Trish Skram’s Blog

Hard copy resumes. Cover letters. Online database applications. We’ve all created them. Updated them. Managed them. But are they still relevant in today’s job market?

In my seven years in the job market, I’ve always monitored branding trends. What I’ve realized in today’s brutal career landscape, just having a resume and cover letter is not enough. In fact, having an online presence is not enough. You have to maintain it. If you keep these three ideas in mind, you’ll be well on your way to achieving your personal branding objectives.

LinkedIn will be the modern resume
Traditional resumes will not fit into job market in the future. My advice: Forget your Word document resume and start building your online presence so that recruiters can find you. Down the road, companies won’t ask for your resume; they will ask for your website URL.

Your online influence will put you at the top of the pile
Ten years ago, if you had hard skills for the job, that was enough to land the job. As the market became more competitive, companies started looking for soft skills, like presentation, writing, organization and leadership skills. Today, you need to have hard skills, soft skills and online influence. In communications, you could be hired based on your Klout score, Twitter followers or who RTs you.

Your personal brand and professional brand will unite
Think about how many times YOU login to check your Facebook. Most of you reading this probably check a handful of times. When you house your ideas online, your actions can affect the way people around you treat you, in and out of the workplace. Like I’ve always said, everything you publish, and whatever is said about you online could likely be there for a lifetime.

Also, do you agree that HR headhunters are doing online background checks on job applicants? You betcha! Business leaders and employers are already Googling applicants. I predict most companies will use the Internet to verify candidates. If you can’t be found online, it may show you aren’t as valuable to employers as other candidates. Like I’ve been saying for years, I advise everyone to build a personal website and manage your reputation before other people do it for you.

My point to all of this? Take these trends seriously when moving forward in your career. The sooner you build your brand and take advantage of new technologies, the more prepared you will be for a successful future!

What would you add? Join the conversation.

Note: This is an adaptation of written works and ideas of Dan Schawbel and Sarah Evans.

Technorati Tags: 4 truths about the future of personal branding, career advice for new professionals, LinkedIn will be the modern resume, Random "Trish" Thoughts, young professional tips, your personal brand and professional brand will unite

Posted: January 14, 2011

I always enjoy this time of year. Not just because it’s the holidays but it also marks the month of my annual review. Some people cringe. I, on the other hand, look forward to it. To me, it’s a reflection of goals, aspirations, accomplishments and hard-earned devotion of your career. In fact, I do this personally. Ron and I will sit down (usually with a glass of wine), talk about our past year, discuss what we liked, disliked and chat about what’s ahead. Whether it’s a cooking class we want to take, investment idea we hope to build or project we want to accomplish at work, it always seems to come together if we spend the time to document it and revisit. Many think it’s silly.

If you work for a business and/or organization, you probably have an annual evaluation of some sort. Writing solid job performance goals can help you be successful in your career. It certainly has helped me. You must, of course, work toward meeting the goals and, when you do meet them, update your goals or write new goals to continue moving ahead in your career. Goals that are written well are focused, influential, realistic and measurable; these are what I call FIRM goals. Whether you’re writing  goals personally or for work, keep these helpful tips in mind:

Goals are meant to help motivate, not demoralize. So, when you’re writing your goals, be ambitious but realistic.

Start each goal with an action verb, a word that describes an activity (e.g., produce, sell, improve, encourage and contact).

Use a standard of measurement. Maybe it’s the PR gal in me. Not sure. These words were drilled in my head as a young communications student. Make your goals measurable but realistic. Provide an end date or time so that you’ll know when your job performance goals are met. Try NOT to use the word “success” when writing job performance goals. It’s a great word but it’s not measurable. It’s too vague. Instead, use words that define success for you in a specific area. For example, a goal to “become a better sales person” is not a measurable goal. A better, more attainable goal would be “to increase my individual sales by at least 5% by 2012.”

Keep your goals relevant to your job (or life) by understanding the goals of your department and the company as a whole. Your job performance goals should relate directly to your departmental (or organization) goals, which, in turn, support company-wide goals.

Find out how your job performance goals fit into your performance appraisal process. Your performance may be more easily evaluated if it involves determining how well you achieve your previously set goals.

Hope this helps you. Any tips or ideas that work for you? Please share and join the conversation.

Technorati Tags: FIRM performance goals, how to write goals, how to write performance goals, how to write solid job performance goals, performance goals for yearly evaluation, work evaluation

I was gandering around on Facebook this morning and found this cool application on my friend’s page that allows you to compile your Facebook updates over the course of the year in one collage. It’s called My Year in Status. I don’t usually play with these apps, but I thought this one was fun.

Do I overshare. Some would say yes. I say no. My question: What do our status updates say about us? Are we sharing too much, too little? Are we providing value to our communities? What does yours say about you? Can this be an evaluation tool perhaps? Share below.

Technorati Tags: FAcebook status updates: too much too little, My year in status app, Random "Trish" Thoughts, What Facebook says about us? Do I Facebook too much

In honor (and reflection) of my career and passion as a public relations/communications professional, I bring you 14 honest truths of a PR gal working in Janesville. This is a repeat post from my blog at http://GazetteXtra.com. I received so much feedback on Friday and through the weekend, that I found it only appropriate to share with you. Enjoy!

I spend more time on my iPhone than I do of my family.

Underestimate the power of backing-up work.

My fingers are sometimes ink-stained from paging through clippings (yes, I still clip.)

Blogging has become just as important as eating.

I am frequently asked if I know all of my friends on Facebook, and, for the most part, I can honestly say that I do.

I ask my boyfriend to “send me a meeting planner” when talking about weekend plans.

I evaluate TV ads and fantasize about meeting the creative director of the ETrade commercials.

I freak out when I don’t have access to the Internet.

I proofread my Facebook updates.

Twitter is my main source for breaking news.

I have disclaimers on all of my personal and professional social media sites.

My phone (and computer) constantly locks up because the memory is dedicated to the hundreds of social networking apps running.

I have so many usernames and passwords that I lose track.

I get excited about participating in alpha and beta testing of any new application or software service.

These are brutal, I know. Truth is, it felt great to put it out there like this. Many of you are in the same boat. What would you add? Join the conversation!

Technorati Tags: honest truths about the PR profession in the digital age, Random "Trish" Thoughts

Yesterday I was asked by a local business professional to describe what makes me unique from my competition … in only a few words. Interesting, right? I think I squandered a bit. Bummer. Here’s the thing, the question wasn’t referenced to my employer, it was meant to me. What makes me different than other business professionals in the area?

I was in a “relationship building” meeting with one of the local businesses that I keep in touch with from time-to-time about their membership with Forward Janesville Inc., Janesville’s chamber of commerce. The meeting was to discuss membership discounts, events, community initiatives and opportunities. It ended up as a personal interview about myself. Don’t get me wrong I don’t mind talking about my company or myself when the time is right. I expect that, given my profession. But I was intrigued with the question, mainly because I had never really thought about that before.

As communicators, we know how important it is to have an “elevator pitch” and to be able to explain what it is that we do for a living. I do believe it’s important to be able to describe what we (or our business) can bring to the table in a clear, concise way. I just didn’t realize I’d ever be asked in only a few words. I have prepared myself for next time. Thing is, my mentor (and teacher) in college encouraged us to do just this in an assignment. I wish I had kept that paper. I’m sure it’s on a flash drive somewhere. It would be interesting to see what I said. Have those words changed? Not sure.

So how do you come up with just a few words? I took some time to look back through my recent LinkedIn recommendations, emails and “feel good” files and looked for common themes. If you don’t have recommendations or testimonials, you could get feedback by asking people you work with for just one word to describe you.

I came up with my few words to describe me: enthusiastic, creative, leader, motivator. Have you ever pondered this? Who are you, in just a few words? Share below.

Image provided by pewresearch.org

Technorati Tags: in a few words, professional advice for communicators and business professionals, Random "Trish" Thoughts, Who are you

Email is becoming the standard communication channel these days. That’s nothing new. Whether you’re a law enforcement officer/worker, marketer, student or online worker, you’re probably already spending a good percentage of your day in front of a computer and using email as your main means of communication, right? But just because you use email, doesn’t mean you’re doing it right, and most importantly, most effectively. If you rely on email to communicate as much as I do, you should ask yourself these 7 questions:

1. Do you limit to one screen or less?
If you answered yes to this question, you’re probably already writing short and succinct emails. That’s good. Whenever you are about to send an email, pause for a second and analyze if you could eliminate unnecessary words, phrases or even complete paragraphs. Most people will begin to scan rather than reading the email if the reader sees words running off the bottom of the screen, potentially missing the key elements of the message. Don’t worry about going straight to the point. In fact, that’s what you should do. Most people won’t be offended because you removed the “small talk.”

2. Do you write in bullets or sentences when there’s a lot to cover?
If you must write a long email (for whatever reason) you should use bullets. Online usability tests show that when people read messages off the computer screen, they find it easier to read and RETAIN the information if it’s broken down into bullet points, rather then long paragraphs.

3. Do you give the “meat and potatoes” in the subject line?
This one is so important because if you don’t craft the message of your subject line carefully, you won’t need too much in the body of the email. Here’s a good formula I follow for the subject line: subject + active verb + object. And try to be as specific as you can. For example, “Cancelled” is a bad subject line; “April mkg. meeting cancelled to May 9” is better.

4. When you send from your iPhone, do you tell people?
Some people think this is self-gloating but I disagree. If you’re a smart phone user, make sure you include a tagline by your signature telling recipients you’re using an electronic device. It will help explain why the message is short, possibly unclear (I cringe—you really should never misspell, but it happens.) If you don’t, your message may come off as rude.

5. Do you re-read and run your spell check?
I hope you said yes. Seems like common sense but most people are in a hurry and forget. It’s very unprofessional. Make it a habit to re-read and spell check every email before you send it. You should always be looking for errors, spelling mistakes, missing information, missing attachments and so on. I’m guilty of this too, folks! I’m no saint. But these mistakes will hurt your credibility. And, well, once you hit “send,” it’s hard to recall the message.

6. Do you ask questions?
I hope you do. Don’t use email as a one-way medium. Just like social media, the true power of email is its interactive capabilities. Managers, directors and supervisors: Do remember, this is a two-way street. If you’re going to encourage interaction with your employees, be sure you take time to answer them. If you don’t, it will set you up for possible reliability failure.

7. Do you organize, archive and store messages?
I made this mistake when I first started as a copywriter. Big mistake. Huge. I didn’t have evidence of a project/deadline and it really cost me my credibility in the long run. Make sure to organize, archive and save important messages. Outlook, Entourage, Gmail, Yahoo, they all have great saving and filing capabilities. If you’re like me, you don’t always have time to read all messages but you know you need to refer back. For example, if you just created an account for an online service like WordPress, you know they will send you a confirmation (of course), containing your user name and password. Archive these messages right way. An alternative to archiving is simply marking the messages as read, so they stay visible in your inbox.

What do you do to effectively communicate using email? Please share below.

Image courtesy of http://toonpool.com

Technorati Tags: effective email communication tips, Random "Trish" Thoughts

Tired, zonked, drained. All great words to describe how we feel from time-to-time while at work, home or just doing every day things. Lately, I’ve been feeling really drained. Not sure if it is my schedule, stress or my workouts (training for a marathon.) Feeling tired, especially at work, can be a heavy on your life—it drags your workload down, lowers productivity and strengthens stress levels. If you’re a highly active person like me, it’s the worse feeling. However, over the years of living and breathing my profession, I’ve discovered a few great things you can do to get the energy back, quickly. Do remember though, folks, sometimes you just need some rest. Be sure to be mindful of when your body needs sleep and relaxation.

5 quick things you can do to re-energize:

Knock out distractions: Again, this is always good advice—but when you’re tired, it has triple affects. Stay out of your email, don’t log into Facebook and don’t keep taking breaks from the task at hand. It’s so easy to get distracted when you’re not focusing well and it only makes it harder to concentrate. Social media can be a BIG distraction. So is television. Try to stay away from “just checking Facebook” and spending the next hour looking at your cousin’s holiday pics. We’re all guilty of this while at work. So every time your attention wanders, direct it straight back to what you’re supposed to be working on.

Workout: If you’re feeling sleepy, the worst thing to do is to sit down somewhere warm and comfy—you’ll almost certainly nod off. Instead, make sure you move around frequently. Get up and stretch, go for a brisk walk and get your body moving. This is a good idea if you get that mid-afternoon slump: walking around will shake it off.

Take a Shower (or freshen up): Getting into a shower will really wake you up when you’re feeling sluggish. If you’re struggling to even get out of bed, head straight for the shower: as soon as you’re under that running water, you’ll feel considerably awake. If you work from home, a mid-afternoon shower can be a great pick-me-up when you’re tired. If you’re in an office, splashing your face with cold water, or freshening up your makeup can be a good refreshing alternative.

Do the easier stuff: If you’re feeling really tired but you still need to get a project done, try doing more routine tasks: things like replying to emails, filing documents, organizing your desk, market research and so on. Often, your energy will naturally pick back up while you work.

Chat with others. Pick up your cell phone and call a friend or go next door and make small talk with a co-worker. Some of you may consider this tip a distraction, I tend to think it’s a great way to boost creative thinking. If you’re like me, you like to collaborate on a daily basis. We’re communicators, right?

So, what works for you? We all have our remedies. Please share below.

Image courtesy of http://istockphoto.com

Technorati Tags: communicators' advice, how to energize when feeling tired, social media, Trish Srkam

Many times, we get stuck in the same routine. The same song and dance. Same thing, different day. We’re all busy, overworked and probably over-tired so it becomes easier to stick to what’s worked in the past. It gets tough to look outside the box … between clients, meetings, events, research, pitching, email, etc—it’s even hard to find time for anything not work related these days. It’s easy to become so inundated in your routine that you never try to add to it. In fact, if I could give you a dollar for  every time I hear “That’s the way it’s always been done,” or “It’s just easier this way,” I’d be rich!

We all recognize it, right? With all that set aside, why are we so resistant to change? Why do we like routine so much? Why do we make excuses? I’m not saying routine is bad. In fact, routine should be your solid foundation. But you should also be willing to try new things. When it comes to creative thinking (especially if you’re in the advertising, marketing or PR industry) you should live a lifestyle or do a job that inspires you, motivates you or impacts others in a positive way. In my opinion, positive change comes easier that way.

Here’s how I challenge the norm:

If you’re stuck in an idea, open a dictionary, a magazine, newspaper or read a blog. Even if it doesn’t relate to the project.

Take a shower. Don’t think about it. Sometimes the best ideas come when you’re not thinking about them at all.

Don’t watch TV. It’s a destraction. Many of you will disagree. I think it just confuses us.

Bust out some tunes. Not death metal, but something smooth and upbeat.

Do something that you fear or doubt. The overwhelming sense of triump will leave you feeling like you can conquer anything. For me, it keeps the momentum going.

If you can’t focus, do some squats (or a walk would work). Find something that will get your muscles moving and your heart rate up.

Call up an old colleague or mentor. Or get out of your chair and chat with another colleague down the hall and shoot the breeze.

So, I pose to you, are you a change-agent or a routine- performer? Why? What helps you look outside the box at work, in life? All thoughts welcome below.

Photo courtesy of http://mediabistro.com

Technorati Tags: be a change-agent, Public Relations Writing, Random "Trish" Thoughts

Posted January 8, 2010

January marks the anniversary (or shall I say, blogiversary) of trishskram.com. One year ago, this month, I took the plunge and dove in to the blogesphere, knowing nothing about it and/or where I should go with it. My fellow social media and marketing companion, Ron (who is also my boyfriend), helped me spearhead the process, bringing it to life. It’s somewhat a slow-going process and I’m still looking for better measurement and feedback but it has come a LONG way since January 2009. I thank you, Ron, for your unwavering support and encouragement in the process—if it weren’t for you, I would’ve never taken the leap. Thanks, love!

I also thank my loyal twitter followers, Facebook fans and subscribers for continuing to read my posts. I’m honored to be a part of a community where my ideas are respected, encouraged and most importantly, a place where I can learn and grow from those who know the profession better than I do.

To celebrate, I’ve revamped this site. I’m always up for change and growth―especially when it comes to sharpening my brand. I think the new look provides a better space for you, my readers, because it has a cleaner image, easier navigation and a few new things in store.

As I embark into 2010, I vow to devote my time to 3 new goals: write more frequently, look for and encourage guest blogging and continue to engage in online conversations and learning from each one of you.

If you’re interested in being a guest blogger, please email me at trishskram@gmail.com. I’d love to hear from you and share ideas on how to make this site GREAT!

Cheers to 2010!

Image courtesy of http://istockphoto.com

Technorati Tags: blogging, building professional relationships, my work, PR and marketing, public relations professionals in Wisconsin

For those of you familiar with “Napoleon Dynamite,” you probably appreciate the title. In the film, Napoleon says to Pedro, “Girls only like guys with skills” after discussing prom dates. Well, that line might hold some truth. But besides nunchakus (or nunchucks) and computer skills (as Napoleon would say), good managers only like employees with skills … good communication skills that is.

I was inspired to blog about these “skills” based on a question posed at #u30pro chat last night on Twitter (a shout out to the #u30pro community … woot!)

I think it’s so important to recognize skills we have acquired (good or bad) over the years from past and current managers. You’ll be amazed with how much you learn about yourself, how much you’ve grown, how much more enhanced your natural skill has become and how much those skills have changed your goals and aspirations. So, here goes. Top 6 skills I’ve learned from great managers.

Caption: Halloween 2008. I still laugh at this photo whenever I see it!

Always listen … attentively. And always make time in your day to listen to others. No matter what. You’ll be respected, more approachable and you’ll be looked at as someone people trust and look up to. Listening can also be a great research tool.

Seek challenges. Even when they make your job harder, busier and more stressful. It will bring out the best in you, even if you fail at the challenge. As they say: if at first you don’t succeed, dust yourself off and try again.

Be open-minded. I’ve said this many times in previous posts. It’s a skill that enables us to achieve more success because we can perceive things as others see them.

Keep dialog positive. Don’t let negative conversations with colleagues; co-workers and clients outweigh the positives. Point out more positive aspects than negative in almost all situations. Constructive criticism is best. Avoid being too snarky (if you can).

Know the value of a team. A good team creates strong alliances and eventually will bring you everything you need in a good working relationship. Professional and/or personal, surround yourself with people who will take you higher.

Be a relationship-builder. Most important skill in my book. Need I say more?

What is #u30pro? Spearheaded by @cubanaLAF and @davidSpinks, #u30pro is a forum for young working professionals to discuss how to bridge the generational gap, demolish stereotypes and break down differences in the professional workplace. I think you’ll be interested in this forum – check it out!

What skills would you add to my list? Please comment!

Photo courtesy of http://fanpop.com

Technorati Tags: PR people in Madison, Random "Trish" Thoughts, top skills for communicators, WI