Mathew Reinbold On The Change We Need In 2009

Mathew Reinbold On The Change We Need In 2009 Matthew Reinbold is a local Utah blogger who has a sharp, critical mind.   One of the best posts Ive read from him addresses the change we really need in 2009, at a very personal level. I bet/hope its not something you havent heard before, but before we hope that Obama can change what needs to be changed, or that we can reverse Global Warming, or that we might recycle ourselves out of a sure road to hell, check out this very simple change that Matthew calls for. Read his post here. What he talks about is a significant part of career management, and one reason why I was able to stop my job search and move forward with my entrepreneurial dream. Mathew Reinbold On The Change We Need In 2009 Matthew Reinbold is a local Utah blogger who has a sharp, critical mind.   One of the best posts Ive read from him addresses the change we really need in 2009, at a very personal level. I bet/hope its not something you havent heard before, but before we hope that Obama can change what needs to be changed, or that we can reverse Global Warming, or that we might recycle ourselves out of a sure road to hell, check out this very simple change that Matthew calls for. Read his post here. What he talks about is a significant part of career management, and one reason why I was able to stop my job search and move forward with my entrepreneurial dream.

The #1 Killer of Job Hunting Success Networking! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The #1 Killer of Job Hunting Success Networking! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career On the 19th floor of a Century City tower in West Los Angeles on a Tuesday evening in late summer, 200 people swarmed into a multi-national law firm to “network” with the CEOs of companies and funding sources gathered in another “tech conference.”   Attendees who parked in the building were about to have a nasty surprise when they tried to get their cars out of the garage. The two-hour soiree had cost each of them $25 admittance and would bite them for another $32 in parking charges, not validated by the conference. At least someone would get something from this mammoth waste of time, the garage owner got a bonanza of after business hours income. But not a single person would walk out of the so-called conference with a decent lead on a job or an investment. I had come upon the scene after meeting with my attorney. We stood watching the hoodwinked attendees mill around the paltry wine and cheese table and then file into small conference rooms, with the hope that introducing themselves would magically produce some interest in hiring them. The grand wizard of the conference who appeared to be pitching the group on paying for a bootcamp on tech jobs, opened the conference by sharing that he was a “networking demon.” This fraying, graying, portly man invited everyone to give him their cards so he could connect them to “pretty much everyone you ever wanted to meet.”   After his spiel, attendees rushed him, thrusting their cards into his hands. If you believe that showing up at a meeting and handing your card to a stranger, or even standing up and introducing yourself to a group of strangers is going to land you a job: you are as wrong as rain dancers. Someone like this bloated, self-invented huckster may have told you business card passing nonsense is networking: but it’s not. It’s nonsense. And you probably know it because you’ve done it and you still don’t have a great job, or you won’t do it because you know better. Throwing your card or yourself at strangers is killing your chances of actually succeeding. It’s wasting your time, giving you false hope and making a really bad impression on those who witness it. Real networking is much simpler. Real networking is engaging in meaningful conversation. It’s quiet time with one person you are working to understand, to see if you have something in common. It may evolve to a few laughs, as you get together for coffee and then lunch. Real networking might include a book you send or a paperweight with a message, or another thoughtful gift that reminds the other person that you CARE ABOUT THEM. Maybe it’s an invitation to a webinar you know they would like or a blog you know would rock their world. Is the plain truth of networking dawning on you? It’s simple. Networking is exactly what you do when you are making friends!   Because that’s how you actually get a great new job. Someone likes you and wants to help you. And, they like you because you are interested in them, you’re interesting, you’ve got a knack for helping solve problems, a good sense of humor â€" or you both knit or play tennis. And, you do this together! Like friends. Networking demon? There’s no such thing. There’s people who collect and throw away business cards.  There’s people who put you on a list. But people who can really help you? They are the people who know you. The big secret of successful networking? Go to the next event or just do your daily errands hoping to make just ONE friend. Then, build a relationship over time â€" even a few weeks, before you ask about help finding work. Spend most of your time finding out about them and seeing what you have in common. Act on that before you expect anything back. The odds are with you. If you leave your house five days a week to do anything â€" even wait in line at the post office: you’ll have the opportunity to really connect with more than 250 people this year. Here’s a bonus tip: avoid all demons. Author: Nance Rosen  is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

10 Reasons Changing Your Brand Identity Could Hurt Your Company - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

10 Reasons Changing Your Brand Identity Could Hurt Your Company - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The following answers are provided by members of  Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched  BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. 1. Consumers Will Lose Interest Brand identity was created as the outward representation of your companys thoughts and ideas. Its what your customers see, feel and identify with when they see your product or service in the wild. If  youre unwilling to change that identity for the sake of sticking to your guns, youll find out fairly quickly that yourbrand is more important to your consumer than it is to you.   â€"  Blair Thomas,  First American Merchant 2. People Will Mistake You for Someone Else â€" in a Bad Way I  once worked with a company that had the same name as another with a questionable reputation. My client, which was a terrific business, got mistaken for this other  company all the time and was sometimes negatively impacted. Although my client was reluctant to change an established brand, in the end it was best to cleanly separate the two entities.   â€"  Alexandra Levit,  Inspiration at Work 3. Youll Lose to the Competition Market and customer trends are constantly evolving. If youre unwilling to expand your business’s way of thinking and innovate within the ever-changing landscape of your market, someone else will and your competition will pass you by. You should always be strategizing on how to innovate your brand.   â€"  Stanley Meytin,  True Film Production 4. It Gets Boring We are getting addicted to change, and if your brand does not keep up with the times, then you are at risk of becoming not relevant. Your brand is a direct representation of your product, and if people get the impression from the brand that you have not innovated and taken pride in being relevant, then they will likely assume this is the case with your product.   â€"  Finn Kelly,  WE LOVE NUMBERS 5. You Wont Be Able to Reach the Same People Customers in every industry change their tastes, and if your brand identity is solidly attached to an identity that is no longer relevant, then your company will face a problem with creating compelling and relevant communications in the future.   â€"  Aron Susman,  TheSquareFoot 6. You Lose Relevance Online and Offline Depending on the scenario, a rebrand is occasionally vital for a companys continuance. If that business refuses to change their identity, they not only take the risk of losing search relevancy online but offline as well. Successful businesses are able to smoothly evolve their brand identity while conveying a consistent level of relevancy.   â€"  Anthony Pezzotti,  Knowzo.com 7. Youre Serving an Irrelevant Niche You may find as you grow that the market you initially identified doesnt permit a ton of growth. Often, small businesses will heavily brand around serving a particular niche. Once you have outgrown your niche, you often have outgrown part of your brand as well.   â€"  John Rood,  Next Step Test Preparation 8. You Lose the Emotional Connection When you dont change your brand identity over time, you may lose that emotional connection you once had because peoples feelings change over time. They may not feel the same connection they did to you two years ago now that their needs or perspective have changed. If you dont change with them, what you are offering and what your brand represents will no longer  hold any meaning for them.   â€"  Drew Hendricks,  Buttercup 9. You Lose Value Companies grow just like people do. I dont think I know any entrepreneur whose company does exactly what they planned for it to do when they started out. Different markets open up, and different contracts demand different specialties. Keeping a stale brand identity may be costing you the difference in the new value you develop as your company gets better at what it does.   â€"  Adam Steele,  The Magistrate 10. Customers Feel Like You Arent Paying Attention Simply put, refusing to change your brand identity gives your customers the impression that youve lost touch with them. Most businesses have a target age group that makes up the majority of their customer base. As time goes on, those customers will inevitably be replaced by the next generation of that age group. Companies either evolve with their customer base or die off with them.   â€"  Brandon Stapper,  858 Graphics

Top 10 LinkedIn Tips for Professionals

Top 10 LinkedIn Tips for Professionals I was recently interviewed about LinkedIn in a publication called DerivSource a site  for professionals active in derivatives processing, technology and related services. Basically folks working in derivatives banking in places like the City of London and  Wall Street. As DerivSource sits behind a paywall, Ive republished the article by Julia Schieffer below. Heres a PDF version of the article Harnessing LinkedIn â€" Top 10 Dos Donts  from a Social Media Expert. 1. Keep it professional â€" balance professional and personal information. The purpose of LinkedIn is for professional use and not to use it as a network to express your personality there are other networks out there for that. However, there is a section at the bottom of one’s profile called interests and hobbies where you can list some more personal items. A good way to balance personal and professional is to have a very professional profile, which is public so everyone can see it, and then have a link to a blog or twitter feed to give a bit more personality. 2. A photo is necessary but selecting the right kind of photo is key. You are seven times more likely to be found on LinkedIn if you have a photo, so putting a photo up is a no brainer. You need to have a photo. Also, you need to have a professional picture, which is cropped correctly with clothes that mirrors your role and target audience. Related: 7 LinkedIn Profile Pictures You Should Never Use. 3. Your headline is more than just your job title. Studies show that when people look at your profile, they look at your headline first, and then your photo. If you dont capture a viewer at this stage, they won’t scroll down to see the rest of your  profile. The headline should be more than just your title. So you want to expand on that by including your skills and valuable attributes, such  as being multilingual or having relevant certifications. You want to include key words to capture your target audience. So, if you are head of middle operations, consider adding asset classes, such as OTC derivatives, you cover or list relevant operational skills or systems knowledge. Also, you dont need to show your employer’s name because it will be listed two steps down in your profile. Related: 10 Creative LinkedIn Headline Examples. 4. The summary is not your bio. You have to get the summary right because that is the first page people will be reading. This shouldnt be more than two or three paragraphs. In the summary you should focus on what you want to do and include achievements and accolades because this attracts a lot of eyeballs. 5. Don’t skip the education section â€" this is an important  networking tool. The education section is worth filling out properly because then you can connect with alumni, which is an easy way to increase your connections and is often a first step in growing your network. 6. Join groups but not too many. Ten is the ideal number of groups to join with the activity focused in three main groups including commenting and liking other comments or articles. The benefits of being a member of groups is that you can actually interact with people within these groups, connect and send messages to them. By joining the larger groups, with the most number of members, you can increase your potential network by one or two million easily, which makes joining groups a quick way of gaining wider exposure. Also, you don’t have to show all groups on the profile if you dont want to. Related: Top 10 LinkedIn Groups All Jobseekers Should Join. 7. Status updates â€" integrating Twitter effectively. One to two updates per day as well as commenting on items is ideal for users. Integrating Twitter feeds is an easy way to keep your status updating throughout the day however, a lot of people get this wrong because they have too many updates due to Twitter. You dont want to put every single tweet on LinkedIn and especially if your tweets are personal or out of context, which can look strange. My advice is that if you do have a Twitter account, you can integrate into your LinkedIn account but adjust the settings so that you dont show all tweets (only the tweets with #li or #in will show up on LinkedIn status). Update: How You Can Still Connect Twitter and LinkedIn. 8. Recommendations are useful but shouldnt be reciprocal. It is ideal to have one to two recommendations for each position that youve had. And it has been suggested it is ideal for someone in the UK to have between five to ten recommendations. Double that if youre in the US and only one to two recommendations is the norm for places like France. You always want to aim to get recommendations from managers,  and the most senior executives you have access to. Reciprocal  recommendations or ‘back to back’ recommendations where members of the same team recommend each other are not useful  because people can clearly see a who supplied the recommendation. Reciprocal recommendations don’t look good. Related: LinkedIn Recommendations: How Do You Get Them? 9. Accepting LinkedIn invitations from strangers. Everyone has their own principles for LinkedIn networking and accepting invitations for people who they do not know, but I think most people look at the network of the stranger to see if there are many common connections and then connect if these connections are relevant and provide a good expanded network. Of course, some people might only connect with people they know and talk to. Related: Should You Accept a LinkedIn Invite from a Headhunter? 10. Messaging and connecting etiquette. Be personal in the message and offer them something of value as to why they should connect with you. If you dont give them a good  reason then they are less likely to connect with you. And heres a video I put together in case you prefer to hear me talking! Can you add more points? Please let me know in the comments! Image: Shutterstock

Unconventional Ways to Land Your Dream Job

Unconventional Ways to Land Your Dream Job Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comIn an ever increasing competitive landscape it is becoming more and more difficult to get noticed. If you are going in circles and are not getting any closer to landing the job of your dreams then it might be time to take a different approach.Check out these five unconventional approaches to landing a job you’ve been dreaming of!1. Get socialOver one fifth of companies are using social media as a part of the recruitment process and over 60% are using social platforms as a way of researching job applicants. It is therefore becoming more and more important that you are active on platforms and are using social media as a way of interacting with potential employers.evalSocial media also allows you to understand a company, see what they get up to in the office and the latest new stories that they are reporting on. You can use this to your advantage in your job application or interview with the organisation. Just be aware that companies may also be following yo u on social media so be careful about what you are posting.2. Do something differentTake up a new hobby or learn a new skill, this will give you something different to do during your spare time and will also give you something to discuss with the employer in your interview.Whether it is learning to code or learning to play an instrument, gaining a new skill will show employers that you are willing to try something new and are not afraid to educate yourself â€" skills that will help you in any job role.3. Create your own jobHave a passion? Then turn this into your full time job.It might sound ambitious but if you are a budding entrepreneur that has an innovative idea then why not turn this into your full time job. There are plenty of resources to turn to if this sounds like an option for you, such as crowdfunding platforms to raise money and online forums that give you all the advice you need.4. Get creativeNowadays companies are often looking for more than just a basic paper CV. Ove r the years video CVs have become increasingly popular with jobseekers looking to stand out from the crowd. This form of CV is great for when applying to customer service facing roles and makes a real impact to employers as you are able to let your personality shine, something that is near impossible with a standard paper CV.When applying for a job role your CV should reflect the job you are applying for. For example if you are applying for a graphic design role then this is your opportunity to show off your skills and get creative with your application. Having a blog online is a great way to display your portfolio of work and will capture the employer’s attention.5. Crack the hidden job marketevalIn reality, a lot of jobs are known about through word of mouth and if you know the right people you could be the first to hear about a job opening. So get networking and attend industry events and you could meet the people who could introduce you to your next role. Also make sure you fo llow companies on social media as they often advertise job openings on there before they post them on job boards.You should just not rely on your studies and experience in order to land your dream job, you need to think outside the box and be creative in your job search attempts. Try something new today and you could be on your way to landing your dream job.Good luck with your search!

5 Ways To Be Remembered (In A Good Way)

5 Ways To Be Remembered (In A Good Way) 5 Ways To Be Remembered (In A Good Way) Job Search / Resume Writing / Thank You Notes In our competitive job market, many candidates are competing for each position. There is only one winner and there’s no prize for second place. Everyone looking for a job has heard that it’s important to send a thank you note. But the percentage who follow through is small. That means, sending a thank you note is a sure way to stand out in a positive way. It’s one of the quickest, and easiest, ways to get an employer’s attention. To keep you top-of-mind once the interview is over. Here are 5 ways to make sure you continue to be remembered in a good way. #1 Act Fast Send a thank you ASAP. Try to email a note as soon as you can. Have a thank you template that you can revise as needed depending on the specific job interview.  Unless your handwriting is illegible you might want to follow up with a handwritten note as well. When was the last time you received anything besides a business letter in the office mail? #2 Add Anything Forgotten Wherever you are in your career, Interviews are nerve racking.  When put on the spot, we sometimes forget to talk about our most important achievements. Post interview is an opportunity to bring up anything you didn’t mention during the interview. It’s another chance to highlight any accomplishments that are relevant to the job at hand. #3 Focus On Contributing Now that you’ve had some time to digest what the employer needs, tell him or her how you can contribute. Just like in school, many businesses have extracurricular activities. Perhaps you can help with the company mentor program, write for the newsletter, or help organize the charity 5K. While your love of salsa dancing probably will not be relevant, your service on a nonprofit board might me. #4 Sell YOU Tell them why they should hire you. Now is your chance to elaborate on the projects, challenges, and/or difficulties you discussed during the interview. Use a thank you note to explain how you can solve a specific problem or give them a preview of your 90-day plan or whatever will make them consider you an asset they can’t pass up. This shows initiative as well as interest. #5 Thank Everyone Send notes to each interviewer. When interviews go well, candidates are often taken to meet other people at the company. Get business cards from each person so you will have the correct spelling of their names and their contact information. Most people sent a note only to the head honcho, remembering everyone really sets you apart. Just make sure you tailor your notes in case they are shared. Sending a thank you note is one of the most overlooked parts of the interview process. Many people think that saying thanks at the end of the interview is enough. Maybe it is. But, in our competitive job market you need to be more than “good enough.” Make the most of every opportunity to market yourself. A well-written thank you note just might make the difference between a “thanks for coming in” and “when can you start?” Read this to learn how to write a Thank You note.

Tips for Writing a Resume Summary With No Experience

Tips for Writing a Resume Summary With No ExperienceWriting a resume with no experience is a long and tedious process. But if you know what to do, the process becomes very easy. One of the common mistakes that students make when writing resumes is going overboard with information on their resume.The reason why this happens is because they don't know where to start when writing a resume. So, before you even start the process of writing your resume, I highly suggest that you write a sample resume first. This will help you in making sure that you have done all the necessary things correctly. Here are some tips that will help you avoid making the same mistake.Type your information in chronological order. When you read your resume, read it in a chronological order. If you skip over parts of your resume, it will look very sloppy.Format it in a chronological order. Make sure that your resume is formatted according to the letter form. In this letter form, the major part of the resume will be the introduction, or the title, followed by a couple of paragraphs of the description, the objective, the education, and the skills. Only after the description are there two or three sentences for the skills.Do not overcrowd your resume. Also, do not repeat yourself. And, I am sure that you don't want to repeat your education in a single paragraph.Add some bullet points. By including some bullet points, it will help you in highlighting the important sections of your resume and make it easier for you to identify the sections.There are many other tips that can help you in writing a resume summary with noexperience. Keep in mind that all the information in the resume must be related to the job for which you are applying.Make sure that you proofread all the times before you submit your resume. Try to find out any mistakes you have made so that you can fix them before you submit it.