You visit us here daily and weekly, and you come back to read our articles. You tweet, share, and post them out to your communities because they bring some value to your day and life. You can build your brand through blogging using the same methods we did to be seen as an expert. As bloggers in this community, we really appreciate that. We want you to get to know us as people and professionals. How else do we build the like and trust, that paves the way for a possible professional relationship? I got serious about my blog in 2010, and write for several national websites and blogs that represent the areas I want to be known for. This blog, this team and content is important to me. The blog format and vehicle is important to me and according to all the latest 2011 research from Technorati's Blogosphere, blogging continues to be a hot trend that is just getting started and for good reason. It can build your brand and propel your clout and authority to the top of your field fairly quickly. Content creation and content marketing are only at the beginning. We are officially a "content generation" world, so get on the train and ride with us. You don't have to be anything more than yourself and do what you are capable of doing, but you should seriously consider adding, updating and integrating blogging into your marketing repertoire. It's NOT negotiable if you want to be taken as a serious player. You have a personal brand but not enough people know about you? Start blogging once a week. A short well written focused article with a strong headline can be very effective. Promote it with the other social media tools you use... it will build reach. Blogging lets people learn more about you and how you help others. Write about what you know, what you are good at and how others have worked with you. Great for your branding. Blogging can get more people to recommend and promote you. When they like what you write about they usually share it with their communities and then others share it with theirs. It goes on like that. Blogging is easy to integrate with e-mail marketing and other social media. All of the social tools have easy ways to link and share. Blogging and writing gives people a glimpse into your mind and muse. Writing allows people to get up closer and more personal with you on your expertise, your hobbies, fascinations and offers them a way to share you with others! Blogging is trending strong now and will continue to. Whether you are a hobby blogger, corporation, mommy or expert, blogging is a way to share information and open a dialogue with others. Hire somebody to help you or simply commit to getting better at it yourself. It will pay big dividends. Just ask any one of us that write weekly and monthly for this blog. You have helped all of us build our brand and authority in this space.
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
Bigstock
Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
Bigstock
In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
Bigstock
You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
- How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
- The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
- How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
- The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
- And, a lot more hacks for job search success!
Let us show you the secrets to getting a new, better-paying job you actually love. Sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp today.
Are you ready to land the job of your dreams (and leave the job of your nightmares)?