Whos Buzzing You

Whos Buzzing You My new buddy (Andy, is it too early in our relationship to publicly proclaim we are buddies? :p) Andy Sernovitz is author of Word of Mouth Marketing, speaker, and instructor of the Word of Mouth Marketing class at Northwestern University. He posted about a new contest he has where he wants you to send him stories about fun, honest, free, real word of mouth. If he thinks its cool enough hell send you a bottle of wine. Click here for details. So, why does this fit in my blog? Ive been thinking about it since the 3rd, when I read it on his very cool blog. Ive blogged about Brag! by Peggy Klaus and the concept of figuring out how to communicate your unique value propositions. Andys message (which youll get from his book and his blog) seems to take it to the next step. Yes, he writes to smart marketers dont let that fool you. Remember, we are all You, Inc. and we are all our own marketing department. So lets say that we have Peggys stuff down, we get it, we have our brag bites ready to go. Now what? Now switch to Andys stuff, and try and figure out how to create word of mouth marketing about you! This is were it is fuzzy for me, perhaps hell write something (or do a contest) about word of mouth on a personal level how do we create word of mouth buzz about us?? Im not talking about all the networking and participation stuff that Ive written about over the last year, Im talking about getting others to talk about us (in a good way), the way they talk about other things. Im going to dive into Andys book this month (I hope) and report back. For now, Im left wondering how to get others to buzz my brand. Two quick thoughts: I havent been able to get my hands on Dave Perrys Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters yet, but this makes me want to more Ill try and do that soon Ive met Dave and we talked about stuff like this I love his attitude about getting yourself out there and getting what you deserve (and what you are worth), so Im excited to add this to the mix. Sarah Needleman, editor at CareerJournal, recently wrote Why Attention-Seeking Tactics Often Backfire on Job Hunters I think that we are more worried about failing and tainting our brand, so we do nothing but a word to the wise, dont over-do it. Sarah collected some great stories of people going overboard (its a fun read :)). Do you buzz someone elses brand? WHY? What is it about them that makes you want to, and what exactly to you share with others? PCRecruiter provides applicant tracking software to employers. Whos Buzzing You My new buddy (Andy, is it too early in our relationship to publicly proclaim we are buddies? :p) Andy Sernovitz is author of Word of Mouth Marketing, speaker, and instructor of the Word of Mouth Marketing class at Northwestern University. He posted about a new contest he has where he wants you to send him stories about fun, honest, free, real word of mouth. If he thinks its cool enough hell send you a bottle of wine. Click here for details. So, why does this fit in my blog? Ive been thinking about it since the 3rd, when I read it on his very cool blog. Ive blogged about Brag! by Peggy Klaus and the concept of figuring out how to communicate your unique value propositions. Andys message (which youll get from his book and his blog) seems to take it to the next step. Yes, he writes to smart marketers dont let that fool you. Remember, we are all You, Inc. and we are all our own marketing department. So lets say that we have Peggys stuff down, we get it, we have our brag bites ready to go. Now what? Now switch to Andys stuff, and try and figure out how to create word of mouth marketing about you! This is were it is fuzzy for me, perhaps hell write something (or do a contest) about word of mouth on a personal level how do we create word of mouth buzz about us?? Im not talking about all the networking and participation stuff that Ive written about over the last year, Im talking about getting others to talk about us (in a good way), the way they talk about other things. Im going to dive into Andys book this month (I hope) and report back. For now, Im left wondering how to get others to buzz my brand. Two quick thoughts: I havent been able to get my hands on Dave Perrys Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters yet, but this makes me want to more Ill try and do that soon Ive met Dave and we talked about stuff like this I love his attitude about getting yourself out there and getting what you deserve (and what you are worth), so Im excited to add this to the mix. Sarah Needleman, editor at CareerJournal, recently wrote Why Attention-Seeking Tactics Often Backfire on Job Hunters I think that we are more worried about failing and tainting our brand, so we do nothing but a word to the wise, dont over-do it. Sarah collected some great stories of people going overboard (its a fun read :)). Do you buzz someone elses brand? WHY? What is it about them that makes you want to, and what exactly to you share with others? PCRecruiter provides applicant tracking software to employers. Whos Buzzing You My new buddy (Andy, is it too early in our relationship to publicly proclaim we are buddies? :p) Andy Sernovitz is author of Word of Mouth Marketing, speaker, and instructor of the Word of Mouth Marketing class at Northwestern University. He posted about a new contest he has where he wants you to send him stories about fun, honest, free, real word of mouth. If he thinks its cool enough hell send you a bottle of wine. Click here for details. So, why does this fit in my blog? Ive been thinking about it since the 3rd, when I read it on his very cool blog. Ive blogged about Brag! by Peggy Klaus and the concept of figuring out how to communicate your unique value propositions. Andys message (which youll get from his book and his blog) seems to take it to the next step. Yes, he writes to smart marketers dont let that fool you. Remember, we are all You, Inc. and we are all our own marketing department. So lets say that we have Peggys stuff down, we get it, we have our brag bites ready to go. Now what? Now switch to Andys stuff, and try and figure out how to create word of mouth marketing about you! This is were it is fuzzy for me, perhaps hell write something (or do a contest) about word of mouth on a personal level how do we create word of mouth buzz about us?? Im not talking about all the networking and participation stuff that Ive written about over the last year, Im talking about getting others to talk about us (in a good way), the way they talk about other things. Im going to dive into Andys book this month (I hope) and report back. For now, Im left wondering how to get others to buzz my brand. Two quick thoughts: I havent been able to get my hands on Dave Perrys Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters yet, but this makes me want to more Ill try and do that soon Ive met Dave and we talked about stuff like this I love his attitude about getting yourself out there and getting what you deserve (and what you are worth), so Im excited to add this to the mix. Sarah Needleman, editor at CareerJournal, recently wrote Why Attention-Seeking Tactics Often Backfire on Job Hunters I think that we are more worried about failing and tainting our brand, so we do nothing but a word to the wise, dont over-do it. Sarah collected some great stories of people going overboard (its a fun read :)). Do you buzz someone elses brand? WHY? What is it about them that makes you want to, and what exactly to you share with others? PCRecruiter provides applicant tracking software to employers.

The Headhunters Guide to Cold Calls

The Headhunters Guide to Cold Calls So far, weve gone round the world in 80 stereotypes, and exposed the pranksters and prats who hold our careers in their hands. Whatever could be left? The Cold Call! Most of you reading this will have been on the receiving end of a cold call at some point in your life (and several of you will have made them yourselves), but how many of you know the lengths a headhunter will go to in order to reach you?  Naturally, your author being the dignified and honest professional that he is had to shop around for a few stories this time, but first a few tips on how to avoid embarrassing yourself when making a cold call. 1) Dont say its personal Boys and girls, I regret to confirm that the personal assistants (PAs) of this world have now cottoned on to this once unbeatable strategy saying its a personal call. They do not believe you any more than those rich relatives you only speak to once a year when youre short on cash do when you tell them youre just calling to say hello. Only the most clueless of receptionists, gate-keepers, guardians of the Underworld (whatever were calling them these days) would accept that you know your target personally, especially since youre having to go through a random switchboard to get hold of them. You might as well say youre calling to inform them theyve won the Nigerian lottery. 2) Dont say youre returning their call The last time I overheard someone try this, it led to a bizarre back and forth with the PA they were trying to get past which succeeded only in making them look like they were following up on an imaginary conversation that never happened with someone they didnt know. It went something like this: Headhunter:  Can I speak to Mr X please? PA:  Whos calling please? Headhunter:  My name is XXX and I am returning his call PA:  Where are you calling from? Headhunter:  I just got a message to call him back and this is the only number that was given. PA:  What is the call regarding please? Headhunter:  How should I know? Hes the one who called me. 3) Dont pretend to be fluent in a language you dont speak Youd think this one would be a no-brainer. Alas, fellow headhunters, there was a time when even your distinguished author believed that his A-level Spanish, which he hadnt practiced for almost ten years, would sustain him in a sales call to a telecoms specialist in Madrid. It didnt. Mainly because most of the language required for this conversation was technical terminology that I hadnt even mastered in English yet. Funnier still was the resolute belief of some of my neighbouring consultants that the key to overcoming the language barrier was speaking as loudly and slowly as possible. Add a bad phone line to the equation and you got the hilarious sight of them bellowing the same phrases down the phone for 30 minutes with all eyes on them as an office of 70 people was forced to wait for the call to end before resuming their own work.  Fail! The Success Stories A cynical person might refer to these anecdotes as the  spin stories, the trick stories,  or even  the outright lies stories, but the bottom line is: this is what got the job done for our (anti) heroes, so Im going to call them the  success stories. I asked several of my friends from the industry (who shall remain nameless) to send me the best lines they had ever used to acquire their target. Here are some of my favourites: The Doctor: I pretended to be a Dr James Gray who had significant and confidential health news for the Chief Tech Officer of a major telecommunications company. This actually fooled his secretary who apparently kept on asking him what health problems he had for months afterward. This still isnt as bad as another chap named Gary whose alter-ego was Gupta Singh who was a pushy and annoying Asian that would not take no for an answer. Direct quote: Its easier to be rude if you sound foreign. Perhaps the most entertaining part of The Doctors contribution was when I challenged him on the ethics of his approach and that of his colleague, to which he responded: Well it was 2005 and I take no responsibility for Gary! The Wrestler: This friend of mine and his team decided to make cold calling more interesting by challenging each other to name drop professional wrestlers in their conversations. The premise of the game, as he explained, was: Who could name the most pro-wrestlers in one lead stripping exercise. For example: Interesting you worked for Jimmy Jib IT Solutions Ltd. I work with Randall down there, Randall Savage was he your manager down there? Killing Me Softly: I vividly remember one Friday afternoon where my team and I decided to play a little game of or own: who could insert a song title into their cold call and make it sound completely natural? The winning song proved to be Killing me Softly thanks to this conversation: Headhunter:  Is that Dave? Dave:  Speaking. Headhunter:  Hi Dave. My name is XXX and Im calling from XXX. I found your CV online today and think youd be perfect for the job Im working on are you looking for work right now? Dave:  No, Im not. Sorry. Headhunter:  Oh no, Dave, mate, youre killing me softly here. Are you sure? Unfortunately, Rasberry Beret proved to be less fruitful (no pun intended) and ended with the consultant hanging up on his customer half way through the call when he couldnt bring himself to finish the job. Where was I in all this? I was the one picking the song titles for other people to say. Hey, I was bored, not stupid. Fire: The worst cold call trick I have ever heard used is someone posing as the flatmate of the person they want to reach, calling to tell them that their house is on fire and they could not get through to them on their mobile. Practice this one at your own peril boys and girls because God help you when you actually get through to that person and you have to explain who you really are. Think outside the box yes! Pretend the box is on fire no! Thats it from me until next time. Add your own stories below!

Three tips for job hunting, and one good book

Three tips for job hunting, and one good book A lot of times we think we know what were doing in the job hunt, and then someone surprises us with information we didnt think of. My latest bunch of surprises came from the book, What Does Somebody Have to Do to Get a Job Around Here? by Cynthia Shapiro, who I have interviewed before, and she is always super smart. So heres some advice, based on the surprises I found in the book: 1. Theres one trick to all trick questions. All trick questions, even the really scary psychological questions, are crafted so that you will give a negative answer. The truth is that positive people are hired more often. And in an interview, people can show that they are that type of person by intentionally presenting their information in the most positive way. So get all your bitching about your career out of your system before you get to the interview. And each time you are inclined to say something negative, change it or leave it unsaid. Once you get hired, there will be plenty of time to open the spigot of animosity if you need to. But you work so hard on presenting yourself in your best light in the interview why not attempt to extend that best you to your whole life instead of those two hours of interviews? People will like you better at work, and your positive outlook will help you to make all your experiences in life better. 2. A thank-you note is too late to express enthusiasm for the job. A hiring managers mind is made up in the first twenty minutes of an interview, and often nothing can be done to change that. During this twenty minutes, most hiring managers are subconsciously screening for enthusiasm. Because people want coworkers who are excited about their job. Ironically, though, most people who are interviewing for a job go into that interview unsure if they want the position, and they tell themselves theyll make a decision based on the interview. But if you decide to be enthusiastic about the job at the end of the interview or, worse yet, when you write the thank you note, you are way too late. To solve this problem, go into the job convinced that you want it. Be enthusiastic about the job and get the job. You may decide later that you dont want it. Thats fine. But this way youll have that decision to make. Note that this means the interview is not the time to ask difficult, probing questions about the company. Save those for after you have a job offer. Ask questions that convey a positive, sunny attitude toward your interviewer and the company. That will get you an offer. 3. No one will tell you that youve made a mistake. No one will tell you that your resume wasnt up to par; it will simply land in the trash. No one will tell you that you said something that scared the interviewer during a phone screen; youll just never be able to get that person on the phone again. Part of the reason is that you never get feedback is its too high risk to tell candidates what they do wrong: There is little benefit to the company, since they are not going to hire you anyway, and there is the remote chance that you will bring up a discrimination lawsuit. The other reason no one will tell you what you did wrong is because it takes extra energy to take time to help someone, and we cant do that with everyone, so we help the people who look like the strongest performers. Its like that axiom, the rich get richer but in this case, the best candidates get better. How to fix this in your own life? Ask for a lot of help from people who are in a position to help you.

How To Prepare Yourself For Your Job Interview

How To Prepare Yourself For Your Job Interview It is very important to keep yourself upgraded or you will stand nowhere in this era of competition. Whether it is your first interview or you are going as an experienced candidate for the interview, it is very important to be presentable to the company where you are going for your interview. You have to be very confident about how you will be presenting yourself before the interviewers.If you are going as a fresher, it is very important that you should know the tactics of the interview. Normally, the rules or the tips remain the same for a fresher and an experienced candidate.evalThough it is important that you should know a few details well in advance before going for your interview, you should be prepared for anything that comes across in your interview. This is because the recruiters are also facing the same competition factor as you do. They may come up with some surprising elements in their interview to introduce new things.Nowadays, different companies have different interview patterns according to the norms of their organizations. Many big companies will be having a set of interview rounds through which they will test you in every way they could to ensure that you fit well in the company for the position you will be interviewed.Normally, the interview pattern changes from one company to the other. However, we will be discussing here, some of the interview tactics that will help you prepare yourself for your interview.1. Do ResearchIt is important that you do research on the company you are going to give your interview. You should have some details of the company beforehand and these details should include:The company’s inception; since how many years the company is been existing.What is their key area of working and how long they have been in the current sector?What will be the interview pattern? If it is going to be taken by a single person or a panel of persons.What documents will be required to be taken with you?Try to learn about the products and services the company is selling.Try to find out the company’s culture to ensure your happiness with the job.2. Be PresentableWhen you go for an interview in any company, it is very important that you look presentable and sharp. You have to be very particular on what you wear when you go for your interview. You should choose your clothing depending on your designation and the industry you are going for.You need to cover your skin flaws like spots or wrinkles if any with good cosmetics. You should smell good which is the topmost thing to be kept in mind. In all, you should look neat, sharp, confident, and completely presentable when you go for your interview.3. Prepare YourselfYou should have all the required documents in a neat folder along with your experience certificates if any, your degree certificates, a note for noting down anything, extra copies of your resume, and a pen. Moreover, you can also practice in front of a mirror to check yourself in terms of confidence and body l anguage.4. Be PunctualevalPunctuality is something that matters a lot when it comes to any profession. You have to be on time for your interview which creates an impression of being punctual and it really matters to every company. It is correctly said “the first impression is the last impression” and you should be conscious of what impression you are making on the company people when you visit them for the first time.So, never be late on your interview as it will give a negative impression to your interviewers. Always be on time when you visit any company for your interview and this can also add a positive point in favor of your personality.5. Show Your EnthusiasmBe enthusiastic while giving your interview. Your handshake should be firm which shows your confidence level to your interviewers. Try to make eye contacts as much as you can when you answer as this also reflects the confidence level.Moreover, when you answer, keep your voice firm so that it shows your determination and interviewer gets ensured of you having good knowledge of what you are speaking. Be active in answering the questions and keep your body language sharp and calm. Your postures should be upright and straight which will reflect a good sign of personality.6. ListenevalThis is the most common interview skill, that many of us ignore while going for an interview. It is important that you listen carefully to your interviewer before answering them. This will help you in answering correctly. Don’t be impulsive in answering any questions or don’t answer the question when only half listened.Listen to the questions completely and take your time to analyze and then answer. This will help a lot in giving correct answers and reduce the chances of getting wrong.7. Answer the Question AskedListen carefully to the question being asked and then proceed to answer that question. Many times, it happens that interviewer asks one question and the candidate answers something else or something more. Give the answer to the point and don’t repeat the things unnecessarily. Keep the answer brief as much as possible and be precise when any technical question is asked.Moreover, you should be confident about your answer and if you are not then simply convey that you are not aware of the thing being asked to you. This will create an impression of clarity in the interviewer’s mind.8. Point Out Your Strengths and WeaknessesThis is one of the common questions being asked either directly by the interviewer or asked to write in a form to be filled before the interview. You should be particular in mentioning your strengths and weaknesses. In other words, be realistic when pointing out these characteristics of your personality as they will be creating a kind of impression on the mind of the interviewer.9. Prepare Questions on Your SideThis is something most of the candidates miss out. It is a good thing or a good characteristic if you also ask a few questions to the interviewer at the end of your interview. This shows your interest in the company to them and will give a positive feedback to them.Also, by asking a few questions, you will also come to know if the company is planning on any new project or bringing any changes in their structure of work or infrastructure or their culture.10. Don’t Miss the Follow upAfter giving the interview, it is necessary that you take a follow of your interview with the company through their HR manager via emails or phone calls whatever convenient to you. This will help you know the status of your interview and from that, you can decide upon whether you will be required to give more interviews in other companies or this one will be enough for getting you the job.In the world of competition, it very important that you should be prepared in all the ways to face anything that comes your way with full confidence and knowledge. So, just prepare yourself in the best possible manner for your interview and get with it successfully.