How to Promote Yourself 6 Lessons from the Edinburgh Fringe

How to Promote Yourself 6 Lessons from the Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Fringe Festival  2014 is now in full swing. Thousands of  shows take place throughout August across the city, from stand-up comedy and sketch shows to street performance, cabaret and kid?s clubs. Every nook and cranny within the Scottish capital has had a black curtain draped across it to create a place for people to perform. Every year I go up to the Festival for a few  days to take in some shows and it always amazes me the lengths people go to promote their work and how many people make the simplest, but potentially catastrophic mistakes when trying to promote themselves. Coincidently, the principles of promoting yourself whilst looking for new job opportunities are very similar to attracting an audience for a Fringe performance. Here are just a few lessons which can be taken away from the world?s largest arts festival: 1) As seen on TV: It obviously helps if you already have a profile. Comedians who have been on T.V such as Frank Skinner and Al Murray will need little promotion to sell out big venues as people will have already heard of them and are reassured (if they like the performer) that they will deliver a show they will enjoy. Similarly, it is possible for you to improve your chances of getting hired by increasing your profile within the industry you work in. This can be achieved by engaging online with relevant peers and influencers through discussion groups, commenting and taking part in conversations on Twitter and LinkedIn and blogging on subjects relevant to your chosen industry. This will increase your chances that a potential employer will have already heard of you when your C.V lands on their desk or at the very least you will have some proof that you are actively involved and interested in the sector. 2) Five stars: Reviews, quotes and testimonials are all important as they are an indicator of your skills and ability. You should be proactive in asking people to provide them and collecting them for CV and online profile. However, it is crucial that all the sources are relevant i.e. sector specific if possible or at least from people who have actually worked with you (no friends or relatives allowed). Also, don?t be tempted to doctor quotes to change how they can be interpreted. A 5  star review isn?t a 5  star review if the scoring system is out of ten. Manipulating testimonials may get your foot in the door, but if your deception is discovered or you don?t live up to expectations then your reputation may be permanently ruined. 3) Standing  out from the crowd: For those who have been to the Edinburgh Festival you will know that it is impossible to walk down the Royal Mile, due to the sheer numbers of street artists, performers and drama students singing, dancing and juggling in front of you whilst also trying to thrust promotional flyers into your hands. It is extremely difficult to stand out from the crowd, but also by being too outlandish or appearing too desperate, there is a danger of alienating your potential audience. Make your CV stand out by its content succinctly selling what is unique about you, but what is also relevant to the employer not by adding lots of different colours, fonts and a zany photo! It may also be beneficial to try channels that the majority of other people haven?t tried (i.e. away from the Royal Mile) such as a video, Slideshare or a Prezi presentation. 4) The  devil is in the detail: It is amazing how many people miss off important information from their flyers and posters such as where the venue is, how much it costs, who the target audience is and even what the show is actually about (sometimes a title just isn?t enough). With so much competition around no-one is going to go out of their way to see a show unless they know exactly what they are letting themselves in for. The same applies to your C.V. Make sure it contains all the required information and is relevant to the position you are applying for. In a competitive market it is unlikely that you will be contacted for further information if your CV lacks the relevant details. It will be destined for the same location as the majority of the flyers in Edinburgh. 5) A dalmatian in the rain: Endlessly promoting yourself and competing against some many other shows for a month can be relentless. As you can probably imagine, flyering around Edinburgh dressed as a Dalmatian in the pouring rain to attract an audience of four on a daily basis can be extremely demotivating. However success will come to those who continue to have self-belief and persistence, and who continue to learn and improve By being determined, learning from your experiences (CV advice, interview feedback etc.) and adapting your processes accordingly you will gradually get closer to landing the job role that you desire. 6) Call  my agent: In the entertainment industry an agent can help  you to promote yourself. Unfortunately it comes at a fee (at least 10%!). There is also the chicken and egg scenario that you can?t get an agent until you have the experience, but it?s difficult to get experience without an agent.

Balancing Hyper Growth and Company Culture

Balancing Hyper Growth and Company Culture The public eye has recently cast a spotlight on company culture, leaving several companies wondering: how do you strike a balance between building a healthy culture that keeps employees happy and making sure that the company can continue to strive for its business goals? Course Hero is one company who is doing just that navigating the way to a better culture and business success through a People team â€" a team dedicated to helping employees get the most out of the company by giving it nothing but their best effort. Sue Olson leads the People Operations and Talent Acquisition teams at Course Hero. She specializes in building high-performance teams in high-growth organizations, with an emphasis on corporate culture and engagement. She likes to focus on volunteering, mentorship (especially professional women), diversity, and inclusion. Have a listen to the episode below, keep reading for a summary and be sure to subscribe to the  Employer Branding Podcast. Listen on  Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher  or  Soundcloud. In this episode you’ll learn: What it means to get unstuck Why she used anthropology to get to know Course Hero What quarterly heroes are and what it means How they give back to their community How to build an award-winning culture You can connect with Sue on LinkedIn.

Launching Soon - The 5 Day CV Diet

Launching Soon - The 5 Day CV Diet We get a lot of requests for CV reviews. Most of these are from students and some graduates who are just about to hit the overcrowded job market or have just come across a job they want to apply for, but have to get their CV in order! Students are busy at university with all sorts of stuff and having been there myself, I cannot blame them too much ?? Sometimes students have to wait for a few days before they can even meet someone to get their CV reviewed or even start writing! But that is about to change with our planned 5-Day CV Diet Package. We are still discussing this package and it is by no means complete, but as our readers, I am giving you a sneak peek of this 5-Day CV Diet. 1. Career Geek Blog is planning to offer multiple CV templates (from real people, who used them to get a job!) 2. I will review your CV in two phases. Initial review and final review. So we can get the quick wins like font, readability, spelling and grammar, layout, etc. out of the way in the initial review. The final review will have the more intricate touches ironed out. 3. A tool to help you track this process and make sure you complete the process of building an awesome CV! 4. A guide to help you build an online CV! Not only is the guide FREE, all the resources we have compiled to help you build your CV are FREE, too. Essentially, this is your 5-Day CV Diet, and thats what Career Geek will help you with. For a small cost we will help you build your CV and offer you the other additions as mentioned above. Its time to say goodbye to waiting times and spending a whole load of green on building your CV. We plan to make the process more  efficient  and affordable to students and graduates. But the best thing of all is the support you get in the whole process. When are we going to launch it? I am not sure, its something you will have to wait for but once its available, you will be the first to know! What do you think of this offering? And how much would you pay for a service like this? Do comment below 2

Team Building Days Expensive Corporate Jolly or Essential Staff Investment

Team Building Days Expensive Corporate Jolly or Essential Staff Investment How is your office team working? You may think everyone is getting along fine, but what if some of your staff members are not as motivated to contribute to the success of your company as they could be? Who knows, there could be simmering personality clashes you’re not aware of. In any team, good collaboration and cooperation are the keys to success, so is there anything that can be done to hone the efficiency of your workforce? The mission of the team building industry is to address just that. What’s on offer is a wide range of activities that take place away from the desk and are aimed at achieving better workplace relationships which, ultimately, will have a positive impact on your company’s processes and goals. There are many group activities that lend themselves to being team building exercises. They range from short, problem-solving sessions to one-day events and even longer retreats. Choose from Bushcraft Survival Courses, Sushi Masterclasses or Ice Sculpting Workshops, Treasure Hunts, Climbing Wall Sessions or Chocolate Making Classes… the options are truly bewildering and limited only by your budget and imagination. Are team building outings worth doing? Some people see them as a welcome break from the office routine, which of course they are. But it’s much more than that: their purpose is to provide high impact-learning, improving communications and team skills, while at the same time raising morale and productivity. Your employees will have gained a real sense of accomplishment through a shared experience with their co-workers. Refreshed and back at the office, new found problem-solving and relationship management skills can be put into practice. Better communication and trust One of the key elements of every team building event is the development of communication skills among team members. Fun and enjoyable team activities are a great way for your workforce to get to know each other better, encouraging them to interact in a casual, non-work related environment and focusing their energies on a common goal. This cooperation leads to deeper rapport and understanding, while relationships are enhanced by a greater degree of trust. Best activities: It’s a Knockout, Climbing Abseiling, Paintballing, Collaboration and productivity The collaborative nature of team building exercises encourages individuals to work together more effectively, making full use of all the knowledge and experience pool within the team. By creating activities for the team to enjoy and experience together, interpersonal relationships are developed, while learning the value of different approaches that people bring to a problem helps to streamline operations. These insights can then be transferred to the office environment. Best activities: Crystal Maze, Treasure Hunt, Bushcraft Challenge Creativity and problem solving Out-of-the-ordinary team tasks are a useful way to develop people’s imagination and creative thinking skills in an effort to find solutions to problems. Creativity and innovation are highly prized business values that drive many organisations. Give your team a chance to bounce ideas of each other, using the teambuilding outing as a less pressured environment in which to move forward towards achieving a common goal, successfully navigating many hurdles along the way. Best activities: Jewellery Making, Cookery Classes, Raft Building Motivation and recognition Sending your workforce on a team building day sends a strong message to your employees that you acknowledge and recognise their input at work. Praise and recognition go a long way towards staff morale â€" everyone feels good about getting a pat on the back. Motivated employees are will try harder to achieve corporate objectives, and are likely to stay with the company for longer. Team building exercises can be a valuable tool to create team cohesion and pride. Successfully completing a team task gives everyone a confidence boost. Better and more trusting relationships with colleagues are the result, making coming to the office something to look forward to. Best activities: Treasure Hunt, Assault Obstacle Courses, Beer Brewing Article provided by Mike James, an independent content writer working together with UK experience day provider Into the Blue.

How open days give you a unique insight into company culture

How open days give you a unique insight into company culture Theres only so much information you can get from a company website.   Youll probably come across lots of glossy images of people sat in board meetings and chatting by the coffee machine, and some description of the companys values, but these only touch the surface of what its like actually working somewhere. And thats where company open days come in.   These are opportunities to get a day in the life glimpse of what you would actually be doing if you were to secure a job within the organisation. Youll meet senior members of staff and graduate trainees, wander round the office and eye up the dress code. You can ask all the burning questions you could possibly want, whether its about the application process or the working hours.   Theyre a crucial way of breaking down the scary recruitment process and adding some much needed transparency to what recruiters are actually looking for. Its also really important for you to know whether you would fit in well with the company and its culture theres no point in going through a rigorous application process for a job youre not going to enjoy if you get it. What do open days involve? The entrance to Shearman Sterlings London offices To find out exactly what a typical open day involves, we went along to multinational law firm Shearman Sterlings open day. Around 55 Debutants headed to the companys swanky headquarters for an informative afternoon that took them through the companys history, its specialisms and its trainee programme.   Of course open days will vary from company to company, depending on their values and priorities, but most will involve meeting current graduate trainees, or senior staff in charge of recruitment. At Shearman Sterling, students used these opportunities to ask a vast range of questions to enhance their knowledge of the company and help them with any future applications.   Other open days might involve a tour of the workplace, a networking session, or participating in a group task. You might even get some free food out of it FYI, the Shearman Sterling cookies are divine.   Theyll give you information you cant find anywhere else The one thing that most impresses employers in an application or interview is an extensive knowledge of the company itself. Being able to whip out a key fact, company priority or impressive statistic during an interview is bound to set you above the rest. You may be able to take some bland figure off the company’s Wikipedia page, but so will thousands of other applicants and your interviewer will see right through it. Hearing the information from those who actually work there will give you a unique insight and make you sound much more authentic.   At Shearman and Sterling, attendees were given an oversight of the firms impressive history, as well as gaining an insight into its plans for the future. Attendees were able to speak to three current trainees about exactly what they do on a day-to-day basis, and were taken through a case study that helped them get to grips with some of the complex issues theyll be dealing with on the job.   Arti Vadher, a MA Law graduate from the University of Birmingham, said: The open day has been really informative, and it’s gone into much more detail than the literature on their website and in brochures. You get to meet the people so it’s more personable and you get a feel for the firm. It will definitely make me more likely to apply, 100%.   They will almost certainly improve your chances of getting a job Debutants learning about Shearman Sterlings recruitment process Open days are all about finding out information that you cant find on the company website or Facebook page. Theyre an opportunity to ask those niggling questions about applications and interviews that youre not quite sure about. And with this exclusive information under your belt, youll already be ten steps ahead of the vast majority of candidates who wont be as well informed. Every company has different priorities when it comes to recruitment. For some, your educational background and university modules might be important, for another, extracurriculars will be given far much more emphasis. This is your chance to find out exactly what it is their recruiters are looking for, and then youll be able tailor your application accordingly. At Shearman Sterling, a senior recruiter took candidates through a few example application forms, pointing out what they were impressed with and what didnt work so well what better insight into the company recruitment process could you possibly ask for? You also might get the opportunity to network with staff members if you go for an interview and youre recognised by your interviewer from an open day, youll instantly get 50 bonus points for dedication.   Theyll help you decide where you want to work While Ive been focusing on all the positives of open days, its also perfectly ok to go along to an open day and, well, hate it. It might be completely different to what you expected, or you might not be keen on the type of work you will be doing. But this is a great way of helping you find where exactly you want to work, and where you will thrive. Your first job is as much your decision as it is the decision of your employer. Dont just apply for a job because its a big name that will impress your friends; if you take the time to go to an open day, youll be able to decide whether the company is actually right for you. Will Lucas, a second year French and Spanish student at the Shearman Sterling open day, said: I never like to say anything unfounded in an application, so I would hate to apply for a law firm and say ‘I think your culture’s great’ without actually meeting the people and being in the building. What makes [this open day] unique is that a lot of law firms ask you to go through quite a lengthy application process before you can come to an open day, so to have an open day where you can just come and see the firm makes it a lot more open, which I think they’re quite proud of in their culture as well. The paper overflowing with notes showed just how much the students gained from their experience. If you hadnt heard of company open days before today, then dont panic. You still have plenty of time to do your research target a few companies youre most interested in and find out if they have any open days coming up and register your interest. With graduate recruitment season just around the corner, keep your eyes peeled and make the most of any opportunities that come your way remember, theres no such thing as too many questions. Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for more careers insights.

Job Search Campaign Vote for Me! - Hire Imaging

Job Search Campaign Vote for Me! - Hire Imaging Many (myself included) have used the terms job search and job hunt. It’s a bit misleading. Are you in a job search? If you answered “yes,” please rethink it. My client Angie did just that recently. Although we had discussed the semantics, her epiphany came while watching a television piece on the churning of the 2012 presidential campaign. Right after her light-bulb moment, she called me chirping, “Getting hired is so much more than a search! It is a campaign. I’m a contender with competition. I want to be voted in. I want to be the candidate of choice! Yes, I am searching! But it’s more than that!” Job Search Campaign: Get clear with definition By definition, a search refers to looking through an area in order to find something missing or lost. In contrast, a campaign pertains to a systematic course of aggressive activities for some specific purpose, i.e. a sales campaign. “Yep; you’re selling you to the voters, Angie,” I said. Job Search Campaign: Parallels to politics An election is really a very expensive job campaign. The candidates decide to apply for the open slots. They tap a need, put together a strategy, and contact their network. They spread their marketing communications through social media and other distribution outlets. Many go door to door. They interview. They participate in events where hopeful prospects field questions, undergo final interviews and anxiously await decisions. Sound familiar? The principles align, whether you are running for U.S. President, another office, or for a role as Quality Assurance Manager as Angie is. As a candidate, you are creating a solid case to get the vote! Job Search Campaign: Make it happen A key common denominator in career and political campaigns is planning and action. A politician never says, “I’m running for any job.” Know what you can do and what you want. Track and measure your progress. Adjust the plan as necessary. Maybe you’ll have to take a bridge job, as George H.W. Bush did, holding jobs as CIA director and vice president before becoming president. Neutralize obstacles. Move forward. Believe and keep the faith. Back in 2007, Hillary Clinton was her party’s favored presidential candidate. Obama was confident he could do the job. He convinced millions of Americans of the same. When Obama won in 2008, Hillary did not get the coveted role. Although surely disappointed, she moved forward in the role of Secretary of State. You will not always be the chosen one. Don’t burn bridges and move on. Have a platform. Know your voters (employers). Research their past and present. Learn about the key players. What’s their pain? When you talk to them, correlate what you can do for them directly linked to that pain. Obama convinced enough voters that the U.S. needed a change, what it was, and that he was the one who could make it happen. Stay on message. Be consistent with your brand messaging. Keep your resume and other communications laser focused. Leverage social media. Use LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or other social media (considered your own webpage?) to boost your profile, galvanize your network and discover opportunities. Something else Obama pioneered wisely. Knock on doors. Pounding the pavement and connecting with contacts and employers is still an effective job campaign methodâ€"even in our digital world. Attend networking events, volunteer and socialize to keep your name and face out there. Every contact is a potential promoter, so talk about the job you want and why you deserve it. Obama combined word of mouth campaigns with his social media campaign innovation. Gather your champions. A well-run campaign creates advocates, because the candidate can’t be everywhere at once. Seek out advice from experts. Develop a diverse group of supporters who can share information about your industry, connect you with others, and just plain have your back. You are a candidate in a campaign, resolved to win the offer. Be prepared for a marathon rather than a sprint. Ignore the naysayersâ€"including those in your own head. Smile at the people. Push through any fear. Sweep your campaign trail. Go get that vote!   For help with your campaign, click here Photo: Theresa Thompson

Tips For Resume Writing in 2020

Tips For Resume Writing in 2020Tips for resume writing in 2020? First, let's talk about the guidelines we use when writing resumes. The guidelines that we use all include creating your own personal statement and the resume itself. These guidelines can be used to make sure you don't put too much information on your resume; this can often cause a resume to become too long, not to mention tedious.Well then, you should include all the required details you want in your resume and put as much detail as you can. This will make your resume appealing to a reader.The first guideline to keep in mind when creating your personal statement is to always include something about yourself. Nothing is worse than someone who puts too much information on their resume or doesn't even make a resume at all. A good thing to do is to include at least three or four paragraphs about yourself.Then, after telling your story, you need to include your job search accomplishments. Don't just tell about yourself; incl ude information about your skills, achievements, and skills.With the personal statement, it is also important to list down a summary of why you are qualified for the position and why you are a great candidate for the job. The summary should be enough to have a reader interested, and after listing the details you can fill in the rest.One tip for resume writing in 2020 is to make sure your resume has certain keywords that will catch the attention of the reader. These keywords can be in the titles of your resume, or it can be in the description. Make sure your resume has the right keywords and make it stand out in a crowd.So, that is my personal notes about what tips for resume writing in2020 I would like to tell you. It would help to expand these ideas to give you a comprehensive look at what to do and what not to do to write a resume that will win your job search.As mentioned above, if you feel as though you have a good enough story to tell, put it on paper and create a personal stat ement to tell about yourself. You can also use an online tool to create your own personal statement, or you can find someone to create one for you.