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The Key to Creating a Spotless Online Reputation

December 20, 2012 / Staff

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Whether you’re a brand, a business, or a singular entity, your online reputation precedes you. The Internet is permanent; once an item gets published, it’s floating around forever. That can definitely affect you—for better or for worse, depending on what you do about it.

Make Smart Publishing Decisions

Whether you’re interviewing for a job that has nothing to do with the Internet or opening a new restaurant, people will Google you. Although you can’t always control what others say about you or your business, you can and should control what you publish. It’s better, for instance, to have personal pages locked down so that only your friends see them. Make professional Facebook or Twitter accounts you don’t mind sharing with the rest of the world. Be especially smart when posting pictures or YouTube videos. If you don’t want a boss or a fan seeing it, don’t post it.

Google Yourself Frequently

Googling yourself is something of a dirty habit but it’s also necessary. Keep an eye out for what’s being said about you, your business, and your brand. Generally, if you’re not a huge mega-celebrity and if you haven’t rubbed too many people the wrong way, you have a shot at cleaning house and erasing any information you don’t like. Once you’ve done that, however, try not to make the same mistakes again. You might not get so lucky next time.

Get Good Page Results

Specifically, the first page of your search results define your reputation online. If the first few entries have negative information, then trust that people will think of those things first. Potential customers might avoid your online shop, your new book, or your restaurant simply because of one bad review. You don’t even get the chance to impress them. That’s also why it’s vital to practice good business sense. Be polite, accommodating, and professional no matter what.

Seek Help from the Professionals

There are lots of resources that tell you how to make the best Internet impression you can. There are books, like the Michael Fertik Wild West 2.0 publication; countless articles and videos; and even professional services available for hire. If you want to become Internet famous or simply beef up publicity for a new business endeavor, these resources will help you drum up the right kind of attention. That way, you won’t have to worry about any negative search results.
The Internet is a great place to find information, as long as it’s good. Make sure your Internet reputation heralds your arrival rather than impeding it.

Your Career

How to haggle for a better salary

December 20, 2012 / Staff

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Are you afraid to ask for a raise? That’s understandable in the current economic climate, but many employees have good arguments for a pay raise, and learning how to negotiate salary is very important for new employees and for employees looking for more compensation.

This article give some helpful tips, and the most important involves getting as much information as possible.

“You shouldn’t just pull a number out of a hat,” says Ofer Sharone, assistant professor of work and employment research at MIT’s Sloan School of Management. “Tell them what you’ve researched and explain why you’re worth more than the average person.” Pynchon agrees: Don’t make the discussion about what you want, but what you can provide. “Tell them, ‘I walk on water, and I can walk on water at your company too.’ ” It helps if you request a salary before they offer you one; the first number on the table influences the rest of the negotiation.

Be smart about this. You have to know about your situation, the realities as work and the nature of the market in your field. Good luck!

Your Career, Your Compensation

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Dealing with rising college costs

December 16, 2012 / Staff

The issue of rising college costs is a hot topic these days, as young students and families grapple with the issue of how to pay for a college education. Too many young people are saddled with crippling college debt, and as this has gained more attention, it has certainly focused the minds of many Americans as they weigh their options.

Universities are reacting as well, and some of the trends are very promising. Davidson College has created an innovative no-loan policy.

“When I got my acceptance letter and my tuition bill, it told us that everything was mostly paid for,” she recalls. “I had heard something about Davidson’s no-loan policy, but it didn’t make sense because it sounded too good to be true. My mom was like, ‘This can’t be right. We need to go talk to them.’ ” The admission counselor explained that, because of the Davidson Trust, the school was able to cover 100 percent of demonstrated need without loans. Her mother cried. “At the time, I felt kind of embarrassed. When we walked back to my car, she said, ‘I’m so happy. I feel like I should make [the counselor] something.’ ”

Other schools like Harvard are also making it much easier for students to get grants instead of loans in order to lower the student debt burden. Families and students need to do their research, and you have to factor in costs and debt into your decision. Otherwise students will have this debt hanging over them for much of their careers.

You can read more about the student debt crisis and the value of a college education versus the costs here, here and here.

Read all of these materials, and you’ll be much more prepared for the decisions you’ll have to make.

Your Career, Your Education

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Law school applications plummet

December 15, 2012 / Staff

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With all of the recent controversies surrounding the number of jobs law school graduates are actually getting, the idea of going to law school is starting to become less appealing, especially when you start to consider the ridiculous cost of law school.

Now comes word that applications in this admissions cycle appear to be in something like free fall. As of December 7th, they are down 24.6% from the same time last year, while the total number of applicants has declined by 22.4% year over year. These numbers suggest that law schools will have a total of somewhere between 52,000 and 53,000 applicants to choose from in this cycle, i.e., slightly more than half as many as in 2004, when there were 188 ABA accredited law schools (there are 201 at the moment, with an emphasis on “at the moment”).
To put that number in perspective, law schools admitted 60,400 first year JD students two years ago. Since a significant percentage of applicants are unwilling to consider enrolling at any school below a certain hierarchical level, and/or will decline to enroll at certain other schools without receiving massive discounts on the advertised tuition price, these numbers portend fiscal calamity for more than a few schools. But out of that calamity will come the beginnings of a more rational and just system of legal education for the next generation of lawyers.

Things are going to have to change. Students don’t want to do into debt and then end up without a job. The entire notion is silly.

The third year of law school is often a complete waste of time. Law schools should take a serious look at finding ways to give students internships for the third year where they can learn how to actually practice law while making money to pay for their tuition.

Your Career, Your Education

Time to update your management techniques

November 25, 2012 / Staff

Management practices are evolving. Check out this provocative article from Inc. and ask yourself if you need to update the way you manage people.

Here’s my list of “old school” practices you ought to chuck, and “new school” practices to champion instead:
1. Out: Micro-management, or the need to control every aspect of your company. In: Empowerment, the ability to give your people some rope–even rope to make mistakes without blame.
2. Out: Management by walking around the office; it is no longer enough to be visible. In: Leadership by watching and listening, engaging in conversation, implementing the ideas presented to you, and distributing the results.
3. Out: Pretending you know everything. You don’t have all the answers, so why try to make people think you do? In: Knowing your leadership team members and trusting them. Choose great people who have the right skills and fit the culture. And get out of the way.
4. Out: No mistakes, or a “no tolerance policy” some still think works. In: Learning from mistakes, or being the first to admit an error.
5. Out: The balance sheet drives the business, and informs all other decisions. In: People drive the business, boosting customer loyalty, and profit.

Check out the rest of the article for the remaining 5 items. I think this is a great list that will make you more effective with your team and also help you relate better to today’s employees.

Your Business, Your Team, Your Workplace