Tools I Use (part I of II) Software

Tools I Use (part I of II) Software One of my favorite series was Char Polanoskys Essential Tools posts where she interviewed web developers and freelancers about what they used in their jobs.   I figured Id share what I use with you I might have forgotten a few things but these are the main software tools I rely on pretty much daily.   In no particular order: Gmail: it took a while to get used to, especially since I couldnt file one message into a folder, but as I caught on I fell in LOVE.   I can access it from anywhere, and searching for old emails is awesome.   I use my gmail account as much as I use my JibberJobber account. Microsoft Outlook: Im an Outlook guy always have been.   I love some things about Outlook, and I havent been able to replace those things anywhere else.   By the end of this year I suspect Ill have my gmail and my Outlook 100% integrated, so I get the best of both.   Also, ALL of my calendaring is done on Outlook. JibberJobber.com: I meet a lot of people and have a lot of conversations.   There is NO WAY I could do what I do without having a customer relationship tool.   Many people know JiberJobber as a job search tool, or a website to replace the job search spreadsheet, but I, as a business owner and CEO, use it to manage my relationships.   I login in the morning and it stays open in a browser all day long. Firefox: As a web developer from 10 years ago I grew to dislike the browser wars, since coding something would have to work in multiple versions of multiple browsers.   They all sucked, as far as I was concerned.   But I was introduced to Firefox (FF) as a browser that was highly superior to Internet Explorer (IE) by a group of uber-geek programmers, and I thought Id give it a shot.   I quickly fell in love with a few things the most important for me is how fast it is (or, how much faster it is than IE).   This is my browser of choice although I do some testing and other stuff in IE. Skype: My business phone number is a skype-in number I make all of my business calls from a headset hooked up to my computer through Skype.   There have been a few quirks here and there, but overall Im really pleased with the service.   And the ability to chat with other skype people is icing on the cake, since its become a backup place to chat to my team members, who all work remotely. Microsoft Live Messenger: I love what used to be called IM (the tool, which was Instant Messenger) and is not Live Messenger.   I tried Trillian, which would allow me to put all of my chat accounts in one place, but it didnt satisfy me.   My messenger of choice is Microsofts.   I LOATHE Yahoo messenger (sorry).   But, as mentioned above, if it goes down (not totally uncommon), I can always jump on Skype chat and increasingly Im chatting with people on Gmail. Notepad: This is one of those Microsoft utilities lightweight and easy to use.   It has become my sticky notes or post-it notes when I have a thought Ill open up a new one, jot my notes down, and then when Im done Ill close the file without saving.   For example, the list of stuff in this post is on a notepad file that Ill close as soon as Im done writing it.   Another example: when Im on the phone Ill take notes in Notepad.   When I hang up, I clean up the notes and then copy and paste into a log entry in JibberJobber. SnagIt: I grab images from the web regularly whether its a screenshot for my development team or a picture of YOU (if I add you to JibberJobber) its super easy to do with TechSmiths SnagIt which allows me to put annotations, borders, arrows, highlight, etc. on the image.   Any image on my blog will have gone through SnagIt before it gets to my blog.   If I dont have SnagIt I feel lost.   Ive used this tool for at least five years. Twitter: Love it or not, Twitter does it for me.   Its pretty cool.   If Twitter can figure out how to keep the spammers out/down, it would be better.   Meanwhile Im enjoying it, and am able to communicate to a group of people who want to hear from me.   You can follow me at Twitter.com/JasonAlba. LinkedIn: I use this when I see a name of someone I want to learn more about. If we are going to be on a phone call, go to a lunch, or have communicated via email and are taking our professional relationship to the next level, you can bet Ive gone to your LinkedIn Profile to figure out who you are. PayPal: I know there are PayPal haters out there, but Ive not really had a problem with it.   There are many people Ive paid with PayPal, and many people who have paid me through PayPal.   Ive also been able to purchase a number of things using PayPal instead of my credit card, which has made it easier/faster to purchase what Ive needed. Honorable mention: Camtasia: Another TechSmith product, this is what I use to do the JibberJobber tutorial recordings.   LOVE IT. I hope this has been helpful Im not saying you have to use any of these, but I find many of these indispensable.   What do you recommend? Tools I Use (part I of II) Software One of my favorite series was Char Polanoskys Essential Tools posts where she interviewed web developers and freelancers about what they used in their jobs.   I figured Id share what I use with you I might have forgotten a few things but these are the main software tools I rely on pretty much daily.   In no particular order: Gmail: it took a while to get used to, especially since I couldnt file one message into a folder, but as I caught on I fell in LOVE.   I can access it from anywhere, and searching for old emails is awesome.   I use my gmail account as much as I use my JibberJobber account. Microsoft Outlook: Im an Outlook guy always have been.   I love some things about Outlook, and I havent been able to replace those things anywhere else.   By the end of this year I suspect Ill have my gmail and my Outlook 100% integrated, so I get the best of both.   Also, ALL of my calendaring is done on Outlook. JibberJobber.com: I meet a lot of people and have a lot of conversations.   There is NO WAY I could do what I do without having a customer relationship tool.   Many people know JiberJobber as a job search tool, or a website to replace the job search spreadsheet, but I, as a business owner and CEO, use it to manage my relationships.   I login in the morning and it stays open in a browser all day long. Firefox: As a web developer from 10 years ago I grew to dislike the browser wars, since coding something would have to work in multiple versions of multiple browsers.   They all sucked, as far as I was concerned.   But I was introduced to Firefox (FF) as a browser that was highly superior to Internet Explorer (IE) by a group of uber-geek programmers, and I thought Id give it a shot.   I quickly fell in love with a few things the most important for me is how fast it is (or, how much faster it is than IE).   This is my browser of choice although I do some testing and other stuff in IE. Skype: My business phone number is a skype-in number I make all of my business calls from a headset hooked up to my computer through Skype.   There have been a few quirks here and there, but overall Im really pleased with the service.   And the ability to chat with other skype people is icing on the cake, since its become a backup place to chat to my team members, who all work remotely. Microsoft Live Messenger: I love what used to be called IM (the tool, which was Instant Messenger) and is not Live Messenger.   I tried Trillian, which would allow me to put all of my chat accounts in one place, but it didnt satisfy me.   My messenger of choice is Microsofts.   I LOATHE Yahoo messenger (sorry).   But, as mentioned above, if it goes down (not totally uncommon), I can always jump on Skype chat and increasingly Im chatting with people on Gmail. Notepad: This is one of those Microsoft utilities lightweight and easy to use.   It has become my sticky notes or post-it notes when I have a thought Ill open up a new one, jot my notes down, and then when Im done Ill close the file without saving.   For example, the list of stuff in this post is on a notepad file that Ill close as soon as Im done writing it.   Another example: when Im on the phone Ill take notes in Notepad.   When I hang up, I clean up the notes and then copy and paste into a log entry in JibberJobber. SnagIt: I grab images from the web regularly whether its a screenshot for my development team or a picture of YOU (if I add you to JibberJobber) its super easy to do with TechSmiths SnagIt which allows me to put annotations, borders, arrows, highlight, etc. on the image.   Any image on my blog will have gone through SnagIt before it gets to my blog.   If I dont have SnagIt I feel lost.   Ive used this tool for at least five years. Twitter: Love it or not, Twitter does it for me.   Its pretty cool.   If Twitter can figure out how to keep the spammers out/down, it would be better.   Meanwhile Im enjoying it, and am able to communicate to a group of people who want to hear from me.   You can follow me at Twitter.com/JasonAlba. LinkedIn: I use this when I see a name of someone I want to learn more about. If we are going to be on a phone call, go to a lunch, or have communicated via email and are taking our professional relationship to the next level, you can bet Ive gone to your LinkedIn Profile to figure out who you are. PayPal: I know there are PayPal haters out there, but Ive not really had a problem with it.   There are many people Ive paid with PayPal, and many people who have paid me through PayPal.   Ive also been able to purchase a number of things using PayPal instead of my credit card, which has made it easier/faster to purchase what Ive needed. Honorable mention: Camtasia: Another TechSmith product, this is what I use to do the JibberJobber tutorial recordings.   LOVE IT. I hope this has been helpful Im not saying you have to use any of these, but I find many of these indispensable.   What do you recommend? Tools I Use (part I of II) Software One of my favorite series was Char Polanoskys Essential Tools posts where she interviewed web developers and freelancers about what they used in their jobs.   I figured Id share what I use with you I might have forgotten a few things but these are the main software tools I rely on pretty much daily.   In no particular order: Gmail: it took a while to get used to, especially since I couldnt file one message into a folder, but as I caught on I fell in LOVE.   I can access it from anywhere, and searching for old emails is awesome.   I use my gmail account as much as I use my JibberJobber account. Microsoft Outlook: Im an Outlook guy always have been.   I love some things about Outlook, and I havent been able to replace those things anywhere else.   By the end of this year I suspect Ill have my gmail and my Outlook 100% integrated, so I get the best of both.   Also, ALL of my calendaring is done on Outlook. JibberJobber.com: I meet a lot of people and have a lot of conversations.   There is NO WAY I could do what I do without having a customer relationship tool.   Many people know JiberJobber as a job search tool, or a website to replace the job search spreadsheet, but I, as a business owner and CEO, use it to manage my relationships.   I login in the morning and it stays open in a browser all day long. Firefox: As a web developer from 10 years ago I grew to dislike the browser wars, since coding something would have to work in multiple versions of multiple browsers.   They all sucked, as far as I was concerned.   But I was introduced to Firefox (FF) as a browser that was highly superior to Internet Explorer (IE) by a group of uber-geek programmers, and I thought Id give it a shot.   I quickly fell in love with a few things the most important for me is how fast it is (or, how much faster it is than IE).   This is my browser of choice although I do some testing and other stuff in IE. Skype: My business phone number is a skype-in number I make all of my business calls from a headset hooked up to my computer through Skype.   There have been a few quirks here and there, but overall Im really pleased with the service.   And the ability to chat with other skype people is icing on the cake, since its become a backup place to chat to my team members, who all work remotely. Microsoft Live Messenger: I love what used to be called IM (the tool, which was Instant Messenger) and is not Live Messenger.   I tried Trillian, which would allow me to put all of my chat accounts in one place, but it didnt satisfy me.   My messenger of choice is Microsofts.   I LOATHE Yahoo messenger (sorry).   But, as mentioned above, if it goes down (not totally uncommon), I can always jump on Skype chat and increasingly Im chatting with people on Gmail. Notepad: This is one of those Microsoft utilities lightweight and easy to use.   It has become my sticky notes or post-it notes when I have a thought Ill open up a new one, jot my notes down, and then when Im done Ill close the file without saving.   For example, the list of stuff in this post is on a notepad file that Ill close as soon as Im done writing it.   Another example: when Im on the phone Ill take notes in Notepad.   When I hang up, I clean up the notes and then copy and paste into a log entry in JibberJobber. SnagIt: I grab images from the web regularly whether its a screenshot for my development team or a picture of YOU (if I add you to JibberJobber) its super easy to do with TechSmiths SnagIt which allows me to put annotations, borders, arrows, highlight, etc. on the image.   Any image on my blog will have gone through SnagIt before it gets to my blog.   If I dont have SnagIt I feel lost.   Ive used this tool for at least five years. Twitter: Love it or not, Twitter does it for me.   Its pretty cool.   If Twitter can figure out how to keep the spammers out/down, it would be better.   Meanwhile Im enjoying it, and am able to communicate to a group of people who want to hear from me.   You can follow me at Twitter.com/JasonAlba. LinkedIn: I use this when I see a name of someone I want to learn more about. If we are going to be on a phone call, go to a lunch, or have communicated via email and are taking our professional relationship to the next level, you can bet Ive gone to your LinkedIn Profile to figure out who you are. PayPal: I know there are PayPal haters out there, but Ive not really had a problem with it.   There are many people Ive paid with PayPal, and many people who have paid me through PayPal.   Ive also been able to purchase a number of things using PayPal instead of my credit card, which has made it easier/faster to purchase what Ive needed. Honorable mention: Camtasia: Another TechSmith product, this is what I use to do the JibberJobber tutorial recordings.   LOVE IT. I hope this has been helpful Im not saying you have to use any of these, but I find many of these indispensable.   What do you recommend?

What is One of the Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Resume?

What is One of the Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Your Resume?The reason that people often make the mistake of not keeping their resume professional is due to lack of knowledge on what is one of the mistakes to avoid when writing your resume. Here, I am going to give you some insight on what one of the mistakes to avoid is when you are writing your resume.The first mistake that many people make when writing a resume is that they over-write their resume. Now, let me say that there is nothing wrong with writing more than the necessary. The problem with this kind of resume is that it sounds like you are trying to impress someone with your resume instead of actually communicating what you have to offer.The second mistake that people make when writing a resume is that they do not make an effort to showcase their strengths. By showcasing your strengths, you will show that you understand what you have to offer and that you are willing to look for a job. And in the end, this will lead to a m ore secure job, which will mean a lot for your chances of landing that job.The third mistake that people make when writing a resume is that they do not pick up on any of the good keywords in the resume. Keywords are those words that are used by employers and searchers. If you cannot pick up on these keywords, then you are going to be rejected. But if you can see where your strengths and weaknesses are, you will have a much better chance of getting that job.In addition, you need to pay attention to the spacing of your resume. By doing this, you will make it look organized and professional. Make sure that it reads like it was written by a professional and you will get hired on the spot.Another mistake that many people make when writing a resume is that they write their resume too fast. By doing this, you can make it look slow and clumsy. Instead, try to write your resume in a normal pace and even use a short paragraph when needed.And the fourth mistake that people make when writing a resume is that they use language that is inappropriate for a resume. For example, using slang words and phrases instead of using formal, clear language when writing your resume is another common mistake that people make.So those are the four mistakes that people make when writing a resume. If you make use of these pointers, you will ensure that you get hired on the spot because you will show that you understand what you have to offer.

How to Assess Your Online Reputation When Job Searching

How to Assess Your Online Reputation When Job Searching Did you know that 79% of hiring managers and job recruiters review applicants information online and 70% of employers have rejected candidates based on data found online?  When applying for jobs, your online reputation is more important than ever! [Related Post:  The 5 Best Online Job Search Tools] I have always heard this but I have never been able to find any practical steps on how to actually improve my online reputation (besides watching what photos I put up on Facebook).  That is, until I read Joshua Waldmans new book, Job Searching for Social Media for Dummies. In the book, I learned very practical steps that I can take to control my online reputation. Where to Assess Your Online Reputation If you are like me, you have a tendency to focus on building up your online reputation as much as possible but you never actually take the time to assess where you currently are at.  Of course, we know the easy way to assess our online reputation Google your name and see what comes up (which you do need to do!), but here are a few more free tools that can help you assess your online reputation I learned from Joshua Waldmans book. Today, I am trying all three sites, letting you know how they work and telling you which one I like the best. Google Grader This was very cool!  I put in my name and then got to review the top ten search results in Google.  I categorized the results into about me or not about me.  This helped me figure out how I was doing in the top 10 search results in Google (I owned 7 of the 10!).  It also gives you the option to sign up for the site to let you know in the future how you can own those top ten searches. My thoughts: Loved itinitiallyuntil they made me put in my email address so that they can send me something to tell me how to rank better.  They wet my appetite and thennothingOk, whats next! Online ID Calculator This tool will help you make sense of your Google results and give you advice on how to build a stellar online identity thats aligned with your real-world personal brand.  Sounds great..but it looks like a lot of work!  I have to answer a lot of questions about what I find in the search results and how I want to be known. My thoughts: I have not yet had time to go through all of the questions and respond. But I am sure if I took the time to complete it, it would be very interesting to see my calculation in Google.  I just wish that many of the questions could be answered automatically instead of me having to search through the Google search results myself. My WebCareer A  free online service that enables you to uncover and evaluate your digital footprint. MyWebCareer helps you to discover, evaluate and manage online data that may help your career prospects. You have to grant this site access to your Linkedin profile which was a little nerve-wracking but it guaranteed that no one else could see my results! My thoughts: My score showed that I am well on my way to building a strong professional brand! It gave me practical advice such as where I needed to get recommendations and how my Linkedin profile ranked in google.  What I also liked about this is that it narrowed down all of my connections by company and showed a neat little chart (see below).  But, it was very focused on Linkedin and not my overall Google search ranking like the other two tools above. The online reputation assessment winner is (Drum roll please!) All three of them combined into one. I loved each of them because they all have great information and are unique. But, in the future, I would love to get all of this information in one place. Who needs a great start-up business idea? Its yours! How do you assess your online reputation?

Donald fires Carolyn, Trump kids benefit A lesson in affirmative action

Donald fires Carolyn, Trump kids benefit A lesson in affirmative action Donald Trump fired Carolyn Kepcher, which is obviously big news if you watch The Apprentice, and still big news, though in a less obvious way, if you dont. Kepcher started her career as a waitress and she worked her way up in his organization. Recently she has become a counterpart to Trump (and generally more respected than he is) as the sidekick on his TV show the Apprentice. More importantly, she is a widely listened to speaker and author about how women can maneuver in the workplace. But Carolyn will be fine. Shes talented and smart and shes probably fielding great offers as I type. The important thing here is nepotism. Donald fired Carolyn because he realized that he gave her a spotlight to run with (which she did, good for her), but he would rather be giving it to his kids Ivanka and Don Jr. No big surprise. Most people with power want to give it to their kids. And most powerful people are white males, so white males are busy distributing power in an unequal way. Sure, Ivanka Trump benefits too, but only because shes the daughter of a rich white man. What about the people who are not children of rich white men? They do not receive as many opportunities to become powerful. Just look at the admissions process for top universities. If you are an alumni (and a majority of Ivy League alumni with college-age kids right now are rich, white men) you have a much higher chance of being accepted to a top university. Everyone who complains that affirmative action is unfair should take a look at how Trump is running his organization. Because its not unique. And he is using a tried-and-true version of affirmative action for his family. Affirmative action for minorities in the workplace is not a way to give minorities an advantage. Its a way to counterbalance the combination of a concentration of wealth among white men and a strong history of nepotism in American institutions. Im happy that Donald fired Carolyn. Itll give everyone a great example to point to when we talk about unfair advantages in the workplace.

Objective For Teen Writing Resume

Objective For Teen Writing ResumeWhat is the best objective for teen writing resume? While most people believe that the majority of teen writers start out with a more general objective for writing resume, this really isn't true. In fact, it's the exception and not the rule. The best objective for teen writing resume is the one that is specific, specific.Teen writers who give a generic or generalized job objective can be quite confusing to the employers as well as the applicants. This is because it simply has no bearing on the job that the applicant is applying for. What is required here is a description of the job that the applicant is applying for.After you have written the description of the job, you must then write a paragraph or two describing the company's profile. Describe what the company does, how the company performs its jobs, what it is about, how the company works, and what type of employees are the company looking for. It should go without saying that these paragraphs are to be short, to the point, and to the point. This is very important and should be done.At this point, you must describe what the applicant does for the particular job. Now the applicant is focusing on the job that they are applying for, not just the company in general. This will definitely help the applicant in gaining the confidence needed to get an interview.Now comes the second part of the job objective. This is usually about the position that the applicant is applying for. It should detail the responsibilities that the applicant has, the salary that the applicant is looking for, the types of training that the applicant has, and any other training that may be required to be a successful employee. Again, this should be brief and to the point.The job objective is usually going to be one paragraph or two paragraphs long. A few tips for writing a job objective include; 'Requirements: ** Please provide a detailed list of your qualifications and skills for the position,' and 'Descript ion of Position: ** Provide an organized description of the duties and responsibilities of the position'You see, teen writers are not expected to have a professional resume. They are expected to read resumes, give general feedback, and write a resume.But, it is also possible for the teen writer to write the resume. In fact, there are many quality resume writing software programs that make it easy for the student to create the resume. However, these programs are expensive and are usually not included in a quality writing course. Once again, it is up to the writer to find a way to give their resume an accurate description of the job they are applying for.

Surviving Creative Destruction in the 2nd Half of Life - Career Pivot

Surviving Creative Destruction in the 2nd Half of Life - Career Pivot Creative Destruction? Copyright: vicnt / 123RF Stock Photo According to Wikipedia â€"Creative destructiondescribes the “process of industrial mutation that incessantly revolutionizes the economic structure from within, incessantly destroying the old one, incessantly creating a new one.” Creative destruction is nothing new. I was listening to the Freakonomics Radio podcast calledHow Safe is Your Job? (Rebroadcast)and they were discussing that in 1905 there were 400,000 pianos made in America. If you wanted music in your house you learned to play the piano. The phonograph was created in 1877 but it was not until 1915, did phonograph sales start to take off. Later came the radio. Pianos did not go away but today there are about 30,000 pianos made each year or 8% of the number made in 1905. The piano industry was changed forever by technology. For More:Has Your Job Been SMACed? If not Yet, It Will! Creative Destruction and Kodak Kodak was another classic example of creative destruction. Kodak created the digital camera in 1975. Yes, 1975! It was not commercially viable but Kodak’s management team could not see the future. That future would destroy how Kodak made money … chemical film. In 2001, Kodak had the #2 digital camera on the market but lost $60 on every sale. Fast forward to 2012 and Kodak declared bankruptcy. In both these cases, creative destruction took 20, 30 or 40 years to destroy an industry. Listen to the most recent episode Now that pace is accelerating. For More:Living in a “Career Disaster Area” at the Age of 65 The Destruction of the Brick and Mortar Store by Amazon Amazon.com was found in 1994 and initially just sold books. In 2015, Amazon passed Walmart to be the most valuable retailer in the world by market capitalization. With almost every major brick and mortar retailer with the exception of Walmart are in trouble, Amazon and other online retailers are wreaking creative destruction on the retail industry. Even Walmart is feeling the heat as they acquired Jet.com in August of 2016. Jet.com was created by the founder of Diapers.com which was acquired by Amazon in 2011. The original idea behind Jet.com was the only source of income would come from the $50 annual membership fee. All products would be sold at cost. It did not work out that way but you can see the creative business models that are possible online that are not possible in a traditional brick and mortar store. I recently had a discussion with a board member of my breakfast club about the large number of realtors that attended our meetings. The gentleman I was speaking with said: “the breakfast club was a great place for anyone who owned a brick and mortar business to network”. My response was ” the only brick and mortar establishments I go to are grocery stores and restaurants”. That is a bit of an exaggeration but not by much. Creative destruction is wreaking havoc in the retail industry. The Apple iPhone The Apple iPhone turns 10 years old this month. What do I get from my iPhone 6S that I did not 10 years ago? The weather report from the Weather Channel app Manage my social media (LinkedIn and Twitter) I removed the Facebook app after the last Presidential election Take pictures View pictures Edit files in Google Drive or Dropbox Communicate with clients over Skype Check scores on the ESPN app Find my keys using the Tile app Listen to podcasts and audio books as I no longer listen to the radio Find the new coffee shop via Google and Apple Maps Enter the YMCA by swiping the bar code in the YMCA app Manage multiple credit cards and bank accounts Show the police officer my proof of insurance via the State Farm app Check airline schedules to see if my son’s flight home is on time Search google to answer the question my wife just asked me Watch International House Hunters on the HGTV channel via the Sling TV app The list goes on and on and on. How many industries, jobs, and careers have been touched? LOTS! The Apple iPhone started a revolution of creative destruction that will do nothing but accelerate as more industries figure out how to leverage the technology. For More:Beware Automation and Robots Will Sabotage Your Career What Should You Do? You can survive creative destruction.You should always be looking for new opportunities. As I wrote in my post last week, you mustCreate Opportunities and Stop Reacting to Opportunities. All of this creative destruction creates opportunities. You can write and publish books. If you are not sure how to publish your own book check out Mark Dawson’s Self Publishing Formula.I have no affiliation other than I listen to their podcast. Record audio books. Use ACX.com to either record the books yourself or find voice talent to record the book. Become a Virtual Assistant. I have published one post on this topic â€" Cash In On Your Skills: Become A Virtual Assistant [Guest Post]. Buy products at discount and sell them on Amazon. Amazon even has an app for that. Build an online business where you teach anything to anyone in the world. I currently belong to the Flipped LifeStyle community where I am working on building the Career Pivot’s Repurpose Your Career community. More on that in coming months. Work freelance, full time or part time remotely. Check out FlexJobs for opportunities. (affiliate link) Be a rideshare driver. Check out the guest post,Uber â€" What Baby Boomers Need to Know Rent out a room in your house as a short term rental. Recently, we traveled to Ecuador and stayed at an AirBnB managed by an American who rented the property from a local dentist. He then listed it on AirBnB as a short term rental. This was how he supported himself. There are many more opportunities created every single day. These opportunities do not look like the safe choices we expected earlier in our career. Remember playing it safe is now the new risky. I live in Austin Texas where the unemployment rate for those 18-49 years of age is 3.2%. However, the unemployment rate for those 50 and over is12.2%. You can no longer sit back and expect nothing to change. If you want to be viable and continue to earn an income after 50 you must be nimble. What opportunities are your going to create? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Summary Sunday Creative, Innovative Job Search Trends

Summary Sunday Creative, Innovative Job Search Trends Sundays are the day I look back over the week and share with you some of the most interesting or memorable articles from the past week. It provides me with the opportunity to re-enforce important messages and introduce you to new writers and subjects and ideas! (FYI, welcome to the first days of Autumn! This is my favorite season! I love the changing leaves, the crisp, cool air and bundling up in wool sweaters! (Must be my New England heritage!) How to Woo a Start Up from RideJoy (no longer available) I love this story! I had never heard of Ridejoy before I read this, but now I dont think Ill forget them. This is a story about one applicant who applied for a position with their company as a Community Manager. And it doesnt end with this.the whole story is no longer available, however, the candidate saw the job in a Tweet, responded with the slides linked below! (And she got the interview and job!). It renews my hope in companies that are really great to work for and treat their employees with respect! Heres a video of her slides Finding the Right Contacts for Your Job Search I am still surprised when job seekers state they cannot find the name of the person they need to talk to inside a company. On #HFChat this week, the question was posed and responded to like this:

What your resumes gotta have to make it effective - Hallie Crawford

What your resumes gotta have to make it effective Today we have a guest post from a colleague of mine, Melanie Szlucha. An attractive, well written resume will help you stand out from the flood of applicants. Melanie works with each client to understand their unique background and then develops intelligent, professional, eye-catching resumes targeted to the positions or industries the candidate is applying for. To schedule a FREE 10 minute consultation, visit http://www.redinc.biz or contact her at 203-866-1606. You feel like you’re submitting your resume to every possible job under the sun, but you just can’t get any traction. In the back of your mind is this nagging suspicion that it’s not them, but your resume that could be the problem. But what should a good resume have? You’ve got your past jobs on there with dates, shouldn’t that be enough? No. A resume needs to be an attractive, readable, interesting document that makes the employer want to get to know you more. Think of it like an enticing description of a dish on a menu. When you go to a restaurant for the first time, you have no idea what you’re going to order. You have to rely on the descriptions to entice you and steer you in one way or anotherâ€"ideally for the restaurant toward the highest priced item. They don’t just list the ingredients of the dish, but the description pulls the whole thing together and makes it sound appetizing. Is your resume enticing to an employer? Here’s what turns them on. RESULTS: Employers have GOT to see that you get results for the work you do. How effective are you? There’s a difference between not increasing sales at all, and seeing a 34% increaseso put that on the resume! How have you affected the company since you’ve been there? CAREER SUMMARY: This takes the place of the Objective at the top of your resume. A career summary should give an employer a thumbnail view of who you are as an employeethink of it as a thesis statement on your old high school research papers. DO NOT simply provide a shopping list of qualities such as: hard working, dedicated, loyal, or the phrase attention to detail. They are on EVERYONE’s resumetrust me, I’ve seen my fair share. Instead paint yourself as if you’re an enticing dish on a menu and write something truly descriptive like this: “Syndicated/qualitative research professional with in-depth, customer service experience across a variety of industries. Successful track record of client retention, strong contract negotiation skills and increased sales through up-sell opportunities and new product development. Specialized experience in analytical category analysis, internal data management and written/verbal client presentations.” This describes the person behind the r esume and paints a detailed picture of her experience in a short period of time. BRIEF JOB DESCRIPTIONS: Under every company, job title and dates (and yes, in most cases, you should include months as well as the years), you should provide one or two sentences to describe what the company does (in case the name isn’t well known), and the basics of your job description. That’s it. Employers need to understand the industries you worked in, and the basic responsibilities of your past positions. They do not need to see your duties spelled outyour accomplishments will answer those questions in their mind. So take a look at your resume. Does it pass the test? ************** Heres to having a career you love!Certified Career Coach