Saturday, May 30, 2020

Psst... Heres the Secret Sauce to a Brilliant Employer Brand

Psst... Heres the Secret Sauce to a Brilliant Employer Brand Your gut tells you that your employer brand is critical to your talent attraction efforts. Your co-workers and industry leaders tell you the same thing. As do white papers, candidate surveys and unbiased research. [If you’re still in doubt of all of that, this study from a few years back found that 69% of candidates wouldn’t take a job with a company that had a bad reputation, even if they were unemployed. (Corporate Responsibility Magazine / Allegis Group Services Study, August 2012).  ] So what makes it so important? Why is the employer brand and company reputation the No. 1 factor in many candidates’ career decisions today? It’s because storytelling is in our genetic code. Look throughout history and you’ll find evidence of storytelling among all ancient civilizations and cultures. It’s how we communicate. It’s something that human beings are pre-dispositioned for â€"even today when we have the attention span of goldfish. You know, maybe storytelling is actually more important today because we have the attention span of goldfish. Maybe, just maybe, we’re drawn into something real, emotional and captivating as opposed to the continual barrage of advertising and cold, impersonal attempts of companies to pull us this way or that. The secret sauce for a strong employer brand And so that leads me to the key elements of a strong employer brand. It boils down to three core ingredients: Tell good stories Share the “why” Find an emotional pull Allow me to elaborate. Tell good stories As mentioned, the human race appreciates a good story. Your company and your employees have a story to tell. Your challenge is to find it. For many companies, that is directly tied to your consumer or corporate brand. What does your company do at its core? What do you sell? What do your employees make, help with, create, provide, etc.? Has your company been around for 85 years, or are you a hungry startup? All of these are factors to include in your story…but then take it one step further and discuss the employee side of that story. Take The Home Depot for example. They produce quite a number of employee stories that tie nicely back to the company’s services and core values.   Here’s an example: Dig around your company to pull those stories out, but before firming up the themes, see the next point below. Share the “why” It’s great to understand what you offer, but to truly create a captivating employer brand, you have to dig deeper and find out why your employees do what they do. It’s bigger than the products you sell, and chances are, other companies offer something similar, right? So what makes you unique? Why do your people come to work every day? There is a huge cross-section of job seekers who are looking for meaningful, purposeful work. Ping pong tables are fun, but they don’t make your employer brand. There’s something bigger here (I hope!). Google is a great example of doing meaningful work. Google didn’t just create a search engine. They put the world’s information at your fingertips. And, that access to information can literally change lives. It’s not what you do;   it’s WHY you do it that matters.  Find that story; I cannot emphasize this enough. That’s the heart of your employer brand. Find an emotional pull And, speaking of heart, the last ingredient in a great employer brand includes an emotional component. There’s an element that tugs on your heartstrings just a little bit. It’s authentic, true and ultimately creates a sense of loyalty with your audience. Remember the Chipotle commercials from a few years back? That’s a good example of all three of these components. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSEfeature=youtu.belist=PLo5Sq8vGKhMOxUUOaMorLgYULnbwH7OeI They know what their story is as a brand, they know why they’re different and why people choose to work for them, and they translated that into a clever video that makes you feel. Let me reiterate that â€" It. Makes. You. Feel. OK, one more example. Let’s look at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Not necessarily a household name like Google or Apple, but they’re doing incredibly important work…and that’s part of the why for their employees. Read through some of their published employee stories, and you’ll notice a lack of clichés like “career growth” or “working alongside smart people.” What you’ll discover instead is a well-thought-out connector between what the employee does, and why. These folks may be scientists and researchers, but they don’t talk about test tubes and beakers. They’re improving air quality in Korea and the health of its residents. They talk about personalizing cancer and HIV treatments to save more lives. These are big initiatives and combine “why” people choose to come there with the emotional aspect of it. Here’s one last tip â€" leave your audience with something impactful at the end of your story. Psychologically, people equate how they feel to the last thing they remember, much more so than to the entire story. So, speeches, videos and stories are always better when you can end on an important or emotional point. Consider these employer brand examples and compare the stories you’re telling. What are you doing well? What can you improve upon? Thanks for reading. What other employer brand stories do you admire?

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Resume Volunteer Template

Resume Volunteer TemplateHave you ever wondered why some resumes volunteers are being hired and paid more than new college graduates? There is something about these resumes that really helps your chances of getting hired. Below is a sample resume volunteer template that I developed to help job seekers make the most of their opportunities.This resume volunteer template can be modified so that it has a custom cover letter, a bullet list for the job posting and an 'Add your own accomplishments' section that the job seeker can use to write about themselves. It should also have an easier to navigate table of contents.I think it is important to express your interests in the position, while at the same time not wanting to use your own resume in the same way as the professional can. These templates allow you to create a resume that is still professional but will be interesting to the employer. It makes perfect sense that you should show your abilities in the position when filling out the cov er letter.The information provided in the job posting should be arranged in such a way that they add value to the employer. Using your own accomplishments or something that you wrote on your own is not going to impress them. You want to convey the message that you are not someone who is afraid to ask for a raise.Using bullet points in your resume is great because it allows you to quickly express your qualifications without having to re-write. This also makes it easy for the employer to read and for them to remember what you did do in the job posting.Having experiences to tell your story will help you. Remember that as an experienced volunteer it is important to show the employer that you are aware of what is expected of you in the job description. You are not hiring to be an expert in the position, you are hiring to fill the vacancy.Your resume volunteer template should include a summary of your experience. By this I mean the dates of the job postings, and the organizations that hir e you. Using that information as part of your resume volunteer template will help the employer to connect with you.So what are you waiting for? Apply for resume volunteer positions and be hired.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

The Final Issue of Personal Branding Magazine with Donald Trump, Warren Bennis Susan Cain - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Final Issue of Personal Branding Magazine with Donald Trump, Warren Bennis Susan Cain - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Personal Branding Magazine â€" Volume 5, Issue 4 Entrepreneurship: Turn Your Idea Into A Success I started Personal Branding Magazine back in 2007 after creating the Personal Branding Blog. I noticed that professionals wanted multiple ways to consume content and that a magazine was a great option at the time. The first issue had merely eleven articles but people immediately gravitated towards it and it was written about in Fast Company Magazine. For the next issue, I brought on Rebecca Thorman and Connie Bensen as co-editors to help me run the magazine, as well as a select amount of columnists. Eventually, Miriam Salpeter and Jessica Lewis took over their posts. Since 2007, we’ve had over one hundred writers and have profiled and/or interviewed some incredible brands, such as Evander Holyfield, Marcus Buckingham, MC Hammer, Patti Stanger and Vanna White. It’s been an absolute honor and privilege to work with everyone on this magazine. Thank you for all of the support. I hope it has benefited you as much as it has me. The premiere issue had Donald Trump on the cover and now the final issue will have him again because he represents personal branding better than almost anyone else. This issue will explore entrepreneurship as a means to gain freedom and success in your life. If you want to gain a competitive advantage in your career, you need to start behaving like an entrepreneur. Interviews Donald Trump, star of The Apprentice Warren Bennis, leadership pioneer, author and professor Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet Ron Adner, author of The Wide Lens Rohit Bhargava, author of Likeonomics Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, authors of All In Download your free copy today Contributors Tim Hare, Events Director at Millennial Branding Bill Connolly, Sales Director, Millennial Branding Melissa Kong, Editor-in-chief,  Student Branding Blog Special thanks to the staff Miriam Salpeter  and  Jessica Lewis  are the editors. Columnists:  Tiffany Monhollon,  Maria Elena Duron,  Vikram Rajan,  Ivana Taylor,Howard Sholkin,  Paul Harrer,  Nunzio Bruno,  Hannah Samuel,  Jack Humphrey,  Krisztina Nagy,  Jay Palter,  Dan Gershenson, and Kevin Redford. Thanks to our sponsors

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Education on Resume - Is it Legal?

Education on Resume - Is it Legal?Education on resume is important in the case of a career and you need to be careful about which type of education is being included. It is true that in the past students have been able to provide the documents on their resumes that said they had the degree but now that kind of information has been taken out. This does not mean that all education information is now gone but it means that there are still ways to make certain that your resume is current and up to date.Did you know that in some states it is illegal to list degrees from schools that no longer exist? That means if you do this and get caught it can cost you your job. So why would you even want to do this?You need to learn how to get around these kinds of issues if you want to be successful in your job search. Education on resume can be handled easily by using references that you can find online. What I mean by this is that you can find a student that graduated with your degree and they will be happy to tell you that they know you. The next step is to follow up with them and see what information you can get on your resume.So where do you find these people? Most often it is in school systems and you can use your own references as well. Always make sure to check with them to see if they know of anyone who graduated with your degree and if they do then you can use that as part of your education on resume.If you already graduated you can use this as well. This is an easier way to do things, because all you have to do is ask a classmate or any other person who was in the same type of class and then ask them how they were able to land their job and use that information on your resume.You also want to make sure that you will be able to get these education records and theywill be up to date as long as you stay at your job. A lot of times the number of people who are applying for the same position will change and you do not want to leave anything off in your education on resume and this is why it is very important to update your information at least once a year.It is easy to find information about employment and education records for most people in the United States and most of the time they are easy to find. You can use online databases and agencies to find what you are looking for or you can just use the resource of books that you may already have.In my opinion, it is the best way to get updated information on education and employment history. So use this simple method to get started today and you will find that it is a lot easier than you thought.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Thanks For The Memories

Thanks For The Memories After six years, its time for Making A Living with Maggie to find a new home. Unfortunately my radio show is no longer being carried by SiriusXM due to major restructuring of the Martha Stewart Radio channel. It was a surprise because my show was popular and had advertisers. Nevertheless I am on the hunt for a new home be it FM/AM, Internet/podcast, TV or some other medium (I just found out my How To Interview video on YouTube went viral has over 1.2 million hits!)Im Soul Searching on it at the moment, taking my own advice. But I didnt want this moment to pass without acknowledging all those who have helped make my show a success (saying thank you to those whove helped you is also advice I often share.)I want to thank all the loyal listeners and callers for tuning in. Your questions and comments both on air and off made for rich career conversations. Thank you for your recent show of support as well, offering to write letters to Martha Stewart Living Radio and SiriusXMon my behalf ( click on the links to make a comment on each companys respective Facebook page). Knowing my show has helped you/your careers emboldens me to continue getting the message out there that it is possible to Soul Search, Research, Job Search into work you love!Thank you to my inspired guests who openly shared the ups and downs of their career stories so that others could benefit. Im honored to have interviewed the likes of Deepak Chopra, Martina Navratilova, Bob Barker, Dilbert Creator Scott Adams, Patricia Heaton, Barbara Corcoran, Sally Field and Martha herself as well as industry experts like Sandy Abrams, Keith Ferrazzi, Cali Yost, Marci Alboher, Lindsey Pollak, Craig Zabransky, Dan Schawbel, Jonathan Fields, Mark Babbit, Sree Sreenivasan, Gretchen Rubin, Miriam Salpeter many others. (For a complete list of past guests and their latest advice visit my radio page.)Thank you to my radio producers Marcy Yurick and Lauren Gould sound engineer Chris Hauselt. Special thanks to Samara Le nga my first producer/engineer for getting Making A Living with Maggie off the ground.Many thanks to Nicole Williams for suggesting I pitch a show to Martha Radio, to my former boss Ron Thomas for encouraging me to branch out careerwise, and to Cyndi Stivers for saying yes to my pitch giving me the chance to live out a my dream to be a radio host. Many thanks to broadcasting executive Liz Aiello for recognizing the continued value of career conversation on air.Thank you to my show sponsors and advertisers like Deluxe Corp. Your support has enabled people to follow their passions to new business ventures.When one door closes, another opens. Though disappointed that my time on Martha Stewart Living Radio and SiriusXM have come to a close, I welcome the opportunity to reach even more people through new channels be it FM, AM, Internet radio, podcasts, TV, video, or something better.Thank YOU for reading this post!

Friday, May 8, 2020

Why Your Personality Is Your Best Job Search Tool (If You Know How to Use It) - CareerEnlightenment.com

Why Your Personality Is Your Best Job Search Tool (If You Know How to Use It) Seventeen weeks. According to 2017  research  from Statistic Brain, thats the typical length of a job search.What’s more, their research also found that every job posting gets an average of 118 applicants. The trick is standing out from the crowd and making a real impression with potential employers.Unfortunately, you are likely overlooking an important factor your personality.Personality plays a significant role in many areas of your professional path, You have faced it or at some point will again while going through the college admissions process. And now, more and more employers are adopting a similar approach in assessing candidates’ personality traits for a true fit. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. The infographic below, based on research by  KudosWall, explore s the journey both introverts and extroverts take throughout college and their career.The good news is that no matter your personality, you can leverage specific traits to make the most out of your job search.Here are some highlights from the KudosWall infographic:Most admissions professionals favor creativity in online portfolios, college resumes, online presence, and admission essays.71% say they’re more likely to accept applicants who convey an outgoing, friendly personality than someone who is reserved.Only 2% of applicants will be called for an interview for the average job opening.Check out the full infographic below to better understand how you can showcase your personality to thrive throughout your career.