The Power of the Brand (Case Study The Establishment)

The Power of the Brand (Case Study The Establishment) Lets talk about branding.   Everyone reading this post has been branded in at least one bucket millennial (whiners), boomers (old-dog-new-trick), Gen X (not sure what the brand is for us), MBA, privileged, etc. Still not convinced the brand is powerful?   Hows this: Cruz and Rubio (and Kosich) lost on Super Tuesday to Trump because they are branded as part of THE ESTABLISHMENT.  The Establishment (which is a brand,with stereotypes) is all Im hearing about on the news they are part of The Establishment!! They even use it against each other. Without going into the political rabbit hole, think about how a brand helps a candidate (aka, job seeker) win or lose.  What are things that your brand is telling people?  Whether they are true or not, if associated with a brand, they are loud and clear. You might think your brand is speaking for itself, saying good things and then you find a decision-maker or influencer who uses what you thought was a positive brand and essentially disqualify you. So the big question is, how can YOU get out from under a brand that is really misbranding you? The Power of the Brand (Case Study The Establishment) Lets talk about branding.   Everyone reading this post has been branded in at least one bucket millennial (whiners), boomers (old-dog-new-trick), Gen X (not sure what the brand is for us), MBA, privileged, etc. Still not convinced the brand is powerful?   Hows this: Cruz and Rubio (and Kosich) lost on Super Tuesday to Trump because they are branded as part of THE ESTABLISHMENT.  The Establishment (which is a brand,with stereotypes) is all Im hearing about on the news they are part of The Establishment!! They even use it against each other. Without going into the political rabbit hole, think about how a brand helps a candidate (aka, job seeker) win or lose.  What are things that your brand is telling people?  Whether they are true or not, if associated with a brand, they are loud and clear. You might think your brand is speaking for itself, saying good things and then you find a decision-maker or influencer who uses what you thought was a positive brand and essentially disqualify you. So the big question is, how can YOU get out from under a brand that is really misbranding you?

Tomorrows Workforce Will Be Different To Todays

Tomorrows Workforce Will Be Different To Todays Every generation brings some level of change to our civilization, but recently, weve become accustomed to a rate of change never seen before. The technological revolution and our new standards for communication are changing every aspect of our lives and, for the first time, were getting a glimpse of the data that suggests what the economy and the workers of tomorrow might look like. Generation Z is made up of people who were born between 1990 and 2020. This demographic is just beginning to enter the workforce and in comparison with the rest of the workforce, the unemployment rate among Gen Z individuals aged 16 to 24 has been consistently over double that of the national average since 2007, the highest in decades. This, in addition to the high number of baby-boomers expected to retire in the coming years, has lead many building and trades industries to push the expansion of apprenticeship programs in order to pass down experiential skills in the industry. So how are Gen Z workers making ends meet? A recent worldwide study conducted by Randstad, the second largest staffing firm in the world and Millennial Branding, a Gen Y research and consulting firm have shown that Gen Z individuals have a more entrepreneurial spirit than the Gen Y workforce population. The study found that 17% of Gen Z want to start their own business compared to only 11% of Gen Y individuals. Currently the number of freelancers is at an all time high, with over 53 million freelancers currently operating in the US. 69% of Freelancers have reported that technology is making it easier to find work and 42% said theyve done work via the internet. The push is on for the building and manufacturing industries, among others, to expand existing apprenticeship programs in the coming years. With a large portion of the Gen Y workforce expected to retire in the next decade, a skills shortage is anticipated throughout many industries. To combat this, as much as $2 billion over the next 4 years may be invested into apprenticeship programs through a proposed Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative from the US government. SEE MORE INFOGRAPHICS. 4

How to Be Spotted During Your Entry-Level Job Search [INFOGRAPHIC]

How to Be Spotted During Your Entry-Level Job Search [INFOGRAPHIC] You’ve got a 4.0, created the perfect resume, and established a flawless network of connections, but it takes a lot more than these things to gain the attention of employers. Today more than ever before, competition is fierce in the entry-level job market. As an entry-level job seeker, you’ve got to go above and beyond to outshine other job applicants. There’s no magic formula for catching the attention of every employer, but there are several ways you can gain an edge during your job search. The following infographic, compiled by InternMatch, an online platform connecting the best intern candidates and employers, showcases some job search facts and measures you should be taking to land your entry-level job before the rest of your graduating class. Takeaways: Only 6.6% of students completed their first internship after they graduated 47% of interviewers said little to no company knowledge is the most common interview mistake 1 in 6 job seekers credit social media for their current job About 81% of managers felt that volunteer work makes graduates more attractive job candidates What do you think is the best way to catch the eye of employers? RELATED: How Facebook Beats LinkedIn for Job Search [INFOGRAPHIC]

If I Were to Start Over, What Would I do Differently - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

If I Were to Start Over, What Would I do Differently - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Nothing can take the place of experience, but there have been a few hurdles that Ive experienced in my startup career that Id love for others to avoid.  A startup career is not a sprint, rather, its a slow and steady race on an  obscure,  unforeseen  path. The less obstacles that you run into, the easier the race will be. Lets dodge some of those obstacles! Dont build a business plan We spent 3 months building a 30-page business plan for our first startup!  3 months!!!  I can tell you that not only was it a humongous waste of time, but investors dont even look at business plans at least the legitimate ones with startup experience dont. Instead of a business plan, build a 1-page executive summary.  Include the following on the executive summary: Founders + relevant experience Company product description Pain youre solving Competitors in the market Why your product is different Market opportunity Milestones achieved How much youre looking to raise Dont spend weeks on your financial projects all VCs understand that these numbers are completely made up. Instead, focus on cost projections so that VCs understand how you plan to spend their money. Too many cooks in the kitchen Its important to have smart people in the company, but too many cooks in the kitchen can greatly slow decision-making and create conflicts among the leadership. The leaders of each department should have the authority to make decisions for their respective departments. For example, the Chief Product Officer decides what language to use to build the product; the Chief Marketing Officer decides what methods to use to get new clientele. But above all of the departments, the CEO has the ultimate decision about company direction. Choosing whether to sponsor Blog World vs SXSW is not a company direction decision thats a decision for the CMO. Company direction decisions consist of the following: What pain is the company solving How is the company solving this pain Who is the target market How much money should the company raise Is it time for the company to pivot and in what direction to pivot the company Company team members must respect the CEO and trust that he or she will take the team to the promise land. Its important to get feedback from all  departments, but CEO must have unwavering confidence to make the ultimate decision. Dont depend on funding Youre in trouble if you depend on fundraising to build your minimal viable product.  Fundraising should NOT be your primary means to build your product; instead, fundraising is a means to scale your business thats a huge difference in fundraising mentality. The mistake: our first company, Future Delivery, was dependent on us raising $10 million to get us started. We needed money to hire developers, designers, and to get clients. How can we raise money with no traction? Our success: my company bootstrapped our way to a functional product, clients, and revenue, and then decided to raise $1 million to scale the company. We raised money because investors saw traction and wanted to jumpstart our progress. Stick to what youre good at Answer the following questions: What are you and your team the best in the world at? What networks are you and your team already connected to? The answer to these questions will greatly influence what type of startup you build, what pain you choose to solve, and who your target market will be. If you dont have a technical co-founder, then youre at a serious disadvantage if you build an internet startup.  So much time and money is wasted on recruiting a technical co-founder or building a product with outsourced developers dont do it.  If youre a business-focused  entrepreneur  with no technical guy on the team, then youll need to tackle a pain where the solution is not technical. Similarly, if you dont have a vast network in the high-fashion industry, then youre at a serious disadvantage should you make them your target market.  Instead of selling to your target market from the start, youll need to spend months building relationships and getting connected to the right people. Networking and relationship-building takes time, and time wasted means cash is burning, reducing your available runway. Instead, go after networks that youre already connected to.  Its the best way to find your early adopters. Author: Jun Loayza is the President of the Fashion Blogger Network.  In his entrepreneurial experience, Jun has sold 2 internet companies and lead social media technology campaigns for Sephora, Whole Foods Market, Levis, LG, and Activision.

Using An Insurance Resume To Land Your Dream Job

Using An Insurance Resume To Land Your Dream JobWriting insurance resume is one of the most effective methods of search for a suitable job. It will help you get your future employer and boost your chances to get a good job. The best thing about it is that, it not only puts you in the queue but also prepares you so that it becomes easier for you to be hired.Generally, insurance resumes are divided into two categories: functional and analytical. It is usually seen that functional resumes are mainly meant for applicants that are already employed or those who have little work experience. For analytical resumes, it is mostly seen that the main objective is to lay down certain basic and fundamental issues of the insurance policy holder.The insurance company generally does not interview its applicants personally but it makes use of interviews conducted by prospective employers. These interviews are conducted to find out certain features of the applicant such as his references, related docum ents, skills, experiences and knowledge about the insurance field.Writing insurance resume does not only ask about the past experiences of the applicant but also queries about his future intentions in the industry. For this purpose, it is always advisable to get in touch with insurance industry professionals who can be helpful in your endeavors. It is also recommended to have some additional experience under your belt before you even go for the interview.One of the major aspects of insurance resume is about providing information about how much you have worked in the industry, the position you hold and the company you are working for. This information can help you in your quest to land a job within your preferred company.Apart from the requirements and experience, the best way to sell yourself as an insurance career is to bring in your weaknesses as well. In fact, this aspect is extremely crucial for an insurance career because it will help in identifying a certain problem of yours w hich can be used against you. This way, you can strengthen your credibility and it will also help you impress the employer.As you can see, insurance career is similar to a professional resume wherein the major feature of it is based on the idea of highlighting the relevant issues that are needed for the future employer. This is the reason why it is advisable to keep this aspect in mind while writing an insurance resume.Most importantly, insurance resumes should be simple and easy to read. Remember that the potential employer will not be able to know what kind of career you have been pursuing if your resume is not simple and easy to read. It should not be filled with difficult words and it should be formatted in such a way that it does not leave much to the imagination of the employer.

How to Gain Perspective on Where Your Career is Heading - CareerAlley

How to Gain Perspective on Where Your Career is Heading - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. There are those moments in any career, whether youre just starting out or youve been at it for decades, where youre simply not sure where youre going next. Should you stay with your current employer or take that competing offer? Should you renew your contract or go freelance? Do you even want to stay in this industry, or could your side gig really take off if you put in two weeks and devoted yourself full-time to what was once just a hobby? This is the difference between a job and a career: Your next step is always obvious at a job, you show up, you do the work as well as you can, and over time, you earn raises and promotions. Its a straight line. A career is like a maze that stretches out forever in every direction. A career is full of twists and turns that make it more exciting, and more confusing, than a job. Its nearly impossible to get through an ever-shifting maze when youre right inside of it, but if you can take a step back and can look at it from afar, your next move may be much easier to decide. So, how do you gain that perspective? Here are some ideas. Take Your Vacation Time If youve got vacation time coming to you, nows the time to take it. While youre off the clock, you can choose to simply relax, to enjoy some breathing room and get your mind off the work for a little while so that you can figure out how it fits into your life, or you can spend some time looking at competing offers. You could also devote yourself to other interests in order to figure out whether your energy would be best spent somewhere else. The point is to take some time away from your current position and see how you feel without it. Get Some Outside Input Heres the thing about seeking an outside perspective: Youre not really trying to get their advice, youre seeking their help in figuring out what you think you should do, deep down. Career counsellors, therapists and even psychics can be a tremendous help in this area. You might scoff at the idea of a tarot reading to help you determine your next move in your career, but even if you dont believe in any sort of divine forces, the process of having a career psychic reading can help you to better organize your own thoughts and feelings. Think of it like watching a really good movie and coming away with a new perspective on something. Take a Real Shot If you have something youve been wanting to try but youve been sticking to your routine because youre afraid of failure, just take the shot already. You dont always need to quit your current position in order to pursue your passion. Take a weekend to make some contacts for your freelance business, see what your prospects look like in that field. Be willing to fail, but make sure you fail cheap, so that youre not put into a position where you can never try again. Determining your next move in your career is not a science. Sometimes theres no answer to the question of What should I do? sometimes you have to look at it from a more personal point of view. You have to consider what you want to do, and you have to make sure that thats really what you want and not just what you think is right. As long as your bills are paid, there are no wrong moves, but some moves are more right than others. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+

Do It the Hard Way

Do It the Hard Way Usually, the questions job seekers have regarding their searches can be answered with what is the hardest/most difficult way to do this? And in most cases, it involves picking up the phone or specifically addressing the issue. How long should I wait before I followup (on anything)? How do I nurture my network to let them know about the status of my search? How do I find more companies to add to my target list? Why isnt the recruiter calling me back? Why didnt I get the interview or job? If you needed to find a good mechanic for your car, how would you be sure you found the right one?   Would you ask friends/family?   How would you ask?    By picking up the phone? If you called the new mechanic and left a message stating you wanted to make an appointment and the mechanic doesnt call you back for days, what  would you do? Lets say you decide to bring your car to this new mechanic, would you just wait for them to do the work without asking how long it will take- just  sitting in the waiting room reading outdated News Week? So, the new mechanic is done with your repairs, hours later, and you are standing at the counter ready to pay.   The mechanic tells you it will be $800, without providing you with an invoice or written description of services provided.   What do you do? Your ability to provide good customer service in job search is important (think cover letter, thank you letter, follow up).   It is hard work, but worthwhile.   Expecting good customer service in job search can be frustrating.   You have choices.   What else can you do get the customer service you feel you deserve?