Try using these simple ideas for extra storage space next time you wish you had more space in your home!
1. Under all beds – there are several options for storing items in plastic storage compartments that slide under the beds in the house. Use this space – no one will ever know it’s there but you.
2. Pocketed bed skirts - new on the market and the inside of the bed skirt has pockets which don’t show on the outside. Find these useful for lightweight storage materials, such as socks, ribbons, hosiery, etc.
3. Doors - All pantry, linen, utility, coat and bedroom closet doors can have additional space inside closet with elpha shelving products or nail clear plastic shoe hangers ($5 at Target) inside door to store additional items, including medicine, accessories, jewelry, scarves, gloves and wraps, belts, hair and body products, toys, etc. Pay lower prices for elpha like products at Home Depot or Lowe's, rather than Container Store. Also check out Ikea for great bargains on storage material.
4. China hutch – if you are not using the bottom cabinets for storing extra kitchen items, this is a great place to use.
5. File Cabinets – these days, there are a variety of decorative filing cabinets that can serve dual purposes such as end tables, desk extensions or bedside tables.
6. Shoe boxes – decorate a shoe box with your child as a fun art project on a rainy day and use this to store mail, writing cards, photos, or any loose paper item that needs a home. Label each box and categorize similar items for even more organization.
7. Tables – if you have a sofa table or buffet table that is used for decorative purposes, try storing items under the table, then making a floor length table cover with material that is affixed to the top of the table using Velcro strips on all sides to hide the contents under the table. Use this concept for messy shelving units that you want to cover.
8. Baskets – there is a variety of ways to use decorative baskets in all sizes and shapes to store all sorts of items. These can be put in clever areas for decoration and no one will know they have storage items in them. Wicker trunks serving dual coffee table purposes can also be useful.
9. Ottomans – several ottomans in all different shapes now have lids on them so they can be used for both an ottoman, side table and storage. Find these at Pier One, Wal-Mart, Target, etc.
10. Shelving – find an area in your home to install economical shelving to store books, magazines, and other items. Shelves can be built with inexpensive plywood and painted a nice color. Use trim pieces for decorative flair.
Storage can be found in some very creative places in one's home. Use items for multiple purposes. Happy hunting!
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Sometimes there is no process....
In light of Easter weekend upon us, I thought I would share from the heart today. There is simplicity and then there is complexity. Sometimes, in our pursuit of developing a process, we make it complex, rather than simple.
As some of you know, I have been looking for a job during the last few months. All the while, I have been following advice, researching methods, and doing what appears to be the “guidelines” for this process which we'll call job seeking. As you job seekers know, there are a ton of guidelines published on the matter. Guidelines on resumes, cover letters, networking, interviewing, negotiation, etc. It’s overwhelming to be on the Internet or in a networking group, or in a job seeking seminar to hear the ever so many strategic moves and guidelines needed to land a job these days.
Through my networking efforts, I have met many, many new people. And during my search for doing just the right thing that everyone suggests, I have come to realize a few simple things. There is no real process to be followed by any one person in landing a job. What works for one person, will not work for another. A cover letter that is taught by the experts may not work for some. And the reason why is very simple. Until you really know yourself, what you want and what your real value is to a company, the search is impossible. Now you might think, that’s easy. “I know I want to be a salesperson because of my relationship building skills and sales records which are top notch in this industry.” But that’s just it. If we follow the standard process and standard buzz words, and maintain the corporate mentality expected of us or given to us through experience, we may fail at what the real heart of the situation may be. Our true and authentic self. Yes, we have all contributed in a major way, but so has the next person.
Finding what the true simple ingredients are that make you just the right person for this company or for God’s purpose is the key to success. Knowledge of what those ingredients are is powerful. For some it’s easy. For others it’s difficult due to their wiring, their experiences, and the way they were made by God. How do we get this knowledge? Sometimes it takes some work . But for those of you who have been in the market, have you noticed there is nothing in print about how to get this knowledge? It’s all about the other processes and procedures and “guidelines." And for someone who likes to follow, develop and write processes and procedures, this exercise may be difficult at best. But during my pursuit of following the “networking guidelines,” I met with 3 people all in this past week who have truly made a difference in my thinking on this subject. And what I received from these people is knowledge and wisdom about myself which are true gifts , better than the gift of company contacts, job leads, and help with your resume. These three people were all acting in the power of God to give me the gift of wisdom. And they were very gracious with their gifts. Now it’s my turn to act on it and to know my key ingredients and where and how they will best be served and of course to give gifts to others.
My point is this. Sometimes we can make something so complex in our search to find answers on how to do something. Process driven people want to follow and develop processes. But sometimes, it’s not about a process. It’s about ourselves.
Happy reflections on this Easter weekend!
As some of you know, I have been looking for a job during the last few months. All the while, I have been following advice, researching methods, and doing what appears to be the “guidelines” for this process which we'll call job seeking. As you job seekers know, there are a ton of guidelines published on the matter. Guidelines on resumes, cover letters, networking, interviewing, negotiation, etc. It’s overwhelming to be on the Internet or in a networking group, or in a job seeking seminar to hear the ever so many strategic moves and guidelines needed to land a job these days.
Through my networking efforts, I have met many, many new people. And during my search for doing just the right thing that everyone suggests, I have come to realize a few simple things. There is no real process to be followed by any one person in landing a job. What works for one person, will not work for another. A cover letter that is taught by the experts may not work for some. And the reason why is very simple. Until you really know yourself, what you want and what your real value is to a company, the search is impossible. Now you might think, that’s easy. “I know I want to be a salesperson because of my relationship building skills and sales records which are top notch in this industry.” But that’s just it. If we follow the standard process and standard buzz words, and maintain the corporate mentality expected of us or given to us through experience, we may fail at what the real heart of the situation may be. Our true and authentic self. Yes, we have all contributed in a major way, but so has the next person.
Finding what the true simple ingredients are that make you just the right person for this company or for God’s purpose is the key to success. Knowledge of what those ingredients are is powerful. For some it’s easy. For others it’s difficult due to their wiring, their experiences, and the way they were made by God. How do we get this knowledge? Sometimes it takes some work . But for those of you who have been in the market, have you noticed there is nothing in print about how to get this knowledge? It’s all about the other processes and procedures and “guidelines." And for someone who likes to follow, develop and write processes and procedures, this exercise may be difficult at best. But during my pursuit of following the “networking guidelines,” I met with 3 people all in this past week who have truly made a difference in my thinking on this subject. And what I received from these people is knowledge and wisdom about myself which are true gifts , better than the gift of company contacts, job leads, and help with your resume. These three people were all acting in the power of God to give me the gift of wisdom. And they were very gracious with their gifts. Now it’s my turn to act on it and to know my key ingredients and where and how they will best be served and of course to give gifts to others.
My point is this. Sometimes we can make something so complex in our search to find answers on how to do something. Process driven people want to follow and develop processes. But sometimes, it’s not about a process. It’s about ourselves.
Happy reflections on this Easter weekend!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Home “In-Box”
Household paperwork can add up on a daily basis. Before you know it, your kitchen table has become a gigantic in-box of paperwork and clutter. This includes kid’s school stuff, bills, catalogues, invitations, coupons, statements, church, PTA stuff, and more. Here’s how to manage the household paperwork.
1. Create a central area in your home for dealing with your mail and incoming paperwork. This “mail center” should include an in box (tray, basket, etc.), your tools for paying bills (checkbook, envelopes, stamps, etc.), a small filing system (find these at Wal-Mart or Target…could be plastic), some folders with labels to be kept in a drawer or small filing system and a trash can or shredder (the most important tool for this).
2. All paperwork such as mail, school papers, etc. goes in the in-tray. Remove mail from envelopes immediately and toss these in the trash along with all junk mail.
3. Pay bills immediately on line or with checkbook or put bills in separate file by future bill pay date.
4. For papers that contain due dates, enter into your calendar such as outlook, Google, Gmail or Covey. Kid’s events, meetings, other important dates should be recorded on a calendar. Invites can be tossed once dates are recorded. For items that need to be delegated to someone else in the household, give it to them.
5. File items into your simple filing system. Folders are labeled by categories that work for you. Keep a stack of unused folders in your mail center for adding a new category when needed. File quickly and don’t let it pile up. Toss unneeded papers. File folders could be placed in a tall basket as an option to the file cabinet. Be creative.
6. If you think you need to keep statements, file away, but be sure to toss prior month statement. Most of this information can be found on-line so toss.
7. Follow my earlier post for dealing with magazines.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Too Much Social Networking? That Depends...
Facebook, My Space, Linkedin, Twitter are all popular social networking tools. There seems to be no end to this growing trend. Some people think it's too much and could be keeping us away from other important activities. My opinion is each serves a unique purpose that can lead to relationship building, continuous learning, a good laugh and even some efficiency. But like all good things, it too can be abused and take people away from what's important like their families. Here are some reasons I believe they are good tools.
Linkedin - Everyone that knows me understands I am an avid user and fan of Linkedin. I view this tool as a way to stay in touch with professional colleagues, to advertise yourself or your business, to find business contacts, and to find answers to business related questions through the numerous professional groups found on this network. You can also look for jobs on Linkedin.
Facebook is a great tool to stay in touch with long lost friends. Simply create a profile, and your high school reunion committee will find you. This tool is dependant on an invitation being accepted by the other before the relationship begins just like Linkedin. Facebook is efficient for posting family information such as vacation pictures or your children's accomplishments. This is far more efficient than sending eMails and managing e:mail addresses. Facebook also contains professional profile information and groups that can be joined. Facebook is likely to replace Linkedin in the far future due to the higher number of users especially with the younger population.
Twitter is somewhat new to the social networking scene and very different from the others. It's not dependant on acceptance of invitations. Anyone can follow anyone. It's limited to a tag line of 140 spaces in each post. Businesses are now creating profiles which you can follow and read their headlines. You choose to follow those who you wish to follow whether this be friends, organizations, subject matter experts in any field, publishers or like minded individuals who share comments of interest to you. For instance I follow news publications and process improvement groups and individuals who are publishing articles, comments, blogs, etc. of interest to me. Interesting way to find information. Google...watch out!
Learning and keeping in touch are my primary reasons for using these tools. I find value in them because they are free, easy to use, and have huge payoffs. Once you are connected you will eliminate wasteful activities of maintaining contact lists and searching for people you use to know or work with. Not to mention, reading some of your friends' posts are a great way to laugh a little at the end of a stressful day. And we all need more laughter!
Linkedin - Everyone that knows me understands I am an avid user and fan of Linkedin. I view this tool as a way to stay in touch with professional colleagues, to advertise yourself or your business, to find business contacts, and to find answers to business related questions through the numerous professional groups found on this network. You can also look for jobs on Linkedin.
Facebook is a great tool to stay in touch with long lost friends. Simply create a profile, and your high school reunion committee will find you. This tool is dependant on an invitation being accepted by the other before the relationship begins just like Linkedin. Facebook is efficient for posting family information such as vacation pictures or your children's accomplishments. This is far more efficient than sending eMails and managing e:mail addresses. Facebook also contains professional profile information and groups that can be joined. Facebook is likely to replace Linkedin in the far future due to the higher number of users especially with the younger population.
Twitter is somewhat new to the social networking scene and very different from the others. It's not dependant on acceptance of invitations. Anyone can follow anyone. It's limited to a tag line of 140 spaces in each post. Businesses are now creating profiles which you can follow and read their headlines. You choose to follow those who you wish to follow whether this be friends, organizations, subject matter experts in any field, publishers or like minded individuals who share comments of interest to you. For instance I follow news publications and process improvement groups and individuals who are publishing articles, comments, blogs, etc. of interest to me. Interesting way to find information. Google...watch out!
Learning and keeping in touch are my primary reasons for using these tools. I find value in them because they are free, easy to use, and have huge payoffs. Once you are connected you will eliminate wasteful activities of maintaining contact lists and searching for people you use to know or work with. Not to mention, reading some of your friends' posts are a great way to laugh a little at the end of a stressful day. And we all need more laughter!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Recycle Tip 101
Who likes to take the trash out? Wouldn't it be great if we could do it less often? The answer is simple. Recycle. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine about this concept and after discussing a plan that would work in her home, she suggested I post it on my blog.
First, all paper products should be placed in a plastic tub placed in the garage or other conspicuous location. Newspapers, magazines, envelopes from opened mail, junk mail, cereal boxes, cookie boxes, etc. are all candidates for paper recycling. Flatten out your boxes to create more space in your recycle tub. Take the tub to the neighborhood recycle bins once a week.
For paper, such as mail, letters, bills, etc. that has sensitive information on it, you might consider investing in a high quality shredder which is also placed in the garage and empties into your plastic tub for recycled paper.
Plastic containers and canned items, once rinsed out, can go into a garbage can stored in your pantry or other enclosed area. Most neighborhoods will pick this up weekly outside your home if placed in the recycle trash bags purchased at the grocery stores.
Once you start practicing these great recycle habits, you will be happy about the reduced number of trips to the outside garbage can! Plus you're helping to save the environment.
First, all paper products should be placed in a plastic tub placed in the garage or other conspicuous location. Newspapers, magazines, envelopes from opened mail, junk mail, cereal boxes, cookie boxes, etc. are all candidates for paper recycling. Flatten out your boxes to create more space in your recycle tub. Take the tub to the neighborhood recycle bins once a week.
For paper, such as mail, letters, bills, etc. that has sensitive information on it, you might consider investing in a high quality shredder which is also placed in the garage and empties into your plastic tub for recycled paper.
Plastic containers and canned items, once rinsed out, can go into a garbage can stored in your pantry or other enclosed area. Most neighborhoods will pick this up weekly outside your home if placed in the recycle trash bags purchased at the grocery stores.
Once you start practicing these great recycle habits, you will be happy about the reduced number of trips to the outside garbage can! Plus you're helping to save the environment.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Improving and Simplifying using Six Sigma
As a Six Sigma professional I have seen many uses of Six Sigma methodology and principles improve and simplify the quality of a process. Many of these concepts are Japanese terms since Japanese companies perfected the use of Six Sigma such as Motorola and Toyota.
For instance Kaisen is a way of thinking that small or incremental improvements can make a change for the better. Underscore the importance of small and incremental improvements in making improvements in any process. Process refers to a string of actions focused towards a goal or end result. Examples of processes are cooking dinner, health and fitness routines, or building an airplane. Muda is a Japanese term meaning waste or any activity that adds no real value. Six Sigma principles fight to reduce and and eliminate waste or all non value steps to any process.
Six Sigma doesn't have to be just about the corporation. We can use these principles to simplify and organize our home and life. Take small steps to organize and improve your household activities. Remove all steps in your process that add no real value to the end result. In another words, if you spend time on meaningless activities that serve no real purpose to your overall goals and well being, these could be considered wasteful and non productive.
It’s about becoming efficient and in busy households where time is limited, sometimes we need to be efficient to create more time to do the things we really enjoy like spending more time with our families. We don't have to use statistics to improve our lives, but it's about adopting a mindset or principles using this fast growing philosophy of Six Sigma.
For instance Kaisen is a way of thinking that small or incremental improvements can make a change for the better. Underscore the importance of small and incremental improvements in making improvements in any process. Process refers to a string of actions focused towards a goal or end result. Examples of processes are cooking dinner, health and fitness routines, or building an airplane. Muda is a Japanese term meaning waste or any activity that adds no real value. Six Sigma principles fight to reduce and and eliminate waste or all non value steps to any process.
Six Sigma doesn't have to be just about the corporation. We can use these principles to simplify and organize our home and life. Take small steps to organize and improve your household activities. Remove all steps in your process that add no real value to the end result. In another words, if you spend time on meaningless activities that serve no real purpose to your overall goals and well being, these could be considered wasteful and non productive.
It’s about becoming efficient and in busy households where time is limited, sometimes we need to be efficient to create more time to do the things we really enjoy like spending more time with our families. We don't have to use statistics to improve our lives, but it's about adopting a mindset or principles using this fast growing philosophy of Six Sigma.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Lost Art of Thank You Notes
In the electronic world we live in, we have simply lost the fine art of a hand written thank you note. We have also missed the true value of it's simplicity. Think about it. How welcoming is it to receive a handwritten note in the mail along with all the other depressing bills and solicitation offers you receive on a regular basis? A hand written thank you note is a way to add a personal touch which will always be remembered and appreciated by your clients, friends, or prospective employers. The fact that it's handwritten will add value to the recipient, especially if it's heartfelt.
It's not that complicated in the electronic age we live in to do this. Simply have a supply of thank you notes, stamps and return address labels and away you go with your thank yous to anyone who did something nice to you, whether it was a birthday or holiday gift or a gesture by someone who interviewed you or better yet, the secretary who organized the interview for you. Anyone who has helped you along the way, or has purchased your services will remember your sincere thank you note and may even refer you because you stood out. Its a great way to build a connection or build a personal brand, by setting yourself apart from those that send computer letters or don't send letters at all. Its a simple strategy for business owners, job seekers or anyone receiving a service or gift. It's also a great technique to teach your children in an age when this practice is becoming a lost art.
It's not that complicated in the electronic age we live in to do this. Simply have a supply of thank you notes, stamps and return address labels and away you go with your thank yous to anyone who did something nice to you, whether it was a birthday or holiday gift or a gesture by someone who interviewed you or better yet, the secretary who organized the interview for you. Anyone who has helped you along the way, or has purchased your services will remember your sincere thank you note and may even refer you because you stood out. Its a great way to build a connection or build a personal brand, by setting yourself apart from those that send computer letters or don't send letters at all. Its a simple strategy for business owners, job seekers or anyone receiving a service or gift. It's also a great technique to teach your children in an age when this practice is becoming a lost art.
Friday, February 13, 2009
Purging and Simplifying
No matter where you are in life, regular purging and organizing is necessary to reducing clutter and more importantly stress! All of us have things in our home that we no longer use or want. Purging these items on a regular basis will keep you organized and stress free. The areas that have the most potential for purging are toys, closets, drawers and cabinets. If you get overwhelmed at the thought of all this, take it one step at a time, or one drawer at a time.
When purging toys, get your children involved. Tell them you need their help on which unused toys you should give to charity to help other children who don't have as many. They will love to help with this fun project and they learn to give at the same time.
When purging in your closets, use a 12 month rule. If you haven't worn it in the last 12 months or it hasn't fit you in the last 24 months, purge it! Only keep items that fit this rule if they are unique and special items that you want to keep for a wedding, special occasion, etc. The purged clothes can be given to consignment stores, charitable organizations or someone you know who needs them. It will make you feel good when you see how much they appreciate it.
Purging cabinets for medicines and canned or packaged pantry goods not used in 12 to 24 months is often needed too. Look for unused items in your kitchen cabinets like sippy cups or baby bottles when the youngest child in your house is far beyond that stage. Review plastic cups and storage containers to see if you can get by with less.
Another great way to handle your purged items it to have a garage sale. Garage sales are great ways to make some extra spending money. Getting the kids involved to help with the sale teaches them about organization and the value of money.
If you get in the habit of purging on a regular basis, you will be amazed at how much more space you have. Now you can find the things you often couldn't locate in all the clutter!
When purging toys, get your children involved. Tell them you need their help on which unused toys you should give to charity to help other children who don't have as many. They will love to help with this fun project and they learn to give at the same time.
When purging in your closets, use a 12 month rule. If you haven't worn it in the last 12 months or it hasn't fit you in the last 24 months, purge it! Only keep items that fit this rule if they are unique and special items that you want to keep for a wedding, special occasion, etc. The purged clothes can be given to consignment stores, charitable organizations or someone you know who needs them. It will make you feel good when you see how much they appreciate it.
Purging cabinets for medicines and canned or packaged pantry goods not used in 12 to 24 months is often needed too. Look for unused items in your kitchen cabinets like sippy cups or baby bottles when the youngest child in your house is far beyond that stage. Review plastic cups and storage containers to see if you can get by with less.
Another great way to handle your purged items it to have a garage sale. Garage sales are great ways to make some extra spending money. Getting the kids involved to help with the sale teaches them about organization and the value of money.
If you get in the habit of purging on a regular basis, you will be amazed at how much more space you have. Now you can find the things you often couldn't locate in all the clutter!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
A Great Value for Wine Lovers!
I’m all about value these days as so many of us are and I’m happy to share with my fellow wine lovers a great wine for an incredible value. The wine is called Oak Leaf. And for the price of $3.00 a bottle, it tastes pretty good and has even won some awards. For example, it won a gold medal at the prestigious Florida State International Wine Competition and Silver and Bronze at the 2008 San Francisco Wine Competition. It was also rated the steal of the season this Summer by O magazine. The only place I have found you can purchase this wine is at Walmart. I was so skeptical about the taste of a $3.00 bottle of wine but was pleasantly surprised at the great taste!
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
How to Save on your Printing Costs
Paper is not cheap. And there are a few ways homes and businesses can save on printing costs. Fine Print (http://www.fineprint.com/) is a licensed software program that you can install on your computer and save on printing costs by up to 30%. It allows you to print multiple pages on one sheet, delete unwanted pages, combine multiple print jobs into one and much more.
Printing on both sides of the paper is also a good way to save on printing costs. when applicable.
Another way to save on printing costs is to buy recycled printer cartridges which is less than half the price of buying a new cartridge.
Printing on both sides of the paper is also a good way to save on printing costs. when applicable.
Another way to save on printing costs is to buy recycled printer cartridges which is less than half the price of buying a new cartridge.
Monday, February 9, 2009
What to do with your Magazines
For many of us with little time on our hands, we often find ourselves with lots of magazines around the house, many of which are unread and piling up in several corners. My best advice on this topic is to recycle them if they haven’t been read or touched in 3 or so months. If you can’t find time to read them in 3 months, when will you find time to read them in the near future? One of the principles I try to live by is to touch something once as soon as possible and then put it in its place. Since time is limited, I try to quickly flip through the magazine as soon as possible; tearing out the pages with articles I know I will enjoy reading later. These get filed in a sectioned file folder or equivalent and the rest of the magazine is recycled. Recipes should always be stored in a separate recipe file folder. If the magazine is packed with lots of great articles, I keep it since it has value to me.
We all receive free magazine subscriptions from time to time and we end up not really needing or enjoying it. Don’t waste your time with keeping these magazines around the house hoping you will change your mind some day and enjoy it. Recycle them and don’t renew the subscription. In most neighborhoods, especially if you live near a school, there are paper recycle bins. Bundle up the unread and untouched magazines and take a walk to the school to recycle them. You will feel much better without the clutter of all the magazines lying around the house once you do.
For those that you do enjoy and wish to keep, have a nice tall basket near a sitting chair, or in the bathroom or bedroom to keep the ones that are 3 months old or less. Once you have made time to read them, recycle them to make room for the new ones.
We all receive free magazine subscriptions from time to time and we end up not really needing or enjoying it. Don’t waste your time with keeping these magazines around the house hoping you will change your mind some day and enjoy it. Recycle them and don’t renew the subscription. In most neighborhoods, especially if you live near a school, there are paper recycle bins. Bundle up the unread and untouched magazines and take a walk to the school to recycle them. You will feel much better without the clutter of all the magazines lying around the house once you do.
For those that you do enjoy and wish to keep, have a nice tall basket near a sitting chair, or in the bathroom or bedroom to keep the ones that are 3 months old or less. Once you have made time to read them, recycle them to make room for the new ones.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
How to Simplify the Job Search and more
Since my temporary departure from corporate, I have learned about all sorts of tools available to those in the job seeking market. I found one to be simple and packed with value since it is free. It is a networking website called Linkedin, http://www.linkedin.com/. Set up a profile or outline of your experience, education, and specialties. Once you search for people you know and invite them to join your network, you are now capable of networking with others who are only "six degrees of separation" from you. You can also set up a group of individuals in your network with like minds and network with them for opportunities.
The tool will automatically provide companies and jobs that "match" your profile. As you start learning about companies you want to work for, you can search the company name and pull up a list of linkedin users who work for that company. Now here's the power...find someone who has a title at your target company that closely aligns with your experience or the job title you are interested in. You may directly ask to network with them or ask someone to introduce you to them through the "introduction" tool. Everyone on linkedin is there to network, so a blind e:mail (in-mail) or introduction by someone else asking to network with them is expected and understood. Find out when you can call them for a brief chat. Ask them to provide information about the company culture, the issues and challenges, and maybe the hiring manager's name for the job you want. Use all this information to to gain a better understanding of the target company and to make more networking contacts. When looking for a job, it's all about the networking! And linkedin makes it simple!
Linkedin has jobs you can search, or it has jobs that it will recommend for you based on your profile. Based on it's intelligence and it's ability to read your profile, it will recommended books, networking groups and professional development events just for you. Sales people should use this to find customers, homemakers should use this to find services, job seekers should use this to find jobs, and recruiters should use this to find talent. Anyone providing a service that wants additional exposure and business should be on Linkedin to promote their business. It's a powerful tool and its free (for now).
The tool will automatically provide companies and jobs that "match" your profile. As you start learning about companies you want to work for, you can search the company name and pull up a list of linkedin users who work for that company. Now here's the power...find someone who has a title at your target company that closely aligns with your experience or the job title you are interested in. You may directly ask to network with them or ask someone to introduce you to them through the "introduction" tool. Everyone on linkedin is there to network, so a blind e:mail (in-mail) or introduction by someone else asking to network with them is expected and understood. Find out when you can call them for a brief chat. Ask them to provide information about the company culture, the issues and challenges, and maybe the hiring manager's name for the job you want. Use all this information to to gain a better understanding of the target company and to make more networking contacts. When looking for a job, it's all about the networking! And linkedin makes it simple!
Linkedin has jobs you can search, or it has jobs that it will recommend for you based on your profile. Based on it's intelligence and it's ability to read your profile, it will recommended books, networking groups and professional development events just for you. Sales people should use this to find customers, homemakers should use this to find services, job seekers should use this to find jobs, and recruiters should use this to find talent. Anyone providing a service that wants additional exposure and business should be on Linkedin to promote their business. It's a powerful tool and its free (for now).
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