Taking a break from sending tweets and updating my LinkedIn profile, I organized a panel of social media experts to participate in Harvard Business School’s 20^th Annual Dynamic Women in Business Conference last Saturday.  Entitled “Beyond the Buzz,” the panel focused on how students and professionals can use social media most effectively to promote their personal and professional brands.  Each offered some targeted advice:

Take control:

Whether you like it or not, you have a social media presence, so it is in your best interest to control it.  At a minimum, make sure your Facebook, LinkedIn, and other online profiles are professional and flattering because they will be viewed (and judged) by potential employers and colleagues.  This is even more important if you are pursuing a career in a media-related field.  When a friend recently interviewed at a news publication, her interviewer looked her up and began following her on twitter in the middle of the interview.  Participating in social media is not an option; it is a necessity if you are in the business of networking – which you are by definition if attending business school.

Be patient:

By promoting “The Happiness Project” on her popular blog, author Gretchen Rubin garnered massive pre-sale orders, contributing to top spots on best-seller lists around the world.  Rubin credits her success to methodically building her brand presence online through consistent six-day-a-week blogging, frequent tweets, and monthly videos.  She stresses that you need to build a relationship and trust with your audience so that when you ask them for help – such as buying your book – they do it.  The same is true for a job search; gradually building your online network now will give you the credibility you need later.

Be real:

Katherine Tasheff, who has held a variety of digital media positions and currently works in book publishing, argues that the importance of a trusting relationship in social media makes authenticity even more important.  Tasheff claims that the easiest way to sabotage your brand is to be disingenuous; your audience is smart and can “smell” dishonesty from miles away.  To avoid this, Katherine recommends not differentiating between your “real” and online self and committing to being “as authentic using social media as in real life.” Furthermore, she notes, since the average Internet user in the U.S. spends over thirteen hours per week online, perpetuating a “fake” self online is a significant – and poor – investment.

Have a strong voice:

Social media is inherently different from other forms of traditional marketing: people come looking for you.  For this reason, it is particularly important to have a strong voice.  Alexandra Samuel started her business in 2005 after readers of her blog reached out to her, struck by her then novel conviction that companies must have web 2.0 websites to survive; readers asked her to implement social media strategies for their businesses.  Given the breadth of social media, a strong voice is needed if you want to stand out.  At the same time, do not pull a Kenneth Cole – the designer currently is embroiled in a PR nightmare following his recent tweet: “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo. Rumor is they heard our new spring collection is now available online at http://bit.ly/KCairo.”

Never stop learning and experimenting:

To conclude the panel, each panelist gave some practical real-world tips for social media success. Here are my favorites:

• End each blog entry with a question
• Ensure tweets are at least 10 characters under the limit so others can retweet
• Remember that a strong voice attracts, so don’t be discouraged when it also repels
• Research what’s out there so you don’t end up launching an idea or site that’s redundant
• Never miss an opportunity to broaden your network – online or off

What is your number one piece of advice for using social media?

–Alexandra Bochicchio

I’m so excited to be back working in an office, but I cannot forget about my goal. Although I’m 95 percent sure my internship will not lead to a job (small staff + recently hired entry-level editor = bad odds for me), I still have to treat it like it could lead to something. After all, you never know when I will need a reference or somebody I’m working with hears of a job from another media friend.

So, this is my networking lesson for the week: intranetworking, if you will.

Why is it so important to get to know the people working around you? Well, there is the semi-obvious reason: a diversion from everyday tasks. “If you have people to talk with and do things with and laugh with and sometimes vent with, your workday will go by a little faster,” one website says.  Plus, work is more enjoyable when you can talk to the people around you.

Next, employers are less guarded when talking to you without the added feeling of people wanting things from them. It can be annoying if people are just coming to you for a job. Showing a genuine curiosity about the job will get you further.

Lastly, and in my opinion, most importantly, while you are building your network, you are also adding to a list of references (assuming you did a good job). “When you’re new on the job, you want to make a lot of contacts fairly quickly while also building your reputation as a hard worker,” Monster.com reports.

Currently, I’ve been able to talk to a couple of co-workers about their journeys into editor positions. One was working at a coffee shop and got to know the managing editor at the magazine. Through that, she got an interview for an internship, but before that took place, a job opened up. Another, after coming home from a Disney internship post graduation, interned at the company for quite a few months when her position opened up. Unfortunately, they both ended their stories with the same word, “lucky.” But even though luck played a part in it, they still had to network within the company to be considered for the positions.

As the days go by, I’m talking to people about their personal experiences and asking advice. I’ve volunteered to help wherever needed and got some amazing opportunities. Next week, I’m helping on a fashion photo shoot for an upcoming issue of the magazine for the same lady putting together New Orleans Fashion Week, and I was just assigned a really amazing feature story for Mother’s Day. I may currently be working for free, but I’m getting the type of opportunities that can lead to a paying gig. And for the first time in while, I’m optimistic about my current career route.

–Samantha Hyde

Catherine “Lynn” Hedrick always knew since childhood that she wanted to be a scientist.  Twenty years later, Lynn–who has a PhD in biochemistry– studies the relationship between diabetes and heart disease, and recently joined the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology as a faculty member.  She’s also married and the proud mother of a seven-year-old boy. Lynn recently chatted with us about what it takes to make it in a male-dominated scientific field.  Some of her most important lessons learned?

Be Your Biggest Fan:

“You have to sell yourself, and you can’t expect your supervisor to do it for you.  Whenever I got any kind of award, an abstract published, or asked to speak at a conference, I would email or tell my boss immediately.  You have to realize that the only person who is going to help you is you. Tell everyone– especially your bosses– how good you are. Tell everyone how good your science.  Even here at this level, everything good that happens to me I email to [the director of the institute].  Women tend to have a hard time doing this, and I had to teach myself to do it.”

Network, Network, Network:

“You have to do it and get over being afraid.  If you go to a meeting and the big cheese is a 60 year old man, and he makes you nervous, you have to go up to him and introduce yourself and ask him a question.  Don’t be afraid to email people [you don't know]. If you are in academic science, you have to network with other scientists and the NIH (National Institutes of Health), and serve on committees.”

Ask for Raises:

“Women still get paid less than men for the same position and part of the reason is  because women are less likely to negotiate salary.  Even at my level, I had to ask for more money when I came [to my current role at the institute].  [The director of the Institute] gave me an offer, and I said ‘Well, I want X amount’.  And he said ‘Oh, OK, fine.’ It wasn’t even that hard! How did I force myself to ask for more? I just told myself, ‘OK, come on, you have to do this!’”

Get Help:

“You cannot do it alone. You have to have some kind of help, either a spouse that is willing to share the load or someone you can hire.  My day is also very organized; when I go to work I don’t mess around.  Before I had a child, during the workday I used to go and get some coffee, get some lunch, chat a little bit. Now, I get my stuff done, and I get out of here.”

Choose the Right Workplace:

“To have both a family and successful career you have to be organized, plan ahead, and think about your career choices.  Do you want to work at a smaller place that will allow you a more flexible schedule or do you want to be at a big university? When you work [as a scientist] at a large university there are few women, you may get asked to do a lot of extra work because they need a woman.  [For example], say they have to have a woman and a minority on a certain committee– and you’re the only woman around– so you end up being asked to be on a lot of committees, which are a huge time commitment and it can be hard to say no.  Here, if the [director of the institute] asks me to do something and I tell him I can’t because of my kid, he understands.”

Find Mentors:

“I had a couple of good female mentors that were 5-10 years older than me, and I was lucky because they had already been through it. I had these two women to watch and bounce ideas off of, and at least I knew it could be done, and had some semblance of how to do it.”

– Monica May

Photo Credit: Rippee Photography

It has been just over three months since I shared a few of my go-getting goals with you.  There were a few times I fell off the wagon, cringed when I wanted to stay home instead of going to an event, and settled for less than a hundred percent.  That being said, I have successfully accomplished all of the goals I had set out to do three months ago.  Just being able to say “I did it!” is rewarding, but the lessons I learned along the way and the motivation I gained are the best parts of the journey.  Raising the bar for oneself or continually setting bigger goals isn’t about living a life of dissatisfaction.  Goals shouldn’t be set just because someone wants more or even feels like they need more.  Goals are about growth, about being better as a person, and giving yourself positive feedback about the person you are.  I may still be twenty-something and still striving to be successful writer, but I’m better than I was before I set these goals for myself, including as a professional.

Invitations hardly ever came across as inviting to me.  Sometimes I worried about accepting an invitation because I thought other plans might come through.  The problem with that was that the other plans didn’t come through. (More than likely I had turned them down as well!)  That mentality added up to a lot of missed chances and missed opportunities.  I wouldn’t say that in the past three months I’ve turned into a “Yes Man” (better yet, Woman).  Instead,  I no longer look at every  invitation as something trying to steal my time, my funds, or whatever else excuse I’ve made up for it in the past.

For instance, how could I have let myself miss out on my most recent invite?  I’m so pleased and excited about my recent invitation to help the Make A Wish Foundation with publicizing an upcoming event.  Accepting the invitation, has given me the opportunity to learn more about effective social media methods, PR writing, and all the while giving back.  Remembering to look at the big picture, I consider all invitations as an opportunity first rather than an obstacle.

Working out regularly has always been a method for me to keep my sanity and stay grounded.  When I stopped going to the gym regularly, I could just tell I was different.  I was crabbier, pessimistic, and goodness—I had a difficult time focusing!  It has been a huge relief finally getting back on a workout schedule and maintaining a minimum of four gym visits a week.  I feel better in all of my clothes (although, it definitely gets me in the mood to shop more!) which is an instant wardrobe lift.  There were a couple of occasions that I pulled a few things out of the closet that I had been debating on whether to donate, only to fall in love with them all over again once I tried them on.  Confidence aside, my regular workouts give me more energy and optimism to work hard throughout the day.

Three months is a short time in the grand scheme of things, but it is plenty of time to get on the right track.  2011 is a new year and I can’t imagine what I’ll accomplish in the next twelve months, but having seen what I can do in three, I’ll just take it three months at a time.  What will your three-month goals be?

–Cassandra Altmann

[Editor's note: The following is a guest post by Greekforme.com]

Some of the brightest and most talented business professionals were members of a sorority while in college, and dedicate themselves to helping sorority girls enter the “real world” after graduation. How can you work the network after you graduate? First, before you leave campus, ask your chapter officers to supply you with an updated list of past sorority graduates and any notes on what they’re currently doing and how to contact them. Many sororities already have this information in place, and sorority elders are typically more than happy to help you out if time permits. Here are a four ways your sisterhood can help you after you’ve traded in Sorority Apparel for business suits:

• Post-Grad Internships

Experience is key to securing the job you want and ensuring you have the skills to excel at it. You don’t have to be a college student to grab an internship; you simply need to have the drive and motivation to succeed at that internship. Consult your sorority networking list to see if any past sorority graduates are in industries similar to your future work interests, but don’t be afraid to try something that pushes your skill set. Just remember that these are busy girls, so it may take them a few days to return your voicemail!

• Fine-Tune Your Resume

Creating a resume has truly turned into a fine art. Look for women on your sorority networking list who work in Human Resources (HR) departments, are managers, or even have their own company. These are the ladies who have likely conducted many an interview and know what makes a good resume, interview, and job candidate. Meet with one or two ladies to talk about your current resume and how you can really hit it out of the park on your next interview. In addition, be sure to talk about on-the-job skills that make up extraordinary team members.

• Potential Job Opps

Connecting with a past sorority member over job opportunities doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get the job, but it can be that connection that helps your resume shine over the rest and get you scheduled in for an interview. First, be sure your resume and cover letter are up to date and properly spell-checked, and reach out via a phone call to women on your sorority networking list who work in careers related to your industry of choice. Think of that phone call as your first interview – you’ll need to sound just as composed and mature as you would in the interview hot seat. If it doesn’t work out the first time, always try again with the next woman on your list. Perseverance pays off!

• Seek Out A Mentor

Many sororities now work to secure mentorships between current sorority girls and their sorority alumni. If you’re already in a mentorship program, excellent! If not, ask your chapter officers if they know of any past sorority women who would be open to meeting with you for coffee or lunch once a month to chat about life after college – from what to look for in that first apartment to how to ask for a raise. Your mentor can help give you unbiased real world advice, as they’re outside your family and friends.

Sure, we know it may feel a bit intimidating to reach out to a past sorority girl you don’t know firsthand, but you’re a fearless go-getter – and hey, she was in your position at one time, too! If it doesn’t work out the first time, there’s a whole sorority network at your fingertips, so simply move onto the next.