Business Card Alternatives For the Real World

Original Post: Business Card Alternatives For the Real World

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So you’re a web worker, but you still meet people in meatspace that you want to network with, and making them type an email into their phone or handing them a plain jane business card either feels awkward or isn’t getting results.

There are other things you can do, things that are far more representative of your trade than a lifeless rectangular slip of paper with some contact information printed upon it. That’s not to say that all rectangular slips of paper are without merit, just that most traditional ones just aren’t getting the job done like they used to, following the demise of the Rolodex. Here are some alternatives you may want to consider.

Email/Blog Address Fortune

Maybe I just have a lot of superstitious friends with hoarding tendencies, but I, and people I know, tend to hang on to the fortunes we get from fortune cookies at Chinese restaurants. At least until the next time I wash the pants I’m wearing, at which point I empty out the pockets and re-read said fortune.

Lucky Brand jeans uses this as a marketing tactic, and includes a branded fortune in the pocket of a new pair of its product. You can do the same. Find a memorable quote or write an interesting fortune, print them on slips of paper with your logo if you have one, and put an email or blog address on the back. Handing these out will not only help you network, it should spark conversation, so long as the content you print on them is interesting enough. Try to come up with a variety so that you can hand them out in groups without doubling up.

QR Code

Depending on the crowd you’re mixing with, and whose attention you want to attract, you might want to riff on the traditional business card by handing out cards printed with QR codes. QR codes are a type of barcode that can be used to link to digital content via a scanned, printed symbol. Here’s an example:



QR codes can be scanned by software readers on smart phones with cameras (as long as there’s an app available for the phone, which there often is) and will process the information and launch the appropriate content. For example, the one above should open a link to WebWorkerDaily. You can generate your own QR codes here.

Obviously, you have to be careful who you give this kind of thing to. It works best with tech professionals who’ll either be familiar with QR codes, or with tech enthusiasts who’ll be interested enough to find out more about them.

Contact Info T-Shirt

If you’re going to a trade show or convention, and you aren’t afraid to do a little shameless self-promotion (which you really shouldn’t be if you’re in this line of business), then have a t-shirt printed up with either your email or web address on it.

Now that cell phone cameras are so prevalent it’s unlikely you’ll come across someone who doesn’t have one, all you have to do to share your info with someone is stand very still for a couple seconds while they snap a photo. It’s memorable, it’s environmentally-friendly, and you get to feel like a rock star for a day while getting your picture taken.

Business Rock

This isn’t mine, it’s something I found on Instructables, but it was so off-beat that I had to share. Basically, the idea is just that you find a well-worn lake or river stone, hand-write your details on it, and distribute that in lieu of a business card.

It’s time consuming, sure, but it doesn’t cost a thing, and it will help you stand out from the field, especially if you work in a creative line of business. You can pick up a relatively inexpensive customizable craft stamp if you’d rather simplify and save your hand some cramping, too.

It’s a little out of left field, but maybe in your line of work, that’s seen as a good place to be coming from.

Let’s face it. The business card isn’t useful. It’s a little like wearing a hat in public. An odd tradition left over from a bygone era that evokes some nostalgia, but that’s about it. You don’t have to start carrying around a sack of rocks, necessarily, but try and shake things up a bit, and your business relationships will benefit.

What business card alternatives do you use or have you come across and thought about using? Any tangible benefits to do doing things differently?

Photo credit: bargainmoose

9 Ways to Pump Up You, the Brand

Original Post from WebWorkerDaily by Meryl Evans

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Personal branding reflects how you represent yourself in the digital world from both a personal and business view. I believe that in this social media age everyone — from high school graduates to established professionals — needs to pay attention to his or her personal brand. Here are some tips for pumping up your image and improving your branding online.

1. Go beyond the popular social networks: Remember when MySpace was the place for social networking? No matter how firmly entrenched the big players seem, things can change. Make sure you have a complete profile on the current big three networks (Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook) but be sure to look out for specialist networks that cover your career or industry. Charles recently offered options for managing multiple online identities.
2. Mention other people's stuff: Passing on goodwill is a great way to provide value to your followers while also encouraging people to return the favor for you.
3. Think "relationship building": Limit self-promotion and marketing-speak. When you focus on building relationships, you ensure your content adds value to others.
4. Do the family and employer check: Always ask yourself, "Would I want my mother, children, clients or future employers to see this?" before posting anything. Nancy Nally explains when and when not to do self-censorship.
5. Ensure your alerts remain current: You use alerting services to watch for keywords, your name and your site's URL so you know what others say about you, right? Are yours up to date? Do they cover tweets, as well as web sites and blogs? Read more on monitoring your personal brand.
6. Respond when someone mentions you: Acknowledge others almost always (exceptions exist). Don't have an answer yet? Don't wait until you find one! Let them know you're working on it rather than leave them hanging.
7. Mix up your content: Well-meaning people often have an entire page of decent content on their profiles, but it's all just one type. For example, on Twitter, some people tweet what they're working on and nothing but. Some people post all @replies and nothing else. You should mix it up a little and don't be afraid to let your personality shine through.
8. Venture outside your network: Discover new blogs and leave comments or link to them. Many people tend to hang out with the same people across blogs and networks. This limits your ability to stretch your presence.
9. Post in four different places every week: It's easy to trap yourself into using nothing but Twitter, your own blog or whatnot. Make an effort to post original content in four different places on a weekly basis. It could be your blog, Twitter, another person's blog and a forum.

It only takes a few minutes a day to take care of you, the brand, and do it right.
How do you brand yourself?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/simonbleasdale/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Do this One Thing Before You Accept that Web Job

Original Post: Do this One Thing Before You Accept that Web Job

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A friend of mine who’s worked in a slew of web jobs that have sorely disappointed him has finally found a role he thinks will be fun, challenging and rewarding.
He knew of the company, met multiple times with different team members, had been taken on a tour of the office space, and was happy with the offer they’d negotiated. It all looked good. But before he jumped in and signed up, he made one final check that all web workers should undertake.
He called a friend of his who used to work for the company to get the inside story on what it’s like there.
His friend had left the company, but he trusted her opinion, so he spent an hour discussing the company culture, the attitude to various aspects of the work that were important to him, what she’d liked and disliked about working there, and so on. In some ways, this conversation was almost like a sort of reverse job interview. And it confirmed many of his thoughts on the organization while alerting him to other aspects of the place and people that he hadn’t been aware of.
By the end of the conversation, he felt he had a clearer, real-world view of his potential employer from someone who knew the company well, yet had no personal or business interest in whether or not he took the job. And he decided to accept the position.
How to Find Out What It’s Like On the Inside
Obviously it’s important to get to know the company you’re considering working for as best you can. But if you haven’t had any experience with the organization yourself (for example, as a customer or client), you may fear you’ll be left with its web site and your interviewer as your only sources of information.
There are a few other ways you can research your potential employer. The first is, of course, to ask someone who’s worked at the company how they enjoyed their time. Of course, their reasons for leaving the place may skew their answers to your questions, but this is a good starting point — if you know such a person. If not, don’t worry: there are other tactics you can use to get past the company sales pitch and find out what life’s like on the inside.
Speak to a Current Employee
Ask if you can speak to another person who works for the company about what it’s like there. You might suggest this to your potential employer as a way to get a feel for the company culture from an objective party who doesn’t care whether you join the organization or not. Of course, you’ll want to keep in mind that the details of your conversation may well be fed back to the staff that are considering hiring you.
But spending half an hour with someone who works in the organization can be a useful way to gain insight into the way the place functions, how it demonstrates that it respects and values staff and clients, and so on.
Speak to a Current or Past Client
If you were considering contracting your potential employer to do some work for you, you’d undoubtedly check their references. So why not do the same if you’re considering working for them? Most organizations will already have a few referees on hand for prospective clients to speak with, and they may be happy for you to speak to one of these individuals.
Speaking to a client can give you an insider’s view of how the company treats clients and delivers its services. You may gain insight into the processes the company uses to manage clients and complete projects, or the swiftness with which is responds to client complaints, inquiries, and reported technical issues. Again, keep in mind that the details of this conversation may well be reported back to your potential employer.
Review Community Discussions
Most company web sites have a blog, discussion forums, reader comments or a combination of these. Check these sources to see how the company deals with its audience, responds to their comments and thoughts, and deals with negative feedback.
The way a company interacts with its public online may give you rare insight into deeply-held attitudes that underlie the company culture, as well as things like complaint resolution procedures, how involved the broader team is with customers and clients, and how open the company is to new ideas, technology, and so on.

The Low Down On Informational Interviews

Original Post: The Low Down On Informational Interviews

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Having just moved from Southern Florida to New York City, I am setting up several informational interviews to further understand social media and new marketing techniques. Whether you have a job or are searching, informational interviews are a key to success.

Yesterday, I read an informative article in The Examiner written by James Sanford. My learnings were as follows:

1) Do not present a resume or ask for a job in an informational interview. The purpose of your meeting should be to learn a company culture and network in your industry.

2) Arrive to the meeting prepared with thoughtful questions.

3) The informational interview is a relaxed setting to practice your answers to future interview questions (i.e. “tell me about yourself”). You should not feel as if you are in an interview or selling a product; however, this is an excellent opportunity to practice your personal brand story or pitch.

4) Follow-up is critical. Thank each contact for his/her time, information, advice. Thank-you letters should be sent via email; a hard copy should be sent through snail mail.

5) Each manager and/or executive should be updated on any progress in your career.

6) Keep good records of connections made, including dates and follow-up tasks. I personally keep a well organized, ongoing list in an excel file.

As a Generation Y, it is often difficult to know who to contact and what exchange is appropriate. I am signing up for alumni events, industry related associations and specific Meetup.com affairs.

Other personal habits I have acquired while networking are to 1) confirm meeting time and place the day before, 2) follow up with unique, outstanding stationary, 3) get a business card, and 4) remember to small talk. Small talk is an art; often when I am taking myself too seriously, I forget to ask my mentor personal details. Taking note of these personal details on the back of his/her business card is a great technique. Then when I follow up, I can ask about family, vacation, home, etc. Every little detail counts when creating lasting relationships.

5 Ways to Fix a Tarnished Online Reputation

Original Post: From Alexandra Levit's

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United Airlines recently released a statement in response to the YouTube video sensation by a disgruntled flyer who had his guitars broken on a recent flight.  However, it was too little, too late, as more than 3 million people had already watched the video.  If you're the owner of a small business or if part of your job is to look after your organization's reputation, you need to know what to do to avoid being in a pickle like United.  Here are five ideas from Larry Weber, the founder of communications firms Weber Shandwick/W2 Group and the author of Sticks and Stones:

• Listen and respond to online conversations before an issue reaches critical mass and damages your reputation.  The best protection against negative comments and gripes is to build a positive reputation ahead of time. 
• In the event of a crisis, you or your leader must take responsibility in order to recover corporate reputation.
• Explain your solution to the crisis/issue and then carry the solution into action. 
• Set up specific online destinations to solicit negative comments and deal with them separately.  Bank of America set up a Twitter rep to deal with customer complaints.
• To change how you appear on the Internet, push down the relevance of negative results and give the search engines positive new content.

100+ Salary Surveys, Databases and Calculators From Around the World in 2009

Original Post: 100+ Salary Surveys, Databases and Calculators From Around the World in 2009 [Jobmob]

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Use this list of salary surveys and other resources to prepare yourself for job offer and salary negotiations.

How to use this list

• The list only includes sites that are credible or that explain where their numbers come from.


• Compare results across multiple sites for best results. Salaries are always changing and many of these sites are based on employee-submitted information.


• If you know of any other resources that aren’t in the list, please
  suggest them in the comments below.

What’s in this list?

• Salary surveys - numbers come from reader surveys about their jobs.
• Salary databases - readers contribute information about their jobs, sometimes in exchange for access to the rest of the database.
• Salary reports - more general, a salary report can come alone or from a combination of salary surveys, government statistics, company disclosures, etc.
• Salary or wage search - search on a profession and the results will show typical earnings.
• Salary calculators or checkers, wage/worth estimators - you fill out a form of questions about your profession and the calculated result is an estimate of the salary you should be earning. If you’re employed, this a good way to judge how fair your pay is.

Global Directory of Salary Surveys

Australia

1. Hays 2009 Salary Survey & Guides - salary guides for many industries
2. LiveSalary - anonymous salary information database of user submissions.
3. JobSpeed IT Salary Surveys
4. Australian Institute of Landscape Architects
5. Olivier Group’s Finance and Accounting Salary Survey 2009 (pdf)
6. Australian Institute of Mine Surveyors
7. MyCareer salary surveys - by industry
8. ARC salary and stipend rates for discovery and linkage for 2009 (pdf) - fellowships
9. Robert Walters 2009 Australia Salary Survey (pdf) - all kinds of jobs
10. Reed Specialist Recruitment’s Australia Salary and Labour Market Guide 2009 (pdf) - all kinds of jobs

Canada

1. SalaryExpert Search
2. Yahoo! HotJobs Salary
3. Computerworld Canada’s 2009 Salary Calculator
4. CTTAM 2009 Salary Survey (pdf) - all kinds of industries
5. Board of Canadian Registered Safety Professionals (pdf)
6. APEGS - engineers
7. Ontario Public Accounting (pdf)
8. ASET (pdf) - science & engineering professionals
9. UBC Engineering Co-op
10. Professional Engineers and Engineers-in-Training (pdf)

India

1. JobeeHive - research salaries, sometimes even by company
2. MBA Salary Survey
3. Electronics Industry (pdf)
4. Payscale
5. SalaryMap - all kinds of industries
6. eLearning and Content Development Salaries in India

Ireland

1. Robert Walters 2009 Ireland Salary Survey (pdf)
2. Premier Salary Survey 2009 - Finance, Legal, Office Support, Technical and IT
3. Brightwater Salary Survey 2009 (pdf) - many industries
4. HR Salary Survey 2009 (pdf)
5. Leinster Society of Chartered Accountants Salary Survey 2009 (pdf)
6. 2009 Salary Survey Restaurants/Hotels
7. Insurance & Reinsurance-Salary Survey (pdf)
8. Top People Salary Survey 2009 (pdf) - many industries
9. Reed Specialist Recruitment’s Ireland Salary and Labour Market Guide 2009 (pdf)

Israel

1. Jacob Richman’s CJI Hitech Salary Survey 2009
2. Techshoret Salary Surveys - writers of different kinds
3. CPS’s Hitech Salary Surveys (Hebrew)
4. Ethosia HR’s Salary Surveys (Hebrew) - very complete.
5. Check Compare (Hebrew) - a mostly-Hebrew database of user-submitted salary information covering many industries.
6. Maskorot (Hebrew) - another Hebrew database of submissions, but with some features such as the 50 Highest Salaries by Position.
7. Jobsindex (Hebrew) - links to salary surveys
8. Council for Higher Education (Hebrew) - average salaries of students post-graduation, per university or college
9. Jobinfo (Hebrew) - find the salary for a job in a few clicks
10. Hilan Tech Salary Calculator (Hebrew) - calculate your Net (after tax) salary as far back as 2000

Philippines

1. JobStreet Salary Report - numbers for many professions.
2. 2008/2009 CUPA-HR Salary Surveys
3. HR Business & Employee & Analytics & Trends (pdf)
4. Average IT Industry Salaries in the Philippines for 2009
5. Employed Persons by Industry, Occupation, Class of workers, and Hours Worked

Singapore

1. JobStreet Salary Report - numbers for many professions.
2. Robert Walters 2009 Singapore Salary Survey (pdf)
3. Ministry of Manpower Wage Search
4. Reed Specialist Recruitment’s Singapore Salary and Labour Market Guide 2009 (pdf)
5. Headhunters.com Salary Survey (pdf) -all kinds of jobs
6. Comments on numbers for Singapore in Hays Salary Guides 2009
7. Executive and Non-Executives report (pdf)
8. JobsCentral Salary Calculator
9. Ambition Market Trends & Salaries Reports

South Africa

1. Robert Walters 2009 South Africa Salary Survey (pdf)
2. MyBroadband Jobs -all listing include a salary range
3. Advertising Agencies Salary Survey 2009
4. 2009 Civil Engineering Salary Survey
5. Accountants Salary Survey 2009 (pdf)
6. Mba.co.za Salary Survey - (MBAs)

United Kingdom

1. Reed.co.uk’s Salary Calculator
2. uk:recruiter’s Free Salary Survey List
3. ITJobsWatch tracking system - very nicely done, lets you track salary trends per position.
4. Research, Science & Academic Job Salary Checker
5. MSN Money UK’s Salary Centre
6. CWJobs’ Salary Checker
7. Robert Walters 2009 United Kingdom Salary Survey (pdf)
8. GAAP Finance and Accountancy - links to other industry salary surveys
9. Michael Page Consultancy - all kinds of salary surveys
10. IT salary survey: hard first quarter for 2009
11. ILEX Bournemouth & District Branch: 2009 Salary Survey (pdf)
12. The 2009 UK Games Development Salary Survey
13. Corporate Finance Salary Survey 2008/2009
14. Reed Hospitality Salary Survey (pdf)
15. Legal Accounts Salary Survey 2009 - South Regions
16. Parity Salary Survey 2009-Permanent IT Jobs - (pdf)

United States

1. Glassdoor - submit your own first to see the information that other users have anonymously submitted about their companies.
2. Realrates - not very nice to look at, but has user-submitted information that is (somewhat) verified by moderators.
3. JobSearchIntelligence - salary calculator
4. jobnob - search and compare salaries across companies and professions
5. SalaryExpert Search
6. CareerOneStop - credible information from a government source.
7. JobStar’s 300+ Salary Survey Results
8. Indeed.com Salary Search
9. ComputerJobs.com Salary Ticker
10. Robert Walters 2009 United States Salary Survey (pdf)
11. Salary.com Resources

International

1. PayScale - mainly a salary checker, somewhat long-winded forms but very detailed results for almost every country.
2. Hays Salary Guides 2009 for Asia
3. Robert Half Global Salary Survey: Accounting, Finance & Banking
4. National Statistical Agencies - per country, many of which have salary numbers in your local language.
5. SalaryExpert (international version) - only one position at a time can be checked.
6. SalaryScout - search or browse salaries from around the world, such as via their
   interactive World Salary Map.
7. WageIndicator - these “salary checks” are supposed to confirm if your current salary is fair.
8. Vault.com Salary Surveys - a lot of employee-submitted information categorized by industry. Time-consuming to look through and you can’t search the submissions.
9. Robert Walters Global Salary Surveys for 2009 - in addition to the above countries are covered Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Luxembourg, Malaysia, New Zealand, Spain and The Netherlands.
10. Robert Half Finance Free Resources - a 2009 guide with “projected average starting salary ranges for accounting, finance and banking positions,” requires free signup.
11. Salary Survey for Engineers - covers the United States, India, Canada, UAE, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Qatar, Germany, Nigeria, the Philippines and Egypt.
12. 2009 Randstad Remuneration Survey - accountants in New Zealand

Five Social Media Rules for Your Job Search

Original Post: Five Social Media Rules for Your Job Search

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Looking for a new job? Be smart online! Your activity on the internet may make or break your chances of getting a job you want. Too often people sabotage their job search by leaving a trail online of careless, controversial, or foolish posts, pictures, or comments. Others use their time online to create an image that screams “Hire me!”

Here are five rules to follow to help insure your success:

1. Maximize your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a tremendous tool for your job search, not the least of which is being found. Also, a recruiter or hiring manager may check you out during a hiring process just to see what you have posted. Spend time to create a full, professional profile. Be as meticulous as you are in creating your resume. Be sure there are no spelling errors and make it readable. Whether it’s to find you in a search, or to check you out as you’re being considered for a position, your LinkedIn profile is critical to give you an advantage when you’re competing for an offer.
   


2. Picture this! Clearly, having pictures online that show you drinking, doing drugs, or something else foolish or worse can be deadly to getting an offer. However, often people forget that ALL pictures online form a portrait of who you are. I saw a LinkedIn profile of a middle-aged heavy-set man with a picture of an apparent vacation in Hawaii where he was shirtless and wearing a lei. Not the image a potential employer is likely hoping for. Pictures on Facebook, MySpace, Flickr or any other site are accessible, often even when you think they are marked ‘private’. If you put it on the web, it can usually be found. It’s public information and can be a factor in a hiring decision. Make sure the pictures online, particularly on LinkedIn create the best professional image you can.
   


3. Avoid controversy. You may have strong opinions about politics, wars, healthcare, or a number of other topics. Airing them out publicly online, however, may alienate a potential employer. Whether the recruiter or hiring manager agrees with your opinions or not may be irrelevant if they consider the potential turmoil it may produce in their organization. Debate and discussion live and in-person is great, but anything posted online is open to public consumption now and years from now.
   


4. Watch your language! Just as controversial subjects can be off-putting when being considered for employment, so can bad language. If your posts in a blog, ‘Tweets’ on Twitter, comments to articles, or discussion in online forums are characterized by profanity, or sexual references it’s not likely to create the image you’d like a hiring manager to have of you.
   


5. Exude optimism! Complaining about your previous company, boss, current circumstances, neighbors, products, businesses, associates, or anything else creates an image of a whiner. Body language and tone don’t come across online. It’s critical to create an online persona of professionalism, helpfulness, graciousness, and optimism. If you read everything you’ve written online, would it sound like someone you’d like to spend time with each day, or someone that would bring you down? Create the impression that will make you an attractive employee and co-worker.

All of these things are not guaranteed to make a difference, however, if a recruiter or hiring manager were to Google you (and a high percentage of them do), what they find can be a deciding factor as to whether they will move forward with you or not.

Be careful to craft your online image and remember that EVERYTHING you post is open to consideration!