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Pinterest is the newest social media site that allows you to pin pictures of items, people, and products to create links to them in a visual way.

From an HR perspective, Pinterest could be used to

1. Promote classes you are offering
2. Promote the names of the people who work for you
3. Share photos of the products or services you offer, making it easier for your people to share them with others

There are many other uses of Pinterest, but from my initial studies, it seems like a platform that would be of value to most people to explore.

For more information, visit http://www.pinterest.com

I have spent the last 4 months participating in an internship with Braathe Enterprises and Saratogacollege.com. I happened upon it while searching internship opportunities online. I don't think I could have found a better company to learn and develop my professional skills and all by accident. On a whim, I contacted Robert Braathe and so began my journey from student to intern began.

During my very first conversation with Robert, I knew that I would gain so much from his expertise and professional experience. His knowledge from running his own company and working for large corporations is invaluable and span from social media to traditional marketing techniques and far beyond. As a mentor Robert is support and pushing you to pursue and find as much information as you can. He frequently forward information, stories or websites of interest. I felt like my development was always top of mind.

The benefits of an internship with Braathe Enterprises include unlimited knowledge, weekly conference calls, real professional assignments, and access to a free online course through saratogacollege.com. Besides all the benefits listed above, I was impressed with my first assignment. I was asked to compile a list of 6 or 7 objectives I would like to explore during my internship. It's unusual to be able to almost dictate the content and direction. I was almost curious in a way to see what and how my list would play into my 4-months. And sure enough we went through each and every item on my list and I had the chance to explore, ask questions, and complete an assign with real-world application. I wasn't forced to fit into a mold and go through the motions....I learned about things I was interested in knowing. That for me made all the difference.

Saratogacollege.com added a unique element to my internship. I was able to have access to an online course at no charge to me. I also had access to a free online textbook. I was able to locate in formation at anytime and to challenge myself with the course work. We all know how expensive college course can be, what a fantastic benefit to have provided to me. I am grateful for the opportunity to take an additional class.

This on my very last day as an intern find myself elated to have completed an internship in a professional arena and be successful, and even more grateful for the opportunity. I very much look forward to taking the skills and knowledge I attained while interning with Braathe Enterprises and Saratogacollege.com and applying it to my next journey.

This free hour-long interactive presentation and Q+A session will show you how to create your profile, optimize it, and use LinkedIn as a networking tool in order to improve your job or internship search. Presented by Robert Braathe, founder of Braathe Enterprises, and Kelsey Weiss, Skidmore College '12 and intern for Braathe Enterprises

Skidmore College - Palamountain 202 - Wednesday December 14th

To RSVP, visit the link below or email robertjbraathe@gmail.com
LinkedIn Presentation by Braathe Enterprises - December 10th in Saratoga Springs

Q: Dear Professor Braathe,

I have worked in a variety of roles over the years and am concerned future employers are going to label me as a job hopper. What do you suggest I do to show some more stability on my resume?

A: After looking over your resume, you have some clear patterns here of work in the hospitality sector as well as the medical profession. Rather than line these up chronologically, line them up categorically. If you are looking for a role in an admin position, put the medical stuff first, but if you are seeking a hospitality position, list those first

Q: Dear Professor Braathe,

I've done a lot in my career, and looking at your LinkedIn profile I see that we have followed similar career paths (corporate, family business, starting your own business and consulting). How do I improve my LinkedIn profile to better focus what it is I want to do next?

A: Thank you for checking out my profile on LinkedIn. As you noticed, I have two distinct businesses, I teach at two different colleges, and also recently announced the launch of an internet radio sports talk show. While these positions all are very different, a focused headline and summary make it clear the type of people and business I am looking for. The profile itself is designed to add depth and experience to what people hope to find. Challenge yourself to come up with a catchy headline and summary to focus your experience as well.

Does your staff know what Small Business Saturday? Founded in 2011 by American Express, Small Business Saturday has become one of the new shopping phenomenons along with Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Small Business Saturday is designed to encourage people to shop small businesses for holiday gifts on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. On November 26th, Braathe Enterprises will be offering discounts on Apple computer training, business courses through Saratoga College and more. Stop by anytime from 8am-4pm at our office on 12 Circular ST in Saratoga Springs, NY.

If you are a small business, make your staff aware of the importance of this day to the health of your business. Take advantage of all the free tools at the American Express Small Business Saturday website. Use Small Business Saturday as a way to really push your business to the next level and create customers who will return time and time again. By encouraging your customers to shop small, you can create great relationships with your customers, fellow small businesses, and perhaps even larger businesses looking for that personal touch.

It's bad enough I have to get questions from friends and relatives on a regular basis about my marital status or if I have "anyone special" in my life; it would probably be even worse if I made public on my Facebook page if I was single, in a relationship, married or the ever popular "it's complicated." To me, my dating life is personal. I don't ask people why they are married or in a relationship and I'd prefer people not ask me if I am or not in one myself!

I leave my personal life to people's imagination; it's better that way and adds a little to the mystique I suppose of this exciting life that people think I lead!

My advice to you - keep your personal life off of the web. No one needs to know who you are dating, when you are dating them, or whether or not you are single or in a relationship.

Especially if you are looking to secure clients or business through the web, changing your status from single to it's complicated to in a relationship can give people the wrong signals about you and the person you'd like to be perceived as.

Do what I do - leave the relationship status blank!

by Evelyn Amaro

Many people in HR question whether social media can help them. Here are 5 ways you can successfully use social media to help with HR endeavors.

1. Training and Development - Social Media can be a great tool in training new employees. Creating an internal Youtube channel for new hires is a great way to train new employees and save training time by having the new employees watch these training videos as part of the orientation process. This is also a great reference for employees trying to learn the ropes or for those who need a refresher course. Click here for an example of a company using YouTube for HR.

2. Recruiting Talent - Nearly every individual has jumped on the social media bandwagon and this can be a huge advantage when it comes to your hiring needs. Social networks are a great place to find candidates even before actually engaging them. LinkedIn is a huge tool to be used in your recruitment effort. Here you can preview the potential candidates work history (if filled out properly) and you are able to find candidates in your industry, holding the title you are interested in hiring for and many times, an outline of their resume. Another key tool is twitter. Running a search on twitter will lead you to a number of interesting people in your industry who can be considered SME in the field you are attempting to recruit for. TwitJobSearch is also used to scour twitter for what you are looking for. Facebook is creeping up the ladder as a recruitment tool competitor. This is usually done by creating a Facebook Fan Page with keywords related to your company and industry. You then find people with similar interests to "Like" you page. From there, you send out updates pertinent to your company and your followers. Here is a great article explaining FB for recruiting in more detail.

3. Brand Promotion and Marketing: By continuously engaging in social media networking, your company name and areas of expertise grows one follower and/or viewer at a time. Soon you will find that your followers and loyal customers/clients start promoting your business for you. This goes hand-in-hand with #8.

4. Communication leads to Expertise - If you consistently communicate and share relevant information via your social media networks, people will soon see you as an expert in your field. This can lead to a number of positive possibilities including: more sales, more clients, more candidates, and more rand exposure. It also helps to derive instantaneous feedback which can help better shape your marketing efforts.

5. Relationship Building - Lastly, the key to all social media efforts and what will lead to your company and HR success is relationship building. Joining HR groups and networking with your fellow HR people and connecting with your clients, customers and potential candidates.

Are there other ways you use Social Media to help HR? Let us know!