Making the Connection

For the last two years, I have been utilizing my employer's tuition assistance program to go back to school with the goal of changing careers.  I feel very lucky to have the job that I have, but I would like to be able to grow and do other things.  The main focus of my education has been to work towards a position in performance improvement, or performance analysis, my passion.

With this specific goal in mind, it's important to make connections with both future employers and other people in the field.  I have already created a career development plan, however I am severely lacking in professional connects with where I am headed for the future.  These connections are so important.  Not only can a network of people help share information about openings but can give much needed advice.

What's a great way to make these connections?  Programs like LinkedIn have changed social media into a workhorse for the modern professional.  LinkedIn has many tools to help recruiters and help applicants find each other.

In your profile, you can set up different skill sets.  This task is very easy and creates a powerful tool for helping future bosses search for the right person.  It's a great way to make your skills very marketable.  LinkedIn has a nearly endless list of skills, so it's important to choose the right ones.

I recommend making an initial list of 5, then going back and adding more.  Try looking at job postings that you are interested in and remembering which skills are listed that you already have and go back and add these to your profile.  This will help attract the kind of connections you are really looking for.

If you have not already, go make a profile on LinkedIn.  It's super easy, and can help make the professional world bigger and smaller at the same time.  The hardest part is taking a picture.  I spent 30 minutes trying to find a basic background and picking out an outfit, but you can skip that step to start with.

You have Messages!

I have posted a video for how to make navigation form in Access a couple of posts ago.  I use Access for much of my shared data entry type procedures.  There are some basic and easy ways to use this program, but to really use a lot of the great features, there is almost an endless amount of options you can use with both Macros and VBD coding to customize your Access database.

Often times you will create a database, but you will be handing off the reins to different users for data entry. Good database design involves helping users that you may not be training yourself, on how to enter data into your system.  To make sure users get the information when they need it, you can create message box pop ups to help users understand more about what they need to do. 

On the last database I created, I made a message box that appears when a user selected a certain type of error in the system for receiving.  The message lets the user know the next steps.  Learning how to do this process involved some trial and error.  Since then, I have found the wonder of Youtube videos to help me learn how to do the process.  I can't stress enough how great of a tool Youtube videos are for finding ways to use more of Access great features. 

I have linked the video below that will help you learn how to put in message box.  Please watch it, but also use this as a jumping off part to use more of what Access can do.