Are You Linked In?- Jewish Press- 5/12/2010

Jewish Press-5/12/2010- "Are You Linked In?"

Have you ever Googled your own name? That may not be a question you hear often, but when you take the time to do so, you may be surprised by what you find. Believe it or not, most employers Google the names of prospective employment candidates to see what they can find, and you do not want them to find your Purim pictures on Facebook.

Even when there are no pictures or blog posts that you are trying to hide, employers want to see that potential candidates have a web presence. A Google search that produces no relevant results is almost as bad as a search that produces negative information. It is for that reason that it is absolutely critical that every person create an account on www.linkedin.com/.

What is Linkedin? To put it simply, Linkedin is Facebook without all the schmutz. Instead of focusing on pictures of your latest party or relating the tale of the cutest thing ever that your daughter just did, Linkedin is a site devoted to professional networking.

My wife and I had been house shopping in West Hempstead for more than a year without any luck. A status update on Linkedin led to a rare house rental opportunity near the shul, and we moved less than 3 months later.

That was a rather rare occurrence, however. Primarily, Linkedin is a way to connect with other professionals to create business opportunities. Linkedin users connect with people that they know who are in turn connected with their own groups of associates. "Your network consists of your connections, your connections' connections, and the people they know, linking you to a vast number of qualified professionals and experts: http://press.linkedin.com/about."

The first step after creating your free Linkedin account is designing your profile. Effective Linkedin profiles include all of the professional basics including a summary of qualifications, work history, a professional picture and updates on your current work related projects.

People often wonder if it is wise to share so much personal information on the Internet. While I understand those concerns, the truth is there is very little we can do to hide anymore. If someone wants it, they can have a satellite image of and a map to your house with just a few keystrokes. (If you don't believe me try conducting a search for your name on www.intelius.com/.)

In any event, Linkedin does have a number of privacy settings that can be used by those who are truly worried.

For employers, Linkedin presents the most effective opportunity to collect all of the relevant and up-to-date information about a prospective employee, and the best part is that the job seeker has the ability to control exactly what the employer finds!

Are you going for a job interview? How much information do you know about the person that is interviewing you? A Linkedin search can reveal pertinent information about the interviewer that can be incorporated into your interview answers.

You may be wondering how Linkedin can help you if you already have a job. Linkedin has become a favorite tool for human resources professionals who are looking to "steal" qualified talent from other employers. Even if you are not interested in changing jobs, your Linkedin profile is a great way for prospective clients to find you.

So, when you Google yourself, what do you find? It took a concerted effort on my part, given the fame of the late great Rabbi Chaim Shapiro of Go My Son fame (no relation), but 95 percent of the time when you Google my name, my Linkedin profile comes up first. Even though my daughter does do an incredible amount of cute things, my profile is what I prefer people find when they are looking for me.

Chaim Shapiro: M.Ed. is the assistant director of Career Services at Touro College and a social media consultant. He holds a Master's Degree in College Administration from Loyola University Chicago. He is the founder of the largest Orthodox online networking group, the Frum Network on Linkedin. He welcomes comments, suggestions and feedback at chaimshapiro@aol.com.

School Bus Safety-Jewish Press 3/3/210

Jewish Press: 3/3/2010-" School Bus Safety"

I want to make it clear that this article in no way is meant to blame any of the people involved in what appears, by all accounts, to have been a tragic accident when a Brooklyn school bus killed a 4-year-old boy in Boro Park on February 17. But as a father who knows the pain of burying his own children only too well, I believe that it is important to ask if there is any room for improvement in our school bus safety procedures.

From the brief discussions I have had with people about busing, there does seem to be some larger safety issues to address. Unlike most secular neighborhoods that are serviced by relatively few buses, our communities often have school buses from dozens of schools operating in the same short time frames along the same busy streets.

It is not hard to imagine the impatience of other drivers on their way to work getting stuck behind multiple buses making multiple stops on every block. This reality forces our buses to move quickly and not wait for students to arrive and be seated or exit safely.

In the last few days I have heard several parents describe regularly observing unsafe school bus practices, either in their neighborhood or during their drive to work. These include picking up children from the wrong side of a boulevard, individual school buses making multiple stops on the same block, buses leaving the bus stop area before children are seated and buses dropping off children onto snow banks.

School bus safety standards differ by state and locality, but there are a few common sense procedures we can implement that can improve school bus safety. Students should be waiting outside when their bus arrives (even when it is cold), standing in a well-lit, safe spot on the sidewalk at least six feet away from the street. The entire area, from the place the students stand and wait, all the way to the place where the school bus door will open should be cleared of snow and ice. Students should wait for the bus to come to a complete stop and open its door before moving toward the street and then walk in an orderly single file line, boarding carefully.

Buses should not leave the bus stop before all students are safely seated. It is better when school buses stop on the same side of the street as the children who are boarding and exiting. This is especially true for primary streets with traffic moving in both directions. Buses should never pick up or drop off children from the wrong side of a boulevard.

It would be difficult to implement these standards under our current school bus models. While I understand that implementing change often comes with unfortunate unintended consequences, the safety of our children must be our top priority. We must consider designating one safe bus-pickup and drop-off area per block to be used by all students from all schools. The stop must have adequate room so that buses can stop and students can safety board and be seated or exit directly to the sidewalk.

Parents should take turns monitoring the bus stop to ensure that all students and bus drivers adhere to the safety procedures and that the stop remains safe regardless of the weather conditions. We must consider combining bus routes between neighborhood schools to avoid school bus congestion. Fewer buses and fewer bus stops can allow more time for safe pick-up and drop-off procedures.

If you see a school bus that is not following safety procedures, don't be shy. Call the bus company and report the bus driver. Make sure to note the school bus company name, the school bus number, the street on which you observed the infraction and the exact time. Keep a record of your report. If the same driver continues to engage in unsafe procedures after multiple complaints, call and report all of the incidents, including the dates and times of the violations to your local school district and the State Highway Safety Board.

It will take time and effort to enforce school bus safety standards. Busy parents will have to take turns monitoring and cleaning bus stops, students will need to be prepared earlier, walk down the block to their designated stop and wait outside in the cold, rain and snow. Before you ask if all this extra trouble is worth it, look at your children, give them a hug and ask yourself if there is anything in the world that is more valuable to you. The lives you save may be your own.

Chaim Shapiro, M.Ed., serves on the Executive Committee of JBAC, The Jewish Board of Advocates for Children http://jewishadvocates.org. He is also the founder of the largest Orthodox online networking group, the Frum Network on Linkedin. He welcomes comments suggestions and feedback at chaimshapiro@aol.com.

Linkedin and Professional Networking Workshops

Linkedin Professional Networking Workshop (1 Hour)

1. Google Yourself:
1. It is important to Google yourself to see what results comes up. Do you like what you see? Is there anything to see at all?
2. People ARE “Googling” you for many different reasons, from personal to professional
3. Gain some control over what people find! Send the messages YOU want to send. Avoid non-professional messages and images!
2. What is Linkedin?
1. Linkedin is the premier online professional networking website
2. More than 85 Million members
3. Facebook without the “Shmutz”
3. How Does Linkedin Work?
1. Exponential Network
2. 3 Levels

C. What do you do with Linkedin?

4. How Do I Get Started on Linkedin?
1. Create an Account (Free)
2. Produce a professional and meaningful profile

1. Vanity URL

2. Headline

3. Employment

4. Summary

5. Specialties

6. Contact Settings

7. Public Profile Settings

3. What is “Open Networking?”
4. Connect to me by sending an email to chaimshapiro@aol.com to start out strong
5. I can help you develop your Linkedin Profile
6. NETWORK!

Advanced Linkedin Workshop (45 Minutes)

I. Linkedin Groups

II. Look for Jobs

III. Twitter Feed

IV. Box.net

V. Ask Questions

VI. Answers- Gain Expertise

VII. Reading List

VIII. Recommendations

IX. Answers

X. Events

Advanced Professional Networking (1 Hour):

I. Personal Website

II. Blogging

III. Using your email as a marketing tool

IV. Google Profiles

V. Tracking your hits

VI. Twitter

A. What is Twitter

1. Updates

2. 140 Characters or less

3. Twitter Feeds

B. How does Twitter work?

1. Twitter Subscribers

2. Linkedin

3. Facebook

C. How do I use Twitter?

1. Make an account (free)

2. Find your friends

3. Follow others

4. Post

VII. Facebook

A. Warning

1. Mistakes

2. Pictures

3. Videos

B. Wider audience

C. Less control

VII. What about all the other sites?