10 Tips to Use Google+ for Your Job Search

10 Tips to Use Google+ for Your Job Search The social web is evolving with each passing day. Right from the day Google+  (a social network introduced by Google) was announced, people have been flocking to join in. Google Plus social network offers some really cool features, apart from bolstering user security. Not only businesses, even jobseekers can use this social network for job search. If you are ready to use Google Plus for job searching, given below are some of the most real tips you can use. #1. If you don’t have a profile on Google Plus, go create one. If you are there already, you need to optimize your profile. Optimizing your profile means filling out the details in a way that increases your visibility to employers. Include industry related keyword so you appear in relevant searches. #2. Use the Circles feature to connect with influential people. More importantly, add those people who are already employed in your target companies. Participate in their conversations to attract attention. #3. Use the Hangouts feature to take your efforts to the next level. You can use this feature to create job search clubs. Learn the basic rules and regulations of participating in hangouts. #4. Find opportunities to highlight your talents and skills. If you are really smart, you can easily grab the attention of companies or employers. It is also a good idea to ask questions related to the kind of job you are looking for. #5. Engage. When you genuinely engage on the Google Plus network, you will come across with many people regarding the hiring process. Companies might also want to interview you online. Therefore, it’s important that you know how to make the most of online interviewing. #6. Use Google Plus as your online portal. Google Plus also offers you the facility of linking to your profiles that you may have on other social platforms. Whether it’s a blog or your profile details, you can put the links in your Google Plus profile. #7. Build quality relationships. While you interact with people on this social network, focus on building relationships with professionals. By connecting with employers, recruiting companies and hiring managers, you will bring yourself multiple career benefits. #8. Build your professional brand. Like other social networking platforms, Google Plus also provides you an opportunity to build your personal brand. Whatever you do on this social network, enhance your professional image. See more at 10 Personal Branding Ideas for Google Plus. #9. Share your best content. Share interesting content with the people in your Circles. Whether you want to increase your knowledge on a certain topic or you are interested in a particular subject, you can use the Sparks (the content recommendation engine) feature for searching relevant content. #10. Keep it going. Sounds simple perhaps but to get real success, you have to follow all the above mentioned tips on a regular basis. Eve more about G+ at  Is Google Plus the Personal Branding Tool of the Future? James Tomerson writes regularly on career, education and latest job trends. To read more from him, you can visit Jobdiagnosis.com, which also offers jobseekers a free career aptitude test to choose a career which is in tune with their career, aptitude and skills.

Tips for Acing Your Phone Interview

Tips for Acing Your Phone Interview This Ms Career Girl classic was originally published in 2012.   Still full of great tips, check it out! In todays competitive job market, its important to make the best of every opportunity. Though preparing for a phone interview may not be as involved as preparing for an in-person meeting, you should still do what you can to ensure that the interview goes smoothly. Below are some tips you can use to improve your chances of moving from the phone interview to the office chair. Understand the Purpose Before you can ace the phone interview, you need to understand why it exists. Employers use phone interviews to determine which candidates will qualify for the next step in the application process: the in-person interview. Conference calls and video chats are also becoming a popular method of screening candidates. If you dont impress the employer during the phone interview, dont expect a second chance. In most cases, employers are looking for communication skills and enthusiasm, so make sure that you exhibit both. Rehearse Though it may seem silly at first, one of the best ways to prepare for a phone interview is to practice. Think about the type of questions the potential employer will ask, and craft a response to each one. Develop several questions that you can ask the interviewer in order to demonstrate your enthusiasm for the position. Feel free to create a cheat sheet to use during the interview, but dont use it as anything more than a guide. If you read directly from the paper, the interviewer will notice. Find a Quiet Place Even though you may be participating in a telephone interview from your home, you still need to behave as a professional. Take the call in a room with no distractions or noise. If you have children or pets, make sure they wont interrupt you while you are on the phone. Pay Attention to Your Voice Because a telephone interviewer cant see your facial expression or gestures, he will pay attention to your speech all the more. Dont chew gum or eat anything during the interview, and speak with confidence to ensure that the interviewer can understand you. If you have a shaky or quiet voice, stand up during the interview to add strength to your voice. It also helps to smile when you are speaking. Even though the interviewer cant see you, the smile will come through in your tone. Be an Active Listener Telephone interviewers cant make eye contact with you or see whether you are paying attention when they talk. Ensure your interviewer that you are listening carefully by repeating portions of his questions back in your answers. Though you should never talk over an interviewer, dont stay too silent either. If you need time to think about something or take a note, let the interviewer know what youre doing. Dead air with no explanation wont impress a potential employer. Employers today are often flooded with applicants, and the phone interview is becoming a much more common method of sorting through them. By staying focused and following these tips, you can improve your interview performance and increase the likelihood of a follow-up meeting.  Would you add anything to this list? How do you approach phone interviews?

Silence How to Get Fired, Ruin Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Silence How to Get Fired, Ruin Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Want the perfect summary of what will get you fired and ruin your personal brand? Penny Pritzker, who is currently the US Secretary of Commerce and a former executive at her family’s Hyatt Hotel empire provides this excellent sound bite in the New York Times Corner Office column by Adam Bryant. If you want to get fired, here’s what you need to do: first lie, cheat or steal. But the other thing that will get you fired is if you have a problem and keep it to yourself. That thing about knowing there’s a problem but not telling your boss? That’s the real killer of your personal brand and likely your employment. In case you haven’t been told: as soon as you know there’s a problem with making a deadline, getting people to comply with the rules of a program or anything else you can imagine impacts the company in any way: tell your superior. Don’t grumble. Don’t ignore it. Don’t destroy your personal brand by letting it go. Whether its a problem you are having or whether it’s a problem you see someone else having or creating: speak up. Pronto. When we discover you knew something was wrong before we did? And you did nothing to alert us?   Guess who pays the price in terms of reputation, and perhaps your employment? You. That’s who. Here’s why. All you really have in business is your performance. And the number one attribute of that performance is whether you are a completely trustworthy team player. Nothing matters more to your personal brand than trust. Ask yourself. Do you tell the truth before we have to wring it out of you? Before we have to guess what’s wrong? Before the big story rolls out over time and you only told us a tiny piece of it? Your ability to rapidly and responsibly report a machine malfunction, an email that went out to the wrong person, another employee violating a company policy â€" is such a clear and simple test of who you are, that it’s dumbfounding when you fail to do the right thing. That’s the single most important thing about you: doing the right thing. Surprised? It isn’t the number of clients you bring in. It isn’t the amount of code you write. It isn’t how many tweets you get out. Your personal brand has to embrace the belief that you are accountable for looking out for your company’s best interests. Your personal brand is built on your showing that you know what’s building or destroying the organization that employs you. It’s the quality of your response when things going wrong that is the litmus test of your value as an employee, consultant, contractor or freelancer. That’s what you put into jeopardy when you hold out information your boss should know. Are you having a moral crisis or perhaps just an ethics question about what you should or shouldn’t tell management? Email me. I will help you decide the right course of action. Email: Nance@NanceRosen.com. Subject line: Right Thing.

Holidays and Your Personal Brand The Gift of You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Holidays and Your Personal Brand The Gift of You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The season for holiday parties has only just begun. From now until the beginning of January, invitations for galas and soirees across town will be doled out, inviting everyone to celebrate a break from work with alcohol and delicious hors doeuvres. While it might be tempting to arrive to each with a stack of business cards and memorized sales pitch, the type of networking at these events is far different. Should you approach like a business luncheon, you can expect to see fewer invitations next year. Holiday Happiness Even with holiday stress, the overall mood is that of joy and thanksgiving. Employees and bosses are expected to set aside the business in order to celebrate what it achieved this year and what it hopes to in the coming year. Only during this time do people put to rest their responsibilities to enjoy life and connect with others. This is the exact reason why you should never attend these parties with the intent to sell. All year long these individuals have focused on business. During the one time they are virtually required to not think about it, the last thing they want to run into is business. A New Focus Where does this leave you, a person desperate to grow their network? It leaves you in one of the most comfortable positions. You dont have to worry about a sales pitch. You dont have to worry about handing around business cards. The only thing that should be on your mind is selling yourself through engaging conversation, attentive listening and a real enjoyment of the current festivities. If that kind of gathering stresses you out, youre not alone. Alcohol always flows at these get togethers because a lot of other people are uncomfortable as well and need something to help them warm up to the crowd. While you might not think this kind of networking is beneficial to your goals, you are entirely undervaluing the strength of bonds that form in a more personal situation. Shared experiences connect people. This is how friends and family remain close after years of separation. In addition, the focus on something other than work means you and coworkers can find even more commonalities to strengthen whatever ties you share. Simply put, holiday parties are the perfect places for you to establish a simple connection that opens up the doors to future contact once work starts up again. Keeping it Civil Though its definitely a good idea to get to know your fellow workers on a more personal level at these parties, its also extremely important to know what not to talk about. Touchy subjects like politics, religion and other hot-button conversation pieces will only serve to infuriate some while isolate others. You dont want this. You want to make yourself approachable. Also, know your limit. Alcohol will be free-flowing and tempting to take full advantage of. Do not become that person of the party. You want to be remembered for your wit or your charm, not for how embarrassingly you acted because you couldnt control yourself in a public situation. Acting in such an irresponsible manner will only ruin your chances to network in the future. Break Away We all naturally gravitate toward our cliques â€" groups we are familiar and comfortable with, groups that we have shared experiences with. If you ever hope to expand your horizons at such an event, you have to forcefully pull yourself away and go meet new people. It can be scary but the holidays usually bring out the best in everyone, making even complete strangers more receptive to new conversation. If youre unsure how to do this, simply pick someone out and approach them with a smile and a question they have to answer. By prompting them, youve taken away the hardest part of starting a new conversation, making the person in question more receptive to continuing with an answer. As for where to find these new people, the rule of thumb is to stay near the food table or the bar. These two locations are the only places people will end up returning to time and again throughout the course of the evening. They are the perfect places to connect, meet new people, listen to stories and deepen your relationship with the 18 people you need to know.

Knoxville Resume Writing

Knoxville Resume WritingIf you're looking for an excellent resource for Knoxville resume writing, then you've probably already stumbled upon my blog. This is the blog I use to gather ideas, share resources, and give advice. So why is this resource so valuable?The reason that I started this blog is because I love to read about people who have found their dream job as a realtor, CPA, REALTOR, investor, or real estate agent. I was always fascinated by how quickly these dream jobs come to people when they search for them on job search engines, or even just by word of mouth.It turns out that there are so many people searching for something they are passionate about that they find the best people and companies to work with and can pick the right clients. For instance, if you have written a book about green homes, I bet you already know that there are literally hundreds of thousands of people looking for someone to sell their homes. They won't find that in their local Yellow Pages or on Cra igslist.When it comes to Knoxville resume writing, I've done my best to help the many people who have contacted me with their resumes. I started this site because I know that if I can get someone to take the time to find me, I can get them to learn more about what I do. And the key to that is by making sure they have access to the correct information.What I mean by that is that it's not enough for me to put all the information in a list of bullet points. That wouldn't be very efficient, nor does it give people enough information to allow them to see exactly where they want to go with their careers. Instead, I want to make sure they understand that they have to click through to the next page to find out more.I also understand that when someone looks for a job in a beautiful city like Austin, they are going to search a lot more than someone who has landed a job in a cold city like Pittsburgh. Because of that, it's important for me to provide informative, engaging articles and resource s to my readers, who share my passion.Then again, I would be lying if I said that I didn't try to find other resources that are available to people in the real estate field, but haven't found yet. The key is for me to stay current with all the latest information so that I can let people know about the benefits of becoming a realtor, or any other career path they may be interested in.In closing, if you are looking for a resource for Knoxville resume writing, then you have arrived at the right place. I hope you find what you're looking for!

Interview Tip Dont forget hygiene (plus a special contest inside)

Interview Tip Dont forget hygiene (plus a special contest inside) 5 Flares 5 Flares (Towards the bottom of this post youll find details for a contest, prizes included) Winners Announced at the bottom! Basic hygiene means taking showers daily, coating our underarms with  deodorant, and spraying nice smelling cologne or perfume on our body (even if you are still using Cool Water).    Keeping oneself well groomed, with freshly brushed teeth and neat finger nails are other obvious learned dutys.  Our entire lives we make it a habit to take care of basic hygiene, and Id like to thank (most of) humanity for doing a pretty damn good job, however, through my career adventures Ive been forced into conversations with those who needed a quick hygiene reminder.  Awkward?  Just call me Larry David. Im going to have to ask you to take a shower I know Im not alone, plenty of others in the recruiting industry have started off a conversation with similar words.  For me, these talks came mostly when I was working in a staffing agency, supplying out IT contractors to my clients.  Client managers would send messages like: Jim works hard, has strong technical knowledge, and works well with customers, but people here have complained about the way he smells. Id also receive similar comments after certain candidates completed an interview.  You have the job, but you need to shower more often.  Theres no way to beat around the bush when completing a hygiene prep-talk.  You need to nip it straight in the bud, and hope the other person accepts the truth.  Luckily, the last couple years I have been free of communicating any sort of hygiene reminder. The point of this is just to serve as a reminder to everyone to watch your hygiene.  Its just as important as the way you dress for an interview and can cost you the job. Contest Time Welcome to the first contest on CornOnTheJob!  Rules for participation: Send in a comment below regarding a work related hygiene issue. Dont mention the name of your target.  No need to be specific.  Your target might even be YOU, if thats the case just make up a name. The contest will run until Tuesday, October 26th at 12 PM.  At that time I will put all of the names in a hat and pick our winner! Prizes: First Place A brand new stick of Axe deodorant, and 2 CornOnTheJob magnets!!  Bling Bling! Runner-up 2 CornOnTheJob magnets! * Please note that I will pay for shipping.  This is serious people.  Very, very serious. Winners Runner Up Sabera 1st Place and Champion Andrew Thanks to everyone that participated.  Your comments were hilarious, disgusting, and brilliant.  Please keep an eye out for future contests, and your chance to win more incredible prizes!

Three Life-Affirming Steps To Take When Youre Traumatized By Events Around You - Kathy Caprino

Three Life-Affirming Steps To Take When You’re Traumatized By Events Around You Yesterday, I and several inspiring colleagues of mine who are in the helping, healing and business arenas held an open, online Healing Together call, with the sole intent of offering a much-needed chance for anyone who may be struggling with the events of this week and this year to come together, share authentically and openly, and find a place of respect, care and empathy to express themselves without fear, and process their feelings, and begin to heal. The amazing women who joined me â€" Cheryl Hunter, Neha Sangwan, Angie Ruan and Mo Faul â€" all work to empower and uplift women and to support humanity in important ways. And each of us has been challenged in our own, unique way by recent events and experiences. In listening to these sage and empowered women talk about how they cope with deep challenge and trauma, and in formulating my own ideas about how we can best marshal all our internal resources and our strength, hope, faith and courage in challenges times and hearing the beautiful, riveting comments from attendees I learned so much about what severs and destroys love, connection, strength and positivity,  and also, what restores it. Below are three strategies Id like to share and  I hope are helpful, about how we can reconnect to our spiritual and emotional centers again, and engage all our capabilities, courage, faith and love to heal and empower ourselves through difficult times. Reconnect to yourself through your physical being and your breath So often, in challenging times, we become deeply fearful, and our feelings of extreme vulnerability, confusion and disconnection wreak havoc on our bodies, minds and spirits. It’s so important in these times especially, to, every day, get in deeper touch with yourself â€" physically, emotionally and spirituallyâ€"to ground yourself and reconnect to your heart, soul and to our inner guidance, capabilities, strengths and love.  In this way, youre continually reminded of how powerful you really are, and your personal accountability and sense of self can grow.. Dr. Neha Sangwan shares exactly how we can do this, in my podcast with Mo Faul,  Best Work/Best Life.  Listen in  here for a powerful interview with Neha that helps us all reconnect to what we’re feeling and experiencing, so we can begin to heal. Move away from the blame and hate place Throughout my 15 years of personal transformation and reinvention since leaving corporate life after 9/11, I’ve learned a great deal about how I personally operate â€" including the knee-jerk reactions I have to life and to challenge. I’ve observed in my own reactions that when I’m deeply upset, angry and anxious, I go immediately to the blame place. I look for someone to yell at and blame so I can feel better and not deal with the messy, painful process of identifying exactly what is making me so upset and afraid, and working through it, and being accountable for it. I try to shortcut the pain by making someone else the problem. Sadly, this is a futile exercise, and in fact, a self-damaging and corrosive one.  Discharging our anxiety is not dealing with it, not taking accountability for it and addressing it in a strong, empowered way.   And deal with it we must, if we want to move to the process of healing and growth, and become the person we long to be. Also, taking responsibility for our part of it â€" understanding the meaning we’re attaching to events and things and seeing exactly what that meaning and story is catalyzing in our own minds â€" is essential if we ever want to achieve any sense of balance, peace and self-control. As renowned social researcher and vulnerability expert Brené Brown has said, “Blame has an inverse relationship with accountability.” In other words, people who chronically go to the blame place seldom have the tenacity and grit to actually hold themselves accountable for what theyre feeling and doing. Cheryl Hunter, a resilience expert and national news commentator shares so much wisdom and guidance about how to become resilient after trauma. After being brutally attacked by three criminals while traveling in a foreign country in her teens, and learning how to survive and thrive after this unbearable experience, Cheryl has so much wisdom and beautiful guidance to offer us. Angie Ruan, technology leader and empowerment of women in the tech field, shares her amazing personal story of coming from China to the U.S., and how rising up in the tech world has taught her so much about whats required to ovecome gender bias and discrimination, and lead powerfully. Listen to her amazing story here. Finally, Mo Faul shares about her journey with cancer, and how her dark times with disease have changed who she is. Brave up: Become more of who you really are   Numbers of people on the call yesterday shared how scared they were about they own situations, and that of their loved ones, children and family members. They revealed their deep anxieties and fears about where our world is going in terms of how dominant culture and society treats members of minority and marginalized groups and cultures. We talked about what it feels like â€" for women, blacks, and members of the LGBTQ community, for example â€" to feel demeaned, disrespected, ignored, put down, or worse â€" overtly and criminally punished and discriminated against. As a woman and a professional who has lived through numerous experiences of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in my 56 years, I know what this feels like. And I know how damaging, infuriating and overwhelming it is to be pushed aside by a fellow human being, and kicked to the curb like garbage. It’s crushing and it strips us of our faith in good and in humanity. And it makes us feel helpless. But I’d offer this: we can stay in this place of disenfranchisement, alienation and victimization, or we can do something powerful about it. In my TEDx talk “Time to Brave Up” this month for TEDxCentennialParkWomen (link coming soon!), I shared about what I’ve found to be three essential ways we all need to Brave Up:  See Bravely, Speak Bravely and Shine Bravely. Each and every one of us needs to muster more power, courage and internal commitment and resolve to rise up, speak up and stand up BOLDLY for ourselves and for others. And in doing so, we will all transform our lives, and the world. I dont just think this I know it, because Ive personally moved away from victimhood and so have thousands of women Ive worked with. And their lives have been transformed. What can you do today? Don’t take abuse or discrimination lying down. Speak up and take a stand.  Get empowered outside support, join together, address the issues with accountability, strength and clarity. Let’s all become more accountable and stop blaming others for what’s happening around us that we cannot tolerate. I’ve found that it is exactly in this rising up, standing up and speaking up for ourselves, in small ways at first, then in much bigger ways, that people have created new life experiences, away from victimization to experiencing more and more empowerment, confidence, impact, growth and accountability and that changes the world. To build a more empowered life and career, work with me, take my Amazing Career Project video training, and read by book Breakdown, Breakthrough. And if youre longing for a powerful meditative guide to overcoming challenge, check out my Breakdown, Breakthrough 2-part Meditative companion.