Tuesday, July 12, 2011

blogging4jobs

Win a Trip to Orlando by Joining B4J Mobile Club

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 03:49 PM PDT

As I’m adapting to the different technologies and tools, I’m particularly intrigued and interested in the mobile communication side. It’s because of that I’m officially launching the mobile side of Blogging4Jobs.
Readers can opt into receive mobile alerts via text right to their mobile phones. Initially, I will be sharing the top blog of the week from my site in addition to cool prizes and promotions that I have. Ideally, you would receive no more than 2-4 messages per week and have the ability to opt out at any time.
As I head to BlogHer in early August, I’m excited to give my readers some amazing opportunities as VIP mobile members. For example, I get a lot of book promotions, prizes, gift certificates, and other items that I can offer my readers before it hits the blog. The mobile club will have first dibs. Plus, they get the top blog content every single week straight to their phones.

To kick start the B4J mobile club, I’m giving away a 5 day 4 night stay at the Wyndham Bonnett Creek Resort inside Disney World grounds. The suite has two rooms, a full kitchen, two bathrooms, and laundry amenities inside the suite. I love the grounds and stayed there last just before Ryleigh was born in 2008. (You will love it!) Additionally, I’m giving the lucky winner a $500 travel voucher to get you there.
All you have to do is text 55678 and b4j to be entered to win. I’ll be drawing one lucky winner just after the contest ends on August 15th. Total prize package is easily worth $2,800. The suite sleeps 4-6 comfortably.
I’m also offering a special incentive to the person who shares this blog post and contest on Twitter. So please share and away and thanks for reading and being a part of Blogging4Jobs.
Learn more about the Blogging4Jobs Mobile Club and don’t forget to enter yourself a chance to win by texting 55678 to b4j.
Photo Credit Undercover Tourist & Zazzle.

Crowdsourcing the Job Search with Social Media

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:43 PM PDT

creative job search tactics, job search crowdsourcing, social media for job search, hr social media jobs, how to find a job on twitter, how to find a job on facebook

While playing around on Google+ today I saw a post by Chris Brogan. Because of the sheer volume of followers I have in my own tweet stream, I’m sad to admit that I miss out on some of Chris’s insights. But thankfully for Google+ and Chris’s post, I saw this great video and blog post from DJ Waldow (@djwaldow) and his Job Search Social Media Experiment, titled #projectawesome. It’s right up my alley, and I felt compelled to share.

You see DJ was laid off from his marketing and community job at Blue Sky Factory on July 1st, 2011. Like most people when they receive news like this they have a choice, either do something or do nothing. DJ chose the former. He used his contacts and relationships to create a 4 minute video testimonial that he has posted on his blog as well as youtube from some of the most influential online marketers and social media thinkers. DJ is being very open with his job search and relying on testimonials and crowd sourcing techniques to fuel interest from employers and elevate his job search.
I like it.
Creative job search tactics have gotten good press since the recession in 2008. I’ve seen more stories on guys who have used billboards, sandwich boards, and even sell themselves on e-bay to find work. DJ’s approach fits his industry (marketing and social media), demonstrates his expertise and credibility not just because of the testimonials but because of the quality of edited video which he put together.
Included in his blog post are different mediums of his resume to appeal to different audiences, while elevating his blog post at the top of search engines — youtube and slideshare.
The concept of crowd sourcing your resume is one that I like. It’s smart. It bypasses the traditional long and often frustrating job search and interview evaluation process. His hope is to reach a company or industry influencer without using an applicant tracking system or working with the first point of contact usually the HR professional or recruiter.
Early case studies like this are interesting because they make use of social media and the micro celebrity in a new and interesting way. The stigma that is sometimes still associated with being laid off by prospective employers is lessened because he is able to demonstrate his own skills in action as a online and social media marketer.
Question is how can you use social media to elevate your job search? Can crowdsourcing tactics help or hurt your job search outside of the social media and marketing industries? And is being completely transparent a strategy you’re worth gambling with?

Photo Credit Law Octopus.

Network TV Drama & the Little White Lies in the Workplace

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:43 AM PDT

employee performance reviews, annual reviews, employee performance, employee engagement, leadership style, workplace culture, workplace white lies

The workplace is a culture, a human echo system filled with those doing, avoiding, and lying. It's a veritable melting pot filled with drama, entertainment, gossip and despair. Your office serves as the set and stage for the workplace daytime soap opera or evening network drama. And if you have multiple locations, consider each one an individual show on the same television network. Sometimes the devious, interesting, or most popular characters make multiple appearances. Yes, your company is like CBS with each location serving up the drama and excitement that is Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. With your management, leadership, and HR teams playing a role or running referee.
Like any good drama television or your workplace, it's the little white lies that serve up the fun. And by fun I mean employment investigations, sexual harassment scenarios, and broken promises. Yes, these are the Days of Our Lives.
The little white lies in the workplace are the host of any good workplace drama. Cheating spouses, thieving co-workers, and lying bosses. You know the drill, but for most of us we like to think we're good and honest employees. Doing an honest days work for an honest day's pay. And our boss's tend to agree especially when employee performance review time looms near. Let the little white lie jamboree begin.
A 2006 Study by Friends Provident found that 80% of those surveyed admitted to telling white lies and 2/3 of those lies happening to be dispensed while in the office. Makes me wonder how many of those white lies surfaced during performance review time.
Interestingly enough a 2011 study by Globoforce Workforce Mood Tracker, 51% of employee reviews are useless. Today’s workforce thinks employee performance reviews are not an accurate appraisal of their work. Making your manager’s white lie justified 51% of the time because you think those reviews are useless anyway.
It's during the mid-year and annual employee performance review time where the real drama transpires. Managers buzzword bingo our reviews to death and avoid confrontation devaluing what the actual employee review process was intended for. These little white lies do more than give our employees a false sense of hope but also aid in falsely inflating employee egos while making it increasingly difficult for HR professionals and attorneys to recommend that a manager or company leader move to terminate an employee for unsatisfactory work performance. These are the white lies that keep on giving and often to the tone of a six-figure settlement.
Photo Credit Freelance Folder.

Monday, July 11, 2011

UndercoverLawyer

Free iPhone App For Documenting Your Wage Claim

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 12:51 PM PDT

A neat little new app for Smartphones – brought to you by our friends at the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division – lets employees independently track their work, break and overtime hours. It's currently compatible with the iPhone and iPod Touch, and updates are being planned for other Smartphone platforms. What is it [...] Related posts:

How to Choose a Social Media Profile Picture

ResumeBear Blog

How to Choose a Social Media Profile Picture

Posted: 11 Jul 2011 05:35 AM PDT

Hi there, The Digital Marketer here, ready to help you put the power of the Internet and technology to work for your business.
I’m always thinking about how I can make the image in my social media profiles better reflect who I am. These images — also known as avatars or icons — are micro-pictures and graphics. Your avatar is often the first visual image others see of you and selecting a good one can present a challenge. After all, your avatar is a chance to show others what you want them to know about you.
What Should Your Social Media Profile Picture Be?
I tend to use a photograph of myself as the image in most of my social media profiles. I don’t always use the same photo across all the sites because I like to choose an image that is not only representative of who I am but also appropriate for each site. Still, for convenience, I tend to use a basic profile image when I first sign up, then later as I fill out and then update the profile on a site, I’ll switch out the image to something more current or more relevant.
Avatars Are Your First Impression
Why so much thought about social media avatars? Because if you are engaging in social networking for your business, it’s important to be strategic about the avatar you use. Some things I ask myself include:
If I use a photo, is the image clear and projecting the right attitude to build my brand and credibility?
If I use a cartoon of myself, is it in keeping with my brand values and does it enhance — or hinder — trust?
If I use an illustration such as my company logo, is it lacking a human face or limiting me to purely company-related interactions? Or is that the point?
You might ask how many avatars should one even have? Some people are of the mind that you should have a single avatar and use it across all networks. That can be a good strategy if a particular image is the quintessential representation of you. However, most of us don’t have a single side to us and most networks have their own “personalities.” You should consider these dynamics when selecting the right avatar for each profile.
How Often Should You Change Your Profile Picture?
How often should you change your avatar? I think updating your profile images can tie into how often you update your social media profiles, but I’d argue you should be more strategic about image changes. For example, replacing your avatar could be event-related — such as a pink ribbon for Breast Cancer Awareness Month — but only if there is a relevant or appropriate tie-in to your professional side or business. In some social networking circles, you can become well-known for your profile image and switching it out too often could create confusion.
I’m not saying never change your profile image. Just pause for a moment and think about the impact of switching your avatar before you do.
6 Tools to Create a Good Social Media Profile Picture
Here are six tools you can use to optimize, embellish or otherwise create your social media avatar. Don’t forget to check the Digital Marketer web site for all the links.
1. Piknic – If you’re looking to manipulate an image with ease without additional software, check out the features on Piknic.com including sepia tone and other interesting tools.
2. Yahoo Avatars – Put together a cartoon version of yourself with additional accessories and backgrounds on this site. The images are a bit more sophisticated than some of the other cartoon avatar creation tools.
3. Shrink Pictures – If you need some quick sizing of an image, try the Shrink Pictures tool. They not only size your image down (and you can input the new size you want), but they also change it into a square and give you several different cropping options so you get the right part of the photo into the tiny image.
4. Meez – You can create a more three dimensional avatar on this 3-D gaming site and then take a screenshot of it and use it on your profiles.
5. Second Life - I love my Second Life avatar, but it was designed by an artist. If you want to create an avatar image using Second Life, make sure it’s not only reflective of you but also of a more sophisticated avatar than the default version or a do-it-yourself version, particularly if you don’t have strong design skills. You should be able hire someone to create a great Second Life avatar at an affordable price.
6. Gravatar – This site helps you easily manage your avatar at all of the sites and blogs that integrate the Gravatar tool. Use Gravatar to upload any avatar images of your choice. Then when you are setting up a social network profile and they provide a link to Gravatar, you can easily choose from your images for convenience and consistency.
Bottom Line: Thinking more strategically about your social media avatar can make the difference between building and enhancing your image or making the wrong impression. The image you use in your profile can speak so much louder than words.
Contact Me
That’s all we have time for today. Visit the show's website at digitalmarketer.quickanddirtytips.com for links to all of the sites mentioned in the show plus I’ve thrown in a few extras. If you’d like to ask a question or request a topic for The Digital Marketer, email me at digitalmarketer@quickanddirtytips.com or leave a message by calling 206-339-6279.
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