Lindsay Olson

Baby Names and Careers

Baby naming has been one of the most conversed topics in my household over the past few months while awaiting our first baby's arrival. My husband and I looked through all the books, asked our friends, family, and strangers for input, picked out a few ourselves, and ultimately settled on none. This went on for months.

For me, choosing my baby's name was a big decision, something she would be attached to for the rest of her life. Screwing this up was not an option.

We couldn't seem to agree on any name until the very end. It turned into a game to suggest the most ridiculous names possible. But seriously, I hated most of his choices. My choices were, of course, all awesome.

Our decision was based on a few factors. First, we live in Argentina, but I'm from the United States and he is Argentine. Our options were endless, both in English and in Spanish. I felt it was important to choose an 'international' name, or at least something easy to pronounce in Spanish and in English, especially since our children will have tri-citizenship. My mother would kill me if she couldn't say her granddaughter's name correctly. And since our daughter will be raised in Argentina, I didn't want her to run into issues with Spanish speakers constantly pronouncing her name wrong or having to spell it out 5 times before getting it right (like being a 'Lindsay' in a Spanish-speaking country).

We decided to write out all of our name choices, even if the other didn't like it. We ended up with:

Julia
Fiona
Celia
Simona
Faustina
Juana Antonia
Brisa (translation: breeze)

A couple of days before her birth, we finally agreed on Julia.

So why am I telling you this story?

Laurie Ruettiman got me thinking about this again a few days ago when she brought up the baby naming topic on her blog

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, Punk Rock HR. She asked her readers their opinions on baby names and how it affects their future career options. I'd encourage you to read the comments for some interesting insight.

I sprung many of these questions on myself during our naming process. How could our name selection influence our daughter's potential career options when she enters the workforce? Does a non-traditional or an ethnic name influence the opinions and assumptions of the evaluator? Equally qualified on paper, looked at side-by-side, one candidate named Julia and the other named Faustina or Juana Antonia, who would be called in first? Would it even be an issue?

Talk to me. Am I crazy for forbidding my husband to name our next child Viento (translation: Wind) because I fear he may be passed up for a future job opportunity by some jerk who thinks his name is too far out there?

My parents almost named me Sunshine. My mom wanted to call me Sunny for short. Luckily, someone talked them out of it, but I've always wondered if being named Sunshine would have affected my disposition.

Lie and Wait?

This is a guest post by Rob Manfredo.

My mom always taught me that lies propagate. Tell one and you′ll find yourself fabricating more to support or cover the first. It is a good life lesson, but even more important when you′re looking for a new job. Many believe it is commonplace - Some recruiters encourage it — However, I have always believed it a grievous offense. It is just bad form to lie (no matter how small) on your resume.

Maybe you lost your job, or you just feel it is time for a change so you do your diligence and research the positions available. The next step is to consider the market need and build a resume that best sells your skills and experience to satisfy the market. But what if you never managed a crisis program or developed a social media strategy, but you have participated and know you can do the work? Is there harm in embellishing your role? Well, lying on your resume can set into motion a daisy chain of lies that you may never live down.

As an example, let's say you gave yourself that promotion you really deserve and changed your title on your resume from Account Executive to Senior Account Executive. What happens when a prospective employer reaches out to your reference who happens to be a coworker? Now, you either have to ask that person to lie on your behalf or formulate an explanation to cover your white lie when the prospective employer is confused by the information that does not line up. Not to mention, the misinformation will likely deter the employer. You can see how this simple embellishment can kick off a vicious cycle.

The constant concern and stress of maintaining the story is one thing, but losing an opportunity and being revealed as a charlatan have broader reaching effects and can impact your personal and professional reputation for years to come.

For your own peace of mind, keep everything above board. Impress prospective employers with your knowledge, charm and preparation. Save the creative writing for your blog or email to mom about that fishing trip.

Rob Manfredo is a Director at Beckerman PR. Rob has over a decade of diverse experience in media relations, crisis communications, brand development, events marketing, Web site development, demand generation and new media programs. You can find him on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Photo credit: NizNoz

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How Staffing and Recruiting Firms Are Using Social Media

This is a guest post by Alison Kenney.

Social media has not only shaken up job-seekers′ lives — it′s also changed the way staffing and recruiting firms operate.  Perhaps you linked to this blog from Twitter, or Facebook.  Do you also interact with recruiters or staffing firms on those social media platforms?

There are two general ways that staffing firms use social media:

1. To build their brand and position themselves as thought-leaders by passing along news, links to articles, etc that are industry-related
2. To post open job opportunities

Boston-based temporary staffing firm Hollister is one of the most social media-savvy firms in the industry.  Earlier this year, Hollister partnered with 451 Marketing, a Boston-based new media communications agency, and launched its "Recruiting 2.0" for using social media to recruit candidates.  The effort includes building more than 30 online communities across LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.  The communities are for both active and passive job seekers and are organized by profession to mirror Hollister′s service lines, including Accounting and Finance, Administrative, Creative and Marketing, Technology, and Human Resources.

For example, on LinkedIn the Hollister/451 Marketing team manages groups called Boston HR Leaders, Boston Accounting & Finance Professionals, Boston Creative Group and Boston Technology Hub.

On Twitter, Hollister posts job openings with links to longer descriptions on the Hollister web site and provides links to articles with tips for job seekers.  Hollister has several identities on Twitter, including @JobsBoston, @BostonHiring, @BostonTechHub, @AccountingMA, @CreativeBoston and @BostonMarketing.

Hollister also provides content via two different blogs — one for hiring managers (http://bostonhiringblog.com Shadowheart movie ) and one for job seekers (http://bostonjobsblog.com).  Hollister uses its social media communities to position clients′ job opportunities and identify more qualified candidates for job openings, including passive seekers who are more likely to engage with a professional community than visit a job board.  Hollister also instructs its recruiters on best practices for creating and using personal accounts on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, enabling them to get a more complete picture of job candidates and build relationships.  According to Hollister′s Director of Marketing, Meg Toland, the communities, which have more than 1,000 members, are a strategic way to break through the clutter of job boards and home in on qualified candidates by using technology to interact more effectively.

Adecco Group NA, part of one of the largest staffing conglomerates in the world, has also built a presence on Twitter.  Its @adeccoGroup, with more than 2,000 followers, tweets insights on the job market and economy, shares links to relevant news and promotes company news or executive opinions.  In addition, Adecco has created separate Twitter identities for promoting job openings in specific fields, e.g. @jobs_accounting, @clerical_job, @jobs_callcenter, @jobs_CS, @jobs_engineers, @jobs_finance, @jobs_healthcare, @jobs_industrial, @job_marketing, @job_scientific, @jobs_operations, @jobs_payroll, @jobs_warehouse, @jobs_technology and @searchandapply (the last is a listing of all Adecco jobs).  Regional Adecco offices also tweet under their own identities and post local job openings.

Staffing firms with the heft of a big brand, like Adecco, or those who are first to act, like Hollister, are staking their claims in social media.  They′ve identified that the way to recruit candidates and promote job openings is by enabling interaction and sharing content via online communities.

Alison Kenney

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is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.  She is based on Boston′s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries.  She can be reached at alisonkenney@comcast.net.

Don′t Forget Your Professors

This is a guest post from Kelli Matthews.

You Never Know Where Job Leads Will Come From.

Just this week I got an email from a friend who practices PR in Portland, Oregon. In the email my friend said that she was looking for an intern, she included a job description"¦ and it asked me not to share the description widely, but instead to recommend a few stellar students who I thought would be a good fit for her agency.

This happens a lot. And it really underscores a lesser-known reason why it′s important to build relationships with your professors. Recommendations and job leads can come from unexpected places.

What can you do to build this relationship? These are tips that I′ve found work for me. Obviously, as with anything in PR, know your audience and use the most appropriate channels for each person you want to keep in contact with.

• Drop me an email once in a while to tell me what you are up to, what kind of work you′re doing, what you like, what you find challenging, etc. I love hearing what students are doing and it also keeps your experience top of mind if you are in the position of looking for a new job.
• Connect with me on LinkedIn. Sometimes when I get a request to provide recommendations for a job opening, I go to my LinkedIn contacts and scan the list looking for former students who might be interested. Keep your LinkedIn up-to-date and use it actively to share professional accomplishments.
• Follow (and interact) with me on Twitter. I′m very active on Twitter and I love to hear from students there. In fact, I sort students separately from the rest of my Twitter friends to make sure I don′t miss connections.

I want to know what you′re interested in (particularly when you′re in job search mode). If you′ve enjoyed working in high tech PR, but your dream is something in the wine business, let me know. Be careful of course about what you share in a public forum.

It′s not difficult, right? And really nothing beyond what you′re doing to build your professional network connections, anyway. Just don′t forget that professor who you relied on for resume and job tips in college is still a great connection after you get your degree.

I also want to note that it′s not embarrassing and I′m not going to think less of you if you′ve been waiting tables, doing sales, working retail or [fill in the non-PR job here] since last we talked. Not only might I know of job openings, but I might even have some tips for getting back into a "PR state of mind" and freshening your skills. You never know!

I′d love to hear from students and professors! What do you think? What tips would you add?

Kelli Matthews teaches public relations and social media classes at the University of Oregon′s School of Journalism and Communications. She also owns a PR, marketing and design agency, Verve Northwest, based in Eugene, Oregon. You can follow her on Twitter @kmatthews, connect on LinkedIn or just read her blog, PRosinTraining.

Photo credit: Bay Range

Tips for Finding a Job Abroad

This is a guest post by Linda Beltran.

I′m a California girl living and working in Tokyo.  I had never aspired to move to a foreign country to make a living — never even dreamed about it, but, here I am.  And, in the year since I left the States, the question that I am asked the most is, "How do I get a job abroad?"  I wish I had a no-fail answer, but I don′t.  So, instead, I share these helpful hints"¦

Be flexible. Don′t declare, "I am going to move to London, and no other destination will do!"  Search positions, not countries.  However, if you have reason to be in a specific part of the world, research companies that have branches in your city of choice.

Be qualified. Visions of tax-free living (which doesn′t mean you don′t have to file U.S. taxes, by the way), isn′t reason enough to look abroad for work.  You must have a definite skill and enough experience to "back it up."  Keep in mind, when a company hires from outside the country, they must demonstrate why a foreigner is more qualified to do that job versus a national.  For example, when I applied for my Visa, the Japanese government required that I show 10 years proof of consecutive employment to demonstrate that I was qualified to do my job.

Be realistic. Yes, you hear stories of people arriving in a foreign country armed with only a "visitor′s" visa, finding a job and living happily ever after.  This is the exception, not the norm!  Some countries — and they all vary — have very specific visa restrictions, and are especially mindful of the "pretences" by which you enter their county.  Further, most everything you do once you arrive in a foreign country requires a "sponsor," so even renting an apartment without the proper paperwork and "sponsor" (i.e. employer) can be very problematic.

Having said all that, let me also encourage anyone looking for work abroad to also be hopeful, be persistent and be patient

.  If the expat life is in your future, it will come to pass, and it will be an amazing experience — it has been for me!

Linda Beltran is the Director of Public Relations for a five-star, luxury hotel in Tokyo Midtown.  She′s a native of California who, before coming to Japan, had never had sushi"¦she′s a convert now!

Photo credit: Bilabialboxing

Tweeting Public Relations Experts

Who to follow for the best public relations information on Twitter.

NinjaFollow will try adding these Twitterers to your account while telling you whether each was added successfully or if you′re already following them.

Jacob Share

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, a job search expert, is the creator of JobMob, one of the biggest blogs in the world about finding jobs. Follow him on Twitter for job search tips, resources and humor.

Photo credit: Xotoko

Update: Ninja Follow tool seems to be offline. Use this tool instead (http://www.pinoytwitters.com/x/index.html) following the same instructions.

Do You Have a "PR Personality"?

This is a guest post by Alison Kenney, a Boston-based independent PR practitioner with over 15 years of experience in the field.

In today′s tight labor market, employers want PR pros with the whole package:  strong writing skills, a convincing presence and the ability to make things happen.  That someone is typically a person with lots of confidence, energy, enthusiasm and ambition — someone who shows a lot of initiative and drive to meet and exceed goals.

The Meyers-Briggs Personality-Type Indicator

shows that people of the ENFJ (Extraverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging), INTJ (Introverted iNtuitive Thinking Judging), and INFJ (Introverted iNtuitive Feeling Judging) types are very well-suited toward a public relations career.

"People of this type [ENFJ] "¦create goodwill and"¦ tend to be: friendly, outgoing, and enthusiastic; affectionate articulate, and tactful; highly empathetic but easily hurt; creative and original; decisive and passionately opinionated, productive, organized, and responsible. The most important thing to ENFJs is their relationships, and the opportunity to communicate and connect with others".

The US Department of Labor′s Bureau of Statistics states that, "Creativity, initiative, good judgment, and the ability to express thoughts clearly and simply are essential. Decision making, problem-solving, and research skills also are important. People who choose public relations as a career need an outgoing personality, self-confidence, an understanding of human psychology, and an enthusiasm for motivating people. They should be competitive, yet able to function as part of a team and open to new ideas."

But even if you don′t fall neatly into the Myers-Briggs Personality profiles mentioned above, think about which traits you do possess and which other "PR" characteristics you can develop and hone through practice.

There are multiple kinds of PR jobs, all with different functions and requirements.  Consider:

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• Some PR pros develop a specialty based on their job function.  For instance, expert writers are highly sought out for their ability to craft speeches, turn technical language into an instructional document or develop web pages with dynamic phrases.  PR folks with a strong writing bent may not need to rely on their "working their room" skills as much.
• Publicists, or people in celebrity PR, don′t want to overshadow their client.  Among other traits, they are sought after for their fast reactions and around-the-clock availability, their ability to control situations and get through to specific reporters when needed.
• Agency PR staff must hone their client service skills, including empathy, organization skills, analytical thinking and problem-solving abilities.
• PR professionals who are creative thinkers and display curiosity, the ability to adapt and to think on their feet are valued for their content contributions to team members and others in their department.

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Even if you think of yourself as introspective or shy, you may be successful in PR.  It′s a matter of understanding yourself, your capabilities, the demands of the job and the role you want to play.

Alison Kenney is an independent PR practitioner with more than 15 years of PR consulting experience.  She is based on Boston′s North Shore and has worked with organizations in the technology, professional services and consumer industries.  She can be reached at alisonkenney at comcast dot net.

Photo credit: Thomas Hawk

Eat and Run? Should I Leave the Table Hoping for Something Better?

This is a guest post by technology PR pro and the PR Job Coach, Gerry Corbett.

Thanks to the skittish economy, the job market today is not easy pickings.  I have gotten more than a handful of letters asking whether now is the time to leave an existing role for hoped-for greener pastures.  My answer is now is not the time to jump head first into the job market.  If you read the New York Times on Sunday, September 26, you learned that job seekers now outnumber openings by six to one.  These are not great odds.  So stick with the current gig, try to expand it, broaden your skill set and prepare for better times.

Since you currently have a position, use your time now to plan well and perform the due diligence required to take advantage of any upturn in the job market for public relations professionals. So what would I recommend? If you have the time, use it wisely and judiciously. Here are some rules of the road.

1. If you have not done so already, network and keep building your network. Get out and meet other colleagues. Get active in your local PRSA, IABC, Social Media, Publicity Club organization or chapter of your choice. Go to meetings and engage.
2. Institutionalize your network using tools like Linkedin, Facebook, Plaxo, etc. Tools like these afford you the luxury of never having to update your own Rolodex®.  Your network keeps it up to date.
3. Check your online brand. Google yourself.  If there is nothing about you, start building it on your terms. Craft your profile on Linkedin, Facebook, Google Profiles, Plaxo, etc. in ways that shine light on your accomplishments.  If you are there, insure it is on your terms. Even look at other interesting venues like Slideshare and VisualCV to help you illustrate what you do well and how you do it. Most important, spotlight how you have helped your employers move the needle.
4. Volunteer. Believe it or not, employers do not discount volunteer experiences, they may likely admire your generosity to give back or "pay it forward." Volunteering is not just good for the beneficiary, but you. Volunteering can help you stretch and learn new skills and expand your value add.
5. Try to broaden your current job responsibilities. Look at ways that you can do your job better, for lower cost or greater efficiency.  Volunteer to take on new responsibilities that relate to what you already do.  Demonstrate to your current employer that you have its interest at heart and are the consummate superstar they have always dreamed of attracting.

Again, while you have a gig, do it well. And build your current asset base so when the time comes to change, you'll be ready.

Gerard "Gerry" F. Corbett is the PR Job Coach and  Founder and Consultant of Redphlag LLC, a marketing consulting firm.  He has served four decades in technology PR most recently as vice president of branding of Hitachi for more than 12 years. You can contact Gerry at coach at prjobcoach dot com.

Photo credit: SirWiggle