Developing Your Career Professional Groups Meetups (Pt.5) Building Your Future Now

Developing Your Career Professional Groups Meetups (Pt.5) Building Your Future Now It is important to develop and grow your professional network and one good way to do it is through meetups. You can easily find meetups in your local area by using LinkedIn, Facebook, Facebook Groups and various apps. There are so many different meetups happening so be sure to be specific on a niche or professional group. These types of meetups can really help you connect with professionals in the same boat as you are ingrowing your career, networking and learning. Be sure to bring business cards and have a digital resume handy in order to email it just in case someone in the meetup is hiring or knows someone who is. Also, add value: think if ways you can help others in the meet up! And finally, if you are so inclined why dont you develop your own meet-up? It might be a great way to develop your organizational skills and also provides you an excuse to reach out and network! Image: Geralt

Direct Sellers Google+ and the You in Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Direct Sellers Google+ and the You in Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There are some who want to argue that direct selling isnt really a business and I say thats not true.   It is a business. A small business and a very personal business.   I liken it to having a plethora of mini-franchisees growing, developing, dreaming about and selling your product or service.   Direct selling has come a long way from its roots more than a hundred years ago. Today, direct sellers have a lot more things at their disposal and in addition to personal one-on-one demonstrations; party plan events or opportunity meetings they are using advanced technology as a way to reach their consumers and get sales. Whats prevalent in their online toolbox?   Social networking sites have become the place to be and be seen in the virtual world, as more and more users are connecting with their friends and building new relationships using social media. As a direct seller, you would be losing an opportunity to promote your personal brand and potentially generate new leads if you dont create accounts on these social networking sites. Facebook definitely tops the list, by the sheer number of its users.   With over 8000 million people having signed up, it’s definitely a site you cant ignore. But what about Google’s newest offering, Google+? In a sound bite, it’s a social network that Google recently launched to compete with the other big players out there such as Facebook and Twitter. As a direct seller, does it make sense to add yet another social network to your places to be? With over 20 million users and fast growing, it harnesses the power and the might of Googles Search Engine, and it’s an excellent way to get a good link going to your blog or your site. Of course, just like any social networking platform, it’s important that you know what works on Google+ and what doesn’t. Remember that social media is basically for establishing connections and building relationships, not selling or pushing your products on people. As a direct seller, you’re not only representing your own personal brand, but your company’s as well. Anything you throw into the social space   is going to reflect on you and your company’s image. So how do you strike a good balance in terms of building connections and marketing your products? There’s actually a rule when it comes to social media â€" the 80/20 rule. 80% of the things you do needs to focus on others, whether it’s posting helpful content or sharing content from others, actively responding to updates and posts in your network, and fostering more meaningful relationships with other people; only 20% should be devoted to promoting and marketing your products. The best way to reach out to people is to be nice and helpful to them Don’t fill your page with useless updates and pushy advertising that’s just going to result in people un-following you. Offer useful tidbits and helpful content that gets the conversation going and stimulates discussion. Take the time to also comment on other people’s posts and share content from others. Remember that the more you give, the more you receive. And perhaps the best thing about Google+ is the fact that it gives you features that can really help you connect with others in a more targeted way, rather than simply blasting out an update to all of your followers and hoping that they’re interested. With its Circles feature, you can offer specific deals to your loyal customers, who can really help you generate new leads by promoting your products to their own friends.   You can even be so specific and circle up with those who have shown an interest in the opportunity that you are involved in as a direct seller. Social media is all about being social and listening intently. That practice alone will keep you standing out from the pack and letting your personality shine through. It’s a great way to build relationships since it offers real-time interaction for its users. In addition to the Circles feature on Google+, you also have Hangouts, Games, and even a Mobile feature. And because the search engine is integrated right into Google+, you can easily search for relevant content that you can share with your friends and followers. Direct sellers and small business owners, while there are many platforms that can be even more relevant if youre a location based business,   for those whose business rides around with them in their back seat or the trunk of their car the big three (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) have now become the Fantastic Four!   Welcome Google+ to the person to person based business toolbox! Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and is also the CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks.com â€" a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand. She is co-founder of #brandchat a weekly twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding.

What a Totally Honest First Day at Work Might Sound Like

What a Totally Honest First Day at Work Might Sound Like Bagging yourself a new job can bring on a mix of emotions, from excitement and nerves, to downright terror. You never know quite what to expect from your first day and chances are you will have  thoughts running through your head at a hundred miles per hour. What are your new colleagues going to be like? What will you  be asked to do? Where will you spend your lunch break? But imagine what would happen if you actually said everything that pops into your mind out loud? It could get pretty awkward right? Buzzfeed have created a great video demonstrating just what it might sounds  like if you spoke your every thought  on your first day at a new job. Now honesty is usually the best policy, but there are a few things that are probably best kept to yourself. Top takeaways: Dont reveal bad habits:  Its probably best to keep your bad work tendencies  quiet for the time being. If time management is something you have an issue with, try to at least start off on a good foot. If it really is a problem of yours, theyre bound to find out of their own accord eventually anyway! Dont be a gossip:  Its understandable that you want to get to know everyone and the office dynamics, but chances are that your new colleagues wont appreciate you delving into their private business uninvited. By becoming a gossip queen, its like that it will in fact be you who gains the title of office b****. Keep your bowel movements to yourself:   Nobody wants to know that, no matter how long theyve know you. Dont judge a book by its cover: Try to not make quick judgements about peoples character based on your initial meeting.  If you really must, I recommend you dont say it to their face. Dont isolate yourself from the rest of your team:  If youre invited out for lunch, use the opportunity to get to know people. Eating in your car can appear slightly tragic and you dont really want it to become a daily habit. Office romances are risky:  Day one is not the time to launch into one. At least wait for the office Christmas party. Cut down on school night drinking: Rolling  into work late and hungover  on your second day in the job is generally frowned upon. RELATED: What Does an Honest Interview Look Like? Main Image Credit: Shutterstock

When You Live Where You Work 4 Tips For Freelancers

When You Live Where You Work 4 Tips For Freelancers When you were in college, did anyone ever tell you not to study in your bed? They would say that either you’d fall asleep on your books or not be able to fall asleep at night.   Mixing your work and your rest would be destructive to both. How, then, can we apply this logic to working from home? It can be hard to draw the line, leaving work and personal lives muddied together. In today’s gig economy, many of us fill at least some of our time doing freelance work, and while we can occasionally afford a fancy cup of coffee at the hip cafe, that won’t work all the time on a freelancer’s salary. Simply put, working from home is more affordable after all, you can make your own cold brew! But to make it work, you need to arrange your space right. Before you sit down to tackle that next assignment, take a look around and assess your environment, then consult these 4 tips. They’ll help you engineer your space for optimum productivity. Make Space Even if you don’t have a whole room to turn into an office, it’s worth buying a small desk and creating a workspace for yourself. With a dedicated space, you won’t find yourself distracted by the cell phone bill or your kid’s report card and you won’t feel rushed to clear up your work to eat dinner with your family. Your working quarters may be tight, but you’ll feel more focused when you’re at your own desk. Maintain Personal Boundaries There are a lot of ways that your personal and work lives can get overly integrated when you work from home, and one of those ways has to do with who you see and interact with. Do you chat with your friends all day while trying to work or answer personal emails? This wouldn’t be acceptable in many professional environments, so why is it okay here? Instead of dropping the rules, it may be necessary to draw even stricter boundaries between your social life and your work life when you work from home. It’s not fun at first, but it will help you focus. Keep Regular Hours As a freelancer, you set your own schedule. Sure, you may sign on for a particular time-bound commitment occasionally, but most of the time the rules are your own. In order for this philosophy to work, however, you need to set work hours just like you would if you worked in an office. What does that look like? If your work schedule is 9AM to 5PM, for example, don’t check your work email when the day is up. You don’t offer a 24-hour support line with your freelance contracts that’s a different kind of job altogether. Additionally, when you answer emails at all times, you may find that clients overstep boundaries regularly, leaving you unnecessarily stressed. Dress It Up While you don’t need to get fancy to work in your home office, many freelancers find it helpful to get dressed for work, even if they aren’t leaving the house. Take it step up from sweats and a ratty t-shirt that you could mistake for pajamas and wear something you would consider office casual. You’ll be surprised how much it helps you focus. Make Working From Home Work For You Working from home poses unique challenges compared to heading to the office every day, but it also has its luxuries. Done correctly, you get the best of both worlds flexibility, independence, and (hopefully) work you enjoy. Why work any other way? Images: Urban Home Office  Jeremy Levine  Work Space  Dossy Shiobara

New Job Search Book 100 Conversations for Career Success - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

New Job Search Book 100 Conversations for Career Success Finally! A book on how to land a job that gets down to the nitty-gritty and actually includes scripts to deal with a wide range of networking, interviewing and job search situations and scenarios. From cold calls, emails and informational interviews, to interacting with VIPs on social media, creating a natural-sounding, branded intro spiel to new people, and so much more. Thanks to Laura Labovich and Miriam Salpeter for giving us this much-needed powerhouse book, with the words to say and write when we ask people for help in reaching our career goals. I was delighted to contribute to the book a few short, impactful pitches when networking in-person. Here’s one of them: Im a start-up CEO and business development leader in high-tech. I convince Fortune 500 companies to risk multi-million dollar commitments on the new, untried products of emerging enterprises. The book chapters include: How to Inform Your Network You’re Searching for a Job How to Contact and Inform Potential References about Your Search How to Solicit, Secure, and Succeed at an Informational Interview How to Network at Events (and Make It Easy to Follow Up) How to Reach VIPs How to Be Generous in Your Job Search . . . and comprehensive advice on communicating professionally via social media, including , Twitter,

Why you shouldnt just hit Apply Here - Sterling Career Concepts

Why you shouldnt just hit Apply Here Why you shouldnt just hit Apply Here Think Outside of the Box when Applying Online. When you see a job posted on Indeed.com for a job in which you’re really interested, do you click “Apply Now”and apply online without first looking to see if the job is advertised on the company’s own website? Applying on the company’s website is generally preferred to applying through a job search portal, even if the application button takes you to the same form. (That way, it will list the source of the application as the company website, and not Indeed.com.) After you apply online, don’t stop there: See if you are already connected with someone at the company. Reach out to him or her and see if you can find the name of the hiring manager. Connect with the hiring manager directly by email or phone. Follow up by mailing a print copy of your résumé.

Combination Resume Template

Combination Resume TemplateThe best combination resume template is made of the right information, easy to read and as simple as possible. The purpose of a combination resume template is to get you on the first page of the employer's office. And it can be so easily achieved by starting with the right information and adding only what you think should be added to make your resume more appealing.The information will then flow from this point where the information does not have to be presented in its best light but in the form of bullet points, making it easy for the reader to skim over it. The information presented will be of the person's experience and the job of the person.The combination resume template will be an amalgamation of information gathered from past jobs and the person's education. Your information and experiences will not necessarily match so you will be able to customize it. The combination resume template will only need a title page with all your contact information that has been properly designed to be followed up with your personal statement.The combination resume template is available in many different formats. If you choose this format, you will have to use a program that converts your Word document into a format that is understandable in the document. It also may come in a standard format.You should choose the program that best suits your needs. In order to select the right program, you should know your needs and you must be clear on how much work you want to do on the document. You can choose between a basic template or a complex one.There are two methods of adding new information to your resume template. The first method is to simply put in the information at the end of the document. The second method is to convert the whole document into a format that allows you to insert in your information.There are many online software programs that can help you add all the information that you need. Choose the programs that offer professional formatting so that it is easy to read. Most of these programs will allow you to pick your own preferred font and size so that the content is easy to read even when it is large.Finally, the combination resume template is a flexible format that can accommodate all the information you may want to include. You can modify the template to your needs and make it easier to read. You can also convert it into your preferred format if you change your mind.