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ResumeBear: 20 Impressive & Inspiring Productivity Experts on Twitter Posted: 05 Apr 2012 07:25 AM PDT At some point, everyone – not just over-scheduled students, parents, and professionals – struggles with time management, organizing, and other components of a productive lifestyle. Everybody's coping mechanism differs, of course, but experts in such fields still proffer a bevy of advice suitable for divergent needs. Most of them write books, speak, and maintain individual or group blogs and/or websites, but Twitter fans know that taking time to actually read them might very well cut into getting valuable work done! So fire up the ol' microblog and start following some of these feeds instead for quick, easily digestible solutions, affirmations, and inspirations. Wise Bread: Meg Favreau and Ashley Jacobs tweet daily about fiscal productivity and how to live frugally, with generous deals and advice available. Be sure to check out their highly informative blog as well for even more valuable tips and tricks. Natalie M. Houston: This University of Houston English professor specializes in time management and other hallmarks of productivity for creative types. Despite that, though, anyone in any field can benefit immensely from applying her extremely valuable suggestions. Lifehacker: No matter one's technical prowess, Lifehacker offers up some awesome little projects for making pretty much anything and everything simpler and more streamlined. Whenever a problem big or small crops up, head to the Twitter or blog and see how to get past it as quickly as possible. Productivity Hacks: As the name suggests, this Twitter feed posts capsule comments about the best routes towards a productive home, office, and personal life, with emphasis on curtailing stress. The accompanying blog doesn't update much, but still remains a worthwhile read all the same. Michael Sliwinski: Users of the Nozbe productivity application might want to follow the founder for even more advice about getting more done in less time. He also blogs and vlogs about different time management and other useful topics at Productivity! magazine. Julie Morgenstern: Give Julie Morgenstern a follow when seeking advice about alleviating organization and time management hiccups. Or, on low-tech days, pick up one of her videos or New York Times bestselling books covering the same ground as her microblog. Stephen R. Covey: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People author carries his influence into the Twitterverse, consistently updating for current concerns. Posts usually consist of links and quotes he finds inspiring, along with the expected advice and observations. Stever Robbins: "Get It Done Guy" himself tweets, writes, and podcasts about productivity, giving followers numerous ways to digest his suggestions. Much of what he has to say revolves around business streamlining, though a nice percentage can also be applied to daily life. Real Simple: Open up to the experts at Real Simple when seeking the best tips and tricks for keeping an efficient, stressless life, particularly when it comes to keeping house. If nothing else piques one's fancy, they do happen to host some amazingly drool-worthy recipes and gift ideas. C. Sgrott Wheedleton: Seeing as how he's kind of a certified professional organizer (which, yes, is a thing), it's safe to assume this tweep knows a thing or two about productivity. Give him a follow and maybe learn a something about keeping offices and homes running as smoothly as they can. Andrea Feinberg: This Twitter feed (and surrounding website) by a coach and speaker mainly covers productivity from a business standpoint. Emphasis lays on making choices that maximize profits and free time all at once for a more balanced, financially secure lifestyle. Franklin Covey: Franklin Covey, a publisher specializing in business and productivity, also happens to keep an online community … specializing in business and productivity. Lurk or join in and snag multiple perspectives from experts and everyday folks with something to share. Lifehack.org: Not to be confused with the previously listed Lifehacker, of course, particularly when it comes to leaning. Lifehack.org's main thrust involves the interpersonal and communal over DIY projects, with tweets by Seth Simonds and Leon Ho. Unclutterer: Read product reviews and book suggestions in addition to snagging useful tips for reducing life's little migraines. Unclutterer is also available as both a book and a blog for those who avoid doing the whole Twitter thing. Tara Rodden Robinson: Participate in the online study group #GTD and network with others wanting to snag and share information about nurturing productivity. Or, for those with even less time on their hands to indulge in some Internet camaraderie, simply follow this feed for tips and tricks on the go. Get Rich Slowly: Get Rich Slowly remains a rightfully popular resource for anyone hoping to better organize their finances and investments. Its expert articles prove that one can live a frugal existence without compromising on productivity or quality. Craig Jarrow: He calls himself the "Time Management Ninja," and here's here to stick a sai in everyone's epic productivity fails … and some of their not-so-epic ones, too. Give his blog and other social media sites a follow for a broader view of everything he has to offer. David Allen: David Allen's Twitter bio touts him as the man behind the GTD ("Getting Things Done") movement. And he has more than a million followers, so it's safe to assume he probably knows what he's doing; or at least fakes that he knows what he's doing really, really well. Allyson Lewis: Through social media, books, and other venues, Allyson Lewis plugs "The 7 Minute Solution" for productive business and life habits. It may not necessarily work for everyone — no strategy fits all needs, of course — but thousands still find value in her outline. Mint.com: Another fabulous personal finance resource, this time offering up a free tool for keeping everything organized. Even those with a pretty good grasp on their money should give it a chance — they might find out a few surprising things about their savings and spendings!

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The Social Media Interview, what Employers and Employees should know Posted: 06 Apr 2012 06:33 AM PDT By Pedram Tabibi Imagine landing a job interview. How do you prepare yourself?  You might read about the company, prep for questions, bring your résumé and arrive on time. Then, the interviewer begins by asking for the username and password of all your social media accounts. Surprised? Don't be. Recent employment practices show your interview starts long before you arrive; it starts online with your social media accounts. Welcome to the age of the "social media interview." Companies increasingly rely on social media to support their business. From advertising to customer interaction, social media is the future.  However, social media has also entered business in ways that people have yet to fully understand.  For instance, the hiring process has changed as companies increasingly rely on social media to search for potential employees. As a result, one recent employment practice has drawn attention. Specifically, some employers are requesting applicants to provide access to their social media accounts as a condition of employment.  MSNBC's Bob Sullivan reports applicants to the Maryland Department of Corrections have been asked to log onto their social media accounts while the interviewer observes; thus making wall posts, friends and pictures, normally private, viewable by a potential employer.  Until recently, Maryland asked applicants to turn over social media account usernames and passwords. Employers may argue the social media inspection process is voluntary, but many find this practice a violation of First Amendment and privacy rights.  According to the same MSNBC article, federal laws to prohibit social media password requests by perspective employers have even been suggested. Additionally, Sullivan reports this type of monitoring by potential employers may violate the Facebook terms of use.  Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities reads, "You will not share your password, let anyone else access your account, or do anything … that might jeopardize the security of your account."  According to a Facebook spokesperson, employer policies that allow "shoulder surfing" appear to violate Facebook's terms.  As a social media lawyer, this topic's potential for conflicts is apparent. While many assume that privacy settings on a social media profile will protect one from access by a potential employer, the recent trend of "shoulder surfing" and social media account passwords requests suggests otherwise.  The burning question then becomes how employers and employees prepare for the age of the "social media interview?" I discussed with Dawn Davidson Drantch, counsel for Alcott HR Group, about whether an applicant's social media presence plays a role in the hiring process.  She responded, "If it does, applicants should be made aware that it does and how it does." Davidson Drantch noted that employers must be cognizant of legal and regulatory issues when taking the social media interview to the next level, such as requesting log-in information:  "Appropriate consents, notices and authorizations should be given to and obtained from the applicant, and employers must not gain access to accounts surreptitiously or by coercion. Both may violate the law." Further, labor and employment questions arise when using social media to evaluate a prospective employee.  According to Davidson Drantch, "employers must be careful about obtaining information which may be unlawful to consider in employment decisions such as: lawful off-duty conduct (e.g., alcohol consumption); information on protected classes (race, gender, etc.); arrests and certain convictions, and more, because it will be difficult to prove that this information was not considered in the hiring process." Davidson Drantch underscored, "Objectivity is key.  Have a nondecision-maker filter all information to the decision-maker, making sure to remove items that may be unlawful to consider during the hiring process.  Be sure vetting for each candidate is standardized, objective and that a template is used to pass info to the decision-maker.  Finally, consider limiting social media checks to the applicant's LinkedIn site because that is a professional site, less likely to display information inappropriate to consider when hiring." She concluded, "The best suggestion is to leave background checks to a background-check vendor, and be cognizant of federal and state record-keeping requirements that require searches and documents be maintained for a period of time." Would you be willing to give out your username and login information to social media sites at a job interview? For an employer point-of-view, I spoke with Peter Xenakis of Fuoco Technology, who provides IT expertise in the Long Island and NY-metro region.  Xenakis noted that after seeing a promising résumé he "hits the web" to do some social networking on websites like LinkedIn and Facebook, and uses LinkedIn to validate an applicant's résumé. Regarding the new trend of asking for an applicant's social media account and password, Xenakis replied, "I think asking for an applicant's username and password is going too far.  If it's private – I don't want to intrude.  It would set a bad expectation for potential hires to think we are 'Big Brother.'" Xenakis noted, "Recent applicants have used [social media] to demonstrate their knowledge."  This is an interesting point; job applicants are well-served to post content on their social media accounts that display expertise or knowledge in relevant job fields.  Overall, Xenakis believes the "social media interview" is a valuable resource: "Time is my most valuable resource; with the flood of applicants we receive, the "social media interview" is a great tool to 'set the table' for actual interviews." As companies increasingly to rely on social media for all aspects of their business, employers and employees alike should be mindful of how social media is used.  The "social media interview" is increasing in importance as part of the employment process.  It presents employees, employers and HR an opportunity to gain a better understanding of each other, and allows job-seekers another way to showcase their skills and expertise. In case you are interested in more details on the topic, read Pedram's full article on Social Media and the Hiring Process. Follow Pedram on Twitter @PedramTabibi

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