Balancing Act
Mar 15, 2010 Diversity Matters
Employment figures are tricky things, especially these days. Look at the “steady” unemployment rate of 9.7%. This doesn’t mean that the mass layoffs of 2009 have suddenly ceased with the new year, but only that the number losing their jobs is being balanced by the number who no longer qualify for unemployment, either because they lost their jobs too long ago or they have simply given up looking.
These numbers are especially slippery when it comes to evaluating the position of women in the labor force. Layoffs over the past year in traditionally male-dominated industries like construction, have given rise to an increasingly female workforce, especially as women make up the majority in comparatively stable areas like education, health care, 
and government (see table). Many believe this trend will continue until women comprise the majority of U.S. employment. For the past year total nonfarm employment has been split 50/50 and it has appeared to be only a matter of time before women tip the scale. And yet after a year of job market turmoil, this balance has held steady.
Networking Lessons Learned Using LinkedIn
Mar 8, 2010 Social Media/Social Recruiting
Having a presence on social networks is a necessary means to communicate with friends, colleagues, professional contacts and organizations, not to mention potential employers.
In 2005, I created a profile on LinkedIn to enhance my professional networking skills. At that time, LinkedIn had approximately 4.5 million members. Today LinkedIn has over 60 million members worldwide. That’s a lot of potential contacts!
Today, I have over 19,000 first level contacts and happily accept all invitations. Since beginning my foray into making connections, here are some of the networking lessons I have picked up along the way:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennydevaughn
There is quality in the quantity.
Most open networkers cannot possibly know everyone that they have accepted invitations from on LinkedIn. LinkedIn is a modern database that allows its users to leverage professional relationships to find referrals through strangers and trusted colleagues. Unless you are a c-level executive with a prized reputation to protect, you may want to consider accepting most LinkedIn invitations.
Tags: social media