Archive for the ‘Job search’ Category

It’s time to roast your business card! Put your mini billboard to the test and find out what kind of impression it makes. What looks top shelf to you, might not be reflective of your skills and who you are.

Invite a group of job seekers to “roast” each other’s business cards. You may need to be a little thick skinned but it’s better to hear constructive comments than continue giving out business cards that make interviewers say, “Whoa! What’s up with this business card?”

It goes back to the notion that you only have one chance to make a positive first impression.  You want to clearly advertise your skills, make a strong statement, and be positively memorable.  Too extreme in any way, and it’s likely to hit the trash can.

Here are a few tips I heard at a networking group that hosted a business card roast.

• Make sure your contact information is correct. Proof read and then proof read again.   
• Provide multiple ways to contact you
• Go for clean, crisp, and clearly legible
• Use bullet points on back to highlight credentials & skills
• Include your unique selling point and what position you’re looking for
• Vertically formatted cards grab attention, but larger cards get mixed reception 
• Use your photo or not? It’s a toss up. It makes you memorable in large group meetings
• Does the content accurately reflect you? 
• Engineers and techies might add a single bold line of color like black, navy, maroon, or chocolate for a touch of interest
• Leave space for people to write a quick note to jog their memory for how/where they met you.
• Glossy cards are hard to write notes on
• One of the best deals for business cards comes from VistaPrinting.com

If you’re not sure what kind of first impression your business card makes, gather some job seekers, meet for coffee and roast those business cards!

Giving out a professional business card that reflects who you are is important but in the end, it’s about making personal connections. Be proactive about asking for business cards and take the initiative to follow up in a personal way. That’s how you become truly memorable.

thumbs-down

Wouldn’t it be great get the inside scoop from hiring managers about their pet peeves? Know makes them shake their heads and say, “No way…we’re hiring this person.”  

Kudos to Kaitlin Madden, blogger and writer for CareerBuilder.com, who has  the answers to this question. She’s interviewed 10 top hiring managers for the scoop on what definitely disqualifies a candidate. Most are common sense, but you’ll want to check out the article so you’ll be a candidate of positive distinction.  

Use your common sense:

• Dress appropriately for the company’s culture and in most cases, conservative is better.
• Have accurate directions to the interview ahead of time. If you call the interviewer at the last minute for directions, you might as well stay home.
• Whether lies are of the “big fish tale” or “itty bitty” variety, they will catch up with you.
• If you’re young and speak “social media” lingo, save it for your friends; not to the hiring manager. Good communication skills are always a big plus.
• Go Google yourself! What’s on your social media pages and voice message is like a bill board for the entire world to see. You want your ad to sell you at your best.

Follow mama’s advice about good manners

• Saying hello, please and thank you coupled with a good hand shake and smile will take you a long way in life.
• Speak politely to everyone you encounter at an interview including security guards, people you pass in the hallway, receptionists, and any one else you encounter.
• Being rude is never in style and definitely won’t get you a job.

And from the “just don’t say it” category

• If you don’t get along well with people, don’t say it.
• You need customer service and team playing skills for every job.

So, what are the deal makers?  

• Be professional
• Be polite and authentic
• Be confident
• Be detail oriented
• Believe in yourself

Or as I like to say, do the things that Let Your Best Self Shine Through!

Read Kaitlin Madden’s whole article

http://msn.careerbuilder.com/Article/MSN-2320-Job-Search-10-Hiring-Manager-Deal-Breakers/?sc_extcmp=JS_2320_home1&SiteId=cbmsnhp42320&ArticleID=2320&gt1=23000&cbRecursionCnt=1&cbsid=c2697ff2d1b0476ea125d75154116bd1-334852103-RS-4

http://alturl.com/2ushj

Music is the universal language that can shift your mood in a heartbeat. A country song about your honey taking off with the fool who fired you can leave you sittin’ in a pity pit. On the other end of the spectrum, U2’s It’s A Beautiful Day will have you dancing and smiling in no time.

If you want some to hear some bold, empowering music to make you feel successful, you’ll want to listen to It’s My Time. It’s by Paul Hoffman and on his new CD Step Into Your Power. If nothing else, you gotta like the title!

It's My Time CD

It’s My Time is about stepping up to claim who you are and shouting it out to the world. Starting today you’ll try anything because you believe in yourself. Skillfully using your gifts and talents combined with passion leads to success. This song will resonate with your spirit and have you believing it is your time to find that new job, to follow your dreams, to live with joy and to be the best of who you are!

Paul’s story is incredibly inspiring, too. He was a sought after, highly paid composer in the field of branded music. He was making fantastic money and yet, something was missing in his life. The pain-filled road of addiction led from the top of the mountain to the valley of failure.

During his recovery he discovered a whole new world of enlightenment teachings which changed the direction of his life. Today he writes unique songs with powerful messages about hope, inspiration, new beginnings, finding your way and being your best. He has the incredibly fun job of composing and producing motivational songs for some top level speakers like Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Wayne Dyer. 

Paul believes we fail because we don’t have an action plan or the support to follow through. His success music will empower you to stay the course in your job search, and if need be, make changes so you can move forward effectively and powerfully.

Now, get your successful self in gear and listen to It’s Your Time at the link below. Enjoy and soak up every successful note and word! If you want to use this song to keep you inspiried and moving forward, visit and get a free download of It’s My Time.

Now is your time! Time to ramp up your job search plan and to Let Your Best Self Shine!

Listen to It’s My Time

If you want to thoroughly investigate a company as a possible employer, you best brush up on your detective skills. It takes time and some clever search techniques to find out the inside scoop.

Thanks to Glassdoor much of the legwork is already done. It’s a free career site where “anyone can find and anonymously share an inside look at jobs and companies.”  Their data base covers over 84,000 companies. Information is gathered from current and former employees and companies can submit photos, videos, and other “come work for us” information.

To help you ace your next interview, there is a section of frequently asked interview questions sent in from interview candidates. Talk about having some relevant inside information.  Get mentally and emotionally prepared using some of my favorite techniques like setting clear intentions, visualization, affirmations, and deep breathing and you’re very best of who you are will be obvious to your interviewers.

Glassdoor was started by Robert Hohman and Rich Barton. They are masters of creativity, social media and information systems. Barton founded Expedia where they worked together as well as for Microsoft.

Best Features:

Check out the latest salaries by industry, company or job title.

Company reviews come from insiders and include the pros and cons, employee satisfaction ratings, and CEO approval ratings.

Read details about a company’s hiring process from job interview candidates

Check out Glassdoor’s top 50 places to work in 2010. The current top 4 companies to work for are Southwest Airlines, Mary Kay, Facebook, and Slalom Consulting.

I hope this makes your job search a little easier now that you don’t have to be a full time detective. So polish up your resume, get out there, and see what new doors you can open with Glassdoor and by Letting Your Best Self Shine!