Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Essential Qualities of the Best Project Managers

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Essential Qualities of the Best Project Managers Over at the American Management Association, Tom Kendrick, author of 101Project Management Problems and How to Solve Them, asked readers how to assess if they have what it takes to be successful project managers. We’ve been talking a lot about certification here, but Tom approached the issue from another angle: what qualities do the best PMs most frequently display? Here are the top ten. Extroverted The best project managers are people-oriented and quickly establish effective working relationships with their team members. Introverted PMs, on the other hand, may find their projects wandering out of control because they are insufficiently engaged with the people responsible for the work. Analytical Great PMs have a preference for observable data over intuitive information. Projects are usually best managed using facts that can be verified and tested, and they tend to proceed most smoothly when decisions are based on consistent, data-driven criteria. Organized The best PMs are detail-oriented and can keep straight many disparate activities at a time. Individuals who are more flexible and spontaneous are important for innovation, but as PMs they may lack a perspective on the big picture and projects may be chaotic and directionless. “Technical Enough” Tom commented that for large programs, project managers are seldom masters of every technical detail, but generally are knowledgeable enough to ensure that communications are clear and status can be verified. Unless a project is particularly small and technical, it requires an effective leader who can motivate people and delegate the work to those who understand the nuances. Pragmatic Great PMs understand that striving for perfection is fruitless. Instead, they focus on how to most efficiently deliver business value, recognizing that there will be trade-offs between time, scope, and cost. For the rest of the list, check out Intuits Fast Track blog.

Get Internet Famous With Issue 15 of Personal Branding Magazine - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Get Internet Famous With Issue 15 of Personal Branding Magazine - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Personal Branding Magazine â€" Volume 4, Issue 3 Internet Famous Summary Volume 4, Issue 3 is focused on teaching you out to become internet famous through video, social networking, and blogging. We’ve collected stories from the most well-known internet superstars to teach you how to do it too! We spoke with Julia Allison, Judson Laipply, and Mr. Chocolate rain himself, Tay Zonday. Gracing the cover is Chamillionaire, who is a Grammy award winning musician, and someone who has pioneers the use of social technologies in the music industry. I’ve always said that visibility creates opportunities, and when more people know you, the possibilities are endless! Free sample issue available today Enjoy nine articles in the free sample issue, which can be found on PersonalBrandingSample.com. You’ll read partial interviews with Chamillionaire, Julia Allison, Tay Zonday, Judson Laipply, Brian Solis, Amy Martin, and Brian Clark. You’ll also enjoy reading articles about creating your virtual presence. Full issue available February 1st (paid subscribers only) The full issue will be out on February 1st, including complete interviews with major business celebrities and a combined 21 articles for your viewing pleasure. Be sure to subscribe before February 1st in order to receive this issue. More information can be found at PersonalBrandingMag.com. Features Exclusive interviews with: Chamillionaire is theCEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. He is also the founder and an original member of The Color Changin Click. He began his career independently with local releases in 2002, including collaboration album Get Ya Mind Correct with fellow Houston rapper Paul Wall. He signed to Universal Records in 2005 and released The Sound of Revenge under Universal. It included hit singles Turn It Up and the number-one, Grammy-winning hit Ridin'. Ultimate Victory followed in 2007. Chamillionaire is currently preparing for his third major studio album release, Venom. Tay Zonday is amusician, YouTuber,   and voice actor.   He entered mainstream exposure when his song Chocolate Rain, and accompanying video on YouTube, became a popular Internet meme in July 2007. As of December 2010, it has more than 60.5 million views. Judson Laipply is a motivational speaker   and dancer from Ohio.   He is best known for his performance in the Evolution of Dance clip on YouTube, which went viral and become one of the most viewed videos with over 160 million views. Brian Solis is a marketing   executive, author and frequent speaker about the convergence between traditional media and social media. Solis coined the phrase PR 2.0 in the late 1990s. Solis was named to 40 Under 40” lists by the San Jose Business Journal in 2008   and PR Week in 2009. He is a co-founder of the Social Media Club. He is the author of Engage!, published by Wiley in 2010. Amy Martin, known online as “Digital Royalty,” is a microblogger   and founder of Digital Royalty, a digital integration and social media firm headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Martin helped Shaquille O’Neal develop a strategy for his Twitter presence and has since gone on to do the same for other athletes, celebrities, sports teams/leagues and corporate brands. Brian Clark is the founder of Copyblogger   and CEO of Copyblogger Media, a serial entrepreneur, and a recovering attorney. Brian built three successful offline businesses using online marketing techniques before switching to a producer model that involves building, monetizing, and occasionally selling online media properties. The Guardian named Copyblogger one of the world’s 50 most powerful blogs and BusinessWeek says entrepreneurs should follow Copyblogger on Twitter. Contributors Philanthropy experts, authors, and bloggers such as: Ryan Paugh, co-founder, BrazenCareerist.com Katie Konrath, blogger, GetFreshMinds.com Sam Decker, Founder and CEO, Mass Relevance Chris Moody, Marketing Manager, Phonebooth.com Michael Durwin, consultant, mdurwin.com Susan Gunelius, author, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing Rich Nadworny, owner, Digalicious Ardath Albee, CEO, Marketing Interactions, Inc. Tom Martin, Founder, conversedigital.com Cathryn Hrudicka, Founder, Creative Sage Special thanks to the staff Miriam Salpeter and Jessica Lewis are the editors. Columnists: Jay Deragon, Debra Shigley, Tiffany Monhollon, Maria Elena Duron, Vikram Rajan, Georgina Taylor, Ivana Taylor, Howard Sholkin and Celes Chua. Join our Facebook fan page Thanks to our sponsors

Looking For Some Stylish Career Ladies

Looking For Some Stylish Career Ladies Today I want to spend a little time to thank three fabulous ladies who have given me stylish blogger awards in the last couple of weeks. Thank you  to Gaby at  The Working Girls Shoe Closet, Liz Marie,  and Louba. You ladies rock! How sweet was Liz Maries  comment that made my day? I gave it to you because I think the idea of your blog is creative and motivating. You have such a unique style so you for sure deserved this award!   I hope you are having an amazing week and please keep posting because I know you have a lot of people who love your blog! xx Liz Marie Encouraging comments like this are wonderful!   Thanks again ladies! So, part of winning this award is  linking back to the person who gave me the award, sharing 7 things about myself, paying it forward to 15 recently discovered bloggers, and sharing the news with them.    So since the classy career girl blog is all about  jobs, I am sharing with you 7 very unique and interesting  jobs that I have had and the lessons that each of the jobs taught me. 1. Babysitter: I dont like to change diapers. 2. Tennis teacher: I love teaching others. 3. Summer school teacher:  I dont  care to  teach  others about bugs. 4. Coffee shop barista: Coffee is addicting! 5. Figure  skating instructor: Kids are heavy when you have to keep picking them up off the ice! 6. Camp Counselor: You dont want to be a camp counselor when its raining. 7. Banquet/Wedding Server at a Country Club: Try not to spill tomato soup while serving it to a bridesmaid.   And when you make a mistake, fess up to your boss before he finds out from someone else. Now to share the fabulous award to 15 stylish career  ladies that I have recently discovered!  Check them out, they all rock! 1. The Classy Academic 2. Virginies Cinema 3. Kandi Style 4. Living for London 5. Kitchen Belleicious 6. Rachel Cotterill 7. Envirocraftiness 8. Grad Meets World 9. La Petite Ratattouille 10. The Frugal Free Gal 11. My Vintage Journeys (My moms travel blog!!) 12. Life of Meg 13. BunBorough 14. Lifes Experiences 15. The Cubicle Chick Hope you all learned some fun things about me and found some new stylish blogs to enjoy! Now its your turn, what  are some unique  jobs that  you have had in your lifetime and what did you learn?

Resume Keywords A Jobseekers Silver Bullet - Career Sidekick

Resume Keywords A Jobseeker’s Silver Bullet - Career Sidekick Resume Keywords: A Jobseeker’s Silver Bullet Resume/CV / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Ask any recruiter and they’ll tell you:Putting the right keywords on your resume is critical to achieving success as a jobseeker. But do you really understand why keywords are important, and how you should go about using them?Read on for all the ins and outs of incorporating keywords into your resume so you can land the job you want!Why Use Keywords on Your Resume?With more and more companies using applicant tracking systems (ATS) in their hiring process, the first hurdle most jobseekers need to clear is getting their resumes past the robot and into the hands of a human recruiter. But how can keywords help you to do that?ATSs use software applications to scan resumes, looking for specific keywords related to the open role. Once your resume has been scanned, it is ranked according to how closely your qualifications match the job ad. Essentially, ATSs are used specifically for weeding out unqualified candidates. Being diligent about matching keywords a nd phrases from the job ad into your resume can help you pass the first test.By carefully reading the job post, you should be able to glean what some of the most important keywords might be. Typically, you’ll want to pay close attention to the wording of the “required” skills and the “preferred” skills that the employer calls out in the job ad, as well as any educational requirements, such as a Master’s Degree. When adding these elements to your resume, use the exact language the employer uses in the ad.You might think it best to be creative and experiment with the language in your resume, but don’t, since doing so could inadvertently eliminate you from consideration. Many ATSs are unable to read nuance, meaning that if the job ad asks for a skill such as “experience writing newsletters” and you write “experienced with newsletter writing” the ATS could deem you an unqualified candidate despite the fact that both phrases mean the same thing. If you’d like to e xpand upon your skills and show off your writing talents, get creative in your cover letter.How Do You Choose Keywords?To find the right keywords to use, take a look at  the job posting you are applying to, plus others that are similar to the position you are seeking. Search for job listings that match your background and experience and look to see what they all have in common.Look for keywords that you see in multiple job listings and incorporate those into your resume. This will ensure that you are including the most sought-after skills and buzzwords in your resume, which will make customizing your resume for each job application easier.When customizing your resume to a specific job, pay attention to the “qualifications” and “responsibilities” the employer is seeking and then give those a place of prominence in your resume.Taking the time to do this will also make you much better prepared to answer interview questions, so this step is highly recommended.Be SpecificRecruite rs want to know exactly what you’ve done in your professional past and what skills you’ve acquired along the way, so it’s important to be as specific as possible when wording your resume. Saying that you have experience in “advertising” or “accounting” is too broad, since there are many job titles and skills that could potentially be associated with those industries. Using keywords like “junior copywriter” or “accounts receivable” will provide a more well-rounded idea of where your talents lay.How Many Keywords Should You Use?There’s no hard and fast rule about keywords. In fact, some experts believe that there is no such thing as too many keywords in a resume. However, do be sure that your resume is well-written, and that the keywords are used in a natural way that will make sense to a human recruiter.In short, use as many as possible of the keywords that are most relevant to the position (assuming, of course, that you actually possess that skill.) According to experts, keywords should be utilized throughout your resume, which means adding them to your professional summary, to your skills sections, and to the individual descriptions of each of your past jobs. Again, make sure the keywords mimic precisely the language used in the job ad. This will give you the best shot at getting your resume past the ATS and onto the recruiter’s desk.If you’re still a little unsure as to how to incorporate keywords into your resume, know that using a professional resume builder can help. Resume builders can suggest keywords and phrases that will help you illuminate your professional experience and promote your valuable skills.Don’t Forget the Cover LetterAlways include a cover letter with your resume, and here too, use the opportunity to include critical keywords to make an impact. While some jobseekers think that a cover letter is a waste of time, they’re not. In fact, many recruiters use these letters as a way of distinguishing between two ca ndidates with similar qualifications. This means that if you and another candidate have very similar skillsets, educations, and professional experiences, a well-written cover letterâ€"with well-appointed keywordsâ€"could mean the difference between getting an interview. . . or not.Remember to include keywords  throughout the cover letter, but unlike in your resume (where the goal is to match as many required skills as possible), just focus on one or two of your top relevant skills in the body of the letter.About this guest author:Since 2005,  LiveCareer’s  team of career coaches, certified resume writers, and savvy technologists have been developing career tools that have helped over 10 million users build stronger resumes, write persuasive cover letters, and develop better interview skills. Land the job you want faster using our free  resume samples, templates, writing guides, and  easy-to-use resume-builder software.

The best resources to help you get a journalism internship - Debut

The best resources to help you get a journalism internship - Debut For many an arts student trying to make their way in the world, a journalism internship is the holy freakin grail. Trust me, I would know. Getting my journalism internship at Debut was what Nicki Minaj would call a Moment 4 Life. I heard about the opportunity through a friend, but not everyone is fortunate enough to have someone who knows about all that. Well Debutants, Ill be your friend. In fact, Ive left no stone unturned to help you find the best resources to get you a journalism internship. Make sure you bookmark and check back, new ones will be added periodically. Your universitys student paper As a bare minimum, you should 100% join your universitys student paper. And join early, as early as first year if you can. This way you can stack up a substantial portfolio and try your hand at a whole host of editorial and leadership roles. It might not lead to an internship directly, but the relationships youll build up in just one year of student paper work will become important down the line. Student Publication Association Speaking of those relationships, chances are that youll work very closely with this group. The Student Publication Association works with journalists and publications across a bunch of UK universities, sharing opportunities for work with many. Its the biggest student association of its kind and their training and support of student journos is second-to-none. If you get the chance, submit your article to be nominated for a SPANC award. A nomination or even a win is a great bargaining chip to use in your internship search. Mediargh Mediargh is a independent and pretty comprehensive job board for media internships in general. Still, theres plenty to find if youre looking for a journalism internship too. Theyve had opportunities available from the likes of MTV, The Telegraph, Buzzfeed, Channel 4 and more. Theres also a ton of content from experienced journos talking about how to deal with various hurdles in the industry, including life as an intern. A vital resource. NewsAssociates NewsAssociates  has a stream of lessons and top tips for young people trying to get into the industry. They also list internships on their site. Not only that, but theres also plenty of info about postgraduate study and free workshops for student journalists. Definitely worth a look if thats an area youre interested in. JournoResources The clues in the name really, isnt it. JournoResources is you guessed it chock full of amazing resources for journos. There youll find a frequently updated list of graduate schemes and traineeships and when they open. Also, extremely useful for those looking to land a journalism internship is their list of freelancing rates. If youre looking to improve your chances of getting an internship by freelancing, check here so you know what to charge for your work. You dont wanna be shortchanged! GoThinkBig GoThinkBig is more of a general internship site, but its super comprehensive. With its detailed search engine, you can smash in the keyword journalism, and get a whole bunch of opportunities. Theres also a lot of general info designed to help you with your early career too. When it comes to  placements, internships, programmes and events though, these guys have you covered. Check back soon for more updates! Connect with Debut on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for more careers insights.

The Real Signs Of A Professionally-Run Workplace

The Real Signs Of A Professionally-Run Workplace Clearly, if you want your business to achieve great things, you need to make sure that you are running the workplace as well as you can. It is only by having a workplace that you are happy with that you can really expect to achieve what you want in business, so this is something that you will want to think about if you are hoping to improve your business prospects as much as possible in the future. If you are aware of this, but less confident on how you can actually expect to run a workplace professionally, then you are not alone. This is a struggle that most business owners go through at one time or another, and it is bound to cause some distress sooner or later. Nonetheless, as we will see below, there are some effective and simple ways to make sure that your workplace is being run professionally, so let’s take a look at what the signs are that that is really happening. Everything In Its Place When you step into a well-run workplace, you instantly get the feeling that there is a lot of logic to how it is set out. You need to make sure that you workplace has everything in its place, so that it can be found easily and that people can therefore attend to their work much more easily. This includes absolutely everything you might have in the workplace, whether it is the warehouse or the office. Getting hold of equipment from good conveyor manufacturers could help with this process, as could ensuring that you use the right equipment in the first place. Designing it in such a way that everything is in its place will ensure that you are able to keep running it as professionally as possible. This is definitely something to consider if you want to have that more easily. A Happy Workforce If the people in any workplace do not seem happy to be there at all, you can be sure that there is something inherently wrong and usually what’s wrong is that the management is not really aware of how to run it properly. Fortunately, this is one of the real indicators you can look out for to determine early whether or not your workplace is in trouble. If your people are starting to be unhappy and complain more than usual, you might want to take a step back and see if there is anything wrong. It could be something incredibly simple, and you might be able to get to the bottom of it fast or it could take some digging and a few big changes. Automation Workmanship In Equal Measures Clearly, there is much use for a certain level of automation in pretty much any workplace. But that doesn’t mean that you should go overboard with it. You will probably find that you want to find a balance between having automation and employing people with good skills, and as long as you get this balance right it will make all the difference. Having the right is a sure sign of a workplace which is bound to succeed in all its ventures.

Why I love LinkedIn (and why you should, too!)

Why I love LinkedIn (and why you should, too!) An executive LinkedIn profile can help you stand out. LinkedIn is my favorite networking tool. It is the largest professional networking site with 300 million users. It helps open doors and uncover opportunities on a broad spectrum while building contacts and relationships. I am constantly asking clients, Have you joined LinkedIn yet? or Have you beefed up that LinkedIn profile yet? or If you dont have the time, let me know and Ill do it for you just make sure you do it! By now you can probably sense my passion about the site. Ive only lately become overzealous about LinkedIn because of some very useful information Ive heard at conferences AND because of the success my clients have had with it. Did you know that some employers are hiring directly from within LinkedIn? Some are also posting their job openings ONLY on LinkedIn. This is a big deal especially since the majority of these companies are huge. LinkedIn also has other benefits: 1) Unlimited amount of exposure and visibility of you and your business. Connect with as many people as you can. If you are job searching this is a great way to network. Once you start connecting, you become visible on other peoples pages, increasing the chances of getting to the top of a page when people are looking for someone to hire. 2) Use your LinkedIn profile to research companies you would like to work for. Go to the Companies tab and type in the name of a company you are interested in.   Check and see if they are hiring and inquire! 3) Boost your Search Engine results. If you are a business owner, we all know its all about Search Engine Optimization. The great news about LinkedIn is that it allows search engines to index your profile information. Adding your LinkedIn link to your signature line while posting to other sites further strengthens your visibility to the search engines. This is just a quick version of how LinkedIn can help job seekers and professionals. Create your profile and see for yourself.