Essential Etiquette for Your First Job

Article Originally Posted on Levo League

Photo courtesy of Buy Olympia.

Starting your first ‘real’ job out of college? Below are bSmart’s 3 essential guidelines for office etiquette as an employee:

1. Use “bottom line” communication
Urgent items should be addressed in the morning. Non-Urgent items addressed in the afternoon. Bosses have too much on their minds to be bothered with your extraneous and non-urgent thoughts. Many items probably pop into your mind all day long. This doesn’t mean you should bombard your boss with them – gather your reminders and communicate them deliberately, quickly, and all at one time.

2. Talk less and say more
An employee should listen more than he/she speaks. Listen to what your boss has to say and provide one-sentence bottom lines and questions. Women probably say 3,000 more words in a day than we need to when communicating with our bosses. Keep your words to a minimum so they have a more meaningful impact.

3. Know everything you can possibly know
Be organized and have a system for every open or pending item. This might require electronic reminders or a 30-minute review at the beginning or end of your workday. When your boss asks you a question, your response should be one of the following:

• A one-sentence, bottom-line answer.
• “I will look into that / research that and get back to you.”
• Be aware of what your boss needs to do to be successful and to avoid embarrassment.
• Open projects
• Unreturned emails
• Calls he/she needs to return
• If you don’t know the answer and don’t know where to find the answer, tell your boss and ask where you he/she would find the answer.

Congratulations on landing your first job!

Article Originally Posted on Levo League

Lighten Up! How Being Witty Online Can Help Your Career

Article Originally Featured on Levo League

Photo Courtesy of Levo League

For some time now, individuals, products and companies have been realising the benefits of using social media to catapult themselves into the limelight. For most modern consumers, their phone, tablet or laptop is never more than a few feet away – so what better way to engage a reader or customer than by infiltrating their social media feed?

On a personal level, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that being popular is nice. And if you say you don’t strive to be well liked, that’s fine, but we know you’re fibbing! So using a little joke here, a sarcastic comment there, will often be the main trigger for the likes and re-tweets to come flooding in. On a business level, however, being witty online is an invaluable marketing strategy.
So, whether you’re an earnest writer, peddling your wares; a purveyor of PR or the CEO of a global company, how (and why) can you use your sparkling wit to get ahead of the game in your career? Although in no way a definitive break down of how to become a stand-up comic, follow these tips next time you take to the keyboard and you’ll be laughing!

THE WHY:

Engaging with your audience will give them a reason to keep coming back.
You could have the greatest story or product in the world to share, but if you’re not engaging your reader, no-one will ever discover it. The truth is that funny sticks: a person is far more likely to remember something which made them laugh than something which made them feel mildly interested or even indifferent.

Funny spreads, too. 
It’s important to remember that funny spreads, too. Laughter lines online, such as YouTube videos, go viral for a reason – because people want to share them with their friends. This works in a similar way when it comes to social media. How many times have you asked a friend “have you seen that..? It’s so funny!” Your goal should be to become that person or brand people talk about over drinks.

Being funny will allow you to break down the barrier. 
Funny things are often humorous because people can relate to them. The more you can directly engage with your target audience, the more interest they will take in what you are trying to share. By sharing your witty nature with your readers, it’s far easier to break down the barrier between you or your brand and your consumer. The ultimate goal is to be more of a friend than a business.

Humour will raise your visibility and make you stand out. 
As always, you should be standing out from your competitors. Using a clever pun or witty line will set you poles apart from those who use standard industry jargon. The key, as always, is to avoid being boring!

THE HOW:

Be engaging and ask questions. 
Make your status updates and tweets engaging. Asking a question often encourages interaction from followers, and draws consumers in. So, instead of “our new product is out now.” Why not try “have you seen our new product yet?” A simple change of phrase creates a whole new tone for you.

Create an online environment your audience can relate to.
Try to make the things you post relevant to everyone. The most shared posts are those which your followers know their friends will relate to. So, even if it’s not directly linked to your product or page, just making your reader feel as though you’re on the same team can work wonders for future relationships. For example “don’t you just hate it when you dare to debut your new jelly shoes but it’s hailing by 12pm?” will cause your reader to empathise and react to you.

Be cheeky without crossing the line. 
Don’t be afraid to be naughty. As long as you don’t cross a line, using naughty puns or cheeky anecdotes can also engage your readers. Anything from a mildly endearing “Hi good lookin. How are we all doing today???’” to something a little more daring will catch your audience’s attention in the sea of tweets and updates they scroll through every day.

Understand that healthy competition can be useful. 
Everyone likes a little healthy competition, so why not engage in some light hearted banter with your competitors? Perhaps a humorous response to their latest campaign or a satirical take on their own tweets will draw the attention of both yours and their followers. After all, it’s all about proving to your reader that there’s a human behind your online persona.

Learn from the best. 
Adding a little lightness and wit to your social media interactions will guarantee a rise in interactions and reach. As the power of social media reaches its peak, it’s definitely time for you to muscle in on this handy and fun little technique. If you need inspiration, there are a plethora of companies out there who have it just right. So, inject a little comedy into your every day posts – they do say laughter’s the best medicine!

Article Originally Featured on Levo League

5 Keys to Unlocking the Career Aggie Network

Let’s face the facts – you need your Alumni Association as much as we need you.  How do you need us, you ask?  The Utah State University AlumniAssociation wants to be a resource to help you throughout your entire life. 

With the creation of the Career Aggie Network, we now have the opportunity to assist you not only when you are finding your first job, but as your career progresses.  You can also stay involved by becoming a mentor to a current USU student, sharing your knowledge, experience and insight with the next generation of Aggies.  

Wondering what the Career Aggie Network is all about?  Here are the key points –

• Become an Alumni Mentor – Think about those who have become mentors to you in your career.  Now it’s time to pay it forward.  Through our LinkedIn group, current students can connect with you to hear what steps you have taken to grow your career.  Share what has made you successful and offer advice to other Aggies as they begin their career.

• Job Postings – Through our collaboration with USU Career Services, you can access job postings or submit openings within your company.  Whether you want to hire an aspiring Aggie graduate for your company or find a new job for yourself, we are here to help. 

• A Resource Library – Brush up on your interview skills, refresh your resume, or find ways to better your professional self.  The library will be growing and changing, so check on it regularly as we will be posting related articles and videos.

• Grad School Prep/Testing – Is it time for you to go back to school?  Do you need an advanced degree to move forward?  USU Testing Services can help you prepare for this step, and they offer several of the tests needed for graduate school or other certification

• Fairs/Expos – As an alumnus of Utah State, you can still participate in the many fairs and expos presented by Career Services.  The annual Career Fair and the Graduate School Expo are among the most popular, so come to campus to recruit a great student, be recruited by a great company, or explore your grad school options.

How do you take advantage of this new Career Aggie Network?  It's as easy as creating a LinkedIn account!  In fact, that is where the majority of our resources will be available to you, as alumni. 

Simply log in to LinkedIn, and search for the group named Utah State University Alumni Network. Once you've found it, click the Join Group button, and you're done.

If you don't already have a LinkedIn account, don't worry. It's free and simple to sign up - so do it today and get started developing your career with the Career Aggie Network.