How to Get Cracking on Your Personal Brand

How to Get Cracking on Your Personal Brand Unless you have lived in a cave for a couple of years, you have heard about it. Personal branding is basically promoting your own name in your field, or personal marketing if you will. Look around you and you will see people with great brands. Politicians are masters at personal branding (and pretty good at ruining their brands as well), they have been trained to nurture a positive image of themselves and to market it to the masses. You should do the same and your career will be better off. Your personal brand is not tied in to a job search, it certainly helps you find a new job but the main purpose of your brand is to market yourself passively. By having a very strong brand in your industry, you are likely to be promoted quicker, get a raise and get more recognition and appreciation from your peers. And your strong personal branding will be very useful for a potential a job change, regardless if you choose to jump ship or if you’re pushed. Call it an insurance policy if you like. Offline You have been working on your offline personal brand all your life. Your brand gets stronger by demonstrating qualities such as authenticity, honesty, gratitude, kindness, service, and generosity â€" all the traits associated with your favorite people. The way you look in terms of clothes and accessories, the way you speak and present yourself, how you interact with others, what activities and charities you involved in et cetera are all strong factors of your brand. You will probably have a decent idea of your own brand, sometimes there is a mismatch to what you think and what others think. The people around you will have an opinion of your personal brand already, ask them and they will tell you exactly what your offline brand is. The key here is to ask and not assume that you know the answer already. Your offline brand isn’t optional; it’s there alive and kicking. There is really nothing new here apart from perhaps the new buzz term itself, which is not going anywhere so you best get used to it. The interesting side to personal branding is really what is happening online. Online With the advent of the Internet, you can now beam your image to the world at the moderate price of free. All your offline qualities transfer nicely to the online world and if you haven’t already, now is the time to stake your cyber claim for your brand. I can think of countless examples from my days in recruitment when people realized they needed a new job for whatever reason and they didn’t have a resume, online profiles or even a presence. When you find yourself in that situation, you’ll have plenty on your mind already and you don’t want to start writing a resume or online bios from scratch. To avoid that stress, make sure you have the bare minimum and you will be prepared for any situation. What can you do online today? Here’s a checklist that you can go through: Need to haves: updated and winning resume standard cover letter that you can adapt good looking and effective profile well rehearsed elevator  pitch  to deliver at any time Nice to haves: online bio somewhere you can link to social media resume  uploaded and searchable employee friendly and searchable profiles on YouTube Extra credit: having an avatar personal blog or website your own Linkedin Group your own domain name moderating or owning a forum publishing articles or blog posts anything techie with your name on it Some people will have very few things from the lists, some will have a lot. Most will have bits here and there. The way you test your brand is to simply run a Google search on your name, just like a potential employer or customer is likely to do at some point. Are you happy with what they will see or is there room for improvement? Bottom line The benefits of your brand are many and there is no reason not to begin your campaign today. If you start working on your personal brand when you are in dire need of a new job, you will realize you are very late. Instead, be a good scout and be prepared with a strong personal brand now and it will be your parachute when you most need it. Is your personal brand prepared? Related: How To Boost Your Personal Brand with Social Media (Infographic). Image: Shutterstock

Writing a Resume For a Manageable Position

Writing a Resume For a Manageable PositionWriting a resume for a managerial position can be a tedious and arduous task, but it should not be considered a pain in the neck. All it takes is a little effort on your part to ensure that you hire the most suitable person for the job that you are seeking.As such, if you want to land that job, you need to present yourself to the prospective employer in the best possible light. There are many places that you can go in order to look for the ideal resume, but if you find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of information available to you, there is no reason why you cannot use the internet as your research tool. There are many websites that offer free samples of what it is like to create a good resume, and the writer's resource sites of the world have thousands of articles that can help you understand the basics of writing a resume for a managerial position.Most of these types of websites also provide an appropriate section on the application its elf. In this way, you will not only be able to see what is required, but you will also be able to see how to fill out each section as well. You may find that you already know the basic info, or you may be a little confused, but either way you should be able to fill out the form in a reasonable amount of time.The first thing that you need to do when creating a resume for a managerial position is to decide on the type of application that you would like to use. By making this decision, you will be more likely to be successful with the information that you choose to include on your resume. It is important to be able to present a cohesive overview of your job experience, education, skills, and previous employer so that it will stand out.Writing a good resume for a managerial position must be something that you take a lot of pride in. Your job does not end when you apply for the job; your job ends once you get the job. It is important that you always give your best work and to your employ er, you must be able to show them that you can be counted on to put in the necessary effort and to do the job efficiently.Once you have decided which type of format you would like to use, you can begin to browse through the different types of resumes that are available. If you are searching for a job in an accounting position, you can use a resume that is standard and meets the legal requirements for that position. If you are looking for a job in human resources, you can use a format that is slightly more colorful and includes things like some accomplishments that can give you some credibility with your new employer.Writing a resume for a managerial position can also include the type of resume that you are going to use for the other jobs that you are seeking as well. If you are seeking a sales position, you may want to include a summary of your sales experience, as well as a list of contacts that you have had in the past. On the other hand, if you are seeking a management position, you may want to include specific details on your previous positions as well as any other work experience that you may have had in order to provide evidence that you can meet the demands of your new position.As you can see, there are many ways that you can choose from when you are creating a resume for a managerial position. Whether you are writing one for a standard position or a much more detailed resume for a job that requires multiple interviews and screening before being hired, you should be sure that the information that you choose to include is all relevant and accurate, and that you try to be as brief as possible.

Introduction to Advertising A Review University of Manchester Careers Blog

Introduction to Advertising A Review University of Manchester Careers Blog We had a fantastic Introduction to Advertising presentation last week by Vicky and Jay from Ogilvy. Both are recent graduates and their perspective on applications, getting started and tips for success were invaluable. If you attended we hope you found it as interesting as we did. I was planning to write a brief blog post to summarise some key points but Catherine, a current 3rd year student and Media Club regular has done a better job than I could! You can read Catherine’s post here You can also take a look at Sophie’s recent post on her views as a recent graduate wanting to get started in advertising and marketing. Find Sophies blog post here. Finally, Vicky and Jay left us a really useful list of books, blogs, articles and other resources that will make interesting reading for anyone exploring advertising and marketing as a career option. You can find this list in the Careers Resource Centre (Ground floor, Crawford House) in the Advertising, Marketing and PR’ section (alongside Campaign as mentioned in Catherine’s blog) All Media media

7 Books That Celebrate the Successes of Women

7 Books That Celebrate the Successes of Women It’s no secret that women do remarkable things every day. Whether it’s building a thriving career, inspiring others or overcoming a tumultuous incident, the power of women is alive and well. As you celebrate the season this year, remember to celebrate the successes of women who set positive role models for all of us? In celebration of amazing women, weve highlighted these seven books that will uplift and inspire you to go after the life you truly want.   Perfect gift ideas for all the women on your gift list! Make Your Moment: The Savvy Woman’s Communication Playbook for Getting the Success You Want by Dion Lim ABC News anchor Dion Lim had to fight for her spot in the male-dominated world of TV news. As an Asian-American woman, Dion had to fight harder than most and employed her best communication techniques to solidify her place in the industry. In Make Your Moment, Lim clues other women into the practices that put you in control of your career and life. With personal anecdotes and plenty of useful advice, this new book sets women on a pathway to success in the business world. Moving Forward: A Story of Hope, Hard Work, and the Promise of America by Karine Jean-Pierre Stories about young political activists are abundant but Karine Jean-Pierre’s story is different from the rest. In Moving Forward, she inspires readers to make a real impact in their communities. Unsatisfied with the idea that politics is a closed system, Karine found her own path to success within the world of politics. Sharing her story of how she got involved and how others can too, she calls upon political-minded individuals to stand up and act on the issues they find most important. Just A Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious by Lucinda Jackson Lucinda Jackson always dreamed of making a name for herself in the male-dominated science world. But breaking into a prosperous career in the 1950s proved to be harder than she expectedâ€"a trend that would continue through the early 2000s as well. While she faced plenty of trying times, she learned to believe in herself and become the successful role model other aspiring female scientists need. In Just A Girl Jackson tells her own story and points out the issues women have faced over the last seven decades in the science community. Small Doses by Amanda Seales Paving her own way to success, actress, comedian and writer Amanda Seales knows what it’s like to go after your dreams. In her debut book Small Doses, Seales shares stories of her own experiences, essays on our current culture and other axioms to bring forward a vision of what the modern woman looks like and how they can achieve their goals. Told with humor and plenty of honesty, this self-help book from Amanda Seales celebrates both the big and small achievements of women. Headstrong: Surviving a Traumatic Brain Injury by JoAnne Silver Jones When JoAnne Silver Jones was attacked by a stranger with a hammer, she walked away with a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI), fractured hands and PTSD. After the incident, Jones had no choice but to learn how to live life with TBI and the everyday challenges it brings with it. Telling her story, she details her recovery, the violence in our world and the support system that got her through the darkest time in her life. Uncanny Valley: A Memoir by Anna Wiener When the tech industry took off, Anna Wiener left her publishing job in New York to move to San Francisco and begin a new career at a big-data startup. Suddenly Wiener was thrown into a crazy industry of extravagance, success and entrepreneurs on a mission to take over the world. Wiener gives readers an inside look into the first few years of the expansive startup culture in Silicon Valley and how she found a way to succeed amidst the chaos. Conversations with RBG: Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Life, Love, Liberty, and Law by Jeffrey Rosen Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a force to be reckoned with and inspiration to women everywhere. In Conversations with RBG, author and president of the National Constitution Center, Jeffrey Rosen, sits down with the legendary Justice Ginsburg to gain insight into her life, career and thoughts on our current world. With commentary on Roe v. Wade,   the #MeToo movement, the future of the Supreme Court and her tips for leading a successful and open-minded life, Conversations with RBG gives readers an exclusive look at the life of a living legend.

Top Graphic Design Resume Examples

Top Graphic Design Resume ExamplesGraphic design resume examples can help a student get a head start on preparing his or her application. The online graphic design curriculum usually includes a basic computer literacy course, which could involve working with word processing programs such as Microsoft Word. Since the goal of graphic design programs is to create interactive images that enhance the meaning of the content they're meant to convey, graphic designers often must work from documents and images that are already formatted and well-organized. If you can effectively read, print, and produce good design on a PC, you'll be well-equipped to present yourself in a good light when applying for graphic design jobs.What does a graphic designer resume look like? The following example was created by the Graphic Design School of Arizona. 'The Gauntlet,' as it's called, tells the story of an archaeologist's search for the lost city of Gath. In it, the graphic designer incorporates animated i magery and text in order to represent various archaeological findings, including drawings, paintings, and photos. The colors of this example demonstrate the way you can relate to your career goals and achievements to a design program.Visualization skills aren't limited to digital illustrations. Besides using illustrations, a graphic designer can also illustrate and demonstrate key points through images, diagrams, and texts. The following example is created by Haggerty and Associates, a design school that offers its classes at Arizona State University. The use of real images and text goes a long way towards conveying a professional image, and the firm's website features examples of its work.A primary consideration when creating a graphic designer resume is to develop a balance between design experiences and other jobs. Even if a graphic designer is eager to focus on a specific industry, the employment of design methods can also include work in other fields. Some examples of employmen t that will show off your ability to design include a work experience that doesn't relate directly to graphic design, such as marketing art. Include the job titles relevant to your career goals.Many graphic artists choose to illustrate their work through images instead of words. While graphic design has become a popular choice for many different professions, there are still others who prefer to draw and then translate their thoughts into pictures. The use of illustrations on a graphic designer resume illustrates that you are both a creative and technically trained individual. Many of the examples shown in this article were created by art students at the Arts Center College of Design.Graphic designers need to communicate the same way that photographers and illustrators do. It's not enough to merely talk about your art education; you need to show that you have made an effort to cultivate good communication skills. These examples were created by the arts department at Parsons The New S chool for Design.The text format for your graphic design graduates resume is crucial. The introduction section is one of the most important parts of the entire document, because it's where the designer communicates his or her skills, past experiences, and goals for the future. This sample was created by Facebook as part of its Artist Resource Center, which provides an overview of the artist's past work, along with various samples of the artists' output.Graphic design resume examples aren't only used to introduce and express your design interests. By providing a presentation of your career goals and accomplishments, you will also provide employers with a solid representation of your overall professional character. The following examples are created by Creative Education Corporation, a design school that offers classes at the Missouri Institute of Art.

#98 - A Day In The Life Of An Enterprise Sales Leader - Mark Birch

#98 - A Day In The Life Of An Enterprise Sales Leader - Mark Birch The Career Insider Podcast Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSSForEpisode 98of The CareerMetis Podcast, we will learn about:A Day in the Life of an Enterprise Sales Leaderfrom our guest Mark Birch.evalGuest Introduction â€" Mark BirchevalMark Birch is an Enterprise Sales Leader at Stack OverFlow. He is also the Founder of the Enterprise Sales Forum.Episode Summary1.Mark describes what an Enterprise Sales Leader does, and what goes into managing a sales team. He shares some of the responsibilities, and the types of jobs that come with the role.2.Mark shares about how he went from the trading room floor into software, and then how a situation within the company left him as the only available salesman in his office. He followed the sales trail and went from large scale sales to helping start ups in New York City. The result has been working with Stack Overflow, and how he is enjoying the experience.3.Mark goes through his day to day, and what he h andles in terms of tasks and responsibilities. He enjoys the team building and the coaching opportunities within the role. He also really likes sales. Being able to develop a team, and solve problems for customers and clients makes his career pretty satisfying4.Administrative tasks tend to be something Mark doesn’t enjoy. He’d rather find more effective and efficient ways to deal with those kinds of jobs, so that he and his team can spend more time honing their sales skills.5.Mark talks about the credentials needed for sales, and how people can become much better sales people. He narrows in on a few specific skill sets that a sales person can truly benefit from learning and mastering.eval6.Mark also talks about the value of tenure, and why someone may want to build tenure within a few companies.7.Mark gives some perspective surrounding an environment’s impact on sales performance. Often times, when a person is struggling with sales, it isn’t necessarily the fault of the indi vidual, and can be linked back to a few factors within their environment.8.Finally, he leaves us with a thought surrounding the objectives and goals certain employees may have, and how that can impact a person’s career trajectory.Quotes“I never had an objective or a goal to be in sales”“I really enjoy being able to spend the time to coach others”eval“You’ve got to be able to build up your confidence and your skill set”“You’re not going to be successful if you think the product you’re selling is terrible”“Often times, the reason you’re discouraged in sales is because you’re in the wrong environment to be successful”“Have the conversations, that’s where you’re going to learn the most”“Not everyone wants to climb the ladder”.Links ResourcesTo learn more about Mark Birch, you can connect with him on LinkedInor Twitter.During our interview â€" Mark recommended Radical Candor by Kim Scott.Intro Music provided courtesy ofAccelerated Ideas

UKCAT Mistake Guide The Top 4 Cardinal Sins

UKCAT Mistake Guide The Top 4 Cardinal Sins The UK Clinical Aptitude Test (UKCAT) is designed to help universities make better choices amongst their dental and medical course applicants. It helps to ensure that the candidates chosen for these courses have the right level of professionalism, integrity and aptitude to succeed on the programme, and go on to become a doctor, dentist or medical practitioner.As you can imagine, the UKCAT is extremely hard to pass. In order to ensure that only the best candidates are given a place, the questions in the assessment will push you to your limits, and the fail percentage of candidates is fairly high. In this blog, we’ll look at the top list of mistakes that UKCAT candidates make, and how you can avoid them!UKCAT MISTAKE 1: Spending too much time on one questionThe UKCAT assessors don’t just want to see how many questions you can get right. They want to see how many questions you can get right within the assessment timeframe. You’ll be under intense time pressure during the UKCAT, an d this means that the quality of your answers will be stringently assessed. The candidates who score the highest on the most questions will be successful, not the candidates who can answer the most questions alone. If you can’t work out the answer to a particular question, don’t waste time. Go back to it later.UKCAT MISTAKE 2: Trying to understand numerical dataThis is just a waste of time. Your main priority should be in picking out the key pieces of information from the passage. You don’t need to look at irrelevant pieces of information. Some of the data is designed to throw you off, and make you start doing incorrect or unnecessary calculations. Wasted time will cost you severely.UKCAT MISTAKE 3: Not using the examples.When taking the UKCAT Decision Analysis test, it is really important to spend at least a minute of your time looking over the pre-supplied examples. Only by doing this, will you understand how to apply the rules of the test. You’d be shocked by the sheer nu mber of candidates who ignore these examples altogether, and jump straight into the assessment. This is a big mistake! The examples illustrate how codes and other rules apply in questions, so you’d be a fool not to use them.UKCAT MISTAKE 4: Not familiarising yourself with the UKCAT softwareThe UKCAT test will be taken online. This means that you’ll be using a specific platform to take the assessment, which you will need to familiarise yourself with before you take the exam. In order to get the best results, you need to be comfortable with the software you are using. Imagine if you’d never used a pen before. Now imagine that right before an exam, someone handed you a pen and said ‘take the whole exam using this’. You’d be confused and lost. The more familiar you are with the software, the less likely you are to panic or freeze up.Other productsIf you are looking for direct advice on how to pass the UKCAT, then we’ve got the perfect product for you! Our UKCAT PLATINUM Pa ckage Box Set is the ultimate preparation tool for passing the assessment. If you are serious about your medical exam, make sure you pick up a copy! This entry was posted in 'How To' Help, Resources. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Police Verbal Reasoning Test: Top Tips21 Revision Tips for Exams

Interview Suits Make a Return Appearance -

Interview Suits Make a Return Appearance - . Image via Wikipedia With many companies casual and Google and similar organizations with relaxed dress codes heading up top employer lists, knowing what to wear to an interview is a lot more complicated than it once was. Conventional career advice says to dress more formally for an interview; it helps job seekers appear serious about the position and (when done correctly) gives applicants a more professional, polished look. Well, now its officially stylish to turn back to the interview suit, according to Eric Wilson in the New York Times Style section. He explains, With the unemployment rate in America at a 14-year high and more than half a million jobs lost in the last three months alone, there has been a detectable shift in the way people are dressing for work. In the financial sector, certainly, the tone has become more serious, and as a predictable result, somber suits are making a comeback. The article reports that stores such as Mens Wearhouse and Tahari are seeing higher sales for suits, especially classic navy and gray pinstripe styles classified as interview suits. We are back to a time when every company expected both women and men to wear suits and we didnt have a Casual Friday, said Gloria Mirrione, a managing director of A-L Associates, a financial services placement firm. They are looking for a sharper style. I recommend a strong suit that says you are collected and ready to work. The fashion mavens do disagree about one thing: pant suits or skirts for women. The bottom line is that interviewees must do their research to help determine the best choice for interview attire. Women especially have many choices. Pants or skirts, accessories, colors or traditional navy and gray? Should you dress creatively perhaps a flashy tie or colorful bag? Or conservative pin stripes? There is really no hard and fast rule. Do be aware that, in a tight job market, all of your choices are matters of scrutiny.   Before you even get to the interview, employers have potentially vetted you online by checking social networks and Googling your name.   Your resume was scanned for key words and scoured for skills and accomplishments.   You need to know who you are, but also how other people perceive you. Bottom line keep an eye on trends, but make choices that suit your plans. (Pun intended!) What did you wear to your last interview? Was it the right choice? Dont forget that Keppie Careers is here to help with every aspect of your job hunt. Explore this site to learn how we can help you.