So how do you begin your job search? It starts with assessment and research. Yuck, I know. But doing an assessment of what you want to do and what you like to do will focus your job search on the right opportunities. By pulling together these 13 items early in your job search, you are in fact doing an assessment and research and it will prepare you to get moving in the right direction faster
Portfolio of work and evaluations - Dig through your files or call Human Resources for copies of your performance reviews. Look for copies of complimentary emails from customers or colleagues. Perhaps you have samples/examples of your work such as project plans, revised processes, work instructions or reports. These may be confidential or proprietary information, but they can be helpful in reminding you of what you accomplished.
Professional greeting on main voicemail - It may be obvious, however, it is a frequently overlooked step. Make sure your home voice mail and mobile voice mail include your name so the person contacting you knows they have the right number.
While I was doing research for my Huffington Post article I was writing on the fur industry and why you should buy faux fur, I came across a site called Fabulous-Furs. But the furs on this site were faux, and looked just as real as their counterparts.
I was amazed…I looked through the collections of full-length white mink coats, coyote vests, and fox shawls, which all looked so real, except that they were only a few hundred dollars each instead of tens of thousands of dollars each! All beautifully made with high quality fabrics, and the best part, never harmed an animal in the process.
In fact, animals were helped in the process. Fabulous-Furs donates to hundreds of non-profits for animal rights every year. It is also the finest faux fur clothing company in the World, with celebrity customers, TV appearances and products sold at Saks Fifth Avenue. You're probably thinking, wow that is fabulous! All thanks to a woman named Donna Salyers, who put the fabulous into furs.
As you are out there networking (or just having conversations with people you know) have you found yourself stumbling over your words when someone asks you “What do you do?” You’ve probably figured out you need a way to introduce yourself, but what makes a good introduction?
Loss of Identity
I think job seekers struggle with this because they either don’t know what they want to be when they grow up or because they can no longer say “I work at XYZ company as a ___________”. Overcome this by researching and figuring out what you want to do. Even asking “what do they call this where you work” can make for an interesting networking meeting!
Humility Reigns Supreme (or does it)
Most people I know generally don’t like selling themselves. They say they were raised not to boast or brag. But that isn’t what I’m suggesting. I merely want you to take credit where credit is due.
You may be thinking, in regards to the title, how in the heck do milkshakes keep the doctor away? Well, maybe not in literal terms, but when referring to the newly launched non-profit, Milkshake, communities in third world countries and in places suffering because of disease or disaster all over the globe are helped through all sorts of different causes using this new site. Charities on Milkshake also include causes to help the environment, abused animals, and people making a difference.
I love eco-friendly shopping and discovering new creative causes, and I came across Milkshake after it was mentioned to me by a friend. I took a liking to their site and what they were doing, so I got an interview with the founders, and I incorporated all their answers into an article to share with all my readers on Lipsticking.
What never ceases to amaze me is how unstoppable some women are. Take Kerri White. She not only works full-time, but on the side, launched her own business, Zettie’s Confections. Although she won’t share her secret recipes, I asked Kerri to share her secrets to being successful as a start-up. (She’s already shared her cookies with me, and I love them.)
Question: You've achieved remarkable success earning local TV coverage; what is your secret?
Answer: For me, it's about putting myself out there, taking chances, and not letting the word "no" keep me from trying to be successful. I believe in my products, and in myself, and I think that confidence is what has helped me promote Zettie's in such short time. Not to mention, tasting is believing! (My note -- Kerri brings her goodies to work, parties, events, etc. plus sends samples to media; she is a GENIUS!)
Q: What types of social marketing do you use (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn) and which has been most helpful promoting your business?
The use of podcasts and Internet radio shows have been growing in popularity this past year. In May I had the honor to be a guest on WCEOhq Radio, an interactive two-hour Internet radio show that you can listen live on Fridays from noon to 2 pm EST, or download the podcasts to listen to at your leisure.
The show was launched in March of this year by a good friend and colleague of mine, Bruce Peters. Bruce is a co-host along with Diana Palotas, a former news anchor person, who together have been interviewing top business thought leaders and CEO's mostly from the Western NY community. Yvonne DiVita was actually the show's first guest which you can listen to her interview here.
WCEOhq is brought to you by The Washington Times which is on the WS Radio Network. WS stands for World Syndicated Radio and claims to be the largest independent Internet talk radio station in the world. It now has about 150 shows and growing all produced using professional broadcasting equipment.
Over on the side bar of this blog there is animated ad promoting "Real Women Do Social Media". If you haven't clicked on this ad before you may not know what it's all about. Well it's program on social media marketing specifically for women entrepreneurs and business owners designed and taught by our very own Lip-sticking blogger, Lena West!
Lena's been a guest blogger on the Lip-sticking blog way longer than I have. In reviewing her list of blog posts I believe she's been writing on this blog for the past four years! I just checked my history, and I've been blogging here about 2.5 years now. Anyhow, I've gotten to know Lena from reading her posts and in various communications we've had over the phone, emails, tweets, etc. However we never had the opportunity to meet until finally last month when we were both scheduled to speak at BlogPaws West in Denver.
It really is great when you finally meet someone in person that you've known online for sometime. There is still nothing that matches this personal connection. Lena and I did have the chance to speak about many things including how we might collaborate more in the future. I really wanted to find out more about Lena's "Real Women Do Social Media" program which is about to start a new 7-week course on October 20. So here's what I learned from Lena:
Donna: Lena, can you share with us some overall insights on the program, how many women you have had in the past courses and the types and size of their businesses?
Lena: We've had two full cycles of the Real Women Do Social Media (RWDSM) training initiative thus far. The classes are kept to manageable numbers so that everyone gets attention. We have had a few men participate, but mostly women, of course. The types and sizes of business vary - we have lots of owners of micro businesses and then again, we have women who own businesses that have many full-time employees. Everyone is welcome in the program, provided that you are an entrepreneur/business owner (or want to be one) and you want to learn a step-by-step social media marketing system that will generate client leads and increased visibility in their market and with the media. If you're someone who's looking for content on "how to use Twitter", this isn't the course for you. If you're looking for "how to leverage Twitter", sign up!"
Donna: How is registration going for this next course which begins on October 20? Since you have had a waiting list, is the course now full or do you have any open spots to fill?
Lena: While I'm not at liberty to reveal serious numbers, let's just say that the number of people on the waiting list far out numbers the number of available spots in the course. And, the fact is, that people wait around because they think the course won't fill up and every cycle at least 10-15 miss out because they're in "wait and see" mode. This course is a course for people who take action - not people who "wait and see".
Donna: You do go into more detail on this issue on your website, but besides that you're a woman teaching social media to women, what is different here than if you were teaching a mixed class of business people?
Lena: Oh, gosh...there's SUCH a huge difference in teaching social media marketing systems to women business owners. We approach things differently, we work best with, prefer and get the best results from systems and we want to learn from others about how they did it.
Also, we provide an online community so the women can collaborate, mix it up and do business with one another. This is essential.
And, then there's the element of having been there and done that. It took me YEARS to perfect the social media marketing system I teach during the course - and these women learn it, soup-to-nuts in 7 short weeks. Women like learning the shortcuts and avoiding the sandtraps.
Donna: With so many new social media tools being launched every day and many businesses still learning what is working and what isn't, how do you keep the course fresh and relevant?
Lena: I'll answer that question with one word: me. I keep the course fresh and relevant by being me. I teach my social media marketing system all around the world. I write for outlets like American Express OPEN Forum, I'm an expert blogger for FastCompany, I'm a blogger and columnist for Entrepreneur Magazine...so I see it all when I'm out there speaking and writing. I bring my daily client experiences (confidentially, of course) into the class and I make it relevant to them right then, in that moment. Then, of course, every other week, we have a guest speaker - a Real Woman who's out there creating social media success. She shares how she's doing it, what she's learning and how they can do it, too!
So please visit the Real Women Do Social Media website if you're interested in learning more and to find out if you can still get a spot. I'm sure Lena will be continuing the program in 2011, so you can always get on her waiting list. I hope to be invited as a guest speaker at one of her future classes.
Whether you're a nonprofit business or individual you almost don't exist if you're not online and in social networks.
A few weeks ago, a nonprofit development director asked if I could help raise her profile on LinkedIn. You know the world's about to end when Amanda Ponzar becomes a social media guru. When I first started using LinkedIn three years ago, I didn't post a profile photo because "it could fall into the wrong hands." I quickly realized I don't get to choose whether or not I'm online, but I can be proactive about controlling my information.
Fast forward to 2010, and I'm a LinkedIn junkie, networking out the ying-yang which benefits me personally (five recruiter calls this year) and helps advance United Way's work and recognize our corporate partners. No offense to Facebook with its 500 million users, but I'm just not that interested in posting personal weekend plans or reconnecting with high school crushes. "This is business not personal" to quote The Godfather.
Today we have a new author guest blogging at Lip-sticking. Amanda Ponzar is the Director of Communications for Global Corporate Leadership at United Way Worldwide, the world's largest privately-funded nonprofit. You can read more about Amanda on the team page.
Enjoy Amanda's insight on non-profits, today and every other Thursday, going forward.
I just read a story in the New York Times about young lawyers choosing public interest work rather than making the big bucks.
With the economy taking a trip to Hades in a hand basket, why on earth do people choose to make less money to work for charity? Everyone I’ve asked has said the same thing, “I want to make a difference.”
Although cliché, I felt the exact same way before I broke into the seemingly impenetrable nonprofit world. Who needs Prince Charming?
1. Start a blog. Write in the blog. Write compelling copy. Share with friends and colleagues on Twitter and Facebook.
2. Offer your expertise in a PDF that can be shared with your network. Tell your network you've created this white paper or E-book and make it easy for them to access and share it.
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