Giveaway THE Twitter Book

Giveaway THE Twitter Book This is the LAST WEEK of the discounted pricing on the LinkedIn for Job Seekers DVD. Order here. The Twitter Job Search Guide Find a Job and Advance Your Career in Just 15 Minutes a Day. I got this book about a week ago and was blown away almost 200 pages of MEAT and SUBSTANCE on how to get value out of Twitter.  How to find people, how to communicate, how use Twitter for personal branding, how Twitter fits into other social tools, what all the technical stuff means I dont really know what the authors could have left out?  The book is  phenomenal. You can get one by answering todays Giveaway as usual, Im not judging the responses well have Susan Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan and Deb Dib choose the winner! When is social networking LinkedIn, Twitter or whatever, TOO much? In other words, how do you manage your time and efforts and have the right balance between what you do online and what you do offline? Make sure you answer on this blog (not on Facebook or Twitter) the question is open for a week! Giveaway THE Twitter Book This is the LAST WEEK of the discounted pricing on the LinkedIn for Job Seekers DVD. Order here. The Twitter Job Search Guide Find a Job and Advance Your Career in Just 15 Minutes a Day. I got this book about a week ago and was blown away almost 200 pages of MEAT and SUBSTANCE on how to get value out of Twitter.  How to find people, how to communicate, how use Twitter for personal branding, how Twitter fits into other social tools, what all the technical stuff means I dont really know what the authors could have left out?  The book is  phenomenal. You can get one by answering todays Giveaway as usual, Im not judging the responses well have Susan Whitcomb, Chandlee Bryan and Deb Dib choose the winner! When is social networking LinkedIn, Twitter or whatever, TOO much? In other words, how do you manage your time and efforts and have the right balance between what you do online and what you do offline? Make sure you answer on this blog (not on Facebook or Twitter) the question is open for a week!

How to Build Your Personal Brand as an Expert - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Build Your Personal Brand as an Expert - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career One of the questions I encounter frequently, especially by professionals who are just starting to use social media, is how I built a brand around being an expert. While I’m always happy to answer, I find myself at a partial loss simply because the answer is both amazingly simple and complicated. The short answer is that I acquire large amounts of information on my topicâ€" practical social media, simplify it, and then present it to people who will find it useful. Simple, right? At the same time, a great deal of strategy went into creating my personal brand. Find a topic that you find interesting and that an audience would be interested in learning more about. Notice I didn’t simply suggest that you study what you’re passionate about. You may be passionate about size ten clown shoes, but if no audience wants to learn more about it, you will have a very difficult time building a following. Being an expert is a service positionâ€"you help people. Carve out a niche or develop a unique perspective. It’s not enough to jump on the bandwagon of a popular topic. You’ll simply blend in with other industry talking heads. If you want a dedicated following, you have to have a unique point of view.  How can you present the latest information in a new way? How can you make it simpler? Do you think popular opinion is wrong? Show your following how your expertise can simplify their lives or work. Build an online brand in alignment with your topic and perspective. If you’re known to be hard-core, butterflies and flowers on your marketing materials and social media cover images is not going to cut it. Make sure that your colors, images, languageâ€"everythingâ€"is in alignment. Post consistently. Just like in real life, when friends disappear for long periods of time, you become less attached and often think about them less. Don’t inundate your audience, but create a posting schedule and commit to sticking with it. Author: Crystal Washington  is a social media marketing strategist, speaker, co-founder of Socialtunitiesâ€"a social media instruction brand that trains Gen Ys-Boomers on the strategic use of social media, and the author of  The Social Media WHY: A Busy Professional’s Practical Guide to Using Social Media Including LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, Google+ and Blogs for Business. She is hired by corporations and associations around the globe to provide keynotes, workshops, and webinars.

8 Steps to Finding the Perfect Mentor

8 Steps to Finding the Perfect Mentor Many aspiring entrepreneurs probably start their own business for the same reason: They want to be their own boss. In their mind, they envision how successful they will be, how much money they will make, how they will be a CEO of their very own venture. But not many stop to think about the difficulties and struggles that characterize the road to entrepreneurial success. Starting a business takes commitment, perseverance, and a desire to succeed. Whatever ambitions fuel a budding entrepreneur at the onset of their journey needs to sustain them for years to come. So, how exactly do successful business owners do it? For many, they took advice from someone with more experience and know-how. In other words, they learned how to find a mentor to guide them. This allows business owners to share the burden with someone else so that juggling all the responsibilities that come with being an entrepreneur isn’t overwhelming; it also yields benefits for the business itself. The Benefits of Mentorship According to a recent study, businesses led by an owner with a mentor were able to increase revenue by as much as 83%! Another revealing study discovered that 70% of companies led by an owner under a mentorship were twice as likely to succeed beyond five years. Mentors themselves also see natural benefits from such a relationship: Employees who mentor someone else, say another colleague, are promoted six times more often than their colleagues who do not take part in a mentorship. Famous CEOs also figured out that mentorship was crucial to success: Famed CEO and late innovator Steve Jobs credited Mark Markkula, an early angel investor in the company, as being Apple’s “adult supervisor.” Markkula not only had the funds Apple needed to move forward; he also helped shape the vision behind the company we know today. Jobs attributes part of Apple’s success to Markkula, who kept branding consistent and on track through the years. When it comes to running your own business, finding a seasoned professional mentor can be an immense help. As an established business owner, a professional mentor can help you with various aspects of running your business, like how to secure funding, what traits to look for in future applicants, how to develop an appealing company culture, or even how to handle workplace tension between employees. How to Find a Mentor So, how exactly can you find a suitable mentor? You can break it down into eight steps which can also be found in the infographic below by Fundera: Define what your goals are going forward. Identify someone you admire and want to emulate. Ask this person for advice related to your business, or have questions ready about how to get started as an entrepreneur. Schedule a meeting in a casual setting so you can adequately assess their style of communication. Is it a good fit for you? If you interact well, schedule weekly meetings with this person. Show that you’re listening by acting on their advice and inquiring on their projects as well. Ask them to be your mentor, in person, so that you can lay out your goals and expectations together. Thank them for their time, and always be available to talk about their ideas as well. While this process seems rather easy, it is meant to take time. Each step is a phase, and it could take six months to a year before you find someone who is indeed cut out for you. Of course, securing a mentorship as fast as possible is never the goal. Instead, you want to take the time to find someone who will invest themselves in you. Over time, the relationship will benefit both you and your mentor, and you can one day impart the experiences and advice you gleaned from the field into an aspiring mentee. About the author:  Meredith Wood is Editor-in-Chief at Fundera. Specializing in financial advice for small business owners, Meredith is a current and past contributor to Yahoo!, Amex OPEN Forum, Fox Business, SCORE, AllBusiness and more.

5 Surefire Ways to Be the Right Candidate

5 Surefire Ways to Be the Right Candidate Getting a job is now harder than it ever was. Even with all the necessary certification, candidates are finding it hard to get into their dream careers. This is mostly because graduates are increasing in number, and most of their jobs are limited. That is actually why many people are resorting to starting their own businesses. That said, it is not impossible to get a job, even in these difficult financial times. All you need to do is understand how you can be the right candidate for the job you desire. Here are five surefire ways to be the right candidate. Apply for the Position that Suits your Qualifications and Level of Experience People often make the mistake of going for jobs that pay excessively well, even though they would not benefit at all in the said positions. The problem is that your employer is likely to see through this, and because better qualified people are applying, you will have a very slim chance of getting employed. Ideally, you should go for the best position for your qualifications and experience. Your interviewer will also be more confident in you if you demonstrate an understanding of the expectations of someone in the position you applied for. Also, you should keep in mind that asking about the salary during an interview is still considered a taboo question. The best thing to do is consult an online salary guide. For example, if you have a Major in Finances and you’re looking for a career in this field you should know that there are many jobs out there for you that have different job descriptions and pay accordingly. Knowing that a financial analyst entry level salary is higher than a financial advisors’ can put you in a position of making an educated decision regarding your career. If you don’t have enough experience, it might be better for you to get an internship. That way, when you apply for a job, ensure to back up your claims with proof from your past experiences in the field. Also, make sure you don’t come off as arrogant since no one wants to work with a proud person. A humble but confident confirmation of your capacity to fill the role will suffice.  Get Relevant Education and Certification The first thing employers look for when eliminating applicants is educational certificates. Although the right papers do not mean you will be the best candidate, it shows that you are familiar with the industry. Companies usually offer education and training to new employees, but the applicants need to have a background to build on. Getting the proper papers does not necessarily require you to go to expensive universities and colleges. Many times, you will find respectable certificates that are offered for a short period. For example, IT courses can be completed in months without having to attend a university. That being said, you have to check the requirements for the job you are applying for. In case they require a degree in the field, you might have to wait for another opportunity. Build your Soft Skills Technical skills are not enough to get a job in the modern workplace. Competition is at an all-time high, and employers want to work with people who are sociable and have the proper soft skills. This is especially important for people who are not among the best talent in the industry. The final elimination of applicants is usually based on soft skills. Determining the level of your soft skills is not always easy. Some events from your past can, however, show whether your skills are good enough for the workplace. For example, if you have been getting clients, but have a very low return rate, your soft skills are highly likely to be underdeveloped. The return rate of clients and customers is usually determined by your soft skills. Soft skills include communication, negotiation, creative thinking, critical thinking, adaptability to different environments, and conflict resolution. These skills will help you work better in any given work environment. For example, proper communication will enable you to make friends in the workplace, and these persons can be important when you need help. Poor communication skills can even make you incapable of airing opinions that can improve the company’s operations. Like all other abilities, soft skills can be improved with practice. In some people, this is quite hard. You can consider getting a coach to help you practice your soft skills. It might cost you quite an amount of money but might be the only reason you end up getting into the corporate world. Build your Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence or EQ might be what separates productive workers from the unproductive ones. Developing your EQ will help you control your feelings better and work properly even when you are not at your best emotional state. EQ includes several pillars. These are self-awareness, motivation, empathy, self-regulation, and people skills. High EQ will give you the capacity to understand your strengths and weaknesses. It will enable you to express your emotions appropriately and restrain yourself when necessary. Even in cases where things are going wrong, people with high EQ are always able to stay motivated as they have an inner drive to deliver the best results. Empathy is important for applicants as they will be working with other people, and will possibly interact with clients and customers. It is, therefore, important to build your EQ in order to be the right candidate for the job Build a List of your Key Accomplishments If you have accomplishments in the industry, you should always bring them up in the interview and list them in your CV. These are even more important if they led to the reception of awards and recognition by important figures or organizations. You don’t have to be employed in a corporation in order to get accomplishments in your area of expertise. One way of creating a list of accomplishments is by doing voluntary work in any related or relevant field. If it was a group project, be sure to state your role in it. Employers are always eager to work with highly talented people, and showing your accomplishments can help them gauge your level of aptitude. Conclusion Entering the corporate world is not as hard as people make it seem. Granted, jobs are not in plenty and graduates are increasing in number every year. However, you can easily beat the competition by following these tips. It is important to always apply for a job that suits your qualifications and level of experience in the field. This post was authored by Cassidy Hennigan Cassidy Hennigan is a former recruiter and a career development teacher. She likes spending her time in a productive way, by learning new things, writing or playing the piano. She organises  productivity techniques classes, where she offers tips for developing interpersonal skills and being at peace with your inner self.  Cassidy also contributes to Salaries Wiki, where she explains salaries, skills and requirements for different jobs.

5 Signs of Stress and How to Overcome Them

5 Signs of Stress and How to Overcome Them “In times of stress, the best thing we can do for each other is to listen with our ears and our hearts and to be assured that our questions are just as important as our answers.” Fred RogersAre you one of those people always on the run?Always doing something important?Always thinking ahead?Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comevalStress is today one of the most common issues for most people no matter their age, occupation, status or wealth. Sometimes, stress is taking too much of your energy even to have any left to notice what is going on.Therefore, check out these 5 signs of stress and discover how to overcome them:1. Poor sleepevalWhen your mind refuses to shut up and keeps you up at night, it might be a sign of stress. So, what can you do about it and rest all night peacefully?First, write down your worries, what is stressing you and free your mind from any negative thoughts.Second, remind yourself that, at night, you can’t solve anything and refreshed, the next day you will sort out whatever needs sorting out.2. Almost nothing makes you laughStress takes the fun and joy out of your life because it is forcing you to think only of the things you ought to do and nothing else; everything else seems trivial, unimportant and a waste of precious time.If that is happening to you, get together with If you find yourself going in a never ending circle, getting back again and again to the same idea, maybe it is time to change your mind.Start by thinking of mundane things like what perfume to wear today and then, think of more interesting things like a field of poppy in May and finish with thoughts about productive things you can do right now.5. Feeling afraid eval“I will miss the train,” “I will get fired,” “My boss/employees don’t like me,” “I will miss the deadline.”All of these are examples of stress caused by fear.evalLet go of that fear and know that what is to happen will happen “Que sera, sera”. You can’t see into the future, but you can, th ough, do your best, you can be proactive, you can take the steps needed to accomplish what you want, you can regroup and try again, you can ask for help, you can deal with whatever life puts in front of you.There is no problem without a solution as there is no river without a course.

What makes a good résumé great - Sterling Career Concepts

What makes a good résumé great What makes a good résumé great? Résumé writing is not like all business writing. It can prove challenging to some, first in identifying and highlighting your own accomplishments, and second, in creating an effective marketing document. After having worked with many clients over the years, we wanted to share common areas for improvement for those of you looking to write your own résumés: * Lead with a summary section that outlines your strengths, skillsets, and core qualifications. * For each position, separate your responsibilities from your accomplishments while remembering to support your achievements with details and value-added points. Keep your writing tight limit the use of the words a, an, and the. Say things in as few words as possible. Think short story, not novel! A résumé is first and foremost a marketing document. The wordier you are, the greater chance you stand at losing the reader. * Use but dont overuse bullet points. Too many in one section and the effect is lost. * Sparingly and consistently use additional formatting bold, italics, underline to highlight certain phrases or define new sections. * Format the document with a balance of white space and text. The page should appear uncluttered, sharp, and cohesive. * If you want to transition to a new industry, focus on transferable accomplishments and ways in which you add value. Dont dwell on industry-specific jargon and responsibilities. * Among the items that do NOT belong on a résumé: References Available, marital status, salary levels, and in most cases, hobbies and personal interests.

How to Write a Scrum Master Resume

How to Write a Scrum Master ResumeHow would you go about writing a scrum master resume? Should you use this skill as part of your online marketing strategy? Or is it just a throwaway, or even just something you have to use when it comes to employees at your company?The answer is that there are many ways you can go about writing a scrum master resume. It's not so much a skill as it is an organizational process that has a great deal of value in the business world today. Many businesses utilize scrum practices for their teams and in fact it has become a buzz word in many corporate circles as well.The first thing you need to do in order to write a scrum master resume is to pick a team or department that should be covered in the resume. You should get a feel for what is working and what isn't and then make sure the coach is on the same page as you. This is a huge thing to consider because as you know, people who don't work together don't do very well. As a matter of fact, they might do wo rse because they simply don't understand each other.In order to do this, you need to start with your actual thing or teams. When I say actually I mean that in more than just an abstract sense, but in a way that makes the coach and the people on his team think, and then act accordingly. You need to describe the functions of the teams so that the coach can decide which are the most valuable and which ones are less important and then you need to create some kind of hierarchy and structure in order to create a strategic plan for the entire team.You need to focus on these things in order to think of them as a part of the person's life rather than a technical task. In other words, they are part of the team building process as opposed to the product, or the process, or the function, or whatever you want to call it.Now, writing a scrum master resume can be a little bit different for different teams or departments. So while the product or process is important, it might not be the best thing to write about in a team. For example, a project manager can have a great deal of pressure on him because of the higher level responsibilities and the more in-demand job descriptions, but if you don't understand the relationship between the individual and the process then the coach will not be able to give you as much guidance or direction as he might be able to.A role plays more of a top down approach and that is why it is so great to use it in organizational coaching. It doesn't mean that you should take over every process or get involved in every activity in the organization but rather that you should help the coach to find and organize those activities that are working and help the coach know what needs to be done next. Ultimately, this is a big part of scrum master resume writing because you are creating and explaining the logic and theories for these activities.Basically you are seeking input from the coach and the team as to what it is that they need and what it is that they want to be done next. If you go into this thought process from a position of the team and what they are doing, then you will end up with a better scrum master resume.