SocialNetworking posts

LinkedIn is a fantastic networking tool that can be used to stay abreast of industry news, discuss new trends with people in your field, meet people who can help further your career, and intelligently market yourself and your business to people who will want to meet you and use your services.

You should also be using it to help other people reach their career goals, because that's what social media's about - the more people you help, the more who will want to help you. If you're looking to change companies or jobs there's no better place to research how to make contact with people at those companies. LinkedIn will help you find the person in your network who can help introduce you. You can also reach out to people in your groups (if their settings permit it) by sending them a message and asking them to connect with you.

Do any or all of those things intelligently and LinkedIn can become the central hub of your career advancement. Do them wrong, and you can quickly become a pariah.

How many times has your employer asked you where you see yourself in 10 years? It probably happens every time you have a performance review. Now, how many times have you asked your employer the same question? My guess is never. Thanks to a new report from the Conference Board of Canada, you don't have to.

The report, Navigating Through the Storm, outlines the top 10 trends that are affecting today's businesses and predicts what we can expect from the workplace of 2020. The goal of the report is to let company leaders know what changes they should expect, so that they can effectively navigate these changes when the time comes.

Although the report is aimed at management, I think it's of interest to all employees. Doesn't everyone want to know what the future holds?