It’s no surprise bilingual [Spanish+ English] talent love the web. My mom, Catalina, has a Facebook page and connects with our cousins in Nayarit, Mexico. Today, we are more mobile and connected globally than ever before. As sales of mobile phones drop, and increased sales of smart-phones gain share, more people worldwide will change how business is done. This is smart business.
This too changes the fast and furious online network. For instance, Facebook now serves over 300+ million users worldwide and has surpassed MySpace as the premier online community. In 2006, San Francisco, CA-based Twitter, a micro-blogging messaging service, launched and today boasts a monthly 1,383 percent growth (compared to Facebook 228 percent) rate. Recent reports note that employers now search the web for who you are, what you do and the image your portray. Additionally, many professionals utilize LinkedIn, where we can list our work experience, accomplishments and honors and connect with other professionals worldwide. It is often called “the big black book.” This online address book has over 47+ million users in 200+ countries. You can join groups and networks such as Latinos in Social Media, groups by alma mater, technology, entrepreneurship, and military to name a few. So how should we utilize the web to manage the fast and furious online network?
1. Learn, engage and grow online. Use Facebook to connect with your friends, family and co-workers. If your unemployed and looking, say so. Let your contacts know so that they might be able to connect you with the right people or steer you in the right direction. Use Twitter, more so, to follow conversations and job postings. For example if you do a search for bilingual in the Twitter search box it will result in several Tweets (conversations) specifically. If you are employed, how about posting opportunities so that others may find out about them.
2. Build your professional network. Use LinkedIn to create your resume profile, work history, and accomplishments, but more so to find individuals that could advise you and reach out to them. Simply type in their name at the “Search People” box and have at it. Type by organization or institution and anyone connected to those will be in the results.
3. Share your expertise. Launching a blog, today, is much more easy and streamlined than ever before. Take for instance, Posterous, where you could post via email (think about the growing share of smart-phones). If you live locally in Portland, do an interview on Univision En Comunidad, or do an interview on community-radio. BlogTalkRadio has made it even easier to share your expertise from the comfort of your computer.
4. Keep learning and studying your craft. Whether it’s the long dreamed MBA or Law Degree you long for, or going back to school for vocational training, do it. Attend conferences and trade shows, but keep learning. Technology is rapidly changing the flow of information.
5. Learn the tools of the trade. It is often noted that we don’t suffer from “information overload” but rather “information filter.” With the advent of technology, it’s smart to utilize online tools that make managing these much easier. Tools like Seesmic or Tweetdeck allow us to remain engaged in multiple conversations without having to open and close browsers.
Remaining relevant in a country of 9.4 percent unemployment–16 percent if you count those not looking and underemployed–is dire, but understanding online networks is an advantage. While jobs are being trimmed fast and furiously, your knowledge, skills and abilities cannot be taken away.
The questions are quite simple. Can you manage and build teams? Can you take a project from idea to execution with little or no supervision? Can you turn a failing organization around into a superb running machine? Can you lead but also follow? Can you command with words?
In a world of online networks communicating with others is the first step.
David Molina is the co-founder/CEO of BilingualHire. He can be reached directly at: david at bilingualhireco dot com, 1+(503) 708-4614 or you can follow his lifestream on Twitter.