What Does Your Online Persona Say About Your Personal Brand

What Does Your Online Persona Say About Your Personal Brand Social networking sites are often advertised as a place where you can socialize with friends, family and acquaintances. Nobody ever thought they’d find purpose in background checks! But then more and more recruiters and employers are using these sites as a valuable tool when screening potential employees. So if you’re currently looking for a job, seeking a promotion or jumping into a different career, then you may want to be wary of what your online profiles contain. Some of the things you post may seem harmless or even funny to you but without context, it can project a different image of you to a very calculating recruiter. You may not be aware of it, but here are a few things that your online persona can say about you: Sociable or Loner? If you only have two friends on your Facebook account (i.e. your parents) then you may not be considered a good candidate in sales or marketing as this involves a lot of human interaction On the other hand, if you have a lot of followers or friends, you can be perceived as sociable. However, pictures of yourself hanging out with a biker gang or on unruly drunken night outs with your buddies may show that while you’re fun to be with, you may not exactly be the serious type. Prim and Proper or All Out Wild? Pictures and comments your friends post on your social page can either be constructive or harmful. You may have been aware that recruiters now look at social pages so you keep your wacky pictures or comments on the wraps but what if your friends aren’t aware of this? You could lose a potential interview spot if a friend comments about how you were running naked on the beach completely wasted. Honest or Two-faced? We all struggle to keep our thoughts and personal opinions to ourselves and put on a pleasant face. But if a recruiter took a quick peek into your Twitter posts and saw exactly what you think about sensitive issues (e.g. race, sexual orientation, creed/religion, color, etc.), would you still be complacent that you will get the job? Being honest is okay; being insensitive and crude is not. Reasonably Emotional or Nothing but a Complainer? It is perfectly understandable for everyone to be completely emotional about some things some times. But then complaining about every other thing all the time can send out an impression that you’re going to be such a pain to work with. Nobody wants to hire a complainer! Make sure your social pages don’t reflect this side of you. Good or Bad? Have you just managed to conjure such a winning masterpiece of a resume filled with all your greatness? Good for you if it gets you an interview. But then too bad if you have falsified some information on your social pages before in your employment, called in sick (when you weren’t), participated in an affair, or worse. Bottom Line Be careful of what you post out there. Be mindful of what your friends do too. Keep things or thoughts that you don’t want to reflect negatively on you in private. Don’t let your personal escapades ruin your career! Related: 3 Smart Ways to Brand Yourself in the Job Search Process. Image: Shutterstock

Writing a Resume For Your Website

Writing a Resume For Your WebsiteWriting a resume for your website is something that you should do with great care. You need to make sure that all of the information that you are going to include on your resume is something that is going to be impressive to potential employers.Your resume should be something that is going to appeal to the employer. This is the first thing that they are going to see when they are reviewing your resume. They will look at it and see if it is something that would help them make a decision as to whether or not they would hire you.The way you write your resume is going to have a lot to do with how well it is going to do this for you. If you are using the same format that you used when you were in school, it is going to look like you are not serious about your job. People who write with confidence and a sense of urgency know that they are making a difference in the world. They know that they are showing the employer how serious they are about getting a job done right.The first thing that you are going to want to include in your resume is a short description of your job. It should say something along the lines of 'In charge of the content for my website.' If you are a web designer, then you are going to need to be able to describe the sort of work that you do.You also need to include the specific duties that you have performed. You should explain each of the jobs that you have worked on. You want to list each job in order of when you completed it. Be sure to list the location where the job was performed and the duties that you performed.You also need to provide a list of previous positions that you have held. Include all ofthe positions that you have had that you feel are relevant to the job that you are applying for. You should also list any training that you may have received for the job.You should provide copies of any letters that you have written, especially if you are having trouble finding letters from your previous employers. A ll of these letters are going to give potential employers a good idea of who you are as a person. You should also try to give a brief bio of yourself as well.When you are trying to write a resume for your website, you need to be very careful when you are doing this. Make sure that all of the information that you are including is something that will help you get the job that you are looking for. Make sure that you are careful with the layout of your resume and everything else that you are going to be including on it.

Quirky Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Quirky Interview Questions and How to Answer Them Quirky Interview Questions and How to Answer Them Just when you think you have got your interview techniques honed to perfection, your potential new employer throws a spanner into the works by asking you some weird and wonderful interview questions. What do you do? Do you panic and start talking gibberish, or do you turn these quirky questions to your advantage? When you have been through the interview process a few times, you get to know the traditional questions that the interviewer will put to you. Being forearmed is forewarned of course, so anyone who is serious about landing their dream job will have done their homework and practiced the appropriate responses to the most common questions that would be fired at them.But what we are seeing now coming from the likes of Apple, Google, Facebook and a lot of other high-profile employers is a new line of questioning hardly ever experienced in regular interviews before. These questions seem to be completely random and come out of the blue and can only be described as completely quir ky!Most interviews follow the same course â€" questions about your previous work experience, qualifications, learned skills, achievements etc. Mostly these are asked to make sure you are a good fit for the role on offer. As a jobseeker, we fully understand why these questions are asked and we do our very best to be able to answer them succinctly. But when a company decided to throw in the odd curve ball question, it is our ability to be able to think on our feet that they are actually looking for.This is a tactic being used by employers because by their very nature, these odd-ball questions cannot be rehearsed for in advance. When these awkward questions are asked, you need to be as best prepared for them as you can.Quirky questions you may be askedAlthough you can never quite tell what sort of quirky question will be thrown at you during your interview, we are hearing reports from job candidates about the sort of questions they are receiving that managed to throw their focus while being interviewed. Let’s take a look at three odd-ball questions asked here:Q: If you were a car, what sort of car would you be? (This might be anything other than a car, so be prepared for some strange example!).What do they really mean by this question? While it is an odd sort of question to ask a candidate at a job interview, the employer will most likely be asking this to see if you can think on your feet, but also to gain a better insight into you and how you feel about yourself. After all, this may well be the first time they have ever met you, so they dont know you from the next person in the interview queue.The simple answer to this question is that there is no right answer. The interviewer may see themselves as a Lamborghini, but this doesnt mean you have to see yourself as one too! You may see yourself as a four-wheel drive or a people carrier. Explaining that you being a four-wheel drive car will enable you to master rough terrain more smoothly, or being able to carry y our team with you as a people carrier, can reveal a lot about your attitude and personality.Q: If there was a cat stuck at the top of a tree, how would you get it down?What do they really mean by this question? Again, this seems like such a ridiculous question to ask a job interviewee, but it has come up in interview before! Again, there is no right answer to this question but depending on how you answer and explain your choice of solution will reveal how you think and calculate should you be faced with a problem to overcome. You may give a tongue-in-cheek answer to this by suggesting you get your rifle, but this answer probably will not go in your favor. Saying that you would call the emergency services might be better here because they have the right safety equipment and training to be able to rescue the cat. The interviewer will see that you have a safety conscious mind and wouldnt put yourself or anyone else at risk of harm when trying to do the right thing.Q: I am holding a coffee mug. Can you sell this mug to me now?What do they mean with this question? If you are applying for a sales position, then fine, give them your best sales pitch. But what if you are applying for a non-sales related job? Again, this will be asked to see how well you think on your feet. The employer may want to test you to see how versatile and flexible you may be. This could be important if the company are looking for employees that can master different roles to help cover for team mates or co-workers should they be absent in an emergency or are sick and off work. Stepping into the role of another to fill a gap can be important for businesses, especially smaller companies with less staff.You may not be asked any unusual questions at all during your next interview, but it always helps to be prepared for the unexpected. Remember that quirky questions are asked to test your ability to think on your feet or outside of the box. Many employers look for creative and versatile employee s rather than well-trained robots that can only perform one task. Remember to keep your sense of humor though â€" you may need it to get through the interview! previous article Free Resume of the Week | Lilac Beauty next article The Modern Professional Complete Resume Pack you might also likeWhy Do You Want to Work Here? Best Answers to This Interview Question

Leading A Strange Group (Even If Youre Inexperienced) - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Leading A Strange Group (Even If Youre Inexperienced) - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career What happens when youre placed in a leadership position of a group of people you barely know and have never worked with before?   How can you come into that situation and be successful at branding yourself as an effective leader?   Can it even be done if youre not already a confident leader in that area? In the last couple weeks, Ive had the really interesting experience of observing two leaders who came into that sort of  situation.    Both of those experiences started off the same way. In each case, I was at an underwater hockey tournament playing with a team put together just for that tournament.   The players were from  different locations, most had never played together before, and  the players had  vastly-different skill and ability levels. The challenge of each team captain was  to pull together  this hodgepodge group on the morning of the tournament and turn us into an effective team. Sounds like a nightmare situation for a leader, right?   Theres really nothing worse than being responsible for leading a strange, unorganized, varied-skill  group into intense competition! As it turned out, one leader did a great job.   The other floundered from the beginning and never gained the respect of our team. In the case of the second captain, what brought her down was not her inexperience with the game, it was  how she failed to get us to see her as a leader. The leader brand So what could she have done to brand herself as the leader?  And as she was relatively new to the sport herself, was it even possible for her to be an effective leader?   Absolutely!  Even though my first captain was an accomplished veteran of the sport, the majority of what he did in the beginning could be done by anyone to show their leadership abilities. Heres how you brand yourself as a leader right away, even if youre inexperienced. 1. Find out your teams capabilities ASAP. When youre thrown together with a random group of people, theres no way you can succeed if you dont know what the individuals on your team can do.   As soon as my effective  captain found out who was going to be on his team, he got in contact with the whole group and asked us to tell him (a)our experience with the sport/ability level and (b)the position we usually play (and any back-up positions we could play.) As a result, he gained some extra hours to figure out our strategy and knew what he had (and in some of our cases, what he didnt have!) 2. Schedule a time to get the team together for the first time. When youre with a random group of people who you dont know, theres nothing worse than wandering into the tournament space, and not knowing who youre supposed to find, where youre supposed to go, when youre playing first, and what youre going to be doing.  Trust me its nerve-wracking.  Thats why it was a smart move when my effective captain asked us all to meet him 30 minutes before the tournament started to meet and discuss strategy. 3. Plan a strategy. Once our effective captain brought us together, we briefly discussed what positions we were playing, and then launched into a strategy session.   He told us what formation he thought we should play, and then we discussed how our abilities would play into that and how to take advantage of the playing field.  We came out of the meeting feeling confident in what we were doing, and especially in his ability to lead us. Inexperienced leaders can make this work even if  you have no idea about the strategy your team should use! Leading isnt about having all the answers, its about asserting that its important to have a strategy and then guiding the discussion.     So if youre inexperienced, brand yourself as a leader by getting the team to come up with the strategy together.    Its not the leaders job to make the entire strategy its the leaders job to make sure the team gets a strategy! (Even if it comes from others!) 4. Enforce the strategy. Once your team has developed that strategy, the leaders job is to make sure that strategy happens. My first captain was extremely effective because he kept bringing our team back to the strategy at every break, held us accountable and pushed us to achieve it.   Whenever we were gathered at the wall, he asked were you doing what we discussed for your position?   Knowing that he would ask if Id positioned myself to receive the puck at a 45 degree angle made me more conscious of where I was on every play.   I didnt succeed every time, and neither did my teammates, but that accountability pushed us to adhere to the strategy ,and was a huge component of our success. Good strategy, effective leader If your team has a strategy, but then runs wild and doesnt use it, you wont be seen as an effective leader.   And holding your team accountable is critical to having a successful strategy.   That way, if the strategy is good, your team will be successful.   And if  your strategy isnt working, you know its because the strategy doesnt work (and the failure isnt due to  your team  not doing what theyre supposed to).   Then you can change the strategy until it does work. Being viewed as an effective leader doesnt depend utterly on experience and prior success in that field.   After all, there are many sports stars who are horrible  coaches in their sport while others who were less successful as players turn out to be incredible coaches.   What matter is how you conduct yourself as that leader. Even if  youre asked to lead  a hodgepodge team with many inexperienced, low-skill players who have never played with you or each other before, and you have no idea what youre doing, its still possible to get your team to see you as a good leader. All you have to do is find out the capabilities of your team quickly,  bring the team together right away,  determine the best strategy for its ability, and then keep checking in with your team to make sure that everyone is sticking to that strategy. Author: Katie Konrath blogs about creativity, innovation and “ideas so fresh… they should be slapped” at www.getfreshminds.com.   She works for leading innovation company, Ideas To Go.

Custom Resume Writing Service - Writing References For New Hires

Custom Resume Writing Service - Writing References For New HiresWhen hiring a new employee, it is important to provide all references required by the employer and some additional information that will help the new hire to be more successful in the job. Resume writing has become one of the most important documents to ensure that an applicant is well-qualified for the position. The importance of writing personal references has been discussed before in this blog and now it is time to discuss the method of writing references.When hiring anyone, it is critical to remember that important documents must be created, wrote and submitted for reference. A standard employment contract should have the name, address, and phone number of both parties to ensure the safety of both parties. If a job does not include a work agreement, it is important to include this in the job posting. Each of these documents should be included with the rest of the documents for reference purposes.After the letter is c omplete, the writer should then use the letter as a personal reference for the new hire. This letter is typically used for the first interview and will show that the applicant had a professional reference letter written that they were happy with and is a good candidate for the job. There are several ways to approach the use of a personal reference letter.There are some cases where the letter can be used with a personal reference letter that is geared toward a job with a client or an associate. This type of letter is generally tailored for the client or person that has hired the applicant. For example, if the letter is given to a client to look over before making a final decision about an employee, the personal information could be used to help the hiring team to determine if the individual has the needed skills for the job. For example, if the applicant is a project manager, the letter could include details of the project, the time frame for completion, and the communication between the applicant and other executives at the client.There are also other examples of how a business might decide to use a personal letter to provide references. A new employee might be expected to provide references on a contract that is hired with the first job. The writer might send a letter to someone they know who works for the client, like the client's accountant or human resources representative, to ensure the references are current and up to date.Businesses also need to be aware of the relationships that they build with their customers and other clients, and they want to make sure the references that are provided are one-on-one. In other words, the references should be specific to the specific needs of the customer. There are many forms and methods that writers use when preparing a reference letter. They can write a letter for any number of reasons, such as references for the job opening, references for wedding invitations, and references for business introductions.Some persona l references for a new employee might include the past and present employer of the individual, their parents, and a close friend. There are so many examples of personal references in a business. The important thing is to create an effective resume and letter that are both written and accurate. This will ensure that the application and hiring process go smoothly and a new employee has a successful first day on the job.References are important to the new hire. Whether a reference letter is used in an interview or as part of a referral form, the reference should be focused on the employee's professional success. Using a custom resume writing service that includes these types of options will help the company to not only make the hire but to ensure that the new employee feels valued and accepted.

5 Simple Steps for Establishing A Successful Career

5 Simple Steps for Establishing A Successful Career Career planning should be done by every new graduate so that they can have better careers and ones that do not do career planning, in their later life they regret it as they are unhappy and unsuccessful in their life.The one that do not do career planning are running after money as they choose the job that will give them most money in comparison people who do career planning choose a job that they have interest in and in later life they are successful and happily doing their jobs.1.Self AssessmentevalevalIf you want a successful career so you have to do your self assessment which involves steps to find your interest, passion, values and skills. It also involves your own strength and weakness analysis. In strength analysis, you will try to find skills you have and what you are good at. In weakness analysis, you will try to find what skills do you need and where you need to improve.It is very important to do self evaluation before choosing a career path because it has massive impact on job satisfaction.2. ExplorationFirst try to find the industries that attract you and what sort of jobs attract you and then try to find how you can get that job and what majors are required to get that job.Here you simply make list of industries and companies and check different job requirement, job description and specification and then you match your skills and interests with your target job or industry where you want to go. Exploration is important as it bridges the gap between your interests and skills with skills that are required by your target industry or job. 3. Goal settingAfter you have matched your interests and skills with your target job or industry you will understand where you want to go and what you want to be so you will set goals to get there.In goal setting you will plan to get skills that you will need to enter that job, for university student they will be selecting majors that will help them achieve those skills.4. PreparationIn preparation you will start devel oping those skills to improve your chances to achieve your final goal; you will also be checking your progress to see if you are heading in the right directions. You will be working on your writing skills to catch the attention of these industries by building effective resume to create great first impression. Another preparation is in the form of interview practice in which you prepare yourself for a job interview.evalGreat way to learn those skills and show your talent is by gaining experience in the form of internship and part-time job where you will learn new skills and apply every skill you have during that period.5. ActionevalNow you will be in the best position to start your job hunt because you have developed all the skill required for that job. You will need to send your resumes to the career web pages of the desired industry or these industry comes in the job fair so you can attend these job fairs where you will have to impress employers by giving solid interview. In interv iew you will have to tell why you want this job and why they need you in order to impress them.ConclusionAfter following these five steps you are guaranteed to find a job that you will enjoy and when you will enjoy the job you will also taste success in it because you will be doing the job that you have interest in and matches your skills.

A Career Coachs Answer to, What Career Should I Choose

A Career Coachs Answer to, What Career Should I Choose “I wish you could tell me what career I should choose.” I routinely hear some version of this quote from clients. That line has a more personal meaning to me since I said that to a career coach when I was in the midst of a career transition! My Career Transition I was not fulfilled in my career and knew I needed to change. I was able to narrow it down to three choices, but could not decide. I felt so overwhelmed and did not want to make the wrong decision. Truly, I wanted to give my decision-making power to someone else. If my coach made a decision for me, then I would have closure and know what the next steps would be. Deep down inside I knew that my coach could not decide for me and that I needed to make a decision. However, that still didnt alleviate the short-term panic and frustration I felt at the time. Your Career Coachs Role In career coaching, your coach may use a combination of questions, assessments and techniques to help you learn about yourself in new ways. They may help you explore your interests, values, skills and personality style to create an overall picture of who you are and how that relates to a career. During this time, your coach may suggest some career paths for you to research and you will uncover additional careers that appeal to you. Those potential careers will match one or more elements of who you are. This is where the hard part typically comes in for the individual. The coach cannot do the research for the individual to decide if any of those career paths are the right fit for her/him. The individual needs to dig into the research, whether online or in-person, to see how it relates to her/his interests, skills, personality and values. The coach can challenge the individual on the fit to ensure the client is thinking through all of the aspects of the career, however, the coach canno t make the ultimate decision! You would not want your coach to do this, even if it feels that way in the short-term. Career transition can be difficult. At different times it can be exciting, scary, overwhelming, exhilarating, challenging, etc. A coach can help an individual through all stages of this process in the good times and in the challenging times. Overall, my career transition took over 4 years from the moment I decided on what I wanted to do to actually getting into the profession. However, my transition is not necessarily typical of many clients. My career transition involved applying and attending graduate school. When I reflect back about how long my transition took, it never felt that long. I was able to break it up into small steps that I achieved throughout those 4 years but always kept my eye on the end goal. I have never been happier in my career, and now I realize that overwhelming feeling was something I had to go through. You may wish that a career coach could make a decision for you, but a coach can only guide you in your job search and help you discover what you want. Remembe r that you know yourself better than anyone.

Career Support Times Three... at a Price You Can Afford - Hallie Crawford

Career Support Times Three... at a Price You Can Afford Dear Career Seekers, Are you ready to have a career you are passionate about? Want to have greater career direction, confidence and a sense of empowerment? Imagine waking up each morning and feeling excited about going to work (Cool, huh!) Secure your spot today! The Career Seekers Teleclass is an exciting and empowering 12 week journey to help you begin to find a career you are passionate about and learn how to make it happen. The class starts February 6. We have a ball in these classes, and I hope youll join us. At half the cost of individual coaching, you will receive ongoing guidance and support from 3 sources: Me, , Career Coach Extraordinaire (via teleclasses teachings, small group advisory and feedback, plus unlimited email access) Your Career Seekers coursework buddy (a partner to talk with, share resources and yes maybe even commiserate with) Other group members who are facing the same challenges you are What you get This comprehensive, resource-rich course will help you secure the foundation for your future dream job one session at a time. The Career Seekers Teleclass takes place 3 Tuesdays each month for 4 straight months. Just 55 minutes per session and it will change your life! All calls are recorded; if you miss a class, you can make it up. Plus, you get personalized attention, tons of resources and tools, ongoing peer support and unlimited access to me by email. You will discover how to find a career you are passionate about finally figure out what you want to be when you grow up create wealth by putting your greatest talents to use lay down the framework for the job of your dreams! Listen to an intro: Click here to listen to an intro to the Career Seekers Teleclass and get an inside peek at how I run my dynamic and information-rich teleclasses: teleclass intro audio recording. Start now: If you need career guidance but arent ready for one-on-one coaching, this class is a great first step on the path to an exciting new career that you love. For program details and to register, visit the Career Seekers page on my website, or contact me directly to register: hallie AT halliecrawford.com Click here to send this to a friend. When: Starts February 6, 2007 12 sessions Cost: $200/month for 4 months (less than ½ the cost of individual coaching) Invest in yourself. Dont wait you CAN have a job you truly enjoy. I will see you in classlets rock and roll, , MA, CPCC Career Coach