Spelling mistakes in your :
will get you skipped over immediately. At least by the employers you’d want to work for anyway.
You wont get contacted for your dream porject or projet or projcet, you’re not really a comunictaions professional, and you’re not worth my time for the editer position. (real mistakes, by the way)
Technorati Tags: Monster.com, resume, spelling mistakes
Here’s something I’ve learned since I started in recruiting:
Use the phone if at all possible instead of email. It’s sometimes scarier… like when you have to decline an interview, or turn down a position, or giving bad news in general. But it’s better. It’s more professional, and respectful to the person on the other end.
I am a firm believer in the convenience and efficiency of email, don’t get me wrong. But I’m finding that as we continue to adapt to communicating through this medium, there are times when it’s more appropriate to talk live.
I have heard of people being dumped through text messages, being fired through emails–not good!
What it boils down to for me is something I’ve found to be a very good question to ask yourself when making important decisions: “Is it better or just easier?”
And for not so important decisions either…like “email or call?”
Technorati Tags: email, convenience
If you don’t know where that quote is from, you must be too young. (I can’t believe I said that, but having just celebrated my birthday I guess references to aging are inevitable.)
I bring it up because there’s been some buzz recently about the TVLand list of 100 Greatest Catch Phrases and TV quotes. The list is making a lot of people reminisce about their favorite shows, and about how pervasive much of television language is in today’s vernacular.
But the list is incomplete. I can’t say this is my idea, I heard it on the radio on my way in this morning. But I wondered what other very influential quotes and phrases might not have been included, and I wondered, “why?”
Here’s some that are included:
And some that I think should have been:
Oh and I just found these two here
And this is a great list, too
I wonder why some of them are included, and others not? Any ideas?
Technorati Tags: television, catch phrases, lists, commercials, TV Land
I was watching “Good Night, and Good Luck” recently and while this isn’t the forum for a movie review, it was a great movie.
What it made me think of was how new the technology of television was in the 50’s, and how there’s a correlation to today’s understanding of the Internet.
The movie has a lot of retro aspects to it: everyone smoking indoors (gasp!), it’s entirely in black and white, and of course the fashion and gender roles of the characters. But the over-arching interest to me was how decisions were made regarding content and even ethics.
Yes, the plot involves McCarthy and Communism, but the medium-the television and broadcast journalism-was such a crucial aspect of that social, cultural and political issue. It made players of the game out of people who were previously just dynamic party guests. Suddenly, men with something to say actually had a venue to do it: politics and government had to readjust the rules of the game we, as a young country, were still struggling to solidify.
The connection I see is to the way the Internet and open-source and instant communication is changing things today. Rules are changing, men (and women) who were previously lame party guests are now revoutionaries and leaders (albeit virtual in most cases) with a venue to say …anything.
How will the internet evolve? I guess that’s the standard Web 2.0 query-but isn’t it exciting to be here to watch it happen? It’s the dawn of a new era in human interaction and culture (no, this isn’t news, but it’s worth repeating). Good morning, and good luck!
Technorati Tags: technology, Web 2.0, Internet, television, Good Night and Good Luck
I’m a busy girl.
Last night I went the Philly American Marketing Association (PAMA) November event, a presentation by Jeff Greene of Gold Group, entitled “21st Century Marketing.”
This afternoon I went to a luncheon for the Philly Ad Club (PAC) that was a presentation by Karen Seamen, EVP, Cramer-Krasselt, Chicago about “The CareerBuilder.com Story” (I love those chimp commercials!).
Mr. Greene’s presentation was terrific. He is quickly and effectively positioning himself and his agency as the expert of a very inexact, but emerging science. And there was a room full of people at the PAC event to hear from an expert about how to create a successful, creative and quality ad campaign.
Here’s the point: CreativeCamp is like and unlike the industry organization events. While it’s related to things we’re all familiar with (conferences, networking) it’s doing it differently. There are no singular experts–everyone who attends can be an expert in their own right!
From the excitement and interest I saw last night as Mr. Greene told us of how Gold Group is integrating viral marketing, podcasting, blogging and mobile marketing to really approach this new wave of advertising, I know that there is much more to be said. I know that there are many who have something to say. I know that CreativeCamp will be a great venue to do so.
Before you say “but you’re the organizer and you’re just trying to get people to come eat your cookies and hand out business cards”, please know that I really am an attendee more than a sponsor. I feel strongly that the idea is a good one. I know how trying and tiring ‘networking’ events can be, and I like that the *camp style allows for less intimidation, more interaction, and more conversation. (And if you’re really afraid of people check out CaseCamp SecondLife here )
While I’m thrilled to be able to go to PAC and PAMA (Holiday wine-tasting event on December 14!!) events, and learn from those who have built a reputation for their innovative work, I know that some of us feel are afraid to ask questions, and feel we’ll never reach that level, or never have anything worthwhile to say.
At CreativeCamp2.0 you will! Sign up at the wiki site for http://www.creativecamp.org.
Technorati Tags: CreativeCamp, networking, philly ad club, philly american marketing association, barcamp, expert, CaseCamp Second Life
According to Wikipedia:
Networking consists of exchanging information and establishing personal connections. People network in many different settings: on the telephone, in hallways, in company lunchrooms, at professional conferences, at trade shows, company meetings, classrooms, lounges, hallways, elevators, airplanes, trains, busses, hotel lobbies and waiting rooms. Some networking is carefully planned and some just happens. Networking is friendly, low-key and essential in our complex society. People network to: advance their careers, advance their own business, to increase their impact on the world and to improve their social lives.
A simple Google search for “business networking” returns about 260 million pages.
It would seem that it is one of the most convenient and low-effort, high-return activities to help us in our careers. If you think about it, everything you do can be considered “networking” in some way.
Yet, why is it so scary? And why do so many take a very passive approach to it? Why is there still the misconception that it is something you have to turn on and off, that you should do it when actively seeking a new job or career change, but not when you’re currently employed?
What doesn’t seem to be getting through is this: if you don’t start making connections and forming relationships whenever you possibly can, you’ll be starting from zero if and when something unforseen causes the loss of your oh-so-comfy job.
Here’s the networking secret: You must give in order to receive. It’s fairly simple. Be thoughtful and considerate, and people will want to help you. If you’ve willingly given without being asked, you’ll feel a little less scared when it comes time to make a request.
I know I’ve mentioned before, it takes work. But there are many resources and groups and people to help you: books, organizations and associations, blogs and periodicals…
Diane Darling and Soni Dimond give presentations, wrote books, and coach professionals and entrepreneurs on how to be more effective at networking; they’ve made a career out of it!
Any suggestions from the networking newbies, or the super-connectors?
Quick (or maybe not-so-quick) rule of thumb about your resume:
You’ve probably heard all of this before, and none of what I’m about to tell you is anything revolutionary-it’s found on the web in various locations, it’s probably been told to you by teachers or career counselors, and I may have even told you myself. But I just want to summarize what I’m finding to be incredibly valuable in approaching your search for a great job.
You should have multiple versions of your resume, depending on what skills you offer and what job you’re applying to.
Example:
You’re a designer, but you’ve done, and would be open to doing, production work or retouching work. A hiring manager (the person on the other side of the CraigsList or Monster.com post) will want to see precisely the resume for the job that’s posted.
I ran into this recently with a photo retouching post. And for purposes of brevity, will say only this: yes you probably have done it in the past, and may even do it now in your job, but if your resume says “designer” or “proofreader” then what makes you a good fit for that project? You are capable, but are you ideal?
Think of it as it relates to another real-life scenario:
You go to your family practice doctor because they have a variety of knowledge. But you wouldn’t go to a dermatologist for a problem with your knee. Now, the dermatologist may have taken a class in bone-stuff (I’m not a doctor, people!) and may be familiar with that area of medicine, but they’re not a specialist in it and you’d probably find a more suited person for this problem.
From the horse’s mouth
The trend that I’m hearing from companies, corporations and agencies lately is exactly the same thing: although you are more than likely capable of performing a task related to your expertise, the person whose resume says they’re a specialist will be more highly considered than yours.
Why? Because of the onslaught of resumes and cover letters received from the web-post of the job, quick qualifiers have to be placed so that the pile of 100 can be narrowed down to 50, then down to 20 they may call and talk to, and so on. Colleges do the same thing by placing limits on admissions with SAT scores and GPAs. Though it’s not evaluating the entire person and a GPA is probably not the best indication of their merit, it’s easy.
SO, make the hiring manager’s job easier-give them exactly what they’re looking for!
Job Search=Self-Marketing Campaign
It’s a general advertising principle (and if you’ve talked to me recently, I recommended that you approach your search like a marketing campaign) that you have to cater to your audience.
Next steps: Know your audience. Learn as much about the potential position as possible so that you send the right version of your resume, to the right person. It may take a bit more effort, it may not result in sending 50 resumes a day, but you may also find that you’re getting more calls back to the fewer you’re sending.
Phew. Sorry for the long-windedness. But I think it works! It helps me as your career advocate, anyway. The more versions of your resume I have, the more quickly I can say to a client “I know just who to introduce to you” and the easier job I have of showing them why. Even though I know what you’re capable of, our clients want to know why we’d send a resume for a designer in reply to a retouching project. And I even talk to clients on the phone before sending them resumes!
[Note: I hope I don’t have to say this, but I will just to cover my own butt. Please don’t take this to mean that you should stretch any of your experiences. Do not create a resume that’s false, misleading or deceptive. This suggestion is simply a way to repackage yourself, with the product being the same. You can’t say you are a retoucher if you’ve never done it. You have to back up what it is you’re marketing, right?]
Technorati Tags: resume writing, self-marketing, specialists
It’s Voting Day 2006!
I was looking around the ‘net last night for a proper voting guide, because I don’t believe in just punching numbers or circling random names. (Unless it’s the office NFL pool…I just don’t have time!) And as I started to get into figuring out which candidates are supporting what sides of the various issues, and what district they’re running in…I got completely overwhelmed.
I was more than aware of how much I don’t know about current politics, and especially local politics. And I realized, how many people approach their job search the same way?
“I’ll go to the polls, figure out who looks decent. There’s bound to be some info there while I’m waiting in line. I’ve seen the commercials on tv. I’m sure I’ll figure it out somehow. I’m just one vote anyway, how could one little vote matter?”
Does this sound like you? Are you also the person who says “well that job looks good, I think I’ve heard of that company, and it’s just a production artist position, nothing special.” You send your resume and hope for the best.
Chances are, you don’t really hear anything, and if you do, they are requesting a phone interview. Same questions, same answers, how tired and routine!
Politics can seem that way too. “same game, different players” But who are the ones that stand out? The ones that really impress you and inspire you? The players who you are proud to have on your team?
Simple: the ones that do something different, put in a little more personal effort, the ones that talk to you on your level, and explain how they are going to make a difference, little by little.
This is how we should approach our job search and career development. Put in a little more time to know who we’re contacting, and why, and be confident that we know enough to make an informed decision. The internet offers so many convenient ways to enhance and broaden our knowledge of industry, potential employers, and your competition. Are we truly using it to our advantage?
We need to learn how to make an impression on our constituents. We need more than just the hiring manager to vote for us to join the team: the team members, the inferiors and superiors, and those who realize that each and every person has an impact on the outcome, no matter how minor the position may seem. We need to be the “perfect choice” for the opportunity, like every candidate works to convince us they are the perfect choice for district 43 representative.
Even if you’re overwhelmed at how little you know, that’s a great starting point. Prioritize. Plan and strategize, and take action. Once we know what issues are important to us, we can start to make a difference, little by little.
[Here’s a quick link to something I thought was very insightful!
Penelope says voting is good for your career.]
Technorati Tags: Voting, Career Development, Job Search
Make no mistake: I would much rather watch a great campy movie and eat cookies than go to a panel discussion on media or marketing. It’s just so much easier to do nothing.
But luck won’t land that great new job in your lap. At some point, you must confront the dreaded career-enhancing recommendation: networking.
There are so many ways to actively build relationships with professionals in your field of choice. Since we’re in the creative industries, this includes, but is not limited to, regional chapters of the following:
American Marketing Association
American Institute of Graphic Arts
Ad Club
Direct Marketing Association
Public Relations Society of America
So what’s stopping you? I’ve heard “it’s expensive”, “it’s boring”, “it’s a waste of time”, “it’s far from my work/house/school”, “I don’t know anyone”, and others…
All of these excuses lead me to one conclusion: lack of effort. It’s not easy, and just showing up to the wine-and-cheese event won’t earn you points.
I’ve found that the best way to meet people through industry organizations is to get involved with the groups. If you’re a writer, offer to write press releases. If you’re an event planner on the side, offer to help with the programming committee. Many associations suffer from lack of motivation, so your offer will not go unnoticed. And what better way to have a reason to talk to someone?
Showing that you give your talents for associations is a great way to beef up your resume, meet people with professional interests related to your own, and who knows, you might even like “networking”!
Oh, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t plug CreativeCamp here. It’s way fun, but don’t take my word for it!
Check out Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and the many other books, blogs, articles and resources that will help you improve your networking skills.
Technorati Tags: Networking, industry organizations, resume enhancers, Never Eat Alone
