Principle #1: Get On LinkedIn!

I guess this is the part where I start telling you stuff I've learned....

Well, let's start with the basics!  The absolute very first, most fundamental thing you have to do to get a start on career maintenance is:

Get on LinkedIn.


The value of LinkedIn cannot be underestimated.  Most tout it as a networking platform - and that is its main purpose - but I mostly use it as a knowledge vault.  There is SOOOOOOO much amazing information, advice, and work life best practices on LinkedIn.  Here's a list of very interesting things you can do on LinkedIn;

• Browse articles by industry of interest
• Browse articles by topic
• Read articles written by your friends and peers
• Find the VP's and Presidents of companies you'd like to work for someday, or ones you're simply interested in
• Follow VP's and Presidents of companies you're interested in
• Get the most popular articles from Forbes posted straight to your timeline
• Search for jobs
• Search and explore the profiles of others in your career area to see how they present themselves and describe their job duties
• Connect with people you know - and then connect with people they know that you don't know - and then connect with people that know the people you don't know who know the people you know...you get the idea
• Learn about inter-office dynamics in various industries

And much more...

So get signed up!  I know, I hate getting on new social media sites.  It takes so long to figure out how everything works and get connected with people and figure out the interface, but you will benefit SO much from spending time browsing LinkedIn - you may find yourself spending more time there than Facebook!

I'll put together a "Guide to LinkedIn" soon with pictures and explanations of the various features and how to follow your topics of interest in case any of your are newcomers.  But for now, get signed up, put together your profile.  A couple of quick profile tips:

• Put your formal work experience from the past on there, and then put whatever it is you consider yourself a professional at for your experience since you've been a SAHM.  So your current title could be "Graphic Design Consultant" and just put "Contractor" or "Freelancer" for the company.  Then list your skills!
• Don't underestimate yourself in the skills development section, but be specific.  You don't want to have "Catering", "Bookkeeping", "Dance Instruction", and "Lawyer" all on there together.  Figure out what area you want your professional image to be focused on and stick with the skills that are applicable.
• Give yourself time to write up a description.  You don't have to have anything there right away - remember you don't have any connections yet and you may not even be looking for a job right now so there's really nothing to lose by giving yourself to work up something good.  And feel free to update it as-needed.

Here is the link (I know, it's kind of a "no duh" situation, but it never hurts to be thorough): www.linkedin.com

Action Item: (I actually hate action items, so much that I actually hate the word action item, but, you know what they say: you gotta walk the walk...) Sign up on LinkedIn, fill out your profile, and start exploring!