On February 10, 2010, I made the decision to restart and refocus my blog.  When I first started, it was mainly “Kirk’s musings about life”.  Then, in October 2009, I started to focus more on the job search, offering tips and insight to help prepare those in what has proved to be one of our country’s worst economic downturns.  I started with a small blog on BlogSpot (now called Blogger, which is part of Google) and to be quite frank, there just wasn’t much substance to any of it.  Through some recommendations from fellow career bloggers, Word Press became the platform for me.

Photo courtesy of Shout Me Loud.

I’ve started and stopped blogging a few times before finding my groove.  One of my New Year’s resolutions for 2010 was to “either figure out what my purpose is for blogging or just quit”.  Let’s face it, there are a TON of influential people out there, proving some really great stuff in a variety of subjects.  I wasn’t going to be the only person in that space and it was going to take some serious time to be considered good enough to be included in the pro circles.

I did find my purpose and I think I’m on the right track to achieving my goal.  Let me make something clear, though.  The goal is not fame.  The goal is not to make a ton of money through blogging.  The goal is not to blog 24/7/365 serving as a fire hose of information (I do respect and appreciate those that do this, like Guy Kawasaki and others.)  The goal is not to throw around names, statistics and figures acting like someone I’m not.  The goal for me?  It’s all about paying it forward.

Over the past 12 months, here’s what I’ve learned:

It’s not just about me. Engage in conversation.  Use social media in the way it was intended to be used.  Be social!  Platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook can certainly be used to promote my personal brand, but it’s not ALL about me.  None of these platforms are intended for me to simply provide links, press releases and the blah, blah, blah about what I just ate for breakfast.  It’s about helping people.

The network is always expanding and it’s awesome. I’ve connected with some pretty cool people this year through social media.  I’ve even met some of them in real life, or IRL, as referred to in the Twitter-verse.  I’m not satisfied with the quality or the quantity of the connections in my network.  Fostering these relationships take time, but believe me, it’s worth it.  I continue to build new relationships, but can’t forget about those that are already part of my network.  My goal is to build on the connection level – it’s not about having 1,000 connections that are 1-inch deep.  It’s about having 1,000 (not an actual number goal, but you get the point) connections that are 100 feet deep.  The goal is to convert connections to relationships.

Paying it forward is more than a slogan. When was the last time you paid it forward?  The entire principle of this is to do something nice for someone else with no expectations of them doing something for you in return.  We’re human.  Some of us are better off than others.  Regardless of social stature, anyone can pay it forward and help their fellow man.  That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog.  It’s not about gaining business, followers, or even credibility.  Those things will come naturally.  It’s about paying it forward, helping others in hopes that someday, they’ll help someone else in need.  It’s a bit cliché, but if you haven’t seen the movie I would highly recommend it.

I know that I’ve learned more, but these seemed like the most compelling takeaways.  Before I get any farther, I’d like to thank YOU.  Whether this is your first time at Campus to Career or you’re an avid follower, I hope that you’ve found the information provided each week helpful to you in your career.  Together, we’ve achieved some pretty awesome stuff this year.  If you’re curious to see where Campus to Career has been mentioned, check out the Notable Mentions tab above.  I’ve covered topics like the job search, what to do when you land your dream job, leadership, the ins and outs of corporate recruitment and a lot more.  Don’t worry, there’s more to come!  I’m just getting started.

The last question is for you.  What would YOU like to see covered on the blog?  Is there something that I or a guest blogger can help you with?  Let me know!  You can leave a comment below, or email me directly at kirk.baumann@att.net.  I’d also appreciate it if you followed @campustocareer on Twitter and became a fan on the Facebook page.  Like I said before, each platform is different and I’ve learned that it’s not just to blast out press releases.  The conversation continues on Facebook and the Twitter feed provides more than just posts from this blog (paying it forward).

As always, thanks for reading.  YOU ROCK. I’m excited to see where the future takes us together!