How and Why You Must Be a Smart Job Search Networker

How and Why You Must Be a Smart Job Search Networker 99 It's all about who you know and how you met them. This is a guest post by Rosa Elizabeth Vargas. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. If you are waiting for a magic wand so you swiftly “apparate” a new jobâ€"while it is a marvelous idea â€"you will be highly disappointed. If you are banking only on online résumé submissions to do the trick â€"sorry to tell ya â€"more disappointment is forthcoming. What you must fold into your job search plans, in addition to acquiring a résumé which positions you above other qualified candidates and attaining game-changing interview techniques, is networking so you create opportunities for yourself!eval Let’s integrate the following into your job search concoction, shall we? LinkedIn. Become a LinkedIn wizard and explore all the power LinkedIn offers you! For example, summon some moxie and ask for introductions to dealmakers in your industry. You definitely should consider looking up and approaching old acquaintances. True story: One of my clients fashioned her own luck by stretching her networking comfort zone on LinkedIn.eval She contacted one of her connections, who was connected to another person she did not know, who worked at a company she was highly interested in. She asked to be introduced and boy, did they answer! She personally willed an interview, earned the job offer, and they even provided full relocation. (Poof!) Have a clear view of your path. Don’t attend every networking event you hear about. Be selective and wise! Where would you most likely meet the right people? Will companies you are interested in be represented at this event? What can you offer? Don't waste your time or that of others. Be prepared. Opportunities will come up and completely blindside you. Be 100% ready for them. Picture this: You are at the supermarket (play along, please) and you hear someone calling your name. You scan for the source and are surprised to see an old colleague. They ask you how you are doing and where you are working now. You, slightly embarrassed, explain you are out of work but actively looking. They ask for your details. You put down the tomatoes you are holding and begin to look for a pen and piece of paper so you can write down your email address and phone number. You hope against hope that they will remember to look again at that little scrap of paper when they arrive homeâ€"but what if they don’t? Now picture this: Your former colleague inquires where you are currently working. You share that you are in between jobs at the moment, as you conveniently reach into your wallet and then hand to them your personal networking card which contains all your social medial links, your job target, and your value offer! Below is a front-and-back-example of a job-winning network card. I leave you with this quote: “The richest people in the world look for and build networks, everyone else looks for work.” ~ Robert Kiyosaki About the Author Rosa Elizabeth Vargas is a Certified Master Resume Writer who is quadruple-certified. She helps careerists as owner and principal writer for www.careersteering.com with marketing tools such as resumes, bios, social profiles, brand development, blog and website development, job search coaching, and interview coaching. You can follow her career advice on Twitter at @resumeservice or reach over email at writer@careersteering.com. This article is part of the Over $6000 in Prizes: It’s The 6th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our sponsors: WebHostingBuzz is a reliable web hosting company with the servers hosted at multiple US and Europe locations and over 30,000 happy customers worldwide. If you want Rosa Elizabeth Vargas to win, share this article with your friends. If you liked this article, you'll also enjoy Clever Career Networking Tip Inspired By McDonald’s Big Mac.

Media Comparison and Strategy Blog, Podcast, Magazine Book - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Media Comparison and Strategy Blog, Podcast, Magazine Book - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As a blog owner, podcaster, magazine publisher and soon to be book author, Ive learned a lot about media creation, distribution, marketing and branding. Today I would like to discuss differences, benefits and how to build and market each type. I firmly believe that various media supports each other and that with the proper combination, you can be successful in reaching your audience and making a positive impact. I will compare each to a type of television: basic, cable and ppv. Blogging (basic television): Having a blog is starting to become a mandatory career/personal brand deliverable. By blogging you are giving away free content, in return for possible advertising revenue streams and the many soft benefits, such as consulting opportunities, press coverage, relationships that lead to jobs and friends that last forever. A blog is dynamic and allows you to rank higher in search engines because of the refresh rate when you post, along with keywords and links. Blogs attract so many links because there is so much content being produced and if its quality and the personal brand writing it has credibility, they will want to link it as a resource to their readers. Blogs can be free or paid depending on what you are using them for. They can be personal, professional or both and either way, if you establish one, then it is part of your eBrand. I started blogging on October 4th of 2006 and just found my first blog today Drive to Succeed. On March 14th, I leveraged that content and started this blog. Cost: Free with WordPress.com or Blogspot, but paid with Typepad or hosting WordPress.org Marketing: A blog doesnt market itself unless you are best friends with Robert Scoble and he links to you. You need to network with blogs in your field, swap links, guest post, write for traditional media, pitch stories to journalists, and comment on other blogs. Delivery: A blog delivers itself after you do a post. It automatically winds up in Google and people can view it on your blog. There are no delivery costs or logistics really. Podcasting (basic television): If you dont have a video camera, digital camera or web camera by now, you are at a tremendous loss. Podcast advertising is increasing at a faster rate than blogging. The podcast medium is more powerful than any other type because it shows a persons entire personal brand, including their personality and appearance. No picture or written article can capture a person quite like video can. I use podcasts on this blog, as well as Personal Branding TV to show the world that I practice what I preach and to get more personal and emotional with my audience. Cost: There is no cost with uploading and sharing video, but there is an upfront cost for participation/ a barrier to entry. A camera can cost you as low at $60 and as high as a few thousand dollars. Its not always about quality these days, but more about the message. Editing software can run between $30 and a few thousand as well and there are other tools advanced podcasters use like amplifiers and microphones. Marketing: To market a podcast, you can syndicate it through your blog, host it on video sharing websites such as YouTube and social networks, such as Facebook. Delivery: Social networks and blogs are the predominant forces when it comes to delivering podcast content. Magazine (Cable Television): A lot of people stop at a blog or podcast, but I took it a step further. I believe you have to pay more for higher quality goods and Personal Branding Magazine is definitely worthwhile. Remember that a blog is typically written by a single author and that a magazine is a compilation of content from various authors. In this case, Personal Branding Magazine spans globally with about 40 writers and 25 articles in each issue. The idea behind the magazine is that its static content that is produced in the form of a document. In my case, its only electronic, but a lot of magazines make it to print. From the readers perspective, it feels different than a blog because its more tangible, but at the same time it cant be tagged or sorted. Cost: My only cost is my time, which is worth more than money. Typically, you have to pay writers, a publishing service and a cost per issue released. Marketing: I use blogs, podcasts and email lists to market my magazine. Its really hard for a lot of magazines to break through the clutter, so they have to be creative in how they catch attention. Its a branding game and if you have the right contacts, you can succeed. Delivery: I use the magazines website to gain subscribers and I distribute through a list. I know a lot of people who have a more automated approach, which is more expensive and of course delivery through your local CVS or airport is very expensive. Book (Pay-Per-View): So I kind of forced myself to introduce my book on this post. All I can really say is that its focused on personal branding (surprise surprise) and skewed to eBranding. The book will be published by Kaplan Publishing, who is a leading provider of career and training books. You might remember them for their SAT, GMAT and LSAT training courses, along with their supplemental books. The book will go on Amazon around January and in a store near you (US only) next April, ready for the next graduating class. A book is PPV because its a linear piece of writing that has the highest degree of editing, proofing and content. A blog is more scattered thoughts, while a magazine revolves around a theme. A book has multiple people involved and is produced almost like a movie. Cost: Typically you get paid an advance and then royalties on each book. Of course very few books are published and even fewer are best sellers (4%). There are a few hundred thousand books published each year. The cost is time, production, delivery and marketing. If you outsource the marketing/PR, it will cost you a lot of money, but save you time. Marketing: Be prepared to do 80% of the marketing from what Ive heard authors say. Starting a blog, podcast and magazine certainly helps support the sales of the book. Building bridges in the media and with other bloggers is critical. Speaking engagements and byline articles are also important. The big tip is to form relationships before you actually need help. Delivery: If you work with a publisher, then your book will at least be on Amazon. Other channels are Barnes and Nobles and book resellers. Twitter Responses

To Effect Change You Need to be Heard - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

To Effect Change… You Need to be Heard - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career How many times have you said to yourself … They just aren’t getting what I’m trying to say? Or otherwise felt you weren’t being heard? Perhaps they weren’t and you weren’t! There are numerous factors that could be affecting  whether or not you are being heard. Some are within your control and others are completely out of your control. Timing is everything There are moments when the timing is just not right. It happens. Try to make adjustments so that your message can be heard in the way you want it to be delivered. When you can control the timing and can influence other factors (such as environment, location, time of day, energy levels, interest level, etc.) you owe it to your audience to do your best and to insure  your delivery has the best chance to be heard. Delivery is important For example, if you have Fire in your Eyes or are Raising your Voice you can almost be assured that your message WILL NOT be heard. Why? Because although your passion is coming through it’s not likely that your message is. The likelihood of being heard drops dramatically when your emotions are driving the conversation. Being heard The goal is to insure you are being heard. Taking the time to understand and listen to other persons (or parties) is important. When listening: Repeat back what you  heard to insure sure you truly understand their point of view. Don’t try and convince them  of your POV … until you’ve heard theirs. Focus on listening to their point of view and giving it the respect and consideration it deserves. This is YOUR opportunity to insure THEY are being heard. Remember If you want to effect change you need to be heard. Really being heard When you are being heard your authenticity will come through. Your relationships will be enhanced and when done right your communication skills will precede you. Remember: To Effect Change … You Need to be Heard Author: Jeff  is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

Siblings without rivalry

Siblings without rivalry When I was born, I had an older sister. First, I copycatted everything she did (older sisters, I can practically see you rolling your eyes) and then, with time, I adopted less of a “monkey see monkey do” approach but more of a “monkey see, monkey decide if monkey wants to do the exact same thing or try something different” approach. This allowed me to realize that I felt inspired by whatever she did (number one singles on tennis team in high school) regardless of the fact that I was doing something totally different (ran cross country in high school). Today, it’s not just the two of us anymore and I am lucky to have a great big modern family. As in, instead of one sibling I now have SIX. I have 2 sisters and 4 brothers and some are half siblings, some are stepsiblings. Here are seven ways to nurture great relationships with your siblings. 1.       The College study abroad internship: I was delighted to help when my younger sister asked me for my thoughts on a cover letter to apply for a college study abroad internship. I Googled a couple of examples, which can be a good way to locate a template, and then sent her a draft that highlighted what makes her unique: she is a record-holding athlete on her Collegiate swim team and Dean’s List student. Tip: Ask older siblings for help with resumes and cover letters. 2.       Living healthfully: When I tried a yoga class 2 years ago and became a weekly student, I told my youngest brother about it and was surprised to hear that he also did yoga. When we were on a family vacation recently, I learned of a yoga class at the resort and mentioned it to him. He joined me at the next class. We both liked the instructor and it was fun to chat about it post-practice. Win-win. Tip: Be a healthy influence on each other.  3.       Being different: In college my roommate introduced me to country music. I enjoyed it but never really discussed this interest with my family or friends since they did not like country (okay, I was openly a Carrie Underwood fan but that was it). I kept it on the DL until my brother told me that he was also into country. Next thing I knew we were driving around with the windows open belting the best of Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean.  Tip: Own your unique interests, you never know who may share them.  4.       Traveling the world: The oldest of my younger brothers (I should just draw a family tree for you…) dared to adventure far away, all the way to China to teach English. While he was there he took up boxing with an Aussie trainer. When he returned home, we went for a run and I learned about what living in China was like and after he taught me how to spar in a nearby park (tip 2 in action!) Tip: Learn about your sibling’s life and adventures.  5.       Starting your own business: My older sister is now married, a mom of two, and started her own business last year (#superwoman). My siblings helped her revamp her website and prepare materials.   Today, everyone in the family continues to network on her behalf, even if it’s just via posting relevant articles to her business Facebook page or mentioning to a friend that she does personal training. Tip: Boss all of your younger siblings around! (JK) Tap your sibs to network.  6.       Making a fool out of yourself: We’ve all been to weddings or parties where there are silly games or contests or dancing. On a family vacation when one of my brothers volunteered to be in a dance contest, I realized that despite everyone watching, he was dancing like no one was watching. I was inspired to “just be in the moment” and have a relaxed, care free attitude (fellow type As I’m looking at you).  Tip: Confidence is contagious. Join in.  7.       A huge breakup: This is a big one. And it’s about all of my siblings being there for me when I left a relationship a couple of years ago. They sent me supportive letters, helped me move, my older sis arranged for a sitter and her and my brother-in-law went out on the town with me, and everyone rallied around me during a totally traumatic time. I would not be this better version of myself without the love and support of my family. Tip: Let your family know, feel, how grateful you are for them via your actions (i.e. dedicate your column to siblings Kimmy, Molly, George, Jonathon, Chad Sam.) Author Archive Photo credit Photo credit

How to Find the Best Resume Writing Services

How to Find the Best Resume Writing ServicesIf you are looking for a quality resume writing service, then there are several factors you need to consider in order to find the best possible service. Below are some tips that will help you make a decision.Many people opt for the companies that offer free service. However, these services tend to be mediocre at best and their work usually lacks professionalism. Most free services are also less experienced than more professional firms and might not have the necessary time and expertise to get your resume and cover letter prepared to the highest standard.If you want to ensure that you get the best results from your resume writing services, then you must hire a company that is known for its professionalism. This means that the firm you hire should not only be able to produce the most professional resumes but also have an excellent customer service record. If your resume writing service cannot provide a satisfactory response after you have sen t it to them, then they will never be able to show you the quality of service they can provide. You will end up with less work and will be left wondering why you were not given the quality service you were hoping for.Most reputable companies offer a guaranteed professional service. In order to get this guarantee, the company has to conduct various tests and training to help the writer to become the best they can be. These tests and training are doing to determine the top quality of resumes that will be submitted. This ensures that the writer can provide you with a stellar resume that is worthy of your attention.The next factor to look for in resume writing services is whether or not they are offering a guarantee. Not all firms will offer a guarantee. This means that you will need to be very careful when choosing your provider. If the only guarantees offered are on a one-time basis, then you should probably choose another firm to continue your search.There are several websites that o ffer professional resume writing. These are great resources if you are looking for a resume writing service.One very good resource is the Better Business Bureau, which allows you to find and compare the opinions of other customers who have received the same services and have been provided with the same type of service. This allows you to easily find the best resume writing services on the market today and to be sure that you will receive high quality results.In addition to finding high quality services, it is important to find a service that offers high quality results. This means that they should have years of experience in producing quality resumes and cover letters. If they do not have a track record for producing high quality work, then they are not worth your time or effort.

Easy Ways To Try And Reduce Employee Sick Days

Easy Ways To Try And Reduce Employee Sick Days Everyone gets sick from time to time, and there isn’t much that you can do about it. If you want to reduce the amount of times that your employees come down with a bug however, then this is super easy for you to do and a few simple work changes could make all the difference. Educate One of the best ways for you to try and stop workplace illness would be for you to try and educate your team on ways to stay healthy. Try and encourage them to use hand soap and to exercise on a regular basis. You also need to put up notices during flu season telling them to cover their mouths when they cough, as this can significantly reduce the chance of the bug passing onto someone else. Little things like this may sound obvious, but when you have a team of people who all work in the same room, this is a breeding ground for germs and things like this can really limit spreading. Flu Shots When flu season comes along, you may find that a lot of your employees are affected. One way for you to try and stop this would be for you to offer company flu shots. People are much more likely to get the shot done at work when compared to going to their doctors to get it done, and you can also protect your team in the long run this way as well. Sure, it may cost you, but your employees will appreciate it and it will also help them to understand the importance of vaccinations. Keep Everything Clean If you don’t have a professional cleaner then it is well worth investing in one. You have to make sure that your break rooms and even your bathrooms are cleaned routinely with a commercial cleaning product. You also need to check your air conditioning units as well, as this can be a breeding ground for mould and bacteria. It’s also a good idea for you to hire commercial HVAC companies as they can work with you to make sure that your unit is as clean as it can be. Encourage Sick Employees to Stay At Home You may need your team in the office as much as possible and this is completely understandable, but if they are really sick then you may want to ask them to stay at home. It’s not worth your employee’s condition to worsen due to sheer exhaustion and you don’t want to spread it to other team members either or you could have a real problem on your hands. Employee Wellness They say that prevention is the best method and this is most certainly the case. For this reason, you should try and provide your team with a wellness program. This could include educating your team on how to stay healthy and you could also offer them incentives as well. Consider handing out free cereal bars when your team are on their break or work with them to make sure that they get the support they need.

Social Media is hurting Young Peoples Career

Social Media is hurting Young Peoples Career LinkedIn 8 Facebook Twitter 5 Google+ Job hunting for Generation Y is far from straight forward. Not only do they have to impress with their résumés and in interviews, but they now have to pass  an out of office test â€" one that perhaps many aren’t aware they’re even taking. The dawn of social media has meant that parts of our lives that were kept  out of the workplace are now public knowledge (if your privacy settings up to scratch that is).Why Social Media is Hindering Young PeopleA  study carried out by CareerBuilder  in 2012 found that out of 2,300 recruitment professionals, nearly 40% use social media to screen applicants. Another piece of research along similar lines  by the New York Times found that 70% of those asked have not hired someone because of what they found while screening them online.Those less than flattering tweets about an old boss that was particularly disliked or the Facebook picture of them, drunk and practically naked are no  longer private jokes between friends. But do young people realise? Well not according to a survey by Findlaw.com; only  29% of young social media users (18-34) have posted a photo or status/comment that they worry could affect their career prospects. So around 70% of young  people seem to be blissfully unaware of the damage they are potentially doing to their careers by being careless online.But are young people just completely ignorant of the impact their behaviour on social media could be having on their professional life? Or is there  something a little more complicated behind these figures?That’s very hard to gauge.This generation has been brought up with Facebook and Twitter as part and parcel of their lives. Ever since they hit their teenage years (often even  younger), they have been updating their profiles via social networks at least a few times every day. At that point those pictures of a drunken house party  are seen as a sign of popularity or the provocative pose is seen as merely a show reel of their attractiveness. So it’s unsurprising, if after graduation  they aren’t aware those types of pictures â€" even if taken a couple of years ago â€" are maybe affecting their ability to land a job.Things that used to be kept in private photo albums or sealed away in the part of mind not used in the office are now easily available to employers. Some  members of the older generations reading this can maybe imagine the damage that could have been done to their careers if they’d lived the sixties,  seventies or eighties through the internet. Though we’re straying a bit into the right and wrong, fair or unfair, territory here, it is an interesting  thought to consider nonetheless.Equally it is a possibility that young people are caught off guard that their Facebook profile is actually more likely to be screened than their LinkedIn  profile â€" 65% to 63%. The account they created with the sole purpose of impressing an employer is bypassed in favour of an in-depth look a t your ‘private’  life.There’s also the issue with the difference in values and idea of what is acceptable and not. A twenty-something applicant thinks a house party (apologies  for the repeated example) is great fun; a forty-something employer thinks it is evidence of irresponsible behaviour. A young applicant may think a photo of  themself smoking marihuana is their business â€" an employer might, but almost certainly will, deem it an undesirable quality. And the list goes on.Why Social Media is Helping Young PeopleSocial media can just as easily have a positive impact on a young person’s career prospects. The digitally savvy generation of today are in the perfect  position to manipulate social media to their ends. If they are prepared to think outside the box when applying for jobs social media becomes a  valuable tool in their arsenal â€" a way to skip ahead of older generations. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. There are numerous examples of social media being utilised by people who want to get ahead in the careers game. Take Matthew Epstein for instance, he was  young and had been blocked at every turn in his hunt for a dream job so what did he do? He created a YouTube video which went viral on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. He got invited to  interviews with both Google and Apple; a perfect example of why young people’s comfort on social media, and online in general, can be a real positive.The fact that social media is being used to screen them is probably not something that sits well with young people. However, if they pre-empt the almost  inevitable search they can sculpt their profiles to be exactly what they their potential employer wants to see. And let’s face it young people are far more  likely to have caught onto this possi bility than older people are.Even if they struggle with that, most young people are wise enough to have updated their privacy settings to lock down their profile from any prying eyes.  This is something that older users of social networks might not be savvy enough to do â€" leading to the tables being turned as they are now hindered by  social media.People under the age of 30 are far more likely to be active users of any social network than someone over 30. That’s hardly ground-breaking research â€" it  is obvious. Although so much of this debate is focused on the damage a reckless user can do to their prospects, social media users could just as easily  find their activity working in their favour.In the same survey referenced above by CareerBuilder, 29% of those surveyed had found something that had caused them to hire a candidate. A selection of  the reasons cited were a good feel for the candidate’s personality (58%), great communication skills (49%), candidate was creative (4 4%) and well rounded,  showed a wide range of interests (51%). These are things that perhaps an older candidate is not as likely to be demonstrating on their social profiles â€" if  they even have them.By no means was this article intended to be conclusive in either direction. Whether social media is definitively a positive or negative for young job  seekers is fairly subjective â€" after all it depends how clever they are at using it. Though, it does appear that social media’s role will only grow in the  employment market over the coming years; so this is an area that perhaps needs to be explored (especially with the current rate of youth unemployment) in  more depth.