The growing trend for social media provides us an opportunity to build our personal brand. It is important to establish your personal brand that will benefit your career and showcase your achievements.

“Here’s why: Whether you’re on the job hunt, a student, or gainfully employed, you must think, act, and plan like a business leader. With the surge of social media, you have not only the ability, but you now have the need to manage your own reputation, both online and in real life.

Employers will Google you before they even invite you to an interview. (Your current employer probably has an eye on what you’re doing, too.) And when you interact with people, both online and offline, they’ll build up an image of who you are over time.”

Read More at Forbes.com >

With more than 2 million companies and 135 million members, LinkedIn can provide a valuable tool in expanding your professional network and building your business presence.   

Below are five benefits of having a LinkedIn profile:

1. Showcase your profile: Share your education, professional experience, resume and additional information that can be viewed by businesses. Having recommendations is an extra tool that makes your profile more attractive to employers.

2. Network: Connect with your family, friends, co-workers, colleagues and old classmates. You also have the ability to upload your contacts from Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo and other address books. Connecting with other members in your profession is a great way to grow your network and could lead to job opportunities.

3. Job Alerts: LinkedIn will email you recommended job openings that relate to your profession.

4. Events: LinkedIn can help you find events to attend that may be beneficial to your career. These include: conferences, career fairs, educational classes and much more.

5. Groups: Join groups that share a common interest with you. This will provide you a chance to interact with members and share advice on certain topics.

Average is Over. A recent New York Times article, written by Thomas Friedman, expresses that in today’s world “everyone needs to find their extra – their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.”

Friedman suggests future jobs “will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average,” due to the increase of globalization and I.T. advances.

How will you define yourself to become above average? 

Having a solid resume is crucial for landing your dream job.  Here are ten helpful tips to improving your resume: 

1. Know the purpose - Sell yourself; keep in mind the main objective of a resume is to land an interview. 

2. Use appealing titles and headings - Create titles that grab the attention of your potential employer.  Try to keep the titles as descriptive as possible, while highlighting the most important information about your work experience, education and skills. 

3. State achievements - State your professional achievements and abilities rather than simply listing responsibilities.  Prioritize your job descriptions by importance and impressiveness. 

4. Use Numbers - Include numbers to enhance your professional achievements.  For example, "managed two divisions and increased production by 34%."

5. Keep your resume to 1-2 pages in length - Don't list all of your past work experience unless it is appropriate.  An employer won't care that you worked at a movie theater when you were 16.  If you find yourself having problems filling an entire page, don't add irrelevant content just to take up space.  Remember, quality over quantity.  

6. Use action words - your resume needs to get noticed.  Use strong keywords such as, "managed," "directed," "supervised"...etc. when describing your previous jobs. 

7. Keep your resume plain and simple - Don't try to add fancy designs or fonts.  Bullet points are a great way to separate text and keep your resume organized.  

8. Print with quality - If you are submitting a hard copy of your resume, be sure to use plain white paper and quality ink.  

9. Adjust your resume for each potential employer - Identify the needs of the company and address this in your resume.  Prepare yourself for a potential phone interview after submitting your resume.  Research the company you have applied with and rehearse explaining how you could add value to their business.  

10. Review your resume - Ask multiple friends to review your resume and provide feedback.  When your done checking for errors... check again! 

We all have challenges. What’s important is how you overcome those challenges. Steve Gleason knows what it’s like to face the challenges life throws at him. Gleason was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gleason played linebacker for Washington State University before he moved on to play for the New Orleans Saints.

On Nov. 12, 2011, Steve Gleason delivered his message to the Washington State University football team before they played Arizona State. His message is one the players won’t forget.

Portland Trail Blazers Brandon Roy will have to retire from professional basketball this month due to degenerative knees. The 27-year-old has played in limited games the previous two years because of knee issues. Roy, a three-time All-Star, is one of many athletes whose careers are cut short from a serious injury.

Unfortunately, athletes like Roy, who are unable to continue professional sports due to injuries, never really plan for their next career.

Here at Gone Pro, we strive to equip former athletes with the knowledge and skills they need to pursue their career transition into the workplace. Our services are specially designed to cater towards the former athlete, which include: Resume Review, Career Management Assessments, Career Coaching and Career Opportunities. Be sure to become a member at Gone Pro and start planning for your future before you retire from professional sports!

The Holidays may be the best time to search for a new job. While most people wait until next year to start his or her search, there are many reasons to look now! “In fact, if you plan on looking for a job any time within the next four to six months, the recommended time to start looking is now. Once many executives and others receive Christmas bonuses (around late December and into January), a large number of them will start looking for jobs. Once this starts, you might as well forget it. Your competition will be radically increased. Start aggressively looking for a job right now and you will not have to compete with all of these people.”

 Read more click here.

There was never any doubt that April Conrad was Daddy’s little girl. Jim Benefield’s only child worshiped him. To her, he was larger than life.

He taught her how to fish. By the age of nine, she had her own tackle box, rod and reel and an aluminum boat to paddle around the three-acre lake behind their house in Tupelo, Miss.

She loved the outdoors and soon added golf to the list of sports her father taught her. The more she played, the more she became hooked.

“I wanted to be the next Nancy Lopez, not only because she was the best golfer, but because of the things she did for people away from the golf course. She was a great role model for young girls,’’ Conrad said.

It would turn out that the sports she learned from her father helped Conrad grow into a well-rounded young lady.

She played golf in high school when the family moved to Florida and was good enough to earn a scholarship to Pepperdine University, which had started its first women’s golf team.

Conrad played in an LPGA Tournament when she was a 16-year-old amateur. She qualified for the U.S. Open when she was 19.

April played four years at Pepperdine, was captain of the team for three of those years. She turned pro, aiming her sights on a Ladies Professional Golf Association career.

“I played some of the mini-tours out west and I played one year on the Futures Tour,’’ Conrad recalled. “After being out there three or four years, I hit the late 20s phase and I thought, “Hmmm. What do I really want to do?’ Do I really want to be a professional golfer, or do I want to do something else?’’

Her decision was made easier after a shoulder injury prevented her from finishing her swing. She  tried cortisone shots. She considered surgery, but declined when told by doctors they could not guarantee the results she desired.

“I reached the point that accomplishments are pretty relevant and in reality, I had reached a number of my goals,’’ Conrad said.

“I had friends that tried Qualifying School 15 times. I knew I did not want to be that person.’’

Putting a professional golf career in her rear view mirror, Conrad started an event management company. She set up and managed charity and corporate golf tournaments around the country.

She and Will Conrad married 15 years ago and the couple now has two children. Anna is 13 and William is 11.

A visit to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis led to Conrad’s next venture. She wanted to become involved in fund raising for the hospital.

“I knew I didn’t want to do another golf tournament,’’ she said. “So I took some time and talked with the people at St. Jude’s. My husband and I were really into fly-fishing. We even went fly-fishing in Wyoming on our honeymoon.’’

She eventually turned that passion into Hooked on a Cure Celebrity Fly Fishing Classic. The first tournament was held on the White River in Arkansas. It proved to be highly popular and in the first four years raised more than $200,000.

When the economy spiraled into free-fall, the tournament took a time out.

"It’s an expensive event to produce and 100 percent goes back to St. Jude’s. In the meantime, we have had some (fishing) trips and made a donation back to the hospital,’’ Conrad said.

For the past six years, Conrad has been an executive with The Coca-Cola Co. She is currently Market Development Manager and based in Alabama.

H.L. “Sandy’’ Williams Jr., is Chairman of the Board of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. in Corinth, Miss. It has been in the family for generations. Conrad worked there early in her career with Coke and the two have remained friends.

“April is very personable, easy to get to know,’’ Williams said. “She is smart, savvy and perceptive. She gets the big picture.’’

She helped Williams start a foundation, worked for the foundation’s board of directors and got to know the business.

“She is a salesperson who has a lot of creative ideas,’’ Williams said.

Her lifelong passion for sports played a vital role into her transition into the male dominated corporate world.

“First of all, you don’t run into a lot of women in business that play golf and know how to fly fish,’’ Conrad said.

“It’s the discipline that helps you. You can’t pick up golf and be successful immediately. There is also a personal accountability and that probably plays well into the business world.’’

She point out three keys to being successful in business.

“Understand where your strengths lie. Second, do the same thing with your opportunities. Where are the places in your skill set that you can improve on?’’ Conrad noted.  “And, third, lean toward the things that you love to do. That passion is very contagious. It can cause you to challenge yourself.’’

While much of Conrad’s life has been full of life and outdoors adventures, it reached a low point when she lost her mentor, her father, her buddy.

Jim Benefield died in 2001. He was 57and had prospered as an international import-export executive. It was a difficult time for Conrad, seeing cancer rob her father of a longer life.

Conrad always had answers. She could solve even the most difficult problems. But she was helpless when it came to helping her father.

Dr. Reuben Farris is Conrad’s uncle, the younger brother of her late father.

“I am nine years younger than my brother and April and I had more of an older brother-sister relationship,’’ said Farris, a physician in San Diego.

“She has always been confident in any setting and that was helped by being around power people all her life. Her father moved in big circles and she was exposed to that.

“I can still see her as a little tomboy running around with her Irish setter, Major Major,’’ Farris reflected. “But when her father died, it hit her hard. She admired him. He was always real supportive of her and it was tough losing him.’’

April Conrad took the boat out on a 28-acre spring-fed lake. It was located near the retirement house her parents moved to – in close proximity to his Mississippi childhood home. She and her father often fished there. They knew all the best fishing holes.

April was not alone. An urn containing her father’s ashes was secured in the boat. When she reached their favorite fishing hole, April quietly reminisced about all the good times they shared.

She later emptied the urn’s contents into the lake. It was her father’s request to her, made only days before the cancer claimed him. He wanted her to feed the fish.

Jim Benefield’s only child told her father good-bye, whispering to him that his wishes had been carried out.

A part of him will always be with her. Every time she lands a fish or hits a good shot on the golf course, her father made it all possible.

Written By: Joe Biddle

Joe Biddle has been a sports columnist sports talk radio co-host in Nashville for 31 years.  

Athough the question may seem almost impossible to answer in today’s society, Joseph Weintraub and Timothy Butler guide you through steps to help you get the answer. “Figuring out the answer to this question is not an easy task. "The real issue is to do your homework. If you're thinking this through in the moment, you're in trouble," says Butler. In his book Getting Unstuck: A Guide to Discovering Your Next Career Path, Butler cautions that you need to be prepared to do some serious introspection and consider parts of your life that you may not regularly think about.”

To read more click here.

Daniel Casteel, the President and CEO of Gone Pro, knows a thing or two about the power of athletics.  A former University of Alabama football player, Casteel played under the legendary Coach Paul “Bear Bryant,” and was the last class Coach Bryant ever coached.  A member of the 1978, 1979, and 1981 national championship teams, and a part of Coach Bryant’s celebrated “315” win, Casteel’s love for athletics is a deep rooted tradition.  It was during this time where Casteel bonded with his teammates, on and off the field, and forged friendships that would last a lifetime.   

It was these relationships that inspired the idea of Gone Pro, a career management service aimed to help former collegiate and professional athletes optimize their professional careers.  Casteel understood the importance of teamwork, and the fraternal bond athletes have for one another, and saw the need for providing this group the feedback and coaching in their professional lives that they had been accustom to in their years of competitive sports. And, a former human resources executive, he also saw the demand for former athletes by corporations who prize the personal characteristics of dedication, determination, enthusiasm, effort and teamwork that are developed after years of training in their chosen sport.  With this, Gone Pro was born. 

Along with Gone Pro, Daniel serves on the Board of Directors for The National Football Foundation, Middle Tennessee Chapter, and well as for the American Cancer Society. He is involved with “Volunteers of America,” where he helps put on a annual golf tournament, pinning former University of Alabama players against those from the University of Tennessee. 

It has been a recent question for NBA players during the lockout. What to do now?

According to the Los Angeles Times, Delonte West has been working as an employee at Regency Furniture Showrooms. The seven-year NBA veteran, who was playing for the Boston Celtics before the lockout, has turned his attention to being a furniture salesman.

To read more click here.

Today, it’s not uncommon to see a former professional athlete struggle financially once they are out of the league.  Large sums of money have been lost due to real-estate purchases, family issues, misplaced trust in poor investments and questionable financial-advisors. Many athletes find it difficult to adjust their expenses when they have stepped away from sports.

In a recent article on CNN, former NFL player LaMar C. Campbell discusses the challenges former NFL players’ face. He describes the transition from being in the NFL to the workplace as “working your way to president of a successful company, then being demoted to the stock room.” Campbell writes about the importance of professional athletes finding themselves off the field and applying there new identity into the workplace.

To read the entire article click here.