By adding value, I mean are you contributing to both your own career development and to your organisation’s day-to-day operations and the achievement of its goals?

When your personal career objectives and those of the organisation you work for are aligned and mutually compatible, the chances are, you’re an engaged, committed and valued employee.  In other words, you’re adding value.

On the other hand, if either your career development needs or the needs of your employer aren’t being met, then one or both parties are losing out.  In the medium to long term, this just isn’t sustainable.  Unfortunately, it’s an all too common occurrence.

As professionals, we have two obligations, one of which is to ourselves.  It is to continue to develop our skills and competencies by challenging ourselves and growing professionally.  The other obligation is to our employer who needs engaged and committed employees who are working to the best of their ability.

Ask yourself the question; are you adding value?

career advancement, Careers, goals

I was first introduced to Twitter following the successful presidential campaign for Barrack Obama.  I have to admit, I failed to see the benefits straight away. The whole idea of tweeting random opinions and facts seemed rather pointless. However most of my friends were beginning to engage with Twitter so instead of being left out of the loop, I decided to set up my own account and see what all the fuss was about.

Four months on, I now view Twitter as an innovative approach to advancing your career or job search.  The big mistake candidates make is that they only ever look for a job when they need one. Instead, you should constantly keep in touch with recruiters and work on building a network of peers in other companies. Twitter is the ideal tool to help you do this. Below are a few pointers to get started:

1. Twitter bio

This is an opportunity for you to sell yourself as an employee. It is useful to include a link to your online CV or resume here so recruiters can view your CV instantly.

1. Profile picture

It is best to use a real photograph for this rather than an avatar. You are more likely to increase your followers by using a photograph of yourself.

1. Tweets

Tweet about your job search for example, what type of position you are looking for. Tweet about issues relevant to your sector. This is a way of demonstrating your knowledge base via your tweets and an easy way to back up your experience included on your CV.

When searching for a job, visualise yourself as running a campaign rather than applying for a position. Self-selling and self promotion are what it’s all about. The employer reach on twitter is astronomical; it is the ideal vehicle for promoting yourself as a potential employee.

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