When the Biggest Mistake Is Okay (Jia Jiang)

When the Biggest Mistake Is Okay (Jia Jiang) Jia Jiang has a fun and kind of funny story about his mistake that supposedly cost him millions of dollars. But, it is okay. It wasnt the end of the world. He recovered. Read his cool story here: Embarrassing myself in front of LinkedIns CEO cost me millions of dollars, but it was the best mistake I ever made You might feel like you have made some pretty big mistakes, too. And, its okay. You can recover. Last year I was camping with some friends, one of which is a specialty pharmacist. His specialty is working with emergency room and NICU doctors. Talk about high-stress, fast-paced!  I asked him what he has seen in his job that has amazed him the most about medicine, or the human body.  After a minute to reflect, he replied: Im amazed at the bodys ability to heal itself. This, coming from someone who has seen people coming back from near-death trauma. Our careers can actually heal, too. As a job seeker we feel like we are getting a black eye, or have introduced something that is irreparably harmful. It will forever impact our brand, reputation, or marketability. In reality, though, our careers can heal.  We can heal. Just stick with it, continue to do good things, and this will pass like water under a bridge.  I know it might not feel like that now, but it can later. When the Biggest Mistake Is Okay (Jia Jiang) Jia Jiang has a fun and kind of funny story about his mistake that supposedly cost him millions of dollars. But, it is okay. It wasnt the end of the world. He recovered. Read his cool story here: Embarrassing myself in front of LinkedIns CEO cost me millions of dollars, but it was the best mistake I ever made You might feel like you have made some pretty big mistakes, too. And, its okay. You can recover. Last year I was camping with some friends, one of which is a specialty pharmacist. His specialty is working with emergency room and NICU doctors. Talk about high-stress, fast-paced!  I asked him what he has seen in his job that has amazed him the most about medicine, or the human body.  After a minute to reflect, he replied: Im amazed at the bodys ability to heal itself. This, coming from someone who has seen people coming back from near-death trauma. Our careers can actually heal, too. As a job seeker we feel like we are getting a black eye, or have introduced something that is irreparably harmful. It will forever impact our brand, reputation, or marketability. In reality, though, our careers can heal.  We can heal. Just stick with it, continue to do good things, and this will pass like water under a bridge.  I know it might not feel like that now, but it can later.

Writing An Address On A Resume

Writing An Address On A ResumeWriting an address on a resume is important, as you need to look your best and present yourself in the best light. It is also very easy to over-use the 'your' pronouns when writing an address on a resume.Overusing pronouns is just one of the writer's tools used to help distinguish you from the other candidates in the short-list. It can be quite irritating if the reader is not being made aware of this, but using this tool will get you far in this industry.Once you have decided to begin writing an address on a resume, it is time to pick the best words to use. You have many different tools to choose from, but to increase your chances of getting hired, you must keep in mind that your resume will read more clearly when it is free from typos and grammatical errors.It is important to consider the style of the company when choosing an address for your resume. The address should reflect the professionalism of the organization, if not, it will not appeal to potent ial clients or employers. It is also important to ensure that the format of the address is pleasing to the eye.The format of the address should be appropriate for the setting of the place that you are applying to. In most cases, it will be recommended that you chose the format of the address that is of a professional nature.If you are applying for a position that requires a letter of reference, then it is imperative that you use the proper format to ensure that it gets sent to the hiring manager with the resume. It is also imperative that you have an address on your resume that is professionally formatted, so that it will get noticed when it is scanned by the person reading it.It is essential that you do not make the mistake of overusing pronouns to avoid having to add any pronouns at all. When using adverbs, it is important to ensure that you only use them when they will enhance the effect of the sentence.Writing an address on a resume is a critical part of the job application proc ess. If you follow the above tips, you will ensure that your resume looks its best prepares you for the interview process.

Personal Branding Interview Pamela Slim - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Pamela Slim - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Pamela Slim, who is the author of Escape From Cubicle Nation, a book that just came out today, which is also the name of her blog.   In this interview, she discusses a lot of interesting aspects of entrepreneurship.   She talks about how not everyone can be an entrepreneur, how entrepreneurship has changed in the past decade, why people fear starting companies, and tips for leaving the cubicle to start a business.   Pams book is very relevant right now because a lot of people that are getting laid off are looking to start jobs. Should everyone try to escape from the cubicle nation? Why or why not? Everyone is not interested in or cut out to be an entrepreneur. And to have a healthy economy, we cant have everyone up and quitting their jobs to go solo. What I suggest is that if you are in a corporate job that feels really awkward, frustrating and not a fit for your natural working style, that it may be worth your time to explore entrepreneurship. You can start small, by following entrepreneur blogs and reading books and trying really small projects on the side. If you find yourself really drawn to the entrepreneurial lifestyle, just keep doing more and more of it, and soon you will feel real momentum and see results. How has entrepreneurship changed in the past decade? What are the new opportunities out there? It is so much easier to start a business these days due to a few factors: There is so much great free information available on blogs and websites. You no longer need to worry about finding an in-person mentor or expensive consultant, you can find a lot of information yourself. The costs of starting up a virtual business are minuscule. Using technology, you can get a nice basic website up and running, and using free social media can get your first customers. The global market is so much more connected that it is really feasible to have clients and partners all over the world. I serve coaching clients in India, Portugal and Hong Kong using Skype. Can you imagine how different that is than the old days of having to travel to meet in person, or pay for toll phone charges? Why do people fear starting their own company? Probably the biggest fear for aspiring entrepreneurs is living in a van down by the river. We tend to think in extremes, and imagine that if we quit our jobs, we could lose everything we have worked for and become totally destitute and unemployable. This is often our survival instinct talking to us, which is not a bad thing, since its job is to keep us fed and safe from predators. So I suggest planning carefully, setting aside money, and having a Plan B, C and D in case your original test does not go as planned. Another top fear is that no one will think you are credible or see value in your product or service. To remedy this, the best thing to do is to fortify your self-esteem by reflecting on great things you have done in the past (at work and outside of work), and to take the time to really analyze the unique contribution you can make to the market. You dont have to have tons of experience, you just have to relentlessly focus on solving your customers problems. What three tips can you offer to aspiration entrepreneurs for getting out of their cubes and start building a business? Spend the time to identify the things you are really interested in and passionate about. You will need a lot of energy in order to build your business, and when you are doing something you care about deeply, that has meaning for you beyond making money, it really helps fuel your work. Test often and fail fast. Dont spend all your time in the planning stage, trying to perfect your idea and answer every possible question in your business plan before interacting with actual customers. You should make business planning a regular, ongoing activity that is continually tested and tweaked. The more you quickly test ideas without spending too much time or resources, the more chance of success you will have. Dont try to do it alone. There are tons of people in the world (many on the Internet) who would love to support you in your efforts. Look for peers, friends, teachers and mentors who can deepen your knowledge, dust you off when you fall down and bring your ideas to market much faster. Is it smart to work at a company, while you build a business outside of work? It can be a great strategy to build your business on the side of a day job. Many people do not have the luxury of a years worth of savings, so it is very pragmatic to slowly test out your idea while you have predictable income and benefits. The thing to watch for is burnout and conflict of interest. Make sure you check out your company policy about work outside the office, to make sure you dont get in trouble. And build in time to rest and recuperate, because if you work all the time, your body will rebel. I like to echo Gary Vaynerchuks stirring advice Stop watching f*ing episodes of Lost! Work your face off! We dont all have Garys energy, but we can certainly learn from his work ethic. Pamela Slim is a seasoned coach and writer who helps frustrated employees in corporate jobs break out and start their own business. Her blog, Escape from Cubicle Nation, is one of the top career and marketing blogs on the web. A former corporate manager and entrepreneur herself for more than a decade, she deeply understands the questions and concerns faced by first-time entrepreneurs. Her expertise in personal and business change was developed through many years consulting inside corporations such as Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard and Charles Schwab, where she coached thousands of executives, managers and employees. Pam has been featured as an expert for press such as US News World Report, The New York Times, BusinessWeek and the Wall Street Journal. Her book Escape from Cubicle Nation is published by Penguin/Portfolio.

How Recruiters Can Actually USE Twitter

How Recruiters Can Actually USE Twitter I meet lots of recruiters who have got zero ROI from Twitter and yes this is normally due to a total lack of the “I” in the ROI. To be fair, the recruitment market is saturated with cool tools which people like me evangelise about but, in the short term, can really distract what in essence is a pretty simple process â€" match making. But Twitter can really help with this process â€" even if initially it doesnt get your jobs applied to: What does  every recruiter want? If you’re a recruiter, you’re likely to want the following: Profile A profile which acts as Obi-Wan Kenobi â€" whilst being viewed by passives (clients and talent), it conducts Jedi-mind tricks and persuades the viewer that connecting with you is a really good thing! Jobs Jobs which are not only great potential fees, but ultimately look gorgeous and even the (right) passives will read them and apply. Boss A boss who gets off of your back and lets you get on with the job(!!!) … and you ideally also want an approach to social media which is super quick and attracts only the right people (and not lots of “randoms” who can’t read but are really ambitious). The problem is that Twitter doesn’t seem to offer immediate value. Twitter is not a Silver Bullet (but then what is?) I’ve been in recruitment since 2000 and I’m not aware of any activity (even being on the phone) which offers immediate results. We all have to put a little effort in and rinse and repeat. I ask my clients to give Twitter a specific role in their business â€" get it to feed you. But you need to order the right take out or you’ll get fat, bored and depressed: 1) Follow the right people: Stop following people who offer no value â€" follow people who have great content! Try and get your “Following” number below your “Followers” number â€" I guarantee you’ll attract more attention if you look like you have someone interesting to say. Follow people who are influential in your sector (Followerwonk  nails this!). 2)  Tune in to  specific types of content: Create lists of people on Twitter    note, you don’t need to follow someone to have them in a list! Tune in to specific types of content (Fun, Jobs, Clients, Competitors, HR, Careers, legislation, and believe it or not Twitter Tips)! 3) Start reading (and retweeting!): Recruitment directors need to target their staff with reading content. In my day it was totally acceptable to be seen flicking through newspapers and journals catching up on the industry whilst at work. Recruiters now seem to be criticised for doing this online! If you follow steps 1 and 2 above, the content you receive in your Twitter feed should all be gorgeous. It’ll be full of juicy and nourishing ideas / tips / facts which you and your followers will adore. There are loads of stats out there to suggest that the more you tweet, the more followers you get, so get on with it! And no excuses: Twitter is only noise if you are tuned in to the wrong channels! So make sure you have point 1 above nailed. 4) Interview tips and what to wear is junk food: I’m getting pretty bored of “what to wear to an interview” and “10 things to say in your CV” rubbish (ours isnt rubbish! Editor). The average recruitment blog / feed is full of it. When are recruiters going to talk to passives about how to stay in jobs, how to get a promotion, how to cope with exams if I need to requalify? 80% of the market is passive and recruiters insist on boring the 20% who should already know what to wear by now! Interview tips are the junk food of the recruitment feed. (Another blog for another day.) Setup Twitter to have a specific role in your business. Get it to deliver â€" stop expecting miracles and start feeding off of the content that those lovely tweeters share. Raise your profile, look attractive to passives, and when you do advertise a job, you’ll get more traction â€" and if the people you are following bore you, fire them! Any other tips? Share them in the comments below!

Writing Personalized Resume Objectives

Writing Personalized Resume ObjectivesSo you've spent a couple of months composing your example resume objectives. But you're starting to get a little unsure about your sample objective and want to change it a little bit to make it more personalized. Here are a few suggestions that can help you.Before you start writing the examples for your resume objectives, consider what exactly it is that you need to cover in your objective. To write an objective effectively, you should have a clear idea of what kind of job you're applying for. If you're applying for a managerial position, your example will have to deal with those issues. On the other hand, if you're applying for a sales position, you might need to focus more on the skills and talents that you possess. Keep this in mind and you'll be able to narrow down your examples to ones that perfectly suit your needs.Once you've decided what you need to cover in your examples, it's time to get to work. You can try to compose them in a similar way as you would with your first work samples. This means starting out with the main job duties and then proceeding down the list of responsibilities in order. In fact, this will be a lot easier when you don't have to stop for a moment to think about the correct verb tense for each example.Also, keep in mind that there are going to be times when you'll be rewriting or deleting sections of your examples as you go along. In the example for your financial position, for example, you may want to remove a certain job function that you never actually needed. It's important to make sure that you have the appropriate tools to edit your examples correctly so that you don't waste time.Now that you've got the outline done, all you need to do is to start writing your personal examples. Again, the trick here is to make sure that you cover the points that are most important to you. For example, if you have a difficult time writing a sentence, try using a simple opening sentence that connects your job description with your career objective.You can also use different examples depending on the type of position that you're trying to fill. For example, if you're writing an example for an administrative position, you might want to include example sentences that involve the office and other parts of the building. The same goes for if you're writing an example for a technical position: make sure that the examples include a level of expertise with regards to your field.When you get through the process of writing your example resume objectives, be sure to keep these tips in mind. These are some of the things that will help you in the long run. Never write a resume without thinking. Doing so will give you time to organize your thoughts and get them down on paper in the form of examples.Take the time to reflect on your life changes and explore your options. This will make you realize that you don't need to rewrite your examples every time. Just keep the rules in mind and you'll be able to write your personal example resume objectives quickly and effectively.

Build Winning Relationships with Executive Recruiters - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

Build Winning Relationships with Executive Recruiters In my initial lets see if were a good fit to work together consultation with prospective clients, I always ask those who are job seekers what theyve been doing to accelerate their search. When we address networking, I ask if, as part of proactive networking, theyve sourced a number of recruiters who specialize in their area(s) of expertise, and been busy building alliances and staying top of mind with them. Some of them disdain working with recruiters, mostly because they have unrealistic expectations for the recruiter/job-seeker relationship. Many dont grasp the fact that recruiters dont work for job seekers. Their role is to find the best candidates for their client companies. I set out in this post to provide the inside skinny on understanding, building, and leveraging recruiter relationships, so I went right to the source by visiting the blogs of trusted Twitter friends who are recruiters. Here are some helpful tidbits from two of my favorites, with their Twitter handles. Follow them (and other recruiters) on Twitter. Theyre providing job leads and a wealth of valuable information and resources: Jennifer McClure  of Cincy Recruiter  (@CincyRecruiter),  listed as one of HR Examiners 2010 Top 25 Most Influential Online Recruiters,  in her post, I Hate Recruiters: Why Do They Try To Pigeonhole Me?  answered the question: How do you get a Recruiter to pay attention to you when you contact them because you want to make a career change, or change industries? My advice? (And it applies to anyone who contacts a Recruiter directly.) Treat Recruiters like you would any other networking contact! Its not likely that youd pick up the phone and start calling other professionals that you dont know, and expect them to get you or to go find you a job without knowing anything about you. So I would suggest choosing a few Recruiters (2 or 3) to try to build a relationship with first before asking for their help. Heres a few suggestions on how you can start that process: If possible, try to meet Recruiters out in the wild (i.e. networking/professional development events/volunteering, etc.) so you can introduce yourself in person. Get an introduction or referral to a trusted Recruiter from someone in your network. Interact with Recruiters and build effective virtual relationships with them via the various on-line professional or social networks they inhabit. If a Recruiter contacts you about an opportunity that is not of interest, offer to assist them with referrals or to be a resource for them in the future. Jeff Lipschultz  of A-List Solutions (@JLipschultz) from his post, Recruiting Your Recruiter in the Job Search: Stay in touch with your recruiter, but not too often.   He/she may not be able to follow-up as often with you as you’d like, but you certainly can keep the line of communication open from your end (especially when there is recent activity to follow-up on).   Many appreciate emails over phone calls so they can manage their day better.   Communication is essential when your situation changes (i.e., another job offer pending). Consider a recruiter a life-long friend in your career process, not two ships passing in the night.   If you have a well-established relationship with a recruiter, he/she is more likely to go beyond the norms to help you (or a friend) when you need it most.   And, the recruiter will know you as a person, not just as a candidate.  With this in mind, keep your recruiter appraised of all career changes. The best way to return a favor to a recruiter is to network him/her to a new client you know is hiring. In  Recruiting Your Recruiter in the Job Search, Part II  he polled several experts, including Jennifer McClure, who advised job seekers to: “always ask the recruiter how their process works, what happens to their resume if they send it to the recruiter and what should they expect from the recruiter in terms of follow up or actions.” She added that many recruiters do not operate the same way, and “if job seekers would ask these questions of each recruiter they interact with, it would go a long way toward eliminating some of the frustrations with recruiters.” Additional resources: Kennedy Information’s Directory of Executive Recruiters, the  â€œRed Book” which lists over 10,000 recruiters at thousands of search firms, with all the contact information you need to start networking immediately with them. Riley Guide’s short list of quality recruiters and how to work with them. Jeff Lipschultz article for Job-Hunt.org, How Recruiters Pick YOU. Related posts: My Interview with Executive Recruiter Jeff Lipschultz 2010 Top 10 Executive Personal Branding and Job Search Trends How to Build a Powerful Executive Network 16 Deadly Executive Job Search Mistakes 00 0

Summary Sunday Make Your Job Search More Social

Summary Sunday Make Your Job Search More Social Welcome to my round up of informative career and job search posts from around the web! On Sundays I share some of the posts Ive found that strike a chord or hit a nerve. I hope you enjoy them! (Now, if only I could get paid to read all these great articles I share!) Social Media Isnt A Magic Wand!  You arent going to automatically get hired or have someone call you out of the blue because you are on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or any social network. And I dont think it is a replacement for job boards. So what is the purpose of social media in your job search?  Building relationships. You know how hard that is! These tools help you build new connections with people who might be helpful and whom you can help! Remember, give to get! First Things First   Before you jump in and try to build relationships, be sure youve got the right message and know what you are looking for. If you dont know what type of job you are seeking then focus on the transferable skills you love to use! Here, this post from Inc. has expert advice from two of my favorite personal branding professionals, Meg Guiseppi and Dan Schawbel. Create Your Personal Brand: 8 Steps  from Inc. Focus On LinkedIn First LinkedIn is the go-to source for professional networking and hiring so master this first. I love saying that social media is like a foreign language- once youve mastered one, the others are easier to pick up. My hunch is you can learn a lot more about how to get the most out of LinkedIn. LinkedIn Tagging: Another Digital Hack on Dreamland Interactive by Todd Schnick The Five Most Worthless Phrases In Your LinkedIn Headline from CareerRocketeer Facebook Isnt Just Blabber I know. A lot of you are saying you want your Facebook account to be where you go to interact with family and friends. You can still do that. But dont stop there (at least during your job search) Read the following post with some ideas of how you can get more job search bang from Facebook. How To Use Facebook to Find A Job from Career Enlightenment Networking Follow Up Probably my favorite post of the week! Dont let the title fool you- follow up is follow up. There are some ideas in here to make your networking meeting follow up that much better. 10 Proven Strategies to Make Your Follow Up from Social Media Marketing World More Effective from Social Media Examiner Enjoy the rest of your weekend and feel free to share any of these articles with people in your network!

4 ways small businesses benefit by file sharing -

4 ways small businesses benefit by file sharing - Business owners need to think about a lot of administrative details: how to share files is one of a myriad of issues to consider. In many cases, particularly when youre just getting a small business off the ground, simple email will suffice for data sharing and communication needs. However, more advanced file sharing services can offer a small business improved efficiency and greater potential for growth. One great example of a file sharing provider that offers various benefits to small businesses is ShareFile, which is now a part of Citrix. When he first acquired ShareFile, Citrix CEO was quoted as saying Our… strategy means data will be shared (1) across people, (2) across apps, and (3) across devices. This was a simple quote outlining the way in which the companys file sharing services enable employees and customers to share data with ease and convenience. Here are 4 specific ways in which small business owners can benefit from the use of advanced file sharing services: 1. Share Larger Files The chief benefit for many small businesses where file sharing is concerned is that it enables the easy transfer of large amounts of data. From extensive written documents, to files heavy with video or image content, the need to share large files arises in many business environments, and in many cases basic email will not get the job done. Advanced file sharing allows you to avoid the inconvenience of reaching the point at which file transfer becomes a hindrance. 2. Secure File Transfer If confidentiality is important to you as a small business owner, or even if you simply want to improve efficiency, the security benefits of advanced file sharing are also beneficial. From the ability to send encrypted files, to controlling who sees which communications, file sharing services offer a range of security features. In todays digital world of business, this level of security is a necessary step toward general professionalism. 3. Implementing Mobile Devices ShareFile CEO Jesse Lipson notes, mobility is changing the ways in which businesses interact with content. This statement couldnt be truer, and in response to growing demand for the implementation of mobile devices, many business owners are taking advantage of file sharing services that can easily be integrated with tablets and smart phones. Thanks to simple, web-based apps for file sharing and management, you can enjoy the same file sharing benefits on your smart phone as your business enjoys on ordinary computers. 4. Arranging For Growth Finally, there is the more general benefit to consider: file sharing services enable your small business to grow and expand with more simplicity. With a file sharing service in place, it is easy to get new employees or customers up to speed and immediately bring them into your business community. This guest editorial was written by Josh Reins. When not freelancing and blogging about business, Josh enjoys keeping up with the latest technological innovations and learning web design.