Three and a half years ago I had a business plan, and I had a vision statement for my business.

I thought I would have a gazillion signups on JibberJobber, and that a percentage (high or low, didn’t matter – because even a low percentage of a gazillion is a lot) would have upgraded.

I had no idea that in my future I would write a book or two, or become a professional speaker, or have a product to sell, or become an executive editor, or that I would have different profit centers I would work on.

My business evolved… my business plan was for one discrete thing, but because of various factors, things changed.

Just like your “career plan.”  I put that in quotes because if you are like me, I did not have anything close to formal with my career plan.

At one point in my life the plan was to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  I figured it would be a decades-long process of working my way up the ladder.

When I landed my first significant job as the first IT manager to a medium sized company, I started to think that that was pretty sweet and I could do away with the huge company dream, and stay at a company that had a rich culture and was managed differently (private company vs. public company).

Six years later, when I got the ax, I had a ton of emotions, but figured it was all a part of my story, and I’d laugh about it in years to come.

It wasn’t part of the plan (who has getting laid off as part of their career plan?), but it seemed to be a common thing, so perhaps I was paying my dues.

Fast forward almost four years, and my career has taken a different path.

How has your career evolved?

Think back to when you were in school…

• What did you think you would be doing now?
• What did you think you’d be doing for a career in the first few years of your first real job?
• How about now – did you ever imagine you’d be where you are at?
• And perhaps the big question – understanding career management better, what do you think you’ll be doing in the next 5, 10, 15, 20 years?

Will it be a traditional corporate job?  Will it be freelancing?  Will it be investments?

Will you have one, or two streams of income?  Could you have five or ten?

Will you trade money for quality-of-life, or might you trade quality-of-life for money?

Could you, would you move from Expensive City, USA to Podunk Farms, USA?  Or should you go from Podunk to Expensive?

What I thought five and ten years ago is different… it has evolved.

I wonder what I’ll think five or ten years from now.

What do you think?

Tomorrow at 4ET (1PT) I’m doing a webinar for Netshare called Facebook Essentials for Executives.  I’m jazzed about this webinar and have been preparing for it quite a bit.

Facebook has power in numbers – and I’m amazed at the connections I’ve made because of Facebook that I didn’t make in LinkedIn.  I’m also amazed at the conversation that happens in Facebook that isn’t happening elsewhere.

If you want to brush up on your Facebook understanding, or wrap your brain around a Facebook strategy for you, come on over to the webinar.  It isn’t free but it will be worth it.  Here’s the description:

Facebook is the website that has all eyes on it. They recently announced their 300 millionth signup. (for some perspective US Census Bureau reports the United States recently passed the 300MM mark.)

What does this mean to us as executives? How can we use Facebook as part of our career management strategy and how does it fit with LinkedIn and other social networks? Should executives even have a Facebook strategy? Considering the number of signups and visitors (hovering around 120M per month and the companies who are developing online marketing strategies that include Facebook), it is essential that we understand what it is and what we can do in it.

In this 90 minute session you will learn:

• Learn how to navigate through the noise and clutter of Facebook to find information relevant to you.
• Learn to set up your account and network and, once and for all, answer the question of how to separate your personal and professional contacts.
• Learn to use Lists, Groups and Pages as effectively as any marketer uses them in a commercial environment.
• Learn to develop a search strategy to help you network your way into key company or industry contacts.
• Learn to communicate with network contacts and help them get to know you better.
• Learn to keep abreast of current issues and opportunities within your network…to further develop relationships.
• Learn to find relevant audiences where you can find relevant contacts and further develop your professional brand.
• Learn to incorporate Facebook into an overall personal social marketing strategy.

Register here.

See ya there

I remember when I finally understood I was supposed to followup with people on a regular basis… networking is about nurturing relationships, right?

What about the person you haven’t communicated with for years?  What do you followup with them about?  You might sound to pushy, with an agenda (“btw, please help me find a job!”) or you might sound to empty (“just writing to say hi, even though it’s been five years.  Okay, bye now!”).

That’s why I LOVE birthdays… it’s a great opportunity to reach out with no strong agenda, but also without being empty.

I have birthday reminders set up in JibberJobber and get an email on the day someone is having a birthday.  It brings me a bit of festive joy when I know someone is having their special day, and I hope that sending them a happy birthday email (cuz I’m an email-kinda-guy ).

Aside from the birthdays I have for my contacts in JibberJobber, I also get notices on Facebook and from Plaxo.  In addition, when I look at my Twitter stream I sometimes catch a “happy birthday to ______!”  I usually take the info from Facebook, Plaxo or Twitter and put that into JibberJobber, so I’m sure to get a birthday reminder email next year.

Consider birthday networking as part of your relationship nurturing strategy – just a simple but genuine message can help you maintain those relationships!

More on birthday networking with JibberJobber at these two posts:

Why Grandma Should Use JibberJobber

Adjusting your Birthday Reminders

Earlier this year I was with my daughter in Washington D.C. and got to visit the amazing National World War II Memorial.  This is my new favorite monument/memorial in D.C. (it wasn’t there when I lived there).  Walking around the memorial was a sobering, almost spiritual experience.

One of the most touching points was when I happened upon a few WWII veterans who had some WWII memorabilia on (you know those hats, with pins, sweatshirts, etc.).  Many of them were in wheelchairs, I assume due to old age.  They were there to remember, feel, pay respects, etc.  I got choked up – it’s easy for us to see a bunch of old men and women who are there to see what Uncle Sam has put up for them, but when you think about the hardships they may have gone through – fox holes, seeing their buddies die in front of them (or in their arms), having to come to grips with killing others who may also have been husbands or wives, or mommy’s or daddy’s.

I appreciate Veteran’s Day as a day we can pause and think about and respect these warriors – people who fought for freedom and liberty.

You may already know about my special offer for military coming out deployment or transitioning out of the military.  You can learn more at JibberJobber USA.  This is just a little something we can do for those who are serving their country.

Here’s another special offer from my buddy Thom Singer – from his blog post Honoring a Soldier’s Service, Thom says he is sending a copy of this book “Batteries Not Included: 66 Tips To Energize Your Career” to the first 100 active U.S. military or veterans who email him – the publisher pays for all S&H costs so it’s just a simple email to soldier@newyearpublishing.com.

It is as simple as that… if you have a friend this applies to let them know about it.

The second Now What book that I didn’t write is available on Amazon and as an ebook download from Happy About.  The image to the right is pretty big because I LOVE how all of the people are represented by business cards, and the one in the middle (presumably YOU or ME) has hands out, ready to meet and welcome other people — how cool!

I’m at a Networking Event — Now What??? is a terrific resource for anyone who has to go to any kind of networking event for the purpose of… networking!

I remember a few years ago when I went to networking events and cheated… I went late and left early.  I totally missed the point of the event, and missed out on opportunities to meet people who could be helpful in my job search.

Now when I go to networking events I am really looking for networking opportunities.  But it is not as easy as I originally thought – to have a successful experience because of a networking event there is:

1. Preparation: what do you do BEFORE you go to the event.
2. On-site performance: not that you are performing, but I didn’t know how else to say this – you are “on!”  This means you need to put fear and pride aside and get the job done – many times all this takes is starting out by saying “hi” to someone.
3. Post-event followup: after you meet someone, get business cards, exchange emails, what do you do?  This is the key, and perhaps a great opportunity for failure (if you don’t followup).

In this book on how to work a networking event Sandy teaches you how to really, effectively get value out of your networking.  I don’t care if you are networking with job seekers, business owners at the  chamber of commerce meeting, at a luncheon with managers and directors, or with your target prospects – this book will help you understand how to more effectively work the room, find those key relationships, and then move forward from there.

Congratulations to first-time author Sandy Jones-Kaminski for this very useful book (see what others have said about it here)!

You can get it for $19.95 from Amazon or from Happy About, or get the ebook (immediate download) for only $11.95.

Once you get it, if you like it, consider giving it a favorable review on Amazon – thank you!

There are lots of books on Twitter right now – I was supposed to write one of the earliest but I was in the middle of rewriting I’m on LinkedIn — Now What??? and I wasn’t sure I wanted to write another technical book that would have to be updated every year!  I opted to not do that but instead create hands-on, visual webinar recording that shows you how to use Twitter.

Twitter for Job Seekers (the video) is specifically designed for professionals in a job search.

It is a 1 hour and 24 minues (and one second) video, walking you through what Twitter is, and how to use it in your job search.

It’s based on the idea that you want to find network contacts who can help you in your job search – find people to add to your own personal/professional network, as well as how to communicate with them after you find them.

There is also training on what to do with your own Twitter account. As a professional, what could or should you be tweeting?  (going into personal branding, and how to use Twitter as a Personal Branding tool)

I show you how to get value out of Twitter EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE A TWITTER ACCOUNT.  This is essential for many professionals who aren’t excited to jump on this bandwagon, but still want to tap into the power that Twitter.com has created.  There is significant power there – and you can tap into it without even signing up for an account.

I won’t try to convince anyone to get a Twitter account, but I do want you to learn how to use this tool so you can achieve your career management objectives.

To access the recording (as many times as you like) simply do the following:

1. Login to JibberJobber.com.  This is as security measure so this video isn’t shared out inappropriately.  If you don’t have a JibberJobber account, get one on the front page – it takes about 60 seconds.
2. Mouse over the Tools link (from the main menu) and go all the way down to Videos (click on the Videos link).
3. The last tab on Videos is “Premium Videos.” Twitter for Job Search is the last one there.

This $50 investment into your career management is worth it… once you are done you should have your brain wrapped around Twitter as a tool, and know how you are going to incorporate it into your job search strategy.

(if you are already logged into JibberJobber, simply click here)

Yesterday I blogged about my cousin who was hired in just a few days from when he found a job posting on Craigslist.

I guarantee he was prepared to have the right conversation when the time came.  He was ready.

Last night I dropped in on a network meeting I haven’t been to for over a year.  The hostess recognized me and at one point said “Jason, why don’t you take a few minutes and tell us about JibberJobber?”  What a golden opportunity to sell the concept to people who needed it.  Two years ago I would have messed it up – last night I was surprised, but much better prepared.

Today I flew into Orlando for a surprise meeting. I was just here 2 weeks ago.  Due to a series of events that happened from two weeks ago, I’m back and here to talk about some pretty serious stuff.

I am ready.  I’ve been ready for a while.

You never know when you are going to meet that key contact – whether it’s online or in person.  It might be from a referral, and it might seem meaningless.  But you have to be ready.  here are some of my suggestions:

• Know what you want. If you know what you want, then when an opportunity arrives you’ll be better prepared to react appropriately.
• Know how others can help you. People will say “how can I help you?”  It is better to know what to say rather than “I’m not sure but I’ll let you know later.”
• Know who you are. So many elevator pitches suck – they are misleading and offbrand.  If you know who you are, who you want to be, and how to communicate it, you can take advantage of those 10 or 30 seconds  you might get.  Not prepared?  That’s okay, you can just mess it up like most people do.

How else can you be ready?

I lost my job January 2006.

I lost 100% of my income the day I heard, over the phone, something to the effect of “we’re going to have to let you go.”

I felt equally bad for the other people who were getting let go from my company.  We had all given more than 100% to the company. Our loyalty was with the company, which I thought could be shown by the fact we hadn’t taken a raise or bonus for about three years (even though employees from the parent company, where some of us had come from, enjoyed raises and bonuses regularly), but we kept plugging away trying to make a go of this somewhat start-up.

It was a sickening time.  Alas, not to worry, I was going to land soon, I felt.

After weeks, which turns into months, I realized that “landing soon” was something other people might do – not me.

One group of people had the power to take away 100% of my income.  I was left with 100% of my expenses (mortgage, 2 cars, bills, etc.).

I think one person actually influenced the group to make the decision, and one other person from the group signed off on it, which made it happen.

It really comes down to one person.

In contrast, right now there is not one single person who controls my finances.

I don’t have one single contract or client or user who can do away with 100% of my income.

Even if I weren’t actively involved in my business I would still make money right now.  You can learn how I do it in my Multiple Streams of Income posts (the how is not as important as the idea that it’s actually happening).

How about you?  Have you relinquished 100% of your income to someone (or something (a corporation)) else?

If you have, what can you do to change that?

What better way to end the week than to give someone an unsolicited LinkedIn Recommendation.

On my LinkedIn Blog I just posted a critique o.f a LinkedIn Recommendation I got – you can read it at Excellent LinkedIn Recommendations – an example.

I didn’t ask for that Recommendation, and I wasn’t expecting it.  It has made my day….

Imagine if you make someone else’s day – well, you can.  Just go find a first degree connection in LinkedIn and write them a real, glowing, value-add LinkedIn Recommendation.

You can get some tips from my blog post How To Write An Excellent LinkedIn Recommendation.

Want more LinkedIn training?  My video, LinkedIn for Job Seekers (not just for job  seekers) provides over 2 hours of training on LinkedIn.  Or, my best selling LinkedIn book is pretty awesome (so I hear ).

Another new update we did this week is so simple it barely merits a blog post.

Of course, some users will love it, even though it’s not a huge deal.  So I’ll tell you what is was, but I want to wrap it in a concept.

JibberJobber is… well, complex.  It’s not simple.  It’s very powerful, but the complexity kind of scares some people off.

I bet your job search, or career management, or personal branding management, is also complex.  There are tons of books, articles and blog posts about the stuff – it has to be complex.

Sometimes in the complexity we miss opportunities to simplify, while doing something that will have a “significant” impact on what we are doing.

Check out the first time I wrote about this in one of my favorite blog posts titled I Hated My Lawnmower.  One tiny change made a huge (significant) difference in my lawn mowing experience.  And my neighbors couldn’t laugh at me anymore (for that, anyway ).

The second time I referred to this was another favorite post titled Permission to Manage Your Career.  As someone who’s serious about CEO of Me, Inc, this was a significant epiphany for me.

My message to you is this: perhaps there is one simple thing you can change which will produce significantly different results.  Perhaps it’s a job search tactic… or perhaps it’s where you work (messy office vs. clean room or coffee shop)… or perhaps it’s what you wear when you start your day… or perhaps whether you smile when you are on the phone or not.

One simple thing might change a lot.

Find that one simple thing, and then I challenge you to make the change.

Ok, having said that, here’s the simple change we made (thanks to a few users who have suggested this):

On the List Panel one of the columns you can see is the Next Action Item Date.  This is now a hyperlink – you can drill down and go to that log entry/action item.

So simple, but a real enhancement for those who navigate a lot through the List Panel view.

There ya go, another cool enhancement, and an analogy of how you can relate the concept to your career management