Professional Independent Communicators Present:

Location: Metro Hall View Map

Are you happy and successful in your career? Do you know how to uncover jobs, contracts and freelance opportunities? This presentation, designed for both freelancers and employees, will provide you with answers to take charge of your career.    

By attending this presentation, you will learn:

• To develop an outstanding performance-based resume
• What search strategy will provide the best results on your time investment
• How to use social media to find key influencers

Speaker: Martin Buckland, founder of Elite Resumes

Martin Buckland is one of North America’s top career management professionals. Martin is a resume and career management expert for several associations and leading MBA schools. His peers recently voted Martin as one of the “Top 22 Career Management Professionals” in the world.

Register HERE

If you are currently a job seeker or expect to be in career transition in the near future you are aware that it can become an extremely stressful time. Concerns increase over time regarding the emotional and financial stability of a household and fear of the unknown can result in a feeling of desperation and vulnerability. Despite the discouragement that may be present at times throughout the job search process, it is imperative that you proceed with the utmost of due diligence prior to obtaining the services of any company, especially those requesting a substantial fee.

Unfortunately there are too many organizations that prey on the vulnerability of others using a scam that enables them to sell inferior products or services. The diet industry is likely the best example, generating billions of dollars selling products that just don’t work. Desperation and vulnerability lead many to accept offers including diet pills that are not regulated or approved. As in most industries, the career industry is also not free of scams with organizations sending out mass mailings that sound personal and guarantee you a job…… for a fee; a substantial fee! You will read the same canned spiel often from a variety of company names. The majority will ask you to set up an appointment to come back with your spouse. No amount of money will guarantee you a job as you will learn from the reputable and legitimate career services that are available. It is not difficult to find out who’s who, just Google It and  Avoid a Scam!

The Internet and especially the advent of social media provides the ability to share our voice and experiences with ease. Although many scams still exist, it is becoming more and more difficult for those running them to keep ahead of the online feedback even though they respond by changing their company name on a regular basis. Before you sign a contract and hand over a substantial amount of money, Google it! Simply enter the company name and beside it type scam. Many companies share the same name so be sure the results relate to the particular company you are searching by confirming the location or names involved. Check out sites such as Ripoff Report, About.com, Consumer Scams in Canada, http://www.armydiller.com/financial-scam/. You will be amazed at how much information is available online! Further to Google searches for company names and scams, frauds, etc, most companies have a website and legitimate organizations are proud to include contact details and names. Linkedin is the top social media site for professionals and offers the opportunity to search for millions of individuals and companies to seek out further information. Testimonials are also available for review and are posted by the author, not the recipient.

The next time you are interested in doing business with anyone, Google the name prior to making a commitment. In the career industry it is safe to say that a reputable company will have a visible online profile. 

How competitive are you in today’s job market? Will you or your resume appear outdated? How familiar are you with today’s technology, fashion trends, terminology, favourite TV shows and social media? Lisa Johnson Mandell, author of Career Comeback, Repackage Yourself to Get the Job You Want, includes the following quote by Casey Stengel, “The trick is growing up without growing old.” This book is an excellent resource for anyone seeking a competitive edge in today’s job market and provides hundreds of tips to refresh, renew and stay current. 

In the past, branding was a term that would have been more familiar to most when referencing a product rather than an individual. Today, a personal branding strategy is a critical component in managing any executive career. An expert in Personal Branding, Paul Copcutt offers advice on promoting your brand in, “How do you communicate your personal brand via social media?”

Whether marketing a product for a large corporation or marketing yourself for a new executive position, it requires fresh new ideas and above all staying current. A candidate who has not changed their own appearance in 30 years is unlikely to give the impression to a potential employer that they are open to embracing new trends or have the forward thinking necessary to move their organization in a positive direction. You’ve likely traded in the vehicle you drove in the 70’s and acquired a new wardrobe but have you changed your hair style or removed the mustache or beard you were so proud to have been able to grow 30 years ago? Invest in updating your appearance and obtaining new professional profile photos. Not only is it guaranteed to improve your self esteem but you will likely appear more professional, confident and younger!

How long has it been since you updated your resume, your personal appearance, your education or your network of professionals? The odds of acquiring a new position will increase dramatically if your mindset is one of enthusiasm, confidence and a genuine desire to embrace new challenges and implement positive changes. Consider the services of an Executive Career Management Professional to refresh, renew and stay current.

Are you currently in career transition? If so, you have likely estimated the length of time you are expecting it will take to secure a new position and have set your goals accordingly. How have you determined this time frame? Some career professionals suggest an old rule of thumb theory, which suggests that simply allocating one month for every $10,000 in earnings will establish an approximate time frame. This is more accurate than you may think and is clearly reflected in a recent study of 9 professionals from an independent networking group for people in career transition who have landed over the past 4 months.

The following is an account of their length of time in career transition and the title of their new position :

10 months – Manager Sales Support
  9 months – Professional Services
18 months – Regional IT Manager
10 months – Manager, Finance and Operations
  6 months – Project Manager
  8 months – undisclosed
13 months – Marketing Director, Telecommunications
11 months – Country Sales Manager, Canada
15 months – Manager Sales Support & Marketing

Despite the accuracy of the old rule of thumb theory, all of these professionals fully expected to land their new positions within a much shorter time frame. Positive thinking is key to a successful job search and accepting the reality that a career transition could take a number of months and not weeks will allow you to fully prepare yourself, your family and your financial affairs enabling you to be fully engaged in a successful search. False hopes could lead to discouragement and disappointment negatively impacting your determination, confidence and productivity at this critical time.

No one can say for sure how long anyone will spend in career transition but securing the services of an Executive Career Management Professional will provide you with the opportunity to secure your next position within a shorter time frame. Consider the ROI in reducing your job search by one month or two or three! Contact Elite Resumes to speak with Martin Buckland, Certified Professional Resume Writer, Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Certified Job Search Strategist, Co-Pilot Executive Coach, Certified Employment Interview Professional and Certified Job Search Trainer.

“Protect my tweets” is the only option in Tweet Privacy, one of the few Account Settings required to create a Twitter profile. Additional ”Account Settings” consist simply of your Name, Username, Email, Language, Time Zone and Tweet Location. Although simple and self explanatory, instructions are included with each criteria.

There should be little confusion in choosing a name or email address but it seems that there are still many who may not understand the premise of Twitter because if they did they would never check the box in Tweet Privacy to “Protect my tweets”. Privacy issues continue to remain top news with Facebook taking the brunt of criticism for some time now to set the precedent. No other social media site is going to establish a site offering online accounts visible to millions without including some form of “privacy options”. The question is whether the options available are based on any rationale regarding the use of the social media site or simply to protect against privacy advocates.

Regardless of the reason behind the privacy option offered by Twitter, the question is, why would any user on Twitter choose to select the “Protect my Tweets” option? Could it simply be an unconscious error? Or maybe a considerate user with the urge to share inappropriate information that could be considered offensive? The 140 characters you choose to tweet could consist of anything including a personal message or a link to an article blog post or website. The people you share your tweets with are your followers and you have the option to follow anyone you are interested in as long as they haven’t protected their tweets in which case you will see “pending” and my reaction to that is to cancel my decision to follow them and I am left with the question, who or what are they protecting their tweets from and why?   

The more people you follow, “Following”, the more feedback you will receive and the more people that follow you, “Followers”, will result in more people receiving your message, known as a “tweet”. Should you find yourself offended by anyone, you have the option to select an “Action” associated with anyone you are following or anyone who is a follower to unfollow, block or report for spam. There is no reason to choose to protect all of your tweets, simply allow everyone who is interested in you to follow your tweets and if you don’t want a particular individual to see what you tweet, block them!

If your audience consists of only a few followers, how much influence will you have? If you are only following a few people how much value are you missing out on from some of the most inspiring, intellectual and thought provoking people in the world? If you don’t “believe” in Twitter right now, you may want to consider what the following companies and individuals may know that you don’t.

“Of the Fortune Global 100 companies, 65% have active Twitter accounts”, data collected between November 2009 and January 2010 among the top 100 companies of Fortune’s Global 500 companies by Burson-Marsteller. There were less than 75 million users on Twitter in November 2009 and today there are over 100 million! If the most successful companies in the world are not impressive enough, how about some of the most successful individuals in the world: @RichardBranson, @BillGates, @Oprah, @BarackObama, and the list goes on and on. Visit www.celebritytweet.com and although you will find @MileyCyrus and @JustinBeiber, you are mistaken if you think it is just for kids. Feel free to follow @JaneFonda, @Joan_Rivers, @AshtonKucher or @KevinSpacey. You will not receive the “pending” message if you choose to follow any of these people becasue none of them have checked the “Protect my Tweets” box.

Your future success will be influenced by the  reputation and recommendations you establish throughout your career and how you choose to quit your job may or may not have an impact. It is very likely that the following individuals would have benefited if they had opted for a professional conversation with a senior company official followed by a formal letter of resignation, however this was not the case. A recent post on The Chive, “Girl quits job on dry erase board, emails entire office“, has generated interest in a young woman who went public to quit her job and expose her boss. She said her boss, Spencer was called, ”a garbage di Spencer” when referring to the trash and she displayed a totally inappropriate comment that he is alleged to have made during a phone call. This has caught the interest of a huge, supportive following of cheer leaders and well wishers. I won’t disagree that her boss probably got what he deserved but I can’t help thinking, as an employer would I really want to hire this girl? As a business owner or HR professional, would I feel assured that she would react in the best interest of the company at all times utilizing diplomacy, discretion and good judgement?

Another highly publicized incident this week was a flight attendant’s departure from his job upon arrival at Kennedy Airport. Reports allege Slater, a 28 year veteran argued with a passenger, used the public address system to swear at passengers and then pulled the emergency shoot to exit the plane with a beer in his hand! Don Sutton, CB Online provides an account and some good advice in, When to use the emergency chute: a flight attendant’s last flight , saying, “…take a deep breath and remember flight attendant Slater — once you really slide down that emergency chute, you can never crawl back up.”

Obviously a formal letter of resignation was not contemplated by either of these employees and despite their radical and unprofessional behaviour, both are attracting a huge following of supporters. Is it possible that so many people are that unhappy in their careers that they are actually envious of these two individuals quitting their jobs?  Or is it just the fact that many are empathetic to those who have reached the ”the final straw” and “lost it” at work?

Quitting your job with a vengeance, whether it is swearing at disrespectful customers or the public humiliation of your boss is not in your best interest if you have any desire to advance in your career. Your reputation is damaged and the opportunity to acquire glowing recommendations from your boss or the company is forever lost. Remember, it is “just a job” and you do have the choice to leave it and maintain a professional reputation and gain recommendations that will support your career advancement long into your future. Remember that teacher in grade eight that you detested? He isn’t there anymore and no one even remembers his name but what does remain is the name of the school you attended and the grade you received.

It is possible that you will have an opportunity to create a first impression prior to being asked to submit your resume, but more likely than not your resume will be your only chance at a first impression. How are you going to establish the most awesome, professional and impressive document possible to make yourself stand out from the competition and instil a lasting impression that will get you the job interview? How your resume looks is critical because without the job interview there is no job!

Your resume; this one, two or three page document, is your key to unlocking doors to a successful career. Of course you will need to be prepared to exude confidence and relay your expertise in a job interview but without an exceptional resume with a look that entices the reader, your chances of unlocking doors to a job interview are limited. Is your resume generating job interviews? If so, depending on your success rate in the interview it is safe to say that multiple job offers will result in the ability to negotiate, make choices and ensure the advancement of your career.  

What we see is highly influential in every assessment or decision we make. So too is the appearance of your resume, your online profile and your physical appearance to the decisions that will be made by HR professionals and recruiters. Credentials, expertise and ability are important but if you don’t look good on paper or online, you won’t get the opportunity to brag in person at a job interview.

Does your professional resume clearly portray you as an accomplished individual? Does it highlight quantifiable accomplishments? Are your past positions and accreditations highlighted? Have you included a variety of contact details? Do not include personal information on your resume. You may be proud of it and think others should be too but you have only opened the door to discrimination. There is a reason that it is illegal to ask certain questions on an application or in a job interview.

Don’t miss out on an opportunity to be interviewed for a job. Contact Martin Buckland, Certified Professional Resume Writer for a free resume critique and and find out how your resume looks to a professional before you send it out. 

What is the one word that describes you? This is likely a question you have heard alot lately especially if you are in career transition. More than ever before the key to advancing your career is to promote your value. Give careful consideration to the one word that will describe your most impressive attribute but at the same time distinguish you from the competition. Although passion and drive are highly influential to employers, too many individuals refer to themselves as passionate when in fact few people really are truly passionate about what they do. It is so widely used that it risks credibility and will not help you to stand out from the competition. Consider words such as inquisitive, audacious, competitive, ambitious, intuitive, savvy and indomitable. Steer clear of out of date, overused or boring words such as results-oriented, methodical, detail oriented and communicative. 

Do you have a tag line? A clear, concise tag line should compliment the one word that describes your strongest attribute and be consistently displayed to establish your brand and promote your value. Is your tag line contained in your resume, Resume Writing Tag Lines? Be sure to include it in social media profiles and on your website. A business card is a must and an effective tag line will ensure a lasting impression.   

Consumers and HR professionals are looking for and willing to pay for value. Managing a successful career involves promoting your value. Why should your next employer invest in you? What value will you bring to their organization?

Contact Martin Buckland, Certified Professional Branding Strategist to unearth your unique promise of value! 

…informative, interesting, newsworthy, user-friendly, uncomplicated, inspiring, fun, professional, social, influential, real-time, networking, marketing, mobile, private tweets, public tweets, retweets 

And Twitter is:

• 140 character tweets providing links to anything

• CNN Breaking News and The New York Times tweeting for over 5 million followers 

• Searching #hashtags for relevant feedback

• Immediate, non-invasive feedback from large audiences to live presenters

• Communication for virtual events

• A job search tool

• Companies engaging their customers

• Speakers engaging their audience

• Validated sites, sounds, info, news and more

• 100 million users

• over 600 tweets per second

• 30% over $100,000 in household income

• 45% over 18 yrs of age

• 24% over 35 yrs of age

• 14% over 50 yrs of age

Resources and further information: 

http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/infographic-twitter-statistics-facts-figures/

http://aneliteresume.com/job-search/twitter-we-are-the-voice/

http://www.triveraguy.com/2010/07/twitter-new-media-or-news-media/

Experience, education, job history and your willingness to relocate could easily be influencing factors in a job interview but are you aware of how influential body language, confidence and enthusiasm are? A recent survey of hiring managers found 68% less likely to hire a candidate who failed to make eye contact. The lack of a smile, bad posture, fidgeting, crossed arms and a weak handshake were also listed as significant faux pas in a job interview.

In order to sell yourself as the ideal candidate, show your love! A job interview should not be entered into with an insecure or indecisive mindset. Prepare yourself well and if you need assistance consult with a Certified Job Search Trainer. With confidence and enthusiasm you will have a positive influence on the interviewer and the potential to extend a firmer handshake and assume a comfortable demeanour that will ensure you maintain eye contact, avoid crossing your arms and share more than enough smiles! A firm handshake, a smile and a current and professional appearance will establish a positive and lasting impression.  

In today’s competitive job market, it is unlikely that you will ever find yourself in a position as the only potential candidate for a job. If it should come down to two potential candidates with equal qualifications the final decision could be as simple as selecting the candidate showing the greatest amount of interest. David Perry, Managing Partner, Perry-Martel International Inc. provides an excellent account in, I LOVE YOU TOO: How to close the interview and get the job offer.

“…it is the impression you leave with the interviewer which will be influenced by your appearance, demeanour and level of confidence that will most strongly impact the success of your job interview.”, excerpt from 10 Tips - Get Ready to Get Interviewed.