A Facebook CV (Resume)

www.laurentbrouat.com (to download the Facebook CV)

Sabrina Saccoccio created a new kind of CV, the CV-like facebook page.

And it is quite creative and powerful. I am a big fan of new kind of CVs (see my WHAT IS A CV IN 2010?).

The good things about this kind of CV:

- She shows creativity
- She creates a buzz on the internet
- She shows that she understands how to communicate
- She showcases her skills in a light manner and is able to grab the recruiter’s attention
- She has put many recommendations which is something I like, it shows her professional credibility in the industry

The points at risk:

- Sometimes recruiters may think it is too much, it is funny and it creates buzz, but is it serious?
- Information is a bit difficult to sort out as her work experience is in the second page on the left side
- Too much humor is not funny anymore?!

I really think that for her industry (she is a TV, radio print and web producer), it is an efficient tool and a very much creative CV. It grabs attention and creates buzz, and a positive one!

And this is the main purpose of a CV: being targeted! If you don’t craft a CV with the end goal in mind, it won’t work. It will be the usual boring CV (see Why your CV is boring and ineffective).

Here is another way to use social media and overcome the boring side of the CV!

And you, would you do a facebook CV?

via secretsofthejobhunt.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Interview 3.0

www.laurentbrouat.com

When being interviewed, rules are increaslingly changing. It is not about what you have done, but about how you have done it.

Welcome in the world of the interview 3.0.

With the interview 3.0, the rule is simple: Prove it!

There are more candidates, there is more competition, recruiters have access to more information on-line about the candidates...they don't know what the truth is.

So recruiters rely more and more on behavioral techniques to get as many details as possible about the candidate. They want to unearth the lies or the things that candidates ares hiding. They want to understand how the candidate behaved precisely "on site".

You still have some old-fashioned recruiters who ask the "3 defaults/3 qualities" question, but they are on the verge of disappearing.

Now it comes to a simple question: How did you do that?

Recruiters want more details, want to understand how you did that or how you developped this new product.

The more vague and inconsistent you will be, the less convincing you will be.

Interview 3.0 is based on behavioral techniques which follow 4 steps:

1) Situation
Where, when, what? What was your position at the time, when was it...

2) Task/Challenge
What was the challenge? What were the obstacles to overcome?

3) Actions
Which precise actions did you take, step by step?

4) Results
Which result(s) did you get? How much?

And the best way for you to prepare the Interview 3.0 is to write down all your achievements, one after the other and following this S.T.A.R. technique.

Here is an example of what you should do:

"In 2008 I was a Marketing Manager at Cuca Cola (S). The market of the colas was not going well and I had no budget to launch my new product (T). I co-ordinated internally all the tasks to design a communication plan. I developed a new way of communicating our product using internet ie blogs. I created a partnership with a sport brand to co market our product (A). From the launching, the product got 5% of market share (R)."

Doing that, you are specific and you give details. It is not anymore about "Yes I am good at..." but "I created this product and implemented...and got these results".

You are proving things by examples and not by self-affirmation.

Interviewing is not about boasting, it is about telling what you have done and how you have done it. The more interviewers will know about the "how" and which behaviors you developed, the more interviewers will be able to identify if you are a good fit for the company.

Interview 3.0 is about authenticity and proof.

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via secretsofthejobhunt.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Open Mouth, Insert Foot – How to Ruin an Interview in 8 Easy Steps | EmploymentDigest.net

A mediocre interview is generally pretty easy for most people. But to really mess it up, to have a colossally bad interview, to have the kind of meeting that leaves people discussing you around the water cooler for weeks to come, well, that takes work and planning. Here are 8 easy tips for becoming the stuff of recruiting legend.

1. Insult the interviewer. There are so many ways to do this that this should really be a slam dunk. However, you want to be sure the interviewer is offended and doesn’t just write off your gaff as nervousness. One way to accomplish this is to glance around the office and proceed to disparage something that is obviously important to the person. For example, if there is a diploma from MilkShake University (mascot: Frappe), you might discuss your lactose intolerance and the various side effects caused by drinking anything with milk.

2. Arrive late with a really bad excuse. This is a variation on number 1, but allows you to go farther into the field of creativity. Convincing someone that you are serious about your really bad excuse (for example: it took longer to brush my teeth than I expected) takes practice and a fair amount of acting skill.

3. Don’t wash. After all, who doesn’t wake up in the morning hoping they will have the opportunity to spend half an hour in very close quarters with someone smelling like an overripe cesspit? The more pungent you are, the more you will inspire the interviewer to think of your time together as not merely an interview but as fodder for the next cocktail party.

4. Talk endlessly. The more you ramble, the better. In fact, you get extra points if you talk for so long that the interviewer forgets what the question was.

5. Convince the interviewer that you are unable to answer the question. This works much better if you use this tactic on the majority of the questions you are asked-especially the easy ones. For example, when the interviewer is walking you to his or her office and asks, “Did you have any trouble finding the building?” as a way of making small talk, you should stop in your tracks, pause thoughtfully, and say, “Hmmm…that’s a really good question….I don’t know…Let me think for a moment….No, I really don’t know…”

6. Ask your interviewer out on a date. You get extra credit here if you can clearly see a wedding ring and photos of kids. Bonus points if the interviewer has already mentioned spending the weekend playing with the children.

7. Inquire about areas the interviewer has not mentioned. Obviously, some things are critically important, and you should not leave the first interview without a good idea of what to expect of this company. Be sure to ask about vacation policy, sick leave, paid time off, smoking breaks, lunch breaks, coffee breaks, whether personal phone calls are acceptable and whether you can use the company computers for updating your resume.

8. Assume you are the only viable candidate for the job. By all means, take control of the interview. Just ask whether you should begin Monday or if it would be OK to wait a week.

 Judi Cogen is a Principal with J Grace Consulting and an expert in reducing unwanted organizational turnover. Her Selection Strategist Program helps companies reduce turnover and take the guesswork out of hiring by using proven conative testing and company specific analytics to select the right person for the right position. J Grace Consulting also offers Youth Strategist, a program to help 10 to 17 year old kids understand their conative attributes for more success in life and school. Learn more about Selection Strategist and Youth Strategist at http://JGraceConsulting.net You can read Judi’s blog at http://JudiCogen.wordpress.com or follow her on Twitter at @JudiCogen.

via employmentdigest.net

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Answer the Weakness Interview Question By Showing Vulnerability | Seattle Interview Coach

Answering the "What is your biggest weakness?" interview question continues to be one of the most dreaded experiences during a job interview.

Most interview candidates typically recite canned answers such as:

• "My weakness: I work too hard."
• "Sometimes I am so detail-oriented that my co-workers go crazy."

Answering the question with a weakness ... that can be perceived as a strength is an easily detected gambit. Interviewers consider such responses as inauthentic.

As I revealed in the following blog post, How to Answer "What is your biggest weakness?" Interview Question, there are three things that interviewers are looking for in the biggest weakness question:

• Self-awareness. Does the candidate recognize their shortcomings? And can he or she be candid about them?
• Initiative. What has the candidate done to improve their imperfections?
• Results. Now that they've put an fix-it plan in place, how have they progressed? Is there a happy ending?

Most of my clients struggle to be candid about their shortcomings. As difficult as it may be, revealing your shortcomings may help develop an emotional connection with the interviewer. This excerpt from this month's Psychology Today magazine explains why:

Do you have a formula for good conversation?

At the heart of a satisfying encounter with another person is the willingness to feel a vulnerability, to reveal fear. I'm interested in real, emotional communication. I want to talk about vulnerability, fear, anxieties. Most people's conversational priority is to find some sort of neutral topic, like a new kind of car or gadget and not touch someone emotionally. Such conversations are disappointing. The best way to start a conversation around a table is to say, "OK, so what was everyone frightened of today?" or "What's making you really sad in your relationship with somebody?"

We can easily put the "What is your weakness?" question in the same category. That is, your response is an opportunity to share a vulnerability. Next time you get this question, use the opportunity to build an emotional connection with the interviewer.

via blog.seattleinterviewcoach.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

15 Must-Read Personal Branding Articles | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

The advantage of reading the Brand-Yourself.com blog is that you get a wide and diverse set of opinions delivered on a daily basis.  When it comes to building a brand, there is rarely a “right” or “wrong” path that applies to all.  Instead, it is likely a highly unique and personalized route that will lead you to success.  With that said, allow me to provide an even wider range of viewpoints.  Here are 15 recent personal branding articles from 15 great authors – some you might  know, and some you might not.

What Belly Dancing Taught Me About Personal Branding by Lisa Barone at Copyblogger.

“How do you create a personal brand that will garner attention instead of hate? Here are some tips I’ve picked up from my experience on the Web.”

12 Kickass Ways to Love your Job and Life by Arvind Devalia at The Undercover Recruiter.

“See your work as a game. Life is meant to be fun and if you are going to spend a third of it at work, you might as well enjoy the game.”

We Can Do It by Seth Godin.

“Successful people rarely confuse a can-do attitude with a smart plan. But they realize that one without the other is unlikely to get you very far.”

15 Personal Branding Tasks You Can Do Everyday by Mohammed Altaee at Personal Branding 101.

“Building your brand is not a one-time deal. Once you create it, you will be required to maintain your brand moving forward…”

30 Valuable Lessons Learned Using Social Media for Small Business by Mark Hayward at Problogger.

“After almost three years of working hard, learning continuously, making lots of mistakes, and monitoring successes, below are thirty valuable social media marketing lessons that I have learned through my experience.”

The Reason Why Your Personal Brand Sucks by Christopher S. Penn.

“What’s essential about you is a quality, a trait, a method of working in the world that is unique to you and very difficult to even put into words, much less copy.”

How to Give Yourself a First-Class Online Business Education by Sonia Simone at Copyblogger.

“Today I’m going to talk about what I’ve learned, so if you’re a little earlier on the path you can avoid some blind alleys.”

New Twitter Tools for Job Seekers by Jessica Miller-Merrell at Brand-Yourself.

“These tips will help you turn Twitter into the ultimate networking tool…”

Stop Talking About Yourself by Chris Brogan.

“Check your last 10 blog posts, your last 10 tweets. Are they all about you? Are they all about your products, your services, whatever it is you’re pushing? How many are about you versus those that are about others…?”

Personal Branding: Smart Strategy or Planned Narcissism? by Tim Tyrell-Smith at TimsStrategy.com

“Personal branding is not a new idea.  But the adoption rate is still growing as more people have been out of work or looking to make a career change in this tough economy.  Is personal branding still hot?”

Four Reasons Why Focusing on Goals Leads to Failure by Melissa Cooley.

“There is such a huge focus on the goal of getting a job that the process of attaining that goal is all but forgotten.”

How Guest Posting Builds Your Brand by Ann Smarty at Personal Branding Blog.

“…per my experience there is nothing as effective for self-branding as guest posting.”

4 Rules of Personal Brand Relationships by Dan Schawbel at Personal Branding Blog.

“I promise you that if you follow these rules, or at least some of them, you will be much more successful in establishing relationships with people that can support your career moving forward.”

25 Easy Ways to Grow Your Personal Brand in 5 Minutes by Jacob Share at Personal Branding Blog.

“Here are some ideas of quick personal brand-building steps you can take right now.”

From Tweet to Hired: The Definitive Guide to Land a Job with Twitter by Patrick Ambron at Brand-Yourself.com.

“We worked very hard to put together an easy to follow, easy to read, extremely informative guide to leverage twitter and advance your career.”

I hope that at least one of these phenomenal articles was an eye opener for you.  Is there an excellent “16th article” that is missing from the list?  Link us to it in the comments section below.

Ryan Rancatore tries to write his own “must-read” articles at Personal Branding 101.  Connect with Ryan on Twitter at @RyanRancatore, or on Linkedin.

via blog.brand-yourself.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

Wanted: People with Good Credit for Low-Paying Jobs - Credit Slips

Despite the increased proportion of Americans who are behind on their mortgages or have lost their houses to foreclosure, the practice of doing credit checks on prospective employees continues to climb sharply in popularity. The Society of Human Resources Management’s recent survey found that 60 percent of employers run credit checks on at least some job applicants; back in that “healthy” economy of 2006, the comparable figure was 42 percent. The growth in credit checks by employers is some evidence to counter arguments that the stigma of financial distress, bankruptcy, or foreclosure is falling as more and more Americans struggle to meet their debt obligations. Employers seem to be taking the opposite tact, with the weak labor market permitting them to be increasingly selective about whom to hire. Credit checks are a fast and cheap way to screen out candidates. And one in 8 employers checks the credit of every applicant for every job--meaning that people like janitors and retail workers can suffer employment discrimination on the basis of their credit.

Legislatures and Congress have expressed concern about the use of credit checks in the employment context. In July, Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) introduced the Equal Employment for All Act. And a recent AP article reported that lawmakers in at least 16 states have proposed outlawing most credit checks for employment. Most of those bills continue to languish (despite in the case of Rep. Cohen's bill, 53 co-sponsors and support from organizations such as the National Organization for Women, the AFL-CIO, and the Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights under the Law.) In California, which is the country’s largest labor market, not to mention one of its most hard-hit foreclosure pockets, Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill to regulate employment credit checks, calling it a "job killer." This is curious logic; I seriously doubt that this issue is of such importance to most employers or industries that they would relocate or spurn California on that basis. Moreover, the California Chamber of Commerce made the silly argument that this was a "costly workplace mandate." Umm . . . the bill would stop employers from doing something, saving them the money they now spend on the credit reporting agencies. How can that be a costly mandate?

On the ground everyday, the real job-killing happens at the individual level, when a person trying to climb out of financial trouble is told that they are not hired because of their poor credit in the past. We've blogged about this in the past at Credit Slips, with Debb Thorne pointing out the weakness of any empirical evidence showing that bankruptcies are evidence of "bad decisionmaking" rather than job, medical, or family problems. In this economy, foreclosures may be the result of predatory lending, an inability to get a loan modification, or a loan that is unaffordable now that falling housing prices prevent continual refinancing. Of course, bad decisionmaking by consumers is a part of the picture. But why do we think that an inability to have good credit, especially in this economy, is evidence that an employer will be tardy to work, will steal at work, or be a less diligent employee? The problem is more acute when employers use credit scores, rather than credit reports, which at least reveal more information about the problems that a potential employee has experienced. Credit scores are algorithms designed to predict the likelihood of repaying. I'm all about using credit scores for creditworthiness (indeed, there was altogether too little of this by lenders in the last decade) but credit scores are not designed to predict employment potential. We've seen the development of bankruptcy risk scores, a refined version of the credit score designed to predict likelihood of bankruptcy filing. If employers want to use credit in their decisions, they should come forward with reliable empirical evidence that shows a relationship between low credit score and undesirable employment behavior. If they don't have that data, then Congress should move forward and pass the Equal Employment for All Act. Rather than casting around aimlessly for job creation ideas, how about taking a simple step to make sure that those at the bottom of our economy have a chance to improve their lives through old-fashioned hard work.

via creditslips.org

Posted via web from AndyWergedal

An Abundance Mentality Leads to Success | Bud Bilanich

As a career success coach, I am a big believer in having an abundance mentality.  Put simply, an abundance mentality holds that there is enough of everything for everybody.  People who have an abundance mentality are good at building relationships.  They focus on what they can do for others, knowing that good things will come back to them.

The sixth point of The Optimist Creed is a good example of an abundance mentality in action.  It says: “Promise yourself to be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.”

Tweet 123 in Success Tweets, my newest book says, “Use every social interaction to build and strengthen relationships.  Strong relationships are your ticket to success.”

Tweet 128 in Success Tweets says, “When meeting someone new ask yourself, “What can I do for this person?”  You’ll build stronger relationships by thinking this way.”

One of the rules I contributed to 42 Rules for Creating WE is entitled, “There is No Quid Pro Quo in WE.”  In part, here is what I have to say…

WE is built on relationships; the idea that we are all connected, and that through a WE-centric, rather than a traditional I-centric approach, our collective wisdom grows and evolves.  This kind of thinking creates stronger organizations and societies.  It fosters mutual shared respect for the unique contribution every person is capable of making.  Solid, lasting, mutually beneficial relationships are at the core of WE.  Giving with no expectation of return is a great way to create these types of relationships.

This is a quid pro quo world: you do for me and I’ll do for you.  While there is nothing wrong in reciprocating a good deed or a favor, there is a fundamental problem with quid pro quo.  It is reactive not proactive.  Too many people wait for others to go first.  They adopt the attitude, “When and if you do for me, I’ll do for you.”  This scarcity mentality is not conducive to creating WE.  When you come from a scarcity mentality, you focus on holding on to what you already have.  This can prevent you from receiving what you might possibly get.

On the other hand, giving with no expectation of return comes from a proactive abundance mentality.  When you give with no expectation of return, you are acknowledging the abundance of the universe.  You are demonstrating faith that the good you do will benefit others close to you and the world at large – and that good things will come back to you.

Giving with no expectation of return is ironic.  I have found that the more I give, the more I receive; often from unlikely sources.  But that’s not my reason for giving — and I hope it is not yours.  The best reason for giving is the basic joy of making a difference in other people’s lives and in creating a WE-centric world.

Giving with no expectation of return comes down to your mentality – scarcity or abundance.  If you come from a scarcity mentality, you will live by quid pro quo, and perpetuate the I-centric status quo.  If you come from an abundance mentality, you will give with no expectation of return and begin to create a WE-centric world.  I choose abundance and to take an active part in creating a WE-centric paradigm in my circle of influence.

I bring up the idea of an abundance mentality, and share all of these examples, because of an email I received yesterday.  It appears that this person (who will remain nameless) received one of my success quotes.  At the bottom of the page, there is an offer to get my free DVD on career and life success.  People are directed to go to http://www.commonsensesuccesssystem.com/freedvdoffer.

He sent me an email that said…

“It’s been said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

“I’ve been running a website and an ezine (I’m not sharing the url here, but suffice it to say it has something to do with common sense and careers) since 2004.

“I added a blog at a later date. I’m gearing up for Twitter and Facebook now.

“I suppose I should be glad you like the name, but, frankly, it irks me.”

My jaw dropped when I read this email.  It was the best example of a scarcity mentality in action that I have seen in a long time.  If I had come across his website, and seen that he focused on common sense and career advice, I would have fired off an email saying something like…

“I just found your website.  I like it.  I think it’s great that we share some ideas in common.  Let’s look for ways to collaborate to get both of our messages out to as many people as possible.”

But then, I come from an abundance mentality.

I sent a return email telling this guy that I had never even seen his website until he sent me the url, and that I had branded myself as The Common Sense Guy in 1997.  That’s seven years before he created his website.

This is a regrettable situation.  Because I feel that this person was impugning my integrity, I am less likely to want to collaborate with him.  That might mean missed opportunities for us both.  Maybe I’ll get in contact in a week or two to see if there are any possibilities of us working together, but for now I’ll pass.  I know this isn’t demonstrative of an abundance mentality, but hey, I’m human you know. 

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people are good at building relationships.  Effective relationship builders come from an abundance mentality, not a scarcity mentality.  If you come from a scarcity mentality, you live by quid pro quo, and worry that someone is out to get what’s rightfully yours.  You perpetuate the I-centric status quo.  If you come from an abundance mentality, you give with no expectation of return.  You are happy for the success of others and enjoy meeting like minded people.  You see them as collaborators – not competitors.  You do your part to create a WE-centric world.  Take it from this career success coach, an abundance mentality will allow you to get what you want in your life and career.  It will put you on the road to career success.

That’s my take on the importance of having an abundance mentality.  What’s yours?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.  If you want a .pdf of The Optimist Creed that you can frame and hang in your office, please go to http://BudBilanich.com/optimist.

Bud

via budbilanich.com

Posted via web from AndyWergedal