I’m an experienced manager and find myself with a growing staff of younger workers who are far more tech- and social media-savvy than I am. I’m afraid I look outdated that I don’t have followers on Twitter or a Facebook page — and that it could hurt my career. Any advice?
I’m not sure it’s “savvy” — or career smart — to be a digital information exhibitionist, splashing too much information about yourself for the world to see on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tumblr, etc. It makes one wonder about how you have time to actually get any work done. It is smart and important, however, to understand social media and its importance and relevance — particularly as it may relate to your business — and to be able to speak about it with some familiarity. (Avoid such phrases as “I’m not on the Twitter.”) And as far as technology, you shouldn’t have to ask how to download an app or upload a picture or document. In general, it’s always a smart career move to keep all of your skills and knowledge current, which may include developing your personal brand by having a presence on select social networking platforms. (Just don’t blog about every thought you have or your cat’s latest trick — because, really, who cares?)
My employer may be contemplating layoffs, and if so I’d be interested in volunteering to leave — if the package the company is offering is worthwhile. Is there a way to approach the company without necessarily committing myself and hurting my ability to remain employed?
Whenever employers go through a layoff, they usually consider who might actually want to accept a package to mitigate the number of involuntary layoffs they must make. In fact, many employers actually make an official call for volunteers when announcing their intention to conduct layoffs. I’d wait to see if your employer proactively makes that call. And if they don’t, you are unlikely to run any risk to your employment by asking your boss if the company would consider volunteers, because you might be interested depending on the terms, package, etc. If you don’t ask, you may never know, and if you do ask, then it may lead to a mutually beneficial outcome. Good luck.
Gregory Giangrande is an executivehuman resources officer in the media industry. Email your career questions to gotogreg@nypost.com. And follow
Greg on Twitter: @greggiangrande.