of all the things you have absolutely no interest in trying or doing, and seek out connections who have done those things. Their perspective and experiences might spark fresh ideas, or at least prevent ossification in your thinking. Bonus 6) Reassess Your Existing Connections Though it’s relatively easy to amass extensive LinkedIn and Twitter networks, it can be difficult keeping track of everyone. With so much competing for our attention, we tend to become desensitized to our diffuse professional networks and overlook when weak ties change careers or switch companies and move closer to the edge. Monitor LinkedIn status update emails and go through your professional connections a few times every year, noting when your contacts change professions or move farther to the edge of your network. Send a congratulatory note when someone is promoted or changes professions, and inquire about the change so you can assess how much of an edge tie the person has become. What do you think? What are your ideas for cultivating more edge ties? Tell us in the comments. About the Author Frank Gullo is the Brand and Business Innovation Manager for the Superior Group, a national workforce solutions firm. He enjoys speaking to students, and presents about social media and personal branding throughout the year. In his spare time, Frank writes, and his work recently appeared on Computerworld, the SmartBlog on Leadership, Career Rocketeer, and 12 Most. He is the co-founder of Social Media Club Buffalo and volunteers in his spare time as a firefighter and EMT. Frank tweets @FrankGullo and can be found on LinkedIn. If you liked this article, you'll also enjoy this Clever Career Networking Tip Inspired By McDonald’s Big Mac.

SAPs Guide to Attracting Graduates and Generation Z

SAPs Guide to Attracting Graduates and Generation Z This week we’ll learn how a legacy tech company turned itself into a talent attraction magnet for graduates and millennials. We sit down with Jenn Prevoznik is the Head of Early Talent Acquisition at SAP and she delves into how the company goes about hiring over 7,000 generation Z employees. SAPs legacy has transformed a bit, and they need to attract top students to bring new ideas into their company. Have a listen to the interview below, keep reading for a summary and be sure to subscribe to the  Employer Branding Podcast. Listen on  iTunes,  Stitcher Radio,  Google Play  or  SoundCloud. In this episode youll learn: About the graduate talent challenges SAP face How employer branding helps them tackle these challenges Why people are the most important factor for SAP About #LifeAtSap Why interns is the best source of hire How SAP measures employer brand Jenns top 3 tips for employer branding Be authentic Listen to your employees Dont be afraid to  do something crazy Whats next for employer branding at SAP Connect with Jenn on LinkedIn.

The Devil called; she wants her Pradas back.working magazine industry

The Devil called; she wants her Prada’s back….working magazine industry So you’ve read them, you’ve grown up with them, you’ve watched them in films and now you want to work for them. So what is it really like to work in the glamorous magazine industry? I’ve been an avid fan of magazines for as long as I can remember, devouring every word and dreaming everyday that I would work for one of them eventually. And then it happened; I had won a competition and I was on my way to London to work at More! magazine for two weeks. I didn’t know what to expect. Would it be like ‘The Devil Wears Prada’? Would everyone hate me? Would I fit in? Little did I know, I had absolutely nothing to worry about. It turned out it was the nicest office I’d ever walked into, with the people being even nicer. The magazine industry The magazine industry is such an exciting, friendly, funny and warm place to work. Ever since graduating in 2012 I have been lucky enough to have interned at four different national magazines, the first being More! magazine, where I worked for a total of six weeks, combining the fashion, beauty and editorial desks. I was offered a two-day job there as the Editorial Assistant, due to start the week that the magazine unfortunately announced its closure. The money just wasn’t in publishing anymore. So I knew I had to make the most of the other magazines whilst they were still around. Some tips to get into the magazine industry The easiest way I have found to get work experience is to go through Go Think Big, It’s a company that is in partnership with Bauer Media and O2 and it is constantly providing work experience opportunities for all of the Bauer magazines, which consist of Heat, Closer, Grazia, FHM, Kerrang and many more. Sign up to the website, fill in your details and when it comes to applying for a certain vacancy, the most important thing to do is to make sure you actually stand out in the ‘Stand Out’ section because that’s what makes the decision, and I’ve been told this first hand by the woman who read mine and chose me for work experience at Heat and Closer magazines. Don’t just blend into the crowd; big yourself up but be honest about yourself at the same time. And when you do get chosen, and when the time comes for you to sit in reception and wait for them to come and collect you and take you to the chosen office, try not to be nervous. I know it’s hard but you just need to remem ber that these are normal people who have pretty much all started out where you are right now. Everyone has worked their way up, and because of this, they are incredibly nice to the interns. Once in there explore, ask, learn! Involve yourself first and foremost; don’t sit there in silence afraid to speak. Don’t be afraid of asking questions. Find out how the people around you got to where they wanted to be, ask for advice. If you have a spare minute, notice to see if anyone could do with your help, but don’t be too pushy. I once worked with an intern who asked for something to do at every chance she got and I could see her annoying the people around her. Whilst you may be bored, you have to use your common sense and realise that these people work to strict deadlines, so if they look in the zone, maybe just leave them there and use your own initiative to do some work which may come in useful at a better time. Don’t complain; big no no. You’ve been offered this amazing opportunity, so don’t turn your nose up when you are given simple tasks such as handing out the post. Instead, use it as a positive of getting to know contacts and maybe strike up a conversation with them about something fun that they’ve had delivered. Talking is the simplest and most effective way of making contacts, contacts that I promise you that you will need, which is why you can’t be shy. Do every task with a smile on your face; be friendly, happy and helpful and I have no doubt that you will be remembered and when a vacancy eventually comes up, your name will be the first one that they think of. Ever since I’ve been interning at these magazines, I’ve been making contacts along the way, contacts that would lead me to my next internship at Grazia magazine, without having to apply for it. So if you’re a good intern and work your butt off, you get what you want. It’s not rocket science  how to become a good intern;  it should just be natural, but unfortunately I have seen people who think otherwise. People who think that just because they’ve been given this chance at a top magazine, they are automatically better than everyone and refuse to do ‘demeaning’ jobs. Please don’t be one of these people. The media industry is smaller than you think and if your name gets blacklisted in one place, it’s pretty much guaranteed that it will be blacklisted in every place you try to apply to. I hope this helps any aspiring magazine workies; it’s the best industry I’ve ever worked in. It’s not what I expected; it’s a whole lot more. So why not log on to Go Think Big and put your future in your own hands? Stand out and who knows what could be in store for youpeople could be devouring your words soon enough.  And remember; it’s not as scary as what you might think it is, it’s the exact opposite. So what are you waiting for? 18