Personal Branding Winner of the Month Warren Sukernek

Personal Branding Winner of the Month â€" Warren Sukernek I missed November!   Doh!   Thats okay, heres a great example of someone taking personal branding online to a higher level.   Ive known of Warren for a while, and think hes a great way to end 2009s Personal Branding winners.   Heres why Warren Sukernek is in the position you want to be in when you get canned. Warren has a strong network, understands relationships, and has been living givers gain for a long time.   And people know it.   They know him, and they trust him. Warren has been digging a well long before he was thirsty perhaps not realizing that he would need to tap into it during a job search.   His online presence is enough to make me feel overwhelmed, but I think the key is he didnt do it all overnight, and everything he has done (or at last parts of it) can be lessons for YOU to do the same. Warren has a blog. Actually he has a number of blogs so I should say he has a blog strategy.   Look, I beat this dead horse over and over, but let me share one idea if companies are moving away from brochureware, which is a static website, and moving to a conversational place to build community and listen and interact, why cant you?   He is developing conversation around Twitter, setting himself apart as an authority on Twitter.   Authority = thought leader subject matter expert. Warren is on Twitter. Of course.   You can see his Twitter account here.   Note he has over 2,000 followers and has tweeted over 5,000 times.   When he writes RT he is sharing information with his followers he is providing some kind of value (and if they dont think so, they can stop following him).   This is the audience he turned to when he got laid-off, and they have been responsive!   Click here to see some screenshots of how people reacted to his news on Twitter. Warren participates in discussions. Check out his participation in the Society for Word of Mouth Ning social network: Warren has a history of participating in conversations over 30 times there.   Think people there know who he is, or of him?   Absolutely.   His PEERS know who he is, and they have formed opinions of him based on the brand he has built there.   And when he let them know he was available, they responded! Warren has a nice picture. Seems trivial, does it?   With all the places you can post your avatar or picture online, I seriously encourage you to get a nice headshot.   Warrens is nice and looks professional.   It makes him seem approachable.   It is not offensive, and it is one of the little things that makes his strategy seem more on purpose. I predict Warren either (a) wont be out of work for long, or (b) will start his own consulting gig (which I think is a pretty viable option considering the hiring economy right now). Congratulations Warren! You join a special group of professionals and have earned a coveted link from my monthly winner’s blogroll area (on the left), six months of premium JibberJobber (you can transfer/award this to someone else ), and a cyber-high five! And, a new addition to the prize list is the two hour (!!) recording of Blog Marketing 201 501 (part of the CEO Training for Me, Inc. listed at $49.95 (but much more valuable than that!). Personal Branding Winner of the Month â€" Warren Sukernek I missed November!   Doh!   Thats okay, heres a great example of someone taking personal branding online to a higher level.   Ive known of Warren for a while, and think hes a great way to end 2009s Personal Branding winners.   Heres why Warren Sukernek is in the position you want to be in when you get canned. Warren has a strong network, understands relationships, and has been living givers gain for a long time.   And people know it.   They know him, and they trust him. Warren has been digging a well long before he was thirsty perhaps not realizing that he would need to tap into it during a job search.   His online presence is enough to make me feel overwhelmed, but I think the key is he didnt do it all overnight, and everything he has done (or at last parts of it) can be lessons for YOU to do the same. Warren has a blog. Actually he has a number of blogs so I should say he has a blog strategy.   Look, I beat this dead horse over and over, but let me share one idea if companies are moving away from brochureware, which is a static website, and moving to a conversational place to build community and listen and interact, why cant you?   He is developing conversation around Twitter, setting himself apart as an authority on Twitter.   Authority = thought leader subject matter expert. Warren is on Twitter. Of course.   You can see his Twitter account here.   Note he has over 2,000 followers and has tweeted over 5,000 times.   When he writes RT he is sharing information with his followers he is providing some kind of value (and if they dont think so, they can stop following him).   This is the audience he turned to when he got laid-off, and they have been responsive!   Click here to see some screenshots of how people reacted to his news on Twitter. Warren participates in discussions. Check out his participation in the Society for Word of Mouth Ning social network: Warren has a history of participating in conversations over 30 times there.   Think people there know who he is, or of him?   Absolutely.   His PEERS know who he is, and they have formed opinions of him based on the brand he has built there.   And when he let them know he was available, they responded! Warren has a nice picture. Seems trivial, does it?   With all the places you can post your avatar or picture online, I seriously encourage you to get a nice headshot.   Warrens is nice and looks professional.   It makes him seem approachable.   It is not offensive, and it is one of the little things that makes his strategy seem more on purpose. I predict Warren either (a) wont be out of work for long, or (b) will start his own consulting gig (which I think is a pretty viable option considering the hiring economy right now). Congratulations Warren! You join a special group of professionals and have earned a coveted link from my monthly winner’s blogroll area (on the left), six months of premium JibberJobber (you can transfer/award this to someone else ), and a cyber-high five! And, a new addition to the prize list is the two hour (!!) recording of Blog Marketing 201 501 (part of the CEO Training for Me, Inc. listed at $49.95 (but much more valuable than that!).

Branding Your Resume As Technologically Current - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Branding Your Resume As Technologically Current - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Most employers today look for employees that already know how to use the software that employer uses. Few employers have training budgets for new employees to use their training budgets more efficiently, employers want to hire new employees who already have the necessary training. While there are exceptions, you should consider this the rule. Because theres a shortage of jobs combined with mass applicant competition, hiring managers look for employees who dont need training to handle basic job functions. With an average 1,000 applicants competing for each job, most employers can find and will favor candidates who dont need basic skills training. This is even true for most entry level positions where youre expected to have basic skills in Word, Excel, Powerpoint, or other software. To succeed in todays job market, youll need to show employers you have the skills to do the job now, to hit the ground running, without additional training. When employers do train new employees, its typically for specialized jobs to train rookies in unique employer processes/systems, not to learn basic work skills. This is less of a problem for candidates just entering the workforce youve grown up with technology as a part of your daily lives, starting in grade school (or earlier). But this can be an issue for many candidates over 40, where employers may be wary of your technical skills. Just because you have current technology skills, doesnt mean employers will automatically realize you have them. Remember, few employers arent reading your whole resume to decide if youll get an interview interview decisions are made through a combination of automated pre-screening and a brief scan. Employers have to see that youre current in a quick scan if you want an interview spot its part of your resumes personal brand. So its got to be easy and apparent for them to find. Your technology personal brand extends beyond your resume it extends to social media. This can present challenges for those who havent invested much time in social media. Heres 6 Ways To Brand Yourself As Technologically Current: Use Todays Resume Techniquesnot yesterdays: Effective resume techniques have changed. Lose the Objective, Summary/Profile, Achievements sections theyre yesterdays news, and give you a dated first impression. List Your Technology Skills: List your tech skills, so they will show up in ATS searches. Be detailed List the components of MS Office (recruiters dont search for MS Office, they search for Excel, Word, PowerPoint); list modules of enterprise packages youve used (recruiters search for SAP MM, not just SAP). This applies to factory workers as well as CEOs employees at all levels are expected to be technologically up to date. Dont List Legacy Technology Skills (unless youre applying for a legacy tech position): Do you really think that listing the COBOL class you took in college (or used in your first job) makes you up-to-date? Of course, if youre applying for a COBOL position to maintain old systems, then list away, baby. Use Social Media: Today, companies are trying to get up to speed and improve social media presence. What holds most companies back? A lack of talent that understands social media. The best way for you to demonstrate knowledge of social media is to walk the walk. Do more than set up profiles, actively post, answer questions, participate in groups/lists on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter. Blog: Want to show that you know more than the basics of social media? Blogging is your next step. By creating (or curating) a blog, youre building a personal brand, building your ability to be found on Google searches, starting to understand SEO, all skills needed by businesses trying to increase their own social media presence. Create Other Content: While video is the most effective other content to concentrate on (YouTube gives a big boost to SEO), posting photography on Flickr can help also, especially if youre good at editing pics and creating special effects on Photoshop. If youre missing on opportunities you think youre qualified for, you might be giving employers the impression that youre not technologically current. Impressions can be more important than facts, since most employers make interview decisions based on a quick scan of your resume so they arent reading detail. While this often affects 40+ job seekers and those returning to the workforce, your technology brand can make the difference between an interview and the discard pile. Good thing there are some simple things you can do to affect how your resume is viewed by readers. Author: Phil Rosenberg is President of http://www.reCareered.com, a leading job search information website and gives complimentary job search webinars at http://ResumeWebinar.com. Phil also runs the Career Central group, one of Linkedin’s largest groups for job seekers and has built one of the 20 largest personal networks on Linkedin globally.

After The Barre My Post- Barre Bee Fit Experience

After The Barre My Post- Barre Bee Fit Experience Before reading todays post be sure to read part 1,  â€œBefore the Barre: My Pre- Barre Bee Fit Experience.” I ended my last post with, “confidence is a funny thing, not enough and you think you’re a fool; too much and you are the darn fool.”  When it comes to my experience at Barre Bee Fit, emphasis is on the latter part of that quote.   In my last post, I made a sarcastic reference to “feeling the burn from 2 pounds.” Well, sure enough that is exactly what happened. In my first class, there were 2 pound weights involved and I felt the burn alright. Thighs shaking, face drained with sweat and heart rate high, I made it through the first class. I also remember thinking to myself, “shouldn’t this be called G.I. Jane studio?” because I certainly felt like I had just undergone military training. My second class was just as great and by great, I mean my thighs were shaking again. In fact, at the time of writing this post, I have attended five classes and each time I leave feeling like I have been put through the physical wringer. What does an average military training, oh, excuse me, Barre Bee Fit class consist of? Well, there is no average Barre Bee Fit class. For starters, it really isn’t anything like military training; it is far too sophisticated and glamorous for that.  Their classes of 45 minutes to an hour are a mixture of strength training, circuit workouts, dance poses and stretches. You work every single muscle in your body, even those tiny muscles that you don’t pay attention to when you do cardio or lift weights. What’s great about their classes too is that each class is different each week, so you really target different muscles as well as target muscles from different angles.  Yes, you will hear the instructor repeat things like, “poke it, poke it” but don’t be fooled.  That poke takes a lot of effort!  Notwithstanding my military training jokes, the classes are great for any one at any exercise level but the fitness instructor will push you to work at your best so no matter what, you will feel the burn. I also love the music at Barre Bee Fit, which changes in each class and if you’re worried about any guys watching you while you “poke it, the classes are targeted for women. So, what did I learn from my Barre Bee fit experience? That I should probably have never quit dance! Other than that, to always try something new for your body. A lot of us go to the gym or run and do the same thing for our bodies over and over. But just like our brains, our bodies need to be learning new things. At Barre Bee Fit, this is something they are clearly on top of. If you need any extra motivation, below is a picture I came across that typifies my experience at Barre Bee Fit and what we should all experience when we work out. The truth is in seeing how far we can push our bodies, we often see what our minds are made of too. Cheers, Kovie

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Has Zappos Taken Customer Service Too Far

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Has Zappos Taken Customer Service Too Far The last time you had a really horrible experience at a restaurant or received stellar service at a hotel, you may have jumped online to write a review. Or, when you needed your air conditioning fixed, you may have consulted what others were saying about the business before giving the repair company a call. Welcome to the age of age of customer feedback, where businesses can be made or torpedoedbased on what Irene in Iowa says about her customer service experience. Such feedback has become highly valued by companies hoping to grow quickly. What better way to succeed than having customers rave about their experience? Of course, that means employees have to roll out the red carpet for every customer, no matter if they spend $5 or $5,000. Zappos often is held up as one of the gold standards for customer service, and every business is rushing to emulate them. But is that really such a good idea? Wharton University marketing professor Peter Fader thinks its not. While that may be a controversial idea, he believes more companies will begin to consider it. I have a tremendous respect for Zappos, and their culture is really unique, Fader says. But even they could stand to be a bit more choosy about who gets top-drawer customer service. Fader explains that 20 years ago, providing stellar customer service was a way for a company to distinguish itself and could reap the benefits of loyal customers. But now, customers expect such treatment and therefore arent as impressed or as loyal to companies that provide that service, he says. Today, the bar has been raised so high for companies that its harder and harder to distinguish themselves and the ROI gets less, he says. If an employee spends too much time trying to please a customer that may never return to the business no matter what even when offered numerous freebies then that employees time and the companys resources may be better spent elsewhere, he explains. There are some customers that will be loyal no matter what. Then there are the customers that no matter how well you treat them they are not going to change how they feel about you because they dont want a relationship, Fader says. What you have to do is find (read more here)

5 Job Search Tips for Career Changes

5 Job Search Tips for Career Changes The big challenge of going in a new line of work is that you seem out of place. On paper, the chronological story of your work experience doesn’t really point in the direction you’re now headed. “You were a business analyst, then you moved to marketing, and now you want to work in computer networking?!”In previous years, when one of my clients was in that situation and wanted to change careers, I would very quickly suggest using a “functional resume”. But it’s not that easy today.Functional/hybrid resumes aren’t as efficient as beforeevalApplicant tracking systems 1. When you send an application online, you have to tailor your resume to include the exact keywords of the job ad. This is a tactic that makes you much more attractive to ATS.2. Another idea is to write a clear cover letter, to explain your career change 5. If you recently received a new certification or diploma, make sure it’s not buried on the second page of your resume. Mentioning it in your summary is a great option. In certain fields, you could also emphasize the fact that your training is very recent, which makes you familiar with the most up-to-date best practices or technology.If you’re willing to put in the effort to network, I really think that a solid functional (skills-based) resume could help you stand out. However, make sure to take the time to do it well, if you want it to have an impact. Yes, that means having two or three resumes, but I recommend that you tailor every resume you send, anyway. So once you have good resumes to work with, it shouldn’t be more effort down the line. You’ll just have different ammo for different targets.With these tips, you’ll avoid wasting time on sterile tactics. Think of yourself as running a marathon. If you put in the effort, steadily, day after day, you’ll make the most of your career opportunities.

Using the LinkedIn Relationship Feature

Using the LinkedIn Relationship Feature One of my favorite options in LinkedIn is the relationship feature. Many of my clients have several hundred LinkedIn contacts which makes it harder and harder to remember how you met a particular individual. You connect with individuals for different reasons and it is helpful to segment them for messaging or searching. LinkedIn Relationship Tab To find the Relationship tab, open a contact. Look in the lower left of the first section under the contacts picture. Click relationship and you should see this: With the relationship feature, you can add notes related to that contact. Those notes can include how you met them, memorable thoughts, action items, questions, etc. The only person who will see the notes are you! You can also choose to tag a relationship. This will allow you to segment individuals into the various ways you know them. LinkedIn also enables you to place tags on your contacts. You can create your own and then easily select one or more of those tags for each of your contacts. Here is a screen shot of my list: In your Contacts section, you can sort individual contacts by tag. This will make it easy to sort through your hundreds of contacts to find a specific group of individuals. Heres a helpful video with more on this excellent feature: Get the most out of LinkedIn and try out the relationship feature to see how it can work for you. For some, the notes feature will be great source of information in one place. For others, the tags will really help segment their contacts. There are a lot of possibilities and I encourage to use this feature to make your career networking and relationship building efforts easier.

How to Write a Resume and Suggest Tips For Writing a Good Resume

How to Write a Resume and Suggest Tips For Writing a Good ResumeA resume is the single most important element in order to land that job you want. Without one, it is next to impossible to land that coveted job, but with just a little bit of help, you can ensure that you are able to land the position that you have been looking for.The first tip on how to write a resume for job hunting is the concept of being specific about your qualifications. What type of work experience do you have? Do you have certificates that could be used as a stepping stone towards getting a promotion?Also, when it comes to your background, do you have some business related experience, or even the need to go out and get paid somewhere to obtain that skill? This is actually a very good way to go in your career as the employer will see that you have a knowledge base for your field.You may think that there is not much you can do to be specific about your qualifications, and this is true. If you did have too much, i t would be impossible to write a resume and still ensure that you land that job you desire. This is why many employers use the resume as a stepping stone to finding out more about you.Many companies use a back-ground check on a regular basis, but what they do not know is that having something in place in case you are not hired is what will ultimately determine whether you will not land that job. This is why you need to be as specific as possible.Another common mistake that people make is they feel like they do not need to impress them with their qualifications. Although it is important to leave yourself wide open, they are willing to accept anything you can show them. As long as you are presenting yourself in a professional manner, you will get anywhere you need to.The second tip on how to write a resume and suggest tips for writing a good resume is to consider hiring an employer that you have developed a good relationship with. This is because hiring a job candidate that you have d eveloped a good relationship with will most likely result in an increase in job security, and will therefore increase your chances of landing the job you have been wanting.Now that you have seen how to write a resume and suggest tips for writing a good resume, you can enjoy the benefits of job hunting without any fear of being hired. There is no better feeling than knowing that you have landed the job you have been working on, and what is even better is that this feeling lasts a lifetime.