How social media can help you change careers -

How social media can help you change careers - Career change is usually difficult for the one doing the changing. There are always aspects of advertized jobs the applicant has not exactly accomplished, if only because he or she hasn’t had the chance! Highlighting transferable skills (the ones you can use in any job) as well as targeting your application materials for the positions in question are important pieces of a successful career change. Having a well-targeted resume that makes it clear why you can do the job (even if you’ve never done it before) is so important! Beyond the resume and typical job search materials, I believe using social media tools can really help build a career changer’s bridge to a new occupation or vocation. In my book, Social Networking for Career Success, I explain how social media may help career changers who naturally have a difficult time proving they have what they need to succeed in the next job: How? It solves several problems: It allows you to extend your network to meet people you otherwise would never encounter. Statistics show how important introductions and “warm leads” are to job seekers. Companies value referrals from within their organizations, and meeting new people you would not otherwise know via online interactions provides more potential for referrals. (Moving those social networking interactions to in-person or telephone conversations is a good next step.) You have easy access to information and resources about your targeted profession. I like to think of social networks as offering a constant opportunity to learn what people in the field and thinking, saying, writing and sharing. Twitter is particularly useful in this regard. In the book, I describe how it’s possible to follow content from conferences you don’t attend in person via hashtags, and share tips from Mark Stelzner, of Inflexion Advisors, for live tweeting a conference. If you find and follow people like Mark in your field, you may be able to grasp the key problems your new targeted industry is grappling with, without leaving your home and without spending a dime! (I elaborate on all the details in the book for HOW to find and follow the right community online.) Social media allows you to demonstrate your newfound expertise, engage in your targeted community, and make a name for yourself in your new industry. Social media can’t MAKE you an expert, but if you have what it takes to excel in your new field, you should be able to demonstrate it online. Show that you know what’s going on, suggest solutions based on your expertise in other industries or fields and be someone who contributes to the conversation in your targeted field. Your lack of actual experience in the field may become less important once potential colleagues view you as an active contributor. If you’re good at sharing what you learn and know, the connections you gain and their willingness to promote you as a contributor will outweigh your actual lack of industry, paid work experience as a factor. (It won’t totally erase it, but it goes a long way to helping you get where you want to go.) Being familiar with social media tools may be just the unique skill you need to help you land a job. Social media isn’t going away. Having an online profile, a Twitter feed and/or using LinkedIn to connect with prospective colleagues helps show you are staying ahead of the curve regarding technology. In and of itself, that may help you exceed another qualified candidate’s credentials. In the book, I share career change success stories from several contributors, including: Alexis Grant (@alexisgrant), social media coach and owner of Socialexis, who is now Careers editor for U.S. News World Report. Jessica Lewis, who transitioned to a non-profit career after 10 years in a different field. Kate-Madonna Hindes (known online as @girlmeetsgeek), who used blogging and Twitter to launch an entirely new career as a social marketer and career columnist. (She notes, “Social media changed my life.) Dont let the competitive market discourage you from making a change. Dive into social media I hope youll take a look at my book to teach you how to get on the right path and you may be surprised by the results! Be sure to learn more about my book, Social Networking for Career Success, as I teach you how to use all the social networks you know about and some you havent even considered and Amazon has it for a great price! photo by vistavision

Resume Writing Fonts

Resume Writing FontsWhen you are looking for a resume writing font, it's important to realize that there are many different choices. One of the first choices you need to make is how to make your resume stand out. You might find yourself using the same fonts that everyone else is using. And that is fine if your work on the Internet is limited.So what are you going to do to make your fonts stand out? There are some proven resume writing fonts that you can use to add a professional edge to your resumes. If you think about it, you should be using different fonts and colors in your resume than other applicants. This will help you stand out from other people applying for the same job.So, you are probably thinking about the type of resume that you need to write for your resume online. Make sure that you find the right font for you. After all, not all resumes are created equal, so you need to make sure you use a font that is appropriate for the job you are applying for.Another tip is to use the font that is most appropriate for the job you are applying for. You will need to be able to convey an impression about yourself in just a few words or paragraphs. Use a font that is suitable for the job you are applying for. If you need to be creative, then use something that fits your personality, but if you are just applying for a regular job, you might want to stick with a more conventional font.You can find many different resumes online. This can be helpful in helping you pick the right font for you. Remember, you are applying for a job online, so you will likely have a few different versions of your resume. This will help you in your search for the best resume writing font.You also want to make sure that you cover as much information as possible about your previous work experiences, skills, and so forth. Even if you don't want to include the latest one on the job you are applying for, the resume is what you are going to present to an employer. Keep this in mind when looking for a resume writing font.So, as you can see, there are some good tips on using a resume and some great suggestions on fonts. Just be sure to remember that the resume is the main tool you use in the interview process, so you need to make sure that you find the best font for your particular needs.

Small Business Myths About Women

Small Business Myths About Women Deborah Sweeney owns a small business that helps launch other small businesses. She’s noticed an interesting trend in the last five years: Her clientele has changed from 10% women to 25%. It would be more, says Sweeney, whose MyCorporation.com helps entrepreneurs deal with paperwork and legal hurdles, except for what she says are misconceptions that keep women out of the small-business world. Women playing a bigger role in small businesses is no longer big news, of course. In 2014, there were roughly 9 million women-owned businesses in the U.S., employing nearly 8 million workers and recording nearly $1.4 trillion in sales that year, according to data from the National Association of Women Business Owners. But Sweeney thinks more women would give entrepreneurship a shot if not for these five major myths: 1. It’s impossible for a woman to succeed as an entrepreneur. When she tells people that she runs her own small business, Sweeney says, they assume she’s talking about something, well, small. They don’t imagine her being at the helm of a company that posts nearly $9 million in annual revenue. “Oh, are you doing that out of your garage?” is a common question she’s asked, she says. Some people just assume that when you’re a female small-business owner, you’re “making beaded necklaces or making nursing products for children,” she tells NerdWallet. In Sweeney’s case, the false assumptions can be comically sexist. Her husband, Tor, is also a small-business owner, and she says it’s not unusual for people to ask “if we work together at my business.” People “have this mindset that I would not run it alone,” she says, “that I am a business owner, in essence, because I married a man who is a business owner. It’s funny.” Coincidentally, Tor Sweeney’s company is called Dresses.com. It’s a clothing manufacturer that makes prom dresses and wedding dresses. And yes, she says, people often also ask if she owns that company, not MyCorporation.com. 2. Women just aren’t as entrepreneurial as men. “Women have a difficult time conceptualizing for themselves what entrepreneurship is about,” Sweeney says. That’s because they don’t have enough role models, she says. Sweeney has met young women who say they want to be entrepreneurs but eventually pivot to another career, working for a company. Sweeney notes that many of the women coming to MyCorporation.com are venturing into entrepreneurship for the first time, whereas many of the men are serial entrepreneurs who have used her company’s services multiple times. 3. Women don’t achieve as much success as entrepreneurs as they do in the corporate world. Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg sparked a national discussion in 2013 on how women can reach their goals in corporate America with the release of her best-selling book, “Lean In.” “Many women who ‘lean in’ can be successful,” Sweeney says. “That’s what they want. I wanted more. I wanted not to have to hire a nanny to be with my kids. The way I could do that was to run my own business.” Besides, she says, she simply was not happy in the corporate world. “You can be extremely successful, but I was going crazy,” she says. “You can forge your own path as an entrepreneurial woman,” and “compete on your own playing field.” “I always say ‘reach up’ instead of ‘lean in,’” she says. 4. Running a small business is more time consuming than working in the corporate world. Most people assume running your own business means working outrageously long hours. For female entrepreneurs, that has typically meant added pressure, given the traditional, if outdated, roles they’re often expected to play in the home. But outrageous hours are another misconception, Sweeney says. She quit a corporate job six years ago to become an entrepreneur and says it “actually presents a fabulous opportunity” for achieving a better work-life balance. For one thing, she stresses, “you’re not mandated by corporate America to work certain hours.” 5. Your children and family will suffer because of your small business. Her work certainly keeps her busy, and she admits “you never stop thinking about your business when you’re a business owner.” There are certain things she’s not able to do with and for her two sons. “We don’t do play dates in the afternoon,” she says. But being a small-business owner has made her a more effective parent, she says. “Some say, ‘I can never be an entrepreneur as a mom.’ And I say, ‘It has given me flexibility.’ You can find the right balance when you’re the master of your own destiny.” Yes, her schedule can get hectic. “At 2 p.m., I run and pick my kids up and take them to work with me,” she says. But that’s been good for her children, she says. When they’re with their friends, she says, “I hear them talk, ‘There’s my mom’s office and she has 30 employees.’” “There’s something about engaging your family in your career,” Sweeney says. “They see an example of work ethic and believe in it.” More From NerdWallet: Paying Private School Tuition With a Credit Card My Bank Is Better: The Politics of Customer Loyalty Survey: Nearly 9 in 10 in U.S. Now Have Health Insurance