How to write a killer bio

Original Post by Marci Alboher, Working the New Economy, on Tue Jul 28, 2009 11:03am PDT

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For a growing swath of the workforce the resume has been replaced, or at least supplemented, by the bio. If you've ever had to be introduced by someone at a conference, you know it's wise to give the person introducing you a written bio rather than sit back and hear how she decides to describe you. Written bios are posted on websites; abbreviated bios show up on sites like LinkedIn; even shorter ones appear next to our profiles on Twitter; and snappy taglines trail the bottoms of our emails.

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With the bio in full bloom right now, it pays to take some time to write yours in a way that that reflects how you want to be perceived. Perhaps you want to show a sense of humor or wit. Maybe you want to show your technical prowess by delivering your bio in a video format. And while you're at it, why not let your bio accomplish some personal branding for you. As you write yours, consider a few things.

If you're a writer, show off your writing

While writers should have an advantage in crafting well-written bios, it's remarkable how few unleash their facility with language when profiling themselves. Which is why I love the bio and "about Laura" sections of novelist Laura Zigman's website. They are composed entirely in the third person and the opening few lines of the bio give you an idea of her tone: "Laura Zigman grew up in Newton, Massachusetts (where she felt she never quite fit in), and graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst (where she didn't fit in either) and the Radcliffe Publishing Procedures Course (where she finally started to feel like she fit in)."

If you get frequent requests for a bio, have a few versions ready

Sreenath Sreenivasan, a dean at Columbia University's School of Journalism, does a good job of offering his bio in different lengths, which makes life easier for anyone requesting a bio (and probably avoids a lot of unnecessary emailing back and forth.) He provides three options: "The 10-second Bio" in bullet points, the "In-depth Bio," which goes nearly a full page, and the "resume version."

Reveal your personality

Colleen Wainwright, a communications consultant whom I just praised for her newsletter prowess, reveals a bit about her style and personality while also providing the various format options with links to her "bio," and her "long-ass bio."

Humor humanizes

If you click the "our people" link on the website of Sixth & I, a non-denominational synagogue in Washington, DC, you'll see a series of bios all written in a light-hearted style, which fits in with the organization's informal vibe. Jackie Leventhal, who handles books, talks and culture, introduces herself with these few lines: "Hi, I'm Jackie ("Jacqueline" officially, "Jack" if you're a close friend or my father, who was hoping for a son). Cultural programs comprise my niche at the intersection of 6th and I streets. It is mandatory that I have my photo taken with the author, politician, celebrity, Supreme Court Justice, ambassador, Jonas brother, or other distinguished personality participating in one of the programs I coordinate."

Eddie Henein, the organization's security guard, starts his bio with: "Hello friends. I'm Eddie and I protect Sixth & I, the staff (who are like my family), and everyone who enters this most special place. I'm originally from Egypt and, if asked, I can and will walk like an Egyptian."

If you're thinking, "that would never fly at my company," have a look at the bio of tax lawyer Martin Ginsburg, posted on the official site of the law firm, Fried Frank. After listing a slew of serious credentials, he writes: "Professor Ginsburg's spouse was a lawyer before she found better work. Their older child was a lawyer before she became a schoolteacher. The younger child, when he feels grumpy, threatens to become a lawyer."

Sometimes the most serious types are the most in need of some humanizing.

Let your bio brand you (and don't be afraid to sell yourself)

Jeremy Epstein, a marketing consultant, writes in his website bio and LinkedIn profile that he is a specialist at building "raving fans" for his clients.  And though I'm usually wary of people who are quick to say how talented they are, Epstein shows that his own clients are willing to rave about him by linking to an impressive list of testimonials. If his clients are willing to voice their praise so enthusiastically, it seems to prove his statement about what he can deliver

Do You Work Harder Than Your Boss?

Original Post: Do You Work Harder Than Your Boss?

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Ryan Holiday shared a slide show with me from author Robert Greene and some guy named 50 Cent. The slide show, 10 Lessons in Fearlessness (embedded below), features 10 short lessons adapted from the book “The 50th Law.” There’s a lot of value within, and one of the slides addresses something I’ve been encountering and thinking about a lot lately.

“Complaining and haranguing people to work harder has a counterproductive effect. You must adopt the opposite style: Imbue your troops with the proper spirit through your actions, not words. They see you working harder than anyone, holding yourself to highest standards, taking risks with confidence, and making tough decisions. This inspires and binds the group together. In these democratic times you must practice what you preach.”

Do you work harder than your boss(es) ? Is the hierarchical tier in a company actually an inverse of the amount of work being done?






As regular readers of this blog know I consistently discuss and exchange ideas with a multitude of young employees in various types of organizations. I hear about it a bit less frequently in smaller organizations, but in the corporate world it’s virtually unanimous.

Why is this?

Is it a matter of perception?

Many times the type of work is different. While a front line employee might be analyzing trends, doing research, crunching numbers, writing copy, etc. their superiors might be having frequent meetings. Do entry-level employees perceive phone calls and meetings as easier work than the work they’re doing because it’s less mundane and tiresome?

Are those meetings usually good partnership opportunities and sales leads or is it a lot of posturing?
[Either way if a manager wants to get more out of their employees the work they do and the perceived value they create has to demonstrate to their subordinates that they are working hard, creating new business, etc. and not just bossing them around and exchanging war stories with leaders from other organizations. Yes?]

Have they earned the right to have an ‘easier’ job?

Aside from the explanation that the entry level employees just don’t ‘get it,’ and they don’t care, managers will also resort to claiming they’ve earned the right. And maybe they have. Wouldn’t you want to come in, send a few tweets, read a few articles, have a 2 hour lunch, review two quick projects and offer a tiny bit of advice, mix in a phone call and call it a day once you became a boss?
[If you’re reading this and nodding good for you, but I can assure you that your employees will have a lot more respect for someone that takes Greene’s advice. If Don Draper gave his junior copywriters a bulleted list of things he wanted to see in an ad campaign before they ever started, they’d certainly bring him something significantly better than if they operate under their own assumptions.
What’s more annoying than re-working something 15 times because you couldn’t get your superior to sit still long enough to read your draft? Or a middle manager telling you to change something after reading two sentences and then going back into their office and closing the door? I have an idea: READ THE WHOLE DAMN DOCUMENT AND LET ME KNOW WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T AND I’LL FIX IT ONCE INSTEAD AND SAVE US BOTH FOUR HOURS AND SEVEN REVISIONS. Save the learning experience BS for better economic times when we actually have hours to waste.]

One day when you have your own company (or today if you already do) consider crafting strategy with an employee, and instead of just asking them questions to “get them thinking,” contribute your own ideas and insights; after all, you’re the one with the experience. If your entry level employees can write 2 proposals a day, try writing 3. If you’re the boss and you can write 3 not only will they respect you, but they’ll amplify their own efforts.

* I haven’t been in the work force long enough to state these claims with any definitiveness. That’s not the intention here. Rather t have a discussion and learn from one another. Do you perceive that the people above you do less work than you, particularly if you work in a big organization? If so, is it on account of one of the reasons above? If you’re a leader, what do you do to demonstrate to your subordinates that you’re in the trenches also?

Check out the slideshow and see what else you can learn from Robert and Fifty’:

The 50th Law: 10 Lessons in Fearlessness

The Worst is yet to Come: Unemployed Americans Should Hunker Down for More Job Losses

Original Post: Here

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From the Daily News:

Image by Darth Dragon

Think the worst is over? Wrong. Conditions in the U.S. labor markets are awful and worsening. While the official unemployment rate is already 10.2% and another 200,000 jobs were lost in October, when you include discouraged workers and partially employed workers the figure is a whopping 17.5%.

While losing 200,000 jobs per month is better than the 700,000 jobs lost in January, current job losses still average more than the per month rate of 150,000 during the last recession.

Also, remember: The last recession ended in November 2001, but job losses continued for more than a year and half until June of 2003; ditto for the 1990-91 recession.

So we can expect that job losses will continue until the end of 2010 at the earliest. In other words, if you are unemployed and looking for work and just waiting for the economy to turn the corner, you had better hunker down. All the economic numbers suggest this will take a while. The jobs just are not coming back.

There's really just one hope for our leaders to turn things around: a bold prescription that increases the fiscal stimulus with another round of labor-intensive, shovel-ready infrastructure projects, helps fiscally strapped state and local governments and provides a temporary tax credit to the private sector to hire more workers. Helping the unemployed just by extending unemployment benefits is necessary not sufficient; it leads to persistent unemployment rather than job creation.

The long-term picture for workers and families is even worse than current job loss numbers alone would suggest. Now as a way of sharing the pain, many firms are telling their workers to cut hours, take furloughs and accept lower wages. Specifically, that fall in hours worked is equivalent to another 3 million full time jobs lost on top of the 7.5 million jobs formally lost.

This is very bad news but we must face facts. Many of the lost jobs are gone forever, including construction jobs, finance jobs and manufacturing jobs. Recent studies suggest that a quarter of U.S. jobs are fully out-sourceable over time to other countries.

Other measures tell the same ugly story: The average length of unemployment is at an all time high; the ratio of job applicants to vacancies is 6 to 1; initial claims are down but continued claims are very high and now millions of unemployed are resorting to the exceptional extended unemployment benefits programs and are staying in them longer.

Based on my best judgment, it is most likely that the unemployment rate will peak close to 11% and will remain at a very high level for two years or more.

The weakness in labor markets and the sharp fall in labor income ensure a weak recovery of private consumption and an anemic recovery of the economy, and increases the risk of a double dip recession.

As a result of these terribly weak labor markets, we can expect weak recovery of consumption and economic growth; larger budget deficits; greater delinquencies in residential and commercial real estate and greater fall in home and commercial real estate prices; greater losses for banks and financial institutions on residential and commercial real estate mortgages, and in credit cards, auto loans and student loans and thus a greater rate of failures of banks; and greater protectionist pressures.

The damage will be extensive and severe unless bold policy action is undertaken now.

Roubini is professor of Economics at the Stern School of Business at New York University and Chairman of Roubini Global Economics.

How To Use iGoogle To Get Ahead In Your Job Searches

Original Post: Here

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So technically the recession has lifted in the US which means there should be some more jobs created in the US of A. Correct? Yes. At least there will be soon. But how prepared are you to start finding these new jobs?

You have to remember that hundreds of thousands of people who have given up their job search in the depths of the recession are all going to pile back onto the job market quicker than you can say ‘credit crunch’.

So I thought I’d share with you a tip I use when I’m looking for more blogging jobs. This tip can be applied for when you’re looking for work, a new house, great deals and other thing that are hard to come by. I simply set up iGoogle to perform how I want it to so it can become my Mission HQ.

Firstly, go to Google (if you don’t already have an account, create one). In the top right-hand corner click iGoogle. Then, from the tabs located to the left of the screen click ‘Add a tab‘ and give it an appropriate name in the box which appears.

Now that your new tab is created we have to add some gadgets which will help you in your job search. Our main tool here will be the RSS gadget so I need you to do the following.

Visit sites specific to your job search. Craigslist will cover pretty much everything from jobs to houses to items for sale. Most other jobs search websites also offer RSS feeds as a way of bringing you back to the site with the promise of alerts. Right-click on the feed’s icon and copy the address. Then go back to iGoogle.

Click on the ‘Add Stuff‘ link at the top right of the screen. Along the left-hand side in the sidebar you’ll see an Add Feed or Gadget link. Click on that and paste in the link address you copied from the RSS link on the job site and click ‘Add‘.

The RSS feed should now appear in iGoogle like my example at the bottom of this post. Keep repeating this procedure for all the job searches (or any other search) you like. Here are some popular websites which offer RSS feeds and jobs, apartments and more are frequently posted.

• Craigslist
• Twitter (perform a search and then use the RSS feed for that search)
• Indeed
• Yahoo HotJobs
• Monster

For more job search websites, click here.

Finally, click on ‘Change Theme from Classic‘ and select one of the cool themes they have there. This doesn’t really improve your iGoogle HQ but you don’t want to turn on your computer every day and see the same generic theme, do you?

Now all you have to do is check back daily and follow up on anything promising. Without a doubt you’re ahead of the competition by making iGoogle your search HQ because while you’re giving the advertisers a call they’re still rummaging through search results.

Photo Credit: Danard Vincente

8 Self-Imposed Reasons People Can’t Find Jobs

Original Post: 8 Self-Imposed Reasons People Can’t Find Jobs Posted by Harry Urschel

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It’s a tough job market… no question about it! People that previously seemed to be able to jump into a new job fairly quickly after a lay off, are having much longer stretches of unemployment these days.
I had a person in one of my job search classes recently who was downright angry that his previous job search method wasn’t working. The last two times he had to look for a new job (both during booming economies) all he had to do was post his resume on a job board and wait for the calls, interviews, and offers. It took him less than a month each time. Now he posts his resume everywhere and hears NOTHING! He’s been unemployed for several months and is ticked!
Finding a new job today requires different methods and much more initiative than it has in many years. Unfortunately, many… perhaps most… people are trying to apply what worked in the past in a new set of circumstances. Much (certainly not all) of their delay in landing that next position is due to self-imposed causes.
In no particular order, here are eight:
~ A focus on themselves. When looking for a position, people are often too focused on what they want vs. what the company wants or requires. A resume that states something like: “Seeking a role as a Financial Analyst in a dynamic company with growth opportunities” says nothing about how the company will benefit by hiring you and everything about what you wish for yourself. Frankly, they’re not particularly interested in what you want, they have problems to solve and work that needs to be accomplished. How are you their solution for that? This is a critical perspective to keep in mind in resumes, networking meetings, and interviews.
~ An unwillingness to get out and actually talk to people. Cruising job boards and sending in a resume is not going to produce results in this market. Most people spend the vast majority of their job search time looking at ads, however, only 12% of jobs are filled through online ads. Over 80% of jobs are filled through various forms of networking. Networking is most effectively accomplished through conversations with actual people, by phone or face-to-face. It may be easier to stare at a computer screen, but results come through human interaction.
~ Lack of persistence. In sales (and a job hunt is sales), a sale is rarely made on the first, or even a second call. Persistence pays! If one person in an organization says they don’t have an opening or aren’t interested in your background… DON’T QUIT THERE! Someone in my class recently got a job at a company through the 5th person he called there. The previous 4 ALL told him there were no related openings. Most people would have quit after the first conversation. It’s critical to be persistent.
~ Fear of imposing on people. The vast majority, especially in this market, want to be helpful in some way. Often they don’t know how they can, but if you’re prepared with suggestions (outside of asking if they know of a job), they will usually be glad to help out. Most job seekers think they are imposing or ‘stalking’ someone LONG before the person they are pursuing feels that way. If people don’t know you’re looking, they can’t help you. Make a list of everyone you know, contact them and ask for referrals. You can get more help with that here.
~ Only doing what most other job seekers do. When sending a resume and waiting for a call, they are doing the same thing as 90% of all applicants do. They are no more to that company than a piece of data that arrived into their email box or database. Companies don’t hire data, they hire people. Without a human voice or face they will not get noticed out of the sea of other resumes. Use tools available to you like LinkedIn to find the right person to talk to or like Twitter to gain information and get noticed. Then make those calls! You can find more information here and here.
~ Lack of follow-up. Very often, it’s the little things that make the difference. A Thank You note or follow-up phone call are often the only thing that tips the scale toward one person over another. Don’t take lightly the value of calling to follow up on a resume, or sending Thank You notes after EVERY interview or conversation. Look for more detail here.
~ Lack of professionalism. Skills and competence are important for a position, however, in today’s market it’s highly likely they are seeing a number of people that can do the job. It’s the finer points that usually make the difference as to who gets hired. Communication skills, speaking concisely, appearance, respectfulness, personality… all components of professionalism will determine who wins. More on the topic here.
~ Poor attitude. No one wants to hang out with a grouch, or complainer, whiner, or someone who’s a general downer! Attitude is often the number one reason why someone moves forward in a hiring process or gets rejected. Speaking ill of a previous employer or position is widely understood to be a no-no… however, is one of the most common occurrences. Check your attitude before every call, meeting, or note. More on the subject here.
Different times require different measures. When the economy is booming and companies have difficulties finding enough people to accomplish various jobs, most people can find new positions relatively quickly. However, when each opening has a multitude of qualified candidates applying, other factors besides skills carry more influence in a hiring decision.
Check your job search process and make sure you aren’t limiting your own success!

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Footnote: Thank you for visiting The Wise Job Search. I truly appreciate your interest. If you like the material here and would like to help keep it viable, please peruse and visit book recommendations, and other resources posted throughout the site. Best wishes on your continued search, and feedback is always welcome!

7 Habits Of Highly Effective Live Tweeters

Original Post:Here

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As Twitter evolves from a casual “What are you doing?” forum to a powerful marketing and advertising tool, live tweeting is the newest strategy being used to generate buzz around events and leverage publicity.

Posting tweets while attending an event, called live tweeting, is growing more popular by the day as a way to share information to people who can’t experience it first hand.

Xani and Erin, sisters who share a blog called Black Coffee and a Donut were invited to test run a new menu recently released at RA Sushi located in Baltimore’s Harbor East and decided to tweet live for the first time for their loyal readers/followers who couldn’t be there. While both ladies admitted an immediate increase in followers and a moderate number of reply tweets, they agreed to feeling as though they were being rude to the other media guests at the table. “We’ve had good manners drilled in to us since childhood!” said the sisters. For them, ignoring what is usually second nature was a challenge.

Indeed, there are pros and cons of tweeting live. Here are the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Live Tweeters:

1. BE the Hashtag: (#) = your new best friend.
A hashtag is a code (word preceded by the (#) symbol) inserted somewhere in a tweet that makes it easy for people to find and aggregate related tweets. By using your established event hashtag with every tweet, they will all show up together in a Twitter Search organized by publish time. This is also a great tool to use to monitor others who may be tweeting about your event or in reply to your live updates.

2. Don’t go #crazy with your #hashtags: it’s #annoying.
Try to keep it to a minimum of one to two hashtags per tweet!

3. Integrate your updates: a picture is worth a thousand words.
Especially true when tweeting live, sometimes a picture can tell people what’s happening where you’re at more than you can say it in a tweet. Use applications such as Twitpic.com or UberTwitter if tweeting with a mobile device.

4. Yield to others: it’s a two way street.
Interactive live tweeting = successful live tweeting. See what others are saying in response to your updates and respond/interact accordingly. Connect with folks from the event: retweet their tweets, post updates with their @username and follow their account(s). Establish a connection and maintain semi-regular conversation even after the event is over.

5. Pick the right event.
A funeral is the wrong event.

6. Have the touch.
Make sure you tweet just enough to keep people engaged, but not so much that followers are annoyed with your hashtag. Flooding a follower’s feed with tweets is never a good thing.

7. Build anticipation: tweet the hell out of it
Tweet about the event during it’s three phases: before, during and after to keep things interesting and get people excited. Updating your followers beforehand that you’ll be tweeting live from an event will also serve as a warning for people who don’t want to see the flood of hashtagged tweets, and they’ll be able to avoid Twitter on the appropriate day/time.

Beyond the 7 Habits:

Live tweeting is an extreme multitasking challenge. You could be doing four things at once: 1. following other live tweets with the associated hashtag, 2. responding to other live tweets, 3. tweeting and proofing your own tweets, 4. engaging in discussion with those currently at the event.

Try to be respectful of others, and make sure you wear your button so people know you’re not texting/typing because you’re bored. These 7 Habits will have you well on your way to being a successful, multitasking Live Tweeter.

For more information: Subscribe to Baltimore Social Media Examiner for automated email updates, visit www.NumbersNotInvited.com or follow me on Twitter @bridgetforney. Email me at bridget.forney@gmail.com.

The Importance Of An Online Portfolio

Original Post: The Importance Of An Online Portfolio

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Image by chuck-reynolds

Barbara Nixon recently asked a number of professionals for some advice for her students.

Should a Public Relations student’s portfolio be digital or in a binder?

I can certainly answer this question with my personal point of view, both as a professional who has looked at portfolios during the hiring process and as someone who landed a number of opportunities based on my own online portfolio.

A few years ago, having an online portfolio as an advertising or PR student was much less common (so much so that I was able to land a scholarship to the Cannes International Advertising Festival’s Roger Hatchuel Academy simply for being the only student to apply with an online portfolio).

These days, the practice is becoming more common, and for students looking to stand out in a competitive job market, I would argue that an online portfolio is quickly becoming a requirement. This is particularly true for those looking for a digital position (and I might add, most PR positions have become at least somewhat digital).

Your Portfolio Might Simply Be Your “Personal Hub”

During the hiring process, you want to make it as easy as possible for hiring managers to get a fast impression of what you’re all about. This might be as simple as creating a “hub” that will lead them to your work, writing and participation in various online networks. It might even be a blog.

Creating an online portfolio can be a lot of fun—this is your opportunity to get creative and show off your personality.

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheCreativeCareer/~3/XrQqY_KvKxQ/

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