Help Your Candidates Prepare Their Social Media Profiles for Job Searches

Help Your Candidates Prepare Their Social Media Profiles for Job Searches It’s no secret that during the hiring process, employers will check a candidate’s social media presence to get a more detailed glimpse into their personality and how they want the world to perceive them. In fact, according to a survey of hiring managers, 93% said that they   will review a candidate’s social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc.) before making a decision on whether to offer them the job â€" with 55% reconsidering a candidate based on what they found. While most social networks do have privacy settings, there is alarming number of people who either do not use them to their full potential or simply do not know they exist! With this in mind, it’s important for recruiters to instruct candidates on the best practices for their social presence early in the recruitment process. Do their profiles give a good impression of them as a potential employee of that organisation? What to avoid   in social media profiles The survey revealed that the following on a candidate’s social media accounts can all have an impact on an employer’s impression of them: References to drugs “Sexual-related” posts Racism or sexism Bad language References to guns References to alcohol Poor spelling and grammar Political affiliations These can all damage a candidate’s success during the hiring process. Tips for advising your candidates There are many things that recruiters can suggest to their candidates to improve their social media presence, and leave employers with a lasting impression for all the right reasons: Make the candidate aware that their profiles may be checked by employers and encourage them to maximise their privacy settings. The default privacy settings of many social media sites are set relatively low. By changing their settings, your candidate will be able to closely control what people see on their profiles. Regardless of privacy settings, profile photos and banners are often still visible. Ensure that your candidate’s are set to something appropriate â€" a drunken selfie is not a great first impression! Ask your candidate to go through their profile and delete any questionable posts or tweets, just in case. Twitter unless your profile is set to private, all of your tweets can be publicly viewed Instagram â€" all posts can be seen by the public unless you adjust your privacy settings Facebook â€" Use the privacy settings to edit who can see your posts. Also consider removing your profile from search engine results and limiting the audience for old posts to protect your posts from before Facebook upper their privacy settings Asking your candidate about their social media accounts may seem a little intrusive, but making these small suggestions will ensure that a prospective employer will only see their professional skills, and could stop your candidate being rejected because of something seemingly innocuous   in their private life. If in doubt, ask yourself whether YOU would hire a candidate based on their social media profiles. If the answer is no, then advise them to make the necessary changes. Infographic courtesy of  Oscar-tech.com.

Women Who Dont Wait in Line An Interview with Reshma Saujani - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Women Who Dont Wait in Line An Interview with Reshma Saujani - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Recently, I spoke with Reshma Saujani, the founder of Girls Who Code, a national non-profit organization working to close the gender gap in technology. Reshma is also an attorney, and in 2010 became the first Indian American woman in the country to run for US Congress (for the state of New York). In her new book, Women Who Dont Wait in Line, Reshma tackles the issues surrounding gender inequality head on, and shares a blueprint for young, motivated women to succeed. We discussed her unique path to success, why women feel the need to wait in line instead of diving head-on into their ambition, and what lessons men and women can learn from one another to become more effective leaders in the workplace and in public service. How do you define your personal brand? I define my personal brand as bold in everything from my unconventional career trajectory down to my penchant for wearing bright colors. I dont do things half way and Ive never met a challenge I didnt like. In my book, I urge women to embrace risk and failure and to be unabashed about our ambition. I try to practice what I preach in all aspects of my life, and that energy is reflected in the boldness of my personal brand. Why did you decide not to “wait in line” when it came to running for Congress? On the one hand, you could say I had been waiting to run my entire life. I organized my first protest march against discrimination as an 8th grader, worked on countless political campaigns, fought my way into Yale Law School (I applied  three  times), and spent years organizing the South Asian community to vote. I had always known that my dream was to be a public servant and had in many ways been working towards that. At the same time, when the opportunity to run for Congress in 2010 emerged, there were certainly members of the establishment that urged me to run for a smaller seat. To slow down. To be less  ambitious. I decided to jump the line because I realized that most people, and especially women, will never get to the front. Being patient, standing on the sidelines, and waiting for others to appreciate and reward our accomplishments doesnt work. We have to stick our necks out. If you believe you have the best ideas, are the most qualified, can inspire the most people, and make the biggest impact, you just have to go for it. Thats exactly what I did. How can young women foster an environment where they can compete with AND support each other at the same time? I see healthy competition among women and building support networks as completely complimentary. Theres this stereotype of the ambitious woman walking all over her friends and colleagues (in 4-inch stilettos, of course) and its just so far from the truth. It used to be that there was only one seat at the table for women and we would have to fight one another for it. Now, theres no limit to how many women can make it to the top. I recently read that when shes asked when there will be enough women on the Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg answers: When there are nine.  YES! Women now have the power to hire women, promote women, and lobby in our workplaces for better family leave policies and flex working arrangements. As mentors and sponsors of other women, we can share everything from our rolodexes to our strategic advice. Women and men have different tendencies in the workplace. What can each gender learn from the other? Men are far less risk averse than women, and far more comfortable touting their own accomplishments. That is the kind of behavior that is usually rewarded with raises, promotions and publicity. I argue that for women to make it to the top ranks of leadership in America, we absolutely have to take a page out of this playbook. By contrast, women tend to be great collaborators. In an economy thats moving increasingly toward innovation and technology, where startups encourage employees to work in teams, this may be the secret weapon to our success. What are the top 3 lessons that you would impart to someone who is just starting their  career? Embrace risk and failure. Dont be afraid to step up and volunteer on new or intimidating projects.  You wont learn anything if you never step out of your comfort zone. Create a brag bag.    Keep a file of all your accomplishments. Whether its a compliment from a supervisor, an article you wrote, or an award you received, celebrate it! Build a personal board of directors.    Appoint friends, colleagues, and family members you respect and convene meetings periodically to make sure youre staying on track and meeting your personal goals. Reshmas book is a good read regardless of your gender, and will make you think about the way you are approaching your career. She is very candid about her setbacks and how embracing them has led to her success. Reshma also challenges the idea that men are the only ones holding women back, and discusses how women can be more supportive of one another. Pick up a copy of her book today. Special thanks to her for taking the time to do the interview. Author: Bill Connolly is a marketing/personal branding expert, career advisor improvisational comedian. He is the author of  Funny Business: Build Your Soft Skills Through Comedy,  and host of an online radio show by the same name on the  UR Business Network. For more information, or to contact him, visit his website at  TheBillConnolly.com, or follow him on Twitter:  @billconnolly.

How to succeed in China

How to succeed in China My Chinese radar really perked up last week when I read the Economist article about Alibaba. This Chinese company is the largest online business-to-business marketplace in the world, and it just purchased Yahoo! China, which makes Alibaba the12th most popular site in the world. I checked out the site right away, and, guess what? It looks just like eBay, except that the testimonial on the home page is from someone who lives in Vietnam. Moments like this make me think career advice really needs to address the China issue: How will you survive in China? But the answer is, of course, that you probably wont. Which is why I dont write a lot of advice about it. Some people will do well in China, though. So lets take a look. There is a brisk business in Chinese nannies for American babies. New York Magazine reports that, The lycee is passe (old Europe has no trade surplus), and some parents are scouring Craigslist and placing ads in the China Press for sitters who speak Mandarin, Chinas official language. One of those parents says, Even if my little girl werent very smart, shes always going to get a job because shell be totally fluent in Chinese. This is not true. It takes a lot more than speaking Chinese to succeed in China. China is among the easiest countries to attract outsiders to work but is also one of the hardest places for them to succeed, according to David Everhart, regional practice leader for Asia at the recruiting firm Korn/Ferry International. Everhart gave me this list of five traits of people who succeed on a Chinese mission: 1. You are generally a very patient person, with a high tolerance for uncertainty and ambiguity. 2. You already have a certain knowledge of Chinese culture not only societal, but also the business culture. 3. You have evaluated your companys China strategy and are empowered to manage expectations at the home office about what it will take to meet your goals. 4. You have researched and secured extra support so your family will be able to adapt socially in China. 5. You arrive in China and immediately begin thinking about succession planning: how to develop the leaders of the future who will allow the firm to localize its management team. Most of us will never work in China, but theres a lesson in this list. You need social skills and a big-picture strategy for any job you take. In China, because of a cultural gap, you need them even more. But dont kid yourself: If you cant tolerate a certain amount of uncertainty and ambiguity, you will flounder in a leadership position anywhere, not just in China. Finally, check out Melanie Parsons Gaos blog. She is a Sun employee who blogs about making the transition to China. She posted a list of what to bring that is interesting even if you never go.

You Can Be a Millionaire Too!

You Can Be a Millionaire Too! What does it take to become a millionaire? Most people would assume that it takes good grades, good looks and a huge inheritance. Wrong. One of my very favorite books is “The Millionaire Mind” by Thomas J Stanley, Ph. D. who also happens to be the author of one of my other favorite books “The Millionaire Next Door.” I was chatting with Blake Allison today, founder of Financial Education Literacy Advisors (also a newly appointed member of my personal board of directors), and was asking his thoughts on me getting an MBA or CFP. He reminded me that many successful entrepreneurs didn’t even finish school, and that whatever I decided to remember not to let my pursuit of education stop my business passions and aspirations. His comment reminded me of a very powerful chapter in “The Millionaire Mind” that I read in college while I was stuck in the library for hours and still struggling to get C’s in most of my finance classes. It turns out that a majority of the millionaires studied were just like me: not straight “A” Harvard graduates. In fact, according to Dr. Stanley, about 90% of millionaires graduated college with my college GPA- get ready- a 2.9 (p 99). Who knew you could be successful and not get perfect grades, right?! Here are a few other interesting facts: • Almost all of the millionaires studied, said that college helped them develop a strong work ethic (perhaps because they had to work harder for their grades), manage their time, and make accurate judgments about people. • Most millionaires have an unusually strong ability to deflect the toughest critics and not let it get to them. This includes not believing that poor grades would foil their success (p 101). • Parents of millionaires did not negatively push their kids to get the highest grades or preach that good grades are directly correlated to future success. • Millionaires love their careers! (p112) So, to any of you that are reading this after completing a really tough round of college final exams, please remember that your grades do not determine your future success. Think beyond your grades and take advantage of everything else college has to offer. Find your passion, meet your best friends, learn the value of being honest, and figure out how to balance the three S’s of college: sleep, studying, and socializing. Keep it simple and good things will come. And if you have any extra time, I highly recommend you take a look at “The Millionaire Mind” to discover how NOT Paris Hilton-like most millionaires really are.

Recruitment vs Strategic Talent Acquisition Which is Better

Recruitment vs Strategic Talent Acquisition â€" Which is Better One of the pressing issues today is that more and more companies, especially those smaller firms, are having a hard time finding the right people to fill their vacant jobs.Although advancements in technology have now allowed recruiters to connect with job seekers more easily, there are still some issues that these tools cannot easily address, especially the long-term talent needs of the business.And this is where strategic talent acquisition comes in. While sounds new and quite daunting to novices, this approach is actually being used by many successful organizations and companies these days, that is why they don’t struggle filling in their job vacancies, even those that requires highly specific skill sets.evalTo sum up, here are the key takeaways from the infographic below which discuss the potential benefits and difficulties of recruiting and strategic talent acquisition. Knowing the key differences between these two differences will surely help you choose the one that matches yo ur business exact needs and preferences.Short-term vs Long-termRecruitment is a subset of talent acquisition.Linear process vs. ongoing cycle.Recruitment specialist vs talent acquisition specialist.Strategic talent acquisition: finding the right candidate for future positions.Should your company recruit or acquire talent?To learn more, check out the infographic below from Phil. Exeq Search Solutions.Infographic Credit â€" Philexeq.com

Top Graduate Employers in Australia - Jane Jackson Career

Top Graduate Employers in Australia - Jane Jackson Career When researching the top employers in Australia to target, sometimes we can feel at a loss here are the Top Graduate Employers in Australia 2017 for you to consider.The important thing to do when deciding on your next career step is to conduct research about the companies that interest you, the industry trends, the culture within different departments, the management style of your manager, the values of the employer, the senior management, and the team environment.  Does your research suggest that there is a good match between your aspirations, your values and your professional and personal preferences?  If not, continue to ask questions, find out more so that you can make an informed decision.The key is to ask your current network, to expand your network in the area you are targeting by attending industry events and networking events and act like a detective!  Then you can work on your marketing approach which will include how to influence decision makers, how to build your sphe re of influence, how to make compelling applications, use online job boards, work with recruiters, present yourself well at interviews and seal the deal.Click here for the Top Graduate Employers in Australia 2017If you need help with any of this, email jane@janejacksoncoach.com or listen to my PODCAST for more inspiration.Good luck!

Your Resume Can Make Or Break You

Your Resume Can Make Or Break YouThere are certain qualities in a resume that can make it stand out from the crowd. So if you are applying for a job and do not have an ideal resume, you can still have one that has the right qualities for a particular position.The first thing to look at is your professional personality and qualifications. Your experience is always the most important part of your resume but how about your abilities? You will be able to find this on your CV but you may want to check what is on the skills part of your resume as well.Make sure that you understand the professional side of your resume and everything written on there is exactly what you intend to put on your application. If you have any problems with grammar and sentence structure, it will show in your resume. Do not add extra material without reading the job advertisement. This is unnecessary information that will make your resume look like a complete wreck.Your resume should have a professional image and s hould reflect what kind of person you are. You should avoid using bold or italicized fonts as they often show a sense of professionalism, but they also can indicate to potential employers that you do not take the job too seriously. As a rule of thumb, avoid using fonts that are too small.If you have created your own CV, then you should know how to format it. It is also important to choose a resume format that is easy to read and is easy to type on a computer. This is because a lot of companies prefer to have resumes sent electronically so they do not need to wait for your resume to be formatted before printing it out.When choosing a company to send your resume to, you should remember that the company that receives your resume must have the right skills to offer you the job. The more experience that a company has and the more current their skills, the better. Make sure that the resume looks professional and that all of the information is correct. If you have any questions about the i nformation, you can contact the company directly.Another thing that you need to consider when creating your resume stand out from the crowd is to add some of your accomplishments and skills as well. These are very important pieces of information and you should be careful to keep them organized. This will help you stand out from the rest of the resumes. You should not be wasting space on your resume by including random bits of information that does not matter.When you create your own resume you will need to go through it again until you get it just right. If you work on this while creating your resume, it will make it look professional and it will also make it easy to read.