Accelerate Your Search™ Now

One solid way to build your personal brand online and share your knowledge is to write articles for online publications.  Sometimes there are little hassles to know about and avoid.  One of those issues can be your quotation mark style.

If you are publishing articles online and never had this issue – that’s great!  If not, here’s an important tip from Susan Friedmann, CSP.  Susan helps companies put their best foot forward at trade shows and events.  Her focus on increased results, and on building better relationships with customers, prospects and advocates in the marketplace is not only solid information for companies it can help you too.  She is also a literacy volunteer for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Here is Susan Friedmann’s tip to “Avoid a common hassle when submitting articles online”

If you write articles for online publications, you need to change your quotation mark style to avoid hassles.

Many online text boxes don’t accept “smart quote” or “curly quote” quotation marks. When smart quotation marks are copied from a MS Word document and pasted into an online text box such as a blog editor, the result can be text mashed up with incomprehensible symbols. It’s easy to change your quotation marks.

Instructions:

Open a new text document or the document you are working on. Click on the “Tools” menu.
Click on “AutoCorrect.”
Click on “AutoFormat As You Type” in the AutoCorrect menu.
Deselect the “Smart Quotes” option and select the “Straight Quotes” option in the ticker boxes.
Click “Save”

Thanks – Susan for sharing this information!

I appreciated this tip and I bet my readers will too.

Accelerate your search today!

Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

Here are five tips for improving your online visibility with your personal portal profile:

1.  Have a plan.  Think about your brand, what you want to communicate and how do you want to show up online.  Be consistent.  Stay on message and stay on brand.  Start with one site, use it and maintain it. Don’t know where to start?  Explore about.me.

2. Add your photo or branded background.  If you just started your search you may not be ready to do that, so until you have the photo you want to use on your page, or your branded background ready to go, select one of the many backgrounds in a gallery that is a good fit for your brand.  There are many for you to select and use.  You can change and update your background easily in the future.  The prior background photo is saved giving you instant flexibility.  I suggest you add a high quality personal picture that captures you and your brand.  But if you are not ready to do this, or your appointment with the photographer is next week – the background gallery is fine for now and helpful.

3. Personalize your page.  Selecting the font that is right for you and on brand.

4. Add your brief bio. It is easy to go to your Branded Bio file, copy and paste.  Style the page to fit you, be sure to view and proof.  The features on most sites allow you to select color and location of your brief bio.  These features help you stay on brand.

5. Add links to tell visitors to your page where your web content is – make it “one click” away.  Consider adding an email link so visitors can email you directly from your page.

Do you still have a question?

Post it below or join the next Q & A and ask your question or contact me.

Both visibility and a consistent online identity are critical to your brand, your career and to landing your next position.  How will you improve your visibility and achieve consistent branding online?

There are so many tools to help you build visibility online.  ‘One size’ or one tool does not fit all. A resource that may help you quickly improve your online visibility is a personal portal.

In January, William Arruda shared Personal Portals as one of the Top 11 Trends in Personal Branding for 2011.  What is a personal portal?

A personal portal is a tool that allows you to create your custom personal profile page on the web to point users to your content and information on the web.   It provides analytics and is easy to set up at very low or no cost. Two of the options in this category you may want to explore are about.me and flavors.me.

An about.me “splash page” allows you to provide a brief well rounded branded bio and links to your online presence for an instant website.  If you are not ready to manage a website or to blog this is a great option to help you improve your visibility online.  If you have a website or a blog it helps you improve your visibility as a hub for all your content.  It is easy to put up, provides a portal to your LinkedIn profile as well as your other online locations, and gives you a nice link to add to your email signature.

Bottom line – A personal portal is easy to set up.  Low cost and gives you central web presence.  You can create an account, select your URL, add your bio and you have your page up in less than an hour.  You don’t need special skills.  Of course you need to do a little planning and have your bio ready.

Curious?   Check out my info at about.me or flavors.me 

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below.

“The torment of precautions often exceeds the dangers to be avoided. It is sometimes better to abandon one’s self to destiny.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

Do you need a Plan B? Or should you just to say yes to the opportunities around you?

As I looked forward to the New Year I was asking myself if I needed a Plan B, because 2010 was ending differently, than I had hoped.  December began with seemingly few opportunities, and my planning for 2011 was proceeding in a very cautious manner.

Then, one of my mentors shared the above quote with me and what followed was a discussion on why we often question or wonder if we have what it takes to achieve our goals. She asked, what was holding me back why was I afraid to leave my comfort zone.  Then the big questions “why is it still a challenge for you to step up? and “why are you using caution as an excuse?”

When she asked the questions, I did not have the answers.  In fact my thoughts were negative, defensive, and I knew from that reaction, I needed to find the answer and quick. So, in lieu of answering I asked to give the questions some thought and get back to her.  In her style and with a kind smile she said “Okay, let’s talk tomorrow.”

Then later the same day, after several conversations with job seekers and some of my clients, the answers came to me – YES, I was using caution as an excuse.  I see this so often in others in their job search, career transitions, or business, yet I was doing the same thing.  I needed others around me to hold up a mirror, so I could see what I was doing.

My normal no-excuses get it done approach had slowed.  I too, was making an excuse and I was not sure why.

Looking back over the events of the past six months, I was questioning if I had the courage to do what I needed to do and could I learn what I needed to learn.  Where was I going to find the information, time, etc?  I was afraid, time, information and the need for a Plan B were just excuses. 

Was I just going to allow fear stop me?  Would I just stay in my comfort zone by repeating the excuses until I believed them?  Have you ever felt that way?

The opportunities are right in front of me.  Yet my fear and my lack of willingness to say YES to the opportunities were holding my back. 

What I realized is that until I said yes to challenge and the opportunities around me, I could not say yes to learning and doing what would be needed to step up and out of my comfort zone.  Once I realized this I also realized the information was easily available.  The help I needed was also available, therefore I did not need a Plan B, I just needed the courage to step up, stop making excuses, and say yes to the opportunities in front of me.

For me, talking about a Plan B was an excuse. It was a way, not to say yes.  You MUST say yes to the opportunities around you, if you are asking yourself if you need a Plan B.  Before you develop a Plan B, ask yourself some tough questions:

What is holding you back?  Are you saying yes to the opportunities around you?  Are you using caution as an excuse?  Have you been afraid to leave your comfort zone? Are you using excuses like the economy and the high unemployment rate to avoid stepping up and out of your comfort zone?   It is easy to do, I know, I too have done it.

Are you willing to say Yes and then do what it takes?  Do you have the courage to do step up?

The job search process has changed.  If you are still, hiding behind your computer screen, applying online, posting your résumé, and waiting for a call you are not saying yes to the opportunities around you.  These “old” ways to job search are not enough to land the job you want.

If you ready to step up and you are willing to say yes to the opportunities around you, why not take the first step? 

Take the first step, embrace the journey to success say “Yes, I am willing to go on this journey.  That simple act is an amazing and a simple thing, your willingness to say “Yes” and then take action to see and act on the many opportunities around is very powerful as well as humbling.

Do you have the courage to say yes? 

It can be scary.  The simple and super neat thing is that saying yes, is that it opens the doors to all you need.  Saying yes and then taking action, qualifies you for what you may need to achieve your goals, no matter what it is.  A connection, resources, skills, information, experience, time, or help, have the courage to say yes and whatever you need shows up. 

Now, you must still reach out and take action or the opportunities will go to someone else.  Saying yes, and having the courage to step up, is the first step to reaching your goals.

Do you have the courage to step into the fear, to see and embrace the opportunities, to grow, and to take action?   Or will you stay in your comfort zone, settle for mediocrity, or create Plan B within your comfort zone?

If you are ready to land the job you want, fast and with less stress, say yes to the opportunities around you.  Step up and have the courage to take action.

If you are ready to say yes, and take action I am happy to help you.  Start the New Year with proven action steps. 

I am happy to share proven ways to accelerate your search and take action.  Go to AccelerateYourSearch   complete the form and I will send you “162 Ways to Accelerate Your Job Search”.

In early December 2009,  Kristin Burnham, Staff Writer for CIO.com in the article 5 Ways to Get More from LinkedIn in 2010 provided tips on how to get more from LinkedIn in 2010.  She noted that using five features could help you gain more from LinkedIn.  Ms. Burnham recommended participating in Groups, finding and connecting via Events, using the Advanced People Search for seeking new connections, discovering relevant trends about companies of interest, and seeking Recommendations to enhance and validate your profile.

All these are solid tips and helpful suggestions, as I talk to those who use LinkedIn and get results I always ask “What do you do and what features to you use?”  I find that the specific features vary from person to person, however the common thread among those who get results is that each person has a specific strategy for using LinkedIn and how much time is spent using, connecting and researching via LinkedIn.

One savvy user,  who has landed four (4) interviews via LinkedIn connections since mid-November told me that it took him about 20 days to figure out the best ways to use LinkedIn.  Then he could connect with those who could hire him and make the most of all the company information available via LinkedIn.

He noted initially he spent a couple hours a day just learning what information was on the site, setting up his profile and inviting connections.  Then he decided on a plan with clear action steps.  Now he uses LinkedIn less than a couple hours a week with great results.

Do you have a plan for using LinkedIn?

What is working for you?

What results are you getting?

When it comes to using social media for business, yes your job search is business, it is important to periodically assess where you are, what you are doing and if your actions are achieving the results you want.

So often when I talk to top talent about social media they are in one of three camps.  Camp one views social media as threat, silly, and a waste of time. Camp two loves social media, uses tons of different social media sites and activities, they “poke”, “tweet”, “friend” hundreds a times a week without a care, thought, plan, or concern for the benefits or consequences to their brand or reputation.  Camp three views social media a big opportunity and realize the value of the tool.  This camp is looking for smart balanced approaches for using social media and managing its challenges.

Which camp are you in?

No matter which camp you are in you need to grow your social media literacy and realize it is a part of a fundamental shift in the way people interact and business gets done.  It is important for you to have a plan and regularly assess how you use (or don’t use) social media to do business, enhance or build relationships in all aspects of your life.

Here are a few tips smart “top talent” and  top organizations employee when using and planning to use social media:

1.    Listen before you talk.

2.    Invest in training and learn to use the technology.

3.    Know how to communicate and what you want to communicate before you engage in goofy social media schemes or online marketing.

4.    Create a plan and policies for using social media.

5.    Understand the appropriate tone, image and use for the various social media channels.

6.    Build real relationships and connections using authentic conversations.

7.    Use caution if you outsource you social media activities.

8.    Understand the benefits and the consequences of failing to have and follow a plan, current practices and policies for using social media.

9.     Routinely review what you do and the results you get from your using social media activities.

What else would you add to the list of tips?

How are you using social media now?

What are your results?

Don’t tell them about your warts -

“I have these big ugly warts on my feet.  I have had them for two months now.  Some are small and rough, some are growing together.”

WHAT?

That’s right you would not say that in public or to your friends.  Yet almost daily I hear professionals who are looking for their next gig and trying to connect with other professionals, to get referrals and introductions to the employers they want to work for say things about themselves and their job search that I call WARTS!

If you want to increase your connections and referrals, it is critical to educate your family, friends, and the people you meet so they can become your personal advocates.  Doing so helps you create a mini sales force.

If your friends, family and allies know you, know what you do, know about your experience and what type of work you are interested in doing, they can help you.  When you have a team of people who like you, trust you, know you, and can explain what you do.  It is super easy for them to refer you to possible employers, their friends and contacts,  and to help connect you with the best companies and the best positions for you.

Here is one secret so few people use.  The “update letter”.  Use this tool to connect with family, friends and allies.    Most people will be very happy to hear from you, to learn about what you are doing and most will be happy to help if you tell them how they can help you. Be specific.

This is not a WART LETTER – don’t say

Dear Friend:

Poor me, I lost my job, after all these years of toil and I need a job.  Do you have a job for me?

Signed, Mr. Big Wart.

Any letter, email or conversation like that is a burden on all who receive it.  Telling anyone about your WARTS will make them want to run away from you as fast as they can and/or avoid you now and in the future.

Tastefully done an update letter allows you to connect with your network, share key achievements you since you last connected.  It provides an opportunity for you to let friends and family know what you are doing and asking them to think of you if they overhear of or connect with a situation relating to your current interests.

An update letter also provides you with an opportunity to connect, catch up, and talk about business.  You can connect and discover what’s new and or different in life and in the business of your network contacts as well if there is a way that you can help them.

Does an “update letter” really get results?  Not always, but after four months of resisting the idea, here is what happened for one person who decided to send just 10 “update letters”.

One letter went to a former executive assistant, whom he had not seen in 8 years.  She called him after receiving the “update letter”, he took her to lunch, during lunch they talked about family, old friends, business in general and her new job.  In less than a week she called him to coordinate an appointment with the COO of her employer.   The result, an interesting conversation about a new project within a division of the organization scheduled to start in a few months.  What is next?  Another conversation, then who knows?  This grateful executive is glad he composed and sent an “update letter” and connected with someone in his network and is busy updating other advocates within his network.

Who should you send an “update letter” to?

When you compose your “update letter”?

Let me know about your results.

If you missed Jason Alba’s December 29th blog post be sure to check it out and download the e-book referenced.

What a great gift! This is an e-book packed with wisdom and tips.

For my readers in New England you will recognize many of the names and faces who have shared 100 solid tips and job search resources. For those in the Merrimack Valley don’t miss page 11.

If you know Mitchell Schneir, you know the value of the information he shares to help others. If you have had the pleasure of hearing Mitchell Schneir speak, no doubt you have benefited from his tips and you will not be surprised by his wisdom or the wisdom shared by the company he keeps.

Download your copy of the book. Read it more than once, then pass it on.