Like it or not, it is time to get social media savvy.  It is easy to dismiss every new social networking venture as something for someone else or for the under 18 set but that is dangerous to your career. By not engaging personally or professionally you risk looking out of date, stodgy or stubborn - all dangerous things to be in the shark tank of today’s job marketplace. 

To get started, decide on one thing you’d like to be good at in the next 6 months.  Could you be a blogger, or your company’s voice on Twitter or a Facebook guru?  The good news is that once you get the hang of one social media tool you will find yourself quickly learning the others – it’s like all this tech learning is contagious.  Engaging in social media will give you a new skill for your resume and a new way to be valuable to your current employer. 

Here are some tips to get you familiar and prepared for the social media universe:

1. Define your comfort zone.  When you are developing your online profile/voice you need to decide if you are going to be keeping things strictly business (writing as an expert in your field) or if you will also be including elements of your personal life.   Make sure that your voice is consistent across channels (Facebook to Tweets to Blog Posts or You Tube) so that others in the social media universe can get to “know” you.  If you are going to be blogging or Tweeting about work, be smart and remember that anyone can see what you write. I’m always dumbfounded by the bloggers who get fired for violating their company’s confidentiality.  It’s like what my mother used to say about passing notes in high school – don’t write anything you wouldn’t want announced over the radio.
2. Make sure you are search friendly and camera ready. Regularly check how you are portrayed online because if a prospective client or employer Googles you (as they should), you want the top results to be accurate and flattering.  Make sure the first few search results aren’t pictures from your bachelorette party or rants about how you hate your boss! Make sure that your LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile and ZoomInfo profile are always ready for public viewing and that they are updated with your current information and a flattering yet professional picture.
3. Don’t agonize over every word you speak online but don’t speak too quickly.  If you wait for every Tweet to be perfect or every blog to be edited to perfection you will miss your moment in the fast pace of the Internet.  The pace of social media reminds me of dining with my relatives, if you don’t make yourself heard by reacting and responding quickly than you might as well say nothing at all. 
4. 4.     Welcome conflict. When you dive into social media channels you will find plenty of people who don’t agree with you. You will be flamed (slang 2.0 for being criticized) at some point but resist the urge to fight back.   Don’t take these things too personally because ultimately it is good to hear and learn from the counterpoint to our own ideas. 

Relevancy and having new, marketable skills are paramount to career development.  Making a conscious goal this year to experiment and get engaged will pay off. One final hint:  If you don’t know where to start find an intern or teenager to be your personal tutor!

Jen Drexler, a co-founder of Just Ask a Woman, counsels leading brands to help them build their businesses by better understanding women. She is the co-author of What She’s Not Telling You: Why Women Hide The Whole Truth and What Marketers Can Do About it.