4 Creative Ways to Get Employers Attention

4 Creative Ways to Get Employers Attention4 Creative Ways to Get Employers AttentionGood news Youve probably heard by now that unemployment in the U.S. is at its lowest in seven years. Companies are actively hiring, and candidates are seeking new jobs. If youre ready to start your job search, how can you stand out from everyone else who is taking advantage of the positive situation? Sure, you can update your rsum and LinkedIn profile, but youre probably wondering if theres more to it than the now traditional methods. You may have read about tools to bestattungs the attention of employers. Many recruiters and employers dismiss them as too extreme and still want to see a traditional rsum and cover letter. However, there are a few things you may consider adding to your job application that could leave a positive and distinct first impression.Write a Biography One of the key elements to getting past the interview stage is to show the company youre a good cultural fit. You dont have to save that show for the interview. You can demonstrate that to prospective employers by mirroring their own style when creating your applications.This is especially effective if youre applying to a more progressive company. For example, if staff bios on the companys site reflect the sense of humor of each employee or state their interests outside of work, you may want to create your own. Keep it short and in the same style as those you see on their site, and send it in with your regular application.Shoot a Video Recording and sending a two- to three-minute video to an employer can be effective if the company and type of job youre applying to warrants it. If the job is a client-facing or instructor role, such as a customer service representative, recruiter, sales associate or teacher, this can be a good representation for the employer of how you handle people and situations.Most importantly, the video needs to be short and targeted specifically to the company and what you know about i t. A video of you sitting and talking to the camera will bedrngnis be powerful, but short takes of you interacting with others will. Remember to show, not tell.Make a Presentation There are certain jobs for which a presentation is a more appropriate application piece than others. If youre applying to be a consultant, trainer or researcher, you may want to consider including a presentation as part of your application package.If youve been asked for a writing sample, you dont have to provide one youve already written. If you dont think that anything in your files accurately reflects the type of work youd be doing at the company, create something new. It should not be long, and as with any presentation, is should be eye-catching and understandable for the audience. If you are creating something new, consider using the companys colors as the template, as that will show extra attention to detail and catch the employers eye.Design an Infographic Rsum Infographic rsums have become popular lately. They are noticeable and often tell more of a story than a traditional rsum does. Most employers will still expect to see a polished, well-written rsum, so youre better off sending both if you want to send an infographic version. Be careful that your flashy versions graphics and representation carries purpose you dont want an employers staring at it trying to figure out who you are because theyre so distracted by the colors or odd graphics. Submitting something additional is probably a good idea only for the opportunities you are really serious about, as it can take a lot of your time. The bottom line is that if you choose to submit a non-traditional item with your application, make the best use of your and the employers time. How can you do this? Do your homework before you put it together. Read news about the company, peruse the website, study reviews of current and past employees and talk to anyone you know who worked or works there. Make sure the medium you choose is tailored to the company and job as much as possible. This is your opportunity to let the employer interact with you and get a sense of your personality before inviting you for an interview. Make it count.Marcelle Yeageris the president ofCareer Valet, which delivers personalized career navigation services. Her goal is to enable people to recognize skills and job possibilities they didnt know they had to make a career change or progress in their current career. She worked for more than 10 years as a strategic communications consultant, including four years overseas. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland.

How to Promote Your Book on Twitter

How to Promote Your Book on TwitterHow to Promote Your Book on TwitterAs a microblogging platform for subject mavens and their followers, Twitter also can be a powerful and effective part of a strategic author promotion and/or book marketing campaign- if it is used wisely. What Makes Twitter Good for Book versetzung? Social media and other marketing gurus have taken to using the phrase discoverability- the ability for potential audiences to find you and your book. It is Twitters capacity to make you discoverable that makes it so appealing. As on other social media platforms, such as Facebook, the information you share on Twitter is automatically posted to your followers. However, one of the marketing advantages to the Twitterverse is that anyone interested in a subject can easily search for related information. This means, if you tweet your topic well, you will be very discoverable the search functionality makes your tweets a potential audience-magnet for you and your book. Ho w to Use Twitter for Book and Author Promotion Note the word potential in the previous paragraph. Like so many things in life, Twitter is easy to use, but it takes a little practice to use it effectively. The good news is it wont take long to get up to speed. Get Tweeting nowWhile its never too late to start, its really never too early either. Even if your publication date is a year or more out, you can begin building followers for your topic, and finding your Twitter voice before the pressure of the publication is upon you.Make sure your Twitter handle and your profile reflect your goals.Its generally recommended that you use your firstnamelastname as your Twitter handle- but thats bedrngnis always possible. Just make sure that your handle and your profile reflect what you want your followers to know about you. Whether its Marathon runner, business owner, mother of seven, author of Delicious Dinners in 10 Minutes or Less, or Former championship arm wrestler, arm-wrestling coach, a uthor of Its Not About the Bicep, your profile should attract like-minded souls. Remember its social media treat Twitter like a conversation.Sure, you have a book to sell- but how would you feel if every time you spoke to an acquaintance he tried to sell you something? Youd avoid him like the plague, right? Its the same with tweeting. Think of Twitter as a conversation, not a hard sell. The more someone likes what you have to share in your tweets, the more likely he or she will be to check out your book.And speaking of sharingTwitter is the place to share yourself, your worldview and your topical expertise via how you curate what comes at you every day. Tweet and retweet only what you truly value in some way (you should show you value colleagues and friends with generous retweets and mentions.) Share your latest article, your friends latest articles, your comments on what you love. To engage your potential book audience, offer up yourself But offer up your best self.You want to use Twitter to showcase your personality and offer your opinions and even share some personal details- but your tweets shouldnt be a running commentary on the mundane details of your everyday life, such your fascination with your own toenail clippings (note this rule does not apply to comics or celebrities). And while you should feel free to have opinions, be careful that you dont come off as rude or insulting or overly negative. Again it helps to remember that Twitter is a conversation- dont do anything that might shut the conversation down it could also turn off potential book buyers and the goal, of course, is to engage them. So... are you ready to dip your toe into the Twitterstream- or ready to make your tweeting more effective? If so, here are some specifics about how to hold a Twitter conversationand some publishing-specific Twitter hashtags that will help make you more discoverable as a writer. And, while youre at it, you might want to learn more about other types of book market ing and publicity.

Ellen Pompeo just gave a masterclass on salary negotiation

Ellen Pompeo just gave a masterclass on salary negotiationEllen Pompeo just gave a masterclass on salary negotiationActress and producer Ellen Pompeo, the title star of Greys Anatomy, is now the highest-paid drama actress on primetime television, earning mora than $20 1000000 a year. But back in 2004, Pompeo was an actress struggling to pay her rent. In a new, candid interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pompeo explains how she learned to become a master salary negotiator who used her Greys Anatomy star power as leverage to achieving financial ownership over her career.Here are the best career tips Pompeo learned in her years behind the camera and in the negotiation room that we can apply to our own lives.1) Know your worthPompeo learned to number her value from her mentor and Greys Anatomy boss Shonda Rhimes, who told her, Decide what you think youre worth and then ask for what you think youre worth. Nobodys just going to give it to you.Pompeo said that Rhimes advice and seeing the numbers of how much money her acting was generating for her employer were two turning points in her learning to ask for more money in her career.As women, were like, Oh, can I ask for that? Is that OK? Id call Shonda and say, Am I being greedy? But Creative Artists Agency compiled a list of stats for me, andGreyshas generated nearly $3 billion for Disney, she said. When your face and your voice have been partee of something thats generated $3 billion for one of the biggest corporations in the world, you start to feel like, OK, maybe I do deserve a piece of this.2) Gain ownership over your projectsPompeo said that she knows she is not seen as a relevant actress in the publics eyes, but Pompeo said that she has achieved a different star power than other critically-acclaimed actresses lack - a financial power that gives her autonomy and control over her projects.Commenting on younger actresses in big movies, Pompeo said, These poor girls have no real money, and the studio is making a fortune and parading them like ponies on a red carpet. I mean, Faye Dunaway is driving a Prius today. Now, theres nothing wrong with a Prius, but my point is, she had no financial power. If were going to invoke change, that has to be part of it.3) Decide where you want to be in the future and plan around thatSaying that she realized that she had no Julia Roberts movie career, Pompeo said that she made the pragmatic choice during her Greys Anatomy television career to give up being more creative and focus her energy toward getting more control behind the camera. Now, Pompeo is aproducer of Greys Anatomy and the co-executive producer on the shows spinoff.Pompeo recognizes that this path is her own, and may not apply for everyone Ive chosen to financially empower myself so that I never have to be ducking predators and chasing trophies. Its not for everyone. You have to be more interested in business than you are in acting.4) Give your collaborators autonomy so they feel invested, tooP ompeo said that now she is in a position of power as a Greys Anatomy producer, she makes a point to give back and include actors into the TV-making process to make them feel emotionally invested in projects. She said that she will give actors TV scripts ahead of time when she is directing TV episodes as part of her collaborative philosophy You can hold actors down and try to control them, but it kills their spirit and they resent being there.Pompeo pointed to music mogul Jay-Zs TIDAL business as a model example of contributors feeling financially empowered. The artists are chasing Grammys and Lamborghinis, so they think, Oh yeah, Im rich. Meanwhile, Sony just made$500 million, and they gave you $3 million and you think youre doing amazing.With Tidal, Jay Zs empowered artists by giving them a piece, and it makes them more invested. I love it.The bottom lineBy learning to gain financial control over her career, Pompeo gets to be the master of it, free to help others who will come afte r her and freed from commercial pressures of agents telling her to take projects she does not want.Even if were not multi-millionaire actresses, the lesson we can take from Pompeo is to decide early on what kind of career we want and to make sure were paid for what these careers are worth.