To Connect or Not to Connect on LinkedIn

To Connect or Not to Connect on LinkedIn LinkedIn has become a main networking location to connect with other job seekers, hiring managers, recruiters, business owners and others you feel will benefit you. But, as with everything, there is a certain protocol or etiquette to connecting and building a business relationship. These rules make sense whether you’re a job seeker, or a business owner looking for a complimentary business partner. Once you have an interview or you’ve scheduled a business meeting, it makes sense to look the person or people you’ll be interviewing or meeting with on LinkedIn. It also makes sense to view the company profile on LinkedIn. You can never be over-prepared. Following up an interview/meeting When your interview or meeting is over, follow-up is important. But how you follow-up will make the difference between a potential next interview and being offered the job, or for a business owner, whether you’ll be forging a business relationship. In addition to a follow-up phone call or email, you might be inclined to connect through LinkedIn. Let’s say you’ve exchanged business cards. I wouldn’t make the assumption you can connect with that person unless they specifically have you given you permission to do so. But that’s my opinion as a small business owner. I wanted to find out how some of my connections on LinkedIn felt. One of my recruiting contacts told me connecting right away wasn’t a good idea. A candidate of theirs sent a LinkedIn request to connect within an hour after the initial interview. The client called the recruiter and said they couldnt put a finger exactly on why, but it made them uncomfortable and they ruled the candidate out because of that connection request. That request probably came across as too informal and/or pushy. Another recruiting contact said that it was okay to connect after a decision had been made on who was being hired for the specific opportunity even if the job seeker wasn’t the one hired. That way the job seeker could be kept in mind for future opportunities and could also serve as a referral to others they might know of for other opportunities. I usually gauge whether to connect based on how the interview goes. If I feel I’ve developed a good rapport with the person, I’ll ask about connecting with that person and others at the company. You should definitely ask during the interview or interviews whether it would be ok to connect on LinkedIn. Your decision could also depend on the company culture. Imagine two different situations: One candidate being upfront about connecting on LinkedIn and was very practical/professional/objective about it with the hiring manager. One candidate who never mentioned about connecting on LinkedIn and then suddenly sent an Invite to the hiring manager on LinkedIn after the interview. If you are the hiring manager who encountered the above candidates, which one would give you a better impression of professionalism? Integrity? Or character? I see LinkedIn as a means to connect with others with like careers, business interests, etc. Its a professional networking tool. Youve just met with and divulged a large amount of information about yourself and your company to a prospective client, hiring manager or business owner so theyre not really a stranger. And the whole point is that youve just met with someone in the same industry you are interested in. That person can always ignore or decline the invitation. They have more to base that decision on after youve just spent time telling them all about yourself. Theres a fine line between pushy and taking initiative in a tough market. Personalization No matter you decide to do, personalize your connection request â€" thanking them for their time and mentioning why you’d want to connect. That way you differentiate yourself from others. Never, never use the generic ‘I’d like to add you to my professional network’ message. Add something like: It was nice meeting you to discuss the job opportunity at (insert company). I know I’d be a great ‘fit’ for the company (fill in) Once you connect, your work isn’t done. Make sure to send your new connection a message through LinkedIn thanking them for connecting and reminding them about your skills. An example: Thanks again for accepting my connection request and for meeting with me. Let me know if there’s anything else you need from me. These messages in those last two paragraphs can serve as template of sorts. Have a great day!

Resume For Office Assistant

Resume For Office AssistantWhat is your dream job for a career with your resume for office assistant? You will be very happy when you get the interview. It is important to make a solid career as a resume for office assistant. Here are some ideas.Decorate the offices with business cards, note cards and conference folders. Create a professional-looking environment. Give each worker a card and pay close attention to the instructions on the card. An opening salutation or greeting is enough to welcome the person. A positive attitude is always a good way to attract people.If you are smart and have some initiative in this field, then your resume for office assistant will be noticed. There are various resumes that you can put up. The professional touch is to create a professional resume. This is easy if you have a clear idea about what a typical resume looks like. Your goal is to look professional while you work in your spare time.A resume is only as good as the materials that it is printed on are able to make the potential employer aware of you. You should feel the urge to impress the employer. The person who gives you the assignment for the resume for office assistant job will know how to handle your resume. Some key points include the following.Before you begin any type of work, you should also eliminate any information that you have used in your old jobs. The employer will not want to accept you just because you have received a nomination for a community service award. If you are the sort who avoids effort, then don't start off this job. Instead, you should set aside a certain amount of time and spend that to prepare a good resume. You will have to cut out certain applications that will not help you.If you want to build a good career in this field, then you should maintain a good resume for the different job openings that you are able to get. People from other fields may see your resume as a referral and would rather hire you than someone else. This will keep you b usy and you will be employed in no time.Remember that there are many personal goals that you should consider. You should also give priority to your career goals. If you do not set your mind to one type of job, you can set yourself up to be unsuccessful in the world of work. Always work hard to give your resume for office assistant for a professional touch.The perfect resume for office assistant is not just something that you put together. You need to spend time creating a good resume for the job. A professional presentation will enhance your chances of getting the job. Make sure that your resume has everything that you need.

How to Effectively Use Storytelling to Attract a Larger Brand Following - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Effectively Use Storytelling to Attract a Larger Brand Following - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In order to establish a credible personal brand that people trust you need great content that speaks directly to them. Without this you will not be successful in your lead generation and conversion rates. How can your brand better connect with your community in an authentic way? A compelling brand story will make them want to spread the word about your company. Publishing and promoting content is not enough to hold people’s attention any more, and with a little effort and target market research you can reach out to your community and create loyal brand ambassadors. Social media marketing is not about selling, but rather about meeting the needs of your customers, and presenting a message that solves their biggest problems. There are several ways to attract followers to your personal brand with a powerful story. Steps to Building a Winning Storytelling Content Strategy Todays brand message comes from being real with your audience. It takes transparency and building relationships through your marketing execution to make this work: Improve your content Educate yourself and find out what is working well in your industry today. If video garners more attention then focus on that. Some businesses have a higher number of followers from mobile than computers. Do some research to learn where your community is active the most and the types of content they prefer then adjust yours according to this data. Send invitations to connect Stay in touch with your subscribers and brand followers on social media. Provide them with valuable offers and information that can be helpful in solving their needs. Use this as an opportunity to not sell, but build relationships with them. Create a sales page Once you have established a good following create a separate sales page where they can go to learn more about your products and services. This is the place where your actual sales pitch comes in, and is best done through testimonials and real-life examples such as a video from a happy client. Storytelling for your personal brand is a great way to connect more with your leads and customers. Attract new customers with creative ideas that have a profound impact on their lives and tell the story of your company. How to Effectively Use Storytelling to Attract a Larger Brand Following - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today building a personal brand is more about how people can relate to you on their level. In order to create new leads for your business it is important to recognize that building trust comes through powerful storytelling techniques. How can your personal brand connect with your community in an authentic way? Through creating a brand story that will make them want to spread the word and make a purchase from your company. Sharing content is not enough to hold people’s attention any more, and with a little effort and target market research you can reach out to your brand followers and create loyal ambassadors. Online marketing is successful when you are meeting the needs of others, and presenting a message that is relatable and compelling. There are several ways to attract followers to your personal brand with a powerful story. Steps to Building Effective Storytelling for Your Brand Creating a visual that shows the personal side of your personal brand starts with a great storyline and backstory. Use these steps today to create a memorable message: Solve the problem A powerful beginning to your content will draw your viewers into a video or blog post the setup of the main point or issue should follow. In the conclusion show your audience how your brand can meet their needs over other businesses. These elements are vital if you want to form an emotional connection with your viewers or readers and hold their interest. Create a valuable offer A strong sales message will generate an interest to subscribe for more information or to make a purchase. Use social media and email marketing techniques to invite your audience to follow your brand, and continue where you left off in your story with valuable offers. Generate sales in the nurturing phase Compelling content is perceived as real and honest instead of selling to people at the moment they find your brand. Use verifiable facts and the parameters of your market while taking a look at what other brands are doing that is similar to your message. Follow this model to create something unique for your target market. Storytelling for your personal brand is a great way to connect more with your leads and customers. Entice your market with creative stories that have verified facts and information, and that strongly represent your company’s message.

10 Financial Must-Dos To Prepare For a New Baby - Classy Career Girl

10 Financial Must-Dos To Prepare For a New Baby When you’re having a new baby, there’s so much excitement  and things to do to prepare. You’ll be getting the nursery ready, preparing for the birth, homecoming, and babyproofing your home. There’s also things you should do to prepare financially. 10 Financial Must-Dos To Prepare For a New Baby 1. Check your Health Insurance Giving birth is expensive, and your health insurance probably won’t cover the full cost. There’s probably going to be a discrepancy between the medical bills and your insurance coverage. You should check with your provider as early into your pregnancy as possible to estimate what your bills will be. Once you have the estimation, you can allocate a portion of money each month to go towards the medical bill. You can also get quotes for adding the baby to your health care policy. 2. Make a Budget Baby shopping is a lot of fun, but it can be easy to get caught up in buying everything that was ever created for a baby, even if you won’t use it. You need to make a realistic budget for baby items and stick to it. Shopping at an online baby store can help you stick to your budget. You will need to put much more thought into what you’re buying, and you can keep your budget by your side as you shop. 3. Emergency Funds You might not have given any thought to savings and emergency funds, but once you’re a parent, this becomes much more important. You should budget in for savings so that you’re prepared in case there is an emergency. This could help if you or your partner decides to be a stay at home parent, then you have a safety net, or if there’s an emergency, like home repairs, you will have your emergency fund to pay for it. 4. Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Wills You should take out a life insurance policy. A good calculation for this is five times your earnings, plus any household debt and college tuition fees. Stay at home parents should take out a life insurance policy as well. You should also check any employer-sponsored disability insurance as you may want to supplement this. And you should make a will. While you might not want to consider these things, you should make sure that should anything happen, you have made your wishes very clear. 5. Save for your Retirement You should save for your retirement. You will be able to fund other expenses like college through loans, or scholarships, but you can’t do this for your retirement. Stay at home parents should also look for an IRA that will allow you to save tax-free. 6. Start Saving For College College is expensive, and while you should be adding to your retirement fund, you should also start saving for your child to go to college. Look for Educational accounts that will have tax advantages, but they may come which certain conditions, such as the funds can only be used for educational purposes. 7. Order a Birth Certificate and Social Security You should order the birth certificate and social security number for your child as soon as possible. Staff in the hospital will usually have the paperwork for this, but if they haven’t you should contact the Social Security office and the office of vital records in your state. You will need this information to open savings accounts for your child. [RELATED:  How Stay-At-Home Moms Can Bounce Back to an Office Job] 8. Childcare Finding the right childcare for your child can take some time, and there are a few options. You might prefer a daycare or a nanny. Whichever option you choose, you will need to make sure that it is within your budget. You need to have a realistic estimation of how much you can afford to spend on childcare and find a childcare provider within your budget. 9. Debt If you have any outstanding debt, you should take steps to clear it. It can mean that you will have a financial clean slate. If you are struggling to clear your debt, seek some advice from a debt advice specialist. 10. Open a Savings Account for your Child You should open a savings account for your baby. Look for one that has no fees  and no balance minimums. You could link it to your checking account so you can watch your child’s savings grow, and automatically transfer funds into it. These savings don’t have the same conditions as some of the educational accounts, so your child could use these funds for whatever he or she chooses. It can seem like you have a lifetime to prepare for your financial future, and that of your child, but time passes quicker than you realize. If you take these steps now, you can be reassured about the financial future of your family.

Resume Writing Skills Among Students

Resume Writing Skills Among StudentsStatistics is the study of data, data in a material and historical nature. This is the power behind statistics that compels people to pursue statistics, which is the area of study that graduates from universities are engaged in. Statistics was developed to provide an explanation of a material to those who do not have it, which helps them make decisions.This is an important aspect for a business in regards to financial reporting, because these are the things that indicate how the economy is doing, what is happening in the world and all kinds of historical information. Statistics is the study of this historical information and the application of such information to the purpose of making decisions.Businesses therefore require people with these writing skills and are particularly fond of hiring professional statisticians. Because most businesses have computerized systems and transactions, they need to have data about the trends in the industry.These tr ends can help a business as well as the executives or the managers and the owners of the company understand the actual goal for the company. These trends can also be used to support the executive team so that they can make better decisions for the company.With the use of statistics, you can have everything you need at your disposal, but you will need to use this in the right way to help you make the best decisions in the industry. There are various statistical tools that are used in the creation of these graphs and calculations and you need to get this information from the right sources, so that you can make the best use of it.Using the mathematical equation to derive the solution of these problems is a difficult thing to do. A lot of people don't have this ability and therefore have to be taught to do this, which is where students in university schools learn how to do this on their own.Students also need to learn the difference between practical knowledge and academic knowledge and that they need to work hard at knowing what they need to know, but at the same time they must not neglect the latter. In resume writing skills among students, you will see a lot of students who are poor writers because they don't know how to use their knowledge effectively.For those who are good writers, they will be able to use this to their advantage and have really useful resumes. Resume writing skills among students are crucial and it is important that you take care of these aspects if you want to excel in your job.

Success Story - Jo Green, Not for Profit Sector - Part 3 - Jane Jackson Career

Success Story - Jo Green, Not for Profit Sector - Part 3 - Jane Jackson Career Back in 2010 I first wrote a success story post about Jo Green who made a career transition from London to Sydney and then from market research to the not for profit sector.   Her story was so inspiring that I wrote Part 2 of her story when she transitioned from Clean Up Australia to Canteen to support children fighting cancer and their families.   Jo has grown further in her career and is now providing global support to those in need with Caritas Australia.   Jo is an ongoing inspiration and here is Part 3 of her story!Jo Green in Brazil with CaritasWho is Jo Green?I grew up in the UK and moved to Sydney nearly 5 years ago to experience living on the more sunny side of the world.   Where do you work?I work as the Fundraising Campaign Coordinator at Caritas Australia.   Caritas is an international aid and development charity and in my role I look after the annual fundraising campaign, Project Compassion.Who are your clients/customers and what are the services?Caritas supports the poo rest and most marginalised people in the world through its long term development programs, supporting people to help themselves out of poverty, hunger and injustice.   Here is a great video of the work weve focused on in Brazil http://bit.ly/Rn4FM2What did you do prior to your current role?  Prior to this role I worked in Community Fundraising at CanTeen and in volunteering at Clean Up Australia.   But before my transition to the non for profit world, I worked in market research.Clean Up Australia 2010What made you make this career change?I was sat in a market research focus group for a famous Australian wine brand and realised that I really didn’t care whether the bubbles on the bottle were green or blue.   It was a light bulb moment that I needed to find a job that aligned with my values and allowed me to make a difference in the world.What assistance did you get along the way?    I approached Jane Jackson to become my career coach in July 2009 after I arrived in Sydney. She was fantastic at helping me to understand, explore and research my values and future potential careers.   The skills she taught me I have used in my subsequent job searches and am thankful for when thinking about my career (thank you Jane!).I’ve worked with some amazing and inspiring people and keep in touch with many on LinkedIn.   It is great to contact them about advice when looking for a new role, or when something crops up at work which I think they might be able to offer some advice on.What were the key challenges you experienced?Moving in to the non for profit sector can be tricky due to the change in focus, salary level, resources available such as budget for marketing, IT, HR etc, but is a rewarding area to work in.   The people you work with tend to be passionate and friendly, but quite often there is more work than people which can mean taking on things that you might not quite have expected!Depending on the type of non for profit it can also throw up some personal challen ges in terms of dealing with the emotional side of the cause â€" at CanTeen I attended workshops where I heard about the issues faced by young people who have lost a parent to cancer, and at Caritas I visit programs which support the poorest people in the world.   It can be challenging to remain professional whilst dealing with your own reaction to seeing the reason for your work first hand.Canteen 2011What advice would you give to someone thinking of going into the Not for Profit sector?Work out the types of non for profits you are interested in (health, education, environment, animals etc). This will help you narrow your search field and is a question recruitment consultants always ask.There are numerous specific non for profit websites and newsletters which are great for job announcements but it is also worth going to the website of many particular non for profits you are interested in as some only advertise through their own site.   There are a few recruitment agencies that are fantastic and are worth contacting to discuss the types roles you would be suitable for, and any current opportunities.Non for profits always ask for experience in the sector when apply for a role.  I was lucky that I got my foot in the door of a non for profit by securing a 6 month contract but I would advise people to get some volunteer experience on their CV, even if just for a few hours, to show where their passion lives and that this is an important part of their life.   Many non for profits offer a proportion of your salary tax free.   This means that you ending up earning slightly more than your base salary.   Although non for profit roles tend to have lower salaries than their corporate equivalent, this does help them to be a bit more attractive and is worth investigating.    Tell us about your best moments at CaritasIn March 2013 I went to Sao Paulo in Brazil to visit on of Caritas’ programs to make a documentary film of one of the people the program has helped.   The p eople we met live in a slum or favela and told us stories of the terrible living conditions cardboard houses, no water and electricity and sewage running down the street, before the program helped them to improve the conditions where they live.   There is also a high level of violence and drugs gangs in the favelas and we heard about the impact of the youth program in engaging young people and keeping them off the streets.   We met some inspiring people and could really see Caritas’ work in action.   I’m looking forward to the filming trip (probably to Indonesia) in 2014. The other group of amazing people I communicate with is are the supporters of Caritas â€" it is always amazing to meet people at events or help out with donation phone calls to understand why people support us, and to thank them for doing so.How  can we find out more about the great work at Caritas?You can find out more about Caritas at www.caritas.org.au and the campaign I work on, Project Compassion at www.ca ritas.org.au/projectcompassionMore info on my trip to Brazil can be found at http://bit.ly/1geN3LWAnd the film we made here http://bit.ly/Rn4FM2Thank you, Jo, for being such an continued inspiration to all of us!

Yes, Virginia, People Are Getting Jobs Right Now

Yes, Virginia, People Are Getting Jobs Right Now Every month I put together, in conjunction with the August Group, a panel discussion. We invite back people who have landed jobs to speak about their experiences while job searching. This is easily one of the best programs we do and hat tip to Tracey Aiello for starting the idea! I begansearching recent emails from clients and within minutes had over 6 names of people to invite back to speak on the panel. Within 2 hours I heard back from most of them. They were delighted to be asked and would gladly participate. Every day people are landing jobs. I personally know this to be true.Iget the emails and phone calls. One of the things that seems to tie these successful job landers together is that they never lost belief in themselves.Sure they got discouraged, but they never let that stop them. They were bound and determined to landa job and did it with optimism, not negativity. They didnt complain aboutage discrimination, lack of jobs being posted on-line or not having any friend. These complaints wouldbe excuses. Thepeople who landed jobs took action to correct their weaknesses and didnt place blame on others. Maintaining belief in yourself and optimism is difficult to do.That is why groups like the August Group, New Horizons, ABCPNG and others exist. I truly recommend becoming a member of a group!