Stop What Youre Doing Check Your LinkedIn Profile

Stop What Youre Doing Check Your LinkedIn Profile It’s a common scene: A busy recruiter thinks, “Wow, think we’ve got a keeper here,” as they scan your lovingly crafted CV or application. To get more background on you, they check out your LinkedIn page, only to shrug their shoulders and move on to the next candidate. What’s going on? Recruiters, whether agency or in-house, have a very low appetite for risk. Any inconsistencies between your CV and your LinkedIn profile stand out like the balls on a bulldog, and they don’t make for a pretty sight. Employers look for exciting candidates. A great CV lifts the reader’s heart rate, but if the related LinkedIn profile is a yawn, their pulse flatlines. The majority of problems stem from candidates having a poor understanding of the difference between how a CV and a LinkedIn profile should each work. Know the difference Your CV is effectively a one-time use document, tailored to a vacancy or company. When a company says, “We’ll keep your details on file,” it begins to die as the world, your experience and your capabilities all change over time. Setting up a LinkedIn page can help cover the interim period, but you absolutely can’t treat it as a static document. Simplistically, a copy of your CV talks to one person, on one occasion, whereas your LinkedIn profile talks to many people, and on multiple occasions. A great LinkedIn profile will engage the reader and show a much richer picture of you as a person than a CV ever can. Maintained correctly, it’s a live document in an active world and it should expand and grow in pace with your experience and capabilities. Used as a social media platform, it can show your underlying character and how you inter-relate with people and situations. Used as a publishing platform, it can give you a real voice in your industry. What’s not to like? 5 major turn-offs A profile that hasn’t been updated since your last job-change tells a potential employer nothing about who you are now and what you could do for them, given a chance. The implication for a recruiter is that you’re gasping for oxygen in the bleak and stagnant pool of what can’t really be called your career because it hasn’t gone anywhere recently. Many profiles don’t serve the reader’s needs. Recruiters want a quick overview of your strengths, skills, experience and achievements. Vast tracts of turgid text act as a barrier and end up delivering less information, not more. Many profiles show lack of attention to detail, if not outright confusion. Incorrect spilling; punctuation and grammer by Potential Candidates be jarring in the extremely. Autocorrect is a tool, not an excuse. Lack of proofreading is a demonstration of stupidity, not the sign of a fast mover. Lurches between the first and third person and the use of mixed tenses are both particularly horrific to behold. LinkedIn profiles lacking clarity collect dross. You have the means to comment and interact, but that’s not an excuse to bang on about anything and everything. Sharing salacious stories, bigoted opinions and ‘Only a genius can solve this’ postings creates the impression of an unfocused individual. At a certain level of your career development, recruiters want to see more structured examples of your focus, thinking and opinions via articles you’ve written. An absence is a lost opportunity to show serious interest in your field. How to strut your stuff Wake up Read your LinkedIn profile now. Identify what would make it demonstrate that you’ve blossomed rather than stagnated since the start of your current role. Update it accordingly. Grow Your career is ahead of you, not behind you. Every week, without fail, re-examine your profile and update any new capabilities or significant achievements. If there aren’t any, think what you’re going to do next week to change that, because standing still is sliding backwards. Engage If you don’t do it already, start to comment on discussions and share relevant articles. Don’t just pass the time, or consume space for the sake of it, aim to add incisive thought to any discussions or topics. Stay on-message with the main thrust of your career. Network The more you do, the easier it will become â€" honestly. Start to connect with the people you encounter, both online and in the real world. Seek connections that will create the foundations of a springboard for the next stage of your career. Contribute Become a mover and a shaker. Work-wise, what do you care about? What affects you and your industry? Share your analysis and thoughts by writing an article. Take a low-risk approach until you find your feet and your voice. Essential quick tips Proofread your whole LinkedIn page every single time you alter anything at all. Make your qualifications, dates and positions consistent between your profile and CV. Don’t merely repeat what’s already on your CV and stop there. Shorten your commentary on older roles. Check and update your contact details regularly, to avoid losing opportunities. Go loud and proud. Add a link to your email signature and other public profiles. Ask for recommendations. One or two from each period of employment looks good. Have a call to arms. If you want people to get in touch ask! It works. Do you want proof? Find me on LinkedIn, send me a connection request and mention this UCR article. It would be nice to meet you. If you truly embrace the LinkedIn platform, it can provide you with the means to proactively drive your career forward. Staying focused on what you’re going to say next is a great motivator. Keeping in touch with a growing professional network can not only increase your chances of winning any role you apply for, it can generate entirely unsolicited job opportunities for you. About the author: Jon Gregory is an author, editor, blogger trainer on all things job hunting, interview prep career development.

10 Tips for Trade Show Sponsors - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Tips for Trade Show Sponsors - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Tradeshows serve a purpose. Tradeshows are also very expensive. Trade Shows are the Most Expensive leads youll ever generate. Make sure you  Do Events Right. The First Time and Every Time. This post is for SPONSORS of booths at trade shows. Whether you are part of a global company and especially if you are part of a small firm where every dollar really counts. This post is for you. I also wrote a post for ATTENDEES of trade shows. You can find it here: Eight Tips for Trade Show Success The primary purpose of a trade show is to drive AAR. This is my term for Awareness, Adoption and Revenue. This is a simple model that I think applies to every product or service. People need to know you exist before they can try it or buy it. Below are my Tips for Sponsoring Trade Shows.  I’d like to hear your thoughts in the comments.  Tips for Trade Show Success … And a few PRO TIPS too 1. Be Ready from the First 5 to the Last 5 “It takes only ONE good deal to make it all worthwhile. That lead might come in the first 5 or last 5 minutes” ~Martin Tuip You never know when someone is ready to buy So YOU NEED TO BE READY. I would argue and add that trade shows aren’t all about selling on the show floor. This really depends upon the event. However, a critical element  of tradeshows is driving AWARENESS. If people don’t know about your product or service they will likely never become a customer. Trade shows are an extension of your product management and community engagement strategy. 2. Bring the Right People I  have worked in the computer hardware and software  industry for over 20 years. In all this time … hardly anyone wants to talk to a sales person. If it is a Technical event (like Microsoft TechEd or SAP TechEd they REALLY don’t want to talk to sales person. They want to Geek Out with other Techno-Geeks. Bringing the right people enables a connection between the attendees. Which can help drive ADOPTION. 3. Train your people A few simple tips: NEVER bad mouth competitors. It just makes your company look bad and it doesnt add anything to the conversation. NEVER stand around talking to each other. As a general rule of thumb … never have more than two employees talking to each other. See Tip #6 NEVER sit in the back of the booth. Engage the Attendees. REMEMBER why you are at the event … to talk to prospects, customers and partners. PRO TIP  â€" Sending the Right People pays big dividends. The right people can short circuit a conversation because they speak the same language and can move the conversation along. 4. Have a Booth Schedule Tradeshows are tiring Provide a schedule for booth staffing and responsibilities Allow people to take breaks. They’ll need them. Rule of Thumb: Schedule 2-3 hours of booth time then give people a break Stagger schedules. This allows some people to take a tour around the show floor or perhaps sleep in. PRO TIP  â€" Make sure the managers of the people working the booth have signed off and agree to the goals of the event. When done right tradeshows require people to give it their all for the time they are the in the booth. Make sure they have the rest and tools they need to do their best. 5. No Food or Drinks in the Booth This might sound a bit draconian, but take a moment and think back to a booth that you have ever visited where you saw coffee cups and food wrappers lying around the booth. Were you impressed? Did it detract from your perception of the booth, from the product or service being presented? There is a time and place for Food and Drink … the booth is not that place. PRO TIP  â€" Let people know they WILL have breaks. Let them know to finish their food and drinks before coming back to the booth. 6. The Rule of Two Have you ever seen a booth where all the people working the booth are talking to each other? Were you likely to approach the booth? Most people wont. This might also seem a little over the top, but I recommend that the employees working the booth need to focus on why they are working the booth. Hint: It’s to meet with customers, prospects and partners. Let’s Get This Conversation Started 7. Open Ended Questions Opening Lines Open Ended Questions WORK Never ask a Yes or No question. For example, DONT ask … Can I answer any questions for you? It’s too easy for the attendee to say … NO and move on. Never talk about the weather. Unless, like at a Microsoft TechEd event in Orlando where the rain was coming down so hard that it sounded like a freight train was bearing down on all of us. Ask Open Ended Questions: For example, What kind of questions do you have about X? What challenges do you have with Master Data Management? Open Ended Questions allow the person to think about the question and to hopefully engage in a dialogue. They might change the subject to talk about the issues they are facing. This is OK. Dialogue is Good! Crazy Opening Lines can be fun and will make you memorable For Example, Who would win in a fight between a Lowland Gorilla and Grizzly Bear? (This came from Dan O’Leary Thanks Dan!) These kind of questions almost always force the person coming to the booth to stop, think and they usually smile and say something. There … the Ice is now officially broken. Remember … Engage! 8. Social Media Works Social Media channels can have a significant impact on the perception of the company, the products and services being presented. Your company can use Social Media channels to get the word out. You can also engage the community to help drive these efforts. Make it fun, make it easy and make it memorable. Let it work for you too.    Engage the community. Enable your employees, your customers and your partners to be active participants in the effort. If it’s easy to do and especially if it’s fun and/or drives some community good they will be happy to help. 9. SWAG SWAG is sometimes called Schwag, but it’s the same thing … SWAG is Stuff We All Get. All the Tchotchkes and giveaways will not make for a great product or service, but they sure can drive a lot of AWARENESS. I’m not against SWAG, but you need to realize they can be a distraction from the purpose of the event. When planning giveaways a few things to keep in mind include being conscious of the event you are attending.  For example, if you are attending a Microsoft event don’t giveaway an iPad, iPod or other iSWAG. . Trip Report / Post Mortem Just as I recommended in my post for attendees it is also important to do a wrap up of the event for sponsors. Call it a trip report, call it a post mortem, call it anything you want. Just take the time to document the event, the actions, the follow ups  while they are still fresh in the minds of everyone that attended. Make sure it includes  all staffers that attended the event. Use Evernote or OneNote to combine all comments into one place for easier analysis. Use the notes to insure prompt follow up and delegation of actions.  Also use the post mortem to determine if the event was worthwhile for achieving the goals of the company. PRO TIP Check the activity on the website. Was traffic higher for specific products or services? Can these be attributed to the event? PRO TIP  Ask staffers back at the office for their input too. For example, did they get more questions or interest in specific products? Trade Shows are expensive and require a lot of forethought Put Your Best Foot Forward … ALL THE TIME. Be Ready to Drive Awareness, Adoption and Revenue. There you have it … My Ten Tips for SPONSORS of Trade Shows. What other tips do you recommend for Trade Show Success?  Author: Jeff   is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing. Photo from Shutterstock  nikshor / Shutterstock.com

How Tech Is Streamlining The Recruitment Process

How Tech Is Streamlining The Recruitment Process An increase in technology adoption is rapidly streamlining the recruitment process, helping it to achieve greater efficiencies in cost and time, and improving the resulting quality when it comes to finding the right person for a job, with a fitting skillset. Source As the world increasingly moves into the digital age, the recruitment industry is also benefiting from custom-built and off-the-shelf packages that support recruitment and selection activity, whether carried out in-house or via specialist recruitment agencies. Apps Apps are the big news across the vast majority of industries. In recruitment, this type of tech allows recruiters to access CVs, candidate data and other valuable MI when on the go, using their smartphones and other digital devices. At the same time, job apps allow professionals to find the latest vacancies at sites accommodating medical professionals, and either apply on the go, make further enquiries or send themselves the details to follow up on at a later date. The Cloud Source Many employers and recruiters are also investing in cloud computing technology, which hosts applications remotely and allows software versions to be updated automatically and cheaply via online downloads. Cloud computing also removes the need for complex and expensive on-site servers and allows databases and files to be accessed by authorised staff from any location and any device. Its the ultimate tool for flexible working. Databases Another key trend is big data. This involves the use and integration of large and powerful databases which are designed to gather, measure and report on huge amounts of diverse data, according to the users need. These systems support candidate tracking and management software, for example, allowing hundreds of CVs to be sorted and assessed using specialist software, before holding potential interviewees on file and generating automated reports. This vastly reduces the manpower needed to manually sift CVs and cuts costs in the process. Websites Online applications are also on the rise, thanks to websites with increasing functionality. With CRM systems, candidates can complete application forms, upload CVs and cover letters and receive automated updates on the process and their progress through it. This saves vast amounts of time and cuts costs for processes such as sending out regret letters to non-successful candidates. The system can perform mail merges for approved letter versions and send them digitally rather than via slow and expensive snail mail. Social Media Source Whereas recruiters and employers were once reliant on hard-copy applications and physical networking to find applicants, social media is now a valuable tool for finding potential targets within the industry for new jobs. Recruiters can use these platforms, such as LinkedIn, to search for possible candidates and to increase the pool of pre-assessed and selected candidates to put forward to an employer for review. Candidates can also present themselves to employers via social media and build their personal brand to increase their employability. Online interviewing platforms even allow recruiters to screen prospective candidates from their computer, saving time on physical travel during the initial pre-screening stages. Costs can be cut by as much as 80%, which is of increasing attractiveness to industries focusing evermore heavily on operational efficiencies and waste reduction. In business, there’s nothing more important than getting the right people that have the right skillset for the job and the right personality for the company. The quest to do this can be long, expensive and highly difficult, therefore it’s worth making use of every available resource that has been designed to streamline this process and provide a successful outcome. Post Credit:  Find the latest vacancies at sites such as Team24.co.uk accommodating medical professionals, and either apply on the go, make further enquiries or send themselves the details to follow up on at a later date. 14

9 Ways To Help Your Staff Stay Productive (Even When They Are Tired)

9 Ways To Help Your Staff Stay Productive (Even When They Are Tired) Deadlines, big projects, and seasonal rushes can put a strain on the best of companies, as your team puts in extra hours and extra effort to ensure the job is done well. Still, they’re only human and it is understandable if the quality of their work after days and days without a break might not match the level of what they do at their freshest. Fortunately, there are a number of changes you can make around the workplace to help your staff to remain productive when their energy begins to flag. 1. Help your team prioritize their tasks A priority should be to ensure they each know what to do, and when. It can be easy to lose perspective in a stressful period, so meet at the beginning of the day to check that each employee will get their most important or difficult tasks done first â€" while they’re still fresh. You might make a team meeting, or individual scheduling appointments, or a combination of both. 2. Get an app to remind them to take regular breaks Next, look at technical aids â€" and hindrances in the office. It’s very important that your employees take regular breaks if they are to maintain full productivity, but when their heads are in their work they may forget to take time out, or decide to power through. Install an app such as BreakTimer on each computer so that your staff can regulate their own breaks. 3. Invite your staff to leave their phones at the door  As for hindrances, however innocent an employee’s use of their cellphone might be â€" it’s still a distraction. Even having a phone in sight can prove distracting, so consider keeping a voluntary ‘cellphone basket’ at the door where your crew can leave their phones while they focus on the work at hand. 4. Create a Yoga space at the office Much has been made of the wacky workspaces many start-ups enjoy nowadays, but one innovation that will benefit most companies is to create a space for stretching and yoga. Exercises like these are good for the body and posture â€" and they boost the flow of oxygen to the brain, which has got to be a good thing when you’re tired! 5. Make coconut oil and butter available to prepare Bulletproof Coffee   A slightly less virtuous tweak that might grab their attention, though, is to make coconut oil and butter available in the coffee area. Adding these ingredients to coffee is said to give drinkers a cognitive boost, alongside the regular advantages of caffeine. 6. Allow employees to work from the nearest coffee hop It’s a great idea to give your team members the freedom to work an hour or two off premises if appropriate. If they work on laptops, switching up environment to a nearby café can be a great way to refresh their creativity and concentration. 7. Gift your staff water bottles with hydration trackers All that coffee can affect hydration levels â€" which, in any case, need to be carefully maintained to prevent fatigue. Consider investing in water bottles with hydration trackers so your crew don’t neglect their basic needs. 8. Make standing desks available Standing desks have become something of a trend lately, and with good reason. Standing while working can improve your mood and your brain-power, reducing stress and fatigue. Sounds good for a regular day â€" and in busy times its a no-brainer, if you can afford them for your office. 9. Buy peppermint oil bottles for your staff A more affordable hack is to buy peppermint oil bottles for everyones desk. These can be kept open to create a general effect of improved alertness, or splashed on the wrists when push really comes to shove. A healthy and natural way to keep your team bright and engaged, it’s also an improvement for which you’ll be thanked. For more ideas, check out the latest infographic from STL.  Pick the innovations that will work for your business, and also consider sharing this information with your crew â€" because an engaged, self-motivated team will give you the best that they can in periods of extreme busyness.

Tips For Writing Resumes When Retired

Tips For Writing Resumes When RetiredWriting resumes is one of the most time consuming aspects of the job search process. It is easy to get so wrapped up in the things you need to accomplish on a day-to-day basis that you forget about the paperwork. If you are like many people, your job search involves gathering a lot of information, some of which may be a bit difficult to recall. If you are struggling with this aspect of your search, you may benefit from learning how to write a resume when retired.The first step in writing resumes when retired is to find a job that you are interested in. Once you have found what you are looking for, start thinking about the ways in which you will be able to market yourself. Perhaps you will want to consider advertising on Craigslist or eBay. You may also consider posting in your local newspaper's job section. When you are ready to begin promoting yourself, you can write a resume highlighting any strengths that you possess.There are many free resume templates available online that you can use to create a great resume. When you are ready to download and print a resume, you will want to first make sure that it is formatted correctly. If you are having trouble getting your resume formatted properly, there are many printing online services that you can utilize. Once you are ready to print, you will want to have all of your information printed on standard paper.With your resume, you will want to always look for opportunities to make an impression and make a good impression. As you look at your resume, you will want to focus on any areas that need attention. You should also include a reference section that includes names and contact information. This is especially important if you do not have an employer to give you a reference.Having a reference makes it easier to find someone who can work with you when you are looking for an employer's office. If you do not know anyone with the same situation as you, you may want to consider seekin g the advice of a professional resume writer. This is another way to avoid the pain of writing a resume.It is also important to be honest about your previous employment if you are retired. Being truthful is important to your chances of being hired when you are unemployed. Falsifying your experience will likely have negative consequences when you are looking for work.As you continue to learn how to write resumes when retired, you will want to take these tips into consideration. It may seem as though these suggestions are basic, but they are the basics. They are also the basics that have been around since the beginning of the job search process. You will not find them on the latest website recruiting kits, but they will help you stay focused and make the best use of your time.Consider that not everyone can write a resume. If you think that you do not have the time to devote to writing a resume when retired, then consider other options. However, if you feel that you can, you will need to spend time researching and learning how to write a resume when retired. Taking the time to learn and putting it into practice is worth it when you see the results.

Great news - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Great news - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I just discovered The Great News Network: Despite all the negativity broadcasted in news today there is progress being made to better our planet. The Great News Network exists to report it. Ryan Logtenberg, Founder GNN Some recent headlines: * Congress presses for torture ban * A Wide Range of Endangered Animals Given Conservation Boost * Bangladesh Seizes Rare Wild Birds From Market * Deforestation rates decrease in the Amazon Heres something funny: When I read that last headline, my mind did this trick where it read the first part and then: 1) Assumed that the rest of the headline would be about bad news 2) Started to skip towards other headlines This tells me, that we (or at least I) have been heavily conditioned to expect bad news in the media. I read half a headline, noticed it was about deforestation in the Amazon and just KNEW that it had to be about a bad situation getting worse. And the second part of my reaction, the looking away, may explain why people are retreating from many important issues, from rain forest shrinkage to world hunger: The current media coverage has taught us to think, that its all bad and getting worse. So why get involved? Why even take an interest itll only depress me. You could argue, that reporting the bad news leads to increased awareness about the problems. Thats true. But reporting almost exclusively on the bad news leads to a feeling of helplessness that has us giving up BEFORE we ever do anything. And thats why we need a new kind of media that is willing to report on the good news. Good news gives us the energy and optimism to do something about the bad news. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

City Planning 4 Career Opportunities with a Masters in Civil Engineering - CareerAlley

City Planning 4 Career Opportunities with a Masters in Civil Engineering - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that in the period 2010-2020, there will be more than 51,000 civil engineering positions available to be filled in the United States. Individuals who have a bachelors degree in civil engineering can be hired for basic entry-level positions, but the more lucrative, interesting, and rewarding jobs are reserved for those who have a Masters degree in Civil Engineering. Although civil engineers can be hired to work at the state or federal level, there are many interesting opportunities for those who have a Masters degree in civil engineering to work at the municipal level in the field of city planning. Many of the jobs that are available to civil engineers in the field of city planning cut across traditional disciplines and require an ability to work effectively with various departments within the City Administration as well as with State and Federal officials. This means that in addition to having a wide and deep technical knowledge, it will be useful for civil engineers to know how to coordinate complex projects with input from various levels of government. 1. Transportation Planning and Infrastructure Large cities function as a transportation hub that must work smoothly to coordinate a tremendous volume of goods and people flowing in an out every day. A successful city transportation plan must integrate highways, airports, and in many cases, goods that come into port by sea. A city must be planning constantly for the transportation needs it will be facing ten and twenty years in advance. The transportation plans must be integrated with the development of neighborhoods and coordinated with other cities, states, and federal jurisdictions. Civil engineers who have a background in transportation planning are essential for ensuring that the transportation infrastructure keeps pace with the growth of the city. 2. Environmental and Land Use There is growing pressure today for cities to become more sustainable in terms of using less energy and creating a smaller carbon footprint. As gasoline prices rise, it may become necessary to create cities that are smaller and more compactly designed. Urban sprawl may become unaffordable if gas prices continue to rise. While cheap gasoline fueled the growth of suburbs, expensive gasoline may reverse the trend. Many cities will be forced to shrink in terms of their land base and forced to build upwards, with much higher residential density than we see today. This process needs to be rationally managed to avoid social and economic disruption. Civil engineers who have extensive experience and understanding of environmental and land use issues can help prepare city planners to deal with these problems. 3. Neighborhood Planning Many cities in the United States today are expanding rapidly while others such as Detroit have been shrinking due to a net loss of population. As new neighborhoods are planned and built, civil engineers who are specialists in urban planning can provide the basic framework for the new developments in cooperation with other branches of city planners. New proposed subdivisions require intensive planning for the required infrastructure long before the concept can be turned to reality. 4. Planning Policy and Process A civil engineer who is a policy expert can provide guidance to city administrators by analyzing existing trends and creating various scenarios the city administrators must be prepared to address. If the planning policy is conducted effectively, administrators have a chance to make better choices and to ensure that funding is available to fund necessary projects. Although such a position may appear to be conceptual in nature, it allows the decision makers to be aware of infrastructure issues long before they cause serious problems. A recent article published by money.usnews.com indicates that the current unemployment rate for civil engineers is 9.4%. This is likely to change over the next decade, as there are many infrastructure projects in cities that require extensive upgrading. When money is made available for the massive upgrades that are required, there will be more employment opportunities for those who have a Masters degree in civil engineering and a desire to work in city planning. Author Bio William Stevens is a writer that produces articles related to the field of civil engineering. This article was written to explain the importance of this career choice, to hint on some of the job opportunities, and to encourage continued study in this area with a Masters of Civil Engineering Online. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook