1

Volume I
Vive La Difference!

A Career Rocketeer Publication

1
Launchpad: Your Career Search Strategy Guide

© Copyright 2009 by Chris Perry.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part

of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, or stored in a database or
retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher,
except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

Editors:
Chris Perry
Meghan Perry

Career Rocketeer
www.CareerRocketeer.com

This publication is available at special quantity discounts to use for

sales promotions, employee premiums, or educational and nonprofit
purposes.

To order, or for more information, please contact Chris Perry at

careerrocketeer@gmail.com.

2
 About the Publication

Launchpad is YOUR ultimate career

search strategy guide, published
quarterly with exclusive articles on up-to-
date topics from the industry’s top career
experts.

Launchpad is a publication of Career

Rocketeer (www.CareerRocketeer.com),
one of the fastest-growing career
search, career development and
personal branding blogs on the web today, welcoming
ambitious career entrepreneurs of all ages and professions
who are driven to "launch" their careers to greater heights.

YOU are a Career Rocketeer. All you need is the right fuel to
help you "take off" to success and to a better, more rewarding
career experience. We like to think of our content as the
premium fuel for your career jetpack. Whether you’re reading
articles in Launchpad or on our blog, we strive to provide you
with insightful tips, tricks and secrets of the trade, personal
expertise and experience, professional interviews and helpful
research. We cover topics including: resume optimization,
interviewing, personal branding, career search strategizing,
relationship building, professional networking, the use of web
2.0 search tools, and much more.

3
About the Editors

Chris Perry, MBA, is a Gen Y brand and

marketing generator, an ambitious
entrepreneur and a career search and
personal branding expert. Chris is the
founder of Career Rocketeer, its partner
efforts, including Launchpad, and other
online career services and communities.
He launched all of these services as an entrepreneurial effort
to address and better serve the growing unmet needs of
career seekers — both students and professionals — during
these technologically dynamic and challenging economic
times. Chris also offers career search and personal branding
workshops and presentations to a variety of audiences.

Meghan Perry is a published fiction

writer and free-lance editor. She has
served as an educator at the secondary
and university levels, and currently
teaches high school English in New
Jersey. She holds an M.A.Ed. in
Secondary English Education from the
College of William & Mary, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing
from Emerson College.

4
 Special Thanks

On behalf of Career Rocketeer and Launchpad,

we would like to give special thanks to all of our
contributors and sponsors. Without their time,
expertise, and generous support, none of this
would be possible.

Our Contributors:
William Arruda Pete Kistler
Meghan Biro Jennifer Kushell
John Crant Liz Lynch
Maria Elena Duron Mike Michalowicz
Hajj Flemings Chris Perry
Phil Gerbyshak Brent Peterson
Meg Guiseppi Phil Rosenberg
G.L. Hoffman Jacob Share
Jessica Holbrook Carol Tuttle
Tory Johnson Tim Tyrell-Smith

Our Sponsors:
Career Brander www.CareerBrander.com
Great Resumes Fast www.GreatResumesFast.com
Interview Angel www.InterviewAngel.com
YSN www.YSN.com

5
6
 Call for Submissions

If you have unique career advice to share with

job seekers, we want to help you get it out
there to share with them. We invite you to
submit your best and most unique content to
Launchpad today!

Submission Guidelines

• Articles should be sent by email as an attachment to

careerrocketeer@gmail.com. Microsoft Word
documents are required.
• Write “Launchpad Article Submission” in your email’s
subject line.
• Articles generally should be between 500 and 1500
words. Special exceptions will be considered.
• Indicate your article’s topic category. Articles should
fall into one of the following topic categories: career
search, resumes, cover letters, interviews, personal
branding, networking, career book reviews, social
media, job boards, job search tools, career fairs and
events and job market news. If your article does not
fall into one of these categories, indicate “other.”
• Provide a statement guaranteeing that the article has
not been published or submitted elsewhere.
• Include a professional bio of 250 words with a personal
photo.
• Receipt and/or acceptance of article submissions will
be acknowledged by email.

7
8
 Table of Contents

Career Search ................................................................................. 11

Many Roads Lead to Success ..................................................... 13
Irrational Fear and Your Job Search ............................................ 19
Personality and Corporate Culture ............................................... 25
How to Find the Right Career Fit?................................................ 31
Re-Thinking the Job Hunt ............................................................ 39
Personal Branding ......................................................................... 43
Vive La Difference! ....................................................................... 45
Developing an Authentic Brand.................................................... 49
Ten Ways to Make the “Real” Virtual ........................................... 53
Online Reputation Management .................................................. 59
Creating a Memorable Voicemail Greeting .................................. 65
Networking ...................................................................................... 69
Mastering the Art of the Ask ......................................................... 71
Word of Mouth and Your Job Search ........................................... 75
Resumes ......................................................................................... 83
The New Breed of Resumes ........................................................ 85
8 Hot Tips for Today’s Executive Resume 2.0 ............................. 89
Interviews ........................................................................................ 97
The Best Storytellers Get Hired ................................................... 99
They Know You Want a Job....................................................... 107
Social Media.................................................................................. 113
Blogging to Advance Your Career ............................................. 115

9
 LinkedIn Secrets ........................................................................ 123
How to Use Twitter to Find Jobs ................................................ 133
Entrepreneurship ......................................................................... 141
Finding Your Passion 101 .......................................................... 143

10
Career Search

11
12
 Many Roads Lead to Success
One Career Path DOES NOT Fit All

By Jennifer Kushell

With so many of us living in a state of transition, do you ever

find yourself wondering which career path will lead to your
greatest success? The answer is in shaping your own
definition of success. Not only is it important to articulate your
own concept of what success means, but also what your ideal
career might look like for you. Whatever your definition may
be, one thing is for sure, one path does not fit all. Nor should
it.

As you continue to build or set out to launch your career, don't

forget that there are many different options open to you to not
only work, but to do what you love.

When we built the YSN 15 Minute Career Planner, we created

something called the Complete Opportunity Spectrum:
Experience, Employment and Entrepreneurship.

The point we wanted to make was that work is not limited to

jobs. There's a whole spectrum of different experiences that
make up a successful career. Allow me to break it down so
you can see just how much opportunity there is for you!

EXPERIENCE

● If you're just starting out, hunting for a passion project,

looking to establish some great connections, or hoping to gain
13
some experience in a new field without the long-term
commitment, consider volunteering for a great organization
with a cause you can get behind. Not only can you do some
good, but volunteering offers an incredible opportunity to show
people what you can do and enables you to gain credibility in
your community. It can also be a ripe training ground to learn
about a new industry or skill. Just choose how you spend your
time strategically to make it a real win-win experience.

● Interning is another popular route to breaking into a

business that's tough to land a job in without experience. Now
don't get turned off too quickly. While internships are typically
populated by students and those fresh out of school, people of
all ages have been applying for and landing internships in this
new economy. Bite the bullet and dazzle hot employers, and
you may just find yourself with a new job in no time!

● Temporary placement or "temp work" can be a quick

route to make some fast cash, get exposed to a bunch of
different companies, and test out a few new office
environments. While temps usually replace someone who's
out sick or on temporary leave, many will tell you that there's
always a possibility of longer term or permanent employment if
everyone clicks.

● If you need a more flexible option with a lot more control

over your time, projects, clients and even earning potential,
consider exploring opportunities as an independent
contractor or consultant. These you can find just about
anywhere with any company as an alternative to being hired
as an employee. It's often a great way to do a trial, too, and
help the company keep their costs down. You can always use
this type of work as a route to launch a more entrepreneurial

14
career doing something you're great at or love doing. Might as
well get paid for it, right?

EMPLOYMENT

● Whether you're considering full-time or part-time work,

don't think of even traditional employment in a box
anymore. Employers everywhere are having to cut down,
scale back and reassess how they engage in relationships
with staff, so keep an open mind and ask questions about new
types of work programs that employers might be testing out,
such as flex time, work from home, summer hours, etc.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

● Buying an existing business is one of the quickest routes

to getting up and running in your own venture, and there are
plenty of businesses looking for new partners or the option to
sell out completely. Just look around your neighborhood for
examples. See who's moving, retiring, struggling, or cutting
back. Their transition, loss or hardship could mean big
opportunity...for you both! They can get out and move on, and
you can move in and ensure the business they worked so hard
to build lives and has another chance to thrive.

● If your entrepreneurial fire is heating up, and you find going

out on your own a thrilling, rather than terrifying concept, a
startup from scratch may be just the thing for you. Make
sure you start with a great idea and solid potential prospect
pool, a product or service that's compelling, a lot of tenacity,
creativity, and hopefully, a decent amount of startup capital to
get you up and running.

● Franchising, licensing or direct marketing are other great

paths to entrepreneurship, but with a proven system to
15
follow. As they say in the franchise industry, "It's like being in
business for yourself without being by yourself." That's a
compelling proposition for a lot of people! And there are
thousands and thousands of different types of businesses from
which to choose — from retail clothing to day care, personal
services to hospitality, beauty products to food or beverage
vending. The more established the company you partner up
with, the more comprehensive their training and branding
programs are likely to be. Just be sure to select the company
you sign up for after a decent amount of research and after
interviewing others like you to clearly set your expectations.

As you can see, building the career path of your dreams is far
from impossible when you think about all the different routes
you can take to get there. And these are just the
different types of work you can do. Your options for what you
can do are as limitless as your imagination.

About the Author:

Jennifer Kushell has led a movement

inspiring millions of young people to
pursue their passions professionally for
more than a decade.

As the President and co-founder of

YSN.com — Your Success Network,
Jennifer’s work focuses on arming emerging adults with the
tools, resources and insights critical to finding success in their
lives and careers. YSN.com supports members from over 190
countries through an online community, state of the art
scientific assessment/career planner, professional online
16
identity builder and a rich library of content through the
YoungAndSuccessful.com blog.

Co-author of The New York Times Bestseller, Secrets of the

Young & Successful, The Young Entrepreneur’s Edge and
Solo Para Emprendedores, Jennifer is an acclaimed
professional speaker, corporate strategist, and leading expert
on the next generation global workforce. Her greatest
experience, however, comes from having worked with over ten
thousand young people, dozens of non-profit organizations,
and a vast array of government, education and corporate
leaders. She is also actively involved on the advisory boards
for The Foundation for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE),
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) and The National
Association of Women Business Owners in Los Angeles.

Jennifer has been called the “Career Doctor” by Cosmopolitan,

a “guru” of her generation by U.S. News & World Report, and
has appeared in front of over 200 million people through major
media from Entrepreneur Magazine to The Wall Street Journal
to CNN and BBC.

At 13, she started her first small business making t-shirts and
has since started up 8 other ventures. Today, she lives in Los
Angeles and hopes to one day transition from social
entrepreneur into major philanthropist.

17
18
 Irrational Fear and Your Job Search

By Tim Tyrell-Smith

Sick to your stomach. Shaky. Perspiring. On edge. Heavy

breathing. Or no breathing at all. Everyone reacts to fear
differently. What are the outward signs that something has
you afraid?

I was on a few planes recently and was reminded yet again of

the fear people have of flying. You can see it in their eyes, in
their posture and in how they squeeze their partner's
hand. They are glancing nervously out the window looking for
signs of damage, and they are acutely aware of the actions of
flight attendants.

As irrational as it seems, air travel scares the daylights out of

some people. After all, it is incredibly safe to travel by
plane. Safer than driving a car, right?

But the power of experience and suggestion is very real. What

we have seen, heard or experienced is much easier to replay
in our minds than the rational reasoning of another person.
When you are traveling on a plane, there are plenty of tangible
symptoms that something may be wrong.

Here are a few examples of things that trigger your fear of

flying:

1. Bumps, dips, drops, updrafts, and shakes are all very

normal during plane flight. But if you are looking for

19
 them as signs of trouble, they begin to add up. Each
one tightens the rope around your fists.
2. There are sounds that cause concern as well. Sounds
like an engine shutting down, the clunk of the landing
gear (up and down), and the noise of sudden
acceleration.
3. Smells. Oh yes, this is a big one. The really bad smell
of the circulation system, things that smell like smoke
or burning rubber. And let's not forget the coffee.
4. Then, there are the visual cues. Condensation on the
inside of the plane. Ever been dripped on? Oil leaking
on the wing. A flight attendant walking a bit too quickly
down the aisle or speaking in strange code to his or her
co-worker at the back of the plane.
5. The time factor. Wasn't the pilot supposed to give us
an update 20 minutes ago? What's happening up
there? How long have we been circling?

So, if this is you on a plane, there are others on this same

plane that are completely oblivious to the threat of death and
destruction that seems so obvious to you. While you are
eyeing the fasten seatbelt light, they are finishing their second
bag of peanuts, chatting away with a seatmate, and looking for
another drink.

How could this be? Are they blind, deaf and dumb?

Well, rational or irrational, it is a form of hypersensitivity that

can hit you on a plane, on a camp out, or in, yes, a job search.

The key in job search, I think, is separating real issues from

irrational ones. Real issues can be tackled. Irrational ones
can derail you unnecessarily.

20
So here are a few real issues that you must attack head
on:

• Your resume is not attracting the attention of recruiters,

HR or hiring managers.
• Your cover letter positions you in an unflattering way.
• You interview poorly.
• You are a selfish networker.
• You forget to say thank you when someone does you a
favor.

How about the issues that are less important? The ones that
are feeding irrational fears. Well, here's my short list. You may
be able to add a few of your own . . .

It seems like everyone else is getting interviews . . . but

me.
Unless you have a real problem (see above), you are probably
getting about the same number of interviews as the average
job seeker. Stop focusing on "how many," and start focusing
on getting the right ones. It only takes one.

It has been a week since my interview. I must have done

something wrong!
Usually not the case. It may be true that you were not the best
fit for that particular job. A decision that, once made, may
actually be a positive for you. Maybe they saw the poor fit that
you didn't! It could also be that the company has other
important things to do (like running the company). If they like
you, they will call. If they don't call? Move on.

50 resumes sent out and not one phone call?

Resume blasting is a low-yield effort. It is the least efficient
and least effective way to make yourself known to hiring
21
managers. If you decide to do it, manage your expectations
and your reaction if it does not deliver a call.

Someone says you are "not qualified."

This will happen. But do not take it as a snub or think "I guess
I'm not good enough." If you read the job description and
specification, were you qualified? If not, why did you
apply? Try to be objective.

Your focus on irrational fears will do nothing but leave you less
confident, and nervous and distracted. None of this will help
you appear to be the right person to hire in your next
interview.

So, stop paying attention to those irrational fears. If you have

legitimate improvement areas, then get them fixed. If notO

Buckle up and grab a bag of peanuts. We'll have you back

in the air in no time.

About the Author:

Tim Tyrell-Smith is the founder of Spin

Strategy™ — Tools for Intelligent Job
Search. A consumer packaged goods
marketing executive, Tim created the
blog (blog.spinstrategy.com) and website
(www.spinstrategy.com) to support
today’s job seekers. You can go to the
blog to learn more and to download his new free e-book “30
Ideas. The Ideas of Successful Job Search.”

22
The concept came from an analogy used during his 2007 job
search. Spin Strategy was originally based on the circus act of
plate spinning where a plate spinner works feverishly to spin
plates on a very long stick — sometimes 25 plates at a time.
The lesson being that efficiency is required in order to keep
them all spinning. In short, you only spin the ones that need
spinning!

He built a search and networking strategy based on the idea

that some efforts were more efficient than others. Once he
learned where he could be most efficient, Tim built a plan to
focus his efforts. Once in place, things started to flow and he
had three offers within 45 days. Two of which he turned down
before accepting the third a few days later.

Having a solid strategy and being invigorated by the resulting

confidence worked wonders. Now, as Tim meets job seekers
every week, he shares these ideas freely. Spin Strategy is a
way to give back to the community that helped him in 2007.
And you know what? It feels really good to help!

Tim writes and creates from the perspective of a hiring

manager and a job seeker focusing on the strategy and
psychology of successful job search. He lives with his wife
and three kids in Mission Viejo, California.

23
24
 Personality and Corporate Culture
Where’s a Person to Fit?

By Meghan Biro

In a truly challenging economy — even in an OK economy —

the only sure path to career success is finding a way to
achieve personal fit with the culture of the company you’re in
or looking to join.

Understanding how you can align your personality and

experiences with a corporate culture is an art form; thankfully,
like using crayons, it’s something most of us can master.

In my career coaching and personal branding practice, I

advise people that there are three inflection points a company
looks at when evaluating a candidate — resume/skills,
personality and “fit.” While each plays a part in securing or
retaining meaningful, rewarding employment, it’s not always
easy to know where to concentrate your energy.

Take personality. It’s tough to change your personality, and

arguably, you shouldn’t even try. Instead, become a student of
self-assessment and self-awareness. Many assessment tools
are available that can help map how one’s personality affects
how current or potential employers view us. These tests can
be controversial, but they are useful when not viewed as the
only answer. Myers-Briggs, DISC and Big 5 are a sampling.
Myers-Briggs, for example, can provide a meta-view of what
motivates or inhibits you. It won’t give you all the answers
about your personality or how you might fit in a particular
25
corporate culture, but its self-assessment process can reveal
personality attributes to leverage, or manage, in a job search.
Like other personal assessment tools, it can provide some of
the information necessary to evaluate “fit,” even before the first
conversation with a recruiter or hiring manager occurs.

Keep in mind that finding the right fit is a journey and a

process. You need to be courageous and look beyond your
personality type to build a personal brand, or that mix of skills,
interests, personality attributes and values that can be
measured against a target company’s corporate culture. Yes,
there are many variables, but I recommend a shortcut — a
quick checklist that can help you to evaluate your “fit” for an
opportunity — a mix of personality, personal brand and
corporate culture that is crucial to success.

1. Know who you are. Chances are if you take several

different personality tests, the results will be similar. This is
good news.

2. Commit energy to establishing a personal brand. Your

brand is your personality, plus the attributes that make you
a good prospect for the job. Develop a vocabulary of action
verbs and definitive nouns that describe you and your
strengths. Be daring but true to yourself; choose words that
speak to your brand. Train yourself to use that vocabulary
everywhere: in your resume and in conversations with
friends and advisors. Practice until you’re comfortable with
your brand. It’s who you are, and what you present to
others.

3. Back to personality assessments. Use these in

combination with what you know already about yourself
26
 and what your closest counselors tell you. This is an
essential task in determining what your next career move
should be. View your personality attributes from the
perspective of the market, and you are on the way to
organizational fit.

4. You will know when you’ve attained a comfort level with

who you are and your personal brand, and when you are
ready to identify targets that offer cultural fit. One more
step is necessary: Test your assumptions with
research. Find out:

• What do employees think about the target

company? Scan blogs and network.

• If you’re leaning towards a public company, listen to

earnings calls on yahoofinance.com or another
finance site. There’s a world of information out
there. You’ll be able to hear how executives feel
about their companies and what they view as
important or trivial. It’s an invaluable experience.

• Check out the company’s mission statement, and

review news coverage and press releases. Much
can be learned from how the company presents
itself to the world, investors and customers.

• Understand where the company is going, not just

where it’s been. Scour the news for comments that
indicate the company’s intent. You’ll be able to see
where you — and your personal brand — fit.

27
 • Network. Set up informational interviews.

• Be prepared with a narrative that blends what

you’ve learned about the target company, what
your personality strengths are, and where your
personal brand can be an asset.

• Use a trusted counselor to test your findings and

assumptions.. Your personality may not change, but
you will be better prepared to apply what you’ve
learned to your personal brand.

It’s critical to match your personality to a company’sny’s culture to

achieve a good and lasting fit. Make the investment and you
will learn a lot about yourself. You’ll benefit from building a
personal brand that will ill help you see the fit between you and
an employer. It’s never too late to learn what makes you get
up and out the door every morning.

About the Author:

Meghan M. Biro, founder of

recognized
TalentCulture, is a globally-recognized
expert in talent acquisition, creative
eative
personal and corporate branding and
new media strategies that accelerate
talent acquisition. Meghan’s recruitment,
coaching, new media, and branding
organization is built on her extensive experience in executive
search and talent acquisition. Her background
ckground encompasses
over 250 successful searches for clients ranging from Fortunertune
500 corporations to startups and mid-size organizations.
28
These searches range from C-level executives to matches
made with recent college graduates, and are driven by a
unique fusion of search strategy proficiency and fundamental
belief in the importance of corporate culture and candidate
personality.

As a thought leader and innovator in this field, Meghan has

earned a reputation as not only an early adopter of social
media as a search tool, creative employer branding and
personal branding, but as an evangelist and teacher within this
growing industry. A career strategist, Meghan guides her
clients to build distinctive corporate, employer and personal
brands, both on and offline. Based in Harvard Square,
Cambridge, MA, TalentCulture partners with clients,
corporations and individuals to ensure a match between hiring
needs, brand and culture/personality.

Connect with Meghan:

Website - www.TalentCulture.com
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/meghanmbiro
Twitter - @MeghanMBiro
- @TalentCulture

29
30
 How to Find the Right Career Fit?
Finding the Right Type of Job for the Type of Person You Are

By Carol Tuttle

With today’s economy being down and out, too many people
have lowered their job seeking standard to one of just making
money to pay the bills. That is a great reason for having a job,
since you want to stay out of debt and come out ahead in the
money game, but we both know your passion and drive for
going to work and doing your best will be short lived if you
don’t love what you do!

In the world of job searching, finding the type of job that is just
right for you can be a challenge, especially when you feel your
chances and the job pickings are slim.

What if you knew your strengths and inherent gifts and could
then only go after jobs that allowed you to optimize them?

Energy Profiling™ is a simple system that helps you discover

the true nature of who you are, including your natural gifts and
strengths and your inborn qualities that express naturally in
you.

Energy Profiling™ categorizes people into one of four groups

with a simple reference system referring to Type: Type 1, Type
2, Type 3 and Type 4.

The four Types come from the four elements from which we
are each created: nitrogen, oxygen, hydrogen, and carbon.
31
Each of these elements expresses a unique and candid
movement expressed in all of nature and all of human nature.
We have all four elements in us, so we naturally have all four
expressions in us, yet we all lead with a dominant expression
of one of the four elements that is represented by each Type.

Once you have learned the system and the volumes of

information that explains each Type, knowing your dominant
Type will give you great insight to which jobs and careers to
pursue with success and happiness.

The beauty of Energy Profiling is it does not just look at a

person’s personality; it also includes behavior tendencies,
thought and feeling processes, body language, and physical
features. It is a simple system taught in a concise way that is
easy to learn and apply.

Here is a quick overview of each Type with suggestions for

career and job choices:

Type 1: A person with a dominant Type 1 expression is

naturally an upward, light, upbeat person. This Type of person
has high movement and keeps things light and fun. They have
a natural gift for ideas and the hope that things are possible.
They also have a tendency to get too many things going; they
can drop the ball and not follow through as readily as other
Types. Being with this person brings out your playful energy
and brightens your mood. They may also have a tendency to
appear random or scattered at times due to their very free-
form energy. People with dominant Type 1 energy have a
buoyant, animated movement. They tend to have a very
youthful appearance due to the animated shapes like circles
and points in their facial features. Rachel Ray, Goldie Hawn,

32
Jim Carrey, and Will Smith are all dominant Type 1 people
with very Type 1 facial features.

Best career/job options for a Type 1: Choose a career that

optimizes your gift for new ideas and enthusiasm for those
ideas. Jobs that allow you to vary and change your routine
and/or who you are interacting with on a regular basis will be
more fun for you. Types 1’s are very social, talkative people,
so make sure you have the opportunity to interact with others
frequently. You have a natural gift for bringing encouragement
and bright ideas to the workplace. If you are not in a position
where you can optimize these natural gifts, you can come
across silly, and you may not be taken seriously by others.

Type 2: A person with a dominant Type 2 expression is

naturally a fluid, flowing, gentle, relaxed, calming person. This
Type of person has a more subdued movement and keeps
things flowing and comfortable. They have a natural gift for
details and making plans to help us move forward. Being with
this Type of person is calming and reassuring. They may also
have a tendency to worry and fret due to their more methodical
nature. They tend to have very blended facial features with
soft skin and low contrast in their skin and hair color. They
have a dominance of “S” curves in their facial features.
Barbara Streisand, Angelina Jolie, Randy Jackson, and
Richard Gere are all dominant Type 2 people with very Type 2
facial features.

Best career/job options for a Type 2: Your gifts are details and
planning. You are more methodical, and you think things
through. You enjoy working by yourself, but can easily work
with others. You enjoy making people comfortable and
supporting others, so any support-related work is natural for
you. High-pressured sales is not your thing; you will be
33
uncomfortable putting people on the spot and will blame
yourself for being inadequate when it is really the job that is
not right for you. You have a natural ability to think things
through and make detailed plans; choose a career that honors
this trait. Otherwise, you will come across as slow and
tedious.

Type 3: A person with a dominant Type 3 expression is

naturally given to action and results. This Type of person has
a very swift, confident movement that pushes things and
people into action to get jobs done. They have a natural gift of
confidence and an orientation to achieve big results.
Sometimes, they can be overly confident without having
enough details in place, and they may jump in too fast. Being
with this Type of person helps us all get more done! Type 3’s
love to get things done and can accomplish the most in the
least amount of time with their swift movement. They tend to
have more textured skin and chiseled facial features. They
have a dominance of angles in their facial features. Robert
Redford, Hugh Jackman, Tina Turner, and Maria Shriver are
all dominant Type 3 people with very Type 3 facial features.

Best career/job options for a Type 3: You are a go-getter and

like being your own boss, or at least being in charge of your
own schedule. You are a great sales person and enjoy the
challenge of making the sale. If you believe in it, you can sell
it. You like high-pressured situations where you have to think
swiftly and make quick decisions. Make sure your job choice
honors your gift for determination and getting things done
swiftly. Otherwise, you will come across as too demanding and
pushy.

Type 4: A person with a dominant Type 4 expression is

consistent, still, precise, exact, and structured. This Type of
34
person naturally looks at the world with a critical eye. They
have a natural gift to step back and see the bigger picture and
the outcome and know how to perfect it. They can be seen as
too critical and negative by others, due to their natural
response to see the flaw first. Type 4’s hold a sense of being
their own authority and being right most of the time. Being
with this Type of person gives us more structure in our lives.
They tend to have very porcelain skin and sculpted facial
features. They have a dominance of parallel lines in their
facial features. Keeanu Reeves, Simon Cowell, Demi Moore,
and Audrey Hepburn are all dominant Type 4 people with very
Type 4 facial features.

Best career/job options for a Type 4: Bottom line, you like to

be your own authority. You don’t like being “bossed” around
or told what to do day-to-day. If you work for a company you
need to play a role where you have independence and are
seen as the authority in your job. You have a gift of seeing the
weakness first, so make sure your job allows you to give
feedback and opportunity to offer your critique otherwise you
will naturally offer your opinions and your uninvited critique
becomes unwanted criticism. You have an inherent gift to
create structure in what is important to you, seek a job in
which this is valued and appreciated; otherwise you can come
across as censorious and unpleasant.

Learning your dominant energy Type will explain a lot to you

about why you are the way you are and why others are the
way they are. You will be given more insight and
understanding and gain more clarity about what you want in a
job that would be a compliment to your Type.

I have seen many people easily and readily land the right job
once they understood their dominant Type. Not only was the
35
job search easier, but these people had a new air of
confidence that helped them with their interviews. Carolyn’s
story is a perfect example. Carolyn lost her job four years ago
and she got by doing temp work. As the single mom of three
children, it was easy to get discouraged. Carolyn went
through our Energy Profiling™ online course and read my
book, It’s Just My Nature! to discover she was a dominant
Type 1. She no longer tried to come across as someone she
was not. She only went after jobs that allowed her to be
herself and express her natural strengths. Within three
months of Carolyn discovering her dominant Type, she was
hired for a job that was perfect for her.

Consider the possibility that you have been seeking the wrong
“Type” of job or career. Use Energy Profiling to learn more
about yourself and others and start picking the job that is just
your “Type.”

For more information about Energy Profiling, and to learn your

own Energy Type, go to myenergyprofile.com.

About the Author:

Carol Tuttle has been a pioneer in the

self-help field for over 20 years. Carol is
the best-selling author of the highly
acclaimed spiritual self-help book,
Remembering Wholeness: A Personal
Handbook for Thriving in the 21st
Century. She is the creator of Energy
Profiling™ and Dressing Your Truth™. Her newest book, It’s
Just My Nature! A Guide to Knowing and Living Your True
36
Nature is a ground-breaking work in discovering and living true
to your natural gifts and talents. For a short time, Carol is
offering the “Get Profiled” bundle at a discount at
myenergyprofile.com.

Make shopping easy and affordable, and bring out your natural
beauty with Carol’s do-it-yourself makeover system, Dressing
Your Truth, at www.dressingyourtruth.com. Once you know
your personality profile with Carol’s innovative Energy
Profiling™, learn your personal style with Dressing Your
Truth™.

37
38
 Re-Thinking the Job Hunt
Take What You Know About Job Hunting and Start Over

By G.L. Hoffman

More people than ever are looking for a job. Almost three out
of four people, IF EMPLOYED, are also looking for that great,
elusive, “I want to find my passion” sort of job.

With so many people looking, why don’t more people know

how to do it? That, dear Watson, is the question of the day.

I think there are a couple of reasons. One, people don’t know

their options. They simply read what most “experts” have to
say about job searching, and then blindly go about doing it.
My own daughter fell victim, even though I warned her about
this. She looked on Monster.com, found about a dozen jobs
that appealed to her, and wrote very nice cover letters that
accompanied her resume, a very impressive one, I might add.
She sent out the resumes, and cover letters, printed on nice
paper, and waited for the calls. And waited. And waited. And
waited.

She knew how to search, but chose the path that everyone
takes. More frequently than not, the calls I get from frustrated
job seekers are a variation of this “What am I doing wrong?”
theme. “I apply and I don’t get any responses. Is it my
resume? What is it?”

The next reason is that most job seekers, not YOU, are lazy.
Maybe that word is too strong, although it fits. Job seeking is
39
a tough job, and one that you really need to spend some time
on every day. It can’t be a 30-minute daily thing — this is the
amount of time the average job seeker spends looking for a
job, by the way — it has to be a bigger effort.

Try this for 30 days instead.

Most people fall into two job seeking camps. The first, mostly
college grads and single people, want to find their life’s work,
their passion, something they love doing. The rest of us want
a good job, where we are respected, work with fun people, do
interesting work, get a good paycheck, benefits and a short
commute. Some people are lucky and get both. You can, too.

But mostly, it is up to you. How you view your job is up to you.

If you need constant stimulation and positive feedback, stay in
Little League, not in the workforce. You are an adult
nowOwhat happens to you is pretty much up to you. Take
some responsibility here.

Next, figure out where you want to work. In Boulder? In social

media? Teaching geography? Whatever it is, figure out what
you want to do and where.

Then, using the internet, find those companies and jobs. My

favorite place to look happens to be my own company
LinkUp.com. What makes LinkUp unique is that we only show
jobs from the companies’ own websites, so we know they are
real, not scams, and that they are available. There are NO
jobs from recruiters or job boards. Immediately, therefore, you
see the jobs that are almost never advertised to the general
public.

Once you do this, start your research. What do the companies

do? Who does what in the companies? Get names, email
40
addresses. ButOhere is the one thing to find out for sure:
Why do they need YOU? And what can you do to help solve a
current problem that they are having? Read those last two
sentences over and over.

This takes research and effort.

Once you figure out why companies need you and how you
can help them — EXACTLY — with a clear concise statement,
or on one page of white paper, then your task is simply to find
the right person at the company.

If you have done your research, this should not be too hard.
And if you are accurate in your research, and you have figured
out how to make a killer elevator pitch about your problem-
solving ability, you should get the interview.

Try it.

About the Author:

G.L. Hoffman is a serial entrepreneur

and venture investor, operator, incubator
and mentor. Two of his companies have
traveled the entire success path from the
garage to IPO. He has been featured in
Forbes, Fast Company, The Wall Street
Journal and other local business
publications and newspapers.

Currently, he is Chairman of JobDig, an employment-focused

media company that delivers multi-channel recruitment
advertising solutions to employers of all sizes in all industries.
41
JobDig publishes a free weekly jobs newspaper in markets
throughout the U.S., operates the popular website
JobDig.com, and partners with network and cable TV stations
and radio stations in each of its markets to allow companies to
leverage broadcast media in their recruitment advertising. The
company also owns and operates LinkUp.com, a site that
aggregates and publishes only jobs listed on corporate web
sites from over 10,000 companies around the U.S.

His daily blog can be found at www.WhatWouldDadSay.com,

JobDig.com, and now as a weekly guest writer at U.S. News &
World Report.

His Gruzzle puzzles are seen frequently on

FastCompany.com.

He can also be followed on Twitter at twitter.com/glhoffman.

42
Personal Branding

43
44
 Vive La Difference!

By Tory Johnson

You don’t need big boobs, big hair or big heels to get a job.

But you definitely have to find ways to stand out from the
crowd and differentiate yourself from your competition.

I'm no stickpin — and I don’t need any reminders of that, thank

you very much. But the point was driven home recently when I
was forced to follow gorgeous TV star Wendy Williams at a
live, on-stage radio interview in front of 300 women in New
Jersey.

That would be the blunt, LOL funny, surgically-enhanced

double-DD Wendy Williams, who stands 6’4” in four-inch Gucci
slides and has a surgically-tucked and taut tummy that you
can probably bounce quarters off of — details that she offered
during a hysterical, 15-minute interview with radio legend Joan
Hamburg.

I was sitting there laughing — and freaking out: What to do?

The answer, I decided, was NOT to schlep up on stage like a

loser with my head hanging low.

When my turn came, after Hamburg's gracious introduction

about my new book Fired to Hired, I blurted out to her that she
had forgotten the most important part.

Hamburg looked stunned. The audience got oh-so-quiet.

45
"What you forgot to say," I told Hamburg straight-faced, "is that
your next guest faces the unenviable task of diving into a
downer (unemployment) to a roomful of women who have
been wowed by an outrageously funny gal who batted her oh-
so-long eyelashes, flipped her long locks and talked non-stop
about her gigantic boobs and flashy high heels."

The ladies loved it.

Then, they listened — and laughed — as I talked for my 15

minutes about job searching in this dismal economy.

We managed to find plenty of humor in what it takes to get

hired today — and plenty of similarities between Wendy’s
words and my own.

What had I done? Nothing much, just injected a bit of self-

deprecating humor which clicked with my listeners, got me in
their tent, and helped differentiate my message from Wendy’s.

It got the women there to stop thinking about a bombshell and

pay attention to little ol’ me.

If you have a job interview coming up, make a list of things that
make you different from everyone else. Maybe it’s your ability
to work numbers like magic, sell ice cubes to Eskimos, or write
fascinating articles on deadline.

Whatever it is, find ways to stand out. And if it helps, envision

that the gal who interviewed right before you was Wendy
Williams, all 6-foot 4-inches of her.

46
About the Author:

Tory Johnson is the founder and CEO of

Women For Hire, the only producer of
high-caliber recruiting events for women.
Johnson is the workplace contributor on
ABC’s Good Morning America, where
she reaches millions of viewers with her
career-savvy advice on a wide range of
job-related issues and challenges. She also anchors Job Club
on ABC News Now, the digital channel.

She is a frequent speaker to audiences nationwide, ranging

from college campuses and Fortune 500 companies to various
human resource conferences, where she shares strategies
and solutions for finding success and satisfaction at work.
Glamour magazine dubbed Tory the "raise fairy godmother"
because of her expertise in advising a panel of women on how
to ask for — and get — salary increases.

Her fourth career book, Will Work From Home: Earn Cash
Without the Commute was published in 2008 and became an
instant The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal
bestseller. Her latest book, published in August, is Fired To
Hired — Tory’s story of how being fired as a network news
publicist lead to her becoming an entrepreneur and founding
Women For Hire in 1999.

Tory serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for

Emerson College. She is a member of the Women Presidents’
Organization. She was inducted into the YWCA's prestigious
Class of 2002 Academy of Women Achievers, which
recognizes the outstanding achievements of women in
business.
47
Tory founded Women For Hire after serving in corporate
communications positions at ABC News, NBC News and
Nickelodeon. She lives in New York City with her husband and
two children.

48
 Developing an Authentic Brand

By Hajj Flemings

Personal branding is the new “Black.” It is the hottest

buzzword since “iPod,” which is now so 2001-ish. Developing
an authentic brand is not just a career strategy, but a lifestyle,
one that doesn’t start at 9 A.M. or end at 5 P.M. You are a
multi-dimensional, multi-faceted person whose major
challenge is being authentic in a world that glorifies ego,
beauty and shiny objects. How do you package your life and
integrate your personality into your personal brand in a way
that naturally speaks to your DNA? The days of an 8.5” x 11”
white rectangle communicating how you would love to spend
70% of your waking life are dead. The string of action verbs
telling employers what they want to hear to convince them you
are the best person for the job is archaic.

At its core, an authentic personal brand helps you to gain

mindshare versus eyeshare with the goal of owning a slice of
mental real estate in the mind of your target audience

Three Basic Elements of Authentic Brands

Personal branding is an evolution, not because you need to

fabricate an identity that is impossible to maintain, but because
you need to identify who you are by uncovering your true
greatness. There are three elements of authentic brands.

A Defined Voice - Everyone has a voice, but what is yours

saying? Identify how you are wired so when you amplify your

49
voice online, you are creating a finely tuned sound, not just
noise.

A Defined Signature - You have to distinguish yourself. What

makes you unique, what separates you from the pack, what
will you be known for?

A Compelling Brand Story - After you have defined your voice

and your signature, how will you package and communicate
your personal brand in a way that helps people connect with
you?

Personal Branding Tips for Authenticity

Back to the Basics - People are often blinded with the shiny
and new. When they hear the words “social media” and “social
network,” they immediately want to get online and solve world
peace with their new avatars and online profiles. However,
everything goes back to the basics:

Can you write? Are you approachable? Are you relevant? Do

you have social and online etiquette? Are you friendly? Are
you likeable?

Or are you a jerk? Do you operate with brevity? Do you

overwhelm people with non-relevant spam-ilicious
information?

140 Mindset - One of the greatest social networks I use is

Twitter, not because I spend most of my time there, but
because of the mindset it creates. When Twitter is replaced
with the next big social network, the practice of brevity will still
remain. In a world of unlimited bandwidth, spammers, and
endless content being uploaded, cutting through the clutter
and communicating with short bursts of information is critical.
50
Develop an online Hub - Every personal brand needs a
home. You need an online hub even if you are not actively
pursuing employment. Why is this so important? Your hub can
help grow your network and will keep you relevant. What if an
employer, colleague, or potential business partner goes online
and is unable to find anything about you? This could convey a
lack of relevance, which could result in a missed opportunity.
Everybody needs a digital footprint. There are multiple ways
to create your online hub, such as establishing a Facebook
page or Facebook Fan Page and aggregating all your content.

Personal Branding Myth:

The amplifier (Social Media)
is more important than the Voice (You).

Aggregate Your Online Activity

Aggregating your online activity is a powerful mechanism to

validate the consistency of your personal brand message via
blog comments, status updates, Twitter searches, RSS Feeds,
Google Alerts, etc. Not being authentic has a higher penalty
when you are active online. There is no private Internet.
Authenticity requires thought before action. Living life in a
public stream demands a heightened mindset that is real and
aware at all times.

You are not trying to create a fictitious Hollywood-like brand

with unrealistic expectations but trying to be who you are
naturally wired to be. Your online activity humanizes and
broadcasts to the world who you are. Your brand
communicates the real you, your values, your strengths, your
thoughts, and your character. Continue to be who you were
designed to be, an original in a world of cheap imitations.

51
About the Author:

Hajj Flemings is the founder of Brand

Camp University and author of The
Brand YU Life: Re-thinking Who You Are
Through Personal Brand Management.
He has been featured on ESPN.com,
BusinessWeek.com,
BlackEnterprise.com, various blogs and
travels nationally speaking. His clients include NFL athletes,
Walt Disney, Ford Motor Company, Sketchers Footwear, U.S.
Department of Defense (Telecom Division) and numerous
colleges and universities around the nation. His book was
selected as one of Fast Company magazine 2008 Readers
Choice Business Books of the year.

He is a former collegiate athlete turned adjunct lecturer at his

alma mater, Michigan Technological University, where he
wrote the personal branding curriculum which includes
developing an online personal brand and social media
tools. He received his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical
Engineering from Michigan Technological University and his
MBA from Lawrence Technological University.

He is married to his lovely wife, Kasandra.

Connect with Hajj:

Blog - www.BrandCampU.com
Twitter - @HajjFlemings
Personal Branding Book - The Brand YU Life

52
 Ten Ways to Make the “Real” Virtual

By William Arruda

The internet is a lot like other technological advances. Just as

radio didn’t replace newspapers and television didn’t replace
radio, the web is no substitute for building your personal brand
in the real world. Sure, personal branding on the web can be
fast and easy, but you still need to show up at those
professional association meetings and make sure people
around the office see the value you are delivering. The World
Wide Web offers another route to enhance your personal
brand. It augments your face-to-face communications; it
doesn’t replace them.

There are lots of personal branding consultants out there

touting the web as the exclusive personal branding tool and
recommending that you get as much content as you can online
— as fast as you can. That could actually tarnish your brand
rather than bolster it. Branding is based in authenticity. Just as
Volvo knows that their promise of safety separates them from
other automotive companies, you too need to know how to
position yourself and ensure your virtual brand is in line with
who you are in the real-world. Before building an online
presence, you need to know who you are, what differentiates
you from your peers and what makes you compelling to people
who are making decisions about you. And you need to be
thoughtful about what you put online, making sure it is
professional and of the highest quality.

53
Once you’re clear about your brand, think about ways you can
turn real-world communications into virtual visibility. Here’s an
example of how to maximize one face-to-face brand-building
event — yielding ten web-based communications.

Let’s say you’re delivering a presentation at a local American

Marketing Association (AMA) chapter on the role creativity
plays in developing breakthrough advertising. Follow these
steps to make the real virtual.

Before the Event:

1. Write a press release about your upcoming presentation

and post it to press release search engines. “Jon Zimonds to
Present “The Role of Creativity in Advertising” at AMA Chicago
Chapter.” Write your press release, describing what you are
going to discuss and why people should attend. Be sure it
reflects your unique promise of value. Then publish it at free
press release search engines like free-press-release.com and
1888pressrelease.com.

2. Make a post to your Blog about your upcoming

presentation, asking your brand community to contribute their
ideas for content on your topic. “What would you like to hear?”
This increases your visibility while building stronger
connections with your network members by involving them in
your research.

3. Tweet the upcoming event with a link to the press releases

you published and/or the post you made to your Blog. This will
let your followers know what you are up to.

4. Update your LinkedIn and Facebook status informing your

contacts and friends that you are working on your content for

54
this upcoming presentation. You can use tools like
hellotxt.com or ping.fm to simultaneously update your status
on many social networking sites, including LinkedIn, Facebook
and Twitter.

At the Event:

5. Deliver the presentation, encouraging audience members to

tweet what’s happening in real-time. Remember to ask them
for input and questions as this will provide you with more
content to share with your larger brand community once your
presentation is over. What you learn at an event like this can
often become the content for your next presentation or article.
Your audience can be a valuable focus group.

6. Provide the audience with your contact details on email,

Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. at the end of the presentation
so you can expand your brand community with those who are
interested in what you have to say. You need to make it easy
for those who connect with your message to find you.

After the Event:

7. Publish video clips from the event on YouTube and Vimeo

(remember to have your presentation professionally video-
taped — poor quality video will diminish your brand value).
These video posts can be spread out over time so you are
providing value to your brand community regularly.

8. Post your MS PowerPoint or iWork Keynote slides from the

presentation to SlideRocket.com.

9. Tie up all these activities with a Blog post about your

experience at the event, highlighting what you shared and
what you learned from the audience.
55
10. Tweet the links to all of the content related to the event
(your video clips, presentation slides and Blog posts, etc.).

Personal branding on the World Wide Web shouldn’t be

considered in isolation, and it need not be onerous.
Remember to link what you’re doing in the real-world with
content you post to the web — and focus on quality. This will
support your personal branding activities, ensure consistency
of message and reduce the effort associated with building your
brand in bits and bytes.

About the Author:

Dubbed the Personal Branding Guru by

Entrepreneur Magazine, William Arruda
is the founder of Reach, the global
leader in personal branding and author
of Career Distinction: Stand Out by
Building Your Brand. As a personal
branding pioneer, William is credited with
turning the concept of personal branding into a global industry.
Over the past decade, Reach has certified more than a
thousand professionals in 23 countries around the globe.
William also designed and developed 360Reach, the popular
personal branding assessment that has been used by nearly a
million people and is part of talent development programs in
many Fortune 500 companies.

One of the most sought-after speakers on personal branding,

social media and employee motivation, he has delivered
hundreds of keynotes to audiences of five to five thousand
throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Africa. William’s
56
client list includes Adobe, American Express, British Telecom,
BMW, IBM, JPMorgan, J&J, l’Oreal, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley
and Starwood Hotels. He has appeared on BBC TV, the
Discovery Channel and Fox News Live and has been featured
in countless publications, including Forbes, Time Magazine,
The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review and The
New York Times.

William exudes optimism and a genuine belief in the power of

the individual to achieve great things. He not only sees the
glass as half full, he sees the potential for it to be overflowing.
You can learn more at www.reachpersonalbranding.com and
www.williamarruda.com. Also, follow him on Twitter
@williamarruda.

57
58
 Online Reputation Management
4 Steps to Being Your Own PR Department

By Phil Rosenberg

What’s your Online Reputation? Do you manage it? Or does

someone else manage what internet searches say about you?

In today’s interconnected world, chances are that you turn up

in Google searches. Also, information about you may be on
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace — even if you don’t
subscribe to these sites.

A high percentage of hiring companies and recruiters now

perform Google and social networking searches on candidates
prior to hiring, and some search prior to interviewing. For
instance, since 2005, Robert Half, a top 4 international
recruiting firm, has required its recruiters to perform a 6-way
Google search on all candidates prior to placement.

If a hiring company or recruiter searched for you on Google or

social networking sites, do you know what they would find?
Will a search result refer to you, or to someone else with a
similar name?

Online Reputation Management is more than just removal of

negative information (not easy to accomplish). A well-
structured Online Reputation Management plan allows you to
promote and control positive information you WANT potential
hiring managers to see, allowing you to brand yourself online.

59
STEP 1: Identify potential negative information

Google yourself by name. Does any information appear that

you wouldn’t want your mother or potential hiring manager to
see? Does any unflattering information appear about
SOMEONE ELSE WITH A SIMILAR NAME AS YOU? Create
a spreadsheet of negative results, including Google rank,
Google page, source (Google, social networking site, etc),
even if that result refers to that trouble-maker who shares your
name.

STEP 2: Identify positive information

Create a separate section of this spreadsheet with positive

Google results (only the ones referring to you), also including
Google rank, Google page, and source.

Search at least 10 pages in Google — or further — if you still

haven’t found a result that actually refers to you. My own
name isn’t that common, yet when I first searched it, l was way
back on page 15. If you search for me today, you’d see I own
the majority of the first page of my name, beating out a famous
screenwriter, VP of Sony Gaming, a welterweight boxing
champ, a prolific Ph.D. and a bit actor.

STEP 3: Manage negative information

The easy part is removing negative information from social

networks. Facebook (MySpace and LinkedIn to a lesser
extent) gives you the ability to erase content, to manage who
can post content to your profile, and who can view content.
On Facebook and MySpace, examine pictures carefully. You
may want to take down the bachelor party pics that someone
tagged to you. Be careful about Twitter — once you tweet, it’s
there for life, searchable into eternity.
60
You’ll find that it’s also difficult to have Google remove
negative results, which might cause you problems if your
name is, say, John Dillinger. Instead, Google recommends
controlling what you can control yourselfOmove positive
information higher than unfavorable results.

I recommend finding or creating positive information, and

marketing the positive information in a responsible way
(translation: not spam). Your goal is to make sure the
information you want your reader to see appears above
negative information. If done well, Online Reputation
Management moves unflattering information off the first page,
moving the good stuff higher up on a ranked search.

STEP 4: Create and market positive information

If your inventory of positive information hasn’t returned enough

results to push unflattering information back, then create more
of it. Even if you’re not a great writer, you can easily create
positive information about yourself. Put profiles on social
networking sites that brand you positively from the employers’
viewpoint. Social media profile pages are typically ranked
highly by search engines. Good news — there are many more
than just LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. Choose
5-10 Social Networking sites — today, there are hundreds of
social networking sites, so choose carefully. MySpace, though
it’s popular, might not be your best choice unless you’re a
musician, artist, designer, or someone in the arts. Then again,
LinkedIn might not work as well for many in the arts.

You can create additional positive information by adding to

existing conversation or posts. Look for articles, blogs,
groups, and other comments revolving around your industry or
profession. If you’ve got a flair for writing, start a discussion,
61
or write a blog post or article. The web is starved for content,
so you can find sites eager to publish your ideas.

If you hate writing, many authors are thrilled if you republish

their work — as long as you always ask first, and include a link
to the original article (it helps their Google ranking). For the
non-writers, just put a short comment on the front, and
republish on a relevant site or discussion.

In the blogosphere, marketing = republishing. The more you

republish, the higher your page ranking will climb. You’ll find
you get more push by republishing on popular sites than on
sites with little traffic. On the other hand, smaller sites may be
more willing to publish your content than Yahoo. The more
links you publish to your content, the higher your favorable
content will rise within Google rankings.

Conclusion - Is it worth the effort?

If you pick the right places to publish, and choose a very

narrowly-defined field, your content can also rise to the top of
that field’s rankings on Google. Online Reputation
Management can be so powerful when it brands a candidate
as a subject matter expert, because it draws employers who
seek advice from a thought leader. Wait a second — if you’re
looking for a job, aren’t you trying to have more conversations
with employers who want your help to make them more
money?

This may sound like a lot of work, but candidates put in a lot of
work to find opportunities, get interviews, and become finalists.
Why have your opportunities road-blocked by Google and
social networks? Better yet, why not manage the process so

62
that you can be viewed as a subject matter expert in your field
and have employers contact you?

Online Reputation Management doesn’t have to be a full-time

job for most of us. This can take anywhere from an hour per
week to an hour per day, depending on how popular, or
unpopular, your name is and how crowded your field is.

Isn’t it worth a few hours per week to control what Google says
about you?

About the Author:

Phil Rosenberg is President of

reCareered at
(www.reCareered.blogspot.com), an
executive career coaching service,
helping great people discover new
career paths and beat the challenges of
modern job searches. Phil runs the
Career Change Central group (www.tinyurl.com/cccpost),
recently named one of LinkedIn’s top groups that job seekers
must join.

An active blogger about career change, Phil's articles are

republished by BusinessWeek, The Wall Street Journal, CIO,
Fast Company and dozens of job and recruiting sites. Phil can
be contacted at phil.reCareered@gmail.com.

63
64
 Creating a Memorable Voicemail Greeting
Simple Tips to Set You Apart

By Phil Gerbyshak

6 seconds is all you get to make a first impression. While no

doubt you know of many ways to control that first impression,
one that is often overlooked is your voicemail greeting. It's one
of the easiest and most effective ways to exemplify your
brand. If you can create a voicemail greeting that people
remember, and one they look forward to calling, you can stand
out in a crowded field.

First, let's talk about what NOT to do in a voicemail greeting.

“Hello. You’ve reached 555-1212. Leave a message. Beep.”

TERRIBLE! That message sounds like the person you

reached was sound asleep.

There's no energy, no personality, and no pizzazz. There's

nothing that says "This is someone I want to work with, do
business with or get to know any further."

Let's try again.

“Hi, this is Phil. Leave a message. I’ll call you back. Thanks.”

That’s a little bit better. At least I know I called Phil.

But who is Phil?

65
Does he check his voicemail very often? What if this is an
emergency and I really need to reach Phil RIGHT NOW?

Let's give it one more try:

“You’ve reached Phil Gerbyshak. As you can guess, I’m not

available to take your call right now, but I'd LOVE to talk to you
right away. If this call is between 7:30 A.M. and 5:30 P.M.,
please feel free to give me a call at work at 414-555-1212.
Otherwise, leave your name, number, a brief message, and
your favorite 80’s rock band after the tone, and I’ll call you
back as soon as I can. Thanks for calling. Make it a great day!”

Hey, now that’s pretty good. There’s another number to reach

me at, I let the caller know they’re important to me, and I
injected some personalization into the situation. I said favorite
80s rock band, you substitute what makes the most sense for
the people that are calling you.

Oh yeah: I closed with energy: “Make it a great day!”

Most people do leave me a message, some laughing at my

request for favorite 80’s something or other, and then tell me
what they need. Then I call them back as soon as I can with
the same energy as I have on my voicemail greeting.

After all, who wants to talk to someone plain vanilla boring?

What are the keys to a memorable voicemail greeting?

Energy: Nobody wants to talk to a stiff. Practice having energy

when you create your voicemail greeting. Take a deep breath,
put a smile on your face, and stand up!

66
Reachability: Include some alternative methods of reaching
you, and you’ll ensure people leave you a message with the
information you need to make it a great day!

Change it up: Variety matters. Change your voice mail

greeting at least once a month, and folks will look forward to
talking to your voicemail almost as much as they enjoy talking
to you live. That's 12 times a year to change your voicemail
greeting.

Include something unique: How many other people can you

name who have the same greeting as you? If the answer is
more than 1, you’re not being unique enough. Think about
your signature phrase, where people think of you when they
hear it. My friends leave me messages that tell me to make it a
great day because I’ve added that as my signature to my
voicemail greetings.

Take some time today to create a powerful, energetic, highly

personalized voicemail greeting, and you will stand out from
your peers.

About the Author:

Phil Gerbyshak is the founder of the

Make It Great! Institute. He enjoys being
a social media maximizer specializing in
making social media fun, easy and
profitable, though not necessarily in that
order. Phil has been blogging for over 4
years and was an early adopter into
Twitter, LinkedIn, Squidoo, and many other social media

67
platforms. He teaches companies and people how to maximize
the time and other investments in social media, and reminds
folks that it’s not about the TOOLSOit’s about the PEOPLE.

He is also a dynamic speaker, passionate about building

successful business relationships. Phil’s first book, 10 Ways to
Make It Great!, has sparked a fire within the hearts of
thousands of people, as they take charge of their lives and
relationships. Countless others have been inspired by Phil’s
energy-charged speeches, as he elaborates on the principles
within his book. Those who have had the pleasure of listening
to Phil speak now have the tools to become Relationship
Geeks, and spread his successful ideas throughout their own
businesses.

As a captivating speaker, Phil also has the unique ability to

tailor his message to the specific needs of his audience. He
lives his message, and reaches out to people on a personal
level, empowering his audiences to live life at a higher level
with more passion, more energy, and more power! By showing
how to unlock the potential within us all, Phil’s exuberance is
infectious and can transform lives. His words will inspire you to
make the necessary changes in your life to Make It Great!

68
Networking

69
70
 Mastering the Art of the Ask

By Liz Lynch

Knowing how to build your network is important, but knowing

how to tap into your network for help is even more critical.
After all, if you can’t get the help you need from the people you
know, where will you get it?

However, it can be a delicate balance between asking for

exactly what you want and keeping the relationship intact.
Being too aggressive and demanding can push people away.
Yet, being too vague and laid back can leave them confused
about how to help you.

A strategic and thoughtful approach to the “art of the ask” is

the key to helping you walk that fine line successfully. Here’s
what you need to consider:

• First, choose WHO you ask. Make sure your request

is appropriate to the level of your relationship.
Something your best friend might walk over glass to do
for you may not be something a new connection would
be as open to, and jumping the gun could do long-term
harm to the relationship. Ideally, you should build and
strengthen relationships before you need them, but if
that isn’t possible, then scale back your request a
notch and incorporate one or more of the following
tactics.

71
 • Second, choose WHAT you ask for. Think about
what might be reasonable for someone to give. It’s
much easier to give you advice on how to position
yourself for a job, for example, than it would be to give
you a job since few people have unfilled positions in
their back pocket just waiting to hand over to you.
However, most folks do love to share insights and
experiences, and talking about things they’ve done
takes little effort. It does take time, though, so keep the
time request easy to give, as well. You’ll get more
contacts to agree to a focused 15-minute phone chat
than a two-hour lunch meeting — even if you offer to
pick up the tab.

• And third, choose HOW you ask. Always keep the

pressure off. You never want people to feel badly about
not being able to help you, which could hurt the
relationship in the long run. Instead, always include a
pressure-release valve with every request by saying
something like, “I know you’re very busy, so if you’re
not able to do this, I completely understand.” Or phrase
your request differently by saying, “If you feel
comfortable introducing me to Pam, I’d appreciate it,”
rather than, “Can you call Pam for me tomorrow?”

Apply careful consideration to your requests for help so that

you put the well-being of your relationships in front of
completing a “transaction” that addresses only your own
needs. This will not only help you move closer to your
objectives, but will also ensure that your contacts will always
be there for you, even if they’re not able to help you at that
particular moment.

72
And one last thingOAlways be appreciative of any help you
get. It’s a good habit to thank those who offer you help in order
to keep the goodwill in the relationship flowing. Also, keep
folks in the loop and let them know you’ve followed up on their
suggestions. Tell them what the outcome was. When they see
that you’ve taken action, they’ll feel good about having made
the investment to help you, and you’re more likely to get more
of their help in the future.

About the Author:

Liz Lynch is author of Smart Networking:

Attract a Following In Person and Online,
the first book to show how to seamlessly
integrate social media with traditional
face-to-face networking to get 24/7
results WITHOUT the 24/7 effort.

She's a sought-after speaker who brings a practical and

insightful perspective to building relationships that has
connected with a global audience. Her printed and audio
products have sold on six continents, she’s been invited to
speak at audiences around the world, and her writings have
been translated into multiple languages.

Liz has presented at companies as diverse as Boeing, KPMG,

3M and Google, and has appeared in The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and on CNN, ABC
News, Fox Business News, CNBC.com, Forbes.com, and
BusinessWeek.com.

73
Liz is also founder of the Center for Networking Excellence, a
company that develops products, programs and seminars to
help entrepreneurs and professionals get clients, build their
businesses, and accelerate their careers through networking.

Her bottom-line approach grew from her experience in

corporate America working at some of the top firms in their
industries — Goldman Sachs, Disney, Booz & Company, and
Time Warner — to hone her strategic, analytical and financial
expertise. Liz holds an engineering degree from the University
of California, Berkeley, and an MBA from Stanford University.

To download your FREE copy of Liz’s Smart Networking

Toolkit, visit www.SmartNetworking.com.

74
 Word of Mouth and Your Job Search

By Maria Elena Duron

We are either selling ourselves on why we can’t do this or why

we can. The biggest sale you make every day is the sale you
make to yourself. Are you sold on you? Do you know what
makes you unique? Do you know why people like to connect
with you? Do you know why people do business with you? Do
you know why people request you?

Knowing your personal brand will help unearth all of those

items that make you unique. Positive word of mouth means
that you move, touch and inspire others to act and to speak
positively on your behalf. How can you provide them the
ammunition to speak positively about you when you yourself
do not know what makes you uniquely different?

In a recent study by the Word of Mouth Marketing Association,

they found that 78% of people will act on a referral or
recommendation of someone they know, like and trust. They
also found that 92% of people prefer to have referrals and
recommendations for products, services and people.

If you want harness the tremendous power of positive word of

mouth, then you have to do the leg work and know your
unique brand attributes. In personal branding, you have to do
all the heavy lifting first. But do know: the benefits of doing the
work will produce exponential results.

75
First, do a little research

To find out what others are already saying about you is not an
easy task. Most of us, when asked face-to-face for our honest
opinion of someone, falter at giving a truly honest answer.
Start with those people that are within arm’s length of you.
This could be your personal fan club or brand advocates. Don’t
know who these people are?

Here are some people who could be your personal brand

advocates:

• Your parents (yes, it’s okay to list them no matter how

old you are if they speak positively on your behalf and
can give some insight on what makes you unique.
While there may be many statements that are “just
because you’re their child,” there could be some
golden nuggets that are your personal brand attributes.
As we compare this to what other advocates say, what
we’re searching for are trends and commonalities.)
• A mentor
• A supervisor
• Someone you’ve mentored or taught
• Classmates
• Close friends
• Former instructors
• Church leaders
• Former supervisors

Come up with a group of five people and ask each of them this
question:

What do you think makes me unique? What do you think I

bring to the table?
76
And, the most important part of this question is to be quiet and
let them answer — fully and completely.

Asking for word of mouth

It’s a wonderful gift when someone speaks positively on our

behalf. Yet, currently most people hope for those “gifts” from
people instead of creating a plan to harness the tremendous
power of word of mouth. Many people ask others to give them
referrals with statements like “please say something nice
about me,” or “put in a good word for me,” or even “if you know
of someone looking, send them my way.” Unfortunately, the
people we have asked usually say something to this effect,
“they asked me to tell you something about them.” So, here
are some ideas on devising an effective word of mouth plan.

Craft a communication plan

When you are job searching, this is even more critical. There
are times when you will need to “borrow from someone else’s
credibility” to even make a first connection. Positive word of
mouth is something that you want to encourage, nurture and
know of prior to needing. Asking for positive word of mouth
only when you need it and when you haven’t nurtured it with
your contacts sounds desperate. Being desperate, no matter
how you package it, looks neither inspiring nor positive to
anyone.

You’ve heard the phrase “It’s not what you know, it’s who you
know.” Even now, that phrase continues with, “and more
importantly, it’s who knows you well.” To garner positive word
of mouth, it is your job to create the curriculum — meaning
that you must put together the process of how people speak of
and about you.
77
Why does word of mouth matter?

Word of mouth has always been considered a strong and

reliable way to get information. With all of our social networks
online, word of mouth has become the new “black.” We have
greater lists of friends through online networks, friendships that
we’ve rekindled from past high school and college
relationships, and friends that have become friends in a truly
different definition of the word now that “online friending” is
mainstream. Friends and contacts are the most reliable source
of information, ideas, product, services and people.

What will people talk about?

• 32% will talk about something exciting or “buzz-worthy”

• 20% will talk about solutions to problems or great ideas
• 13% will talk about knowledge they have exclusive
access to
• 13% will talk about what they’ve personally
experienced
• 12% will talk about something news breaking, stylish or
fashionable

Your definition of success makes a difference to your

word of mouth

People engage in positive word of mouth for people who are

focused and know what they want. If it’s confusing for people
to understand what you’re looking for or how to help you, then
it becomes too difficult for them to assist, no matter how good
their intentions are. You are responsible for teaching others
how to recognize connections for you, and it must be done in a
way that is specific, portable and easy to understand.

78
Creating your curriculum

Your communication plan is your curriculum for teaching

people how to speak positively on your behalf and to whom
they should speak.

First, identify who are some of the best people to connect with
for what you want to accomplish. Are you transitioning
positions? Breaking out into an entrepreneurial endeavor?
Going to the next level in your current company? Whatever the
reason, identify who it would be good for you to know.

Second, once you’ve identified that list, go one step further

and give yourself (and your network of connections) a “birds
eye” view. Where do people, like those you identified, hang out
in droves, packs, or groups? For example, my friend Rachel
Stone, President/CEO of our local Hispanic Chamber, is a
great connection for me. Taking a “bird’s eye view,” she
shares the names of companies looking into our area, as well
as those who have sent recruiting teams in or relocation teams
to assist in an expansion.

Next, identify what key phrases your network can listen for in
conversations with their networks that would flag them as good
people to connect you with? It could be simply they say, “I
need someone withO” (and then they say something related
to your talent). Yet, it might be more subtle. What do those
subtle comments sound like? It could be phrases like “we’ve
taken on a new client,” “we’ve accepted a new contract,” or
“we’re focusing our efforts to be experts in this.”

Who do you want/need to be connected with? Let’s say you

identify that you want to connect with upper management and
CEOs. Next, where do they hang out in groups? Industry
79
meetings, certification/training workshops, a local Rotary club.
Then, what could a contact in your network listen for that might
give insight to who would value your authentic strengths? It
might be statements like, “I’m ready to slow down and share
the workload” or “It’s hard to find someone competent to
delegate to that you don’t have to hand hold,” or “I’ve gotten
this huge project and I’m not quite sure where to begin.” What
these key phrases are depends on those with whom you have
identified to connect.

Kin to listening for specific key phrases is looking for certain

situations. If you’re a job seeker, it might be someone who is
rushing around, not making appointments or not having time to
return phone calls. It could be a CEO who has to serve to be
project manager, blogger and social media specialist. What do
they look like when they don’t have what you authentically
provide?

Lastly, teach your contacts ways to initiate conversations that

might identify others as good potential contacts. For example,
going back to the job seeker scenario, it might be asking
“Could you use some help on that project?” or “Have you
thought about someone who does (whatever your talent is)?”
Or, maybe, it could be this question “How do you decide who
you are going to put in a position of responsibility in your
team.” All of these questions will give you and your contact
insight into what these potential contacts are looking for.

80
About the Author:

Maria Elena Duron is chief buzz officer,

coach and speaker for Buzz2Bucks.com.
Buzz2Bucks is a word of mouth firm that
serves as the community manager
around your personal or business brand
online and offline, and coaches
community managers on how to be
buzz-worthy. Buzz2Bucks is known for the talk that yields
profits. Duron is author of the book “Mouth to Mouth
Marketing” and the e-book “Social I.R.A.” She’s been quoted
as a marketing and word of mouth expert by Entrepreneur
Magazine and contributes to several publications. She is the
creator of #brandchat, a weekly twitter conversation about all
aspects of branding.

Published in Entrepreneur Magazine, BusinessWeek, Alaska

Airlines Magazine, Career Rocketeer, YOUnique, Brand My
Career, Brand-Yourself and Career Apple. Duron contributes
to several publications including the Personal Branding
Magazine and QuestionPro and is the editor of the Personal
Branding Blog. She’s been recognized by Texas Meetings
and Events Magazine as the 2009 Best of Texas workshop
provider. She broadcasts weekly as the business coach with
CBS7 along with great word of mouth tips on the YouTube
Buzz2Bucks channel. Skilled in making networks “work” and
harnessing the power of word of mouth, Duron provides
workshops, keynotes and coaching that helps high performing
entrepreneurs and executives learn how to manage their
personal brand online and off-line, leverage their expertise and
connections, and generate “the talk that yields profits.”

81
82
Resumes

83
84
 The New Breed of Resumes

By Jessica Holbrook

The art of resume writing has changed significantly in the last

ten years. The past two years alone have seen dramatic
changes in strategies, presentation, and content. What
grabbed an employer’s attention a year ago may not even
make them bat an eye in this job market. The problem lies in
how to get past all the processes, systems, and software set
up to weed you out and then also impress the hiring manager
who is giving your resume a perfunctory five-second review. I
have developed a shortlist of what you need to know in order
to get in front of the hiring manager and, ultimately, get the
interview.

1. Presentation is your first impression, and as far as first

impressions go, it had better be a good one! Your
presentation can also be known as the format, layout, or style
of your resume. Be strategic in your choice of resume
formats. If you want a $75,000 to a $100,000+ job or want to
be perceived as possessing the value and expertise to land a
job with that salary, do not apply with a resume that includes
an objective, has education at the top, and uses one-inch
margins.

2. Nix the objective and instead, shoot for a solid career

summary, personal branding statement, and value
proposition. I just threw three new phrases at you that are
changing the landscape of resume writing and job searches as
we know them. Let me explain:
85
 • Personal branding is the golden ticket. You are not
just “telling” the employer about your
accomplishments; you are “selling” them on you as
an invaluable member of their team by showing
them what makes YOU the best candidate for the
job. Find whatever it is that makes you unique.
• Value proposition goes hand in hand with personal
branding. Your value proposition is the value or
expertise you bring to the position that no one else
does. It is what makes you unique and tells the
employer why they should interview you over the
thousand other people who applied for the job.
• A career summary contains both your personal
brand and your value proposition but adds in those
extra high-impact personality descriptors and
industry specific keywords that catch the employer
from the start and give them a reason to read.

Consider this initial section of your resume the 15-second

movie trailer that makes you want to actually go see the
movie. Just like a movie preview, it must be high-impact, tell a
story, and make the audience want to invest their time. You
wouldn’t waste your time seeing a movie that seemed boring
and made no sense, and it’s the same principle with your
resume.

3. Clear, concise accomplishments and contributions will

get you the interview long before a lengthy list of job duties
and responsibilities every time. Employers want to know what
you are going to accomplish, produce, contribute, and achieve
for them; the best indicator of this is what you’ve been able to
do in your past.

86
4. If you have numbers, use them. Numbers are your best
asset and success factor because they are easily understood
across industries and various positions.

5. Focus is crucial — vagueness is detrimental. Customize

your resume to the field, industry, and position you are
seeking. If needed, tweak each and every resume before you
send it out. Focus each bullet point on how it relates to your
ultimate goal (the position you now want). If you accomplished
20 different goals at your last job but only seven of them
actually apply to the job you are now seeking, then really focus
on bringing out the challenge, action, and result with the seven
points that matter. The rest is irrelevant unless it is a
transferable skill and you are making a career change.

6. Proofread, Sleep, ProofreadE and then do it all over

again. Fresh eyes catch mistakes, and if you’ve been working
on your resume for hours, days, or even weeks, try taking a
break, sleep on it, and then come back and proofread only.
Don’t send the resume to just one person to review; send it to
three. What one person may miss, another might catch.

Incorporate these six points into your resume — or use them

as a checklist to review your current resume to see if it meets
today’s standards. Another tip would be to send your resume
to multiple professional resume writing services requesting a
free analysis or evaluation. Carefully consider each firm’s
advice, and incorporate their suggestions into your resume.
Remember that the resume writing/updating process is never
truly finished, and you should always update your resume as
you receive new credentials, add new accomplishments or job
responsibilities, or as positions change.

87
About the Author:

Jessica Holbrook is an enterprising and

visionary entrepreneur in the
professional resume writing industry. As
President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast,
she has rapidly and progressively
transformed the company from a small
startup venture into a leader in the
resume writing field. As an expert resume writer, career and
personal branding strategist, author and speaker she works
with clients throughout the U.S. and across the world to create
high-impact, brand-driven resumes and cover letters that
secure interviews for her clients. She has written over 30
articles that have been featured on leading career advice
websites and blogs. A creative business leader with a
contemporary management style, she is always on the cutting
edge, able to competitively position her clients in the market by
providing innovative and customized services.

She enjoys working with forward-thinking, ambitious

professionals and executives who are always looking to push
their careers and themselves to the next level.

88
 8 Hot Tips for Today’s Executive Resume 2.0
Leverage Executive Branding to Build Online Presence

By Meg Guiseppi

Did you know that recruiters and hiring decision makers

routinely search and source top talent online and decide
whether to contact them based on what they find? If you have
little or no online presence, you may not exist to them.
Conversely, if they find “digital dirt” that discredits you, you’ll
probably be out of the running.

In today’s executive job search, your first introduction to hiring

managers may not be your paper or digital resume. Blogs,
personal websites, online portfolios, and social networking
profiles, such as LinkedIn, VisualCV, and Google Profiles,
have become accepted currency as calling cards.

The purpose of these online career marketing tools is the

same as your resume — to spark interest and differentiate you
and your unique promise of value from others competing for
the same jobs.

The buzz you’ve been reading and hearing that personal

branding is THE best tool to differentiate and strategically
position your value proposition is well-founded. One of the
powerful things about branding is that it generates chemistry
and helps hiring decision makers determine what kind of
person you are and whether you’ll be a good fit for the
company and position they’re trying to fill.

89
But don’t give up your resume for dead just yet. You’ll still
need it — if not at the beginning of the search process, then at
some point during the hiring/interviewing process.

Follow these 8 tactics to brand, power up, and extend the

value of your executive resume to build online presence:

1. Lead with your executive brand statement.

Whatever lands at the top of your resume is prime real estate

— the first thing people will read about you. Don’t waste that
valuable space with an anemic “objective statement” detailing
what you want in a job. Nobody cares what you want. They
want to know what you will do for them.

Instead, immediately draw in the reader with a concise (3 to 5

lines), stand-alone brand statement that links your vibrant
personal attributes with your value proposition and ROI. Leave
no doubt in their minds that you are the right hiring choice.

2. Format your resume with readers’ needs in mind.

Consider the Blackberry effect. More and more hiring decision

makers are reviewing resumes on the go — on PDAs,
netbooks, or other small screens. Brief, brand-driven
statements of value surrounded by enough white space to
make them stand out are easier on the eyes and draw readers
to continue down the page. Long, dense paragraphs make it
hard for readers to quickly access and digest important make-
or-break information about you.

3. Tell your story above the fold.

People reviewing your resume may be assessing hundreds or

more resumes for any given position, so they don’t have much
90
time to spend on each one. In fact, they may only give your
resume 10-15 SECONDS and may read no further than the
top half of the first page. Pack the important information
people need to know about you at the top.

4. Keep your resume as close to 2 pages as possible.

You can do this. Remember that a resume is not a

comprehensive career history covering every job you’ve ever
held and every responsibility you’ve ever had. It’s a career
marketing document that needs to say just enough to generate
interest in you. Paring down to the essentials and precision-
writing are key. And in most cases, there’s no need to go back
beyond 10 to 15 years.

You can more deeply describe contributions, project

management successes, and more in collateral 1-2 page
documents (Leadership Initiatives Profile, Achievement
Summary, Career Biography, Reference Dossier with
Accolades, etc.) that support your resume and further reinforce
your brand.

5. Highlight your key areas of expertise just once.

Instead of taking up precious space repeating obvious lists of

responsibilities under each position, consolidate them in the
form of relevant key word phrases at the top of the first page.

For the header “Professional Experience” or “Work History,”

consider using a relevant keyword phrase, such as “Senior-
level Management Experience” or “IT Management
Experience.” Fill out the section with short statements of key
contributions to each company, leading with the WOW! results
your actions brought to the company.

91
Now you’re ready to extend the value of your “brand” new
executive resume by transforming it, along with other
supporting career documents, into a solid online footprint.
Here are 3 places to build powerful page — one search results
for “your name”:

6. Create an interactive, multi-media rich VisualCV.

Your VisualCV (www.visualcv.com) can house all of your

career marketing documents (resume, brand bio, achievement
summary, leadership initiatives, references with accolades,
etc.). Everything you want recruiters and hiring decision
makers to know about you will be easy-access, with one click.

Because the VisualCV site has good link weight, your

VisualCV should land high up on page — one of search results
for “your name,” increasing your visibility and positioning your
value proposition front and center.

7. Build a branded LinkedIn profile.

Along with all the networking benefits LinkedIn

(www.linkedin.com) offers, having a complete, searchable
profile is essential just to keep pace with your competition in
the job market.

Everything in your branded resume, along with pieces of your

executive career biography, can be copied and pasted into
appropriate sections of your LinkedIn profile.

For more details, download my free e-book Executive

Branding and Your LinkedIn Profile: How to Transform Your
Executive Brand, Resume, and Career Biography Into a
Winning LinkedIn Profile

92
(www.executiveresumebranding.com/free-e-book-executive-
branding-and-your-linkedin-profile).

8. Take advantage of Google Profiles’ search results

power.

Your Google Profile comes with a nifty customized search

result listing. Along with a link to your profile, your avatar (tiny
version of your profile photo) shows up in the listing. That’s an
attention-grabber that compels people to click through to your
profile and read all about you.

Google makes it very easy to set up a Google account and put

your profile together (www.google.com/profiles). Cut and paste
your resume and parts of your career bio into the body of the
profile, add your photo and an on-brand headline under your
name, and pop in links to your other online profiles, websites,
blogs, etc.

For more in depth strategies to brand and differentiate you in

executive job search, see my series of posts:

• Best of Personal Branding Strategies, Lessons, and

News
(www.executiveresumebranding.com/10-best-of-
personal-branding-strategies-lessons-and-news)

• Best of Executive Resume Branding Tactics and

Advice
(www.executiveresumebranding.com/12-best-of-
executive-resume-branding-tactics-and-advice)

93
About the Author:

A C-level/Senior Executive Branding,

Job Search and Online Identity
Strategist, Meg Guiseppi loves
collaborating with forward-focused
corporate leaders to differentiate their
unique value proposition, demystify
today’s executive job search, and
strategically position them for success. A 20-year careers
industry veteran, Meg is one of only a handful of professionals
worldwide to hold both the Reach Certified Personal Branding
Strategist and Master Resume Writer credentials. She is also
a Certified VisualCV Creator and Certified Professional
Resume Writer.

Meg’s highly collaborative and personalized branding process

brings out her client’s passions, strengths, and value
proposition. With an engaging sense of humor and supportive
nature, Meg puts her clients at ease to dig deep, open up, and
pinpoint what is authentically “them.” A keen listener and
interviewer, she asks the right questions and synthesizes the
best they have to offer in a clear brand message that speaks
from their own voice.

At Executive Resume Branding, Meg works one-on-one with

top-level executives to define their personal brand and craft
vibrant career marketing communications — elite resumes,
career biographies, leadership initiatives profiles, achievement
summaries, cover letters, and other collateral documents. She
transforms these documents into a strong online footprint with
LinkedIn, Twitter and other social networking profile creation,
VisualCV creation, and other online identity-building strategies.

94
For a wealth of trade secrets and advice on personal branding
and executive job search, visit her Executive Resume
Branding Blog/Website (www.executiveresumebranding.com).

Follow Meg on Twitter (twitter.com/megguiseppi) and view her

LinkedIn profile (www.linkedin.com/in/megguiseppi) and
VisualCV
(www.visualcv.com/premier/executiveresumebrandingcareerse
rvices).

95
96
Interviews

97
98
 The Best Storytellers Get Hired

By Brent Peterson

“It’s all storytelling, you know. That’s what journalism

is all about.” - Tom Brokaw

Since early childhood, when our parents and teachers read

books to us during story time, we have been conditioned to
connect with stories. Every day we share our experiences in
the form of stories with our friends and family. When a friend
shares a memorable experience with us, we often share that
same story with other people. Top public speakers, trainers,
and professors are great storytellers. They connect with the
audience by reinforcing goals or lessons with relevant
examples. They know that stories stick.

If you want to make a positive and lasting impression on the

hiring manager, you too have to be a good storyteller. In an
interview setting, you need to demonstrate behavior (through
your own stories) that is consistent with the responsibilities of
the position and the culture of the organization. This is why
you will likely be asked to respond to behavioral topics such
as:

• Tell me about a time you were able to successfully

persuade other people to your way of thinking.

• Describe a time you had to handle a disagreement with

a customer or co-worker. How did you handle the
situation? What was the outcome?
99
 • How do you handle getting multiple things done at the
same time? How do you plan your day?

Responding to behavioral questions in an interview is not

difficult if you have properly prepared your own success
stories.

There are two common response formats for telling your

stories:

STAR format:

Situation / Task: Describe the situation and the task you

were assigned.

Action: What action did you take in response to

the situation?

Results: What were the results of the action

taken?

SOAR format:

Situation: Describe the situation and the task you

were assigned.

Objective: What were your goals?

Action: What action did you take in response to

the situation?

Results: What were the results of the action

taken?

100
The SOAR model is recommended because it uses the same
components of the STAR format but adds the important
behavioral element of goal setting.

For example:

Interviewer

Tell me about a time you came up with an innovative solution

at work. Did you follow through on the idea?

Candidate

(Pause for about 10 seconds to mentally draw an example

from your prepared stories.)

An example does come to mind.

Situation: At a previous employer, the organization was

struggling to meet its profit objectives due to changes in
market conditions. Morale was low and employees felt their
ideas to help the company were not being heard.

Objective: My goal was to come up with a creative solution to

capture the ideas of employees and to recognize their
contributions.

Action: The action I took was to create an incentive-based

program to engage company personnel and to encourage
them to submit ideas to help the company save money. I
assembled a cross-functional team to promote the program,
evaluate employee ideas, and follow through on their
implementation.

Result: The end result was a successful program that

resulted in cost savings of approximately $1 million per year.
101
In the event that the interviewer asks you a behavioral
question that is not directly aligned with one of the stories you
had prepared for the interview, a different story may come to
mind immediately. Your stories can be drawn from any
experience in your life, not just from your last place of
employment. Think about personal projects you have handled
at school, in your community, and at home. For example, you
may have helped plan a major event like a wedding or you
stepped up to coach a soccer team.

It is recommended though that you stick to the SOAR format.

This will keep your response short and organized, and it will
provide the interviewer with a good picture of how you handle
opportunities and challenges.

If nothing comes to mind after about 30 seconds, draw a

connection to one of the stories you had prepared for the
interview. It is important that you give an example (any
example, for that matter) that demonstrates your positive
performance.

For example:

Interviewer

Give me an example of a time things did not go as planned for

you. How did you cope with that situation?

Candidate

(After 30 seconds to mentally evaluate the stories you had

prepared)

A specific personal example does not come to mind at this

immediate moment, but I would like to share with you an
102
example of how I responded to a project failure at the
organizational level.

Interviewer

Ok. Sounds good.

Candidate

Situation: At a previous employer, the company had

experienced a failed implementation of a new system to
process customer orders. There was a lot of frustration and
finger pointing afterwards.

Objective: While I was not part of the project team, my goal

was to identify what went wrong so that lessons learned could
be shared with the organization.

Action: So I offered to perform a post mortem analysis of the

project. The CEO accepted my offer to help and with his
sponsorship, I interviewed all the project team members and
stakeholders.

Results: The end result was that I was able to get

stakeholders to open up and separate their emotions from the
specific project issues. The project lessons learned were
documented and specific recommendations were presented to
the CEO. These project management recommendations
became the basis for a much larger implementation that was a
huge success the next year.

Notice that in both examples, the responses demonstrate

positive behavior without going into any details about the
organization or the people involved. Avoid referencing specific

103
names in your responses. It is not necessary and it will
distract from the positive story you are telling about yourself.

It is important that you take credit for your contributions. We all

work on teams at work and in school, but the interviewer wants
to hear about what you did. Demonstrate your initiative
through your Objective and Action statements. For example,
begin Objective statements with “My goal was toO”. Action
statements should contain the word “I”. For example, “The
action I took wasO”.

Responses to any interview question should be between 30

seconds and 2 minutes. Therefore, each story needs to be a
quick example of how you responded to a certain type of
situation.

When you tell your stories in a succinct and organized manner

using the SOAR format, you will speak with confidence and it
will leave a positive impression. The STAR/SOAR response
format works. Experienced hiring managers and human
resource representatives will expect strong candidates to
respond to questions in this manner.

“It is a terrible thing to see and have

no vision.” – Helen Keller

Storytelling is also an ideal way to present solutions to

organizational problems you will identify in the interview.
While you are not expected to solve a company’s problems
during the interview, it can be beneficial for you to share an
idea through a quick story that is based on your past
experience. For example, you may hear about a problem the
organization is having that is very similar to something you

104
have handled before. In that case, you may want to share with
the interviewer a brief story of what action you took.

Again, use the SOAR format to keep your response focused

and relevant. Be sure to practice your stories beforehand so
they come across as conversational and not overly formulaic.
Ask a friend or family member to give you feedback. A job
interview is too important to go in unprepared.

If you are able to convince the hiring manager that you

understand his or her challenges and you have direct
experience solving those types of problems, you are in a good
position to be hired.

About the Author:

Brent Peterson is the founder of

Interview Angel Inc.
(www.interviewangel.com) based in
Ashland, VA. Brent has over 15 years
experience in corporate management
and consulting. Brent completed his
MBA from James Madison University in
1998, and he received top honors as the Outstanding MBA
Student. He also graduated from the University of Virginia in
2000, with a Master's degree in Management Information
Systems. Brent is a certified Project Management
Professional (PMP) since 2005. His LinkedIn profile is
www.linkedin.com/in/brentpeterson.

105
106
 They Know You Want a Job
So Don’t Ask for One

By Chris Perry

Informational interviews are an extremely effective way to

pursue a job opportunity in your company, industry or
functional area of interest.

I know this from personal experience. In my recent career

search, I set up over 20 different informational interviews with
professionals from my chosen industry, several of which
successfully moved me on to the next rounds in the application
process, and one of which, helped me to secure my current
employment.

However, many job seekers with whom I have spoken do not

feel the same way about informational interviews. In their
efforts to reach out to professionals and schedule times to talk,
they have been discouraged by the low response rate and the
lack of results produced by any interviews actually scheduled.

It is my belief that this low response rate and these less-than-

ideal results may be in part due to the specific approach taken
by these job seekers, both in their outreach and during their
interviews. This article addresses how to effectively pursue
informational interviews.

107
To begin, here’s the message I used in business school as a
sample of an informational interview request that worked:

Subject: John - Question from an MBA Student

Body: Dear Mr. John Smith,

My name is Chris Perry, and I am currently a second-year

MBA student at the Mason School of Business at the College
of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. I am pursuing a career
in marketing and specifically career opportunities at
COMPANY NAME.

I would be interested in speaking with you about your career,

COMPANY NAME’s culture and your marketing team’s various
programs and activities. Would you be willing to set up a short
30-minute informational interview with me in the coming week
or two during which I could learn more about your career in
marketing and your company?

I truly appreciate your time and consideration.

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Chris Perry - MBA Class of 2009

Mason School of Business - College of William & Mary
Email Address - Cell: Phone Number

108
Using this as a model, here are the 6 ways to improve your
response rate and get the interview.

1. GRAMMAR is Your New Best Friend. I know we all

use spell-check nowadays, but honestly, proofread
anything and everything you write to any professional.
It doesn’t matter how well they write, they have a job
and you may not yet, so make sure everything from
punctuation to capitalization is perfect. If possible, ask
someone else you trust to read your outgoing
messages to these professionals just for outside
perspective.

2. Hook Them with Your Subject Line. No matter how

you know the person you want to contact, the subject
of your message has to be personal and direct to catch
their attention and move them to read it. In my
example, I didn’t know the person beforehand, so I
used “John - Question from an MBA Student.” I could
have easily used “John - Request for Informational
Interview.” If you do know them, I recommend “John -
Request from YOUR NAME” or if you don’t know them
personally, but went to the same college or have
something in common, I recommend something along
the lines of “John - Request from a W&M MBA
Student.”

3. Briefly Introduce Yourself. In a short first paragraph,

state your name, who you are and what you are doing.
As you can see from my example, I kept it simple.
That’s all you need. Remember, busy people don’t
have time to read long messages. Keep it short, sweet
and to the point.
109
 4. Command the Common Ground. If someone who
knows them has referred you or you have something
significant in common with the person (i.e. college,
professional organization), make sure to include this at
the end of your first paragraph or at the beginning of
your second. A stronger connection or link between
you both can only help you get the interview.

5. They Know You Want a Job, So Don’t Ask for One!

In your next paragraph, this is where you make the
direct request for the informational interview; however,
DON’T ask them upfront for help to get you a job in
their company and DON’T send your resume to them
with your initial request. They already know you’re
interested in opportunities in their company or you
wouldn’t be contacting them. This looks selfish and
inconsiderate, and your resume just implies that you
expect them to take time to look at it and more time to
send it to the right person BEFORE they have even
had a chance to “yes” or “no” to your request. As you
can see from my example, I recommend you make it
more about them and ask them for the opportunity to
speak about THEIR career, how THEY got involved in
it, THEIR company and/or its culture.

6. Don’t Forget Your Contact Info. Make sure to have a

professional email/message signature with all possible
methods of contact listed. This way, you look good, but
they can also get in touch with you in whatever way
they prefer. You might even tastefully include a link to
your LinkedIn profile, VisualCV or other supporting
media online. This is more appropriate than a resume,
110
 because it offers them the option of seeking more info
about you.

About the Author:

Chris Perry is a Gen Y brand and

marketing generator, an ambitious
entrepreneur and a career search and
personal branding expert. Chris is the
founder of Career Rocketeer
(www.CareerRocketeer.com), its partner
efforts, including Launchpad, and other
online career services and communities.

He launched all of these services as an entrepreneurial effort

to address and better serve the growing unmet needs of
career seekers — both students and professionals — during
these technologically dynamic and economically challenging
times. Chris also offers career search and personal branding
workshops and presentations to a variety of audiences.

Chris received his MBA from the Mason School of Business at

the College of William & Mary in 2009, and now works in CPG
brand management.

Connect with Chris:

Website - www.CareerRocketeer.com
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/chrisaperry
Twitter - @CareerRocketeer

111
112
Social Media

113
114
 Blogging to Advance Your Career

By Pete Kistler

The Web is Your Extended Resume

Imagine you’re the hiring manager for Widgets, Inc. You just
received 50 resumes. You need to identify the five most
qualified candidates, but they all have 4.0 GPAs and nearly
identical qualifications.

If you’re like 83% of employers today, you will look them up in

Google to find out more about them. And you’ll look them up
on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to see
if their profiles and activity there make them a good fit for the
company.

Differentiate Yourself from the Competition

It’s the worst job market since the Great Depression. Only one
out of five ‘09 job-seeking college grads landed a job. With
resumes stacked high, employers are pulling out all the stops
to slim down their candidate pool before interviews. Because
of this, you will be Googled, whether you like it or not.

While this sounds scary, it’s an opportunity to differentiate

yourself. Employers are looking for you on the web, so by
ensuring they find positive content that solidifies their decision
to hire, you can elevate yourself above the competition. The
easiest way to do this is by starting a career blog.

115
What is a Career Blog?

A career blog is a journal-style website where you periodically

post content about your industry as it relates to your career
goals. It’s a place where you can talk about current industry
trends, ask and answer relevant questions, provide practical
tips, provoke thoughts based on your career experience,
connect to knowledge learned in the classroom, and turn the
bullet points on your resume into a real, human story.

Your career blog is the story you want to tell employers to

convince them to hire you. Your goal is to make it clear
through your blog posts what your strengths and unique skills
are, making it obvious that you are the right candidate for the
job.

What Should You Write About?

Your career blog should have five “pillar” articles. These are
posts that back up the claims on your resume through stories
and examples. They should generally revolve around the
following themes:

• Growth. Write a story about a class, a project or a job

where your thinking shifted; where you learned
something that changed the way you think, behave,
manage teammates or solve problems. Always portray
the experience in a positive light. Then, concretely
describe how you will apply what you learned to your
next company.

• Expertise. Write about a specific topic you learned

about in class or in life. Let’s say you’re an industrial

116
 design major, and you just learned about the
importance of identifying user needs. Show that you
understand the concept by relating it to something that
happened to you. For example, let’s say you just got in
an argument with your mom about never turning the
lights off when you leave the room. At first you bickered
about its importance, but when you asked her why she
needs them off, she explained that it saves money that
she could be investing in the family’s vacation fund. By
understanding her needs, it became obvious that the
lights should be turned off. In the same way,
companies that spend time understanding their users’
needs will more clearly understand the next course of
action or new feature to develop. Relate the lessons
you’ve learned to specific projects or experiences
you’ve had, so employers will see that the expertise
listed on your resume is grounded in reality. Then,
describe how you will apply this knowledge to your next
company.

• Knowledge of current trends. Whatever your field,

there are a number of industry leaders blogging about
it. Find them by doing a Google search for top blogs in
your field. For example, if you’re in marketing, search
“Top Marketing Blogs” in Google. Choose three, and
read the last three posts from each. Synthesize those
posts and write an article that summarizes the main
ideas. Clearly write about how the ideas mentioned
affect businesses in your industry, and how you’ll use
that knowledge to benefit your next company.

• Ability to deliver. Write a post about a personal or

professional project you’re proud of, and upload the
117
 end result. For example, upload the PowerPoint
presentation of your thesis to SlideShare.net, embed it
into a post, and write a blurb summarizing it. Upload
images that tangibly show things you’ve created,
embed YouTube videos related to you, link to PDFs of
papers you’ve written, etc. The point is to give proof of
your past performance. Provide the background story
about each project and only upload your absolute best
work.

Always strive for quality over quantity. A few great articles that
clearly tell your story will be much more effective than fifteen
thoughtless posts with little substance. Never publish a post
until at least three people with strong writing skills have edited
and revised it. You are too close to anything you write to notice
small typos, grammatical errors and weak wording. Everything
you put on the web is permanent, so make sure you
thoroughly proofread each post to ensure it reflects your
personal brand in the best light possible.

Remember that the purpose of your career blog is to get hired,

not complain about what’s happening in your personal life. So
avoid personal issues and stick to professional topics. When
you go in for interviews, your blog is the story you want
interviewers to have already read about you: the story of your
growth, your expertise, your knowledge of current trends and
your ability to deliver.

Benefits of a Career Blog

The benefits of writing your career blog are enormous:

118
 • Differentiate yourself from similar (or better) qualified
candidates
• Show why you’re an excellent fit for the company
culture
• Establish trust before being interviewed
• Demonstrate your knowledge, passion and
communication skills
• Breathe life into the bullet points on your resume
• Make employers less apt to search deeply for digital
dirt

Promote Your Career Blog

First, refer employers to your career blog on your resume.

Invite them to learn more about you by visiting your blog’s
URL. Put it in your email signature so that your contacts are
aware of your career goals, and link to it on your LinkedIn
profile so that employers can go from one to the other. On
your LinkedIn profile, add the LinkedIn app that automatically
pulls your blog posts into your LinkedIn profile. This improves
the visibility of your blog posts.

What Your Blog Should Include

1. About Me page. Provide a brief bio that explains who

you are, what makes you unique, what value you can
provide employers, your qualifications and education,
your career aspirations, your interests and your
passions. This paints a compelling picture of the
candidate behind the blog.

2. Testimonials page. Start collecting recommendations

from professors, internship coordinators, teammates
119
 and past bosses about your ability to excel on the job.
Create a Testimonials page and display names,
credentials, and direct quotes about your strengths.
Endorsements from other people make it easier for
employers to trust you.

3. Contact page. Since the goal is to get hired, make it

as easy as possible to contact you. Always provide
your email address or a contact form in an obvious
place. If you’re on LinkedIn (which you are, right?), link
to your profile there.

4. PDF resume. Remove your address (sensitive

personal information you don’t want on the web) from
your resume, save it as a PDF and upload it to your
blog so an employer can download it. Despite
technology, the resume is not going anywhere any time
soon.

Conclusion

After your first article, you are immediately a much more

attractive candidate. You’re also putting into words the exact
material employers are going to ask about in interviews. The
act of processing and writing these posts will make you a
much stronger interviewee. You will have material ready for
questions like, “Tell me about a time when you learned from a
mistake you made,” because you’ll have articulated an answer
in one of your pillar articles about growth.

Your career blog is the story that will compel employers to

bring you in for interviews. Use your posts to make your

120
unique value clear, compelling, and always tie posts back to
what you can do for your future employer.

To get started with your career blog, head to a blogging

platform like WordPress.com or Brand-Yourself.com and begin
writing your first pillar article.

About the Author:

Pete Kistler is a leading Online

Reputation Management expert for
Generation Y, a top 5 finalist for
Entrepreneur Magazine’s College
Entrepreneur of 2009, one of the Top 30
Definitive Personal Branding Experts on
Twitter, a widely read career
development blogger, and a Judge for the 2009 Personal
Brand Awards.

Pete is a young, enthusiastic and active entrepreneur. As

CEO, he manages strategic vision for Brand‐Yourself.com, the
world's first online reputation management platform for job
applicants, named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative College
Startups in the U.S. He has won a number of top honors for
his writing, presentations and business plans.

121
122
 LinkedIn Secrets
How to Build a More Effective LinkedIn Profile in 10 Steps

By John Crant

YOU are a Product, too!

Your LinkedIn Profile should be your own “Sales Brochure”

that helps build your credibility and your reputation.

Will your profile add to or detract from others' perceptions

about you?

And will it show your true value and get you noticed?

That may be the difference in being considered for your next

business or career opportunity and getting that next meeting or
interview — or going unnoticed.

Most individuals understand that they have to compete, but

many don't know that LinkedIn gives them the platform to do
so. Get your new professional profile going or improve the
effectiveness of your current profile.

Most individuals do not understand the opportunity and

advantages that a rich, professional profile on LinkedIn can
present to them, whether it’s for their business, for their
careers, or in their immediate search for their next career
opportunity.

But I already have a LinkedIn Profile.

123
Congratulations! You've taken an important first step by
adding yourself to LinkedIn. Now take the next step and raise
your profile's effectiveness through a LinkedIn Professional
Profile Renovation of your own.

At my Self-Recruiter® Building Your Professional Network with

LinkedIn & How to Use It for Your Job Search lecture at The
New York Public Library's JOB SEARCH CENTRAL, many
attendees “have” their profile set up, or at least they have
entered their resume on the LinkedIn site, but they don't
understand what else they should be doing. They are just
waiting — Looking up to the heavens and waiting — for that
'networking' lightning bolt to strike. And they keep waiting until
they lose interest, failing to see the true value that is awaiting
them — if they use their LinkedIn profile in a different way.

Your LinkedIn profile is Your Sales Brochure that is all about

You. Imagine how your Client or Customer meetings, Job
Interviews, and even your pursuit of your company's internal
open positions would change if the individuals that you were
meeting had spent time reviewing Your Sales Brochure
beforehand.

Q: Isn't my LinkedIn Profile just my resume?

Many individuals do have LinkedIn profiles that are “just like

their resumes.”

But, those individuals are missing the real opportunity:

Your Professional LinkedIn Profile should be “positioning and

selling” your background, your accomplishments, your
connections, and your industry expertise in ways that no mere
resume can because of a resume's inherent limitations.

124
As I teach in my Self-Recruiter® Resume Renovation video on
my Self-Recruiter® YouTube channel, in order for Your
Resume to be effective for you, it should be a Simple Sales
Sheet that creates desire to hire, and that must be in a single
page format to increase its effectiveness among the thousands
of resumes competing for attention.

Your Professional LinkedIn Profile is a multi-dimensional Sales

Presentation all about You — or at least it should be!

Not just a resume.

In the modern world, perception is reality. Ready to improve

that reality with a LinkedIn Professional Profile Renovation in
just 10 easy steps?

Your Professional LinkedIn Profile can include:

1. Your Brand. That's your Name, Your Headline, and

Your Professional Picture. Most poorly developed
profiles happen because individuals just “answer the
automated questions” during their LinkedIn sign-up
process. That produces a profile that looks like a basic,
but typically ineffective resume. Each area where you
can input text and information about yourself within
LinkedIn is another area to better sell yourself. Rather
than just answering “the questions,” take back control
for yourself and use each one of these spaces as
opportunities to shine the light and build your
credibility.

Your “Current Status” is part of your brand, too. Think

of this prime space below your headline as your

125
 Personal Promotional Marketing message. What will
you say about “You?”

It's a great chance to spotlight your current projects

and agenda. When I work closely in my Career
Coaching & Mentoring service with professionals that
are not currently looking for a new job, it's almost
always on their challenge with internal and industry
marketing efforts “of themselves.” Those that actively
manage their careers know that you must continually
be “taking credit,” and be marketing to others that
credibility that you are building. That's one of the best
ways to be seen as a leader, an expert, and the right
choice for that next-level position that suddenly opens
up.

2. All or part of your Resume(s). You may have more

than one specialty. If your career has focused in-depth
on two or more areas, it's critically important when
going after a job to send a resume that speaks directly
to the opportunity that you are pursuing. But, how do
you resolve having different versions of your resume
with what your LinkedIn Profile says about You?
It's about knowing which information that you have
written is of value to your profile's visitors, and which
information is not. And each piece of information that
you include must continue to build your credibility —
and add a foundation of support for all of your resume
versions.

Whether your profile visitors are potential Clients or

Customers, HR professionals or hiring managers,
understanding how to properly frame your experience
126
 and accomplishments — to properly take credit and
never to misrepresent — involves a deep
understanding of your business and career goals, and
an understanding of how the hiring process actually
works. If you are unsure of how to best accomplish this
delicate balance, you should consider working with a
professional for your LinkedIn Profile Creation and/or
Renovation.

3. Your Summary and Specialties. Not simply a repeat

of what you might have written on the top of your
resume, these two areas are a vast piece of prime real
estate on your profile that should be used to “position
you” within the mind of the reader. Think of a cover
letter that you may have spent hours developing. Why?
Because that cover letter is your chance in the hiring
process to “position and sell” yourself in the mind of the
reader. It's similar with the use of LinkedIn's Summary
and Specialties space.

4. List Your Website, Your Blog, Your RSS Feed. Want

to be seen as an expert? Well, then you have to be
communicating with the world. A blog is one of the
easiest ways for those with the proper writing skills to
effectively position themselves as the go-to expert in
their niche. Have a website of your own (another great
way to increase your credibility)? LinkedIn's ability to
include web links can be used to highlight your current
company, your own company, or your own initiatives
within your industry. And, be sure to take the extra step
of “custom naming” your web links so that they say
more than just “My Company!”

127
 5. Import Your Blog to Your Profile, Automatically. If
you do write a blog that raises your credibility, have it
imported automatically by one of the LinkedIn
applications that you can add to your profile. Let your
writing work for you continuously.

6. Be Public. You can choose whether or not to make

your profile public to all. Why not? I'm often asked in
my lecture series about privacy. While privacy
concerns do have to be dealt with, reality also needs to
factor into how “public” we choose to be. Ever noticed
how the younger generations (sometimes to their
detriment) don't seem to have a care in the world about
having a “presence online?” In their minds, I think
many of them think, "How can you live and breathe and
not be online."
In another few years, everything about everyone will
exist somewhere on the Internet. And, it will be seen as
a very poor screening process if someone gets hired —
and they don't have a professional presence of
credibility online. My advice: if you can't beat them, join
them. Be public and take control of that perception
about you.

7. Honors and Awards. Yes, it's okay to toot your own

horn. List your career achievements and awards in a
special section to raise your own stock.

8. Groups and Associations. We are who we associate

with — in other peoples' eyes. Be sure to make the
most of your memberships to highlight your
professionalism with your industry.

128
 9. More Privacy Options that are Opportunities. You
have control over many other aspects of your activities
while on LinkedIn. Be sure to “show” what you've been
up to on your profile page so that you are seen as a
mover and a shaker.

10. Add a Presentation or even a Video. Do you present

and speak with others in your industry? Your
presentation can appear right within your profile. Now
that's a great marketing tool, for You!

There's much more...

You can achieve much more if you understand how you

benefit, in ways that you do not see, by joining certain groups.

Want to increase your perception as an expert? Try answering

some of your industry's questions in the LinkedIn Answers
section and readers who like your views on topics can click to
see your full profile. Then be sure that your settings also
populate your “answers” to your profile page so your
connections see you as that expert, too.

Why listen to my advice for your LinkedIn Professional Profile

Creation or Renovation?

As an industry manager, executive recruiter, sales and

recruiting trainer, event speaker, and as VP of a nationwide
system of recruitment offices, I have seen most every aspect
of the hiring process from both the internal and external view
as the decision-maker, the decision-influencer, and as the
objective observer. This varied insight is what provides the
clarity that my advice will bring to your LinkedIn profile. And, I

129
have coached and mentored thousands of professionals, at all
levels, in my more than 10 years in the recruiting industry.

Be sure to check out more about LinkedIn Profile Renovations

on my website, Blog, and my advice on many other Job
Search topics.

Your NEW LinkedIn Profile Awaits!

About the Author:

An avid outdoorsman, John Crant revels

in testing our natural traits of self-
questioning and doubting that can
usually help us avoid one of the major
things we face in life: risk. But without
risk, there is little reward. Yes, we do
need to question and doubt at every step
of the way to be sure that our selections and choices allow for
the best possible chance of success. But we must interminably
challenge ourselves if we are to achieve our dreams.

As an industry manager, executive recruiter, recruiting and

sales trainer, event speaker, and as VP of a nationwide
system of recruitment offices, the author has seen most every
aspect of the hiring process from both the internal and external
view as the decision-maker, the decision-influencer, and as
the objective observer. This varied insight is what provides the
clarity you will find in his book, on his Blog, in his seminar
series, and in his self-help series Videos on Job Search.

“Trust and have faith in yourself. Work and develop your

abilities as a Self-Recruiter, and never shy away from the most
130
difficult and unappetizing pieces, and you could end up in the
place you might never have expected: the top.”

View John’s LinkedIn Profile at: www.linkedin.com/in/johncrant

Website: www.selfrecruiter.com
Podcasts: www.selfrecruiter.com/podcasts.html

Ask, Self-Recruiter® Advice Blog: www.selfrecruiter.com/Blog

You can Follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/SelfRecruiter

The Self-Recruiter® YouTube channel:

www.youtube.com/selfrecruiter

131
132
 How to Use Twitter to Find Jobs
A Step-by-Step Guide to Twitter Job Search Success

By Jacob Share

Did you know that you can use Twitter to find jobs?

In this article, I’ll explain how to use Twitter to actively job

search while also branding yourself to passively attract job
offers.

Your step-by-step guide for job search success on Twitter

For the most benefit, read through this whole guide before
executing.

Discover Twitter

Surf around Twitter to see how people are using it. In your
browser, bookmark a first group of people you’d like to follow,
such as job search experts and leaders in your profession.
See what you like and don’t like in how they tweet and take
notes for reference later.

Create a Twitter strategy

Your main goal is to find a job, but what are your secondary
goals? Plan to tweet accordingly. As you discover Twitter,
sketch out your goals and ideas on how to reach them but
don’t go into too much detail because you’ll understand better
how to achieve your goals as you spend more time on Twitter.

133
Sign up to Twitter

Create an account at twitter.com/signup using the email

address you use for job searching, which should never be your
work address if you’re currently employed.

Ideally, your new Twitter username would contain your full

name using one of these formulas:

• Firstnamelastname
• Firstname_lastname
• Lastnamefirstname
• Lastname_firstname

If you can’t get any of those, try firstname and profession

(think “Joe the Plumber”) or a pseudonym based on a formula
of [Adjective][Country][Profession] e.g. SmartTechGuy.

Don’t follow your friends while signing up

After creating your account, Twitter will suggest that you

immediately search through your email contacts to find friends
that are already on Twitter. SKIP THIS because you’ll do it
later.

Design your Twitter profile to impress

In the Settings tab, for the “More Info URL,” put the URL of the
webpage that will most impress a recruiter, such as your blog
or your LinkedIn profile. For the “One Line Bio,” use your
personal tagline — a sentence that sells you and your
professional skills — and mention that you’re available for hire.

In the Picture tab, upload a clear, square, professional-looking

portrait of yourself.
134
In the Design tab, change the background image to something
different than the default image. Ideally, upload an image you
created with information about yourself and how to contact
you. If that’s not possible, try to at least find a background
image that’s related to your profession.

You can find free Twitter backgrounds at sites like:

• www.twitpaper.com
• www.twitterbackgroundsgallery.com
• www.twitterimage.com

Pick the best tools for your tweets

Either TweetDeck from www.tweetdeck.com or Seesmic

Desktop from desktop.seesmic.com are solid programs for
using Twitter. Aside from nice user interfaces that incorporate
the basic features you need, they each have an important
extra feature that lets you organize the people you follow into
categories or lists such as “job search experts” or “industry
leaders.” This will make it easier to focus, which is important
because it’s otherwise easy to be overwhelmed by the flow of
tweets.

Choose a url-shortening service for link sharing

Services like tr.im or bit.ly allow you to track how many people
click on your link. Even if you’ve tweeted a link before, create a
new “shorturl” every time you mention a link so that you can
measure the number of clicks separately. Tweetdeck currently
has twurl.nl built-in, while Seesmic Desktop has multiple
services to choose from in its Settings panel.

135
Keep handy updated versions of your resume

A shorturl to your LinkedIn profile or other online resume is

something that you can easily send in a tweet, or use a service
like Tweetafile at tweetafile.com to send your Word or PDF
resume file via Twitter.

Start twittering!

Before you have any followers, follow your Twitter strategy and
tweet a handful of messages to set expectations and give
people a taste of what they’ll see when they follow you. Get
into the habit of spending 15-30 minutes per day as you slowly
grow your network.

Be someone worth following

Provide value by twittering tips, sharing news and links about

your profession while answering as many questions as you
can, quickly and well. Showing your expertise by helping
people is a smart way to reinforce your personal brand so
people will come to you first when they need your skills.

Follow people who are likely to follow you back

To gain some momentum in getting relevant followers quickly,

use Twitter’s Find People tool at twitter.com/invitations to invite
your email friends and contacts to follow you now that your
Twitter profile is ready to show off.

Browse Twitter directories to find job search experts and

industry professionals to follow

Examples are:

• Wefollow at wefollow.com
136
 • Twellow at twellow.com
• Just Tweet It at justtweetit.com

Follow people who might have jobs to offer

Use Twitter Search at search.twitter.com to find people who

have tweeted relevant job offers in the past. Then, follow them
until you can sense if it will happen again.

Follow industry-specific job feeds

There are thousands of Twitter feeds to follow your industry's

job openings, in your country, region or city.

For a selection of over 400 Twitter job feeds, visit:

jobmob.co.il/blog/twitter-job-openings-postings-leads

When you see a relevant job opening, save it by “starring it” as

a Favorite until you’ve applied for it.

Grow your network some more

Use a tool like Twubble at www.crazybob.org/twubble to follow

who your followers are following. Visit tweeters’ profiles and
see their starred favorites to get to know them.

Find your best time of day for Twitter conversations

Twitter is best when people discuss and help each other out
live but not everyone connects at the same time due to
different schedules and time zones. Watch the people you
follow and choose your Twitter time of day accordingly.

137
Twitter from time to time about your job search

Your Twitter friends need to know that you’re job hunting. An

occasional reminder is critical to cut through the river of
tweets. If you have a job search question, ask it. Post updates
on your job search tactics to see what people think. Do not
forget to ask for referrals!

If you have any questions about this article or job search in

general, follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/jacobshare. I’ll
follow you back, and I’m always happy to give you feedback
and suggestions about your Twitter profile.

And if you’d like more ideas on how to use Twitter for effective
job search, download my free e-book The Ultimate Twitter Job
Search Guide from my blog JobMob at jobmob.co.il. In it, I
cover the above tips in detail and much more, including a
section where top recruiters share their techniques for finding
candidates on Twitter and what you should be doing to also be
found by them.

About the Author:

The founder of Paris, France-based

Share Select Media, Jacob Share is best
known as the job search expert who
created the award-winning JobMob at
jobmob.co.il, a blog that teaches people
how to find better jobs, faster. From
Jacob: “My career includes past jobs in
Canada, France, the United States and Israel. As someone
who has undertaken job searches many times both as a

138
candidate and as a hiring manager, the idea for JobMob came
about when I realized that I was having more job search
success than other job seekers, and a blog seemed the best
way to share this knowledge.”

Launched in 2007, JobMob is filled with straight-talking advice

based on real world experience with lots of humor thrown in. In
less than 3 years, JobMob has been viewed over 3 million
times as it continues to grow.

Jacob and JobMob have appeared on the websites of

CNNMoney, FHM, Sports Illustrated, The Jerusalem Post, and
more.

Jacob will be releasing his first e-book, The Ultimate Twitter

Job Search Guide, on JobMob in late 2009.

View Jacob’s profile on LinkedIn at:

www.linkedin.com/in/jacobshare.

Follow Jacob on Twitter at twitter.com/jacobshare.

Become a fan of Jacob’s on Facebook at:

www.facebook.com/JobMob.

Friend Jacob on StumbleUpon at jobmob.stumbleupon.com.

139
140
Entrepreneurship

141
142
 Finding Your Passion 101

By Mike Michalowicz

If you’re going to make it as an entrepreneur, you better have

passion for what you’re doing. It’s cause and effect — passion
begets persistence and persistence begets success. If you do
what you love, you won’t give up until you succeed. Pretty
basic, right?

While this message is 100% simple and 100% true, finding

your passion can feel like a mystery you’ll never solve. Until
today.

If you have the desire to succeed in business but aren’t sure

what you really want to do, here’s a surefire way to figure it
out. Make a list of answers to the following questions:

1. What’s the first thing you want to do when you get

some free time? What activities do you find yourself
saying, “yes” to most weekends? What do you like to
do on vacation?

2. What do you love most about your job? Which tasks do

you look forward to doing? What aspects of your job
come easily to you?

3. When you look back on your life, what were your

proudest moments?

143
 4. What causes do you feel passionate about? What have
you volunteered for or donated money to in the past?

5. Outside of work tasks, what do you Google most often?

What type of blogs do you gravitate to; what kind of
books do you read? What are your hobbies?

6. What are the most outrageous daydreams you’ve had

about your life?

7. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when

you grew up? List all of them — even Wonder Woman.

8. If you could go back to school and be guaranteed a

fantastic, crazy-good job in your field right after
graduation, what would you study? Or, if you had loads
of free time and didn’t have to worry about a degree or
a job, what would you like to learn more about?

9. If you never had to worry about money again, what

would you do with your time?

10. If the movie of your life was up for a Best Picture

Academy Award, which clip would they show on Oscar
night?

The entrepreneur’s path can be rocky. You’re going to get

knocked down. A lot. So you better build your business around
what lights you up inside, otherwise you won’t have the will to
get back up.

144
You’ve got passion. You do. Really. Don’t believe me? Look at
your list.

About the Author:

Mike Michalowicz (pronounced Mi-CAL-

o-witz) started his first business at the
age of 24, moving his young family to
the only safe place he could afford — a
retirement village. With limited resources
and no experience, he systematically
bootstrapped a multi-million dollar
technology business, sleeping in conference rooms to avoid
hotel costs. After selling his first company, Mike launched a
new business the very next day, and in less than three years,
sold it to a Fortune 500. With his newest multi-million dollar
venture, Obsidian Launch, he fosters startup businesses with
his “get rich right” approach.

Mike is author of the book, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur and

is the host of the brand new business reality show, Bailout!.
He is also a graduate of Inc. & MIT’s “Birthing of Giants”
Entrepreneurial Program. He has received multiple
entrepreneurship awards, including the SBA's Young
Entrepreneur of the Year. Mike is a recurring guest on CNBC’s
The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch, ABC News, Fox News and
international television programs. He has also been featured in
Entrepreneur Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, National
Public Radio (NPR), The New York Times, and other
publications.

145
Mike is a frequent guest lecturer for entrepreneurial groups
and professional business groups throughout the world. Mike
is also a guest lecturer for collegiate entrepreneurial programs
such as Babson, Boston College, Columbia, Copenhagen
Business School, Emerson, Harvard, Penn State, Pepperdine
and Princeton.

146
 Now,
You’re Ready for Launch!

3…2…1…Lift Off!

147
148
 Check Out the Series!

Like what you’re reading? Want more?

Then don’t forget to check out past and upcoming

issues of Launchpad: Your Career Search
Strategy Guide available on Amazon.com.

Volume 1: Vive La Difference! (December 2009)

Featured Experts:
William Arruda, Meghan Biro, John Crant, Maria Elena Duron, Hajj Flemings,
Phil Gerbyshak, Meg Guiseppi, G.L. Hoffman, Jessica Holbrook, Tory
Johnson, Pete Kistler, Jennifer Kushell, Liz Lynch, Mike Michalowicz, Chris
Perry, Brent Peterson, Phil Rosenberg, Jacob Share, Carol Tuttle and Tim
Tyrell-Smith

Volume 2: Personal Branding Damage Control (March 2010)

Featured Experts:
Jason Alba, Brenda Bence, Emily Bennington, Allison Cheston, John Crant,
Shawn Graham, Susan Guarneri, Joyce Harold, Heather Huhman, Karen
Kodzik, Alexandra Levit, Tim Lutenski, Dan McCarthy, Chris Perry, Brent
Peterson, Andy Robinson, Teena Rose, Harry Urschel, Susan Whitcomb
and Trevor Wilson

Volume 3: Getting a Life and Not a Job (June 2010)

Featured Experts:
James Alexander, Paula Caligiuri, Carol Fishman Cohen, John Crant, Kristi
Daeda, Meg Guiseppi, Jessica Holbrook, Julie Jansen, Diana Jennings, Dan
Miller, Dorothy Tannahill Moran, Ford Myers, Cheryl Palmer, Chris Perry,
Brent Peterson, Todd Rhoad, Steve Rothberg, Rick Saia, Miriam Salpeter
and Billie Sucher

Volume 4 launching in Fall 2010!

Learn more at launchpad.careerrocketeer.com.
149
150