LinkedIn Answers One of the Best Ways to Network

LinkedIn Answers â€" One of the Best Ways to Network One of my favorite people, Director Tom (aka, Tom Clifford), guest posted on the Im on LinkedIn Now What??? blog last night. What an excellent post! You may remember seeing Director Toms name on this blog before I think a lot of him. I met him online last year, and then a few weeks later in person, and weve had multiple e-mails and phone calls since then. This is a man of high integrity and passion for his art/business. I asked him to guest blog because Ive seen how he uses the Answers section of LinkedIn, and think its awesome. You can read his thoughts and ideas on it here. Answers is one of the best features of LinkedIn and gives you an excellent opportunity to reach out to network contacts you have in LinkedIn, as well as find new contacts (as they come across your question). When you answer a question you are reinforcing your personal brand online, could get some business (someone last year got busine$$ from answering one of my questions!), and are throwing your name out there to others that might be interested in contacting with you. I recommend you check out Director Toms website, as well as his guest post (The Power of Questions: 5 Secrets to Strengthen Your Brand) from yesterday! LinkedIn Answers â€" One of the Best Ways to Network One of my favorite people, Director Tom (aka, Tom Clifford), guest posted on the Im on LinkedIn Now What??? blog last night. What an excellent post! You may remember seeing Director Toms name on this blog before I think a lot of him. I met him online last year, and then a few weeks later in person, and weve had multiple e-mails and phone calls since then. This is a man of high integrity and passion for his art/business. I asked him to guest blog because Ive seen how he uses the Answers section of LinkedIn, and think its awesome. You can read his thoughts and ideas on it here. Answers is one of the best features of LinkedIn and gives you an excellent opportunity to reach out to network contacts you have in LinkedIn, as well as find new contacts (as they come across your question). When you answer a question you are reinforcing your personal brand online, could get some business (someone last year got busine$$ from answering one of my questions!), and are throwing your name out there to others that might be interested in contacting with you. I recommend you check out Director Toms website, as well as his guest post (The Power of Questions: 5 Secrets to Strengthen Your Brand) from yesterday! LinkedIn Answers â€" One of the Best Ways to Network One of my favorite people, Director Tom (aka, Tom Clifford), guest posted on the Im on LinkedIn Now What??? blog last night. What an excellent post! You may remember seeing Director Toms name on this blog before I think a lot of him. I met him online last year, and then a few weeks later in person, and weve had multiple e-mails and phone calls since then. This is a man of high integrity and passion for his art/business. I asked him to guest blog because Ive seen how he uses the Answers section of LinkedIn, and think its awesome. You can read his thoughts and ideas on it here. Answers is one of the best features of LinkedIn and gives you an excellent opportunity to reach out to network contacts you have in LinkedIn, as well as find new contacts (as they come across your question). When you answer a question you are reinforcing your personal brand online, could get some business (someone last year got busine$$ from answering one of my questions!), and are throwing your name out there to others that might be interested in contacting with you. I recommend you check out Director Toms website, as well as his guest post (The Power of Questions: 5 Secrets to Strengthen Your Brand) from yesterday!

How to Write The Perfect Blog Post - Classy Career Girl

How to Write The Perfect Blog Post I know that writing content on a consistent basis can be a struggle, so Ive created this guide to walk you through the process of creating the perfect blog post. I think it will help you create better content in less time. Step 1: Research Your Topic Before you start writing, take a few minutes to research what you want to write about. Google is a great place to start, just type in the topic you want to cover and see what others have written. How can you write something better? Is there a different angle you can take? Can you offer a more in-depth guide? Is there a sub-topic that hasnt been covered? Write all this down! Remember, you don’t want to write the same articles that are already out there. Think about how your article can be unique and how you can add your special touch to the content to make it yours. Step 2: Get Feedback From Your Audience The next step is to find out what your audience is looking for. Where are they struggling? Can you offer a solution? Ask on through email, in a survey, or through social media. (I like to use Instagram stories and Instagram or Facebook group polls to ask questions!) Step 3: Start Writing Seriously, dont overthink it! Dont spend forever trying to get one sentence just right. Instead, just get all your ideas out. Try to create a basic outline, then fill in more information about each point. Once you get a rough first draft, go back and edit, reword, or rework. Be okay with your writing not being perfect the first time. The Perfect Blog Post Template These are features every blog post should have, including a few tools to help you create a search-engine friendly posts. Title Your title should be catchy, descriptive, and include a key term you are targeting. This tool from Coschedule will help you develop a catchy title. Remember, the title needs to grab your readers attention, but it also needs to tell search engines what your post is about. We use the plugin Yoast for tips about being search engine friendly. Meta Description The meta description is the short two or three lines of text you see under site when you search in Google. If your post turns up in someones search, this is the line that should tempt them to click and learn more. Summarize your post and make them want to read! Meta descriptions should be around 150 characters, including spaces! URL Slug Your URL slug is the end of the web address that is unique to your post. For example, www.example.com/perfect-blog-post-template. Some WordPress themes or site builders generate an arbitrary slug, which doesnt tell your reader what the link is! Make sure to edit your URL slug to reflect what your post is about. Make sure to include a key term and take out stop words. Introduction Before you start giving out tips and advice, give an overview of what you are going to cover and relate it back to why the reader should read your article. This is where you want to share a story so that the reader can get excited about what is to come and get to know why it is important to read in the first place. Main Post Now you are ready to write! A few of you have asked me how long your blog posts should be. The truth is, the right length will depend on your topic and what you have to say. Longer content (1,000+ words) does tend to get more traffic, but you should be aiming to write useful content, not hit a certain word count. Make sure to include these elements in each post: Headings: These help break up your text so it is easy to read and have SEO (search engine optimization) benefits as well. Aim to add at least 2-4 headings (H2, H3) to each post. Include key terms you are writing about when possible. (Here is a guide to understanding headings/subheadings.) Images: Images are a must for every blog post! You create your own on using a site like Canva or use a stock photo site. We LOVE The Styled Stock Society. It is where we get almost all of our photos when we don’t shoot them ourselves and Elle has offered a few perks for members to join. Sign up and get either 30 styled stock photos for free OR get 10% off your photo membership by using the code CCG10. Alt Tags: Alt tags, AKA alternative tags, are text used to describe images. They are read by screen readers used by visually impaired persons and by search engines to understand images. You need an alt tag for every image. Make them descriptive and include key terms. For example, in this post, I might use the alt tag perfect blog post checklist featured image with journal and succulent plant Internal/External Links: Internal links are used to send your readers to another page on your website. External links send users to other websites. Aim for two to three internal links and one to two external links per 1,000 words. Links can be used to suggest tools, offer in-depth information about a certain topic, or link to sources for definitions, quotes, or statistics. Links should be useful to your readers, but they also send a little signal to search engines that you are a trustworthy source of information. Lead Magnet: If you have a lead magnet, make sure to include a link in your blog posts! If possible, relate it to the topic you are writing about. You can also include a short blurb between paragraphs, in a pop-up, or on your sites sidebar. Conclusion This is where you wrap your post up. Summarize your points and include a call to action (CTA). What are the next steps? Do you want readers to share your post on social media? Ask a question in the comments? Sign up for a webinar? Tell them what to do next. I really hope this blog post template is useful to you! If you have more questions, feel free to shoot me a message in the Facebook group! Id love to help.

Lessons in Personal Branding from NPRs Car Talk - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Lessons in Personal Branding from NPRs Car Talk - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Tom and Ray Magliozzis Car Talk is one of the most successful personal brands on NPR, National Public Radio. The enduring strength of the Car Talk brand can be measured by: Numbers. Over 4.4 million listeners tune-in each week, listening on 588 radio stations around the world. Fund raising. Car Talk is consistently one of NPRs leading fund-raising shows during pledge time. Longevity. The show has been on since 1977, with major growth taking place during the 1980s. Visibility. Car Talks Tom Ray Magliozzi have been guests on leading network television shows like The David Letterman Show, CBS Evening News, The Today Show, and 60 Minutes. Their newspaper column is widely syndicated, plus you can sign-up to receive Car Talks podcasts for your computer or iPod. In addition, Car Talks Shameless Commerce Division brand includes numerous audios, books and videos, car and travel accessories, and branded clothing. Lessons from the Car Talk brand What the lessons in personal branding we can learn from the Car Talk brand? The best way to understand the enduring (over 3-decades) strength of the Car Talk brand is to start by reading (or re-reading) Patrick Hanlons Primal Branding: Create Zealots for Your Brand, Your Company, and Your Future. Primal Branding is one powerful, actionable branding book. Its strength is in its identification of a 7-point Primal Code which describe the 7 common elements found in all strong brands. The 7 elements include: The Creation Story. Story and myth play a major role in creating a strong and lasting brand. Whether its Hewlett-Packards origins in a garage, or the way or the way Car Talk originated as an invitation to join a panel discussion of car repairs in 1977. The other 4 guests failed to show up, the producer got fired, and a week later the show was theirs! The Icons. Icons can be colors, i.e., IBMs blue, the Apple logo, or a restaurant, like Jake OShaughnessys, where the waiters used to spontaneously start singing opera arias and bread was served on a warmed piece of marble. Car Talks icons include self-deprecating humor, puns, deep belly laughs, and an outspoken, loose cannon, utterly pragmatic approach to caller questions. So, why dont you tie-up your mother-in-law and leave her in the back seat, with the keys in the ignition? Solve two problems at once! The Rituals. Predictabiity is a hallmark of successful brands. You know that David Letterman is going to open with a monologue, followed shortly thereafter by a Top Ten List that begins with Number 10 and builds to Number 1. In Car Talks case, you know they will begin by reading a listener letter, there will be constant brother-to-brother teasing (Dont drive like my Brother!), and outrageous advice (Hire an elephant! to make the roof on a convertible go down). There will be 3 halves to the show, there is usually a Puzzler,   (which doubled their listeners the year it debuted), and the show will end with production credits that include their lawyers, Dewey, Cheetem, and Howe. The Pagans, or Nonbelievers. Another Primal Belief common characteristic of strong brands is a common enemy shared by the brand and its followers. In the case of the Apple Macintosh, the common enemy is Microsoft Windows. In national politics, Republicans and Democrats need each other as a rallying point. Car Talk’s enemy for over 30 years has been inept and unscrupulous auto repair dealers. During most of the 1990’s, Car Talk’s enemy was the inept management of the Detroit “Big 3” car markers, symbolized by Roger Smith, former head of General Motors. How to profit from Primal Branding There are two ways you can profit from Primal Branding. Read the book. One approach is to simply read the book, noting the 7 Primal Code elements, and study ways the Code elements appear in the examples described in the chapters that follow. Framework for further research. An even better approach, however, would be to create a system of easy to fill-out worksheets and use them as the basis for examining the personal brands that you like the most. Youll be amazed at the deeper understanding of branding and the number of actionable ideas youll gain for building your own brand when you use Primal Brandings Primal Code as a framework for researching successful brands. Turning books into strong personal brands The best way to profit from a book is to read it and apply it. Study its contents, underline it, and summarize it in your own words. Tell your friends about it. Read what others have said about it. But, the real progress requires more, you have to use as a springboard for independent study and action. I originally read Primal Branding in 2006, the year it came out. But, it sat unused on my shelf until Thursday, when in the middle of a coaching session I located the book and read the 7 Primal Code ideas to her. Then, while enjoying a relaxing drive home from breakfast, listening to Car Talk (like I religiously do each Saturday), it suddenly struck me that the Car Talk brand can be deconstructed and analyzed in terms of Patrick Hanlons Primal Code. And, the more I studied Car Talk, the more lessons I learned. It doesnt matter whether you study Car Talk, Apple Computer, Southwest Airlines, or C.S.I. New York. Take the time to study your favorite brands, and codify how they profit from the Primal Code. Then, success is just a matter of figuring out how to apply the Primal Code elements to your own business! And, while youre doing it, share your ideas, progress,   and questions below, as comments! Author: Roger C. Parker shares ideas for planning, writing, promoting, profiting from brand building books in his daily writing tips blog. His latest book, #BOOK TITLE Tweet: 140 Bite-Sized Ideas for Compelling Article, Book, Event Titles, offers step-by-step ideas, tips, and examples for choosing the right title. 4. The Pagans, or Nonbelievers. Another Primal Belief common characteristics of strong brands is a common enemy shared by the brand and its followers. In the case of the Apple Macintosh, the common enemy is Microsoft Windows. In national politics, Republicans and Democrats need each other as a rallying point. Car Talk’s enemy for over 30 years has been inept and unscrupulous auto repair dealers. During most of the 1990’s, Car Talk’s enemy was the inept management of the Detroit “Big 3” car markers, symbolized by Roger Smith, former head of General Motors.

What Obama means for the workplace

What Obama means for the workplace Barack Obama is dissing the baby boomers. But hes doing it tactfully. So hes got a wide range of people talking about generational issues in politics, and Im eagerly anticipating spillover into the workplace, which also needs this frank discussion. One of the companies I founded was an online marketplace for city governments. My business partner was a fiftysomething guy who had been dealing with city governments forever. Our investors in the first round were all his friends, most were over 50, and some assumed I was dating my partner because why else would he start a company with someone so young. Investors treated me like it was an impossibility that I could have learned things fast enough to get into a room with them. And one investor asked me to leave a meeting at such an inappropriate moment that even my partner was shocked. Then, about a year later, when I was looking for a job, the guy I interviewed with said, Kids now think they can learn on the job and they dont need an MBA. What do you think of that? I couldnt believe it: He was calling me a kid in my job interview, even though I had already launched two companies. He did this because he thinks its culturally acceptable to treat someone like they dont know anything just because theyre young. Ive been holding off writing about Obama because the first (and last) time I took a leap into politics with my column was when I campaigned for Howard Dean, the week before he imploded. I told myself I learned my lesson: Politics is too volatile for a workplace writer to forge a path through. But here I am again. Writing about politics. Writing about Obama and hoping he doesnt implode next week. I have to write about him because while this is not an official endorsement, when he talks about leading a new generation I get giddy over the idea that we could be wrestling ourselves out from under the clutch of the baby boomers. Obama talks about teamwork and community and the end of the me-me-me in-fighting that has characterized the recent history of baby boomer politics. A report in Newsday says: Obama represents the transition from the Baby Boom to Generation X He spoke of a post-boomer sensibility, of moving beyond the divisions exacerbated by undue self-focus. I have this conversation with my (baby boomer) agent, and she says, Everything to you is about generations. And okay, theres truth to that, but theres also some hot air, because the baby-boomer generation is so huge that everything has been about them by default. I am from a generation that had very limited power to do anything, anywhere, except live in the wake of the boomers. Even when it came to the Internet revolution in the 90s, most of the people who got rich were the baby boomers who invested in companies that Gen-Xers operated. This is why I get excited about Generation Y. Its amazing to see this group, with all their demographic power, open up the world to change. For the most part, I focus on change in the workplace. There were a lot of things that my generation wanted at work for example, flexible hours, personal growth and the abandonment of competitive, ego-focused hierarchy in favor of team work. But we had trouble pushing through these workplace values because there were too few of us. The baby boomers could always just say no. But generation Y wants so many of those gen-X things, and generation Y has the demographic power to make it real. It excites me to see this happen at work. Obama is the political corollary. Finally there are enough voters, maybe, to vote for someone who is not a baby boomer. I dont know if it will happen. But just that were talking about it is exciting. Because once we talk about baby boomers giving up control of politics, the talk of baby boomers giving up control of corporate life cannot be far behind. But theres a workplace lesson from Obama as well. Hes very tactful as he disses the boomers. He makes it clear that he is a bridge builder. That he is respectful of the fact that everyone has a place in history. And he is, above all, someone who has empathy for diverse backgrounds. These are all the same kinds of skills we need in the workplace today. We are all engaging in a generational discussion at work, even if it is not as overt as an interviewer calling you a kid. We all come to the table with preconceptions and biases, but we all have to work together. So, in the near future, at lest, its the people who are best at building generational bridges who will succeed. This is something I personally work on every day, and Obama is a great role model.

How to answer difficult interview questions - Debut

How to answer difficult interview questions - Debut The idea of not being able to answer a difficult interview question fills many graduates with dread. What should you do if youre asked a question that you dont know how to answer?   In this post, we will outline how to avoid winding up in this situation and share tips on answering difficult interview questions. Preparation is key The more prepared you are for your interviews, the less difficult the questions will seem.  Interview questions are not designed to trip you up; graduate recruiters ultimately want to determine which candidates closely align with the company’s culture and have the competencies required for the role.   In order to do this, they will ask different types of interview questions. Here are some examples of questions you may be asked:   Case questions these questions evaluate the process that you use to solve problems.   Behavioural questions these questions examine how you would act in certain situations.   Competency questions these questions align your skills, behaviour and past experiences with specific competencies that are required for the role.   Your perception of how difficult interview questions are will depend on how prepared you are.  If you are fully prepared for all of the different types of questions you may be asked, you won’t perceive them as being difficult. Tip: Before your next interview, ensure that you know everything that is humanly possible about the role, company and industry.   Action point 1: Familiarise yourself with the different types of interview questions.   Action point 2: Research different questions you may be asked. If you would like to learn how to get really good at performing highly in interviews, check out Graduate Coachs online interview course.   What should you do if an interview question catches you off guard? If you are in an interview and are asked a question that you are having difficulty answering, do not panic.  Remember, the interviewer isn’t trying to trip you up.   If you find yourself in this situation, don’t be afraid to ask the interviewer for some time to think about your response.  Doing this demonstrates your ability to communicate and quickly initiate a plan for handling unexpected situations. Being honest with the interviewer by admitting that you find this a difficult interview question and that you need a few moments to reflect, you will also show that you are willing to come up with a well thought out response. This is a much better approach than telling the interviewer that you can’t answer the question.   Also, don’t hesitate to ask the interviewer questions to clarify what they are asking you. Doing this will help you to answer the interviewers question accurately without going off-topic.   Summary Prepare adequately for your interviews. The more prepared you are when you go into your interview, the less difficult you will find the experience. For additional help with your preparation, consider getting some interview coaching.   Understand the different types of interview questions. If theres a particular type of interview question you struggle with, practice answering those questions more.   Don’t hesitate to admit if you are struggling with a particular question. The interviewer will be interested in seeing how you handle the situation. Don’t panic; explain that you need a few moments to reflect, then respond with a well thought out answer. Dont forget to check out our other posts on How to discover your career path and How to build a career plan

Watch my interview about happiness in non profits - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Watch my interview about happiness in non profits - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I recently did an interview for Roy Opata Olende of Green Mango about happiness at work in small businesses and non-profits. These organizations face their own set of challenges and we had a great talk about it. You can see the whole thing here: 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

Tips on Writing a Resume For Seniors

Tips on Writing a Resume For SeniorsWriting a resume for seniors can be the hardest part of job hunting, and yet, the biggest asset. They say that there is not much difference between senior management and those in the lower-level positions, and that the only thing they're different from is the way you present yourself. For this reason, it is important to use the right tools for writing a resume for seniors, the same tools that you would use for a job opening for a regular applicant.In the old days, a resume was only as good as the career title it contained. This was a function of the company who hired you and your skill set at the time of hiring. As a result, companies were free to use one or two resumes as an advertisement to the rest of the workforce. Even today, some companies use this practice. The key here is in picking the right name and presenting the right information at the right time.Your resume should be specific to the position you are applying for. You should also make sure that it reflects the skills you bring to the table. Put the most relevant skills and experience in your resume and try to highlight those skills and experience that will show the employer that you are a quick learner. If you have the ability to learn quickly, this will help you to easily qualify for a position with little or no experience in the field. Many people fall into this trap, but you should avoid it at all costs.Point out your strengths. Senior positions require more than just the ability to do the job. You need to show employers that you have the potential to become an asset and that you can be a great team player, especially if the role has to be outside the office.Finally, include an appropriate cover letter. Think about how many companies you've applied for already. How many interviews have you attended? If you're not prepared to write your own cover letter, then find a template and use it as the basis for your own letter. Use the words that relate to the job descr iption you are looking for and what you can do for the company and itself to give your best chance at success.For this reason, it is highly recommended that you use an online resume writer, which is a powerful tool that will turn your written words into a polished, professional looking resume. If you are not comfortable with writing a resume for seniors, don't worry; there are plenty of ways to find an excellent writer.By now, you should know enough to write a resume for seniors, but not everything you want to know about resume writing for seniors. You need to know about keywords, things like first and last name and other important information. As you can see, there are many ways to write a resume for seniors.