Published in the 2014 CDANZ Autumn Ezine 
When it comes to the topic of staying current I always think of the YouTube video Did you know? Shift happens 2013. Yes, the top 10 jobs in 2010 were not in existence in 2004, and teachers are preparing students for jobs that do not exist. I have had a number of colleagues ask me how I stay up to date and the answer is careful time management along with positive habits.
I think constant learning keeps you humble, as everyone needs to remember what it is like to be the “newbie”. The interesting new twist on learning is that my world is now not focused on collecting degrees, diplomas and certificates. Instead I invest a lot of time in unstructured learning in two very different worlds – the real and the virtual one. The following are some examples of how to stay current through unstructured learning.
REAL WORLD LEARNING
1. Professional Memberships
Pick at least two professional bodies and make the most of your membership. There are four memberships which I work hard to get the maximum benefit out of: CDANZ, HRINZ, Toastmasters and Otago Southland Employers Association.
As a consultant, keeping up to date with my colleagues who have in-house roles is critical and making the most of the lunchtime webinars from HRINZ and the Employers Association keeps me abreast of industry developments and compliance issues.
2. Catch Up Lunches
Make a conscious effort to meet up with a colleague for lunch each week. For me, this really is more of treat than a chore and sometimes it’s a picnic lunch and walk in the park. I really enjoy hearing what everyone else is up to and often meeting up with other practitioners does wonders for my headspace.
3. Newspapers & Magazines
Try dedicating one hour each to reading quality industry updates. My personal favorites are the CDANZ Ezine, HRINZ Magazine, Safeguard NZ, NZ Management, Harvard Business Review, Idealog, North & South and Good Magazine. I’m especially lucky because the Dunedin Central Library is a short walk from my office. So it’s easy to go sit in the reading room and get lost in magazines that are not within my budget.
4. Monthly Book
Every month purchase a book for your personal library – read it, make notes and attack it with a highlighter. In 2013 my reading list included:
– The Winners Bible by Kerry Spackman
– Climb a Different Ladder by Walter Belin
– Mindset The new Psychology of Success by Carol Dweck
– Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
– Your 21st Career by Heather Carpenter
VIRTUAL WORLD LEARNING
Being active on the social media world is a mixed blessing. Yes, it is a fantastic way to stay up to date; however, time is a commodity and the virtual world is a major distraction. When I first began, I really did Tweet myself into a stupor and I also developed an unhealthy addiction to being liked, favourited, and re-tweeted etc.
Luckily, I’ve got over that by setting up a social media schedule and after listening to Carl Honoré talk about “The Art of Slow” I made a commitment to my partner Geoff that my mobile devices were banned from our bedroom. Nowadays, my mobile phone charges in the hallway and is turned to flight mode overnight.
1. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is still the top professional social networking site and it is an excellent resource for consulting and service businesses. You can set up a personal page and a business profile and then join in various LinkedIn groups. Here is a list of my favourite Career related groups:
a. HRINZ
b. CDANZ
c. International Coach Federation
d. Career Coach Academy
e. LinkedIn Career
2. Social Media: Facebook and Twitter
Social media is a big part of my professional development and I regularly check the news feeds to see what is current. Along with my newsletter and website, it is also my major marketing platform. I generally check my social feeds on HootSuite: Social Media Management Dashboard (see www.hootsuite.com) daily at 8.30am and 5pm to make sure there are no outstanding messages from colleagues or clients.
3. Google Alerts
Google Alerts are email updates of the latest Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your chosen queries (See http://www.google.co.nz/alerts). You don’t have to have a Google account to receive Google alerts and I find them invaluable. My daily alerts include Interview Coaching, Careers Guidance, Human Resources, NZ Safety, NZ Employment Law and a number of other subjects. I tend to speed read these as a break in between clients or doing administrative work.
Managing Your Social Media Routine (or, Here’s How I Do it)
On Sunday night I take an hour to log into my online calendar and Hootsuite, where I check that all my meetings and lunch dates are scheduled, block out my lunchtime reading session and LinkedIn Group time. I review all the links I’ve saved in my online library Diigo (see www.diigo.com) and Google alerts to find interesting posts to send out through my social media platforms.
Is this sustainable?
Writing this article forced me to sit down and add up all the time I commit to staying current over a standard four week month and it looks something like this.
2 x CDANZ/HRINZ meetings 3
4 x Toastmasters meetings 4
1 x Webinar HRINZ or OSEA 1
4 x 1 hour LinkedIn Groups 4
4 x 1 hour lunch catch ups 4
4 x 1 hour reading session 4
4 x 1 hour Social media posts 4
40 x 5min Social Media checks 3.5 Total 27.50
Am I advocating that all careers practitioners should do the same thing? Absolutely not (to be honest, I was a little horrified at the total!). Also, please remember I do not have any children as yet, so my life is a lot less complicated than most. My only hope is that that this article will challenge you to pick at least one activity and fit it into your work routine.
If you have any comments or anything to add on staying current please email: sarah@employmenow.co.nz.