How to Diversify Your Job Search Strategy (Pt. 1) Building Your Future Now

How to Diversify Your Job Search Strategy (Pt. 1) Building Your Future Now If you are simply emailing your resume out or applying for jobs online the chances of landing a job is slim to zero. Think about itif its relatively easy to apply online for a position be sure many other job seekers are also applying for it even candidates who arent even qualified for the position! Thats why you need to diversity your job search strategy. You need to find creative and out-of-box ways of find a job especially if your current plan isnt working. You need to get yourself in front of hiring managers. Ok, you say that would be impossible in your job fieldhowever if you feel if it isnt doable then you must change gears. For example if you applying for a job that the: a) Competition is fierce and b) Chances are low with meeting someone who hires then maybe you are wasting your time applying. Another way of knowing if applying to a job isnt worth your time is by looking at your competition on LinkedIn for example. What skills or experiences do these professionals possess? What are the qualifications that the company is looking for in a candidateis another key question you should be asking yourself. It is imperative you try different methods of finding a jobfor example, picking up the phone and requesting an information interview with a manager or someone from Human Resources is a simple way of picking up a contact. If you can score one, ask pertinent questions and ask if you can perhaps further discuss a role with someone who is in that position within that organization. Build a web within that company and see how many people you can connect withthis gives you an opportunity to connect with more people within the organisation by using references. The value of this task is building relationships and familiarity with that organization. Another way of really jump starting your job search is by attending general events, mixers, conferences, sporting events, networking events, social gatherings and connecting with as many people as possible. Even if you dont think the event is relevant rethink about the potential of meeting people that may know someone that can help you out! People are always willing to help you out especially if you are positive, helpful and out-going! You may want to leave your resume at home or even the mentality you are on the job hunt. Just relax and focus on getting to know people! Another out-of-box way of getting a job opportunity is by creating your own events. Build a meet-up, networking event or a specialized event that will get people together. This is also a great way to build your experience on your resume i.e. event marketing, creation and execution. Like these ideas? Now go out and try them! If you want more great tips to making your job search even better check our part 2 out tomorrow! Image: Pete Linforth

Use SEO to Become Independent

Use SEO to Become Independent Becoming independent takes a lot of work, but the right kind definitely pays off. The key is to work smarter, not harder. You could spend eight hours a day walking up and down the streets of your town, handing people flyers to help promote your blog. You might even get some people to follow you, and your hard work would in some degree pay off. But by the time you obtained the kind of following you needed, you would be at the end of your rope, resource-wise, and between printing, design, and distribution of adverts, you didnt have any time to actually write your travel blog. The way to get past this is to think with a 21st century mindset. Youve got ubiquitous technology at your fingertips; from smart-homes to smart-cars, smartphones, and even smart-cities, the world has changed. So hop on that internet highway! One of the best ways to do that is to get involved with an internet marketing company who has a solid track record of building a companys awareness. The Value of SEO SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and refers to a process by which blog posts, articles, and content are optimized such that theyll appear more immediately on a search enginethat is to say: on the first page. First page or bust is the ideal of cogent SEO marketeers, as the majority of clicks happen there. If youre feeling a bit intimidated about doing your own SEO, at least at first, you may want to get professional assistance.   You can find a  top rated SEO company in South Florida  such as that offered by Omega SEO. But be sure not to limit the scope of optimizing your operation for search engines. Its not just content articles, blog posts, or helpful information. You can also use SEO techniques in your videos. Their titles, content, and time of release will all play into reaching a wider audience, and facilitating increased traffic to your website. Effective SEO Strategy Search Engine Optimization shouldnt be hackneyed. It should have real value, and strike a chord with the audience that youre trying to reach. To this end, try and make any content that has been optimized have additional value. Think of each bit of content like a super-charged, condensed version of your vision, eminently recommending itself to the desired audience. If your SEO has something which is practical, useful, and sought, then it will definitely drive traffic. Reach A Larger Audience When you have more people tuning in to your particular brand of goods or services, you wont have to spend as much money on marketing, as your momentum will necessarily spread itself through repute. This means you can afford to start expanding. Research and development, additional outreach opportunities, customer service programs, statistical analyses all these things which were previously beyond your reach economically will now be in your grasp, and facilitate greater expansion. That is one thing to keep in mind. Businesses are like sharks. Sharks never stop swimming. If a shark stops swimming, it diesthats just how they were designed. With a business, growth must be continual. Without continual growth, a business can only tread water so long before it sinks. Diversify Your Portfolio It makes sense to have a broad variety of interests and experience to round out the profile a prospective client sees. You should aspire to reach the greatest number of applicable customers possible with the goods or services you produce. Research the statistics a solid SEO marketing agency provides. Theyll give you insight into demographics and successful sales conversions, showing you specifically who your market is. You may be surprised; nobody knew Bronies would ever be a thing, after all. Sometimes your products may appeal to markets you never even considered. And a good SEO organization can help you identify these opportunities. Image Source

How to Win the Recruiting Game by Hiring Intelligently

How to Win the Recruiting Game by Hiring Intelligently Too often, executives think about recruiting in terms of making specific individual hires or filling a  certain number of open positions. But, the truth is, smart recruiting is not just about hiring that  exclusive individual or choosing the best candidate for that one available position â€" recruiting is  about building the capacity of the overall team. You don’t win at recruiting just by landing a  coveted candidate or filling a few positions or by the sheer number of hires â€" you win by  enhancing the overall capacity of the organization. Tremendous corporate wins have been achieved based on this strategy. Consider the intense  battle between Google and Yahoo in their early days. Both companies went back and forth  making claims about how many billion web pages were indexed by their respective search  engines. The real battle, though, was over which team had the most capacity to get the work  done. That difference in team capacity led one company to a market value of over $350 billion,  and led the other company to get out of the search game by handing it to Microsoft. While you can leverage recruiting technology to help teams execute well on any recruiting  strategy, the hiring plan itself needs to be right to lead to these kinds of radical results. As such,  below are a few key points on how to hire more intelligently: Turn Your Team into a Talent Magnet: Conventional wisdom is that A-players hire A-players, and B-players hire C-players. Often  overlooked, though,  is the fact that A-players also attract other A-players. If you have an  exceptional team, make sure the world knows about it. Use your team as part of your recruiting  pitch. Talented people want to work with other talented people â€" they want to be challenged and  be part of a community of exceptional colleagues who will help them drive their own careers  forward. As part of your overall recruiting strategy, look for ways to build on the strengths of  your existing team and reinforce a winning culture within your organization. Don’t just look at  what the job candidates are bringing to your company; look at what you already have in place  (talent, culture, mission) that can help you craft a compelling story to offer to candidates. The  best organizations sell themselves. Focus on Capacity, Not Headcount: Many companies build a hiring strategy that focuses on the number of hires that the company  wants to achieve by a certain period of time, when in reality the company should be looking to  add a certain amount of capacity. Focusing on headcount is misguided because it’s only looking  at one side of the equation â€" it’s looking at inputs instead of results. Number of hires is not usually a good indication of successful hiring. By focusing on a number of  hires instead of overall results and capacity, you might accidentally hire too many of the wrong  people, or hire too many people too soon. A headcount-based hiring approach will often result in  the new hires feeling under-utilized, or burdening the hiring manager with having to on-board  too many people at once. For example, if you want to add $5 million in revenue, achieving that result might take 10  average salespeople, or just 5 high performers. Managers easily get too focused on the number  of hires they want to make, rather than the capacity they want to add. Your organization might  be better off hiring more slowly to find exactly the right top-performing sales people, rather than  quickly ramping up by hiring 10 people who are merely average. Instead of thinking about “how  many people do we need to hire,” start thinking about “what do we really want to achieve in  terms of our organization’s capacity,” and then hire with those results in mind. Look for Potential, Not History: When making a hiring decision you are essentially trying to predict whether a person’s future  performance will be sufficient for the company’s current needs. It’s tempting to use past  performance as a guide but there are two major problems with that. First, you can almost never  verify past performance or how much help they were getting from other team members, and  second, even if you can verify it, their performance almost certainly took place in a different  environment with different challenges and different resources. Instead, research from companies like Google has shown that hiring people for their fundamental  skills and abilities leads to better outcomes. Of course past performance is a good indicator of  those abilities, but beyond a brief initial resume screen it comes down to getting a more detailed  understanding of what they know how to do, how willing they are to learn, how they  communicate, etc. Ideally people in the role the candidate is applying for will interview and ask  questions that reveal how the candidate would work on problems that are like the ones they will  work on in the future. When thinking about how to hire intelligently, it’s worth remembering that talent is the lifeblood  of an organization there may, in fact, be no other single function of the business that will have  a more direct impact on outcomes. Recruiters and hiring managers need to have real discussions  about how to measure talent coming in in a meaningful way. Once everyone is focused on the  right metrics it can be much easier to build productive, high quality teams. Such teams have a  snowball effect on long term recruiting success and indeed the success of the entire company. Remember that the real end goal of hiring is not just to boost headcount or fill a certain set of  positions â€" it’s to achieve specific results and build the capacity of the organization as a whole. It’s hard to get on the path, but it’s a path that has led many companies to tremendous victories,  and made the quality of their teams famous. Author: John Jersin is the Co-founder and CEO of Connectifier, a recruiting technology software company  that helps recruiters quickly and effectively connect with hundreds of millions of  candidates.

You can reframe anything

You can reframe anything Melissa is driving through Darlington trying to avoid the police. If they see me theyll arrest me, and we know they know my car. I put the front seat back all the way so Im out of view. I keep my seatbelt on because in case they see us, I dont want to be breaking any extra laws. I have to start this story when I was getting a divorce. People told me the cleanest, easiest divorces are when there are two good lawyers. So I asked around for the two best lawyers in Madison. They knew each other, of course. And negotiations went smoothly, except for my lawyer quitting first when I started blogging about the divorce and then when I agreed to talk about the divorce with the New York Times. The police are not actually chasing us. But we feel like were on the run. I told my lawyer not my divorce lawyer but my new lawyer, who deals with about-to-be-arrested types that the police have been to my house three times to arrest me. The Farmer is so stressed hes not even coming back from the hayfield for lunch. The lawyer says, Youll have to stay away from the house til I can get the papers signed by a judge. I was thinking of staying at Jeanennes house for a few days but I feel bad asking her to harbor a fugitive. So Melissa and I are on our way to Madison. As we pass the turnoff for our house I worry that we dont have our computers. Hold it, I say. I have an idea. Pull over to the side and drop me off in one of those corn fields and Ill wait for you while you go get our computers. No. This is not The Bourne Identity. We have two iPhones and a charger. Thats enough. You remembered the charger? I say. Yeah. I look up at Melissa from my overly reclined seat and say, You are such a good friend. We get onto the highway which is pretty safe. I sit up and call Ryan Paugh to see if we can stay with him that night. He says yes. I tell Melissa that Ryan was not phased by the warrant. She says, I dont think anyone who has agreed to be around you would ever be fazed. Except the Farmer. You call him the Farmer? Are you insane? You live with him. Yeah, when I feel like were living a movie I need to use his character name. We drive for an hour and a half. It turned out Im back to our divorce settlement now it turned out that my ex did not want money from me or custody of the kids. He wanted to make sure I paid our IRS debt. So I accepted responsibility for all our debt IRS, credit cards, doctors and I signed that Id pay the IRS before anyone else. Ever since then, his lawyer has gone after me for the $4000 in lawyer fees. Its my responsibility to pay them, per our settlement, but not until after the IRS. So I keep having to file papers showing that I am still paying the IRS, and that I am not secretly a millionaire. The problem is that its easy for the lawyers to demand tons of court documents and its very hard for me to comply. Remember, I am the on who cant get a drivers license because of the paperwork. I miss most airplanes because I cant keep track of all the numbers. I dont know my left and right. So I missed a bunch of court stuff. And then I got indignant that the amount of filings they were demanding was harassment. This is, by the way, not an unfounded thought. Its a problem with debt collection in PA and WI and if I end up in prison you can bet Im going to become some sort of legal activist. We get to Janesville and I realize I will be happy having a day off. Successful people reframe bad situations. I can do that. But I dont want to ruin my family life. I call the Farmer to apologize. I tell him there is fun cheese in the fridge for dinner. I apologize ten times and ask him to pay the $1000 retainer to the lawyer. He asks where my money is. I tell him that building up my diverse and exciting inventory of goat cheese is an expensive endeavor. He says he would never invest in a startup. I dont tell him that marrying a serial entrepreneur is like investing in a startup: You part with your sanity in exchange for a huge lottery ticket and a guarantee that life will be interesting. The local police have empathy for the Farmer. One off-duty cop stopped by to tell us that there is a warrant out for my arrest. That was a nice heads up. The officer told the Farmer and the Farmer told me and I told Jeanenne and Jeanenne told about fifteen people until she got to the person at my ex-husbands law firm that could withdraw the warrant. Or whatever its called that she was going to do. But the thing she did triggered something in the system that forced the police to arrest me immediately. I have had two narrow escapes when they have come to my house. But now Im on the run. Melissa is excited to go to Chipotle. Im excited to go to Starbucks. These are luxuries to girls who eat off a farm. We are mid-burrito, when Melissa gets text message. Its the investor we are supposed to be meeting in Chicago. James Altucher. We are huge fans of his blog and he does not know hes an investor but we want him to be an investor. He is confirming that well be there in three hours for dinner. What!? I say. You told me it was next week, not this week. He said next week but it should have been the week after. This week is always a hard thing to understand because this week and next week are regional. You know, like if its Tuesday and you say this Tuesday is it next Tuesday or this Tuesday? You didnt check the date? Are you kidding me? You are so lame! That is so lame! We have enough time to get there. Yeah. If we had a private jet. No. Really. We do. Lets just go right now. We go. I drive. Melissa looks around my car for a shirt she might like better than the one she has on. She finds nothing. She asks if there is a Forever 21 near the place were having dinner. I tell her we can go there after dinner if its an all-night store. Then she puts on my makeup. Shes very serious. Then she smiles. I say, You look so good in my makeup. She says, I think thats because you never see me in lip gloss. What? I dont have lip gloss. Look, she says. I found this in your glove compartment. Oh yeah. I got that free from Booty Parlor. Its a porn shop for women. They want me to write about them. That lip gloss is an aphrodisiac thats so great for our investor meeting Here, give me some, too.

Unique Resume Tips

Unique Resume TipsThere is a lot of conflicting information on the Internet, but most of it is really rather obvious, so here are some tips on writing a unique resume. To start off with, do not use the same format for each job that you apply for.Start out your career searching online, with many different jobs that may not even require a phone interview, so you will not be putting too much pressure on yourself to get it done in a very short time. Your resume should be at the top of your list of resumes, not second or third on your list. It is important to be focused and serious about doing well.If you are looking for a new job, it is advisable to have your resume professionally done, and sometimes there is nothing wrong with using that one or two name references as they may be willing to give you the job. If you have a resume that has all the facts correct and matches the description of the position you are applying for, chances are that someone will apply for it.Do not be intimidated by what some other people say is a traditional resume. It is really not that traditional after all, just that it was put together by someone who learned how to write a resume, and for the most part, there are mistakes that have been made along the way. If you still want to go this route, then do it properly.Next, only put in your personal details if they are extremely relevant to the job you are looking for. If you are searching for a sales role for your cosmetics business, do not include your contact's list for that. In addition, do not fill in your educational details under any circumstances.You also need to make sure that you send an email to the company, a letter or even an application. The better you know the person applying for the job, the better you will be able to make a good impression. You want to make them understand what the position entails, and you want to impress upon them that they are a big part of the company.The main point of the resume is to tell someone what y ou are looking for. This may be a position that they already have, or it may be something else entirely. Either way, the objective is to get a job interview and get the attention of the person you are trying to hire.One final note, when you are writing a unique resume, you want to have a lot of contact information in your file. This is because you may not get another job that you have a file full of your previous ones. Remember, the more information that you can get in front of potential employers, the better you will be able to land that great job.

Four Signs You May Be Targeted for a Lay-Off

Four Signs You May Be Targeted for a Lay-Off Four Signs You May Be Targeted for a Lay-Off Four Signs You May Be Targeted for a Lay-Off October 20, 2010 by Career Coach Sherri Thomas Leave a Comment Powered by Podbean.com As a career coach, one of the questions I get asked the most is, “How do I know if I could be laid off?” Although there are not any hard and fast rules for companies to warn employees about upcoming layoffs, there were some key indicators that you may be targeted for a lay-off, and that you should start preparing a “Plan B” for your career… Your Physical Health â€" Many times, we ignore signs around us that a layoff could be in our future by telling ourselves that we provide too much value, and are too well liked to be laid off.   So even though you may be able to logically dismiss the thought that you could be laid off, there are physical signs that are harder to ignore.For example, if you start getting a pit in your stomach when you drive into work, or your heart beats faster, or you get a headache â€" these are all physical signs that something in your work environment could be drastically wrong.   Also, if you find yourself hitting the snooze button 46-times, hating Mondays, or having wild mood swings including depression, anger, or becoming introverted â€" these are all physical signs that something in your work environment may be toxic and that your subconscience is telling you something is wrong. Your Environment â€" Look around at the organization where you work.   Have there been layoffs, or talks of layoffs?   Are programs or services being cut? Is funding being reduced in your department?   These are all signs that the company may be in trouble financially, and employee lay-offs could be a next step.Another environmental sign is a shift in management’s attitude.   Right before lay-offs are announced, there is a kind of heaviness in the air throughout the building.   It’s a depressed, shush-shush environment. Is your manager more stressed than usual? Are you getting less face-time with your manager?   Do senior managers seem preoccupied, and not attentive to employee needs or concerns?   These are all environmental signs that a lay-off could be near. Your Job Role â€" Have your assignments shifted to performing less valued and lower visibility projects?   Do your deliverables align to the company’s strategic objectives, or department’s quarterly goals?   If not, then here’s what I want you to do… I want you to do everything you can to transition onto more high priority assignments.   I want you to volunteer to get onto those higher profile projects by talking to your manager and the Program Manager telling them how you could add value and make contributions to those projects. Your Influence â€" Are you finding that your opinions are no longer valued?   Are you being left out of business decisions or meetings?     Do you find that your sphere of influence is shrinking?   If so, here’s what I want you to do â€" I want you to increase your visibility and your credibility by talking about the results you’ve helped to achieve on your current or previous projects.   Volunteer to help out on high visibility projects, and ask your manager what you can do to help him out or to help out the department or team members. Again, these are not sure fire signs that you’re doomed for a lay-off.   However, if you’re experiencing one or more of these changes, then you should definitely be putting together a “Plan B” for your career â€" an action plan to help you hit the ground running and transition into your next career should you receive a pink slip. If you’re feeling stuck in your careerâ€" get professional help! Take control in your career by investing in some professional advice, such as A Professional resume writer An interview coach Or a career coach These are professionals who can accelerate your career change and help you get into a new job faster! YOUR ASSIGNMENT:   Invest in yourself and your career, by meeting with a career coach who can give you a proven, step-by-step roadmap that will help you transition into a new career! You’ll see how easy it is to leverage your talents, strengths, and successes and transfer them into a new job role, company, or industry.   Career Coaching 360 helps professionals and executives change into a more meaningful and inspiring career, and we can help you, too!   Check out our career coaching packages available on-line at:   https://careercoaching360.com/careercoaching/ Scroll down the web page to see our complete menu of services!

12 Ways to Build a Better LinkedIn Profile

12 Ways to Build a Better LinkedIn Profile LinkedIns functionality and capability has changed over the years and perhaps that is why youll find varying pieces of advice and wisdom. More and more, savvy recruiters and employers are using LinkedIn to search for the right talent.   Will you be found?   Here are 12 tips to building a better LinkedIn profile. Tip 1:   Get a decent Headshot Having a clear, professional, friendly looking picture of you (and you alone) is expected.   In fact, most profiles do have photos, so when I see a profile without one, my immediate and lasting impression iswhy doesnt this person have a picture, for crying out loud?   Really, is that the impression you want to leave? Here are some interesting stats on why you should have a photo. Tip 2:   Your Professional Headline should mean something By default LinkedIn will use your most recent job title for you professional headline.   If that is not the job title you want to be known for, then edit your profile.   This is one of the first things a visitor will see, so if the message isnt clear or exactly right, you could lose them. For examples of enticing headlines, check out these. Tip 3:   Make Your Summary Sing Your summary, much like the summary on the back of a book jacket, is what compels people to read more and take interest.   In the olden days, it was acceptable to have a cut and paste version of the summary from your resume. But in reality, LinkedIn is a social network and people want to know you a little deeper.   I see more and   more summaries written in the first person,   I value.. My lifelong dream .   This makes it more personal.   I am not suggesting it get too personal, just real enough so your true personality shines through. Tip 4: Key Words Count Employers and recruiters are masters of search.   They know the key words they are looking for.   Do you use key words in your summary? Have you added Specialties?   You should know what the right key words are for your industry and occupation.   These are typically the specific skills required in job postings, and no, I am not talking about hard-working, dedicated, trustworthy.   I am talking about software, terms and industry knowledge.   Get familiar with this and begin to immediately incorporate them into your summary.   If you dont use themyou dont have them. Tip 5: Turn off your activity broadcasts* What is that, you may ask?   Whenever you make changes to your profile (any change) every one of your contacts is notified.   If you are in stealth job search, you dont want to tip off your network as you make changes.   It is unfortunate, but all too often true, that people dont update their LinkedIn profile until they are ready to search.   You can stop these activity broadcasts by changing your settings.   Pssst: if you are already an active user of LinkedIn add people to your connections and regularly update your profile, this may not send any red flags. *CLARIFICATION:   Yes, you do want to ping your connections but with the right pings.   Tons of updates to your profile all of a sudden is a sure sign you are looking for a new job.   Once you have made edits to your profile, turn this notification BACK ON! Tip 6: Update your status every once in awhile Your status pings your connections in their Network activity.   This can be a super way to increase your networks awareness of you.   It is also a great way to begin building your personal reputation.   Examples of things to update your status with?   An event you will be attending- including the link; a great article about your industry or occupation; good news about your company, you or a colleague; recommendation of a book; anything that shows you are professionally committed. Tip 7:   Add all your email addresses If you have only listed your work email, you will absolutely want to include your personal emails as well.   What happens if you are unexpectedly asked to leave your employer?   You no longer have access to your work email and therefore, lose access to your LinkedIn profile.   While this can be fixed, it takes a bit of work on your part, so be smart and include your other email addresses.   Additionally, this helps people connect with you.   LinkedIn recognizes you by your email, so if someone sends you an email to connect via LinkedIn to your personal email address and you havent listed it within your profile, LinkedIn doesnt know you have a profile and this frequently results in duplicate profiles. Tip 8:   Dont use the default Public Profile URL If you havent started including a link to your LinkedIn public profile, you should.   Put it on your resume, your business cards and use it in your email signature.   But before you do this, customize the URL so it just includes your name.   It looks more professional. Tip 9: Stop Hiding You want to be visible.   You want people to know if youve looked at their profile.   Can you stop using anonymous LinkedIn user!   And really, why dont you want me to know your last name?   If you will be searching for new employment or are seeking employment, open up your profile and let people see who you are. Tip 10: Enrich your profile with media Showcase examples of your work using Slideshare or Box files.   Maybe you have customer testimonials or letters of recommendation that you want to show off.   Create a presentation or scan the letter into Box for everyone to have access to.  I use them on my profile. I wrote about using LinkedIns apps in this post: Make your LinkedIn richer by embedding media. Tip 11:   Website links? Customize those too! Instead of using LinkedIns default title for linked websites/urls, My company website Other website, you can edit their labels. They have to be short to be viewable.   It really helps the viewer understand what theyll find if they decide to click through.   (Thats what you want, isnt it?) Tip 12:   Yes, you really should get recommendations You cant be sure they will tip the scales in your favor, but you shouldnt discount them either.   Give to get is the motto.   Write a recommendation for a colleague, partner, vendor, manager someone you worked with and genuinely would like to share your appreciation towards. Wrapping Up I really wanted this to be called, how to build a better mouse trapbecause you want your profile to catch the viewers attention. Any other suggestions you would make? If you arent familiar with Jason Albas book, videos and blog:   Im On LinkedInNow What?, he provides great insight and help! If you are looking for other resources and help with LinkedIn, you can see some of the many resources for social tools on my Resources page (including LinkedIn). Any other tips you would like to suggest?