Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom How to Tell if a Planned Initiative is Strategic

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom How to Tell if a Planned Initiative is Strategic As I mentioned earlier in the week, I recently attended a great SHRM session from Elizabeth Ruske and Betsy Sobiech of Tiara Coaching that covered how to use ROI to make your case for a new program (link to April post). An important aspect of this is ensuring that your proposed initiative is strategic in the first place. Here are some questions to consider in that vein. What Makes a Program Strategic? The mission of the program is well-aligned with the mission of the business The program fits in well with the business’ future plans for growth The program touches multiple parts of the business The program addresses a critical business, employee, or customer need What Business Concerns Might Your Program Address? Using the example of women’s leadership described in Part I of this post, these might include percent of female employees, percent of engagement of female employees, percent of women in leadership roles, percent of female employees staying, # of women in succession plans, external recognition of the company, percent of talented women applying for jobs, and the percent of clients who are women. Does Your Program Meet Some or All of the “6 Ps”? Purpose: The business’ overall mission and purpose are advanced by the program. Example: “We aim to be the most cutting-edge provider in our industry, and diversity of thought is essential for innovation.” Profit: The company’s bottom line is advanced by the program. Example: “We will save millions every year if we can retain female middle managers we typically lose after a short tenure.” Check out the full post at the SilkRoad blog for more!

Job Interviewing is a Two-Way Street - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Job Interviewing is a Two-Way Street - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Often when job interviewing you focus on getting across your qualifications in technical expertise. From talking with hundreds of executives actually doing the interviewing, this is what they tell me they are really interested in: -Is he lazy? -Does she have common sense? -Does he have fire in the belly? -Is she qualified? -Is he lying? -Will she fit in? -Will he embarrass me? While they are trying to figure that out about you, you should be trying to figure out about the company and the job: -Is the company worth joining? -Do they have good products or services? -Do they have workable plans for the future? -Will I have a qualified, competent boss? -Will they support my growth and development? -Will they reward my efforts? -Will I be proud to work for them? When you get home from the interview, debrief yourself on what you learned and what you still need to find out. And ask yourself: Did people laugh and kid during your interview? Did people seem to like each other? Was there an air of secrecy or openness? Was anyone happily working late? Remember, you are there to check them out as much as you let them check you out.

5-Steps for Creating a Social Media Marketing Campaign for Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

5-Steps for Creating a Social Media Marketing Campaign for Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I’m a huge planner. I plan out just about everything in advance. You should see my whiteboardâ€"full of to-dos for the day. If my day requires planning, so too should your personal brand. Set goals for your social media marketing campaign We all know the Internet is a great place to build your personal brand, and social media is a tool you should effectively harness. First things first with any campaignâ€"you need to set goals. I’m reading this great book, The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web by Tamar Weinberg, which suggests the SMART method of setting goals: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Specific: Clearly define what you need to do. Your objectives should be specific so that you will know exactly how (and if) you’ve achieved your goal. Measurable: You can’t manage something that you can’t measure, and you should establish concrete criteria for measurement. You can establish a benchmark for your desired goal and aim to achieve it over time. Attainable: Your goals may be lofty, but they should also be attainable. As part of setting attainable goals, you need to have a firm belief that you personally can achieve the goal. Realistic: Can you establish these goals with the resources at your disposal? Not all attainable goals are realistic. Realistic goals look at what’s available to you today, whereas attainable goals look at what might be possible. Timely: Give yourself a specific milestone date. Research your social community What audience(s) are you trying to reach with your messages? Where do they hang out online? If they are there, you should be, too. Select your brand ambassadors Who are the people in your personal and professional lives that will spread the good word about you every chance they get? References and referrals are super powerfulâ€"don’t underestimate their importance! Manage your reputation Set up Google Alerts for your name so you know how you’re being discussed online. It might be painful sometimes to see negative results, but if you can find them, so too can others. If you come across negative information about you and your brand, try to make contact with the initiator and work things out diplomatically. If the problem cannot be resolved, make sure you are proactively pushing out positive content so the negative content will appear lower in search engine rankings. Establish yourself as a thought leader The easiest way to do this? Start a blog. Select a narrow niche about which you are extremely passionate, determine the number of posts you will publish each week, create an editorial calendar for the first 90 days, and write and publish at least 10 posts before promoting your blog to the world. What would you add to this list? What does your personal brand’s social media marketing look like? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder president of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. She is also the national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

10 Things Job Hunting and the X Factor Have in Common

10 Things Job Hunting and the X Factor Have in Common Not a fan of the X Factor?  I dont believe you! Its the most addictive program on TV and it turns out that public humiliation can be pretty funny when its not happening to you. Harsh but true. Im just kidding of course, but you sure do see some interesting auditions in the early stages of the show! Come to think about it, there are many similarities between the X Factor audition process and the job search experience. You start off as a single applicant among a hoard of others and just hope with all your heart that it works out for you this time round. Throw in a few awkward moments and disappointing rejections and theyre pretty much the same thing. To prove my point, here are a few things that the two have in common: 1) The vast competition Tens of thousands of people audition for the X Factor each year hoping that it will be their big break. Unfortunately, when you start out on your job hunt, you are in a similar position. Chances are that for every role you go for you are going to have to go up against others and prove yourself as the strongest candidate. 2) Round 1round 2round 3. The X Factor is far from a speedy process. Starting with an audition with the producers, followed by the  first audition in front of the judges, followed by boot camp, followed by judges houses.and finally the live shows. No wonder X Factor contestants  talk so much about the journey they have been on throughout the show, its taken them the best part of a year by the time it comes to a close! Frustratingly, the interview process can become pretty dragged out too, depending on the size of the organisation and number of applicants. For a large company you should expect more than one round of interviews, so buckle up, youre in for a long ride! 3) The suspense Youve just had your audition/interview; welcome to the waiting game. Whether you feel like it went well or not, awaiting your fate can be a pretty daunting time. No doubt youll be replaying  every word that left your mouth over and over again in your head, scrutinising each moment in great detail. At least on the X Factor they generally find out if theyve been successful pretty soon after the audition;  however waiting for an employer to get back to you after an interview can sometimes take weeks! 4) An emotional rollercoaster A mixture of nerves, excitement, terror and tenacity mean that you dont know whether to laugh or cry. One minute youve been issued the good news that youve been called for a second interview/through to the next round of auditions and the next it hits you that youve got to put yourself through another petrifying ordeal in the imminent future. 5) Forgotten words Its painful viewing when an X Factor contestant forgets their words mid performance. Youve got to feel for them though, as the best part of us can probably relate to it to some extent. Whether you have a complete mind blank and cant remember what you wanted to tell your interviewer, or nerves get the better of you and you suddenly develop a stammer 10 minutes in,  sometimes our brains and mouths dont sync up quite as well as wed hoped. 6) Critical judgment On the X Factor, contestants will go all out to impress the judges and receiving negative feedback must be gut wrenching for them. During a job interview you must also do your best to ensure that you make a good impression on your interviewer. They may seem like a nice person, but remember that youre there in order for them to critically assess whether you are suitable for the role, so they will be judging your every word. No pressure! 7) Poor wardrobe  decisions Creating  a happy medium between presenting yourself smartly and showing  a bit of personality isnt always easy to get right. 8) Rivalry Its a dog eat dog world out there. Sure your rivals are great on a personal level, but they are your competition standing in between you and your dream, so for the time being they are your arch nemesis. 9) Rejection Unfortunately rejection is a large part of both experiences. After all, only one person can get the job/prize at the end of the day. Though you know that competition is tough and you tried your best, it never seems to weaken the blow of a rejection. 10) A scary boss Successful? Congratulations! Now meet your terrifying new boss

How to Write a Cover Sheet For Resume

How to Write a Cover Sheet For ResumeWhen people are applying for a job they know that they are not the only applicant for the job and therefore, they need to have a cover sheet for resume. A resume cover sheet is a brief statement that tells the hiring manager what you have done in the past to stand out among all the other candidates.There are two things that you should consider when writing your cover sheet for resume. The first thing that you need to do is consider the general form of the cover sheet. This will help you narrow down the things that you want to say.The second thing that you need to consider when writing your cover sheet for resume is the type of information that you want to include in your cover sheet. If you are not good at this, then you may want to consider someone else to help you write it. You should have someone who can tell you about the job that you are applying for and also the position that you are applying for.The main purpose of a cover sheet for resume is to serve as an introduction to you and what you do. You want to begin by describing your experience in the position that you are applying for. This will give the hiring manager a good idea of what you are all about. Also, when you say what you do and why you should be hired, you will begin to get noticed and will set yourself apart from the other applicants.Now that you know the purpose of a cover sheet for resume, you need to think about the format of the cover sheet. The format should be simple and make it easy for the hiring manager to read.A cover sheet for resume should be one page, very easily readable. At the top, you should put your name, your title, and your present job. Then you need to include your contact information. When it comes to the purpose of a cover sheet for resume, it is the introduction that will serve as the purpose of the cover sheet. So, if you are applying for a promotion, you may want to do a short summary of what you have accomplished for the company. The cover sheet should also be clear and to the point.Your cover sheet for resume should tell the hiring manager all of the ways that you can be helpful to them. It should also describe what the employer is looking for. You can use your resume cover sheet to help show potential employers what you have done and why you should be hired.

A Career in the Cloud Backup Industry - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

A Career in the Cloud Backup Industry Many companies are constantly trying to control the growing amount of business data generated daily. Without this data, there is no business. Modern dependable systems such as cloud backup systems have become a staple in the corporate sector. Equally, there are is a great need for skilled minds to create, operate, maintain and upgrade these systems. If you are looking for a career in the cloud backup industry, you could not have picked a better time to join. Some of the departments that you can build your career in include: Software engineer Software engineers are part of the creation process for most cloud back up software. They come up with the structural designs of these applications such as development of user interfaces and model view controller architecture. Software engineers work with other professionals such as operations and sales in order to create designs that meet expectations and demand. In order to become a software engineer, you need an education background in software engineering, computer science, and programming and computer information systems, among other related courses of study. Software quality engineer Software quality engineers are the professionals that make sure the products work perfectly before releasing them out to the customers. Software quality engineers are essential to the production process and they are extremely detail oriented to make sure they cover every imaginable aspect of the application before any client gets their hands on it. In order to become a software quality engineer, you need a degree that gives you a broad understanding of computer systems and software. Business development executive Applications such as Cloud Backup Robot require a business development executive to grow the brand. The Cloud Backup Robot is a well-established and relatively known brand that provides backup services for businesses of various sizes. The business development executive is the individual who makes sure that these products develop both internally and in terms of utilization by the public. To become a business development executive, you need some background in sales and business management with IT literacy and strong communication skills. Accounts executive You can still tap into the cloud back up industry even when you do not have a background in computer science or information technology. Having good sale skills is crucial to introducing more clients to cloud backup systems. There are still many businesses out there that are not satisfied with their current backup systems or have none at all. Accounts executives are the professionals charged with the roles of identifying new customers and working closely with existing customers. Software developers Software developers are the creative minds behind the inception of cloud backup systems. These individuals come up with the ideas and the conceptual designs for the software. Some software developers may also be involved in developing underlying systems that run the software. Software engineers work very closely with software developers during the creation process. They share much of the same in educational background and an additional internship in a software development company can help sharpen personal skills.

Job Qualification Facts or Fantasy

Job Qualification Facts or Fantasy Job Qualification Facts or Fantasy Job qualification is important. Heres why: Recently, I was working with a client who had designs on getting into digital marketing as a career field. This person is obviously a go-getter, and has an exceptionally bright future ahead. However, this person’s current background is only in retail sales in a sporting goods store. After they sent over several job targets to me, I had to break the news that they didnt even have any single job qualification. This was something they wanted to do, but had no skills in doing. Reading job postings and understanding what an employer is really after is a skill that everyone needs to learn. If you don’t evaluate each job qualification  and align it to something you offer, then you’ll be spending your energy on a wild goose chase with no end in sight. Do it correctly, and you create a magical match between what an employer wants and what you offer. The key is to find a target job, analyze it to determine what core essential skills and competencies are being requested, and then ask yourself how your skills rate in relation to these requirements. Then decide if you have the job qualification or not. Let’s break down this sample, real-time employment opportunity to find out what a job qualification process looks like: Step 1: Select a target job. Let’s say for the purpose of this exercise, the applicant is looking for a marketing coordinator position. Here’s an original posting of a sample marketing coordinator job from Macslist.org: “We are looking for a Marketing Coordinator to join our growing team in the Portland, Oregon office. The  marketing team plans and implements all corporate marketing initiatives along with providing marketing services to a number of our clients. The Marketing Coordinator will lead a variety of B2B and B2C marketing initiatives and act as a contributing team member on others. We are seeking a highly collaborative and creative individual; a pro-active problem solver who can generate new ideas and improve on past performance. The ideal candidate will be comfortable working in a fast paced environment, excel at multi-tasking, and have a passion for the mission of our organization. Experience with leading edge marketing tools and techniques is a plus. The ideal candidate is a marketing generalist who loves to work across marketing disciplines. We are looking for someone who can expand and grow in this role, taking on increasing responsibility, and continually develop skills and marketi ng aptitude. The Marketing Coordinator reports directly to the Director of Marketing and is part of a team of 6 in various locations on the West Coast. Responsibilities: Develop, implement, and evaluate marketing communications campaigns. Work with the Creative Services team to design marketing materials. Create, deliver, edit, and optimize marketing materials. Track milestones and deadlines in an online project management tool (Skylight). Promote our company and our clients through social media including LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Write newsletter articles, press releases, web content, and direct mail pieces. Promote products and services through public relations initiatives. Create thought leadership materials. Plan and manage events for our company and clients. Work with manager and business units to manage expenses and track to a budget. Requirements: BA/BS in marketing or related field. 3-5 years developing and implementing marketing campaigns. Experience contributing content to social media platforms in a professional capacity is highly desirable. Strong writing experience with a sharp attention to detail. Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Google Apps. Ability to work within budget and deadline demands. Strong project management skills and ability to manage conflicting deadlines and priorities. Must be a team player and creative problem solver, with a passion for delivering excellent work products, exceeding client expectations, and going the extra mile. Passion for sustainability and the environment.” Step 2: Extract the core skill sets and competencies needed to do the job. In reading this posting, the skill sets that pop out include: corporate marketing initiatives marketing services B2B and B2C marketing problem solving new idea generation leading edge marketing tools different marketing disciplines marketing communications campaigns marketing materials design project management project tracking deadline management social media (LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook) newsletter articles press releases web content direct mail products and service promotion public relations thought leadership plan and manage events expense and budget tracking / management BA/BS in marketing or related field proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and Google Apps team player customer service Step 3: Cross-analyze what you offer versus these skill sets. As an applicant, you need to have that honest conversation with yourself about how well you need these criteria.   Ask yourself these questions: Can you perform, or have you had experience performing these types of skills? If so, how would you rate your competency level on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being expert level? Are you 100% qualified? Or only 20%? Can you cite specific examples of situations or accomplishments where you put those skills into practical application, and have a measurable outcome? Where do you think you rank in terms of other people competing for the same job opening? How much of a learning curve would you need for any skills that you don’t have? The purpose of these questions is to understand your candidacy from an employer’s perspective. Are you answering their specific call or solving their particular need? If so, are you able to do it 100% or just partially? It’s important to always be your own career advocate and stretch towards your goals, but there’s a fine line between fantasy and fact.   Being reality-based can help you reach your goals more quickly rather than spinning your wheels running after something for which you never had a chance.