Friday, May 29, 2020

Video Interview Tips For Graduates Mistakes to Avoid

Video Interview Tips For Graduates Mistakes to Avoid The video interview, the early stage cost-effective alternate to face-to-face interviewing. With video becoming more and more prevalent in the recruitment and selection process, especially early on  in multiple hurdle systems, its important to know what the interviewer  might be looking for,  as  its not just the merits of your CV. Have you already been invited to the video interview? Great. Here are tips on  how to get invited to the next stage and ace your interview. 1) Camera level eye-contact Please take the time to adjust  your camera height. The easiest is to conduct a video interview on a desktop computer or laptop with elevated platform (stack of books). If you are on mobile, hold or set the camera lens level with your eyes.  It feels unnatural, but try to look into and through the camera lens when listening and answering questions. I understand  if the  camera lens on most devices resembles the eye of Sauron, but staring constantly at the screen (wherever you have the feed  open) looks clumsy and doesnt feel like you are making the effort with making the all important eye contact. Search and study popular vloggers on YouTube that engage with their viewers such as CaseyNeistat, pewdiepie and Jenna Marbles. They make it look easy and make you feel engaged directly with their message. Imagine this situation during the interview with the recruiters being the YouTube viewing community and you the star vlogger. 2) Dont read pre-script I know, its tempting. I mean you can phrase the perfect elegant response to common questions and already know exactly how to tie in your experiences and key achievements and the recruiter wont even notice! Spoiler alert, we  do,  unless of course you have a teleprompter right above your camera. Many candidates  still feel uncomfortable on camera and your awkward eye flickering across the screen and pausing while remaining  fixed on a certain spot for a few seconds  or more are obvious tell tale  signs. I also like to occasionally ask curve balls follow up questions. On many occasions where applicants are script reading, they will acknowledge the new question, but continue to ignore answering the question because they feel their pre-response will be  better, (it usually does), but its not the answer I was waiting for. Great applicants listen, adapt and follow instructions. 3) Understand dress code Please take at least a few minutes to browse through the company careers website before the video interview. Great candidates will take notes on keywords listed on the page and will make use of available information  on the company culture and values. If a  company lists casual dress and all the corporate pictures involve t-shirts, then its a bit awkward when  you wear a  three piece suit and tie for  the video interview. If applying to a company where casual Friday is a listed benefit and the corporate pictures are all shirt and blazers, then you may over-dress for the interview. Know your audience and show the interviewer you took the time to understand their corporate culture by dressing appropriately, (even if it is just from the waist up). 4) Location of the interview When scheduling the video interview, be sure to recommend a time that works for you. This is important so that the location setting and environment does not interrupt or disturb the interview. A quiet and reserved place such as a bedroom inside an empty  household is ideal. Be sure to adjust the frame and proximity so that your face is well lit and there is nothing out of the ordinary that can be seen on video regarding the room that you wouldnt want to be shared. Recruiters expect the interview to start on time, but please  dont call from the bathroom. We can understand a few minute delay. 5) Body language In my experience, top  graduates have already spent hours doing personality assessments and studying up on the importance of body language during the interview. Tips such as mimicking the body language of the interviewer and nodding when listening. Yet, candidates still make these simple body language mistakes. Simply avoid touching yourself anywhere on your body during the video interview and remember to remain calm. If you feel stressed, take a breath, its not an interrogation. A video interview can be a stressful experience, but it really shouldnt be. Its a slightly awkward experience at first, but you gain confidence at it the more you practice and do it. Image: Shutterstock

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Becoming Influential and Compelling at Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Becoming Influential and Compelling at Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Becoming influential and compelling at work doesn’t so much have to deal with one’s looks. For instance, when a Steve Balmer or Jack Welch enter a room (neither known for being particularly handsome), their aura quickly makes them the most attractive people in the space. Once they speak, people realize that it’s not the nice tie they are wearing, nor is it the expensive suit, but rather the quality of their character and raw passion for their profession which makes them compelling and intriguing. Becoming influential in corporate America means having that something. Among other things, it means being capable of formulating creative solutions to complex problems… it means being able to command respect while simultaneously displaying a warm character. Now that we have some of the traits of an individual who others would deem interesting in corporate America, let’s further look into the variables that make people win-over co-workers, subordinates and bosses. You must understand before you can sway judgement If you want to be able to change people’s opinion of you, you must first understand how human beings will form opinions of others around the office. Among the first things people learn about you are most likely conclusions drawn from your appearance. People make rapid-fire decisions based upon factors such as your dress, your race, your body posture, hair color, height, weight, age, gender etc. Before you open your mouth, you are stereotyped. As a general rule, nice and appropriate dress will make you appear more competent to an interviewer, client, fellow employee, etc. Moreover, those who are in-shape will be conceived as stronger and more resilient than individuals who take less care of their bodies. While it’s not necessary to spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on how we look, it is still crucial to make our appearance conducive to others believing that we can efficiently do a job. While we can’t control our current clothing budget, a simple smile can make a very positive difference in our interactions with others. A smile can shape one’s character more than an Armani suit. Compelling workers In their book, “Compelling People” authors John Neffinger and Matthew Kohut discuss how men and women are perceived by others. They argue that as a culture, we will expect men to be strong and authoritative (sometimes even a bit “cold”). At the office (and in life), men are often rewarded for such behavior. At work, men who display candor will be more likely to be thought of having leadership acumen than passive males. While bull-dozing and forcing their opinion on others can have devastating consequences, this behavior is accepted to an extent. On the flip side, for years women who have done the same were punished for their behavior. For years, women who displayed candor would be viewed as less “warm.” This widely held view made required female workers to be near perfect in their performance. Only in recent years has the workforce embraced women with strength, ambition and insight. Despite it going against best leadership practices, some male employers want to hire females who are more likable via an easy-going attitude. Getting co-workers to like you more Around the office, much of your ability to influence rests on whether or not people like you. Regardless of sex, there are certain implementations everyone can incorporate into behavior which will result in more positive interactions. Among other things, these include: 1. Being a strong listener. 2. Becoming genuinely interested in others. 3. Talking in term’s of other people’s interests. 4. Making people feel important regardless of title. 5. Taking responsibility for mistakes. In the end It’s never too late to change into a compelling person around the office. Regardless of age, sex or appearance, we all strive to be regarded in a positive manner by others. To do so takes a comprehensive understanding of ourselves and those around us as well as some basic alterations in our professional approach and demeanor.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Nanny Cover Letter Sample - Algrim.co

Nanny Cover Letter Sample - Algrim.co Nanny Cover Letter Template Download our cover letter template in Word format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Related Hiring Resources Nanny Job Description Sample Nanny Resume Example

Monday, May 18, 2020

Be Your Own Boss Summit 2016 (CCG Podcast #40) - Classy Career Girl

Be Your Own Boss Summit 2016 (CCG Podcast #40) On todays podcast, youll learn how to create work-life balance, fulfillment and wealth working from home. Lisa Rooney interviews Anna Runyan on how to be your own boss. Youll learn how Anna created her first course, hired her first virtual assistant and how to create your first business plan to start your own business once and for all. Click play below or  right click here and save link as  to download or subscribe on iTunes  here on this link: Lisa Rooney interviews Anna Runyan in the Be Your Own Boss Summit 2016. Learn how to create work-life balance, fulfillment and wealth working from home. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a review on iTunes. Thank you!! Be Your Own Boss QA: (Here are a few of the questions Anna answered on the podcast). Q: Can you go into the transition of how you gradually started your own blog and business from being in  corporate? A: I found time in my calendar. Even if it was just 15 minutes per day. This is work every single day that added up over time. It all started with the blog. I always recommend starting a blog like a video blog or interviewing people. I didnt even think I would become an entrepreneur until people were starting to read my  content. I was interviewing other women who were in careers that I wanted to have some day and someone said, You could make a business out of this. That was my lightbulb moment. It was making a decision and a commitment and sticking to it. Even though I was very busy getting my MBA and working full-time. I really loved teaching and training. That was what I really enjoyed. I decided I could start creating an online course on my own. You can reach people anywhere from your computer. I sent out an email to people I knew and pitched a course I hadnt created yet. It was The Get Unstuck Bootcamp. I was excited but if no one bought it I wasnt going to actually do it. I saw the Paypal order come through from my cubicle for $97 and I had to create it. I have always sold products and courses in my business and then I created them later. Which is how it helps me figure out what my customers needs and questions are and I create it with them. That is what has made my courses work so well because I am hand holding along the way. How do you know what your clients want when creating a course? Before I even started, I used surveymonkey.com and I had so many questions coming in from blogging. I also think it is important to get on the phone with people and ask them what their frustrations are. Write like crazy and record the conversation. You want to know what they are going through.  Q: How did you create your first course? A: I used webinars. I created live webinars with the people that were joining my program and I did it live with them. At the end  of the webinars, they asked questions and those questions were included it. When I first started I used ruzuku.com to get started creating my course. Now I use Wishlist member and WordPress because I like having more control of the design. Its a matter of getting started and selling that first thing. Q: How did you promote your course? It was all email. I didnt know how to do ads back then. I did a lot of blogging about it. People had built this trust with me. I had given out so much free content. Give as much as you can, because then when its time to buy your course, they will be ready. They are just waiting for you to create that course. I was sending out weekly email newsletters. In the beginning, it was just getting the word out as many places as you can. LinkedIn messages are a great place as well! Resources mentioned: Ruzuku for creating online courses. Wishlist Member is how we run all of our courses now along with WordPress. Timetrade.com is great for scheduling appointments. Heres a post I wrote with my top tools from last year: Top Online Tools I Couldnt Live Without Heres a blog post I wrote about how to find a virtual assistant. The company I  use to find virtual assistants is onlinejobs.ph. Note: Above links are affiliate links and I may receive a commission.

Friday, May 15, 2020

How to Handle Your Finances as a Freelancer - CareerMetis.com

How to Handle Your Finances as a Freelancer If you’re a full-time freelancer, you can enjoy a great freedom which many others don’t have. With this, though, comes a big responsibility: you have got to pay great care and attention to your finances and cash flow.Freelancing’s popularity is at an all-time high, as more and more people want to ditch a 9 to 5 routine and earn their own money.evalThe freelancer market has seen a rapid growth which was unforeseeable just a few decades ago, thanks in part to the kids of the digital age growing up and seeking a flexible work schedule, which allows them to live the life they want.A freelance income can be unpredictable, so it is very important to properly manage your money, which is not as difficult as you might think it is.1) Create a Sensible BudgetevalTo some people, budgeting is a dirty word. Sure, if you’re earning a big pay check, budgeting probably isn’t at the front of your mind.Whilst freelancing can earn you a comfortable income, budgeting is still important, and it is not as daunting as you may think.There are lots of different budgeting methods, techniques and guidesavailable on the internetto help you out.Personally, I think that the 50/30/20 method is a great place to start your budgeting and get a basic one down on paper. This method puts 50% of your after-tax income Whilst an employer would be responsible for your taxes and it would all be done automatically through payroll, this is obviously not the case when you are your own employer.Each time a client pays you, work out exactly how much of that payment needs to go towards your taxes and set it aside in a separate account. That way, when you get your tax bill, you’ll have the exact amount set aside ready to pay to the government.3) Registering as a FreelancerBeing a freelancer isn’t all fun, games and freedom. In fact, some things are just plain boring; registering yourself as a freelancer orregistering a businessis no exception to this. It can be quite confusing and tedious, but it is something which you are legally obliged to do.evalThe way in which you are registered does matter, because there are entirely different legal and tax implications depending on whether you’re a registered business or a sole trader.a) Sole ProprietorshipThis is themost common way for freelancersto register their business interests. A sole proprietorship Corporations are owned by shareholders whose liability is limited to the value of their investment.4) How to Form a CompanyRegistering as a Limited Liability Company is definitely the way to go if you’re a freelancer looking to register your interests and is the best route to take.Although, for tax purposes, it is no different to being a sole proprietorship, you have the added legal protections of not being personally liable for business debts, which can become a real possibility as you scale your freelancing business.An LLC can choose to be treated as a corporation for tax purposes by the IRS by filing form 8832.Whether or not this is the right solution for you depends on your personal circumstances and the nature of your freelancing business You may be wondering how to form a company; it’s quite simple. There are plenty of resources on the internet which can help, and it is as easy as selecting a state to register in, choosing a name and Registered Agent and then filing your Articles of Organization.Although there is a bit of paperwork involved, registering as an LLC is the best option for freelancers, particularly if you are going full-time or have long-term ambitions.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Salary Negotiation - Your Bottom Line - CareerAlley

Salary Negotiation - Your Bottom Line - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. There are not too many people who think they are overpaid. Human nature is to think you worth more than you are being paid (and maybe you are). While there are many factors when considering a job offer, one of the key drivers is how much compensation you are offered. While your job title, responsibilities and career track are also key considerations, you still need money to pay the bills and put food on the table. After you find your job, the one that really motivates you, the money comes next. And, if you are like most people, you want to be paid what youre worth. While we are only worth what the market will pay, there are ways to maximize your compensation. While there are many factors when considering a job offer, one of the key drivers is how much compensation you are offered. Tweet This Of course, if you dont know what you are worth its hard to know. So what are you worth? Do you know? Well, you should know before you get the job offer. Salary guides and salary search tools are helpful. Like everything on the Internet these days, you could spend days (maybe weeks) researching salary. After a few tries at the sites listed below, you should be able to get the basic information you need without spending days looking for it. Image by StartupStockPhotos from Pixabay Start first with: 5 Tips to Maximize Your Job Offer Salary Negotiation Do You Know How Much Youre Worth? Salary Surveys Guides: 2015 SALARY GUIDE: IT Salary Evolution This survey provides the average salary by Robert Half. Click on the get the guide do download your copy. There are also some tools on the page. There is a salary calculator as well as a chart on hiring trends. JobStar Salary Surveys This link to surveys, from JobStar.org, provides links to over 300 salary surveys. They start with a very long list of career types, followed by a link to general salary surveys. You should be able to find your functional role from this list and get a rough idea of what your salary might be in this market. Salary Guides by Robert Half Another great resource from RHI, there are links to industry / functional role-specific surveys such as Legal, Technology, Finance Accounting and Office Team (to name a few). Click the link that interests you and you are led to a page where you can sign-up for the surveys. Negotiating Your Salary: How To Make $1000 a Minute Price: $8.69 Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute has sold more than 250,000 copies because career professionals recommend it and it's better-paid readers who applied the strategies, tell their friends. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 Salary Calculators and Negotiation Tips: Salary Calculator One of many salary calculators (way to many to list here), this one is offered by homefair.com. Type in your title put in your zip code and you are all set to go. Fairly generic, but should give you a rough indication. PayScale Salary Calculator This one is from, you guessed it PayScale.com. Same deal here job title, city and state and off you go. Salary Comparison and Salary Calculator This is salary.coms version which has both a salary comparison and salary calculator. Submit your title and location. The calculator will return a second screen where you can refine the search or read the results of the search. Bureau of Labor Statistics The BLS has a bunch of information on salaries, inflation, employment and salary ranges for different job titles. Take a look and compare the ranges to your job title. How to Raise Your Own Salary Price: $14.95 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Friday, May 8, 2020

Video Resumes in the News

Video Resumes in the News Some people think that video resumes are the next big thing in job search. While some short streaming video in a web portfolio that is used to communicate a candidates personal brand or unique selling proposition might be of value to a hiring manager at some point during the interview process, Im not convinced that the video resume is the way to go and heres why:Most video resumes are long and boring. Its hard enough for hiring managers to sift through paper resumes to find the right competencies and accomplishments that are relevant to their market. Can you imagine viewing and fast forwarding through hundreds of video resumes?The video resume may lead to more job discrimination suits. Does the video resume put the 50-something, physically challenged, or ethnically diverse candidate at a disadvantage? Maybe or maybe not, but the potential for discrimination suits is bound to rise if video resumes become a mainstream tool for sourcing candidates.A poorly produced video resume could kn ock out an otherwise viable candidate. If the video resume has an amateur feel to it or has poor sound quality or lighting, could the candidate loose ground with the hiring manager? A poorly written or designed resume could have a similar impact, but might be more forgivable, less memorable, or less likely to become fodder for the hiring managers office mates (remember the Yale student who used a video resume to apply for a position at UBS?)Want to hear more about my musings on video resumes? Check out this recent article on MSNBC.