A Few More Days Until No More Excuses

A Few More Days Until No More Excuses Today is December 29th. Sunday is New Years Eve, then Monday is a real holiday.   And that, my friends, marks the end of the holiday season that too many job seekers take off. I hope that you had interviews (which I know have happened over the last few weeks), and that youve worked on your marketing stuff. Specifically: Does your resume and LinkedIn profile have the right messaging? Have you spent time figuring out your messaging and branding? Have you made any decisions or discoveries about target companies? Do you have a networking plan to hit it hard in January? It is time. Crunch time. No more holiday excuses. Are you ready? A Few More Days Until No More Excuses Today is December 29th. Sunday is New Years Eve, then Monday is a real holiday.   And that, my friends, marks the end of the holiday season that too many job seekers take off. I hope that you had interviews (which I know have happened over the last few weeks), and that youve worked on your marketing stuff. Specifically: Does your resume and LinkedIn profile have the right messaging? Have you spent time figuring out your messaging and branding? Have you made any decisions or discoveries about target companies? Do you have a networking plan to hit it hard in January? It is time. Crunch time. No more holiday excuses. Are you ready?

Professional Resume Writing Services

Professional Resume Writing ServicesProfessional resume writing services can help a candidate with both professional resume and cover letter writing. The writing services give you tips and techniques on how to improve your resume and cover letter as well as prepare you for an interview. You will also get coaching on choosing the best resumes and cover letters to make you stand out from the crowd.Writing a good, real professional resume is quite an art form. It should be a true reflection of you. Many people believe that the better the resume, the more it will be read. However, there are some great companies that can create a professional resume for you which is eye catching and appealing.There are two types of professional resume writing services available in the market today. The first type of companies is those that offer services of both professional resume writing and cover letter writing. Some of these companies can even craft a custom cover letter for you. This is a service tha t is quite costly however it is a service that can help you land that job.The second type of resume writing company includes some of the top job search tools and software to help you achieve a higher placement. There are many employers who prefer to use one or two tools and software to aid them in their job search. These tools help in creating your resume with very little effort.Resumes and cover letters are one of the most important documents that will help you land the job you want. So it is really crucial that you take the time to write them to the best of your ability. Therefore, if you don't have the time to do so, then hiring a professional to help you out is your only option.The pros of hiring a professional resume writing company include; a variety of templates to choose from and training to assist you with writing your resume. Most of these resume writing companies provide training programs and software to help you learn the basics of resume writing. Therefore, even if you are new to the whole job hunting process, a professional can help you in the process.They offer you coaching in all aspects of resume writing such as: choosing the right topic, creating the correct structure, making sure the resume is eye catching, the best font and so on. When it comes to cover letters, the company will help you in choosing the best writing style to ensure that your cover letter is an ideal match for the position you are applying for. Most importantly, you can choose what to include in your cover letter. The company can also assist you in writing a strong opening line.Professional resume writing companies have a variety of templates to choose from and they provide support and guidance to help you with a good job search. With the help of these services, you can land that job that you have been wanting.

Why You Should Think About Google Featured Snippets Again for Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why You Should Think About Google Featured Snippets Again for Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Recently Google announced an update of its Featured Snippets for both desktop and mobile search. This provides a personal brands website an opportunity to appear in top results with answers to the most pressing questions online. Answers are displayed in a descriptive box in several different formats, including video. How is this important for your business website? According to Google the rise of mobile and voice search has caused the search engine to update their format for better viewing of search results that go beyond just “10 blue links.” Users can now see a visual of the information they are looking for right away. The goal of today’s brand is still to build something of value, and create a great experience for their audience. Its important to create high quality content that engages a community. There are a few steps you can take to turn your brand’s website into a helpful resource for visitors to come back to again and again. Focus on the common issue for your audience What are the main pain points and questions being asked by your target market? You can discover this information through social media, responses on your blog, and through live videos and webinars. Make sure your answers are clear and direct When optimizing your content be sure to provide the exact answer people and search engines are looking for. This can be included in your blog posts, pages, and in the form of questions and answers on an FAQ page. Include the right keywords Through target market research find out which keywords are most commonly appearing in search queries and include these throughout your website. Take a look at what the competition is using as well and the number of results for each word. As a personal brand you will want to configure your content and website according to the latest technology with a focus on the most common devices people are using to gather information and make purchases. As search engines continue to evolve keep in mind that so does the elements of basic text in search results. Todays visitor is drawn to visuals and clear, quick answers to their questions.

15 Ways To Hone Your Niche And Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

15 Ways To Hone Your Niche And Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The following answers are provided by members of  Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched  BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.   1. Identify the Top Question You Answer   People come to you to address  certain kinds of problems.  What do they ask about over and over again? What does the person asking look like in terms of demographics? What in your answer is unique?  Your audience may be diverse, but there is probably a specific subset of people that is frequently asking a specific question. If you focus on this group and question, you stand out in your niche.    Alan Carniol,  Interview Success Formula   2. Do a SWOT Analysis   Find out your strength, weaknesses, the opportunities in your niche, and any probable threats. Utilize your strengths. Keep your weak points in mind and find ways to improve them, but dont overthink. Finally, know which opportunities to pick and which to ignore. Focus on staying as humane as possible, so that your brand becomes a reflection of your passion and personal beliefs.    Pratham Mittal,  Outgrow   3. Use Content to Your Advantage   The best thing about creating content is that you can guide and lead the conversation. Create content and use it to showcase the unique aspects of your brand. Do so in a way that discusses your personal story, trends that affect your niche industry and speaks to the audience you want to speak to. This will help you sharpen and define what it is that makes your brand different.    John Hall,  Influence Co.   4. Obsess Over Learning and Become a Subject-Matter Expert   The key to honing your niche is to obsess about learning (self-educating) everything you can about your particular area of interest. In short, develop expertise. Personal brand comes from you standing out from others who dont know as much as you do about something. Absorb everything you can and once you develop enough confidence, share your insights as a public speaker and writer.    Kristopher Jones,  LSEO.com   5. Build on Your Strengths   Finding a niche is as hard as it is simple. Finding what you are good at and building a clientele once youve honed in on that niche is the same as building a business. Use niche keywords when writing online, make sure your social media posts are as niche and tailored to your expertise as possible, and just own it!    Alexis Levine,  Savvy Media   6. Let Your Story Be Your Guide   Everyone has a unique story to tell, and my business is based on my story and how my products brought me into another level in life. Let your story be your guide in honing your business niche. It will always be unique and inspiring, because people appreciate vulnerability all the time.    Daisy Jing,  Banish   7. Decide What You Are Passionate About   You’ve got to decide what you are passionate about â€" and your passion ultimately drives what your personal brand looks like. You’ve got to ask yourself, “What do I want to be known for?” What you want to be known for should be what you’re passionate about, otherwise at some point there will be such a disconnect you will grow tired of it and not want to put energy into it.    Adam Witty,  Advantage Media Group   8. Identify the Needs and Challenges of Your Ideal Customer   What keeps your ideal customer up at night?  What blogs, publications or influencers do they follow and digest? What are three to five roadblocks preventing them from getting where they want to go? What skills do I have that can drive the quickest and most powerful results in regards to those roadblocks?  Focus on that, and then test, test, test your market. Revise, adjust, pivot and go deep.    Alexander Mendeluk,  The Disruptive   9. Create a Venn Diagram   A Venn diagram can help you determine  what is unique about your personal brand. The three circles should contain  your interests and passion, industry needs, and what has the most social impact. Where the three circles meet in the center is your niche. You want your niche to be as targeted as possible, and it needs to satisfy all three areas of the circles.    Nicole Munoz,  Start Ranking Now   10. Engage With People   You cant build a brand in a vacuum. A successful personal brand is founded on an authentic identity, but shaped by your interactions with users, customers and influencers in your niche. Take the time to start conversations and contribute to the community around your niche on social media, at conferences, and by creating valuable content that spurs further conversation.    Vik Patel,  Future Hosting   11. Analyze Your Competition   The first thing you should do is analyze your competition and identify what you offer that your competition doesnt. After doing so, use this analysis to your advantage, and market your personal brand from that angle. There can be many brands in your niche, but there is only one of you. Its the thing that will define you and make you unique.    Patrick Barnhill,  Specialist ID, Inc.   12. Stick With What You Do Best   The best way to hone a niche is to pick something and stick with it. Too many businesses try to do it all so they can appeal to everyone, but sometimes it’s best to keep it simple. When you stick to your niche and do it well, people take notice. It opens doors for you to become the expert in that space and will set you apart from your competition.    Leila Lewis,  Be Inspired PR   13. Find Your Voice   Creating content â€" blog articles, podcasts, video â€" is great for self-promotion, but its also a process of self-discovery. It helps to hone a voice that appeals to an audience while remaining authentically yours. Listen to your audience and take their feedback seriously: Itll reveal how you can deploy your newly discovered voice effectively to establish a personal brand that resonates.    Justin Blanchard,  ServerMania Inc.   14. Dont Be Afraid to Polarize   Being completely self-aware and showing yourself fully might make you lose some followers, but youll be able to reflect your uniqueness in your personal brand and will help you identify your real niche: The audience that truly relates to you. Be very specific: Who do you want to serve, how can you serve them, and how will you show yourself to them? This will  create rapport and lasting brand loyalty.    Ajit Nawalkha,  Mindvalley   15. Be Yourself   There is no one out there like you, but you. To paraphrase Mr. Rogers â€" knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest version of ourselves. Consistently “be you,” in person and online, and you’ll find your personal  brand builds itself.    Tim Chaves,  ZipBooks  

Test yourself to find what you need to be happier

Test yourself to find what you need to be happier Happiness is not really different in each person. In fact, science shows us happiness is basically the same for all of us. And our roadblocks to happiness are all basically the same as well that we each think we are special and the research doesnt apply to us, so we just keep trying to earn more accolades or more money. That said, here are some checkup tests to take to see how youre doing in the happiness department. You were born with a genetic disposition to being happy (or not). Scientific American writes about hedonic adaptation which is basically our ability to return to our regular level of happiness no matter how much money we have. (The classic study for this is from the 1970s which found that after two years, lottery winners were no more happy than they were before the big win.) So instead of making the irrational assumption that you are different than the rest of the human race, try accepting that you arent, and look for happiness somewhere other than money. In fact, your set point for happiness is mostly genetic based on how optimistically you approach the world. But you can make a 40% impact on your optimism level by changing your daily routine in relatively small ways like doing a bunch of random acts of kindness in one day, on a weekly basis. Sonja Lyubomirskys new book, the How of Happiness is packaged to look like a sequel to Daniel Gilberts bestselling book, Stumbling on Happiness, and it sort of is a sequel. Lyubomirsky is a professor of psychology at University of California, Riverside, and she describes twelve steps you can take to change your happiness set point and the science behind those suggestions. Wondering if youre an optimistic thinker? Heres the test. (middle of the page) Burnout undermines your happiness, and its not about time. Burnout has little to do with how many hours you work and a lot to do with the type of work youre doing. Burnout comes from not being able to achieve what you want to achieve even though you are working hard to get it. Its a situation where you have goals you cant pin down (like if you work for four bosses) or goals you cant meet (like if you have an impossible deadline). People who are most susceptible to burnout are nurses in pediatric burn units because the goal is so clear and so urgent stop the pain in small children but its an impossible goal to meet. Other people who are susceptible, though, are lawyers, who are at the beck and call of clients who generally cannot be pleased because they are in legal trouble and upset about it, and even if they are not in legal trouble, who likes spending money on a lawyer? The thing is that a lot of lawyers make a lot of money. So the money part does not ward off against burnout and might even make you feel more compelled to stay in a bad situation. Are you on the road to burnout? Heres the test. (middle of the page) Stop telling yourself its about your job. One of the first things people think when they are unhappy is that they need to change their job. Maybe theyll get a job that pays more, or that allows them to be their true self, or will be their dream job. But you know what? A job does not make you happy, it only makes you unhappy. And forget about that raise, because the incremental happiness you get from earning more than, say, $100,000 is barely noticeable. (Yes, even if you have a family of four in San Francisco. Stop thinking youre the exception to every rule. Its a flaw that undermines your ability to change.) The thing that increases our happiness is our relationships. A job cannot make those better. However a job can make you so unhappy that you cant relish the relationships in your life. Do you want to know if the problem is your job? Its not likely, but heres the test. Align your goals with what really makes you happy. A lot of you are probably incredulous. Maybe you think the American Dream is about getting a good job and earning more money than your parents. But the American Dream used to be about moving west and buying land, and now we see that as something for older generations that doesnt apply to us. So maybe the idea of more money and better jobs is the new detritus of the American dream, and if you dont believe me, maybe you have an outdated outlook. Wondering if you think like your grandma? Heres the test.

7 Programing Languages which Every Non-Coder Can Learn - CareeMetis.com

7 Programing Languages which Every Non-Coder Can Learn - CareeMetis.com Back in 2011, Naval Ravikant, Co-Founder of AngelList, gave a keynote speech and he mentioned that “Code is Power”. Well, this is quite old but still relevant today.In his speech, he also mentioned that even if you are not going to be a developer, you need to understand how these things work.evalWhat he tried to say is:Even if you are into something which is not related or directly related to software development you can still learn CODING, at least for yourself and automate your stuff which can save you a ton of time.The other thing is you can FREELANCE and make moneywith your side projects.Benefits of Learning to Code for Non-CodersevalTo make you more clear to start learning coding I have listed some of its benefits. Have a look:1) Helps You to Think in a Different WayWriting a code not only gives youtechnical knowledge but also helps you to create a thought process to take care of a lot of things, like, you make a plan, you write it in a structural way, you test it once you w rite it, and you think about all the possibilities where it can break.Doing all these things can help you see things in a different way in general as well.2) Automate Your StuffIt happens a lot of time that you want to make daily tasks automated and you try to find someone who can write a code for it.And if you know how to write that code, you can do it yourself. Now the thing is if you know how to code you can automate more and more stuff and save your precious time for important tasks.3) You Can Work as FreelancerevalCoding is a super skill and there hell a lot of people out there who need people who can code for them to build stuff.So the thing is even if you don’t want to take programming as a full-time carrier there is a lot of work out there which you can get and make money on the side.Programming Languages for Every Non-Coder to Learn This YearBelow are some of the most useful and easiest programming languages for you to learn.1) HTMLHTML stands for Hypertext Markup Languag e. This is not actually a programming language but a markup language. evalIt was first developed by Tim Berners Lee in 1990.All the webpages you visit on the internet are made up of HTML. In short, you can create webpages with HTML and it is quite easy to learn With CSS you can style the content you have on a webpage. Below is the same page with the content box around the text.2) PythonPython is a general-purpose Why?Because Python is quite easy to learn, its syntaxes are uncluttered and give easy readability which makes it easy to learn and use.Look at the below example where you can see a comparison for the code which prints “Hello World” in Java and Python.As you can see it’s not only easy to read and write but also compact and if you are planning to learn your first coding language PYTHON can be a good way to start.3) RevalR is a high-level programming language to do statistics that is developed by Ross Ihaka and Robert Gentleman in 1993.Well, you can use R to do statistic al inference, data analysis, and machine learning algorithms.As of June 2018, R is ranked 10th in the TIOBE index and that’s why R is used by companies like Facebook, Microsoft, Mozilla, New York Times, and many more.R is also heavily used in academia and it is very popular among academic researchers, who use R graphics for publications.Below is a simple histogram made by using the R script.Just like other programming languages, in R, you can use logical statements, loops, and functions. You can also write scripts to read data from different types of files like CSV, XLSX, and JSON.4) JavaScriptWhy JavaScript is so popular. Well, here’s the reason.Javascript is a language for Web. As you can use HTML and CSS to write text and add style to your webpage, JavaScript helps you to make your web page interactive.In short, it can make your page dynamic. Below is an example of a user form created with JavaScript where you can let the user enter details and then there’s a button to subm it them.Here are some of the main benefits of learning JavaScript:Easy to learn: Yes, it’s pretty easy to learn and implement.Wide Usage:JavaScript is everywhere from designing interactive websites to video games, it can help you in all sense.Stable Future: There is no chance that Javascript will lose its positionas the most used language.5) PHPPHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a general-purpose programming language that is widely used to develop websites.Here’s something amazing: 34% of the Internet is powered by WordPress which is based on PHP and SQL.Below are some of the basic uses for PHP:Web Development:As I have already mentioned that is widely used in website building. PHP can manipulate web content with HTML.GUI Based Applications: With PHP, you can also create desktop graphical user interface applications (GUI).Image Processing: PHP can also be used in image processing applications for cropping, resizing, adding watermarks, etc.6) VBAThere will be a lot of people who wou ld say VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) is dead or will die soon. But let me tell you with all the confidence that it’s here to stay.Let me ask you something: Do you use Microsoft Excel? If “Yes” then you need to know VBA(how it works or how it can help you).Not just Excel, but it can be helpful to automate all those boring stuff you do in other Office apps.VBA is an object-oriented language. It can help you to create your own functions in Excel, work with other applications, and build office custom apps.Below an example where I have written a VBA code to create a pivot table with a single click, that can help anyone save a ton of time every day.7) GoGo is also known as GoLang which designed at Google which is an open-source language to build (simple and efficient) software.Below is the example of code to print “Hello world” with Go language:Below are some of the benefits which you can consider to learn GO language.It is FAST: Yes, Go is fast. It has simple structures a nd syntaxes which makes it fast.It is Cross-Platform: You can use Go language to create applications for multiple platforms (Windows, Linux, Unix, and BSD versions and mobile devices).It is Easy to Learn: It’s easy and simple to learn. Not only this but easy to write and read.What’s Your PlanI’m sure this post will give you a kick start to learn a programming language and help you to decide which one is perfect for you to start with.Please do share with me in the comment section which language you are going to learn, and if you are already learning a language that I haven’t listed here please do share with me.And don’t forget to share this post with your friends, I am sure they will appreciate it.

7 Links for College Grad Job Search - No Experience Necessary! - CareerAlley

7 Links for College Grad Job Search - No Experience Necessary! - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius I recently had to interview a few college students for potential summer intern positions. This was probably the hardest interview Ive ever had (and I was the interviewer!). Interviewing people who are first starting out is so different from interviewing people who have experience. All of my questions were regarding relevant courses, hobbies, computer skills (yeah, most college students have better computer skills than my coworkers) and what do you want to do when you graduate. So why am I telling you this? As a college grad you are up against very different challenges than those with experience. Most hiring managers use a point of reference when interviewing candidates (like, how does this person compare to other people who work here, or people with similar experience). When interviewing someone for an entry level position, the interviewing manager has no point of reference. Okay, this is where you come in. As the person being interviewed, you can drive the interview process and kill two birds with one stone (so to speak). You can drive the interview by providing relevant information and you can help the hiring manager by giving them a point of reference (and thereby help seal the deal). Todays post continues to dig into our deep store of job search resources for college grads and entry level job seekers. Preparing for the Interview: Tips For the College GraduateMastering Your First Job Interview Ive already told you my experience interviewing college students and how you can turn the interview into a great opportunity. This article, posted on googobits.com supports my view that how you present yourself during the interview can be the determining factor as to whether you are given additional consideration. Lots of good advice show up on time, come prepared, speak up, etc. The article is definitely worth a read. Resumes: Powerful New Grad Resumes and Cover Letters: 10 Things They Have in Common A great article with lots of resources advice and links provided by Quintcareers, the ten tips offer advice on targeting your market and leveraging your college career experience. The page has additional related links on the left hand side of the page as well as some additional links at the bottom of the page. Student New Graduate Resume Answers This article, from 1st-writer.com, offers examples, how to make your resume look good (even though you dont have experience, what to include and so much more. On top of this, there are a bunch of related links for your use. Entry Level Resumes The first and most important thing you will need is a resume. Take your time with this as your ability to get your foot in the door is heavily dependent on the content and look and feel of your resume. There are so many choices these days. This resource, from Collegegrad.com, provides a list of links to help you get started (or to improve on what you already have). Are you Safe for Prime Time: Its too late to regret all of the crazy things youve done in College, but it doesnt hurt to check up on your image before you start interviewing. Google Yourself: Colleges Help Students Scrub Online Footprints What about checking on yourself? Do you know what stuff might be out there on the World Wide Web? You may think you are clean, but you just never know. This article tells you several things you should know (and do) like be aware of your online image, how to Google yourself and more. There are a few additional links which provide more information on the topic. Background Check Yourself? Sounds like a good idea. The purpose, of course, is to make sure you find out any negative information about yourself first. This particular article is for multiple purposes (like checking your credit), but employers are also on the list. This is likely to cost you something, as I dont think there are any free background check services. So I would save this option for those who are worried something might come up. Warning: Social Networking Can Be Hazardous to Your Job Search Just about anything youve written or posted online has the potential of showing up during a background check. This article, posted on Careerbuilder.com provides a few real examples where stuff posted online killed the candidates chance of landing a job. The article also provides some advice on how to protect your image online. Good luck in your search. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Working Toward An Executive Career

Working Toward An Executive Career Career advancement is one of the most desirable career goals for most people. Getting a promotion can get you higher pay, better benefits, and more respect in your company. Now every person has a different goal for career advancement. Some people may just want to become a manager or supervisor, others may want to become heads of teams or departments, but there are also people who want to advance to the very top of the corporate food chain and have an executive career in mind. If that is what you want, then you need to prepare. And even if you do not want to go all the way to the top, then these tips can still help you get recognized and get you where you want to be. Be Professional: While it seems obvious to be professional at work, other places may not seem so obvious. The most important place to remain professional is on social networking sites. Managers, supervisors, and higher ups can access your social networking profile at any time if they want. Make sure that what they see on there wont embarrass you or harm your chances at promotion. Put In The Effort: You will never get anywhere if you dont put the work in. Your employers are not going to want to promote someone who does not work to help their company succeed. Perform work that helps the company and will impress your employers. Ask About Additional Opportunities: Employers like to see people who go the extra mile. Ask your supervisor if there are any additional projects that need to be organized or extra work that you can head up. This will show them that you are serious about the company and will put you at the front of their minds when considering promotions. Be Positive: People will gravitate towards others who seem positive and are enjoyable to be around. That includes your employers. They would much rather work with someone positive than someone who sucks the life out of everything. Keep a smile on your face and a spring in your step and you will be on your way to the top. Now, while all these tips will help there is nothing more important than keeping that executive career in mind. Let that executive career fuel everything you do at work and sooner or later it will get you there.