5 Ways to Build a Kickass LinkedIn Company Page

5 Ways to Build a Kickass LinkedIn Company Page A LinkedIn company page should be treated in the same way as a Facebook and Twitter page. With over 500  million members worldwide, and 20 million alone in the United Kingdom, the site is extremely popular and could attract a lot more business (and possible employees) than you first expect. Here are 5 crucial tips to  follow to ensure your LinkedIn company page is in with the best. 1 Branding/banner Customers like to have logos and branding that they can recognise, therefore ensure the banner on your page is high quality, links in with your branding and colour scheme elsewhere but, importantly, is different to your Facebook cover photo or Twitter banner image. It is also necessary to ensure the right logos are uploaded onto your page (there are two logo options for LinkedIn pages the logo for the top of the page, and the square logo for the network updates on each followers home feed). If incorrect logos are uploaded, or they are not high quality enough it will ruin the effect of the page and put off possible customers or employees make sure everything is correct, branded the same and high quality. Additionally, ensure that all links to your company website are correct and working otherwise user may get lost in the internet and be put off your company. 2 Wording/search ability As a company, you will want your LinkedIn page to be one of the first results when future customers search certain terms or words. Dont overuse buzzwords, and dont use standard search terms that every company will use. Keep it simple if you are a recruiter in London, concentrating on media state that, and it will help your search ranking. In addition, keep it simple, no user wants to read three long paragraphs on the history of your company! 3 YouTube video Customers arriving at your page may not have too much time to spend reading long paragraphs of text so include a quick video. Who doesnt love a video? Build a quick YouTube clip that will summarise your company in 30 seconds and ensure you tailor it for your LinkedIn page, not just a general advert that a customer may have seen elsewhere. LinkedIn should be taken as a whole different outlet, with new content and branding, and a YouTube clip to fit.  Keep the video short, sweet and interesting it may make someone click that very important Follow button! 4 Details and information LinkedIn give the options for users to fill in information that is found  elsewhere   such as web address and office address, but also companies can fill in company type, size, industry and status. Make sure this information is correct, up-to-date and filled in. Customers like to see facts about the company, as it makes them feel that you are actually a group of humans, instead of just a standard page. 5 Keep it updated The final and most important point to a great LinkedIn company page is to keep it updated. Too often I stumble across a LinkedIn company pages with very little information, and no updates and its not a good look. Be social, get your employees involved and commenting and keep the updates flowing and then the customers and prospective employees will flow in. Conclusions/Takeaways There you have it 5 simple steps to building a kick-ass LinkedIn company page the branding, the wording and search level, a good video, detailed information and regular updates. Have you seen any really good company pages or even bad ones? Share them in the comments below! RELATED: Why Your LinkedIn Company Page is More Important than Your Website

Best Way to Find a New Job

Best Way to Find a New JobGoogle resume templates are being used by thousands of job seekers each day. These new programs have proven to be the easiest and most convenient way to make a resume. You can add, edit, and manage your resume in just a few seconds, making it easy for you to get a new job quickly.Your resume is the key to landing the job you want. It tells the employer what you have to offer. However, many employers are using technology to identify their needs quicker. You can easily create a resume that will catch the attention of those hiring managers, and they can quickly narrow their choices down to two or three applicants who best fit their requirements.We live in a modern computerized world. There are many programs available to help you make your resume stand out from the rest. These programs save time and make the process much easier. In order to keep up with today's job market, job seekers need to adapt their resumes as needed. Recruiters will often search their data bases looking for candidates that fit the requirement.With the help of modern technology, employers can quickly find the right candidate for the job they need. Instead of relying on paper and pencil, you can easily create a professional looking resume that reflects your personality and experiences. When you have a unique resume that your future employer knows will impress them, you will be able to get a job faster.Google resume templates are easy to use. Using this program will give you the flexibility to add keywords, place relevant information, and delete or insert the text. You can use one or more resumes from the database to get ideas and then put together a custom-made resume. These programs allow you to easily manage your resume and update it as needed.If you are unable to come up with the right words to express your qualifications for the job you are applying for, you can use the tools in the program to create a custom resume. Once you have the basic information organized, yo u can add the information you need to better describe your qualifications. Then you can revise and edit the resume until it meets the hiring manager's specific needs.This program uses Google's powerful search engine to find candidates that meet the criteria of the company. Once a candidate is found, it gives you the ability to read the job description. This allows you to quickly understand what the company needs from you.The Google resume program has proven to be very popular. With the help of modern technology, hiring managers can quickly find the right candidate for the job they need. You can also use this program to create a new resume, review it, and make changes if needed.

Why Bad Days Matter in Recruitment

Why Bad Days Matter in Recruitment It is a stigma in recruitment (especially with all the bragging and oversharing that goes on over social media channels about celebrating success, brilliant client wins, smashing targets and hot deals) that anyone ever has a bad day/week/month/quarter. Yet the reality is, we ALL have bad times in recruitment if you have been in it for more than a year. I think we should be discussing our bad days too, as we can share tips and anecdotes of that you can do to ensure your bad days are restricted to a minimum and what you can to learn from those days. Lets go back a step The psychology behind what we do in recruitment, regardless of our sector, discipline or market, is to seamlessly create opportunities for human beings we engage with a person who has feelings, thoughts and influences we cannot possibly begin to think we can control. Whether that be a candidate or a client. By adopting and implementing various Neuro Linguistic Programming-led techniques to persuade and challenge our customers, the most successful recruiters will often “turn around” a placement that someone less agile would not have placed. This happened to me recently: I had met a senior recruitment manager, lets call her Jane. Jane had over a decade in her market specialism and after a number of years in one employer, had made a move a few months before to a company who had oversold her the dream and had quickly turned her job into a daily nightmare (including having to ask to go to the toilet? Fancy that as a 30-something mother of one and senior recruiter?). Anyway… Jane met me through a third-party recommendation and we talked about the market and potential opportunities. In the discussions, I talked about one of my clients, someone I have known and trusted for over a decade, actually an ex-colleague. Jane was unsure as the brand was unknown to her. It was a greater “risk” as she didn’t know them but I did. On the day of the first interview, Jane called me to ask me to cancel the interview as she just wasn’t feeling it. By gently probing her concerns, I managed to persuade her to still meet my client given the short notice. Fast forward to the present day Jane took the job and not only that, messaged me last week to say that she was “so glad you told me to go for that interview instead of canceling it!”. I digress because it is important to be able to have victories like this as an experienced and accomplished recruiter. But then I also have days where that doesn’t go to plan. Let’s take Joe. He is a junior recruiter I met last month, a recommendation through his soon-to-be ex-manager as Joe was under threat of redundancy due to the internal relation of a recruitment team. I met Joe the same day and within 24 hours had lined up three interviews for him. He was honest from the start that he had already spoken to an ex-director the same day as me but as we agreed he was at such an early stage in his career he wanted a few options on the table to establish which company would be the best one for his development. My first two clients didn’t pursue Joe and I was candid with feedback, The third however totally got him and within 24 hours were ready to make an offer. But then Joe went “cold” on me rather than the friendly phone calls, I got a long formal email asking me to withdraw him as he had accepted an offer from the ex-director, possibly something I would have understood but he didn’t have it in writing and I would always advise this before withdrawing from other processes. This was a bad day as my client had re-worked his entire senior teams calendars to fit my candidate in so they could make a decision promptly. Not only did the candidate make me feel bad, but my client also. When a fee falls out, there is no worse feeling. Weeks, potentially months, of hard work down the drain for nothing. Even those who work in retained fees, you cant charge your final third if the candidate doesnt start. The feeling of disappointment, frustration and occasionally anger is hard to explain to a non-recruiter. I always want to say its the wrong way round and we should charge the candidate to look for a new job only joking…. really. Bad days happen Of course, they do. We all have troughs, weeks or months where every process turns to cr*p and no matter what you do, you sense that you have no longer got the Midas touch. This is even harder for those who are doing everything right and are only starting out in their recruitment careers, but this is where a good recruitment manager is essential to feedback what they are doing well and keep going. Do you think “Lady Luck” exists in recruitment? hell, yes, I do. Sometimes you have gifted that candidate who just so happens to come along when their perfect employer has called you with a brief befitting this candidates profile. And the process is seamless. And you even feel a little guilty sending your 20% invoice out. But we take those rare gifts when in reality recruitment is filled with more bad days than good days we are built of resilient stuff. We take rejection on a daily, nay hourly basis and those who succeed in recruitment are those who take it on the chin and then get back up off the floor for another go straight away. Bad days make us better recruiters what did you learn from the process? what could you have done differently? what would you do if you could repeat the scenario? Ask yourself that and you will bounce back and remain positive. What do you do to counter a bad day in the recruitment world?

5 Places You Might Have Overlooked in Your Job Search

5 Places You Might Have Overlooked in Your Job Search Every day, you might curl up with the wanted ads from your local paper, scour the online job boards, and interrogate your friends about potential openings at their places of business ? but you might never find a position that truly captures your interest. Many workplaces are more or less identical: Employees toil away in the confines of their cubicles, completing their work and going home. You want something exciting and different ? but for that, you might need to apply to places you never thought to look. Every place you visit offers opportunities for employment, which means some of your favorite locations could be the perfect places to apply. The following five places are different from the average business, which might make them fascinating new opportunities during your job search. Museums and Galleries Though museums and galleries are sanctuaries of art and culture, they must run just like a typical business to continue enlightening the public. Regardless of whether an institution is a for- or not-for-profit, it requires financial geniuses, marketing gurus, human resources agents, and other important professionals to keep its doors open. Additionally, you might find work as an exhibit designer, an outreach coordinator, a special educator, or even a curator. Positions at big-name museums like the Smithsonian or the Met are cut-throat competitive, but if you find value in spreading culture and history to those interested, then working your way into a museum or gallery career might be exactly what you need. K-12 Schools When most people consider working in primary or secondary education, they only think of teaching. Indeed, the United States is in dire need of high-quality teachers, but if you don’t see yourself capable of leading a classroom of rowdy kids, you still shouldn’t overlook schools as places of possible employment. School administration contains dozens of positions that depend on alternative skills, such as problem-solving, financial savvy, emotional intelligence, and more. You can devote your talents to a single school or work for the district, designing curricula and policies, balancing budgets, or otherwise giving what you can to help young lives. If you are enchanted by the opportunity to impact little lives but terrified by confronting 30-plus at once, you can still apply to work at schools. Speech-language coaches, special-ed tutors, and guidance counselors all help children struggling to achieve, thereby making a positive impact on the future. For some school positions, you might need to return to re-enter the classroom yourself, for example taking online counseling programs to become a certified school counselor, if you like the idea of helping students, but more one-on-one. Libraries Like a combination between museums and schools, libraries allow the public a place for self-education, a space for community events, and so much more. Currently, many libraries across the country are undergoing a transition from physical repositories to digital services providers ? and they need as much help as possible surviving the change. If you are adept at technology, you might be eagerly accepted at libraries trying to implement more online programs. Additionally, libraries continue to need assistance organizing events, acquiring books, and providing other essential on-site services. Overseas You don’t have to work in America. If you’re constantly finding yourself daydreaming about your next big trip, you might consider looking for work at businesses around the world. More likely than not, you can find a viable career in your current field in English-speaking countries like the U.K., Australia, and South Africa. Additionally, enterprises in developing nations ? particularly those in East Asia ? are eager for young, American professionals to provide guidance in emerging markets. You can either pick a country and find work there or search international job boards for open positions in your field. Anywhere and Everywhere Finally, you should consider abandoning employment altogether and beginning a career working for yourself. Freelancing is exploding in popularity, and it’s easy to see why: flexible hours, flexible location, control over projects, control over pay, and the list goes on. Some experts predict almost half of America’s workforce ? roughly 60 million people ? will be freelancers by 2020. You can join the freelancing revolution today and find work through a number of online marketplaces, including Upwork, Elance, and Freelancer. The best way to transition into freelancing is slowly. For some time, you may need to remain at your current nine-to-five job, until you can develop a reliable, paying client base for your freelance work. Eventually, you will be able to cut ties with traditional employment and work anywhere, at any time, doing whatever fulfilling jobs you want.

Writing a Resume Outline

Writing a Resume OutlineWriting a resume outline is a good idea for any job seeker. But what exactly is a resume outline? This article will briefly explain what a resume outline is, what it does, and why you need to write one.The main goal of a resume is to get your resume read by an employer. There are many things that can be written on a resume, but only a few things that should be on it. As such, each resume should have only one goal: to convince the hiring manager of your capabilities. If you don't do this, your resume won't do anything.First off, when you're writing a resume, you should include basic information. These might include your name, the name of your employer, and the name of your department. You should also give a little bit about yourself, as well as the title of your job and even the education you received. If there's something on your resume that you are ashamed of, you should be honest and mention it.When writing your resume, you should list your skills in the job description. Then you should list your education, if applicable, and any relevant work experience that you may have had. And finally, you should have some specific qualifications.These should include specific requirements that must be met in order to apply for the position, the salary range, whether you want a position in a division or other outside of the company, and any other personal requirements that are listed in the job advertisement. Finally, you should list any training that you may have received, and whether or not you have a professional license and proof of insurance.Now that you understand what a resume outline is, how do you go about writing one? If you feel overwhelmed by the task, you can hire a writer or writing service to help you with your resume. Or you can simply write the resume yourself, so long as you follow these guidelines.First off, do not write your resume outline the same way every time. Each employer is unique, and the resume should reflect this. Some may care more about keywords and self-serving filler words than others. If you can afford it, hire a freelancer to come in and give you a template, or you can just start with a clean slate. Or if you prefer, you can find sample resumes online, and then you can see if they can help you write your own.A resume outline is a great way to show employers that you have taken the time to prepare a professional resume. Whether you get your dream job or not, you should at least put yourself out there with a well-written resume. Your resume is your first chance at getting your career started, so you should make it shine.

Dont Wait Too Long to Follow Your Dreams

Dont Wait Too Long to Follow Your Dreams This weekend I sang my heart out off-Broadway in NYC. The show, entitled Follow Your Dreams included me singing jazz classics each with an inspirational message, as well as a mini-workshop where the emcee took the audience through a fun, interactive dream building session. All of this backed up by a fabulous trio of musicians on bass, piano and trumpet. To check out the bass and trumpet player, visit The Jazz Conceptions Orchestra.As part of my walk the talk philosophy, its been important to not only tell others to go after their dreams but to be an example myself. I am happy to report that many said it was my best performance yet! Ive also made it a point to have others in the show who are walking examples of living the dream. This includes the band as well as the emcee for the show, Craig.A former financial services consultant, Craig was laid-off in January. For some, losing a job is a negative but for Craig it has been a blessing in disguise. (It was for me too read my layoff in to a positive story.) Resident travel writer for RealHoboken.com for the past 3 years, Craig traveled the world with consulting and published many of his travel adventures. Now with 20 stories in his portfolio, Craig is taking a chance on his dream of becoming a full-time writer.First he started by taking a Vocation Vacation where he spent two intense days being mentored by a professional travel writer. Next he put himself out there as a writer by appearing on Fox Friends for a career change segment. He also took me up on an offer of career coaching, writing out his day-in-the-life vision as a professional writer. Now four months later, Craigs dream career is becoming reality. He is writing for travel and cultural blogs as well as pursuing several ghost writing opportunities. He has room to grow to get back to his Wall Street level salary but hes excited to use this time to invest in his dream career.One of the songs I sang in the show was made famous by Madeleine Peyroux, called D ont Wait Too Long. It says, Take a chance, play your part! Well Craig is not only taking a chance on his career, he is also playing his part in inspiring others. Thank you for walking the talk Craig!If youve taken a chance on a new career, share it here. How did you do it? Its okay if youre not there yet. Just share what part you would most like to play in life and career. Dont Wait Too Long because time can slip away.

Interviewing Authentically

Interviewing Authentically A recent article in SHRMs HR Magazine (subscription required) suggests that some of todays job seekers have studied interview books so thoroughly that it is hard for the hiring manager to uncover authentic answers to their questions. Candidates are answering questions with what they believe is the correct answer as deemed by a book on interview strategy rather than speaking about their specific experiences.Nothing kills a candidates chances for a job faster than a perceived lack of authenticity. When I prepare candidates for interviews, I recommend forgetting about the interview books and concentrating on success stories. Write out your stories using the PAR system. Look at Problems faced on the job, the Actions you took to fix the problems, and the quantifiable Results of your actions. Look for trends within your stories and group your experiences into categories based on the story themes. Create groupings of stories that effectively demonstrate your competencies as a leader, decisi on maker, creative problem solver, collaborative business partner, or anything else that is an integral part of your professional brand.By using this strategy, you eliminate the need to use stale responses to the hiring managers questions. Regardless of the question asked, you will have an authentic story that demonstrates your competency within a given area. Good interviewing is all about building a relationship with a hiring authority. Offer responses that showcase your success and prove your value add. You will generate immediate credibility with the hiring authority and score big points in the interview game.