Merry Christmas

My prayer for this Christmas season, is that you find what you are seeking.

-- Andy

How to Ensure Your LinkedIn Profile Is Effective

Original Post: Here

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Is your LinkedIn profile as effective as it could be? While you can see your “profile completeness” score on your profile page, it doesn’t measure profile effectiveness — how good your profile is at attracting contacts, generating leads and showing off your skills. Use this checklist to ensure your profile is thorough, effective and updated.

1. Use the name you’re known by. Perhaps your name is Robert, but most people know you as Rob or Bob. Or, for women, perhaps you worked under a maiden name for years. Use the name that most people know you by professionally. Cover all your bases by using your main name in your basic information and mention any other names elsewhere such as in the “Professional Headline” field, or in your recommendations.


2. Upload a professional photo. It’s worth the price to use a professional photographer.


3. Create an effective Professional Headline. Add a “Professional Headline” in the “Edit My Profile” page. This is a short bio that sums up what you do. Mine says, “Content Maven aka writer and editor behind meryl.net.”


4. Pick the industry that best represents what you do. Alternatively, you could use your clients’ industry if they all come from the same one.


5. Enter details for current and past positions. Highlight the activities that represent what you do or want to do by mentioning them first.


6. Write a summary that highlights your most important business information. Keep your summary clear and to the point. Remember you can list details under “Current Position.” The point of a summary is to give people instant information on what you do. I’ve looked at various summaries, and there’s no right or wrong way to do it. I used to have a bulleted list, but switched to a short paragraph. When I come across long paragraphs in the summary, I find them hard to read and follow. The shorter ones hold my attention and get the point across fast.


7. List your web sites and blog. Rather than using the name of your web site and blog, use keywords that describe what you do. For example, I use “Writer for hire and blog” instead of “meryl’s notes,” the name of the blog.


8. Add your Twitter ID. If you haven’t already, add your Twitter name.


9. Request recommendations. It’s OK to ask people to recommend you, but make sure you ask the right people.


10. Write recommendations. Writing recommendations can lead to receiving recommendations.


11. Add applications to enhance your profile. If you have a blog, feed your blog entries into your LinkedIn account with one of LinkedIn’s applications. You can also turn LinkedIn into an online document collaboration platform.


12. Send selected Twitter tweets to LinkedIn. While you can connect your Twitter account to your LinedIn profile, many of us tweet too often or tweet about things that would be irrelevant to our LinkedIn contacts. Instead, select just the tweets you want to show up in your LinkedIn profile by adding the hashtag “#in” to the tweet. You can turn on this feature in Twitter Settings.


13. Select what to display in your public profile. People not connected to you can only see what you allow them to see by setting your Public Profile options. The more you reveal, the easier it is for people to know if they have the right person. Here, you can also set up your Public Profile URL, which shows up as to http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourname.
    
    
    
    
    LinkedIn Settings
    
    
    
    
    


14. Review your settings. Though I’ve been on LinkedIn for a long time, I still run into new features and settings. Settings cover everything from profile views and email notifications to personal information and privacy settings. You can provide advice on how people should contact you on the Contact Settings page. Mine says, “Email is the best way to reach me.”

The Funniest Article About Job Interview Tips Ever

Originally Posted Here: [The Funniest Article About Job Interview Tips Ever]

Steinar Skipsness created a fake office so he could understand how to succeed in job interviews. He filmed the whole thing, and the funny results led to 20 great job interview tips that are true anywhere in the world.

	1) Where did you get the idea for the project?
	The idea sparked from seeing a friend of mind go on a few unsuccessful interviews. I consider him a really outgoing sharp guy, he was getting interviews, which is half the battle, but for whatever reason he wasn’t getting hired. It made me curious to what makes certain candidates stand out. I thought, if I could experience the interview from the other side of table, I’d have the ultimate perspective to what makes a candidate an attractive hire. I could then take that knowledge and cater my behavior in any future job interview to give myself the best chance of getting hired.
	2) How much did it all cost?
	It cost roughly $2000 to execute everything, (renting office space by the hour, having a lawyer write up a waiver, the cameras, and other little things… like taking my friend out to a few dinners as compensation for being involved) well worth the money in my book. The knowledge I learned from this experience and the doors that have and I believe will continue to open, I’ll take with me for the rest of my life and I know it will pay me 100x more dividends then if I’d taken the money and bought a few share of company whoever… call it self investing.
	3) What was the hardest part in executing such a project?
	It takes time… more then you think when you start out. Particularly since I had no experience with video editing, and granted I wasn’t making a feature film but it still took some time to get things figured out… but now I know how, and it will come in handy in the future.
	4) What was the funniest moment?
	Overall, I’d have to say the “lack of responsibility guy” [above clip]. I honestly don’t think there’s much worse of a thing you can say in a job interview, then what you like best about your current job is the lack of responsibility. I even cut the footage short. He goes on to say people say it’s so much better being higher up in a company but they forget to realize that there is more responsibility up there. Are you serious? That statement just blow me away.
	5) What did you learn about yourself by doing this project?
	You need to be flexible. What I mean by that is… when I started this out I envisioned it a bit differently but as you get deeper into it, and start peeling back the layers, certain things turn out the way you anticipated and other things don’t… and you need to be flexible to go in the direction that is going to make your piece of work the best. For example, my initial thought was to have the interviewer do something strange to get a reaction out of the interviewer. I thought that was what was going to make for the entertaining videos that I wanted to associate with this project…. it turned out what the actual interviewer said was strange/funnier, then I could have dream up saying. But before I went that route… there was one time when the interviewer in most of the videos is asking a girl some questions and as he’s asking a question, he brings out a flask, opens it, pours some in his coffee cup then puts the flask back in the drawer. I thought the reaction of the interviewee would be priceless… and it was.. but I didn’t upload it because I wanted all the videos to focus on things the interviewee said…. and of course it wasn’t real alcohol… just water.
	6) Did the project help you find a job or freelancing clients as you were hoping?
	Yes, it opened some doors for sure. I’ve had people contact me that would have nevered responded to 1 email from me if I had sent them a 100. I’ve been doing some consulting and have a couple projects in the works.
	7) What comes next for you?
	I’d love to talk about what I’m working on but I got to keep that under wraps for now…. but follow me on twitter at @skipsness or subscribe to my blog and you’ll be the first to know…

Steinar’s funny, must-read article of terrific job interview tips can be found here:

How To Nail An Interview (20 Tips)



Subscribe to JobMob via RSS or email and follow me on Twitter to learn about the most inspiring job seekers in the world.

-- Jacob Share, Job Search Expert and Professional Blogging Consultant

How To Best Explain Being Unemployed To Children

Original Post: Here

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A group of experts discuss the best ways to tell your family about your unemployment. Here are some of their insightful replies.

My own layoff story

I was last laid off in early 2006.
At that time, I had 2 kids aged 3 and 2. To me they seemed too young for the layoff to have much meaning in their eyes, but I was wrong.
Before the layoff, my kids barely saw me each weekday. I would leave for work early and come home as they were getting ready for bed, or later.
After the layoff, they saw me all the time. My new job - the job search - gave me the flexibility to take the kids to school and pick them up afterward while still networking, getting interviewed, etc.
My wife and I didn’t make a big deal of the change, and to be honest, we didn’t really spend much time thinking about whether that was the best way to react. We just told the kids that I would working from home from now on and they took it in stride. Or “Yay!” as they put it.
Looking back recently, I was curious to hear what child experts would say.

Be honest and patient

Russell Friedman, Executive Director of
The Grief Recovery Institute Educational Foundation, blogger for
Psychology Today and co-author of 3 books including
When Children Grieve, suggests:

• Adults—you go first. Telling the truth about your own feelings about your work situation will make it safe for your child to open up about his or her feelings.
• Remember that each of your children is unique and each has a unique relationship to the loss event or situation.
• Be patient. Don’t force them to talk about it.
• Never say “Don’t feel sad” or Don’t feel scared.” Sadness or fear are the two most normal feelings in reaction to loss or change of any kind. They are also essential feelings to being human.
• When they do talk, listed with your heart not your head. Allow all emotions to be expressed without judgment, criticism, or analysis.

React carefully

Dr. Elizabeth R. Lombardo, Ph.D., M.S., P.T. and author of “
A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription to Happiness,” says:

We often assume that children will be so worried if Daddy is not working, but that is not the case. What causes them stress is parents’ reaction to Daddy’s unemployment.

Unlike parents, children are not calculating the cost of the mortgage and monthly bills, stressed that they cannot be paid. They are not tormented by fears that they may never get another job, or at least not before they lose their home. Children are much more in the here and now. So what is important to them is (1) Daddy is now home to play with me and (2) how Mommy and Daddy are feeling.

Children can be incredibly intuitive. They may not understand why parents are stressed but they can sense something is wrong if you are.

So, how do you tell your young child that their father is unemployed? Try something like “Daddy is not working right now. He will be getting another job soon. Now he is going to focus spending some time playing with you.” You can even highlight some things they might do together (read book, go to the park, play ball…)

More importantly than what you say, though, is your reaction. Try to address your stress level- what you outwardly say and do as well as how you feel inside. Again, children can sense your stress, which then can cause anxiety for them.

Have the right attitude going forward

Vicki Hoefle, 20 Year Parent Educator, Mother of 5 teens and creator of
Parenting On Track™, recommends:

• Children follow their parents lead so attitude is everything. You convey your confidence or lack their off with not only your words, but your voice, tone, body language and eye contact.
• Children can feel a parents’ confidence and take their cues from this.
• As you explain the “change” in employment, the details will not be as important as your attitude about this change.
• Most children can not comprehend the idea of work, let alone the idea of unemployment. Narrow this down and talk about it from the child’s perspective. Think about how this might impact the child’s life. Maybe you will be home in the morning to take them to school. Maybe you will be home at night to have dinner with the family. It isn’t as important to talk about the fact that you may have less money to spend on eating out, kids don’t pay attention to that. Talk about the tangible changes your children will notice.
• Children do not need updates. They only require that when a significant change, like another job, or moving because you have to sell the house, is explained to the extend that they can assimilate the information. Again, your attitude of “things will be fine, I know what I am doing” is the only thing that matters to young children.
• So curb the desire to tell the kids everything. Use discernment and community a sense of confidence and security to your children during this transitional time.

Involve children at their level

Heather Davis Richards, VP of Public Affairs for financial education company
Essential Knowledge, tells:

Little kids are very resilient to change. They can actually be a huge asset to the family, with their eagerness to be involved. We have seen children all over the world work to raise money for cancer victims, animal rights, and other topics that seem overwhelming. So when it comes to a layoff in the family, it’s best to get them involved at a level they can understand.

First, discuss with your spouse privately, how you both intend to deal with the situation. What budget cuts will need to be made? What changes will that mean? We planned in advance, what the job loss would mean to the family, and how we would cope with the situation. In our family, when my husband was laid off, we decided to cancel after school childcare to save money.

The two biggest questions that children have with this type of situation are, “how will this impact me?” and “should I be scared about this?”

When we discussed it with our seven-year-old, we made sure to stress that everything was going to be fine. There would be changes for awhile, and we made sure to state upfront how that might impact her. She was actually overjoyed at some of the decisions. She was thrilled to be able to ride the bus after school, for instance.

We also asked for her help. We asked for her to help us to look for ways to save money while looking for a new position. She offered to forfeit her allowance, and had many creative ways that we could have inexpensive fun on the weekends. When her birthday rolled around, she came up with the idea for a party at home to cut costs. Don’t be afraid to enlist your children’s help, it empowers them that they are a part of the solution.

Margaret Shaw recommended a special 1-hour edition of Sesame Street that was dedicated to helping both parents and kids deal with unemployment.
You can watch the whole show at
Sesame Street’s Families Stand Together or by clicking the image here on the right.

Takeaway lessons

• Decide with your spouse how the family should cope with the post-layoff situation
• Tell your family about the layoff without going into details
• Assure your children that everything will be ok (easier said than believed, I know)
• Involve your children in any lifestyle changes, like cost-cutting

If you enjoyed this read, you’ll also enjoy my article
Recently Laid Off? Here’s A Quick Job Search Refresher Guide.

What about you? How have you dealt with unemployment in your family?

-- Jacob Share, Job Search Expert and Professional Blogging Consultant

Why You Should Have a Social Media Calendar

Original Post: Here

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When I hear about the processes companies are using to engage in social media-based conversations and communities, I’m a bit surprised that many lack any kind of strategy or written plan. While I’m a firm believer in the need for both spontaneity and frequency in social media-enabled communications, I also believe that whenever a company decides to adopt new communications tools, they need to start with the basics of Marketing and Communications 101:

• What are your business objectives?
• Who is your audience (target market)?
• What do you hope this communication will help your company achieve?
• How will you measure your efforts?

Once you think through the business basics, the next steps are identifying the right tools to reach the right audience(s) in the right ways, and then determining what your company is going to do once you stick start participating in social networks, on blogs, and in other online communities.


Editorial Calendars for Blogs

My company uses what we refer to as “editorial calendars” for social media engagement, but that term is a bit of a misnomer. The term “editorial calendar” implies that social media communications is then based solely around “editorial” content like magazine articles. Social media editorial calendars are not about planning all of your tweets, status updates on Facebook, etc., but you do need to create some kind of framework that fits into an overall plan for engagement.

For blogs, we always develop an actual editorial calendar that is similar to a magazine editorial calendar. That calendar, however, should never lock the blogger or bloggers into publishing specific posts on specific dates without any flexibility. Blog editorial calendars should be considered strategic planning tools as well as resources for content ideas when there isn’t something topical or time-sensitive that needs to be posted.


Social Media Calendars

You shouldn’t be tweeting and updating entirely in a vacuum. For my company, our social media calendars start with a blog editorial calendar as a starting point. From those specific topics and post references, we then branch out, looking for other people’s tweets or posts that we can reference that are relevant to our client’s focus, objectives, and brand.

To utilize social media tools effectively and properly, you must absolutely generate spontaneous communications in direct response to what others are saying or to what is happening in that moment. Be yourself. Be conversational. Be engaged.

Then, at regular intervals, circle back to your objectives; the audience you want to attract and connect with; and the actions you’d like to drive through your outreach. Are you on track? If you are using social media to encourage others to give you feedback, to take a poll, to refer a friend to your site, to hire you, to purchase a product, whatever your goal or goals may be — is it working? If not, what are you doing wrong?


Social Media Planning

Maybe this sounds a little too formulaic to you. Maybe you see social media as being all about organic conversation. Well, yes, that is exactly what it is, but organic conversation doesn’t work for companies that are trying to achieve specific business objectives. That doesn’t mean that companies shouldn’t be in social networks and online communities if they do things in appropriate, valuable and thoughtful ways.

So be smart about it. Don’t deny that you are a business with business objectives. Be transparent about it. There’s a place for everyone in the playground as long as everyone places nicely. And if you stick to a plan — with a lot of common sense, generosity and kindness thrown in — your company can foster new levels of consumer loyalty from genuine engagement, while still achieving measurable business goals.

Once More With Feeling Or Should I Just Stick To The Script? - RecruitingBlogs.com

Original Post:Here

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Once More With Feeling Or Should I Just Stick To The Script?

• Posted by James Seetoo on December 21, 2009 at 4:22pm
• View James Seetoo's blog

Isn’t it great when an interview goes according to the script? The interviewer asks the list of question he has and the candidate feeds back the perfect answers. Everyone comes away from the encounter happy and the right candidate gets the right job. That’s of course, when the everything goes right.

Whether you know it or not, if you’re preparing for an interview – whether you’re the interviewer or the candidate, you’re scripting. You’re going over the questions in your mind and preparing the answers you want. It’s a great tool as long as you don’t get too tied up in it. Remember, it’s your script and you haven’t exactly passed it out to all concerned.

How many of you have ever gotten a phone call with someone reading a script trying to sell you something? No matter what you say, they just seem to keep going because they’re more concerned about reading through their script than in having a conversation. Perhaps you’ve had recruiters call you doing the same thing. It’s definitely not something that inspires confidence.

The worst example of poor scripting I’ve ever come across was when I was serving on jury duty. The defendant’s lawyer was pretty much going through the motions. BTW, the defendant was caught red handed but still, there are standards. The defense lawyer cross examined a witness by reading a list of questions, not looking up to engage the person he was supposed to be questioning and barely waited for the witness to answer before asking his next question.

I’ve seen some very junior recruiters doing this when they’re just starting out, more worried about what they’re going to say than the candidate’s answers. But it’s even worse when a candidate does it – and I charitably call that being “overprepared”.

So where’s the balance? Should we just “wing it?”

Well, if you’re used to doing improv, I suppose you could but I think it’s important to remember that the map is not the terrain. It’s the same thing as doing a Karate form. The form is not fighting, it’s an exercise and that’s exactly what scripting should be, an exercise, something to get you used to speaking about yourself or about a job. It’s a map to give you an idea of where you’re going but you still have to flexible in case you need to change directions.

If there are specific points that require a lot of detail, then you should definitely script out what you want to say. But I would say they should be more like talking points that would act as a lead-in to further conversation. And that’s the point of great scripts isn’t it? In movies it’s dialogue that sounds real (Quentin Tarantino does this brilliantly).

So yes, by all means use a script but use it to keep the dialogue flowing. You’ll find that your interviews will be much more interesting for it.

Remember, your skills are your job security.

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

James Seetoo

The problem with cable news thinking

Original Post from Seth Godin: The problem with cable news thinking

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Uploaded on July 21, 2009 by artour_a

Not only the networks of all political persuasions that come to mind, but the mindset they represent...
When I was growing up, Eyewitness News always found a house on fire in South Buffalo. 'Tonight's top story,' Irv Weinstein would intone, '...a fire in South Buffalo.' Every single night. If you watched the news from out of town, you were sure that the city must have completely burned to the ground.
Cable news thinking has nothing to do with fires or with politics. Instead, it amplifies the worst elements of emotional reaction:

1. Focus on the urgent instead of the important.
2. Vivid emotions and the visuals that go with them as a selector for what's important.
3. Emphasis on noise over thoughtful analysis.
4. Unwillingness to reverse course and change one's mind.
5. Xenophobic and jingoistic reactions (fear of outsiders).
6. Defense of the status quo encouraged by an audience self-selected to be uniform.
7. Things become important merely because others have decided they are important.
8. Top down messaging encourages an echo chamber (agree with this edict or change the channel).
9. Ill-informed about history and this particular issue.
10. Confusing opinion with the truth.
11. Revising facts to fit a point of view.
12. Unwillingness to review past mistakes in light of history and use those to do better next time.

If I wanted to hobble an organization or even a country, I'd wish these twelve traits on them. I wonder if this sounds like the last board meeting you went to...

Network With Other Job Hunters Online

Original Post: Here

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Many cities have job clubs or support groups where people can meet, network and share tips. You already know that.

But don't forget the Internet -- there are loads of great Web sites with message boards and chat rooms devoted to networking.

Here are two of the best places where you can build and leverage a network of other job hunters, to share job leads and tips:



www.vault.com


www.wetfeet.com

Both of these Web sites have message boards that you can read and post questions on for no cost. Try them and see.

Action Step:
Does this countermand my earlier advice, about people and not computers being the ones that hire you? No. Use Web sites and other online tools as a way to meet and build relationships with people, not as a substitute for doing it.

Compliments of David Perry and Kevin Donlin

Grab your Free
Guerrilla Job Search Audio here."

The 3 Mistakes Job Seekers Make On LinkedIn

Original Post: Here

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image by ClearedJobs.Net


In 2006, I trained my MBA class on how to use LinkedIn.

Back then virtually no one was on. And those that were on formed some kind of a tight-knit community. I remember landing in Vietnam on vacation, knowing only my college friend. I used LinkedIn to schedule 10 meetings with local business leaders.

Using the network, I arranged a breakfast meeting with the COO of the Mercedes plant, 2 vice presidents of the newly built Ikea, a top broker in one of Vietnam’s many stock markets and so forth. These experiences demonstrated to me the power of LinkedIn when used correctly.
The following are 3 mistakes Job Seekers tend to make when using LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Mistake 1: Not Representing Yourself as a Confident User

The most common manifestation of this mistake is when people neglect their profile health. Most audiences I speak at have one thing in common…Their profiles aren’t 100% complete.
This is like showing up to a job interview Naked. Why would you do that?
I understand it takes time to fill it out correctly, and writing a profile doesn’t happen all at once. But there is no reason it should take longer than a week to get yourself a nice looking profile.
When I was requesting meetings with top business leaders in a foreign country, I knew they would be carefully considering their decision on my request and my profile.
Please Please Please get your profile to 100% if it is not already.
Imagine requesting a meeting from a hiring manager at your target company. And when they look at your profile, it is clear to them that you are not taking your network seriously.
There is no one to blame but you, and no, it’s not the economy either.
My philosophy is: not everything is my fault, but when it is, then there is no one else to blame but me. When I point my finger, I need to make sure I can do so with 100% confidence that I’ve done everything I could.

LinkedIn Mistake 2: Not Stating Your Intentions Up Front

A few weeks ago, I received the following LinkedIn “In-Mail”

Hi Joshua,

I obtained your name through the Boston University MBA LinkedIn Group. I graduated from the School of Management last year and I am in the process of making a career transition. It would be helpful for me to ask you questions about your experiences as an Sales Account Manager for Cisco. I am not expecting to discuss a particular employment position but I would appreciate being able to talk with you on an informational basis.

I thank you in advance.

Regards,

This is the perfect email format. Let’s look at the key elements

• She told me how she found me, the BU Group.


• She gave me just enough background info about herself so I can know why she chose to reach out to me, her graduation date and her career transition.


• She told me the topic that she wanted to discuss with me.


• She made sure I knew she wasn’t trying to solicit me for a job, and she didn’t sound desperate.


• The email was short and to the point, clearly respecting my time.

I got back to her right away and made sure to answer all of her questions. I suggest your requests for info interviews keep to a similar format.

LinkedIn Mistake 3: Letting a Robot Speak with Your Voice

LinkedIn does a fabulous job telling you who you might know. When I log into my account, I can see old colleagues’ whom I haven’t spoken with since 2006 or earlier. I can see some jerks I used to work with who took pleasure in kicking puppies. But I don’t see people whom I’d like to connect with in order to grow my business.
The direction of your network is in your hands. You need to make sure that you steer it in a direction that is strategic to your job search. Make sure to connect with people who are in industries that interest you, in companies you might like to learn more about or even in geographies that you would like to move to.
On a similar note, when connecting with folks, NEVER use the built in message:

I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.

You are not a robot. Don’t talk like one! Use your voice and personalize your request to connect. Not doing this is the fastest way to banality. To stand apart from other job seekers, you need to be different in ALL of your communications. Use every chance you get to demonstrate your personality and motivation.
Where those tips useful for you? Do you have more tips to share? LinkedIn pet-peeves? Please comment below to share with me and the other readers.

When A Job Search Moves Faster Than Expected

Original Post: Here

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Uploaded on November 7, 2009
by David Sandell

I asked an executive at a networking meeting for an informational interview and she wants to speak to me this week. I thought these things take time, so I haven’t researched her company or her industry. I don’t feel prepared but I don’t want to miss this opportunity. What do I do?

This is a luxury problem! Congratulations for putting yourself out there, asking for a meeting, and clearly representing yourself well enough that this executive wants to meet with you! Too often we don’t celebrate our job search successes. There is a ways to go before an offer is closed, but this is a step in the right direction, so take time to acknowledge this and savor a task well done. Celebrating here isn’t just about feeling good. There are practical benefits. When I coach clients to troubleshoot their search, we don’t only look at the trouble; we also look at what went well. You want to build on your successes, so capturing data on what works enables you to replicate the success for other prospective employers.

But we still have to get through this meeting. Before an informational interview you want to research the person, her company and her industry. The more research, the better, but there is plenty you can do even in a few days (or overnight if needed). So never let a good opportunity disappear just to do more research.

Read the person’s LinkedIn profile, blog and Twitter feeds if they have any. If they have presented or published, get to know their expertise. Use Hoovers or Vault data to understand the company. Read the press releases. Understand what projects are in the works, what opportunities and challenges exist for them, and any recent accomplishments. Check out the related industry’s professional trade association. There may be a list of competitors, industry surveys that give you a snapshot about key issues for the industry, and cutting edge news. You want to have a sense for the published information so you don’t ask questions about items that are readily available. I’ve listed a lot of sources but with information readily available on the Internet, this process takes just a few hours.

Now form hypotheses. A powerful informational interview is not just a laundry list of questions. Your questions are a reflection of your interest and your expertise. So take the extra step of forming hypotheses from the above research to test in your interview. Instead of asking what challenges exist, offer what you think the biggest challenge is and ask your interviewee to confirm or refute. This takes the burden off of them to come up with ideas. They will appreciate the time you took to learn their industry. Once you’ve collected their answers, it will be that much easier to speak to their competitor – not because you share confidential data irresponsibly (informational interviews don’t usually yield top secret data anyway) but because you can then say in your next interview that you’ve spoken to another leading company in that industry and here’s what you’ve found.

Good informational interviews build on each other. They are a critical component of a proactive job search. So when you bag a big target unexpectedly, it’s cause for celebration, not panic. When a job search moves faster than expected, run with it. There will be other companies that move more slowly than anticipated. One fast company does not mean a fast job search overall. Keep flooding your pipeline with more companies, ask for more informational interviews and don’t stop till you’re at your new job filling out your new hire paperwork.

Survey Says: If You're Not Eating Cat Food Tonight, You're Lucky [Yeah, That Recession]

Original Post: Here

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A new survey from employment site CareerBuilder has some cheery news: About 61% of employees live paycheck-to-paycheck, and 21% of workers are stealing from their retirement funds to make ends meet. And these are the lucky folks who still have jobs.

According to the survey, even workers making over $100,000 are feeling the pinch; 30% are living check-to-check, up 9% from last year. 'Workers are employing a variety of tactics to help make ends meet in this economy,' said Rosemary Haefner, VP of human resources for CareerBuilder. 'Whether it's by keeping a tighter budget, finding ways to bring in additional income or adjusting their savings strategies, workers are doing their best to weather the current storm.'

What was it Bernanke said the other day? Oh, right. Recession's over! Too bad it's Friday, or we'd have enough cash to pick up some ripple to celebrate!

61 Percent of Employees Live Paycheck to Paycheck [Nielsen Business Media]
(Photo: rockman057)

Networking Tip: Help People Help You

Original Post: Here

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I’ve been talking with a lot of entrepreneurs lately, and one thing I can say for certain is that, as a group, they’re very eager to help each other. They get just as excited talking about the pursuits of others as they do talking about their own, and they’re more than willing to go the extra mile for those around them.

But how do you tap into this invaluable resource? It can be intimidating to go to others for help and can be perceived as pushy and self-serving if approached the wrong way. Here are a few tips to help others help you.

1. Embrace the idea of “paying it forward.”

People really do want to help you, which usually stems from them wanting to help everyone in their network. They ask what you do and immediately think, “Oh, you should meet [fill in the blank]!” Likewise, when you mention that you have a particular need, they mention several people you might consider and offer to connect you with them.

The most important thing to remember is that networking is all about adding value. The more you find ways to help those around you, the more opportunities will inevitably come your way.

2. Make it easy.

In an article on Techcrunch, Michael Arrington said “Those of us in a position to help entrepreneurs need to do more of it…But this is a two way street. Budding entrepreneurs trying to break down the walls need to grow up. Most of the time people don’t have the time to help you, and you shouldn’t aim hate at them for it. Instead, try a different angle or a different person.” This quote made me think of two things. Firstly, it’s important to remember that people are busy, so you need to make it so easy for them to help you that they can do it quickly and without too many steps.

For example, Betsy Talbot of Married with Luggage emailed people in her network recently asking for promotional help. She made it insanely easy by including links, as well as short and specific instructions for what to do with each of the links. She even included copy so that we didn’t have to come up with it ourselves.

3. Don’t be self-serving.

The second thing about Arrington’s quote that struck me was about trying a different angle. It’s easy to come at things from the wrong angle, and when promoting a business, that’s usually followed by rejection. If you always think of it as, “How can I get people talking about me or my business?,” then that means (a) you have to introduce yourself to someone without sounding like you’re selling something and (b) you have to somehow get them to feel compelled to mention you to others. If you think of it this way, it can seem purely self-serving.

Instead, find a way to help them, and of course, you have to always be sincere with your help. Maybe ask to interview the person for your blog or podcast, or if the person has written a book recently, offer to review it. By reaching out in this way, the person will actually look forward to learning more about you and your business, and if they enjoy talking with you, they may take the time to mention you to people in their own network.

The main thing to remember is that people are more than willing to help you. Most entrepreneurs are acutely aware of the value of networking, and successful ones understand that networking is all about helping others. Just remember, as Arrington said, it’s a two-way street.

What have been your biggest lessons in networking and helping others help you with your business? How do you make sure that you’re not perceived as self-serving?

Image from Flickr by crschmidt

18 Sources Of Personal Branding Credibility

Original Post: Here

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Uploaded on January 13, 2009
by Hans Bruno Lund


The most important part of your personal branding strategy lies in your bio, which is sometimes called a profile. A bio, just like a brand or career, isn’t something established overnight. It accumulated and builds as you become more established. Your bio may appear in several different places at a given time, including the summary section of your LinkedIn profile, a page on your blog called “About me” or “Your Name,” at the bottom of an article you wrote for your favorite publication, on the back of your book and just about anywhere else. A bio depicts your credibility, achievements, brand positioning, as well as your story and possibly your vision or mission.

How to create a bio

Most bio’s are either too long or too short or aren’t compelling enough. When you’re first starting out, you’ll have to establish a bio more on what you intend to do, than what you’ve already done. After several years, you’ll hopefully have enough achievements, experience and endorsements to weave through your bio.

Here is what goes into a short bio:

Sentence #1: Start with your name and personal brand statement. Your name should be the same as it is everywhere else it’s written. If your name is Matthew, but you cite your name as Matt everywhere, then stick with Matt. Continue the first sentence of your bio with your personal brand statement, detailing how you want to be positioned in the marketplace. Remember that a personal brand statement isn’t a job title and that is depicts what you’re an expert in and the audience you serve (Best Children’s Doctor in Chicago, for example).

Sentence #2: Immediately state your most prominent achievement to date. Your first sentence positions you as an expert in your field and explains what you do to serve customers, clients, etc. This sentence is more about capturing the reader and pulling them in, as well as showing a lot of credibility. Most people won’t read the next few sentences of your bio unless you nail this one. An example could be a book you got published, an award you won or your successful business that is serving Fortune 500 clients.

Sentence #3: Depending on what industry you’re in and your positioning, this sentence could change. It could talk about what your company does or a list press mentions from high profile media outlets or a second achievement you’ve had to support the first one. Basically, sentence#3 and any other following sentence in your bio, should support the first two sentences.

Picture your bio like an essay.

If you want ideas on what to include in your bio, I’ve listed 17 different sources of credibility that you can add to it. Some may apply to you now or in the future.

17 sources of personal branding credibility

1. A full-time job or consulting business related to your brand.
2. Endorsements from respected experts, celebrities or other authors in your field.
3. One or more media mentions citing you as an expert or quoting you.
4. An award you won or a big achievement that most people don’t obtain.
5. The number of clients you’ve worked with over the course of your consulting career.
6. A written column or freelance work you’ve done for one or more media sources.
7. A previous book you’ve gotten published.
8. An executive position at your company.
9. The number of year’s experience you have in your field.
10. Corporate boards you currently sit on.
11. Graduating from a very well respected university such as Harvard.
12. The number and names of companies, associations, and universities you’ve presented to in your speaking career.
13. A blog or website that you own that receives considerable traffic and attention.
14. A successful company that you started that was sold to a larger company or has achieved a high standing with the media and/or customers.
15. Research you’ve done in your field that is unique, relevant and timely.
16. A well-known “branded” company that you’ve worked for such as Nike or Apple.
17. A major project that you worked on that made a major impact on your companies business.
18. A revenue number you’ve achieved at yoru company or by selling your company.

An example of a mesmerizing bio

“The subject of a Time magazine feature called, “The Man Who Can’t Miss,” James Patterson is the bestselling author of the past year, bar none, with more than 16 million books sold in North America alone. In 2007, one of every fifteen hardcover fiction books sold was a Patterson title. In the past three years, James has sold more books than any other author (according to Bookscan), and in total, James’s books have sold an estimated 170 million copies worldwide. He is the first author to have #1 new titles simultaneously on The New York Times adult and children’s lists and is the only author to have five new hardcover novels debut at #1 on the list in one year—a record-breaking feat he’s accomplished every year since 2005. To date, James Patterson has had nineteen consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds the New York Times record for most Hardcover Fiction bestselling titles by a single author (46 total), which is also a Guinness World Record.” Read more of James Patterson’s bio here.

Why this profile will rock you

Sentence #1: James took his bio to the next level by using a strong endorsement upfront, even before mentioning his name. What this tells the reader is that he’s famous, credible and what you’re about to read in the rest of the bio will probably blow your mind.

Sentence #2: It’s debatable if this is his biggest achievement relative to the other sentences written in his bio about the New York Times bestseller lists, but it sure is impressive. It shows that he has a lot of books out, which means he’s a proven author with a track record and a successful writer.

Sentence #3 through 6: The rest of his bio (and this is only a portion of it), really digs into the second sentence by proving how many books he’s sold and how he’s one of only a few authors ever to have achieved what he has.

Your turn

What does your bio look like? Are you proud of it? What are you adding to it every month or year?

10 Tiny Things to Make Your Resume Better (From The Perspective Of A Grant-Giver)

Original Post: Here

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by Olivier Charavel

I reviewed close to 30 resumes and applications for a program of which I am a member (I’m keeping details obscured for the privacy of the applicants). I am currently sitting, waiting for my next interviewee to show up.
In reading those resumes, I have developed a list of 10 things I will be doing differently for my resume.

1. Change your objective to fit the job! It is quite difficult to remain neutral on (much less become supportive of) an applicants application which stated their objective was to “Gain an Internship in the Financial Sector”. Real people have to read your resumes, make it as easy as possible.


2. Delete “Operating Systems” if all you know is OSX and Vista. I simply do not care. Now, if you run your own home-brewed Linux distro, or even Open Solaris or Red Hat, that tells me something about you. For any job I am going to be applying for, saying I can use the world’s two most popular operating systems should be as irrelevant as saying I speak English clearly. It should be a given.


3. Delete “Relevant Coursework” if it isn’t relevant


4. Make skimming easy. Give me clear headings with short bullets. Keep the font around 12–reading resume after resume is hard on the eyes, and you want to make it easy to like you for a position.


5. Delete “Software” if it isn’t relevant, which it absolutely is not if you are applying for a travel grant. The presence of this section was my litmus-test for determining whether an applicant had bothered to customize her resume for the application. Also, even if you are applying for an internship where the software is relevant, unless you know something more than Microsoft Word and Excel, do not tell me. I don’t care.


6. Don’t say “references availible upon request”. Of course they are.


7. Give me space for notes on your resume. Say I am reading your resume, and I see you worked at Stanford Libraries when you were an undergrad there. I want to write a note to myself–”See if she knows Rachel”–but can’t, because you filled every availible inch of your resume with text. Too bad for you.


8. Keep your fonts simple. Times New Roman in bold, underlined and italics, with 1-3 sizes of font for different headers is fine. Unless you are a confident graphic designer, and sometimes even then, you show more class with simplicity than with decorative typesetting.


9. Use numbers. “Quadrupled the number of client stories on website”, “Managed portfolio of over $100,000 in assets”, “Built social media presence which brought in over $1000 in 3 days, 3 months after internship completed”. These are much more powerful than banal paragraphs about your impact on ROI or contribution to a project. Give me numbers.


10. Include locations of past jobs. Perhaps this is not necessary for all applications, but this is a small way of advertising your network. If you’ve worked in Washington DC, Palo Alto, San Francisco and Pittsburgh PA, your interviewer may know someone in those cities and feel connected to you.

Summary of 10 tiny tips to improve your resume:

Optimize for the job in front of you. Make it scannable. Advertise your network.

Keep up hope!

Twitter Approved – Five Fantastically Fun Fansites

Original Post: Here By POYZN of WamWan – Follow them @POYZN.

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Uploaded on January 27, 2009
by respres


There’s countless Twitter widgets, tools and sites out there to make your Twitter experience more enjoyable. But the following sites are the pick of the bunch chosen from those sneaky discreet third party text-ads on Twitter itself, placed on user profiles, displayed under the stats.

Since Twitter is officially endorsing these third-party fansites for free, then they must have some user benefit, right? Well, the following five chosen are actually pretty fun and useful:

• We Follow – Directory of interesting Twitter accounts. This site is terrific for fishing out the Twitter users in your niche, or the ones which simply interest you. You can add your own Twitter account to the directory too so others can find you. All users are neatly categorized and tagged for you to choose from by; industry, niche and location. All the celebrity tweeters are listed there too. Happy stalking.


• Favstar – Fast way to discover people’s favorite tweets. Favstar lets you track what your friends, followers, and everyone else has labeled as ‘favorite’ on Twitter. Ofcourse, you can also know how many Twitter users have your tweets as their favorite. Depending on your findings, it’ll either boost your ego or deflate it. Be prepared for a reality shock.


• Twitter Counter – Fun way to explore your social graph. This is basically Feedburner in a Twitter costume. It lets you show off the number of Twitter followers you have. Which is useful for the braggers. For everyone else, it’s a great tool to explore your account’s statistics in terms of overall rank, followers, friends, updates, etc, all broken down in a neat graph. You can also compare your account to others too. For instance, you can compare yours to Ellen DeGeneres and Ashton Kutcher’s. Go ahead try it, aim for the stars.

• Hype Machine – Easy way to find Twitter’s most popular music. This clever little tool keeps track of what Twitter users write about in regard of music selection. It’s basically an interactive music chart of songs being posted on Twitter. It’s a great tool in a way which you are able to find out and listen to what your fellow tweeters enjoy music-wise. The only drawback is that you’ll soon discover so many of which have terrible taste in music.


• Trends Map – Simple way to pinpoint map of local trends. This tool is a real-time mapping of Twitter trends across the globe. It lets you see what the world is discussing right now on Twitter, and from which location the trend originated. It’s really neat. It’s Google Maps but Twitterized. You’ll particularly love this one if your Twitter trend obsession is few levels above the average Twitter addict.

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.

Ask The Magic Networking Question

Original Post: Here

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Uploaded on February 21, 2008
by Mace2000


If your network is smaller than you'd like, think of it as a yeast cell, with the power to expand from its tiny origin until it produces something wonderful. In this case, a new job!

Tell everyone you know that you're looking for a job. Call or e-mail every single person in your address book. Now, here's the magic question -- at the end of every conversation, ask:

“Who else do you know that I should be talking to?”

This is how you expand your network by leaps and bounds! If everyone you talk to gives you two more names, and those people give you two more names, your network will explode like crabgrass in July -- try it and see.

Eventually, someone should be able to put you in touch with a decision maker who can hire you.

Even former employers can help. If you parted on good terms with your last boss, he or she might be able to refer you to hiring managers in other companies.

Action Step:
Stop thinking that your network is only as large as the people you know. It’s not. It’s FAR bigger and more valuable. When you ask: “Who else do you know that I should be talking to?” the sky is literally the limit – you could be only one or two phone calls away from talking to the CEO of General Mills, the owner of your dream company down the road … or Kevin Bacon. But you’ll never know unless you ask.

Compliments of David Perry and Kevin Donlin

Grab your Free Guerrilla Job Search Audio here.

3 Ways to Monitor Your Brand with Twitter

Original Post: Here By Nathan Hangen of Making It Social. Follow him @nhangen.

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If you don’t know what you are doing, measuring your brand online is like sticking a finger in the air and trying to gauge the direction of the wind. It just isn’t as easy as it looks. However, once you understand the tools required to make it happen, brand monitoring becomes 2nd nature. The trick then, is knowing what to monitor and how to do it.

In the past, people relied on Google alerts to send notifications of brand mentions, which usually came in the form of links. Although this is a great way to measure trackbacks and general sentiment, I don’t feel that it offers a complete picture. Not only that, but the results are delayed, meaning that if you get trashed on a forum or in a blog post, then you won’t be able to react until it’s too late. This is why Twitter is changing the way the game is played.

With Twitter, you can track your brand mentions in real time, using a variety of excellent tools. You can track via keyword or hashtag along with the standard mention/RT tracking on the homepage. If you have Twitter integrated onto your blog, then you can add even more firepower to your arsenal by using Tweetbacks and RT’s as comments, which might flesh out an otherwise empty post footer.

The beauty of Twitter tracking tools is that they tell a much greater story than Google does.

1. Most of the people that read your blog don’t have one of their own, so commenting on Twitter is the only way they can voice their approval/displeasure.


2. It is much quicker to post a comment on Twitter than it is to create a blog post. Also, since RT’s and mentions are part of the game, people want to talk with you…not just at you.


3. The results are real time, which means that you can respond to a fire before it becomes a wildfire.

Twitter is where most of the conversation takes place, and if you aren’t there watching, then you are missing out on valuable information about your business. Rather than holding your finger in the air, you are armed with instruments that can provide you with detailed analysis of what you are doing well, and what you need to improve upon.

The Tools

There are 3 particular tools that I’m fond of, but you don’t have to stick with these. Just take what we do here and find a way to make it work within the scope of your favorite Twitter application.

1. TweetDeck panes: From my experience gazing at laptop screens during the Blogworld Expo, it seems that TweetDeck is by far the most popular Twitter desktop client. It makes sense, because TweetDeck is robust and easy to use. The simple way to set up monitoring in Tweetdeck is to add a few search panes for the keywords and hashtags that represent your brand. For instance, I have a search going for #twitterrockstar and Twitter Rockstar to see what people are saying about my Twitter course.


2. Hootsuite tabs: Hootsuite is slowly growing into a fabulous web client that has all of the features of TweetDeck without having to download an application, which is perfect places where you can’t download (like at work). You can handle multiple accounts here as well, but the best feature of Hootsuite in my opinion is being able to set up a tab for each brand. I set up tabs for Twitter Rockstar, Beyond Blogging, Nathan Hangen, and any other product or name that I want to track. Since everything is saved to my account, it’s always ready and waiting for me when I log in.


3. Tweetizen: Tweetizen was developed by Adarsh Pallian and is a great way to not only track your brand, but to show it off to others. Tweetizen allows you to create a “group,” which you can use to track keywords or hashtags, but the difference here is that you can embed the results in any web page. This is great for product pages or launch pages so that you can build hype for your brand without having to force it on your own. Get the conversation going and watch it take off. You can also filter Tweets via user, which means if you want to plant Tweets (which I don’t recommend doing), you can easily do that.

I use all 3 of these tools on a regular basis for my own brand, and that of my clients. As a business owner or consultant, you simply cannot afford not to ignore what others are saying about you and your brand. Create a daily practice of listening with both ears open and then respond where necessary. Nurture those devoted fans, and earn the trust of the negative ones. Do this for yourself and you’ll be ahead of the game. Do it for another business…and you will look like a rockstar.

[image credit]

© 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips.

How 3 People Found Jobs 73% Faster, in the State with America’s Highest Unemployment Rate

Original Post: Here - By Kevin Donlin | November 16th, 2009

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The average job search in America takes 26.9 weeks, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics for October 2009.

Yet 3 people were recently hired for new jobs in only 7
weeks — less than 1/3 the time — in Michigan, the state with America’s
worst unemployment rate, 15.3%.

How did they do it?

The full story will be released in the coming days, but here’s a preview …

1) Gail Neal, from Detroit, Michigan, accepted a job offer as a sales professional for a radio station on Wed., November 11, 2009.

She had been unemployed since June 7, 2009.

• Time spent in an ordinary job search: 15 weeks.


• Time to hire in a Guerrilla Job Search: 7 weeks.

2) Mary Berman, from Farmington Hills, Michigan,
accepted a job on Thur. Nov. 12, 2009 as a executive assistant for a
local marketing firm.

She had been looking for work since February 2009 before starting her Guerrilla Job Search in late September.

• Time spent in an ordinary job search: 25 weeks.


• Time to hire in a Guerrilla Job Search: 7 weeks.

3) Jeff Donaldson, from Oxford, Michigan, got two
job offers the week of Nov. 2 and accepted one, as a project manager
for a design firm.

He left his job at Chrysler in December 2008.

• Time spent in an ordinary job search: 4 weeks (after taking a sabbatical). Job interviews: 0.


• Time to hire in a Guerrilla Job Search: 7 weeks. Job interviews: 3. Job offers: 2.

The complete story will be released in 3 more blog postings this
week. For now, it’s enough for you to know that each of these 3 job
seekers had two things in common:

1. Using ordinary resumes produced ordinary results — from 15-25 weeks of fruitless job hunting. (Sound familiar?)


2. Using Guerrilla Resumes, each was hired in only 7 weeks.

Your LinkedIn Profile Picture Maybe Killing Your Job Prospects

Original Post: Here

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image via ceoworld.biz

I don’t really consider myself an HR person. I like to think I’m a practical technologist. However, I do occasionally attend HR related training. Yesterday was one such occasion and inevitably, I had a shock.

The discussion moved from hiring techniques, to LinkedIn photos. Many of the folks in the room would agree with us that LinkedIn photos should be professional. No argument. But someone told us a story that made us cringe. And if you are in HR, you may cringe as well.

This recruiter was working with a candidate, who had hired her to position him for a job. He had a fabulous resume. Literally, she had trouble finding anything to change. But then she took one look at his LinkedIn profile photo.

The guy looked like an axe murder. She said, “No wonder he wasn’t getting any interviews, despite his killer credentials, no pun intended”.

So he retook his photo, and I kid you not, within a week, he had several opportunities arise.

(Lets just ignore the more frightening social implications of that for now, and accept the fact that your photo makes a big impact).

So I ask you, does your photo strive too hard to be what you think professional is supposed to be?

Or are you using it as an opportunity to convey personality?

I’m not a photographer, but I would like to offer some profile photo tips.

1. Don’t be afraid to show personality. You can have personality and be professional at the same time.
2. Experiment with action shots. There isn’t a lot of room, but the more you can demonstrate YOU in action the better. Can you fit yourself giving a presentation in the photo, shaking hands, or even leaning on a hand?
3. Play with the negative space. You notice the first photo in this post has uniform negative space around the guy’s head. The second photo is visually more interesting. He accomplished this by turning his body and tilting his head.
4. Smile and think inviting thoughts.

That’s my armature photography advice. If you have some more ideas, please share them in the comments below.

Ditch Unemployment And Land That Job

Original Post: Here

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The following post is contributed by Richard Hemby who frequently writes about online degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, a directory of accredited online degrees

Especially in today’s economic environment, many people have found themselves among the ranks of the unemployed through no fault of their own. Some people are fortunate enough to find other work immediately; others are not so lucky and seek work in vain for months or even years. Unemployment benefits bridge the gap for many out-of-work individuals but, over time, this can become a trap for some who become accustomed to drawing unemployment and lose touch with the working world.

Unemployment benefits are meant to be a temporary measure; workers who forget this can find themselves in serious difficulty when those benefits run out. Milking your unemployment benefits for all they are worth is not only bad for the economy; it’s harmful to your future employment prospects as well. Here are some hints on how to maximize your employment chances while minimizing your time on unemployment.

Learn new tricks

Instead of staying at home and becoming addicted to soap operas, many unemployed workers choose to brush up on basic skills or learn a new trade. Incentives and financial assistance can provide an entry point for furthering one’s education. Whether you opt for a degree program, advanced certification, or a few credit hours in a new field, these educational excursions can show prospective employers that you’re open to learning new things and willing to take risks; this can make the difference between a job offer and another polite rejection letter.

Stay in the game

Even when you feel discouraged by constant rejection, it’s essential that you continue sending out resumes and working toward the career you want. Perseverance and determination are the keys to finding the right job opportunity for you. If you want to work for a particular company, send them a resume even if they are not hiring; in most cases, your resume will be retained by the human resources staff and you’ll be the first name they see when an opportunity becomes available.

Shape up

Unemployment is not an excuse to let yourself go. Devote some time every day to fitness and health. This will improve your energy level, your self-esteem, and ensure that you stay healthy and in good shape for job interviews and other activities.

Be willing to compromise

Look into jobs that may be slightly outside your field of expertise; these can open up far more opportunities than a strict adherence to the type of work you’ve done before. If you’ve been employed in public relations, look into fundraising or human resources; the skills and experience necessary are largely the same. Don’t unnecessarily limit yourself to one specific job description. Similarly, be willing to accept a temporary or part-time job in order to get back into the marketplace. Employers tend to look with suspicion on large gaps in your job history; two part-time jobs may provide approximately the same level of income as one full-time job. By being flexible about your employment expectations, you can often find the right job far more quickly.

Most importantly, don’t give up. Don’t relax and collect your unemployment benefits, regarding this period as a vacation. It’s not. Instead, consider it as an opportunity to hone your job skills and enhance your employability. By maximizing your qualifications, persisting in your job search, and thinking outside the box, you can improve your chances of landing a job that’s precisely right for you.

For more advice from Richard Hemby check out his site.

Learning by analogy

Original Post: Here

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Image by Thonhaugen


Some people are way better at this than others.
The other day, I was talking to someone about a complex and specialized issue. It's quite possible that this was the first and only time in the history of the world that this precise set of circumstances had ever occurred. He said, 'do you have an example of how this has worked before for you?'

I was puzzled. I mean, not only hadn't I ever had this precise problem, but no one in the world had.
It's like the left-handed chiropractor in Berkeley wondering how he can use new technologies and marketing techniques wondering why there aren't more case studies about left-handed chiropractors in Berkeley.

Sure, the industries change, the goods/service ratio changes, regulation changes, names change. Doesn't matter. It's all the same. People are people, and basic needs and wants don't vary so much.

Put aside your need for a step-by-step manual and instead realize that analogies are your best friend. By the time there is a case study in your specific industry, it's going to be way too late for you to catch up.

How to Guarantee People Want to Work For You

Original Post: Here

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I was reading Jason Fried’s “The Way I Work” last night and it didn’t take long to realize that I had a new man-crush to rival those of Ryan Reynolds, Bill Simmons, and David Stehle.

When I run my own company, I will run it with a very similar approach to the one Jason takes with his employees. It virtually guarantees you’ll have talented people wanting to work for you. (And tons of idiot’s too.)

“Employees come to the office if and when they feel like it, or else they work from home. I don’t believe in the 40-hour workweek, so we cut all that BS about being somewhere for a certain number of hours. I have no idea how many hours my employees work — I just know they get the work done.”

No, not every company can operate this way, but A LOT more can than currently do. Could yours?

But employees won’t do their work? Easy solution. Show them the door. If you hire the best employees it won’t be an issue. They’ll be empowered by the freedom and work harder, at hours you wouldn’t expect them to. Sometimes in a small organization or team this might mean the others pulling the weight until you find the right fit. It’s worth it.

“We rarely have meetings. I hate them. They’re a huge waste of time, and they’re costly. It’s not one hour; it’s 10, because you pulled 10 people away from their real work.”

There has to be some research somewhere to show that 95% of meetings are worthless. Lets sit at the conference table and tell everyone what we’re working on. I got an idea. How about a wiki? Google Doc? An E-mail? You don’t need that meeting. That one either.

“After lunch, I get a little lazy between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. I don’t feel that productive, so I’m usually screwing around, which I think is really important. Everyone should read stuff on the Web that’s goofy or discover something new. I hate it when businesses treat their employees like children. They block Facebook or YouTube because they want their employees to work eight hours a day. But instead of getting more productivity, you’re getting frustration. What’s the point? As long as the work gets done, I don’t care what people do all day.”

Here’s the rub. If your employees aren’t compensated well, if you don’t respect them, if you don’t trust them, they’ll find ways to waste time. End of story. I think the hour after lunch should be mandatory nap time (like Kindergarten) so everyone wakes up anxious to dominate the second half of the day.

Bottom line, I just thought it was a refreshing perspective from someone who’s been uber successful running a business.

What are your thoughts? How would you run your company? Would this strategy work in your office? Would people take advantage of it? With so many people looking for jobs right now, wouldn’t this be the perfect time to try something like this?