Why Your LinkedIn Company Page is STILL More Important than Your Website

Why Your LinkedIn Company Page is STILL More Important than Your Website Do you need to source candidates?  Do you need to study your competition? Do you want to keep a very close eye on what your clients are doing / their recruitment opportunities / their starters and leavers?  Well, read on Last year, the lovely Undercover Recruiter (thanks Lisa!) published a blog for me entitled “Why Your Company LinkedIn Page is More Important than Your Website”.   Dare I suggest it was a hit?   It came 4th overall for the most popular blog published last year (1,500 LinkedIn shares â€" wow!). So how could I possibly follow that up? How about documenting how your clients’ (and competitors’) LinkedIn company pages are more informative than their websites and thus they can help you source candidates and generate leads? Here’s some things to consider: Websites are propaganda spun by marketers â€" LinkedIn is “real” (thoughts?). LinkedIn Company Pages have lists of who works there, whereas not all websites have this. LinkedIn Company Pages have real recommendations left by clients and candidates is the website so up to date? LinkedIn Company Pages are more up to date in general when was the last time their website was updated? Are their jobs advertised on their website?  Maybe. They are likely though to be adding these to their status updates, or Careers pages. When you look at a company website, you are unlikely to see the most recommended member of staff! Can you tell on a company website who the contact point (candidate) is when you are reviewing their products?  No! You can on LinkedIn company pages. Do company websites tell you who their competitors are? Hell no! Can you see who is actively following a website…? No. On the company website, can you see where employees that work in that business have worked before, or where they are likely to end up? No See where I am going? When was the last time you checked out your clients’ and your competitors’ LinkedIn company pages?   Also, have you considered checking out typical “talent pool” companies on LinkedIn to see what you can get from this valuable data? Happy hunting!

When Your Background is Holding You Back

When Your Background is Holding You Back Embed from Getty Images The economy is improving in almost every industry, and employers are finding that the talent pool is getting tight. That’s good news for a sector of the workforce that struggles to connect with work no matter what the economy is doing: those with criminal backgrounds. It’s a growing problem here in Jacksonville, as it is for many cities. Employers as a whole are wary of hiring convicted felons. A 2010 study (based on 2008 data) found that at least 80 percent of employers would hire “former welfare recipients, workers with little recent work experience or lengthy unemployment, and other stigmatizing characteristics” but only 40 percent would consider hiring a convicted felon.  In 2008, the latest year for which complete data are available, about 1 in 17 working-age adult men was a former prisoner and about 1 in 8 was an ex-felon. (Not all felons serve prison time.) Unemployment among former felons (90 percent of whom are male) is a serious issue, not just for the individuals, but for the families and children affected by their inability to find work and provide support. A 2015 survey by  the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights found that 76 percent of former inmates said finding work after being released was “difficult” or “nearly impossible.” Nearly two thirds of the respondents were unemployed or underemployed five years after being released from prison. If your background is holding you (or someone you care for) back, here are some ways you can improve your odds of finding work. You’ll have to try twice as hard to get half a chance. Your record is a mark against you, so you’ll have to balance your odds by being the very best candidate you can be. Your demeanor, your appearance, your preparation they all have to be top notch. If you seem too casual, unprepared, or sloppy, you probably won’t get a chance to prove you can do the job. People will want to feel confident that you’ve put mistakes behind you, so you’ll need to make a strong first impression. Apply in person, not online. Despite the fact that companies are beginning to Ban the Box, most online applications will ask about felony convictions. That fact, along with the number of other applicants with whom you’re competing, makes it unlikely you’ll get a call for an interview. You’re much better off making personal connections with companies, where you have a chance of meeting a hiring manager face to face and showing how motivated and sincere you are about working. Apply to small companies. Larger companies with well-established HR policies will not be willing â€" or able to make exceptions. Although the tide is changing, with EEOC guidelines saying the conviction must relate to the job duties. For instance a fraud conviction could be cause not to hire someone who would be exposed to customers’ personal or financial information. But a small, privately-held company may have fewer policies in place and more flexibility. I’ve met company owners who have said, “There but for the grace of God go I.” They remember how many mistakes they made in their younger years, and some consider themselves lucky not to have been arrested. Many believe in looking at the individual first, and his record second. Consider self-employment. You may need to find a way to supplement your income or create your own job. Landscaping, construction, and other outdoor labor-intensive industries have always been open to hiring hard workers who consistently show up, regardless of their past history. Those industries might be a place to build skills and relationships that allow you to go out on your own to start a business. Skilled craftsmen will always be in demand, so your shot at a second chance may be one you build yourself. Once you have that second chance, don’t waste it by taking it for granted.   When you do land a job, it’s important to stay for at least a year or two to build your experience and your reputation for being reliable. The good news is that after you’ve built up a few years of productive work experience, your background is likely to fade into the background.   You’ll find it becomes less important than what you can do for the company right now.

Only Persuasive Personal Brands Get What They Want - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Only Persuasive Personal Brands Get What They Want - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Say Yes! to Robert Cialdinis New Book Influence is important regardless of your position in the workplace. It doesnt matter if youre a manager, CEO or entrepreneur; its time to learn about how to persuade people to say Yes! Think about it; in order to accomplish anything in life that involves other people, you need to influence them to take action. Its near impossible to complete major projects at work and hit deadlines without this aggressive action. Today, Im going to expose a few of the big ideas in Robert Cialdinis new book Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsrdpM7dum4] What common mistake causes messages to self-destruct? Political groups condemn the rise in voter apathy and then watch their communication backfire as more and more voters fail to show up at the polls. Health centers place posters in the waiting room walls decrying the number of patients who dont show up for their appointment. As a result, they dont show up! By using negative social proof as part of a rallying cry, they might be inadvertently focusing the audience on the Prevalence, rather than the undesirability of that behavior. How can a new superior product mean more sales than an interior one? Williams-Sonoma, the kitchen retail store, offered a bread-making machine that was far superior to the best-selling bread maker that they stocked. When it was added, sales from the existing product doubled! This happens because when consumers consider a particular set of choices for a product, they tend to favor alternatives that are compromise choices. Compromise choices fall between what they need, at a minimum, and what they could possibly spend, at a maximum. Which office item can make your influence stick? If you guessed a pen or a paperweight, you are wrong. A survey was conducted by social scientist, Randy Garner, to see if Post-it Notes might have the power to enhance compliance with a written request made to another person. More than 75% of the people who received the survey with a sticky note request filled it out and returned it! How can you become a Jedia master of persuasion? In the Return of the Jedi, Luke Skywalker persuaded Darth Vader to turn against the evil emperor, saving his own life and restoring hope and peace to the galaxy. When Luke kept telling Darth that he knew there was still good in him, it convinced him to take action. This strategy is called the Labeling technique, which involves assigning a trait, attitude or belief to a person and then making a request of that person consistent with the label. Robert B. Cialdini is a social psychologist who is currently a Regents Professor of Psychology and a W.P. Carey Distinguished Professor of Marketing at Arizona State University. His books Influence: Science and Practice and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion are the result of years of study into the reasons that people comply with requests in business and other settings. Together, they have sold over a million copies and have been translated into twenty languages and consistently ranks within the top one half of one percent of books sold on Amazon.com. Dr. Cialdini is President of Influence At Work, an international consulting, strategic planning and training organization based on the Six Principles of Influence.

Free Download The Complete First Chapter of Me 2.0! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Free Download The Complete First Chapter of Me 2.0! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career My new book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success, has been selling very well. Most authors wont tell you how many books have been sold, unless that number is at least 20,000, but Im not most authors ?? .   Me 2.0 has sold over 1,000 copies since its been out last month, thanks to your support.   The Me 2.0 marketing campaign was a combination of blogging, social networks, some free book giveaway promotions, mainstream press attention and a viral push through the blogosphere, as well as a local book tour.   In light of the success of this book, Im giving away free copies of the first chapter of Me 2.0; yours to download today! What is Chapter 1 about? A lot of people who pickup Me 2.0 for a bookstore or on Amazon have no idea what personal branding is, how it came to be and whats involved in it.   Chapter 1 of Me 2.0 gives you the history of personal branding, the definition, what it really means to have a brand (reputation and authenticity), information on word-of-mouth marketing, how visibility translates into career opportunities, and the importance of networking.   My favorite part about Chapter 1 is that it talks about how the world wasnt ready to embrace personal branding in 1997 when Tom Peters coined it and instead, it spread when branding became more obvious through web 2.0 technologies.   Now, any brand (corporate/product/person) can use the same free platforms to become more well known to their audiences. Don Tapscott send me the following quote, which appears in Chapter 1: “In the past, people played limited economic roles. As employees, they worked within organizational silos where the boss told them what to do. Too many people were bypassed by circulation of knowledge, power, and capital, and thus participated at the economy’s margins.” â€"Don Tapscott, bestselling author, Wikinomics Download chapter 1 Free Download: Me 2.0 Chapter 1 The Brand Called YOU! Personal branding VIP list If youve read Me 2.0 or are just interested in personal branding in general, I welcome you to join my VIP email newsletter. All you have to do is go to PersonalBrandingBook.com and fill out your name and email address on the right hand side.   This list will get materials that arent in the book, this blog or any other news website.   This list will also hear all of my forthcoming announcements and get the latest personal branding news as it occurs.   Are you VIP? Are you hungry for a single resource that will give you all the information you need in order to build a successful brand that you can feel proud of?   Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success (Kaplan, April 09) is the bestselling career book that will help you command your career and create your future, using social media tools.   It will take you through a proven process that will explain how you can discover, create, communicate and maintain your own personal brand throughout the course of your life.   With rave reviews from 34 successful business people, such as Daniel Pink, John Quelch, Marshall Goldsmith and Gary Vaynerchuk and media mentions from the The Wall Street Journal, ABC News, Fast Company, The New York Times and many others, what are you waiting for!     You don’t want to be the 100,000th person to read this book.   Read it now to gain a competitive advantage in your industry and achieve your dreams.

3 Crucial Work Problems and How To Handle Them Mindfully - CareerMetis.com

3 Crucial Work Problems and How To Handle Them Mindfully 9 hours a day, 45 hours a week. That’s how much of our life we spend on work. Just think, you’re spending 26% of your weekly time at your workplace and round 74% is spent on various activities like commuting, sleeping, and Netflix Chill on weekends, then.But, why does that 26 % feel heavier than that 74%? Well, there could be a lot of problems including lack of passion or motivation, lack of interest, or lack of job satisfaction. Let’s be honest, no one feels they have a 100% perfect job. We all have problems at our workplace and we all want simple solutions.evalWe surely can’t discuss all the problems of your work, but we have narrowed down 3 most common and critical problems. A gigantic percent of the total workforce face these problems every single day, hence we need to discuss solutions.There are a lot of ways to deal with each of these issues, but we’re trying a mindful approach to handle these issues. Mindfulness not only handles the present, but it also helps you sa ve future issues. Our goal for this article is to find the core problem and fix it!These are the three problems that we’re discussing in this article:Work OverloadLack Of ProductivityConflictsLet’s have a look at these issues and try to see how we can deal with them more mindfully.1. Work Overloadeval40% of the US workersreported that their jobs are extremely stressful, and Work Overload is a major contributor in this bummer. Sadly, and maybe unintentionally, we have designed our work culture in such a way that work overload has become a customary factor in corporate. Apparently, how we handle the work overload, contributes a lot to our personal progress.So, we have to find mindful ways to handle work overload. andthere are two main factors to deal with it:SchedulingBreaksScheduling is an important part of work and extremely important to achieve high productivity. Scheduling can help you design your entire day and complete everyday goals on time. There’s a good quote on making a schedule that says,“First you be the boss and make a schedule, evalthen you make the schedule your boss and follow the orders.”Some people might like to think that scheduling is an old way to get things done, but in a situation of work overload, making a schedule really helps. You can actually prioritize all your tasks and finish the work on time.One thing you shouldn’t miss in your schedule is “Breaks”, and that’s our second factor to handle work overload mindfully.evalTaking breaks can surely increase your total time at work as you’ll be investing 10-15 minutes everytime you go out and take fresh air. But, taking breaks can change the entire dynamic of your work. In fact, it can surely help you fight work overload.When you’re constantly working in one place, your mind gets blocked after a certain period. Especially, those who are involved in creative work, they do face such problems. To fight back work overload, we can’t afford to have these blocks. In many ca ses, employees end up wasting more time because of these brain freeze.Those who’re involved in writing or content also face such problem. There’s a term called “Writer’s Block” where the writer is unable to think what to write and how to go ahead with the writing.Solution to this problem is taking breaks between hours or a certain number of tasks can save us from such brain freeze. When you take your mind of the work, it gives you a fresh start when you jump back in again.Here are some ideas on what you can do in periodic breaks:Take a coffee or tea break.Go out and have fresh air.Have an interesting interaction with a colleague.Read or watch a video on a topic of interest.Solve a puzzle.Meditate.Apparently, no matter how we’re physically involved in our task, our brain gets exhaustedafter a period. That’s when people get easily distracted by social media and viral videos. A mindful solution to this problem is taking a pause and give yourself a little break.2. Lack Of ProductivityWhere is my time utilized?We all have faced this issue where we are not quite happy with the way we work. There are a lot of reasons that lead to lack of productivity, but there are two steps to this problem.Keep track of your time.Don’t let the distraction work on you.We have already talked about the importance of scheduling and how it can help you design your entire day. Now the real problem is, we can’t complete our own schedule.evalTo follow the schedule, we have to add a sense of awareness to our work. We can achieve that state by ourselves but there are helpful tools available as well. We just need to know how much time we invest in every task, and time trackers can do that for us.We can always note time logs manually or we can take help from a good time tracking appas well. But I believe, tracking time manually for every task would eat up a lot of time in itself. On the other hand, using a time tracking app can save a lot of time and gives exactly what we want .Now, to increase the productivity, you need to observe the data collected in the time tracking tool very carefully.You can find out following things from a time tracking app:Highest lowest time-consuming tasksHighest lowest time-consuming projects.Total productive unproductive hours.Leisure time.Time invested in discussions meetings.You can observe each task and make suitable changes to increase your productivity.evalThe second thing that we need to acknowledge is “distractions”. We do waste a lot of time on social media, chit-chats, gossips, and so many things that we’re not even aware of.An average person spends 50 minutes every day on just Facebook-owned apps (Instagram, Messenger, and Facebook of course). There’s an entire study on how much time people spend on social mediaplatforms, and the numbers are not pretty.And those are just social media apps we’re talking about. At your workplace, you face so many distractions that eventually hamper your productivity. To fight back this problem, you can turn off app notifications for a time period (your office hours), that helps a lot.To keep yourself away from other distractions, you can listen to soft music like meditation music or focus tracks. Basically, you want to listen to something that helps you in focusing, so you can’t listen to Jazz or Eminem! Instrumentalmusiccalms us down to neutral and generates no emotions, so you can focus on your work and finish it on time.3. ConflictsConflicts are one of the most common problems almost every organization is facing. I personally believe you can never solve this problem, and the reason is very simple â€" People are different!We all are raised in a different environment, background, ethnicity, and religion. You simply can’t expect them to react exactly the way you want. So, all you need to do is find the right way to handle the entire situation.And, the idea is to not come out as a rude!All you need to do is present your perspective without cross ing the imaginary line that every person has. If you cross the boundaries, the other person might get hurt or get angry. Both these situations can develop a sense of grudge, and that can ruin the dynamics of future interactions.That’s the last thing you want!You simply have to understand that you don’t need the other person to follow your perspective, you just need that person to listen to your perspective. In a condition of such conflict, make sure yourvoice and tone are polite. Because no matter how logical your perspective is, if you raise your voice, no one would like to listen to you.All you need to do is take a deep breath and be mindful about the whole thing. You need to understand, just like you’re expecting someone to understand your perspective, that someone is expecting the same!BOTTOMLINEWe hope these solutions will help you in the future. Mindful solutions like these can help you live that 26% mindfully and enjoy your work.

Step Up to Advance Your Career

Step Up to Advance Your Career Step Up to Advance Your Career Step Up to Advance Your Career September 25, 2011 by Career Coach Sherri Thomas 2 Comments Want to move up the corporate ladder?   If yes, then you’ll need to step up.     Moving up the chain of command within your current company is one of the hardest things to do.   The reason is  because senior managers already see you in your current role, performing your day-to-day responsibilities.   They do not physically  â€œsee” you in that higher level role, successfully managing those higher-level, higher risk programs and departments.   And no, it’s not a given that if you’re successful in your current position that you’ll be successful at a higher level position. So how do you prove that you can do the job before you get the job?         First, you’ll need to role model those skills required in that advanced position. Talk to other department and senior managers to find out what kinds of skills, training and qualifications are needed for the advanced position.  For example, if you want to move from Account Manager to Sr. Account Manager, then you may find out the position requires someone with a proven track record in managing client expectations and leading teams.   Or, if you want to transition from a Sales Manager to the VP of Sales Marketing, the company  may need a strategic thinker who can generate revenue and influence senior management.  If you feel that you have the right skills and qualifications to be successful in the new role, then take an assessment of your current projects and teams that you’re leading.   Are they allowing you to gain credibility with senior managers?   Are they allowing you to get the “big results” that you need to get noticed? If not, then you’ll need to step up and volunteer for projects that do.   Usually, these are projects that generate revenue, streamline costs, or give the company a competitive edge in the market.   Be proactive and go after those projects that are valued by company leaders where you can flex your muscles, showcase your strengths, and demonstrate that you’re the right person for the job.     Next, youll need to increase your visibility and credibility with Sr. Leaders.   You want to be seen by those managers, or career influencers who could praise your work to other senior managers, promote you, or influence others to promote you.  Send a crystal clear message that you have the right skills and experience for that higher level position.   Seek out opportunities to promote your project teams, key successes, and the benefits that your projects are bringing to the company in your status updates, project reports, and presentations to staff and senior managers.   Also, increase your visibility by writing an article for the company newsletter, hosting a webinar, speaking at an internal conference or forum, or hosting a workshop.     My client  Kevin stepped up and volunteered for a highly valued and highly visible project, and two  weeks later the project leader transferred to a different project.    Kevin stepped up again to take on the role of project leader which  gave him tremendous opportunities for increased exposure and communication to senior leaders.   One month later,  Kevin stepped up again to support two additional high profile projects.   Not only  did he receive a  promotion, but he is also feeling more satisfied, more energized, and more respected in his career than ever before.   I’ve personally stepped up in my own career several times with remarkable success.   Once, when the department I was working in shut down the marketing line of service along with two projects I was leading, my manager asked me if I wanted to lead a high profile technical project.  At the time, I didn’t have any experience in technical leadership.  I remember being terrified, but I knew the reward could be huge.   So I stepped up and within one year I received a promotion as well as a 22-percent increase in salary. Successful professionals  are always seeking out opportunities to step up and take on higher-level responsibilities that are valued by company leaders. Yes, there is risk involved, but if you don’t step up and prove yourself, then ten years from now you’re likely to be in the same job role with the same responsibilities and the same salary that you have today.   Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that if this is where you want to be.   But, if you want more responsibility, more leadership opportunities and a beefier paycheck â€" you’ll need to take the first step.

Private Equity Resume - How Important Is it?

Private Equity Resume - How Important Is it?A private equity resume is essential for those planning to join the private equity industry. Being an entrepreneur is not for the faint of heart, and one must possess extreme drive and ambition to succeed. Those who do this are exceptionally hardworking. They can take a business concept, a number of talented individuals and a new and innovative marketing strategy and turn it into a successful company.Once you have received initial capital, which can be a large sum of money or even a loan, you are responsible for the financial well-being of the company. You will be expected to invest in the products and services that you develop. An impressive corporate profile will help you land the first jobs available, and your resume can serve as your ticket to success.The most successful entrepreneurs have succeeded because they are organized and deliberate. Their private equity resumes will highlight their organizational skills, marketing prowess and e ntrepreneurial mindset. In addition, it is important to stress the qualities that make the entrepreneur successful. At the same time, your corporate profile should be on point.The business skills required for a good investor are strong communication skills. A business plan needs to be completed in a clear and concise manner. The plan will demonstrate to prospective investors that you have strong strategic thinking and strong attention to detail. This is an advantage over other types of entrepreneurs.When you are preparing a corporate profile, take time to research the current market. Ask yourself what sectors are best-suited for investors and how they could profit from the company. Keep in mind that the right investors are those who can provide a boost to your company without demanding huge amounts of equity. It is usually beneficial to the company to offer a limited amount of shares to the private equity firm.Your private equity resume should also detail the skills required for the job. You will be required to provide financial management and accounting skills, in addition to your organizational and business skills. It is extremely difficult to be successful at a variety of things at once. The company you choose must have the necessary expertise and skill set required to make the next step in the development of your business.Venture capitalists often oversee businesses in order to ensure they are properly run and that their business plans are sound. They are responsible for making sure that the businesses are run as efficiently as possible. They will review your business plan and evaluate your ability to manage resources. All companies that are a part of this field must show the investor that they are managed in a professional manner.If you are chosen to work with a fund manager, remember that you will be required to provide details about your overall financial management experience. This section should include recent cash flow statements, sales projections, and financial documents. This information will be used by the investor to determine whether or not you will be able to operate a company as they see fit.