Monday 29 June 2009

Closing the gap?

Found this interesting video from PricewaterhouseCoopers, making the valid point that diversity is good for the world. What do you think?

Friday 26 June 2009

How to use LinkedIn in your job search

An interesting article in the Chicago Examiner offering hints and tips for using LinkedIn - are your details there already?

http://tinyurl.com/m7tdhe

Thursday 25 June 2009

Social Networking in Plain English!

Love this kooky video from Commoncraft which de-mystifies social media in a very visual way!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a_KF7TYKVc

Thanks to my friend Andrew McCauley for sharing it! Catch up with more on social media by asking your most important questions at Andrew's site: http://ow.ly/fNJy

Tuesday 23 June 2009

Making yourself more valuable to your company....with social media

In an economy like this one, your best career survival tip may be to hold on to the job you've got. If you're working at a company that isn't necessarily closing down but may need to let some people go, then your challenge is to prove yourself too valuable to lose.


Social media (blogs, social networks, forums, online video, etc.) can help with this. Here are a few ideas for how you could use social media to keep the job you have right now:

Grow your personal brand

Having a strong personal brand and having a positive and optimistic way of describing yourself builds your reputation. Use tools such as social media to bring it to life. You may choose to update your busines history on LinkedIn, start a blog, build an online profile on Facebook, or start actively using Twitter. Many companies are now also providing internal online directories where you can showcase your skills Regardless of what you choose, start building brand "you" right now.

Invite testimonials

With most social media, people can interact with you and give you comments based on your service to them. You could get a client posting a comment on your blog, a tweet on Twitter from a customer happy with your service, a recommendation on LinkedIn or a Facebook comment thanking you for special efforts. Find appropriate ways to get visible comments like this and share them with your boss and colleagues to make sure they know you are respected.

Network internally

Many organizations have Facebook pages or LinkedIn groups, and even more have formal and informal gatherings of employees. Find out where the opportunities to network are, and be aware that many other informal opportunities exist too, even over lunch or in the coffee machine queue. Find out what other people are doing and get more knowledge about the challenges elsewhere in the company and how you could help. Connecting with other employees gives you a sense of belonging and purpose and can also create opportunities for you to get involved in more within the company.

Be a person who helps people informally

Go beyond your job. Social media offers you the chance to go beyond what may be described as your job: for example, you can be a champion for your company and its products among your social circle. This helps you add more value to yourself beyond your actual job description.

Today's challenge - start or update your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter and consider how you can regularly use these sites to build your value (make a start by connecting with me: Rhian Pamphilon!).

Monday 22 June 2009

Motivation on a Monday

People are often unreasonable, irrational and self-centred. Forgive them anyway!

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway!

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway!

If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway!

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway!

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway!

The good you do today will often be forgotten.Do good anyway!

Give the best you have and it will never be enough.Give your best anyway!

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.

It was never between you and them anyway!

Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Sunday 21 June 2009

The most difficult jobs to fill in the USA

Are you an engineer or a nurse....or have a number of other sought after skills? Then take heart from this article on America's hardest to fill jobs.....

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31390083/ns/business-careers/

Saturday 20 June 2009

Get creative for your next job move...


Your next job can be as close as your best friend! Yes, really. We are all so accustomed to creating a CV or resume, sending it to job agencies, looking at the job adverts in the newspapers and so on, that we fail to get creative about opportunities.


How about taking these 3 simple steps do do your own advertising?


1. Decide what type of work you want (yes, this can be the most difficult bit - but ask for help or get a coach).


2. Tell everyone about the work you're looking for...that's EVERYONE! Friends, relatives, Social networking contacts including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. People that you meet in everyday activities. People in networking groups that you join. And more....get it?


3. Rinse and repeat.



Change your habits - and get different results!

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Courage!

"Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is knowing that there is something more important than the fear".

I heard this at a motivational event from fabulous speaker Christopher Howard, who helps you remove all the barriers to getting what you really want out of life - in career, relationships, finances and health.

Chris runs a life-changing 3 day "Breakthrough to Success" seminar in various locations around the globe and I want to offer you a special deal. Tickets are normally £895 (GB Pounds) per pair but, as part of my team, please sign up as my guest for free by visiting this link: http://tinyurl.com/l4g6l6

To your success!

Tuesday 2 June 2009

Stand and Deliver!

Last night I was talking about Career Safari to members of Women in Banking and Finance Speakers, a group affiliated to Toastmasters International. I was reminded how important communication is for career progression: the ability to prepare effectively, to think quickly and order your thoughts before speaking to make the greatest impact, and to research new information and present it in a compelling way.

The great opportunity that Toastmasters groups provide is a regular opportunity to stand and speak. Speaking effectively, whether it be on a one to one basis, from a stage, in a group meeting or over the phone, cannot be wholly learned from a book or a seminar. In order to be a good speaker, you have to speak - and speak on a regular basis and get encouraging and constructive feedback - a big focus of the Toastmasters format.

Remember, you don't need to be good to start, but you have to start to be good! Toastmasters International has groups all over the world and you can find your nearest on their web site.

Stand and deliver!

Honesty and integrity...?

Here is the UK, press coverage is raging on the subject of politicians' expenses - with many having made outrageous claims for items as diverse (and essential?) as a duck house for their pond, cleaning out their moat, rent for their daughter's apartment ...and the list goes on.

I wonder how these supposedly intelligent people didn't think that their expenses, paid for out of public funds, would not be subject to public scrutiny?

"The way you do one thing is the way you do everything" - is one of my favourite sayings. So if politicians are dishonest about their expenses, can we trust them to be honest with their dealings and decisions - and to ensure that they have the UK electorate's best interests at heart?

No doubt some of the guilty parties will now be regretting their indiscretions for wrecking their careers.