The Office Survivor

Using social networking for your office survival

by Shadowmaster on 29/11/09 at 3:12 pm

I guess everyone today's is using linkedin (www.linkedin.com) or twitter (www.twitter.com) , facebook (www.facebook.com) or any other form of social networking site in order to meet and know new people and establish a connection network between them.

Before I'll start I want to write down the definition of networking (as taken from http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/networking) – the act of meeting new people in a business or social context.

As an office survivor and a master of the office politics you are probably asking yourself how can networking works for me? It's a known fact that people like to share others with what they need, want or look for, but in the same time they forget that if they write about it in one of the social networking site everyone in their connection list – even their superior or workers can see it.

Using this information and transfer it into your advantage is very easy, all you need to do is to find out which social networking sites your office fallows are signed to, sign there and add them as your friend.

This simple action will allow you to a broad look about what's going on in the office and sometimes in real life, you probably asking yourself :  "Hey doesn't this turn me into some sort of spy?"

well you are right, but when you know about issues in personal life you can transfer it into information for you.

Here are some examples on things you should be aware when you "spy" on your co-worker:

• Your co-worker writes something "Seeking new opportunities…", if his position is higher than yours or if it's something else you wish to transfer into this is your time. you may notice several stuff such as:

someone is being interviewed for the position in that case the search isn't discredits and you could come to the co-worker or HR and ask to be moved to that position. Sometimes those search are discredits so wait until your co-worker find a job and than go and offer yourself instead of him. In case of female co-worker as females tend to write about family issues as well.

OR,

someone complains and moan about how much work she has, this is tricky thing as you have to act with your charm because you see a personal information that isn't really related to work.

Here is what you need to do – Go and talk with her small talk, how is she doing, how does she manage to work with all the obligation at work, etc.. try to see if she has any interests to lower her working percentage at the office, if yes ask her :

"what does the office think about this kind of moves as you were thinking to do the same?"

according to her answer you can know if it's something the office welcomes, or doesn't know, or perhaps she didn't even talk with anyone about it yet.

This is your sign to be on the look out and notice any changes regarding her position in the near future and just be there to offer yourself.

• Someone from your office has wrote in his networking profile he is looking for an employee for position Z. How wonderful you think to yourself as position Z is the exact position you wants to have.

It's time to find out (if you don't know by now) what's the office politics about being promoted from one position to the other within the office, what is needed and required for that position, etc…

When you know all that go and examine your co-worker by asking something like :

"How's the search for position Z going on?"

at this point he doesn't know you are interested and you'll know if the position is taken and what he is looking for from the person to fill it.

At this point you can say :

"This position sounds interesting, I think it something that might suit me".

You have just opened yourself a gate to this position, getting it depends on your skills and if you are suitable for it.

Some office survivors will say that at this point they will go to talk with the HR about this, in order to be empower by them as well, but again it depends on the co-worker and what he looks for.

• Your co-worker has left the office without telling you to where, or in some cases he tells but don't state his new position. People tend to update their profile so sooner or later his social network profile will be updated with all the needed information.

your job now to wait for month in order to let him settle in his new place. After a period of a month or so start to search information if the new place is seeking new people by asking him, seeking the wanted section of his new office, or even look at the status of some of the people who works in the new office with your former co-worker.

At this point you have all the needed information, talk with your former co-worker and tell him

"I have seen your office is seeking to fill position Y, can I pass you my CV so you could give it to your HR?".

Using the social networking can be disadvantage so use is wisely – as described previously about a co-worker that writes "seeking new opportunities". When you write something like that and your boss or HR notices it than they will start to think and now you'll have to find a new place before your current one will find your replacement.

For conclusion, when you are opening a social network profile you allow other to see what you are thinking at the moment, just remember that if you wish to use the power of it, you'll have to be smart enough and not to revel all your cards.

Using the tactics described earlier will help you to achieve what you want and that is to live another day and get your salary in order to exists.

Using social networking for your office survival1.0102

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