5 Steps to Owning a Solid Online Reputation

5 Steps to Owning a Solid Online Reputation We live in a world where your online reputation can literally make or break your career. Success and opportunity is no longer based on who you know but much more on whom knows you. Googling someone is standard practice. We all do it, and what shows up strongly influences the decisions we make about others: Should I hire this person? Is he the right match for our team? Should I date her? Research shows that over 1.5 billion names are being Googled every day!  Therefore, it goes without saying that you are being googled by others on a regular basis, perhaps right now! How do you show up on Google? What are people actually seeing about you when they search for you online? Search results for your name can be categorized in the following ways: Digitally Disguised   Nothing shows up when someone searches for you online. You essentially dont exist! Sad, but true. Digitally Dissed   You exist on the web but not on page one.  Even if you show up on page 2 or 3 of search results, you might as well be invisible as most people do not go past page 1 to find information about you. Digitally Disastrous   A lot of information does show up for your name, but it is either negative or worse yet about someone with a bad reputation or criminal record who happens to have the same name as you! Digitally Dabbling   There are some on-brand results for you and it accurately reflects who you are, but more information is needed to truly compel others to engage and do business with you. Digitally Distinct   This is where you want to be. There is a lot of relevant information about you on page one of search results and beyond. You are sending out the right message and even others are talking about you online building your visibility and credibility. Over 75% of US adults feel that they are not accurately represented on their search results clearly the need to be more proactive in managing our online reputations is required. How to proactively build a good online rep: Follow these 5 steps to proactively build a good rep online (even if you have a bad rap!): 1) Be content with content: (Yes, the stress goes on the second syllable in the first content!) One of the best ways to make sure accurate, positive, and credible information shows up online about you is to actively generate new content on a regular basis. Share your thought leadership and expertise by starting your own blog, guest blogging for others, posting comments on LinkedIn groups, etc. As a blogger you have complete control over all the content your publish which translates immediately into complete control over your online identity. 2) Set up Google Authorship: Creating content is one thing, but ensuring your authorship for this content is vital. Google allows you to verify your authorship to the content that shows up on Google search. Essentially what this does is link your content to your Google+ Profile. This means that your profile photo appears alongside search results attributed to you as all as a link to more content from you as the author. Even if you have zero interest in Google+, set up a G+ profile and link it to the content you create. This is one of the simplest and most overlooked ways to build your online reputation. To learn how to set up Google authorship  click here. 3) Set up Google Alerts: A fast and easy way to find out what is showing up online about you is to let Google tell you! By setting up Google alerts for your name, Google will email you on a regular basis every time you show up in search results. One thing to make sure to do is request Google to check all results and not just only the best results. This will ensure that anything and everything with your name will be monitored and reported back to you. RELATED:  How To Use  Google Alerts  for a Live Job Search 4) Choose your profiles wisely: Having an online presence in social media is a great way to increase your online reputation, but with so many networks out there it can be a challenge figuring out which one is best for your needs. One place you need to have a presence is on LinkedIn it  ranks higher than all other social networks on the first page of Google search results. Keep in mind that simply opening a LinkedIn page for Google ranking and leaving it blank can actually be damaging to your reputation. Take the time to create a complete LinkedIn profile with the branded presence that compels people to connect with you. READ MORE:  How to Create the Perfect  LinkedIn Profile 5) Manage your rep: Your online reputation is a living, growing creature. Simply doing the 4 steps above and expecting to be digitally distinct forever is a recipe for failure. Eventually, your good rep might disappear. Managing your reputation with a handful of different online reputation management tools will ensure you will not be digitally dissed, disastrous, or disguised. Three leading tools I often recommend include Brandyourself.com, Vizibility.com, and Reputation.com. Each one offers a variety of services, free and paid, to meet your needs. The key here is to take ownership in managing your online presence all of the time. Even a small investment upfront in a reputation management tool can save you more than just money down the road. Any other tips? Let us know in the comments below!

11 Surefire Ways to Become Happier at Work

11 Surefire Ways to Become Happier at Work Today were featured on Shake Off The Grind. If youd like to read the entire post, click  the link to visit their site. Thanks! If you’re not heading into work with a spring in your step, it might be time to stop wishing for things to change and begin creating some happiness instead. A leader in the scientific study of well-being, author  Sonja Lyubomirsky  advocates the phrase “creation of happiness” to the more popular “pursuit” of it. Her research suggests that happy individuals are more creative, helpful, charitable, and self-confident. One key to creating more happiness is outlined in  The Happiness Advantage  by  Shawn Achor. In the book, Achor overviews fascinating research, concluding that “What we spend our time and mental energy focusing on can indeed become our reality.” Aristotle defined happiness as “eudaimonia” which translates to “human flourishing.” Don’t you like the sound of that? If you’re interested in becoming happier at work â€" or maybe even flourishing? â€" here’s how to do it: Continue reading.. Image courtesy of epSos.d.

Tips for Hiring Headhunters to Recruit Sales Managers - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Tips for Hiring Headhunters to Recruit Sales Managers - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In order to be able to manage the modern day sales representative, managers have to understand and sympathize with the competitive landscape in which their subordinates operate. Business development is not what it used to be (obviously times have changed), however this is one of the first times when people have changed significantly with the era. Companies in all different stages come to our sales management recruiters. Clients tell us they find value in our recruiting process because we have found it necessary to alter the interviewing process to individual searches and individual job seekers (and hiring managers), and weve built in steps so the process is accurate and in sync with modern day buying trends. When companies approach headhunters to recruit sales management jobs they share either one or both of the following two tendencies: The first is that each and every organization that contacts our firm has a desire to upgrade their business in some capacity or another. The second is the problem we see in some of the companies we cannot work with: they have not updated their vetting process to choose a recruiting firm that has modernized their recruitment processes, in apparent acquiescence to the fact that change in in business is never easy and often scary. KAS felt it was pertinent to touch upon three questions organizations should be asking the recruiting firms that they engage business with. 1. Which exact recruiters will be interviewing applicants and branding our hiring process? When you find a recruiter who is intelligent and established enough to manage high level applicants, your job as a hiring manager becomes substantially easier. This is not to mention that effective recruitment professionals possess the negotiation skills to procure a sales management employee at a reasonable price. As a corporation it is recommended that you are in direct contact with each individual who is representing your organization to the job seeking public. 2. How is that recruitment professional compensated, what is their title, and what type of professional recognition have they received? If a recruiter has the professional respect from applicants who are highly desired by employers, those job seekers will tend to favor those positions that head hunter is working on. Conversely, recruiters who have a lack of reputation or suffer from low compensation packages (which facilitates a feeling of low self-esteem) the hiring manager will suffer in a myriad of ways that could fill an entire article themselves. 3. How will the recruiting company position my business so the company is branded in a desirable fashion in order to successfully compete and recruit organizational difference makers? Recruiting is a game of sell and ask, where in order to obtain the relevant interview answers needed, a recruiting firm must possess a compelling pitch that paints their client in a desirable fashion. This is not the same process as copying and pasting boilerplate from the clients website, and regurgitating it in a candidate interview. In the end hiring a recruiting firm who understand and embraces modern day sales methodologies is one of the few ways remaining to procure management who will not only sustain a company, but who will also grow it.

Smart Splurging Home Renovations that Are Worth Getting

Smart Splurging Home Renovations that Are Worth Getting Save or splurge? Most times people dont understand that when it comes to home renovations, a bigger spend is usually smarter. Ive been looking around Pinterest for ideas for rennovating at home that made me inspired to write this post. Pinterest tends to make the DIY diva in you come out. I have nothing against this, but I have realized that Ive made so many little tweaks to my house that must have collectively used up so much of my home budget already. So this time, I have devoted myself to some major projects that may sound like a splurge, but are completely worth it. Small interior tweaks are easy solutions for a quick and temporary space makeover, but if you are looking to upgrade not just the look of your house but also its comfort and worth, here are five things you need to really invest on: The bed of your dreams We are usually unable to change our beds because we feel that it is such a big item and a bug buy. It is for this exact reason that you should finally consider replacing your current one. If a bed that was bought in your early days of collegiate freedom has lasted you 10 years down the line, imagine what a really good bed can do for you. Not only can it give you better rest after a long and boring day, you can also be assured of its longevity. A steam shower A steam shower is a major upgrade from just a regular shower head. It is an investment that can really take your bathroom from clinical to fabulous. I was looking at these Insignia steam showers  and they look perfect for my dream shower makeover. Cleaning yourself shouldnt be just a part of your regular routine, it should be something that you can look forward to and really enjoy. Steam showers are also healthy as they have cleansing and detoxifying effects on your body. New kitchen cupboard/closets When a paintjob is no longer enough, you need to rethink the layout of the room and your storage solutions. Fixtures such as cupboards and closets become as important as the actual room in itself because no one, even messy people, like clutter. They just have nowhere to hide it in.

4 Signs Youre Meant For Career in Health and Social Care - CareerMetis.com

4 Signs You're Meant For Career in Health and Social Care Source : Flickr.comWorking in the private sector can be tough at times. In some cases, there are high targets, competitive colleagues and overly demanding management. To some, this sort of working environment can present an exciting challenge which will help them thrive. But to others, it can bring a great deal of discomfort.Not everyone is cut out for the corporate world. The sight of dollar signs is not a motivating factor to everyone We spend a large proportion of our lives at work. So it really is important that you’re in a job that you enjoy.If money isn’t a main motivator, then it might be wise to consider changing your career. If you are someone who enjoys helping people and building genuine nurturing relationships, then you may want to consider a career in health and social care.Now, health and social care is not for everyone. At times, it can be extremely challenging but the rewards, like job satisfaction and making a difference to an individual’s life, brings a great deal of fulfilment.If you think health and social care is the definite option for you, then you might want to look out for the following 4 signs:1. You’re Not Motivated By MoneyAs mention at the beginning of this article, not everyone is motivated by monetary returns. If you do work in sales, chances are, you are more interested in the other person’s well being. And you also want to build a genuine relationship.So if you do work in sales, rather than rushing to make a sale or resorting to manipulating sales tactics, you would rather build a genuine relationship.Customers would tend to appreciate this a bit more, though this more ‘natural’ method is a bit more time consuming. To which, in some cases, will result in management querying why it takes you a long time to make the sale.evalPeople who work in health and social care are not motivated by money at all. They’re only motivated by seeing the people that they care for overcome their own challenges they face on a daily ba sis. And this leads me onto the next sign to look out for.2. You Prefer Helping PeopleIf you were to choose between a sales role or a customer service role, you would choose a customer service position. With customer service roles, you get the opportunity to speak to people and build a genuine relation with them.You get a chance to understand their concerns and be able to reach a resolution. But then again, you will come across some angry customers.And they will get angry if you are not able to comply with their request for a refund with it not abiding to the company’s refund policy.evalSaying that, working in health and social care, you will encounter some very difficult patients. The only difference is, you are doing what you can to help people for their own good instead of preventing a private sector firm from losing money.Source : Flickr.com3. You Care About Another Person’s Well-beingThe private sector, depending on where you work, can be extremely ruthless at times. If a s ales person is continuously struggling to hit their target, then they could be at risk of losing their job.There could be a number of reasons as to why a sales person may be struggling to achieve their target, whether that may be down to personal circumstances or by encountering a string of extremely difficult clients. But unfortunately, these considerations are not taken into account. However, sometimes being too emotionally invested can have its downsides. If you see a patient going through a hard time, then it can be an extremely heartbreaking situation. But that’s what health and social care professional go through on a daily basis.Fortunately, measures have been put in place to ensure the emotional well-being of health and social care workers are in good check. In the UK, healthcare workers gather together at the end of their shift to share and reflect on their working day.These post-shift reflection periods tends to last anywhere between 10 minutes to half-an-hour. This litt le window of time has proven to be very therapeutic for the workers.Thanks for reading, if you believe you have the following signs and the characteristics, then it might be worth considering a career to the health and social care sector. After all, there is only one way to find out.

What can affect poor employee performance - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

What can affect poor employee performance If your overhead costs are high and your business output and efficiency is disappointing, there are several possible causes. Identifying the barriers that are keeping your business and your employees from producing great work correctly is critical to solving them. There are two main categories that problems can fall into. You may have a structural problem that’s getting in the way of your business’s success. The end result may appear to be an employee problem, but it’s being caused by something about the way your business operates or is managed. Or you may have an employee problem, where the individual employee is at fault. Employee problems can be further broken down into an intrinsic source (something about that person) or an external source (something affecting that person in their life outside of work that may be temporary). When you’re looking for the causes of inefficiency  or poor performance, you have to become your own Sherlock, on the hunt for clues. It’s not only unfair to blame employees for all problems and expect them to solve them, but ineffective. You may lose a good employee and make your situation worse, rather than improving the situation. However, sometimes it really is a matter of an under performing employee who is causing the problem. At the interviewing stage, you want to make sure you’re adding the right people to the team. Of course, you do reference checks to get a sense of their past performance, but a working interview or a group interview can give you a better sense of how they work with others. Also use a trial period to your benefit to make sure new employees are fitting in and living up to expectations. What about when staff have been around for longer but start underperforming? Some problems can be remediated, while others may not. Start by communicating your concern to the direct manager or supervisor and the employee in question, and ask about what they think the cause and potential solutions might be. Ideally, they’ll be able to point out a problem and inform a solution. In other cases, the employee may not be able or willing to identify the source of a problem and you need to investigate further. The issue could be related to how other teams or departments or management team members relate to the employee, in which case you need to observe, document, and address the situation from within your business. However, in other cases, your employee could be going through something in their personal life that is impacting their work. It could be family and relationship-related, stress, depression, or anxiety-related, or caused by health or substance-abuse problems. If the employee is bringing problems into the workplace, you need to start by clarifying expectations. This may involve emphasizing job descriptions and HR policy. You need to communicate and document what is unsatisfactory about their performance and what you expect going forward. Offer resources, solutions or support as appropriate. That might include helping them access counselling or other resources, or coming up with a gradual improvement plan. Follow up with clear steps. What do they need to do to meet expectations? How will you measure success? How much time do they have to make improvements? This may involve a performance metric. In substance abuse situations, you might seek out drug testing services  to verify employee sobriety. The key to addressing barriers to great employee work is identifying what’s affecting their performance. Be open to the possibility that it’s not their fault, but an internal, structural problem. Investigate causes, make expectations clear, offer solutions, and set a timeline to bring performance up to scratch when the employee is at fault.

How You Can Make the Most of Your Resume Writing in Pakistan

How You Can Make the Most of Your Resume Writing in PakistanThe first step to finding a job as a resume writer in Pakistan is to choose a company. There are many. Some specialize in recruiting, others specialize in marketing, but all require you to meet certain requirements before they'll hire you. The most important requirement is to be a highly qualified professional, and that is what you are after when you seek employment.Resume writing is the business of writing applications for job-seekers in Pakistan. It is an attractive career that allow you to pick up the skill set necessary to advance your career quickly, and it is also one that you can realistically make a substantial income from. This is particularly appealing to women who would rather live off their pay cheques than be tied down to a desk. As such, a resume writing expert in Pakistan would be a major asset to any prospective employer in the nation.A resume writing expert in Pakistan can be found in the market, especially those whose services you want. Often, you will have to search far and wide, which is where it is good to approach your prospective employers. You can then get in touch with their HR department, in order to find out what they are looking for in candidates. They will most likely have their own requirements and will be willing to refer candidates to other companies. Also, be sure to include a list of qualifications on your CV, as well as information on your past positions, so that you can be sure to meet their needs.The most essential qualification, you should have for resume writing in Pakistan is the ability to write effective English. As long as you know the basics of this language, you should be fine. In fact, the Pakistani language is very closely related to English, and so you are likely to get along just fine. On the other hand, most companies might require that you do not exceed the mark of a C-grade, as it can be misleading. Qualifications for resume writing in Pakistan are ve ry important. If you are not a citizen of the country or are going to school abroad, you are better off avoiding it. Unlike the United States, there is no need to include this qualification on your CV. All applicants should be tested on their skills by an organization accredited by the World Health Organization. At the end of your application, you will be asked for this form of verification.Another qualification that you must have for resume writing in Pakistan is proficiency in at least one programming language. There are many in the country who specialize in Java, C++, PHP, and many more. You should choose a programming language that you are familiar with and find out whether your potential employer requires a more specific language.Any resume writing expert in Pakistan can also help you understand how you can add extra information to your resume. To help get your point across, you can include employment history. Most companies are wary of hiring applicants who have had less than six months' experience, as they can not rely on their capability. However, you can really add many more years of experience to your resume if you include this criterion.Resume writing in Pakistan can also help you be more creative in how you present your qualifications. They will provide you with the ability to write about yourself in a more polished manner. In the end, your resume is simply there to help you land the job.