5 Internet Tools to Help Your Career

How can you use your Internet skills to stand out from the office crowd? Here are 5 great Internet tools you can use to improve your career prospects - FREE.

The best way to stand out from the office crowd is to outperform your peers. Most of my content is about starting your own business online, but the Internet also offers great tools that can help improve your traditional career prospects, too.

Instead of becoming "that guy" who annoys everybody else by brown-nosing the boss, you can advance your career by improving your own expertise and qualifications. Today the Internet offers easy and free ways to help you do this, even if you are a shy person or hesitant to demand attention.

Here are 5 online tools you can use to impress your boss without sucking up. You may use these in your personal life already, but how about taking advantage of them for your own professional advancement?

1. Google Alerts: Sign up for free Google Alerts on the topics your job involves. This free service will send you emails containing the latest news headlines on your chosen keywords daily. Reading just one email a day can quickly add up to increase your expertise.
   
   
2. Message Boards: Find (or start) web-based communities related to your industry. Participate there to learn more about your business and make new friends, too.
   
   
3. Social Networks: Take advantage of Linked In, Facebook, and other social networks. These free online tools are specifically designed to help you meet other people with similar interests. Use them to meet new colleagues, industry experts, and the 'big names' in your field.
   
   
4. Free Newsletters: Most industry experts and consultants today offer not just web sites but free email newsletters. These newsletters discuss their products and services but can also be a valuable source of info on new trends and opportunities. The more you know about the latest trade news and industry gossip, the more informed your decisions and meeting participation will be.
   
   
5. Distance Learning: Sign up for courses online. You can start or complete a degree, earn industry certifications, or learn new languages - all in your spare time. These additional credentials can advance your career, and your boss might even pay for the courses!
   
   
   Each of these tactics will help you learn more about your business than your boss or peers may expect, and are probably more than your average colleague is going to pursue. Your interest in your profession will become apparent as your daily work becomes more informed by your new expertise, perspective and contacts.
   
   People naturally defer to and respect those with more knowledge, so putting your online expertise to work for you by using these tools to advance your career (with becoming a brown noser) is a winning, low risk, and cost-effective strategy for career improvement.