Career Advice

I love to "parallel play"—working alongside someone else on Facetime or in person without direct collaboration. It helps keep me off my phone and from doom scrolling. Similar to an accountability partner! Especially since I work remotely, it also feels like I’m working alongside a co-worker even though it’s usually just a friend in a completely different industry.

I haven’t participated in a conference in so long as an attendee. Curious to know what is out there for social media? What conferences to people go to every year and feel they get value from? Trying to get that budget item in ha!

As a social media manager/ parent/ person with lots of interests and activities, the distractions are endless. I frequently have ideas when reviewing feeds or working on projects, but in order to stay on task during dedicated project or task time, I have a “parking lot” where I write down or screenshot any ideas I want to revisit. I block time weekly to review this list. During that time, they’re either deleted, filed away, or lead to inspiration or new projects. This helps me reduce the number of “SQUIRREL!!” moments during focused periods of work. Would love to hear what works for others!

Hello everyone! I’m hoping to speak at more webinars, conferences, and podcasts in the upcoming year. I usually do about 6 a year, and am hoping to ramp it up a little (I loooooove getting to educate folks on social media).What are your favorites that I should check out?Bonus if you have a contact you’d be willing to set me up with, or if you are the contact!

As someone with ADHD, I have a lot of productivity tips, failures, and everything in-between. I can be sporadic, stuck in strategy, you name it. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in this profession, especially when you’re a social team of one (but still want to do the work of a team). I’ve kept journal, sticky notes, digital planners, physical planners, pomodoro timers...yeah. The biggest productivity tip I have is this:Keep a list with 5 essentials for your brand. What do I mean? I’m talking audience, color scheme, adjectives describing your brand - that kind of thing. You’re probably like me and have no trouble looking through analytics, learning about the “algorithm” for whatever platform, thinking about ways to repurpose content and make fresh, new ideas stick. But at the end of the day, come back to that list when you sit down to draft content. Have the strategy and all the fancy things you’ve thought of in the back of your head, but come back to that list. Keep it right in front of yo

We’ve all had moments in our careers where we have learned from advice we were given. So I’m curious:What's the best career advice you've ever received? How has it impacted your professional journey?Thread your responses below!

Some of you have met Carly from when she was a Sprout customer, but she joined the content team and is now writing articles for Sprout!One of her first articles is out and it’s so good. The opening line hits like a freight train, too.The idea that social media is “something the intern can do” is about as outdated as saying the internet is all cat videos.-Carly HillYou can check out the article in full, here. Let me know what you think in the replies!

I find that sitting in the same environment day in and day out - whether you work from home or in office - can often stifle productivity and creativity.If you have the flexibility, work from a coffee shop for a few hours or even just work from a different room in your home (the kitchen table instead of your office) or a different space in your office building (get outside on the patio if you have one or hang out in a lounge space).A simple change of location can sometimes break the monotony and help stimulate your brain with new ideas from your surroundings. 

I keep a blank piece of paper next to me on my desk and whenever I get an idea that doesn’t relate to what I’m working on, I write it down there so I don’t lose focus. I used to keep this as a running list on my laptop’s Notes app, but found that I’d end up forgetting about it or it’d get lost in the mess.At the end of the day (most of the time 🤭), I go through the notes and either add them to my to-do list for the next day or slot them into my calendar wherever makes sense. It has been helpful in cutting down my constant clicking back and forth between tabs/projects and I find that when I physically write down my to-do’s I remember them better.

How many of us routinely juggle 100+ projects? That’s where time blocking works for the win for me.I reserve time on my calendar for long-form writing and video work as well as batch work the “little emails.” 

Earlier this year, I found myself feeling overwhelmed and easily distracted by an endless list of tasks, especially on social media, where things can seem never-ending. While I’ve always been good at time management, I realized I needed a better way to feel accomplished at the end of the day and set realistic expectations for myself.That’s when I discovered Todoist and Pomofocus—two apps that have been game-changers for organizing tasks and managing time. They pair perfectly with the Pomodoro Technique, a productivity method designed to keep you focused and energized.Here’s how it works:Pick a task and set a timer for 25 minutes. Work solely on that task until the timer goes off. Take a 5-minute break to reset. Repeat the cycle, and after about 2 hours, take a longer break.This technique breaks tasks into manageable chunks, making them feel less daunting. If you're curious, here's a great explainer: Todoist’s guide to the Pomodoro Technique.At first, I was skeptical, but adopting this

For me the most effective way to stay productive is to put my phone in another room, or if I’m in the office, to put it in my bag on the other side of my cubicle. Since I use Sprout, it’s easier to engage on our social channels using the smart inbox, which helps me stay on task and makes it so I don’t get distracted by every notification that pops up on my phone.

Does anyone know of a recruiter that specializes in social media business development and leadership positions? Thank you!

One of the primary goals of our B2B company’s presence on social is to attract new talent. A triumph from the year was increased job applicants due to our social media presence, which was previously nonexistent. Since I was brought on just a year ago, seeing this direct impact has helped validate my efforts (and my job!).The challenge in 2024 will be to keep this up. Our small team is discussing how to make job posts more engaging than just a simple description of the role. We would like to create a series of video shorts where we interview current employees about their experiences.How do others creatively promote job openings?

Thank you so much to those who attended our Hospitality Industry Peer Group! I just sent the recap email with the recording and deck.@emily.sanchez @mads.gjoel @mary @cassidy.gallagher @andrea.sorensen @lindsey.simon @taylor.paul @Melanie.Stinson @brittany.carchano @mike.blight, please continue to network with each other when you need advice or ideas. For those of you where weren’t able to attend, I’ve attached the deck with discuss questions. Please share your thoughts on some of the things we discussed below.@isabella.meraz @alisoncdeborba @AToms.PHR @sarah.guest @wendy.drago @louise.o'brien @stelios.antoniou @rhonda.holt @jennifer.norton @nickgilham @JoelMorales @thomas.o'sullivan @samanthaeng @Harriet @bernasconi @claire.warne @sara.hall @liza.mickens @debbie.miller @curtis.gabriel @suviche marketing @kayla.stephens @travis.sandoval @rosalynn.sarvi @lisa.culbertson @anthony @morgan.lee @redai0453 What are some of your best practices for audience growth? What are some ways you are u

Hey all - I’m Katy and I lead Riskonnect’s (B2B SaaS) Global Social Media program. My best productivity tip is: Schedule time to get specific tasks done on your calendar.  Scheduling a specific time to get work for Social done is so helpful - especially for folks like me who work with global colleagues, that may lean towards scheduling a meeting first thing in the morning (when a social post is set to go out, or to be checked on once live).  This can mean either time-blocking so that you always have time in the day to get work for Social done, or it can mean adding mandatory time into your day for both on and off the clock time. 

If I am feeling overwhelmed and scattered, it helps to focus on my breathing and transform the anxiety into productive energy that I can channel into work. 

I don’t know about anyone else, but once I became a parent, my brain totally shifted personally and, honestly, professionally. My now 3yo, energetic, yet sweet son has given my husband and I a run for our money (and brain cells). Because of that, I write down almost everything. From grocery lists, Target runs and, most especially, work tasks, if it’s not written down, it’s not getting done (or purchased).It seems silly and simple, yes. But this has truly been my personal game changer since becoming a working mom. I’ll write down things such as, “Reply to xyz person about xyz topic BY FRIDAY,” which is something I never had to do until the last few years.But if it’s written down and needs to be checked off? It gets done quicker. Simple as that.

So many time I find myself finally getting into a project, only to get a call or Teams message that pulls me away from my work. Hitting the Do Not Disturb button is an absolute life saver when your working on a project with a deadline and need some space to breathe.