My Tenth Revenue Stream Is Miscellaneous Revenue

My Tenth Revenue Stream Is Miscellaneous Revenue Every Friday I sharing each of my ten revenue streams (even though I missed the last 2 Fridays, while in California and Atlanta). With this post I only have 3 left (this is #7 of 10). I’m big on diversifying personal income, whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee. My intention with this series is to inspire or encourage you with your own diverse revenue streams. Below this post you’ll see links to the previous posts, or you can click on the Multiple Streams of Income category on the left. Im not quite ready to share the other three revenue streams yet, so Ill share the most ambiguous. This could be all the rest of the stuff.   In this revenue stream I include misc stuff, which specifically includes: Writing projects. I have been paid to write stuff, from white papers to blog posts on other blogs. Affiliate revenue. This includes a few bucks here from my Happy About affiliate program, as well as other affiliate programs Ive joined. Advertising. Theoretically I might be able to make some good money from advertisers, based on the traffic I get on my sites (including this blog, the LinkedIn blog, JibberJobber the application, etc.). Realize that some people have any of these three as their main income/revenue stream, and some people make a ton of money from any of the three.   For example: Freelance writers can make six figures from writing gigs (the issues include (a) getting the gigs (and competing with all of the other writers out there) and (b) actually doing the work this is not easily scalable, which means you can only write so many hours a day/week/year. I know of some affiliate marketers who make a few thousand a month from their affiliate programs, and others who supposedly make five or six figures a month.   It sounds appealing to make money while you sleep, which is indeed possible, but it takes a lot of work and effort to make more than a hundred bucks a month.   A TON of work. Supposedly one of the top bloggers in the world, dooce.com, makes between 500k and $1M from her blog.   Im guessing most of this is in sponsorships (at least six figures).   There is only one Dooce.com, however and many wannabees.   In another space (web 2.0 tech pundit) Michael Arringtons blog supposedly makes an easy seven figures a year, but realize they have an entire team producing content, programs, etc. Below are thoughts about this revenue stream for me.   I realize I could hit this harder and make more money in any of these three, and perhaps other revenue opportunities, I count all of this as miscellaneous because Im focusing on revenue that I think is longer-lasting, and more value-add to my ultimate goals with JibberJobber and my company. Writing Projects This is hard work.   I have only taken writing projects that come to me (instead of me looking for them) the money is okay, but freelance writing is highly competitive, and for me the biggest problem is that once I get the project, I then need to carve time out to do it.   Ive become quite jealous of my time in the last year.   Based on my experience, I can make five figures a month writing, if I pursued it heavily.   Again, its a great profession, but not my focus.   And to make five figures a month you really have to hustle (in getting each contract as well as meeting the deadlines). Affiliate Revenue A few months ago I put Indeed search into JibberJobber more prominently, as well as on my blogs (if you are getting this blog post via email you wont see the Indeed search).   I can easily clear a few thousand dollars a year on this income stream alone its not a lot of money but I figure every $83/month stream adds up ($83*12 months is about $1,000/year) if I find a better thing to put in some of the places where the Indeed widgets are I might do that, but Im not actively looking to put a bunch of affiliate bling all over some blogs overdo this. I also have a number of affiliate links for books I recommend, although I have not pursued this with Amazon yet.   Funny, I figure I should make at least an additional $83/month from Amazon, but it ticks me off that they are (or were, last time I looked) only giving about 4% of the sale to their affiliates.   Happy About gives 30% (you can sign up for the Happy About affiliate program here). Again, not a huge focus but I figure Im leaving some money on the table by not pursuing this more. Advertising I met with internet marketing expert Carl Chapman last week (actually, he let me crash at the Chapman Hotel while I was in Atlanta, the entire week!), and he was convinced I should be getting a significant amount of revenue from advertisers on all of my websites (based on the traffic Im generating).   Carl suggested I find a cold-calling salesperson and giving him/her a healthy royalty on sales I am almost-kind-of open to this, but Im not excited about cluttering up my properties with stuff unless they the advertising will really pay off. Heres the interesting thing about this tenth revenue stream the statement from above is: Again, not a huge focus but I figure Im leaving some money on the table by not pursuing this more. So the question is should I spend my time developing this $15k-$20k revenue stream or should I focus more on other revenue streams that are worth more ?   When I listed out 2009 revenues, and 2010 projections, I was quite shocked to see that this stream is a small fraction of the others (on paper).   It made me realize if I didnt do any of this anymore, thats OKAY.   But what I do in this stream is mostly passive, so Ill just keep on doing what Im doing, and not aggressively pursuing much here (unless I can find that key salesperson who can do a great job selling advertising or sponsorships). Helpful information?   If you have an information product, have purchased one, or want to have one, what do you think makes it successful?   Share thoughts or ideas below Here is a breakdown of the revenue streams I’ve shared so far: Revenue Stream 1: JibberJobber User Upgrades Revenue Stream 2: JibberJobber Partnership Program Revenue Stream 3: Books I write Revenue Stream 4: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 5: Professional Speaking Revenue Stream 6: Consulting Revenue Stream 7: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 8: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 9: Information Products Revenue Stream 10: Miscellaneous My Tenth Revenue Stream Is Miscellaneous Revenue Every Friday I sharing each of my ten revenue streams (even though I missed the last 2 Fridays, while in California and Atlanta). With this post I only have 3 left (this is #7 of 10). I’m big on diversifying personal income, whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee. My intention with this series is to inspire or encourage you with your own diverse revenue streams. Below this post you’ll see links to the previous posts, or you can click on the Multiple Streams of Income category on the left. Im not quite ready to share the other three revenue streams yet, so Ill share the most ambiguous. This could be all the rest of the stuff.   In this revenue stream I include misc stuff, which specifically includes: Writing projects. I have been paid to write stuff, from white papers to blog posts on other blogs. Affiliate revenue. This includes a few bucks here from my Happy About affiliate program, as well as other affiliate programs Ive joined. Advertising. Theoretically I might be able to make some good money from advertisers, based on the traffic I get on my sites (including this blog, the LinkedIn blog, JibberJobber the application, etc.). Realize that some people have any of these three as their main income/revenue stream, and some people make a ton of money from any of the three.   For example: Freelance writers can make six figures from writing gigs (the issues include (a) getting the gigs (and competing with all of the other writers out there) and (b) actually doing the work this is not easily scalable, which means you can only write so many hours a day/week/year. I know of some affiliate marketers who make a few thousand a month from their affiliate programs, and others who supposedly make five or six figures a month.   It sounds appealing to make money while you sleep, which is indeed possible, but it takes a lot of work and effort to make more than a hundred bucks a month.   A TON of work. Supposedly one of the top bloggers in the world, dooce.com, makes between 500k and $1M from her blog.   Im guessing most of this is in sponsorships (at least six figures).   There is only one Dooce.com, however and many wannabees.   In another space (web 2.0 tech pundit) Michael Arringtons blog supposedly makes an easy seven figures a year, but realize they have an entire team producing content, programs, etc. Below are thoughts about this revenue stream for me.   I realize I could hit this harder and make more money in any of these three, and perhaps other revenue opportunities, I count all of this as miscellaneous because Im focusing on revenue that I think is longer-lasting, and more value-add to my ultimate goals with JibberJobber and my company. Writing Projects This is hard work.   I have only taken writing projects that come to me (instead of me looking for them) the money is okay, but freelance writing is highly competitive, and for me the biggest problem is that once I get the project, I then need to carve time out to do it.   Ive become quite jealous of my time in the last year.   Based on my experience, I can make five figures a month writing, if I pursued it heavily.   Again, its a great profession, but not my focus.   And to make five figures a month you really have to hustle (in getting each contract as well as meeting the deadlines). Affiliate Revenue A few months ago I put Indeed search into JibberJobber more prominently, as well as on my blogs (if you are getting this blog post via email you wont see the Indeed search).   I can easily clear a few thousand dollars a year on this income stream alone its not a lot of money but I figure every $83/month stream adds up ($83*12 months is about $1,000/year) if I find a better thing to put in some of the places where the Indeed widgets are I might do that, but Im not actively looking to put a bunch of affiliate bling all over some blogs overdo this. I also have a number of affiliate links for books I recommend, although I have not pursued this with Amazon yet.   Funny, I figure I should make at least an additional $83/month from Amazon, but it ticks me off that they are (or were, last time I looked) only giving about 4% of the sale to their affiliates.   Happy About gives 30% (you can sign up for the Happy About affiliate program here). Again, not a huge focus but I figure Im leaving some money on the table by not pursuing this more. Advertising I met with internet marketing expert Carl Chapman last week (actually, he let me crash at the Chapman Hotel while I was in Atlanta, the entire week!), and he was convinced I should be getting a significant amount of revenue from advertisers on all of my websites (based on the traffic Im generating).   Carl suggested I find a cold-calling salesperson and giving him/her a healthy royalty on sales I am almost-kind-of open to this, but Im not excited about cluttering up my properties with stuff unless they the advertising will really pay off. Heres the interesting thing about this tenth revenue stream the statement from above is: Again, not a huge focus but I figure Im leaving some money on the table by not pursuing this more. So the question is should I spend my time developing this $15k-$20k revenue stream or should I focus more on other revenue streams that are worth more ?   When I listed out 2009 revenues, and 2010 projections, I was quite shocked to see that this stream is a small fraction of the others (on paper).   It made me realize if I didnt do any of this anymore, thats OKAY.   But what I do in this stream is mostly passive, so Ill just keep on doing what Im doing, and not aggressively pursuing much here (unless I can find that key salesperson who can do a great job selling advertising or sponsorships). Helpful information?   If you have an information product, have purchased one, or want to have one, what do you think makes it successful?   Share thoughts or ideas below Here is a breakdown of the revenue streams I’ve shared so far: Revenue Stream 1: JibberJobber User Upgrades Revenue Stream 2: JibberJobber Partnership Program Revenue Stream 3: Books I write Revenue Stream 4: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 5: Professional Speaking Revenue Stream 6: Consulting Revenue Stream 7: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 8: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 9: Information Products Revenue Stream 10: Miscellaneous My Tenth Revenue Stream Is Miscellaneous Revenue Every Friday I sharing each of my ten revenue streams (even though I missed the last 2 Fridays, while in California and Atlanta). With this post I only have 3 left (this is #7 of 10). I’m big on diversifying personal income, whether you are an entrepreneur or an employee. My intention with this series is to inspire or encourage you with your own diverse revenue streams. Below this post you’ll see links to the previous posts, or you can click on the Multiple Streams of Income category on the left. Im not quite ready to share the other three revenue streams yet, so Ill share the most ambiguous. This could be all the rest of the stuff.   In this revenue stream I include misc stuff, which specifically includes: Writing projects. I have been paid to write stuff, from white papers to blog posts on other blogs. Affiliate revenue. This includes a few bucks here from my Happy About affiliate program, as well as other affiliate programs Ive joined. Advertising. Theoretically I might be able to make some good money from advertisers, based on the traffic I get on my sites (including this blog, the LinkedIn blog, JibberJobber the application, etc.). Realize that some people have any of these three as their main income/revenue stream, and some people make a ton of money from any of the three.   For example: Freelance writers can make six figures from writing gigs (the issues include (a) getting the gigs (and competing with all of the other writers out there) and (b) actually doing the work this is not easily scalable, which means you can only write so many hours a day/week/year. I know of some affiliate marketers who make a few thousand a month from their affiliate programs, and others who supposedly make five or six figures a month.   It sounds appealing to make money while you sleep, which is indeed possible, but it takes a lot of work and effort to make more than a hundred bucks a month.   A TON of work. Supposedly one of the top bloggers in the world, dooce.com, makes between 500k and $1M from her blog.   Im guessing most of this is in sponsorships (at least six figures).   There is only one Dooce.com, however and many wannabees.   In another space (web 2.0 tech pundit) Michael Arringtons blog supposedly makes an easy seven figures a year, but realize they have an entire team producing content, programs, etc. Below are thoughts about this revenue stream for me.   I realize I could hit this harder and make more money in any of these three, and perhaps other revenue opportunities, I count all of this as miscellaneous because Im focusing on revenue that I think is longer-lasting, and more value-add to my ultimate goals with JibberJobber and my company. Writing Projects This is hard work.   I have only taken writing projects that come to me (instead of me looking for them) the money is okay, but freelance writing is highly competitive, and for me the biggest problem is that once I get the project, I then need to carve time out to do it.   Ive become quite jealous of my time in the last year.   Based on my experience, I can make five figures a month writing, if I pursued it heavily.   Again, its a great profession, but not my focus.   And to make five figures a month you really have to hustle (in getting each contract as well as meeting the deadlines). Affiliate Revenue A few months ago I put Indeed search into JibberJobber more prominently, as well as on my blogs (if you are getting this blog post via email you wont see the Indeed search).   I can easily clear a few thousand dollars a year on this income stream alone its not a lot of money but I figure every $83/month stream adds up ($83*12 months is about $1,000/year) if I find a better thing to put in some of the places where the Indeed widgets are I might do that, but Im not actively looking to put a bunch of affiliate bling all over some blogs overdo this. I also have a number of affiliate links for books I recommend, although I have not pursued this with Amazon yet.   Funny, I figure I should make at least an additional $83/month from Amazon, but it ticks me off that they are (or were, last time I looked) only giving about 4% of the sale to their affiliates.   Happy About gives 30% (you can sign up for the Happy About affiliate program here). Again, not a huge focus but I figure Im leaving some money on the table by not pursuing this more. Advertising I met with internet marketing expert Carl Chapman last week (actually, he let me crash at the Chapman Hotel while I was in Atlanta, the entire week!), and he was convinced I should be getting a significant amount of revenue from advertisers on all of my websites (based on the traffic Im generating).   Carl suggested I find a cold-calling salesperson and giving him/her a healthy royalty on sales I am almost-kind-of open to this, but Im not excited about cluttering up my properties with stuff unless they the advertising will really pay off. Heres the interesting thing about this tenth revenue stream the statement from above is: Again, not a huge focus but I figure Im leaving some money on the table by not pursuing this more. So the question is should I spend my time developing this $15k-$20k revenue stream or should I focus more on other revenue streams that are worth more ?   When I listed out 2009 revenues, and 2010 projections, I was quite shocked to see that this stream is a small fraction of the others (on paper).   It made me realize if I didnt do any of this anymore, thats OKAY.   But what I do in this stream is mostly passive, so Ill just keep on doing what Im doing, and not aggressively pursuing much here (unless I can find that key salesperson who can do a great job selling advertising or sponsorships). Helpful information?   If you have an information product, have purchased one, or want to have one, what do you think makes it successful?   Share thoughts or ideas below Here is a breakdown of the revenue streams I’ve shared so far: Revenue Stream 1: JibberJobber User Upgrades Revenue Stream 2: JibberJobber Partnership Program Revenue Stream 3: Books I write Revenue Stream 4: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 5: Professional Speaking Revenue Stream 6: Consulting Revenue Stream 7: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 8: (not announced yet) Revenue Stream 9: Information Products Revenue Stream 10: Miscellaneous

5 Ways to Solve Workplace Problems (and Avoid Burnout) Marla Gottschalk

5 Ways to Solve Workplace Problems (and Avoid Burnout) Marla Gottschalk Are you facing a tough workplace problem that you just cannot seem to solve? Frustrated? Quickly reaching the burnout plateau? You might think that increased perseverance always pays off. But in fact, this doesnt always do the trick. In many cases, we need to change the game plan to make progress. Here are 5 strategies that you can utilize to power through tough work-related dilemmas: Watch comedy. Getting the current issue off your mind and breaking the tension cycle is key. Personally, Ive found a great sitcom or stand-up routine works quite well. Weve all heard of the benefits of a good laugh in regard to stress and overall mood. Laughing can offer a refreshing boost to your work life as well. Listen to a TED Talk. I find listening to great speakers inspirational. Somehow â€" when their ideas start to flow, my brain wants to follow suit. (Ive probably started 10 outlines on various topics applying this method.) Start with the best of TED right here. Talk. Discuss the problem with someone you do not work with. In many cases, those not in the midst of our worries, can draw parallels to issues they have already solved in the past â€" and you can be the lucky beneficiary. (Keep the details to yourself if they are sensitive, but share the gist of the problem.) Walk. Last year, I vowed to walk every day.   (For the most part, Ive kept that promise. Although Im working on winter options. ) Even a brief stroll around the block, can clear your head and help you change gears. Get out there. Rest. Yep. Sleep on it. We require rest to resolve all sorts of issues during REM sleep â€" and your current problem may end up on the docket. Take advantage of your bodys natural defenses against chaos â€" and turn in early. What are your strategies? Share them here. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, consultant and coach.

Separation Of Personal And Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Separation Of Personal And Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and social networking sites have given you a platform for creating and managing your reputation: your personal brand. Perhaps that’s not working for your family. Perhaps they don’t care to read your wonky blog about the political war being waged on contraception, or don’t know why you want them to know you “like” Troy Lee Designs (unless it’s a signal for birthday gift-giving time) or might even feel they raised you wrong if you won a Porky badge for eating more BBQ than anyone else checking in on Foursquare today. Perhaps your family knows you TOO well to learn all about you again, or as you are doling out information in the context of 2,000 or so so-called friends. Not that they don’t love you. They just know you. Really know you. Love, actually, may be the point and the problem of social networking sites. Some of us have widened our networks to virtual strangers who are now virtual friends or at least friendly looky-loos. Real family may still crave a family-style connection, with the ease that social sites provide. Divide into two So, you have some new choices to make about where you go and how you spend your time online. If you have ever told your boss that you loved her more than life itself, chances are that text was meant for someone you actually do love more than life itself. It’s just that their names both start with the same letter, and your thumbs were … all thumbs. Never again! The new Pair app creates a social network of two. Period. Two people. You and your pair bond partner. Even better (or weirder), you can “thumb kiss.” Press your thumbs on your respective screens: feel the vibe. Literally. Your phones vibrate. Got more than just a significant other at a distance? FamilyLeaf was founded about two months ago solely for families â€" in part to make it easy for older people to enjoy photo sharing â€" or really: photo seeing. If old folks can pick up email, then new entries to your family photo album can be emailed to them from a central place. It does mean you have to elect one family member to be the gatekeeper. I expect sibling rivalries, and old who’s-not-talking-to-who-since-the-incident-at-Connie’s-wedding problems are going to rear their ugly heads. The point is your personal branding efforts may finally have found a natural boundary: the people you are most naturally connected to may not have to suffer being a part of your larger audience. You all can get more private, like you might be doing with Path now. Of course, Path originally limited you to 40 close friends and soon was compelled to lift the limit to 150 (the neuro-scientifically defined outer boundary of friends, by the way). So, while some of us yearn for more people, some of us yearn for less. And, now some of us will be trying to do it all. Two more sites and no more time? As it often happens, you may hurt the ones you love the most. What will FamilyLeaf and Pair reveal about your priorities? Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

Blogs without topics are a waste of time

Blogs without topics are a waste of time Stop thinking that you are such an incredibly wide-ranging thinker with so many interests and insights that you cannot be pinned down to just one topic. The top bloggers are all wide-ranging thinkers. Thats why they are interesting. The more information and angles you can draw from, the more interesting your insights are. I challenge you to think of a popular blogger who lacks focus on their blog. In the history of writing, everything has a focus. Its a contract you have with the reader. You stay within the bounds of the readers expectations, and if you do that, you can write surprises that seem to stray from your topic, and the reader stays with you. Because surprises are fun. But if theres no contract because there is no focus, then there are no surprises. Every great piece of writing works this way. Think about it: Canterbury Tales. The topic is getting to the end of the trip. Or Moby Dick. Melville can write about everythingGod, the American dream, fishing boats, marriage, mental illnessand he gets away with it because his topic is totally solid: Nailing the whale. I challenge you to find a great piece of writing with no topic. Even columnists stick to their focus. Its part of the fun. When you audition for a print-based column, you submit ten sample columns to show that you can be interesting in a variety of ways while still sticking to the main topic. Because its hard to do. You can write about any topic, but you have to link it to your focus. Look at my howto posts. Most of them are only tangentially about how to do some career thing. Most of them are actually about something else. Thats why they are interesting. Look my blog: Do you need me to tell you to use bullets instead of paragraphs on your resume? No. Do you need me to tell you to stand up when you do a phone interview? No. Because there are 400 other writers who will tell you that. So I need to do something else. But I can only get you to read me if you come knowing what you expect. So I always relate what Im writing to careers. Sometimes, its easy. I knew I wanted to write about my bed bug trauma. And I knew, quickly, that it was also about financial stress, which is, of course, a topic thats fair-game in the career world. Sometimes you just need a little patience: I knew for years that I wanted to write about abortion. I listen to Brick, by Ben Folds 5 all the time, and I love his contribution to the discussion about abortion. I wanted to make a contribution like his, but I couldnt relate it to careers. Until I could. And then I wrote it. Please do not tell me that you are just going to write whatever you want and you dont care who reads it, or if anyone reads it. You are lying to yourself. Of course you care. We each have a limited amount of time in our lives, and blogging takes some of that time. Your blog is not your journal. Believe me. I know. I?ve been keeping a journal since I was five. I have seventy-five volumes of handwritten journals, and it is totally different than blogging because its not public. The nature of a blog is that you are choosing to write publicly, so it is, by definition, for other people to read. So, show some respect for people and pick a topic. Also, show some respect for yourself. There are so many benefits you earn from blogging that do not require tons of pageviews. Heres a list of them. Mostly, the list is driven by being known for what you are good at. But for that to work you need to know what youre aiming for. What do you want people to know you for? Where do you want to go next? Answering those two questions is what will inform your blog topic and give you the focus for your blog. Dont tell me you cant decide. Everyone knows where they want to go next. Even if its probably wrong, you know, right now, where youre leaning. So write to that. Sure, it might change, but you need to commit to something, right now. Each day you have to wake up and do something. So you have to guess where to aim. We are all just guessing. Make your best guess and keep going in that direction until you find something else. And your blog is an expression of that commitment to yourself to have direction, even as you doubt it.

10 Interview Awkward Moments and How To Avoid Them [Guest Post] - Career Pivot

10 Interview Awkward Moments and How To Avoid Them [Guest Post] - Career Pivot 10 Interview Awkward Moments Whether you want a change of career or you are looking to get back to a professional route again, aninterview is inevitable and you might find it difficult to step in the job hunting world again. However, ifyou prepare for the worst, you will easily restore confidence in yourself. So, here are the 10 interviewawkward moments and their countermoves. 1. Silence Regardless of how nervous people are at their interview, it still remains an official meeting where two possible partners discuss their professional compatibility. Time is limited, so the moments of silence are not only awkward but also potentially damaging as well. Candidates should take advantage of each second of their interview to prove they are worthy of the new opening. Solution: You should prepare in advance answers to possible questions. Even though you know what you have accomplished and who you are as a professional, sometimes you can’t find your words due to pressure. So, do your homework and always come prepared for an interview. 2. Lack of Eye Contact Today’s HR power might be represented by young employees, and it might get awkward to talk with someone when the age gap is too large. However, the company chose them as their representatives, and their judgment will decide the future of your career. Solution: You should not be influenced by appearances and offer your full attention to your interviewer. Constant eye contact is an important communication factor that will facilitate a better dialogue and will convince them of your reliability and seriousness. 3. Handshakes People will always be able to tell a lot from a handshake. If it’s too weak, your interviewer might perceive you as indifferent. If it lasts too long, your interviewer might find odd or off-putting. Solution: Even though the handshake is the most important part of a professional introduction, a quick and firm one will suffice. This gesture will convey determination, ambition, and the drive to get directly to business. 4. Lack of Adaptability to the Modern Age Today’s workplace relies a great deal on technology. The entire world has updated to the digital environment and companies adopted this trend too to remain relevant for their clients. So, when interviewers assess the skills of senior professionals, they start by making sure that they will be able to keep up with the tech part of their future responsibilities. Many companies are now requiring their staff to register an employee account. This portal has become the only information source for their paycheck, payroll, discounts, and a lot of other details regarding their workplace. Thus, their employees need to know how to log in and use this portal in the first place. Solution: If your tech skills are a little rusty, there are many insightful tutorials and online courses out there ready to teach you. They can get you up to speed with the latest trends in technology in no time. 5. The Interviewer Is not Familiar with Your Expertise If you have an extensive career, the chances are the interviewer might not be aware of some projects you’ve worked on or the technical notions you use. This might get a little awkward for the other part too, as they don’t know if these new concepts recommend you for their opening or not. Listen to the most recent episode Solution: Even though the interviewers didn’t do their job, it doesn’t mean that you should be condescending or continue throwing impressive-sounding terms at them. Instead, you should remain professional and explain what the concepts mean and how you can help the company based on this knowledge. 6. Too Personal Questions Companies are interested in knowing the candidates a little too well sometimes. This intrusive curiosity can lead to awkward questions regarding your religious and political views, possible debts, or your personal plans for the future. Solution: According to Forbes, these questions are not within legal limits, so you are not forced to answer them. Any reply can make the interviewer become biased and disregard you as a compatible candidate on the grounds of different political opinions for instance. So, to avoid any subjective penalties, you can redirect your answer gently to a professional subject. 7. Brief Answers Even though your answers are on point, they may lack depth if there are too brief. Once again, the interviewer has a limited time to know you better, and they don’t know yet why you are perfect for the job. Solution: When it comes to interviews, it is okay to be the person who speaks the most in the room. Don’t let your answers revolve around “yes” or “no,” but elaborate on your idea. For example, if they ask you “Are you satisfied with your career so far?” bring up examples of projects and accomplishments that can endorse your positive or negative answers. 8. Posture When time is limited, appearances can speak volumes about a person. You may say one thing, but your posture can tell a different story about you. This is why your position means a lot during the interview. If you are not paying attention to this, you might not leave a pleasant impression behind you. Solution: Don’t forget to be aware of your posture. You should sit up straight and a little bit forward to your interviewer. This small detail will send the message that you are engaged and interested in your conversation. 9. Attire There is always the problem of appearing too formal or not good enough for an interview. It goes without saying that your clothes should be neat and clean, but the perfect style continues to remain controversial. Solution: Dress for the job you want. A senior marketing or director should definitely dress up. However, being a machinist doesn’t require such a luxury. On the contrary, you might put yourself in an awkward position if you appear overdressed for a casual job. 10. Not Being Yourself Trying to impersonate a perfect person that has nothing to do with you might make way for too many awkward situations. You might find yourself bursting in laughter if you aim to be too relaxed or touching the interviewer if you planned to be friendlier than you are. If you get away with it, you are in danger to become a square peg trying to fill a round hole. Solution: It is best to remain yourself, not only to avoid such awkward moments but also for the sake of your future professional career. The company you apply for might not align with your morals and personality. So, if you receive the job, you will suffer consequences in the long run. So, it is best not to hide your weaknesses and describe your strengths exactly how they are. If they choose you for the job, you will know that you will fit in perfectly. So, this is where our list of awkward moments at the interview ends. You should prepare your strategies to avoid them and get the dream job you want. Thispostwas written by Marc Mendelman, a professional writer, and career advisor. He wants to share his knowledge in order to help people make the right decisions and follow a great career path. You can follow him on Twitter. Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Secret to 2012 Success Commitment - Pathfinder Careers

Secret to 2012 Success Commitment - Pathfinder Careers Secret to 2012 Success: Commitment If you arent already subscribed to thought guru Seth Godins blog, I would highly recommend you do so. His short, to-the-point, and thought-provoking posts are momentary day-stoppers because they make you pause and think.  I cannot even imagine what is going on in his mind at any given moment with so many pearls of wisdom floating around in there! But one recent post hit home particularly hard the other day it was about planning versus committing.  On a personal note, I had been planning to write a book on career strategies for a whole year.  In fact, I had planned to spend the entire month of December 2010 working on it, but instead kept adding client appointments which proved great for business but meant zero book completion.  That is, until I made the commitment to actually do it this past December 2011. And guess what? I absolutely made it happen. Notice that one word commitment?  Its all about the follow through, not the intent. Sure, this process was scary.  A whole month without income?  I never thought I could do it but when I committed to the process and saved up funds to make up for the financial hole, my commitment made the opportunity possible.  Was I petrified that clients might leave me because I was unavailable?  You betcha.   But many prospective customers were willing to wait until I started taking clients again the first week of January. And you know what?  A byproduct of being unavailable created pent-up demand.  If this week is any indication, this year is going to be a blistering barn-burner. But what I am getting at is that Godins post about committing is an important mindset that we can apply to our own careers and how we manage them: We plan a lot of things we plan to update our résumés  every few months so we are ready for new opportunities or can easily respond to unplanned job transitions but most of us dont.  We also plan to take that class weve been needing to take.. but dont because we are too busy to find the time.  We plan to attend that networking event we know we should go to but we dont because something else came up or we simply dont feel like it. My question is to you: What kinds of opportunities are you missing out by only planning and not committing? Chances are if you start committing, success will find you versus you trying to seek it.

Which of the Following Writing Styles Is Most Effective For Your Needs?

Which of the Following Writing Styles Is Most Effective For Your Needs?The first and perhaps the most important factor to consider when writing the resume, which of the following writing styles is most effective for your needs? While this may seem obvious, there are actually a surprising number of people who do not consciously realize how important this is. How many of us miss or neglect to check that we have used all the available templates in the style we are working with, or perhaps have employed the wrong template altogether? The easiest way to avoid this situation is to review and analyze the different writing styles in terms of each individual job seeker's needs.If you are looking for an example of how various writing styles will differ in each position you can visit your local library or look online. Once you have done this you should be able to get a sense of how the potential employer perceives the resumes that you are posting. For instance, if you are an insurance adjuster for example, the type of resume you are likely to encounter would most likely not be so focused on your education or even your college or university diploma.When writing the resume, which of the following writing styles is most appropriate for your job? Of course it depends. But take the time to evaluate what you really want to communicate to the employer. Do you need to display your skills in a particular area?Perhaps you will find that the best writing styles to employ when writing the resume, which of the following writing styles is most effective for your needs? Perhaps you will find that many of these styles are similar to one another, but there are a number of different things that make each style unique. Perhaps you will also find that even though you already know which style works best for your needs, you still find it necessary to examine each style to see whether it helps you achieve the results you want?This is especially true if the resume you are seeking is a job openin g that requires a level of expertise that no one else has. You may find that you can work with a style of resume that highlights your skill set, but does not go into depth about your particular skills. It is of course possible to do this, but it is important to remember that it will be more challenging to present to the employer with such a position.If you are in a position where you need to ensure that the resume you write will highlight your strengths, then consider how you can use common techniques of resume writing. Take the time to think about how you can highlight your strengths. The key is to avoid focusing on your weaknesses or leaving them out entirely. The goal is to highlight your strengths.Most importantly, do not underestimate the importance of a well-written resume. You may be disappointed when the employer reaches the desk and sees a lousy job description and not a properly formatted resume. Being mindful of the impact that your writing style can have on your resume i s vital to ensuring that your resume stands out above the others.To conclude, when writing the resume, which of the following writing styles is most effective for your needs? The best way to find out is to follow this example and evaluate how different style choices will affect the message you are trying to convey. Keep in mind that it is important to refrain from making spelling errors, omitting information or citing specific job experiences that you should be included.