Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 12:59 PM PDT

Today marks the release of the latest informational video from ResumeBear, highlighting the simplicity and effectiveness of its online resume delivery system. This 3 and a half minute long video walks newcomers through the simple steps to creating, editing, sending and tracking of their online resume.
This video (Hi-res version) shows the 1 minute sign-up process, as well as simple steps to upload a resume in Microsoft Word format, one of ResumeBear's newest and most prominent functions. It also covers, in more detail, the resume creation wizard, which allows resumes to be created from scratch by answering simple questions. It concludes with how to track your resume's views, and the benefits of doing so during your job search.
The ResumeBear allows its users to take a more proactive approach to their job search, and enables their resumes to stand out from the normal, everyday resumes that pour into businesses each and every day.
Make sure you watch the video, and if you aren't already a member, sign-up today – It's FREE!

Rudest city in America: congrats, you won?

Posted: 15 Jun 2011 07:19 AM PDT

Here's a distinction you probably don't highlight on your Visitor's Bureau brochure: you've just been voted "America's Rudest City" by Travel and Leisure Magazine, according to USA Today's Travel section.
According to the article, there are plenty of people who don't love LA. It was selected as the rudest city in America, not the Big Apple as we might think.
Not surprisingly, a lot of the "top" rudest cities were also the ones that see a lot of traffic congestion. Face it, people are not civil in bumper-to-bumper traffic. They get irritable, they get grouchy…they get rude.
I'm sorry to say my own Seattle ranked 16 of the top 20 "rudest" cities ranked. Shoot, guys…can't we take it a little easier on each other?
On the flip side, Charleston, SC is frequently voted as the most polite city in America. I don't know how that stands recently, but I'm lobbying for Seattle to work a bit harder on its manners so WE can turn that "impolite" ranking around. What do you think? Can we do it?
What if we all took a little mental chill pill before getting in our cars and consider that cutting someone off on the road really doesn't shave ANY measurable time off our commute? Or, when we get ready to board a plane, remember that we all leave at the same time? We can even get proactive and remember to grace someone with a smile when we hold open a door — it may be dreary and rainy outside, but how 'bout we spread a little emotional sunshine?
It wouldn't be hard. It'd just take a little more "outside thinking" as we say in SocialSmarts and consider others' needs, too, not just ours. If every city on the "Top 20″ list took just a little time and made an effort, I'm sure we could all turn it around.
How's this: friendly competition for that "Politest City" award. We could arm-wrestle for it! <grin>

About Corinne Gregory

The 'Civil' Warrior & School Crusader

I'm an author, speaker, award-winning educator focused on social skills, character and values development for children, educators, and professionals. As the President and Founder of SocialSmarts, a nationally-recognized, schools-based program for building positive social skills, I'm very passionate about improving the education system for every child, every teacher, every family. While it may seem like a big job — changing our education system — it's a necessary one, and one we can do, if we work together and insist on it.

My experience and message about the power of social skills and positive character have been featured on such leading media as The Today Show, CNN, Good Morning America, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post and many more.

For more on SocialSmarts and how we are transforming education, click here.

To book me as a speaker for your students, education staff or business, email triciam@socialsmarts.com for info and schedule. You can also learn more about my presentations, view testimonials and videos at www.corinnegregory.com

The Work Buzz's Latest News: Companies hiring this week

Companies hiring this week

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:27 AM PDT

Today — Tuesday, June 14^th — is an exciting day.
It's Flag Day (this should help you get in the spirit) and it's also the day before the Stanley Cup champion is decided (Go Bruins!). But, we hope you can tap into your excitement reserves and show some enthusiasm for our weekly list of companies hiring, below.

GEICO
Industry: Insurance
Sample job titles: Claims representative, customer service representative, sales representative
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets
Industry: Grocery, retail
Sample job titles: Team leader, customer assistant, store manager, production managers, kitchen table associates
Public Consulting Group
Industry: Public sector consulting
Sample job titles: Business analyst, consultant, senior consultant, schools specialist, project manager, software engineer, program manager
Career Systems Development
Industry: Education
Sample job titles: Residential advisors, instructors, cooks, drivers, alcohol and drug counselors, counselor
Accenture
Industry: Consulting
Sample job titles: Java technical architect, financial management analyst, Informatica developer, .Net support analyst
Summit Health
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Flu shot nurses, wellness iInstructors, medical directors
Siemens
Industry: Electronics and electrical engineering
Sample job titles: Software engineer, product engineer, electrical engineer, mechanical engineer, energy engineer, quality engineer, biochemist, research scientist, clinical application specialists
Lowe's Home Improvement
Industry: Retail (IT)
Sample job titles: Web Sphere, Developer, C+ Unix, senior system analyst
The Dow Chemical Company
Industry: Manufacturing
Sample job titles: Business analyst / IS, process automation engineer, analytical chemist, production manager, Improvement Engineer
Allscripts
Industry: Health care
Sample job titles: Software developer, implementation consultant
Location: Boston, New York, Raleigh, Chicago
For more companies hiring, check out recent posts, below:
June 7th
May 31st
May 25th

blogging4jobs

Quit Selling. Start Engaging HR & Recruiting.

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:58 AM PDT

HR Vendor, HR vendors, human resource solutions, HR marketplace, human resource solution, HR solutions, HR solution

As the 2011 SHRM Annual Conference less than 2 weeks away, HR Service Providers can learn how to engage social media influencers and industry practitioners in the human resources, recruiting, and talent management industry. SHRM's annual conference held in Vegas is nearing 25,000 plus attendees. With the sheer volume of HR professionals attending the event and others like it, HR service providers are looking for creative ways to establish relationships and build rapport with potential HR customers.
A free webinar titled, "How to Reach HR & Recruiting with Social Media" is scheduled for June 21^st at 11 AM CST will provide insights on how HR Consultants and Service Provider can engage HR practitioners and recruiters using social media.
I'm excited to announce our final panel member to the stellar webinar lineup. Michael Long. Michael is an Employment Brand Expert for Rackspace who is known as The Red Recruiter. His work and experience in social media and relationship building is unprecedented, "Jessica Miller-Merrell, CEO of Xceptional HR.
The panel of experts includes some of the best in the HR and Recruiting social media spaces. Influencers like Michael Long of Rackspace; Kris Dunn, creator of Fistful of Talent; Craig Fisher of Fishdogs.com; marketing mogul William Tincup; and social media HR author, Jessica Miller-Merrell round out the group.
Learn how Human Resources, Recruiting, Talent Management consultants and service providers can engage, network, and build relationships with these influential professionals, HR Bloggers, and decision makers online with social media. Learn from some of the top online HR and Recruiting leaders how to develop relationships and engage HR online. Learn best practices, tips, and suggestions for HR vendors and their marketing teams directly from the mouth of panel of HR practitioners.
Registration for the webinar is limited. Attendees will hear from industry experts to increase engagement, build brand, and rapport using social media to drive sales and revenue for their organizations.
"How to Reach HR & Recruiting with Social Media" Webinar is June 21^st at 11 AM CST. Learn more about the event by visiting the webinar registration page. Follow Twitter with the hash tag #hrsolutions.

Twitter & Terminations — a Cautionary Tale

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 05:49 AM PDT

social media policy, social media policies, twitter termination, human resources, HR, social media HR

Think before you tweet. That's a good message for anyone who's logged on and begun using social media for business as well as personal reasons. Companies should also follow a similar rule, "Think before you terminate."
But failing to use or apply these two rules together, that's spells media circus for a small economic development and publicly funded agency in Pennsylvania.
Companies must now consider the potential media attention they will and may receive when moving to terminate an employee.
The Leigh Valley Economic Development Corporation is learning this lesson first hand. And maybe, just maybe this is a lesson they can learn so you don't have to.
The company's social media specialist, Vanessa Williams (@prpeep) was let go after posting to the company's Twitter account, @LVEDC. The tweet posted on Friday, June 3^th, said the following, “We start summer hours today. That means most of the staff leave at noon, many to hit the links. Do you observe summer hours? What do you do?”
Williams was reported to have been terminated for the tweet as well as other circumstances that were not disclosed. Like many organizations, the company didn’t have a formal social media policy. She was offered a severance package, and it appears the company did not act swiftly and generously enough with their offer. She has hired an attorney to clear her name adding more fuel to the media fire.
This story isn't so much about Williams and if she should have been fired. This looks to be an over-reaction by a group of decision makers who don't fully understand social media. With over 155 million tweets posted each day, it is likely that Williams's tweet would have been long forgotten. This story is more about the potential damage and unforeseen factors that can sneak up on a company when they move to termination.
The company should have kept their mouth shut about the termination. Their statement and interview with a local reporter created a media firestorm. Articles from publications around the world as well as an AP article, fueled the fire. If anyone deserves to be reprimanded or terminated, it's the employee representative that was quoted in the article.
Social media is public forum, which is contrary to most employment situations. These happen behind closed doors. If a company is going to terminate someone who has a presence on social media or because of conduct on a social platform, companies need to consider the potential fallout both positive and negative for themselves as well as the terminated employee in question.
While a termination may seem just fine in your mind, it doesn't hurt to consult an expert outside of both HR and legal. In this day and age with the use of social media and its prevalence in the workplace, that expert just may be your Marketing and PR team.
Photo Credit Laughing Squid.

HR blogger, HR blogs, recruiting blogs, #hrblogs

How to Easily “Unfriend” Someone on LinkedIn

How to Easily “Unfriend” Someone on LinkedIn

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 08:33 AM PDT

While it’s not always pleasant or something we do every day, the need to remove a social media contact does come up from time to time. The term “unfriend” was even named “Word of the Year” a couple of years ago. As a LinkedIn open networker, you do find yourself needing to perform this action more often than a typical LinkedIn user. You may find yourself connected to a spammer, a fake profile, someone who’s become a bother for whatever reason, or you may need to remove inactive accounts to “make room” for active and/or real-life connections. It sounds harsh, but it’s a fact of life, especially for those of us who are capped at 30K first-level connections and no longer able to accept invites and connect with the real-life contacts we work with every day.

While Facebook and Twitter allow you to easily remove someone by simply visiting their profile and clicking “unfriend” or “unfollow”, LinkedIn doesn’t have this capability. You must follow this clunky process to remove a connection:

1. Click on the “Contacts” link on the toolbar across the top of your screen.
2. Select “My Connections” from the dropdown menu.
3. Click on the “Remove Connections” link in the top right corner.
4. Wait for the page to pull up (if it ever does… see below).
5. Search by last name.
6. Click “Remove.”

This cumbersome and clunky process has become even more frustrating lately since the “Remove Connections” page has been timing out for me (and many other superconnectors) for the past couple of months. Those of us with large networks are no longer able to remove connections at all! Very frustrating indeed… While I’m hopeful that the recent IPO will free up some funds to enable LinkedIn to buy more servers and increase their bandwidth, I decided to contact Customer Service in the meantime to see if they could help out. Their only recommended solution to my problem was that they would be happy to cut my network from 30K first-level connections to 5K. What?? Ummmm, no thanks!

Guess I was on my own to figure out a workaround…

Here’s what I came up with… my latest LinkedIn hack… a “Remove a Connection” Quicklink!

Not only is this tip helpful for those of us who are no longer able to access the “Remove Connections” page, it’s also a much quicker option for anyone who needs to remove a connection, for whatever reason. Rather than a six-step process, you can go straight to a person’s profile and easily figure out the link to remove him/her.

Here’s how:

1. Go to that person’s profile and identify his/her unique LinkedIn member number. It’s the number embedded in their LinkedIn profile URL (right after “id=”).

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=000000000&authType=name&authToken=lqMQ&locale=en_US&pvs=pp&trk=ppro_viewmore
2. Copy their member number, paste it at the end of this link and then plug the whole thing into your URL window. Voila! They’re removed!

http://www.linkedin.com/connections?breakConnections=&connectionChooser=000000000
This quicklink only allows you to remove one connection at a time, but at least it’s quick, easy, direct and will never time out on you!

Happy networking!

Article BY:

Stacy Donovan Zapar San Diego, CA, United States Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn ~ Blogging about Social Media, Recruiting, Networking and Job Search Tips & Tricks… Pay It Forward!

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The Work Buzz's Latest News: Don’t be a Weiner at work

Don’t be a Weiner at work

Posted: 13 Jun 2011 09:02 AM PDT

It's tough to own up to a mistake. It's embarrassing and humbling, and often there are consequences to face after taking responsibility for a wrongdoing. That's why sometimes, people ignore or even flatly deny mistakes they’ve made — even when seemingly caught red-handed — hoping to somehow avoid the repercussions of their actions.
However, like Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., and former International Monetary Fund Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn have demonstrated in the news recently, denying a mistake — especially when others are pretty certain that you're the guilty party — can often make a bad situation infinitely worse. When the truth comes out, you not only look like a fool, but a liar as well.
So next time you make a mistake at work, own up to it — it'll save you trouble, it'll save your professional image and it may even save your job. Since 'fessing up is one of those things that’s easier said than done, though, we gathered some expert advice to help you do it right.
1. Admit to the mistake quickly. Once you realize you've messed up, it's best to tell your boss as soon as possible. "If your boss hears it from you rather than others, she or he will trust you more," says Joseph Grenny, BusinessWeek leadership columnist and co-author of The New York Times best-seller "Crucial Conversations." Confessing right away will not only prove to your boss that you're trustworthy, but also that you’re responsible and concerned about correcting your actions.
2. Overcompensate for your mistake. After you admit to the mistake, be fully prepared to rectify your actions by whatever means necessary. This isn't the time for pride or ego. "If a customer was hurt, for example, surprise and delight them in how you respond to their concerns," Grenny says. "And let your boss know as soon as possible what you're doing to fix the problem so she or he recognizes you're owning the problem you created."
3. Share what you learned. Once you've rectified the situation, sit down with your boss and identify what went wrong, how it went wrong and how things will be different in the future, Grenny says. Explaining that you completely understand how you made the mistake and how you can avoid making it again will help restore your boss's faith in you.
4. Ask for feedback. After sharing what you learned, "ask the boss what other lessons you should draw from this experience," Grenny says. She might have her own perspective on the situation.
Did you make a mistake at work and confess? How did it work out for you? Tell us about it in the comments section.

[New Posts] How to Inadvertently Sabotage Your Job Search

How to Inadvertently Sabotage Your Job Search

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 11:00 PM PDT

What types of details are you revealing during a job search that cause a hiring manager to turn away? Are you sabotaging your job search?

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Social Networking for Career Success

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 10:30 PM PDT

Social networking helps job hunters demonstrate their subject matter expertise to a broad audience while growing a community of contacts.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.

Creating Your Professional Development Plan: 3 Surprising Truths

Posted: 14 Jun 2011 07:34 AM PDT

Your professional development is not the responsibility of anyone but you. Not your company, not your boss, not even your coach. Just you.

To get this useful advice and many other helpful career resources, visit us now at CAREEREALISM.com.