9 Thoughts On Branding Yourself With A Personal Website For Your Job Search

9 Thoughts On Branding Yourself With A Personal Website For Your Job Search 12 David Kearsley outlines his thoughts on using his new website to accomplish his personal branding goal of finding a job. This a guest post by David Kearsley. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. After some diligent reading, contemplating, and taking action, I have launched my website at davidkearsley.com. The highlights of my website and the foundation of my creation thoughts related to the job search process are noted in 9 points, with sub-bullets for a bit more clarity:eval 1. My personal brand Defining, communicating, sharing who I am as a person/professional and “open-hand” to connect. Targets my brand message in a holistic way, but with the focus on my career search campaign. Visual confirmation in my name, initials and tag line logo on website, with web address and tagline integrated in my email signature going forward. 2. It's not all about me Provide balanced approach …. “what's in it for them?” (the site visitors) Sincere offer/invitation to help visitor My offer to help enables… A connection with visitors to help them as I can with my professional skills or God-given abilities that are part of who I am. The connection allows me to showcase and share more of who I am, what I do, etc. They get to experience and get to know me. I get to know them on a more personal level. I win, they win. My approach on extending help is based on the following: As humans, anyone that helps you â€" regardless how big or small â€" ultimately gets credit. Credit is acknowledgment that someone offered to, tried to, or even did help. That's personal- the bond I want to extend, earn, and create. People will remember me, think about me, refer me, have useful suggestions for me, etc. Some more than others, but I become memorable by helping them. 3. But it is about me It is about my quest for the right next step in my career.eval 4. The website is only one venue The website is not the pinnacle of my job search campaign, just one element. Personalized email to introduce the website â€" made easy with MS Word editor within Outlook with several fields to be more personalized (beyond Dear “John”) with things like how/who connected us, their business name, shared interests, etc. I even have a PS (post-script) field in the intro email to be even more personal (i.e.; trust integration of XYZ acquisition is going as planned, how is Cindy enjoying college, are you planning ski vacation out west this winter, etc.) Website is current and relevant â€" practically speaking, anyone can go online and check out my site. They can learn, explore, etc. with no intrusion or frankly awareness by me. The connection is voluntary. The site has great user friendly features for me to modify, add to and change in time. All done for less than $350, hosting included. 5. Sharing and exposure for others My “Of Interest” page creates an opportunity to let people in my network share what they are fired up about and doing. For example, the current one has had 83 hits in the first three days. My friend thinks that is great â€" so do I. 6. Invitation to connect is voluntary Free will at it finest. Go to the site and sign up for the newsletter, call me, email me, etc. The visitor self-selects in and out. No pressure or obligation. 7. Some things are intentionally included LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook. My blog will be active soon. I want to be open, accessible and transparent Expresses my desire to connect with people. 8. Some things are intentionally missing Specific, direct statement on my personal values (the what, why, who I am). Granted, reader can glean what it is, but is not overt. Personal Branding or Personal Vision Statement. Inherent to context of site, but not a direct statement. Resume, Networking Profile, Bio, Executive Suite…. connecting with people gives me the chance to provide the right documents or information. 9. To be unique, but tastefully so. Not wacky or weird â€" just a creative, thoughtful, professional method of differentiating myself. About the Author David Kearsley, Founder at Ovation Products Group, Inc., is a senior-level business professional with a career background in consumer products â€" common items you'd buy at Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Lowe's or Costco. His website is at http://davidkearsley.com. This article was part of the 3rd Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest.

What to do After a Job Interview

What to do After a Job Interview What to do After a Job Interview You thought your job interview went very well. You were very pleased with how you handled yourself and you thought that your interviewer really took to you. But what now? Do you just sit and wait around for them to contact you? Is there anything else you can do that could further improve your chances of landing the job? Well, yes there is something you can do. You can follow up your interview to reiterate and reinforce your interest in the position on offer.Offer your AppreciationFollowing your job interview, you should make the effort to get back in touch with your interviewer. It is not only a nice gesture to thank your interviewer for their time, but it gives you the opportunity create a second positive impression with them. Interviewing job candidates can be a tireless task, so a little appreciation for their efforts can go a long way. Who doesnt like to be thanked and praised, right?Fill in the BlanksAnother good reason to follow up with your interviewer is to give them the c hance to ask you any further questions. It may well be the case that forgot to ask you a key question during your interview, or that they ran out of time, so had to cut your interview short. Re-connecting with your interviewer once they have finished seeing all the job candidates can give them the opportunity to ask you any missing key questions, plus it also refreshes their memory about your interview.Stand out from the CrowdFollowing up your job interview will bring you back to the forefront of your interviewers mind. This is especially helpful when you may have been one of the earliest interviewees in a block of candidates. Doing back to back interviews can often result in early candidates merging into a sea of faces that are hard to distinguish from each other. Making that effort to re-connect after your interview will help to make you stand out from the crowd.How to Follow Up Post-InterviewYou can follow up your interview in a number of different ways. Each way has its own meri t, but which one you choose will depend on the type of interview you had and the sort of company you have applied to. You can use a thank you letter, email, or phone call as a follow up method. Each choice can give you a second chance to reinforce your interest in the job as well as the opportunity to highlight any special skills or qualifications that make you especially suitable for the role.Now that you have had your interview, you are in a unique position to be able to boost your chances of winning a second interview or be offered the job. Thinking back to the key questions you were asked during your interview, you can see what the interviewer was looking for in a candidate. You can use this knowledge to plan out your thank you letter, email or phone call.Say thank you for granting the opportunity of an interview, but weave in comments that help to reinforce your key skills and qualifications that are particularly relevant to the role. So if the interviewer asked you a lot of questions about using CRM software in your current role, you can mention that you appreciated the opportunity to discuss your in-depth knowledge of CRM systems.Build Networking ConnectionsHopefully you would have taken the opportunity to collect business cards from your interviewers. This can be extremely useful for networking purposes and building good relationships with people working within the company.Having these contact details easily at hand will not only allow you to directly contact your interviewer(s) after your interview to personally thank them, but you can also look to see if you can connect with them on LinkedIn.Networking can be a very useful tool to help you in your career. If you have a goal to work for a particular company, then building networking relationships with key personnel within that company through LinkedIn will give you a great advantage should a job vacancy arise. Not only could you find out about a potential job opening before anyone else, but having well established connections with existing staff can also lean in your favour. People like a certain degree of familiarity, so if you go into an interview with established links to the company, you will be looked upon more favourably that an unknown person with none. previous article Trendy Resume Template Giveaway Sense and Style next article Free Resume Template with a Modern Flair | Roaring Red you might also likeThe Best Way to Explain Your Sabbatical To a New Employer

Why a Money Makeover

Why a Money Makeover Do you ever watch makeover shows like What Not to Wear and think, “I’d like a makeover. Sure, my clothes are fine and I even get compliments on my style and makeup, but still. A new look and some general polish would be nice.” I know I have! I even went through with a makeover myself! I didn’t need a whole new look, just some guidance. Someone to help me develop the style I always had mentally (and on pinterest) into real life. What about a money makeover? Have you ever thought about having one? Have you ever even heard of this concept before? A money makeover works just like a style makeover. Let me explain how. Financial Audit The first thing that happens in a makeover is a closet audit. The stylist will get rid of anything in your closet that isn’t in good shape, doesn’t fit well, or doesn’t line up with your style goals. They’ll also get rid of anything you have too much of, which could end up getting in the way of your goals. (For instance, I have a serious gray t-shirt addiction. Meaning I wear a gray t-shirt under everything. Not surprising to find out that I felt bored with my wardrobe and had no clue how to mix it up.) This audit gives you a clean slate to start from. Similarly, the first thing you should do in a money makeover is a financial audit. Weed out the unnecessary items and determine what to focus on building. Do you have too many checking accounts and can’t keep track? This will make it hard to keep a budget. Consolidate down to one. Do you have debt? This is a direct burden on savings goals so you’ll want to pay debt off first. No matter what your goals, you won’t be able to move forward until you first know where you’re starting from. So don’t skip the audit! Develop a Strategy It’s natural to want to hit the stores right after the audit. But not so fast! First you need a strategy. If you’re going to get rid of all your gray t-shirts (okay, I kept a couple), then you’ll need to make sure you find something to replace them with. If you have a specific idea of what you want to look like, you’ll need to know all the necessary items to buy. The same goes with your financial makeover. What are you going to focus on? Is debt payoff your number one goal? How about building a retirement account or emergency fund? Perhaps you simply need a solid financial plan because you’ve never had one before. List everything you’ll need to make that happen. If you don’t create this strategy, you could end up maintaining the same money habits you already had, just like I would have ended up buying more gray t-shirts if I didn’t have a strategy for replacing them. Hit the Pavement With a clean closet and strategy in mind, it’s easy to have an efficient shopping trip in which you only bring home what you need and in which all of the items you buy add value to your wardrobe and have a specific role. Going for an artsy, bohemian look? Make sure to get the skinny jeans, flowy tops, and versatile boots on that checklist! But you have to stick to your checklist. Even if you see and love an item, it doesn’t make sense to buy it unless it lines up with your new wardrobe goals. (For example, walk away from the black leather studded belt it wont make sense for your new bohemian look. Youll end up taking it home and wondering what to do with it.) Your budget works the same way. And yes, your budget should be the core component of your strategy kind of like a shopping list. If your goal is financial freedom, then you’ll want to focus on paying off debt before you worry about things like buying a house or traveling to Europe. If your focus is on building a solid financial plan, then stick to more well-rounded goals. It’s imperative that you stick to your plan. Avoid anything that can get in the way of your goals and always keep the big picture in mind. It’s amazing what a makeover can do for you. With just a few simple changes you can feel like a whole new person. Want to see this in action? Stay tuned! We’re giving money makeovers away to four girls in the next three months and you’ll be able to watch their audit, strategy, and action right here. You may just end up with some ideas that you can take home yourself!

Smart Ways to Stand Out, Get Noticed and Hired! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Smart Ways to Stand Out, Get Noticed and Hired! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Everyone wants to stand out and be viewed as an ideal candidate during the hiring process. But the problem is, most people don’t know the best way of doing this. Many assume that to impress they need to emphasize that they graduated from a prestigious school or worked for a famous brand named company. Research shows that these credentials  are only beneficial to a perspective candidate if they compliment accomplishments that matter to an employer. Before crafting your cover letters and resumes, you first need to understand what the needs, challenges, and acute pain points are of that particular hiring manager. Then you can highlight your accomplishments that demonstrate how you could help solve those problems both in your cover letter and with  more details in your resume. Know the bosss challenges In order to make a good impression, you first need to know what it is that the hiring manager is interested in? The best way to discover this is to ask people who work at the firm and who might know the hiring manager. If you go on LinkedIn to the company page and then see who works in that department, you can find people there whom you might have something in common with, say you graduated from the same school or are members of the same group on LinkedIn. Reach out to these people and ask for an advice appointment. You can ask about their role in the company, how they got there, advice they might have for someone interested in a job there and inquire about current challenges in the department. Once you know what the acute pain points are for a boss, you could begin to  discern whether you have the  skills or abilities necessary  to  help solve those problems. Teasing out the skills and abilities  that align with a specific job is a critical step in building a compelling narrative  t hat could help you stand out as an ideal candidate for the job you desire. Make your resume and cover letters stand out In order to stand out you need to show that you have the right skills to meet the specific needs of a hiring manager. Select those accomplishments that align with the role youre seeking and develop a succinct narrative that explains exactly how you achieved your goals. (See this article for how to spin a narrative that grabs attention  http://bit.ly/1qQnqUV)  Start with an active verb that measures what you accomplished and offer details about what you did to achieve your goal. Words like improved and increased combined with a percentage (and the amount) you improved the results e.g. “Increased sales performance by 15% ($1.5M) over two year by initiating a digital advertising strategy covering markets in the US, Europe, Latin America and Asia.” makes you sound like a go-getter with skills that could benefit the company. Use numbers and succinct explanations with each example. The more you practice doing this, the better your narrative will be in your interviews. The savvy interviewer knows how to relate a story that shows how you can help the employer accomplish his/her goals. Employers prefer to hire people who can demonstrate they have the specific skills, attributes and abilities that could help him/her  achieve his  strategic, financial goals. So if you have stories that can showcase this, be prepared to confidently share them. If you don’t have these stories yet, start looking for opportunities to help an employer accomplish his goals so eventually you’ll have the proof you can contribute in a meaningful way to a prospective employer.  

Writing a Resume Objective For Teaching

Writing a Resume Objective For TeachingWriting a resume objective for teaching is an important step to make a good impression when seeking employment. A good objective can greatly help the recruiter decide whether you're a good teacher or not. Below are some tips that can help you with writing a teaching resume objective for teaching.The first thing you need to do is to write your objective on a separate sheet of paper from your teacher's job description. Doing this will help you write a good objective that is easier to remember. The reason is that each part of your objective will have a list of details that is unique to you. Writing your objective from a separate sheet of paper will make your objective easier to read and therefore easier to remember.It's important that you outline your teaching experience for teaching. Make sure that you highlight how long you've been teaching and what specializations you've taught. This will help the recruiter understand how long you've been teachi ng and also what specializations you've taught in the past.The next thing you need to do is to write a summary paragraph. This should be short and sweet and should only be about one sentence. This will help the recruiter get a good idea of what you are trying to communicate with your objective. It will also make your objective easier to read because you won't need to explain every single detail of your teaching career.Now it's time to write a full objective. Remember that each part of your teaching career should be emphasized. You want to write your summary paragraph so that it includes details about your previous teaching experiences, but then you want to emphasize the specializations you have.Write your summary paragraph so that it clearly highlights your main goals for your future teaching career. Make sure that you include key details about what you're looking for and what it is that you expect in your future career. This will help the recruiter understand how much you can do fo r their company.Finally, write your full objective. This should be a one-page document that summarizes what you want to say in your summary paragraph. It should also clearly highlight your areas of expertise and teach specific things about yourself.When you are finished writing your teaching resume objective for teaching, always make sure that you sign it 'Professor Sam'Sam' if you don't know your name. This will help make your objective easier to remember and also make it easier for the recruiter to read. Remember that writing a resume objective for teaching can be difficult, but the whole process can really be a rewarding one.

Changing Careers is Uncomfortable - Thats a Good Thing

Changing Careers is Uncomfortable - Thats a Good Thing Career Change Isnt Easy Change feels uncomfortablefor everyone!  That is why change can be so difficult. If you want to see a change in your career, it isn’t likely going to be easy and may not feel comfortable. Of course, those feeling are normal for a worthwhile change and even many small changes. Its analogous to trying to lose weight. Restricting your diet and exercising more are not easy changes which is why we procrastinate. We definitely want the results, but realize that it will be difficult at times.  The inconvenience of waking up early, driving to the gym, or even putting on our gym clothes.  It is difficult to change your behavior and habits.  However, with enough practice, patience and diligence your work pays off. Career Change Isnt Easy This applies to your career as well. Doing the same routine at your job every day feels comfortable. You know what is expected of you, you understand the culture, and, while you might not enjoy the work, you enjoy the feeling of comfort the job provides.  However, when you look in the mirror it’s not what you want to see. Making a career change, usually isnt easy. There may be a lot of discomfort. For starters, its uncomfortable just figuring out where to start. You dont enjoy your current job, but youre not sure why. Maybe you know why but you don’t know what to do about it. Just the thought of searching for a new job or new career can be overwhelming, especially if you haven’t hunted for a job in a while. It can be particularly uncomfortable when you have been in one career for a long time but want to change to something very different. You will wonder: Will I really enjoy that work? Can I earn the same amount from this new work? Are my skills sufficient for this new career? Who will hire me without sufficient experience? How long will the transition take? Its Easy to Stay in a Job You Dont Like The list goes on. Just contemplating these factors causes enough discomfort to stop some people before getting started. Those who push on realize the discomfort as they address the above factors and advance further in their career transition. This isnt easy and explains why many people stay in a career or job they dislike.  Some people get help from a career coach which helps them stay on course.  We all need support and encouragement to take even small steps. The good thing is, change takes time.  We only need to do the next right thing and see what happens.  The answers come and it becomes easier each time to take the next step.  Before you know it, you are in a job you love, developing and building skills that make an impact! Exploring a career change is an investment in yourself and your future. If you can push through the discomfort, you may see the results and change your career and change your life. Think.Inspire.Change.Grow. By Dawn Shaw|2017-04-21T18:20:48+00:00September 25th, 2014|Career Change|0 Comments

KS2 Physics Understanding Light and Sound

KS2 Physics Understanding Light and Sound The thought of KS2 Physics often strikes fear into the hearts of students, but the reality is that this subject doesn’t have to be so intimidating. With just a few simple tips and tricks, you can ace your KS2 Physics examination, and even learn in a fun and interesting way! In this blog we’ll shine a torch on two of the most complex subjects on the KS2 Physics curriculum â€" light and sound.KS2 Physics: Understanding LightLight allows us to see things â€" your eyes use the light that bounces off what you are looking at to make sight possible. Dark is the absence of light. Most light comes from one main source â€" The Sun. Sunlight takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth. During night-time, whichever part of Earth you are on has rotated away from the Sun. So, it cannot receive direct sunlight, making it dark outside.While the Sun is a source of light, the moon is not. Moonlight exists, but it is actually just reflected light originating from the Sun.Of course, there are other sources of light in everyday life, such as lightbulbs, candles, phone screens and televisions. Inventions such as these have made seeing things at night-time possible.How Light BehavesLight only travels in straight lines, and will reflect off of any material â€" although some materials reflect more light than others. Light will reflect off the surface at the same angle at which it hit the surface. So, it is possible to use shiny things to aim beams of light, like with a ruler in a classroom! Different things will happen to light depending on the properties of the material it encounters:Smooth, shiny, and light-coloured surfaces…Will reflect a lot of light.This makes them useful for things like mirrors, which let us see ourselves (our reflections!), behind us or around corners.Reflective surfaces also help us be seen in the dark.Rough, dull, and dark-coloured surfaces… Will reflect very little light.Will absorb light, stopping it from travelling.This makes them useful for blinds and cur tains; anything where light needs to be blocked out.Meanwhile: Transparent materials: Allow light to pass through them â€" like a window made of clear glass.Translucent materials: Allow some light to pass through them â€" like a green glass bottle.Opaque materials: Allow no light to pass through them â€" like the wood of a tree’s trunk.KS2 Physics: Understanding SoundA sound is produced when something vibrates. For example, when a guitar string is plucked, its movement affects the air and sends vibrations towards your ears. This vibration travels into your ear, which is able to process the sound and tell your brain what noise was made. The speed of sound is many times slower than the speed of light. A human is able to speak and make noise with his/her larynx (voice box), located in the throat. The larynx produces vibrations, and therefore sounds, when air passes through it. These vibrations are directed to come out of the mouth, so humans can control them to produce complicated sp eech.How Does Sound Travel?Sound can also travel through solids and liquids, as they are able to carry vibrations as well. Sound actually travels faster through solids and liquids than it does through air and other gases. Of course, some materials are better carriers of sound than others, and some things are designed to stop sound travelling.Sound needs something to travel through in order to reach your ears, because a vibration cannot travel through nothing â€" it needs a medium to carry it. This means that sound cannot travel through a vacuum. For example, sound cannot travel through outer space.The Features of SoundPitch refers to how high or low a sound is. That is to say, the more high-pitched a sound is, the squeakier it is. So, the more low-pitched a sound is, the deeper it is. On a guitar for example, shorter strings will produce higher pitched sounds than longer strings. Different pitches cause different musical notes. Similarly, on a glockenspiel, the longer keys produce d eeper notes than the shorter keys. This is because a smaller key produces faster vibrations.The loudness of a sound refers to its volume and intensity. The opposite of ‘loud’ in this case is not ‘quiet’ as you might expect, but ‘soft’. In the case of the instruments mentioned on the previous page, the amount of force you apply to a string or key will affect the loudness of sound produced. The loudness of a sound is measured in decibels (dB).KS2 Products You Might Be Interested InIf you’ve found this blog interesting or useful, then you’ll be delighted to know that we have an entire book filled with KS2 Physics Guidance. This workbook is the ultimate resource for any aspiring science students. So, don’t hang around, purchase your copy today! This entry was posted in Education, Revision. Bookmark the permalink. Jordan Cooke Studying With Dyslexia â€" What is Dyslexia?KS2 Biology: Digestion and the Human Body