Careerpreneur

Careerpreneur I was chatting with Julie Walraven about career stuff and I made up a word, on-the-fly, that is pretty cool. I was talking about how professionals need to manage their own careers they need to manage their careers like an entrepreneur manages his business.  Flexibility, vision, discipline, etc. Career-oriented + entrepreneur = careerpreneur What do you think? If you are a careerpreneur you believe that you are the CEO of Me, Inc. If you are a careerpreneur you know that your ability to provide income, or income security, comes from the strategy and tactics you employ in your career management. If you are a careerpreneur you know that change is inevitable and you constantly position yourself to survive/win. If you are a careerpreneur you network because you have learned to love it and do it right, not because you are in a pinch and need to lean on others. If you are a careerpreneur you are FREE, not burdened down wondering when you might lose your job. If you are a careerpreneur you _______________________________________ Okay that is too fun.  Now thats two words/phrases Ive made up in this career space (the other is income security, which replaces job security)! Careerpreneur I was chatting with Julie Walraven about career stuff and I made up a word, on-the-fly, that is pretty cool. I was talking about how professionals need to manage their own careers they need to manage their careers like an entrepreneur manages his business.  Flexibility, vision, discipline, etc. Career-oriented + entrepreneur = careerpreneur What do you think? If you are a careerpreneur you believe that you are the CEO of Me, Inc. If you are a careerpreneur you know that your ability to provide income, or income security, comes from the strategy and tactics you employ in your career management. If you are a careerpreneur you know that change is inevitable and you constantly position yourself to survive/win. If you are a careerpreneur you network because you have learned to love it and do it right, not because you are in a pinch and need to lean on others. If you are a careerpreneur you are FREE, not burdened down wondering when you might lose your job. If you are a careerpreneur you _______________________________________ Okay that is too fun.  Now thats two words/phrases Ive made up in this career space (the other is income security, which replaces job security)! Careerpreneur I was chatting with Julie Walraven about career stuff and I made up a word, on-the-fly, that is pretty cool. I was talking about how professionals need to manage their own careers they need to manage their careers like an entrepreneur manages his business.  Flexibility, vision, discipline, etc. Career-oriented + entrepreneur = careerpreneur What do you think? If you are a careerpreneur you believe that you are the CEO of Me, Inc. If you are a careerpreneur you know that your ability to provide income, or income security, comes from the strategy and tactics you employ in your career management. If you are a careerpreneur you know that change is inevitable and you constantly position yourself to survive/win. If you are a careerpreneur you network because you have learned to love it and do it right, not because you are in a pinch and need to lean on others. If you are a careerpreneur you are FREE, not burdened down wondering when you might lose your job. If you are a careerpreneur you _______________________________________ Okay that is too fun.  Now thats two words/phrases Ive made up in this career space (the other is income security, which replaces job security)!

Is Your Candidate Persona Based on Fact or Fiction

Is Your Candidate Persona Based on Fact or Fiction If your marketing personas are merely based on conventional wisdom, your content will not reach its potential with the intended audience. Every good communicator follows the cardinal rule: know your audience. On the surface, creating audience personas for your employer or B2B brand seems like a great idea. Creating specific profiles of your audience so you can find ways to better connect with them makes sense. And if you know what you are doing, it is an effective exercise to help develop compelling and relevant content. So why does most content miss the mark in connecting with their audience? We have to take a deeper look at the current way we are creating our personas. A persona (also called a candidate persona in employer branding) is a semi-fictional representation of your customer usually based on different types of research. A persona includes characteristics like demographics, behaviors and motivations. This is all well and good, except for one issue. How do you know if it is accurate? Develop a persona based on assumptions with the wrong combination of characteristics and you’ve essentially created a persona non grata, a person who is unwelcome. Or in marketing terms, one that your target audience will not connect with. Lack of proper, holistic research is the culprit One of the biggest problems with audience personas is in the lack of proper research. An accurate portrayal of a persona requires some level of one-on-one qualitative research, which just does not happen in most organizations. Marketers, especially in the employer branding space, do not have the time or resources to properly interview an appropriate sample of their target audience. What happens more often than not is the content marketer will develop their personas based on their own knowledge and assumptions of their audience, and this is a huge error that almost always goes unnoticed. Whether we like it or not, we all tend to group people within stereotypes that grossly lack any unique human insight. I remember one meeting where we were developing a persona for a salesperson, and one of the participants exclaimed, “It’s simple: girls and fast cars.” Most of the time our biases are unconscious, but the ways we perceive and project our audience almost never contain any deep ins ights that will resonate with said audience. The power of any message is found in shared emotions or values, also referred to as human truth. So how do we arrive at human truth? The current process of creating content is flawed In a recent survey of 330 self-identified content marketers who work for U.S. companies, some 88% of respondents said their team generates content ideas in regular group meetings, and 76% said their ideas were developed during dedicated brainstorming sessions; while 60% of respondents said content ideas are generated by individual staff members. Guess what? Only 28% of respondents say content ideas come from research. Does this surprise you? Based on this information, I am willing to bet that their personas were developed in a similar manner. Content marketing is a complex animal. There are other aspects involved such as distribution strategies and amplification opportunities that play a huge role in the ultimate success of a piece of content. And of course, the quality of writing and idea generation makes a huge difference. But before any of that comes into play, I believe you must have a message that is rooted in accurate human insights. If you do not, the message is easily misinterpreted or it simply falls flat. Successful messaging is hard work. There are no shortcuts, but thankfully there are resources. Human insights are out there, go find them As a content marketing professional, I realized that I needed to be proactive in finding real insights into my personas beyond what I knew from my conventional wisdom and survey data. I started conducting my own qualitative research by inviting customers for coffee or asking my recruiting partners to fit in a few questions at the end of their calls. Qualitative research doesn’t need to feel like a one-way interview. Create an objective and then engage in a dialog with your customers that will also benefit them. For those companies that do not have time or a budget to conduct their own primary research, there are free resources like PeerCulture that offer qualitative interviews with professionals from different industries. By reading through the day-to-day stories of your audience, you begin to understand their mindset and learn what is important to them. Another amazing resource to help you build out your personas is the Content Marketing Institute. They have several resources that give you a step-by-step guide to help generate audience personas. This knowledge can be invaluable when developing personas â€" personas that will be rooted in actual insights that come directly from your audience and not from a brainstorming session in a conference room. About the author: Jonas Fischer is co-founder of PeerCulture, a place where exceptional employees share their stories to help employers learn and evolve.

Expertly Move from Possibility to Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Expertly Move from Possibility to Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As valid sales possibilities rise in number, you experience the feeling of hope and motivation on the rise. It is the hope and motivation that inspire you to continue forging ahead in seeking out possible new clients or the best possible new job. Without hope, the motivation to persevere declines and then the thought of quitting comes to mind. At the core of this dilemma is to ramp up a highly qualified pipeline of possibility given doing so, becomes your key to success. For a moment, consider all of your prospective clients in your sales pipeline. Most sales professionals will have many and brag about the clientele they are about to bring in. But frequently, the sales instead wither away. Why? Inadequate questioning and qualification eliminate the better possibilities. Excellence in communication is essential to do well. One extra step is to admit which out of all the possibilities are found to be exciting. Review in-depth the few that you view as ideal. Figure out to the last detail why these appeal to you. Once you have your newly created list of appealing possibilities, create a new listing of prospects that will hold similar excitement. Now you are one step closer to surpassing the numbers required of you. Step two is to: Communicate from your prospect’s point of view. https://youtu.be/XqsWVn820 One of the key elements to making a sale is to understand the mindset of your prospective clients. If you aren’t certain of what is on their mind, ask each one individually. The major error most people make is to assume they know what the prospect needs, and then enter sales mode. The improved route is to pinpoint needs and clarify everything before proceeding. These three steps should help considerably: Begin the communication from your prospect’s perspective. Be professionally personal. Personalize your communication to what each prospect shares with you. Out of everything you have going on today, consider what holds the best potential and excitement for you. Give consideration as to the elements that contribute to your enthusiasm. List them out so that you, too, may build a highly valued pipeline of possibilities. Answer these questions: Which projects or prospective clients excite you the most? Why are these the most exciting? How may you expand upon these possibilities? The reason for multiple opportunities and growing the pipeline is that most will not materialize in the way we anticipate. These filter through to oblivion. It’s the highly qualified ones that convert to sales or into exciting projects. The last step is to recognize that as the flow continues in and out, adding to the mix is a requirement. In this way, your enthusiasm will remain high and as new ideas come to light. It is your enthusiasm, communication style, and delivery on promises that help to build  a highly admired personal brand. Sales Tips Focus on your pipeline of possibilities. Consider the type and qualities of your preferred opportunities. Seek to expand on the preferred. Let people know what excites you the most and why. Transfer enthusiasm into postings to attract more interest in your work. Connect with like minded people to enhance your messaging. Collaborate with peers to expand your reach. Continue to refine your requirements. Expand upon the work you prefer. Celebrate success! Following these guidelines will lead you to the Smooth Sale!

CCG Links We Love Holiday Gifts, 2016 Calendars and Must Have Tees - Classy Career Girl

CCG Links We Love Holiday Gifts, 2016 Calendars and Must Have Tees Remember years back when we hosted weekly Monday Motivation links? We are back with more links that we love every week! We are scouring the internet for great content we think youll love. This installment is coming to you from Charlotte, NC where our team is working this week. Classy Career Girl Links We Love:  Holiday Gifts, 2016 Calendars and Must Have Tees 1. The 2015 Holiday Memorandum has a ton of great gift inspirations. (www.memorandum.com) 2. These tees are to die for mixed with sequins. (tandjdesigns.com) 3. Free printable 2016  calendars. Yes, please! (smallpaperthings.com) 4.  If you blog, bookmark this blog title infographic. (hubspot.com) Honorable Mention: We love this career counseling advice for the new economy. (Jaime Casap) Must read: 8 smart things super productive people do. (inc.com)

Become a Truck Driver to Put Your Career in the Fast Lane - CareerMetis.com

Become a Truck Driver to Put Your Career in the Fast Lane Source : Pixabay.comChoosing commercial truck driving as a career can be a rewarding choice if you have always enjoyed driving and are looking up for a little adventure away from home.While the procedure isn’t time-consuming, it’s important to know the requirements beforehand to ensure you are ready to take the job and enjoy the amazing benefits that come with it.If you are choosing this as a career to start with or considering a switch from your current workplace, the trucking industry looks promising. Not only it is in great demand but the benefits associated with this profession have improved too.evalIt may not sound like the most glamorous job you can take up, but only when you become a part of the industry you realize why this can be a lucrative career option.To help you make your decision easier, here’s everything you need to learn about becoming a truck driver and how the benefits can help you put your career on the fast trackright away!Important Considerations Before yo u jump to the requirements, here are two important considerations you must take into account.Keep Realistic ExpectationsevalJust because truck drivers are in demand, it is fair to assume that truck drivers earn a lot. While that can be true based on your experience, the work you do, and the company you work for, it isn’t always going to be a positive scenario at first.That said, most truck drivers earn quite a decent salary and can make up to $30,000/year. The salary may increase as you continue to gain experience in the field. Switching to better companies with time will also ensure an increment in your pay and better benefits.It is important to do your research as some companies will offer more. However, compare it with the volume and type of work they require from you to do a proper cost-benefit analysis.Speak to Someone Already in the IndustryIf you have gained your inspiration from a truck driver you know, use that opportunity and talk about their experiences for better insig hts. evalThis will give you a clearer idea of what a truck driver career would be like and what to expect from it in the long run. In case you know no one, look in your social circle for mutual connections. You can even consider talking to drivers at truck stops.This also gives you an opportunity to get a few referrals or recommendations for your first job. You can even seek their help in preparing yourself for the initial requirements. Use these connections to find work if you can.Read the Commercial Driver’s Manual You do not have to qualify as a driver to access this manual. Just visit your local DMV office and ask for a copy. You can even find online copies available on the DMV websites.This manual holds important information about how you can get your commercial driver’s license Make sure you get your hands on the latest manualto get all updated information.How to Become a Truck DriverThe key is to meet the minimum requirements set by your state to get started with this car eer. Here’s everything you need to know:Basic Legal and Physical QualificationsBefore you are ready to attend a school or claim your CDL, you need to get your basic qualifications.Most states require that the applicant is at least 21 years old for the job. Authorities will also check your driving record to consider it eligible. Minor traffic violations are often overlooked but if you have a record of reckless driving, several accidents, or you are convicted for DUI, your chances to qualify for the requirements will reduce or nullify. Make sure you check your own record before signing up.Some schools have a prerequisite for a diploma before applying. This is because many companies do not hire truck drivers without a diploma or GED.evalEnroll in a Truck Driving SchoolLook for a suitable program and enroll in a school nearby. This is an important step you cannot miss. You will have both textbooks and practical education for the best results. Most programs last between 30 days and 10 weeks. You may, however, opt for an extended program if the school offers.Clear Licensing ExamAfter you are done with the driving school, take the CDL exam. The exam procedures vary according to state but every exam has two parts: written test and practical test.While the written part will test your knowledge on different safety rules and regulations related to commercial truck driving, the practical test will evaluate your road skill, where you are required to drive a short distance under the professional supervision of a state-licensed examiner.It is important to note that you can take the exam for different commercial trucks â€" including the ones that carry hazardous materials. However, in that case, you should also go through a background check by the state authorities.Clear the FMCSR ExamevalFMCSR or Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations exam is also divided into two components: written and physical. The writing exam will evaluate your knowledge of federal traffic laws whil e the physical exam would test your hearing and vision.Once you are done with this, you can acquire your commercial driver’s license and look for a job. Why Becoming a Truck Driver is a Lucrative Career OptionThe steps above will help you get your CDL and access a huge variety of truck driving jobs.Always weigh the pros and cons of any job opportunity you get to pick the best one. Regardless of which job you find suitable, there are a few benefits associated with this profession that you cannot ignore.If you need the final push for why you should become a truck driver, here are the top benefits to consider:eval1) Good PayAs mentioned earlier, a truck driver may earn as much as $30,000 per year at the start of their career depending on the job opportunities they land. There are hardly any other jobs where you can make as much money even though the requirement for experience and training isn’t too high.Your career is on the fast track because with experience, you can almost double that pay within the first few years. Due to a shortage of drivers right now, some companies will pay a higher salary to attract skilled and good drivers. Others would offer better job security and other bonuses for hitting targets. In short, it is the perfect time for drivers to get started in the business.2)Job SecurityThis is one industry that never faces a halt. Regardless of the business, freight is always on the move and companies will require more freight movers with time. Interestingly, The American Trucking Association estimated that almost 50,000 jobs go unfilled. With the fluctuation in the supply of truck drivers, there will always be the need for filling the gap.No matter which state you are in, truck drivers enjoy great job security. There are, in fact, there are many job opportunities that drivers can switch to.3) Added BenefitsSome companies offer benefits along with good pay. This is true for companies that deal with hazardous content. They offer health benefits lik e medical insurance, vision insurance, and even accidental coverage insurance. Sometimes, you can even find opportunities with paid vacation benefits and retirement plans.These measures are taken to retain maximum truck drivers with great skills.4) Get Paid for TravelingThe change of scenery is a great benefit for people who enjoy driving and visiting new places. While you will move to work, this is a great way to travel around the country and also get paid for it. Since the job also allows a certain level of freedom to the drivers, a truck driving career is a great way to see new places and try out new things.5) More FlexibilityMany trucking companies offer a flexible driving schedule to truck drivers. They are given the opportunity to pick the hauls they would like to cover. They also get a chance to decide between cross-region runs, long-distance runs, and local runs.ConclusionIf you are giving serious thought to your career and wish to put it on the fast lane where you can enjoy what you do and earn good money for it, it’s time to make the change.Since the profession offers great compensation and benefits, becoming a truck driver is a great move for your career in the long run!

Summary Sunday Overcoming Your Job Search Woes

Summary Sunday Overcoming Your Job Search Woes Get help overcoming your job search woes! Job search isnt easy. It takes planning, persistence and a lot more. This collection of articles will help arm you with ideas you can begin trying immediately!   I hope you find some answers! JOB SEARCH 5 Signs Its Time to Crack Down and Start Taking Your Job Search More Seriously by Jenny Foss | The Muse These are 5 simple things you can do to turn your job search around- starting today! Because, as Jenny says, and you well know The job search is arduous. Frustrating. Overwhelming. Befuddling. Staying On-Track and Optimistic in Your Job Search by Jeff Lipschultz | Job-Hunt.org Im pretty sure youre familiar with one of the four scenarios outlined in this article. Learn how to overcome them and be a savvier job hunter! LEADERSHIP The 3 Most Important Skills You Need to “Future-Proof” Your Career by Chrissy Scivicque | Ivy Exec Artificial intelligence, robots, and other technology just cant compete with these three things. If you develop these, youre well on your way to holding a valued spot in any organization! What are they? Go have a look! INTERVIEWING Probing for Pain Points in an Interview by Marc Miller | Career Pivot Asking open-ended questions will help you identify issues or areas a company needs help with. And this information will give you an opportunity to talk about how you can help fix these things! HOLIDAY JOB HUNTING New Year, New Job. 101 Top Tips from Job-Hunt Experts for Your Holiday Job Search by Job-Hunt.org Check out this eBook featuring tons of tips and advice to help you with your job hunt during the holidays! As always, if you found any of these articles helpful, please share!

Legal Resume Advice in Writing

Legal Resume Advice in WritingWith the number of job applicants multiplying all the time, it is important that one should not rely on just anybody to give them legal resume advice in writing. There are times when one can resort to friends and colleagues for this purpose, but it should be noted that not all of them are actually experts. In such a case, seeking the counsel of a professional writer who specializes in this area will prove to be highly beneficial.The first step in getting legal resume advice in writing will be to search for these people on the Internet. The various websites that specialize in offering career guidance are likely to be your best bet. However, it is highly essential that you choose a reputable website. It should also include testimonials from previous clients.Before you get legal resume advice in writing, make sure that you are not being offered a very old resume that has been passed on since many years. This is because many employers nowadays prefer fresh r esumes with fresh content, to ensure a good impression.Try to determine whether the resume is not properly updated or if there are grammar or spelling errors. It is best to get some sort of assurance that the person providing legal resume advice in writing is not inexperienced in this field. One should never get very close to such issues.When it comes to the content of the resume, you should find one that can help you in enhancing your chances of being hired. Your goal is to build an impressive resume that will help you in getting employment. There are some tips that you should try to follow so that your resume is outstanding.First, create a resume that includes several different sections. This will help you highlight the different areas of your work that will make your resume outstanding. Once you have a resume that includes sections like education, experience, education and experience, your job application will stand out from the rest.Another key to getting legal resume advice in writing will be to provide the client with a resume that can stand out among the crowd. If you try to find a client that has been having difficulties in getting a job, it is imperative that you give them a resume that can help them get the desired job. For this reason, make sure that the resume is not limited in scope, nor is it too long.It is also essential that you make sure that the resume offers exactly what is required. There are times when employers do not like to read lengthy documents. Thus, a resume can be reduced to a few pages, and you should make sure that this is done. A legal resume advice in writing will help you tremendously in improving your chances of landing a good job.