Effectively Using A Business Card In Your Job Search

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

In the age that we are in, nothing is more valuable than information. This is what drives the generator of knowledge, growth and development. Asking the right question, having the appropriate data, enables companies to utilize a variety of resources more effectively. The more that one knows about a product, service, the competition or a person, the better the decision which is based upon it.

Relating this to job search is vital. If there is a lack of information about what skills and abilities you bring to the table to the people in your network, the less help they are capable of giving. Unless you walk around with your resume on a sandwich board, the question is, how can you create a "buzz" about what you are marketing?

The Light Bulb Moment

In a local election for town council, one candidate came up with a distinctive, creative, powerful way for the voters to get to know who he was and what he stood for. It was small, lightweight, ideal to distribute, and saved paper. Because instead of a campaign flyer or brochure, he gave out a business card!

Yes, just a simple, well crafted business card with the key facts that he wanted people to know about him. On the front, there was the typical contact information with something extra, his slogan. The back was where the impact lies. It listed his community service, previous offices held, and a very brief synopsis of his employment history.

For a job seeker, this lesson can translate to you. Your slogan is the one, best reason why an employer would want to hire you. Make sure that what you write s a statement of fact and has value to the career you want. It should be short and sweet, no more than 10 words, but just like a commercial, this will be the message that you want to get across about you. The back of the card will list 2 or 3 job titles and one accomplishment you had, which relates to your slogan. This is a snapshot, with talking points that you chose to highlight.

Directing The Light

The advantages of this approach are many. When running around, you might not always have a clean copy of your resume handy. A business card fits easily in a pocket, purse or wallet. People save cards because they hold information in a small space. Plus, people might not take a resume, but they will always take a card. This idea shows creativity, a "think outside of the box" attitude that exhibits a pro-active problem solver in action. It helps you focus your message. And it saves paper.

Getting information into people's hands is vital. Having a quick, easy, imaginative way to do so helps you stand out from the crowd in an uniquely positive way. This will increase the number of people you can contact and who can help you find the opportunity that you're looking for. So the next time you say, "here's my card", make it an ace from your deck.

Are you looking for a new career opportunity and want to learn how to present your skills more effectively? If so, I recommend my book "Pieces Of The Puzzle - A Job Hunters Guide for the 21st Century." which is currently available at https://www.createspace.com/3710544

College Students and Recent Grads: Include Complete Contact Info On Your Resume

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

College students and recent grads: Is your resume working as hard for you as it could (and should)?

In this article let's take a look at essential contact information you need on every resume. Recently I've seen some that didn't include phone numbers, even though they did include email addresses.

Here three points of contact you should have -at minimum- on every resume, and why they're important.

1. Phone number

Your resume should always have a phone contact number. Your email isn't enough. Give a potential employer or recruiter every possible way to contact you possible. Be sure to include area code.

On your voicemail be sure to leave a professional message acknowledging the caller, and indicating a time frame by which you'll return the call. Do not leave the generic mobile phone service-provided voice mail. It doesn't confirm to the caller that they've reached the person they are looking for.

"Hi, this is Jeremy Smith. I'm not available to take your call right now, but please leave a brief message and a phone number where I can contact you. I'll return your call as quickly as possible."

Note if you are working on cross border job search:

If your number is a non-US number, be sure to include the specific country code dialing information.If you're in the US working with recruiters outside the country, be sure to include the (+1) country code in front of your US phone number.

2. Email address

Be sure to also include your professional email address. Using a school-provided email may lead employers to question how they'll get a hold of you once you leave school. Plus, as you launch your career you want to present your new professional identify with an equally professional email identity.

Get a Gmail, Yahoo, me.com or other ISP address that presents you in a professional light. Use a first name.lastname@provider.com so employers know exactly whom they're corresponding with.

Once you've got it set up, be sure to put a professional signature block that reflects your new young professional identity. Here's a suggested example for a college student in the job search. Customize for your needs.

Jackson Martin

Oregon Statue University, Class of 2012

Major in Accountancy, with Minor in Finance - 3.5 Core GPA

Voice (+1) 123-345-6789

www.linkedin.com/in/firstnamelastname

3. Your LinkedIn URL

When you build a LinkedIn profile, you can generate a URL link that allows you to tell people exactly how to find you on LinkedIn. You can see how it's clear who the profile owner is.

To create your own LinkedIn Profile URL:

Log in to your account.In the upper right hand corner to the left of your name, click the drop down arrow. Select "Settings."Under Helpful Links, click "Edit your public profile."Under Your public profile URL, click "Customize Your Public Profile URL". Select your URL name and LinkedIn will advise if it's available. If your intact name is not available, use some version of your first, middle and last name.

Once you've got your LinkedIn URL, use that as an additional contact point on your resume. Because LinkedIn allows potential employers to send you messages, it provides another option for them to do so.

If you have your email and phone clearly delineated in your LinkedIn profile as well (use a Google Voice number and forward it to your phone if you don't want to publish your personal number) you won't miss any potential connections.

Find the entire video series for college students and recent grads entitled "Should You Fire Your Resume?" You can find it on our YouTube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/DegreesOfTransition. See you there!

Easy Jobs for Students Across Europe

IP is over the quota
IP is over the quota

There are a lot of ways you as a student, or senior for that matter, can make some extra money while you study. You see a job doesn't have to involve working for some store, restaurant, gas station or whatever, it can also mean sitting in front of your computer making simple tasks for a small sum of money.

If you have any skills at all you can probably sell your service to someone in need. So break out your old microphone and start selling "Happy Birthday" -songs to who ever might want it. Or perhaps write articles for websites or blogs that don't have the time themselves. All people have a certain skill they can use for something and why not try to make some cash from it?

But even so if you don't have any special skills like tech skills, mechanical skills or just making a mean lasagna, you can still walk a few dogs now and then and get paid to do it right? Or why not clean a few windows? All I'm saying is that there is so much you can do to make some extra money and it doesn't have to be so hard. I mentioned writing before and I think this a very good way to earn some extra money and to do something that people often have problems with, also this can be done when ever and where ever so you don't have to be at a certain place at a certain time.

If you have some more technical skills you can help your local businesses with stuff they would normally have to hire expensive consultants to do for them. Like I said before, we all have some skill we can use. Maybe you have a pretty face or a good voice? Why not help people make voice overs or record short instruction videos? The possibilities here are endless and I am certain that a lot of people could be making some good money by just doing a lot of different things.

Smaller companies with limited budgets are always looking for people to help the do things for a better cost than they normally have to pay. Take a designer for instance, you can make business cards, logotypes or anything else. These are things companies pay a lot of money to have done, why not do it for them a little cheaper and start building your CV already?

To round this article up, I just want you all to think about what you can do for others and if you want to read more about marketing yourself, follow this link:

http://www.marketing-yourself.co.uk/