4 Strategies For Strengthening Your Budding Online Reputation

If you’re new to the world of personal branding, you may think that simply having an online identity boosts your brand.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  In fact, having the wrong information posted online could hurt your brand considerably.

Building an online reputation—one you can be proud of—is not always as easy, especially if someone out there has your name and is competing (knowingly or unknowingly) for the number one spot in search engines.  That’s why you need strategies to help strengthen your budding online reputation.

1. Increase your professional volume: One way to strengthen your online reputation is by ensuring that there is more content online about you.  But not just any content; you want professional content.  This can be accomplished by enhancing your relevance.

2. Enhance your relevance: To enhance your relevance means that you not only create online profiles, blogs, and write guest posts that improve your professional presence but also eliminate any unflattering words, photos, or videos of you.  In other words, you want all information posted about you online to be positive and professional.

3. Create one search location: Web sites like Visibility help to move all information about a user into one location through Google searches.  By setting up an account, the site will set up a “Search Me” button that includes the user’s e-mail signature, LinkedIn profile, blog, etc.  But most important, when a recruiter clicks on the user’s link, they are provided with a list of Google links specific to that user.

4. Improve your diversity: In addition to a LinkedIn page, set up a Google profile which similarly allows you to post an online resume of sorts.  Also, consider setting up a Flickr account where you can post professionally relevant images in order to make your online brand more diverse.

Your online reputation is extremely important.  In fact, it could be more important than any resume you submit because companies use the Internet to conduct their background checks.  So if you haven’t already, now’s the time to strengthen your budding online reputation.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow us on Twitter @GreatResume or visit our blog.

Author: Global resume authority Jessica Hernandez of http://www.greatresumesfast.com is a former HR Manager who partners with professional- and executive-level candidates to create authentic, branded resumes and cover letters.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

7 Resume Mistakes to Avoid

There’s plenty of great advice out there to help you create an amazing resume—plenty of “dos.” But it’s a good idea to keep in mind that there are some things that you should not do when writing your resume as well. So before you write another word, consider the following resume pitfalls.

Say No To …

1. Writing dense paragraphs: For many hiring managers, resumes are boring, repetitive documents, so it’s your job to make reading yours as enjoyable as possible. One way is by using bullet points instead of writing dense paragraphs. This creates white space that makes reading easier.
2. Sidestepping action words: If you start your work history descriptions with “duties included” then you’re not telling a hiring manager what you accomplished but simply what you were told to accomplish. You can fix this by adding action words like “initiated”, “created”, and “designed” to better describe the contributions you made at your previous employers.
3. Telling white lies: You may feel that exaggerating slightly in your work history could win you a job, but if a prospective employer checks with that previous employer to learn about your responsibilities, you could find yourself being turned down for the position.
4. Failing to add keywords: Most companies use some type of screening technology that looks for keywords related to the job to determine whether a candidate is worth seriously reviewing. To give yourself a chance, look up some related keywords and add them to your resume.
5. Creating generic resumes: It’s very important that you tailor each resume for the company and position for which you’re applying. You can do this by adding work history and accomplishments that show you’ve addressed the prospective company’s needs in the past with prior employers.
6. Not advertising your LinkedIn profile: Your LinkedIn profile gives employers the opportunity to learn more about you than what you include in your resume. So be sure to add this link to your resume to get that boost you need.  – Not sure about LinkedIn? Check out our workshop all about LinkedIn on 9/6 or 10/13)
7. Forgetting to spell check: When you’re done with your resume, you need to check for spelling errors, grammar issues, and typos—over and over again. And don’t rely on your word processing program to do the work for you since they are known for missing important information.

As a job seeker, it’s always important to show how strong you are as a candidate. By avoiding the above no-nos, you have a better chance of being the one candidate the employer wants to bring into their fold.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow @GreatResume or visit Jessica’s blog.

By: Jessica Hernandez, expert resume writer, is a nationally-recognized resume authority and former HR Manager who has achieved over a 99% success rate securing interviews with prestigious organizations through exclusive, personal branding strategies; website.

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Putting Off Working On Your Resume? Why That’s A Really Bad Idea

If you are currently employed and only considering looking into other opportunities passively – or if you’re waiting to go back to work until the end of the summer my one piece of advice to you today is do NOT put off working on your resume! With the summer upon us and the upcoming Holiday weekend you may be tempted to work on your tan and practice your grilling skills. I’m not suggesting you spend your July 4th working on your resume and not spending any time celebrating and spending quality time with family. What I am saying is a new statistic was just released that the average job search is taking 10+ months so if you were planning to take the summer off from your job search you may want to reconsider.

Start working on your resume now to maximize time others are spending goofing off.

While you’re taking time to manage your life, it’s a good idea to work on your resume little by little so that you can actually build it into a stellar document. Oftentimes, we spend just a few hours on the resume, hoping that it will impress employers. But writing an impressive resume isn’t usually accomplished in a short period of time.

So while you’re not seriously searching, you can take your time to decide exactly what message you want to send to employers through your accomplishments—and maybe even remember additional bits of info from the past that you’ve forgotten about. This way, when you’re ready to apply, you will have a solid document to submit.

Utilize the extra time to perfect your resume.

Working on your resume now also allows you to edit and perfect the resume’s design, ensuring that you have eliminated typos, spelling problems, or grammar issues. You can create just the right amount of white space and arrange your sections to help managers flow through the document exactly the way you want. (Not to mention that you get the opportunity to keep up with new trends in resume writing so that yours doesn’t look dated when the time comes to start submitting them again.

Take some time to reflect.

Sometimes, developing your resume without actually submitting it gives you a chance to take a good look at your career and decide whether you’re on the right track. As you look at the jobs you’ve worked and the positions you’re likely to apply for, you may realize that you’re moving laterally, when in reality, it’s actually time to start climbing the ladder.

When you’re actively searching for a job, it’s hard to see the changes that you could make to advance your career. But as you take weeks or months to slowly build your resume, you may find that you’re ready to guide your career in a new direction.

There’s nothing wrong with taking time away from a job search to manage other areas of your life. But if you want to make sure you’re still in the game and up to speed when it’s time to start applying again, it’s good to keep working on your resume while taking your break.

For additional resume tips and advice follow Jessica Hernandez on Twitter @GreatResume.

Author: An exceptional resume authority, Jessica Hernandez and her team of credentialed writers partner with professional- and executive-level candidates to open doors to jobs at prestigious corporations, achieving over a 99% interview-winning success rate. Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Need a Job ASAP? Follow These Steps

You need a job and need it now, or at least as soon as possible. In reality, a job search takes time but that doesn’t mean you have to wait around. By taking the right steps in your job search, you could increase your chances of getting hired sooner rather than later. Here are some tips from career experts:

Get the right job search tools-These are the tools you need to conduct job search activities; they include a computer, phone, transportation, etc.

Get organized- Create a schedule to help you plan how much time to spend on your job search. For example, consider using job search engines to find jobs that match your particular interest(s). Job search engines can save you time that can be used for other things such as networking.

Create a resume and cover letter- These documents are essential for getting interviews; complete them before starting your job search.

Create a list of references with contact information- Write down three to five good references and ask them in advance to be included as a reference.

Set up job search agents- A job search agent lets you search for specific jobs based on your criteria; it can usually be set up on a job posting website. When job opportunities arise, you’ll receive an email from your job search agent.

For more steps to find a job ASAP, please see the source below.

To have a successful job search, you need to know the right steps to take. As a result, you will increase your chances of finding a job sooner rather than later.

-Source-
http://thecareernews.com/newsletter.php?news=2538

Author Byline: William Frierson is a staff writer for CollegeRecruiter.com.
Author Website: http://www.collegerecruiter.com/

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

Welcome to the Dark Side of Job Search

“Every one is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody” – Mark Twain

I typically cover all of the good stuff. You know, how to have the best resume, the best companies to work for, the best job search sites. What about the bad stuff? What about “what not to do”? As a hiring manager, I’ve seen my share of bad interviewees, poorly written resumes and stuff I can’t even write about. As a job hunter, I’ve made my fair share of mistakes. But the “dark side” of job search is also about what to avoid. The telltale signs that an opportunity is not all it is cracked up to be. Today’s post is about all of that (and more!).

• The Dark Side of Consulting Careers – Have you considered consulting? Sounds like a really good career, but have you researched the negative aspects. This article, published on Randomwok.com, does just that. Covering Work Life Balance, Travel, Staffing and more. While many people have been consultants their entire career (and could not love it more), many more get into consulting only to discover it is not for them. Take a look at this article if you were considering consulting as a career.

• The Dark Side of Being Self Employed – Many people, myself included, dream about “being their own boss” or owning their own business. What could be better? Like everything in life, there are good points and bad points to being self employed. So, before you go out and start your own business, take a look at this article from SteveScottSite.com. It’s a great story, and it raised some points that you may not have thought about.

• What Not To Do When Job Searching – This article is by Alison Doyle (from About.com) and it is a good read. Of course, non of us starts out trying to “not get hired”, but some of us don’t always have the best sense when it comes to job search etiquette.  The article is somewhat short, but it is followed by a wealth of related links (like Follow the Rules and Interview Etiquette.

• Scams & Schemes in Work and Employment Services – One of the best sites for tons of job search resources is the Riley Guide. If it’s related to job search, they’ve got it. This article is a case in point. As with everything on the Internet, for every legitimate topic there is probably several scams out there as well. From asking for a utility bill to fake jobs, this article provides a very large list of scams that are out there (just when you thought it was safe to job search!). Payment forwarding, “executive marketing” and work at home scams. Take a very careful read of this article before you get scammed.

• Top 10 Paranormal Jobs – I was worried that my job might show up on this list, but I guess that financial services doesn’t qualify yet. So, if you want a different type of job where you can use your ESP or other paranormal powers, this is the article for you. From Ghost Walks to “become a paranormal hunter”, there is lots of interesting stuff for those who are bored telling fortunes at parties (wait a minute, that’s one as well). Yeah, I know, if you are really a psychic you don’t need to read this article because you already know. It you are like me, then take a read.

Good luck in your search.

By CareerAlley
Website: http://CareerAlley.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

4 Great Ways to Sabotage Your Job Search

“You always pass failure on the way to success.” – Mickey Rooney

There are probably no job seekers who set out to sabotage their efforts while in the process of looking for jobs. But this doesn’t mean that self-sabotage isn’t still possible. There are inadvertent mistakes that you can make along the way to hurt your chances of being hired. So before you apply for one more job, make sure you don’t do the following:

1. Submit a Carbon-Copy Resume

Having all been job seekers at some point, anyone can understand the frustration of having to create a new resume for each job we want. But writing up original content that factors in the specific job position and company you’re applying to is crucial to branding yourself as a candidate.

If you want to knock yourself out of the running, submit a bunch of resumes that look like they have been sent to another company. These carbon-copy resumes are not only insulting to employers who are seriously looking for candidates, but they are doing you a disservice by selling you short as a professional.

2. Come Off as an Arrogant Job Seeker

As a job seeker, confidence is an amazing attribute to bring to the table. Employers love to know that their candidates feel sure of their ability to get the job done if hired. Unfortunately, there can be a fine line between confidence and arrogance—and you don’t want to cross that line.

For instance, if you have had an amazing career as a biochemist, working for one of the leading laboratories in the country for the past 10 years, you have a lot to brag about. But if you come off in your resume, cover letter, or interview as the savior of the company, you could easily turn off the employer who has to deal with your arrogant attitude.

3. Make Your Last Employer Mad at You

Although you may have been waiting for the moment when you could tell your former boss to “shove it you know where!”, this is something you never want to do, especially if it’s possible that a future employer may contact the former one for information.

Although it may feel good to get some bad feelings off of your chest, burning bridges in your professional life can only hurt you in the long run.

4. Live an Openly Unprofessional Life

Employers scrutinize every aspect of their job candidates, which is actually a very smart thing to do. The problem is, if you make unprofessional mistakes as an applicant, you could lose the job before you’re strongly considered.

For instance, if you’re submitting your application via e-mail, don’t use your hotmama98564@email.com address as contact information. Instead, use your name or another professional handle. And if you have had numerous drunken nights and friends with camera phones, do your best to make sure those images don’t end up online.

Finding a job is difficult enough for a seeker without having extra issues being thrown into the equation. So every chance you get, be sure to do what you can to avoid sabotaging your search.

For additional tips and advice on resumes and cover letters, follow @GreatResume or visit our blog.

Author Byline: An exceptional resume authority, Jessica Hernandez and her team of credentialed writers partner with professional- and executive-level candidates to open doors to jobs at prestigious corporations, achieving over a 99% interview-winning success rate.
Author Website: http://www.greatresumesfast.com

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

More Than 21 Million Workers Play Fantasy Sports; Should Employers Worry?

Is your obsession with fantasy sports costing your employer too much company time?

With less than two weeks to go before the opening kick-off in the National Football League season, fantasy football participants across the country are undoubtedly spending more time than usual fine-tuning their draft selections and rosters due to a lock-out shortened pre-season.  Unfortunately for the nation’s employers, some of the extra time spent on player research may come during business hours.

However, even with an estimated 21.3 million full-time workers participating in fantasy sports each year, with some spending as much as nine hours per week managing their teams, the impact on overall workplace productivity is negligible, according to the workplace experts at global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.

“In an information-based economy, productivity is very difficult to measure.  And the same widespread access to the internet from our desks, phones and laptops that allows people to manage their fantasy teams from any place at any time, also allows work to be completed outside of traditional 9-to-5 work hours,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

According to statistics from the Fantasy Sports Trade Association, the number of people participating in fantasy sports in the United States and Canada has grown 60 percent over the past four years to 32 million.  The Association’s research indicates that 19 percent of full-time workers in the U.S. have played fantasy sports in the past year.  That comes to about 21,253,000 workers.

Football is, of course, the most popular fantasy sport, played by roughly 80 percent of all fantasy sports participants.  According to market research, players spend up to nine hours a week planning and plotting their strategies for weekly matchups in 70 million free and paid leagues (the average player belongs to 2.5 leagues).

“It is impossible to determine how much of that weekly prep time is spent during work hours.  It is even more difficult to determine how time spent managing teams during work hours actually impacts productivity or the company’s bottom line,” said Challenger.

“If you look at a company’s third and fourth quarter earnings statements, it is unlikely that you will find a fantasy football effect.  The impact is more likely to be seen by department managers and team leaders, who have a better sense of their workers’ day-to-day work flow.  Even at level, though, it might not be worth cracking down on fantasy football, unless the quantity or quality of an individual’s work drops off significantly,” he added.

A survey conducted during the 2010 football season by Challenger found that fantasy football had little to no impact on productivity.  Ranking the level of distraction on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being no noticeable impact, nearly 70 percent said four or lower.  Less than eight percent of respondents said the level of distraction rated a 7 or 8 and none of the respondents felt the phenomenon deserved a 9 or 10.

“An across-the-board ban on all fantasy football or sports websites could backfire in the form of reduced morale and loyalty.  The result could be far worse than the loss of productivity caused by 10 to 20 minutes of team management each day.

“Companies that not only allow workers to indulge in fantasy football, but actually encourage it by organizing company leagues are likely to see significant benefits in morale as well as productivity,” Challenger said. “In the long run, this may lead to increased employee retention.”

In a 2006 Ipsos survey, 40 percent of respondents said fantasy sports participation was a positive influence in the workplace.  Another 40 percent said it increases camaraderie among employees.  One in five said their involvement in fantasy sports enabled them to make a valuable business contact.

Furthermore, a more recent study by researchers at the National University of Singapore found that occasional non-work-related web browsing at the office can refresh tired workers and enhance overall productivity.

Despite evidence of fantasy football’s positive impact on the workplace, less than eight percent those surveyed by Challenger last season said their companies “embrace” fantasy football participation as a morale-boosting activity and none of the employers reported officially organized leagues.

Teen Job Market Posts Huge Gains – 13.2% More Employed

As teenagers prepare to head back to school over the next couple of weeks, more will be doing so with a little extra money in their pockets thanks to a stronger summer job market.

Employment among 16- to 19-year-olds grew by a total of 1,087,000 from May through July, according to the latest analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs data by global outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc.  This summer’s job gains are up 13.2 percent from a year ago, when employment among teens grew by only 960,000, the fewest since 1949.

While the teen summer job market improved significantly from the anemic hiring activity in 2010, net employment gains still failed to match the 1,163,000 teen jobs added in 2009 and the 1,154,000 in 2008.  This summer’s job gains were well below pre-recession levels when, from 2004 through 2007, teen employment grew by an average of 1,674,000 jobs between May and July.

The teen summer job market might have been stronger had employers not scaled back the pace of hiring in July.  Only 302,000 net new jobs were found by 16- to 19-year-olds in July, which was down significantly from 2010, when a late summer hiring burst led to the creation of 457,000 new jobs for teens in July.  Between 2000 and 2010, July employment gains for teens averaged nearly 462,000, making the latest reading even more surprising.

“The drop-off in July employment gains among teens corresponded with a sudden increase in uncertainty about the strength of the economic recovery and subsequent decline in consumer confidence, stemming in part from the protracted debate in Washington over raising the debt limit,” said John A. Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

“The debt ceiling resolution did not accomplish much when it comes to solving the long-term deficit problem.  The only thing the latest down-to-the wire, political gamesmanship really achieved was to further erode the public’s confidence in Washington’s ability to address the nation’s most pressing issues impacting economic growth and job creation.

“For business owners and store managers deciding whether to hire more workers in late June and early July, the growing uncertainty made the decision not to hire that much easier,” said Challenger.

50 Jobs for People With Lots of Facebook Friends

Last Friday August 5, 2011, a nationwide contest kicked off on Facebook to find enthusiastic individuals with a lot of social influence on the web. The question has been asked “Do you have what it takes?” Now it can be proven: contestants post their video in this contest, get more votes than the rest. Those in the top 50 will land the job. Have more friends? Get more votes. This is a contest of not only who has the most friends, but who has the most influence. Management says “If that’s you, then you will be one of our new Marketing Directors, simple as that”.

The contest asks contests to make an imaginative commercial for the penny auction site Woozol.com, and the top 50 winners will receive an offer from the site to become Regional Marketing Directors. These Marketing Directors will be instrumental in the successful launch of the site. They will be paid to help promote the brand, both online and within their regional markets. They may be asked to participate in local sporting events or conventions for instance, or perhaps promote entries through Facebook and Twitter. They will also be consulted for ideas and opinions on the marketing efforts for the site leading up to (and beyond) the launch of Woozol.com on October 1 of this year. They will be instrumental in the success of future promotions such as upcoming holidays etc.

The regional marketing director position is all about brand engagement with Woozol. When a winner accepts the position, they will be employed and paid by Woozol to be ambassadors for the company. By offering this position to the top 50 entrants, Woozol is giving every entrant the chance to make money and get in on the ground floor with an exciting new brand.

Woozol.com is a penny auction site that is being designed from the ground up for social media integration, and feels that this contest reflects their strong belief that the new forms of communication created by social media are the best way to create an open and engaging website. That is why they have launched their first marketing efforts through Facebook, at http://www.facebook.com/woozolpage.

College Student Pays Tuition By Purchasing Alcohol

A sour economy and rising tuition bills have forced college students to get creative when it comes to making their tuition bills. One student has found a way to pay the bills by doubling on the weekend as undercover liquor store auditor and is sharing a list of companies that are hiring on his blog, The Penny Hoarder.

Meet Kyle Taylor. He is a 24 year old blogger and student at the University of South Florida. In between classes he travels the state of Florida posing as a customer at popular liquor and grocery stores. Even though he is old enough to buy alcohol, his job is to test cashiers by seeing if they are following state law, which requires stores to check the I.D. of anyone who looks under the age of forty.

Undercover auditors are usually police officers, but Taylor holds no formal training and is hired directly by the store’s management team. Their hope is to catch complacent cashiers before the police do, because the penalties of non-compliance can include hefty fines and possible loss of their liquor licenses.

Taylor often audits 50 or more stores in a weekend and its not uncommon for several of the stores to get busted. Regardless of the audit’s outcome, he is paid anywhere from $10–$50 per location for his time and follow-up report

So who’s hiring? Taylor’s blog, The Penny Hoarder, has just released a list of companies that are hiring students to go undercover nationwide. Students must be younger than 28 in order to participate.Â