Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Time-Saving Ways to Stay Up to Date on Market Trends

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Time-Saving Ways to Stay Up to Date on Market Trends Business success today depends on understanding, in real time, what your customers need and what types of competitive strategies are the most effective. After all, there’s nothing worse than spending precious resources launching a new product or service that ultimately flops in the marketplace. Fortunately, advancing technology makes it possible to conduct competitive market research more rapidly than in the past. Let’s explore how to conduct a market analysis efficiently, as well as strategies that facilitate quick learning of key market trends. How to Conduct a Customer Needs Analysis The first step is getting to know your customers, which we’ll discuss in more detail in the next section. You should use the information and feedback collected to divide your customers into segments. Segments should share a common characteristic (such as age or location) and be large enough to warrant individual marketing attention. Within each segment, it’s helpful to develop buyer profiles. Thanks to the below information on how to conduct market research, you’ll hopefully have a complete understanding of your target buyer’s needs. Picturing her as a flesh and blood human, you’ll describe her demographics and background, her motivations and challenges, what she spends her life doing, how she communicates with businesses she patronizes and the messages that are most likely to appeal to her. Your last customer needs analysis step? Connect each target buyer’s needs to a product or service. Call out your benefits, why the target buyer would or would not choose you over a competitor. If there are holes, consider refining your offerings to better address critical customer pain points. How to Conduct Market Research without Spending Months or Millions You don’t need to spend a fortune with a prestigious market research firm to gain valuable customer insights. There are a number of low cost, time-efficient ways of examining market trends â€" many of which are online. One go-to strategy is crowdsourcing. You can use social media or online surveys emailed to your database to collect feedback about what’s working (or not) for your existing customers. Be sure to ask the tough questions, encourage honesty, and reward customers for their participation via coupons, discounts, or gift cards. In some cases and especially if you are developing a new product to service, you might want to access the larger market. Online services like TYLM (Tap Your Larger Market) and Gutcheck allow you to use targeting criteria like gender and income to ask a series of open and closed questions to millions of pre-qualified individuals. In addition to completed surveys, these tools can capture customer emotions via one-on-one video responses and can analyze and summarize the results so you don’t have to spend time sifting through raw data. You might also deduce market trends through the use of text analysis software. These tools help business owners gain insights from structured and unstructured text data using natural language processing (or a program’s ability to process human speech patterns). Leveraging data from a variety of sources including public reviews, emails sent to your organization, surveys, and phone transcripts, text analysis software can pull out key language patterns that get to the bottom of customer sentiment. As an example, Thematic gathers customer feedback from your existing data sources and, by distilling common themes, analyzes your best route to keeping customers. Similarly, Chattermill takes unstructured input and translates it into clear actions meant to improve customer experience. And best of all, many steps can be automated! Of course, your market trends analysis won’t be complete without competitor monitoring. If you’re not sure how to find competitors of a company, searching them out via Google and comparing and contrasting the features and benefits listed on their websites is an excellent place to start. A number of paid tools also help with competitor monitoring, including SEMRush, which provides data about your current online performance as well as that of your competitors and helps you accurately assess the search terms leading to your company and competitors. A second option is SpyFu, which allows you to search for any competitor and download their keywords. While conducting a customer needs analysis and market trends research doesn’t have to take over your life, it may still be worthwhile to hire an intern or freelancer to employ these strategies on your behalf. While you should probably repeat your analyses annually, you will also get more proficient at minimizing time spent!

Writing a Resume Using a Wiki

Writing a Resume Using a WikiIf you are planning to write a resume that will make it easier for employers to find you, you might want to consider using a wiki. A wiki is a website that allows you to add or update information as needed and has a very simple language that makes it easy to add information. This type of writing is also ideal if you have a lot of specialized skills, and it can be used for anything from writing to writing a resume.First, you need to decide what type of wiki you want to use. There are two types: private, which means that only you can edit the wiki, and public, which means anyone can see it. If you want to keep your work private, you should probably choose private editing.Private editing is where you need to create a new account. This account allows you to make changes that are only seen by you and other users who are not logged in. However, the editor can still be seen by everyone, so you should make sure that only you can see it. If there are a lot of chan ges made, the wiki may become quite cluttered.The second type of wiki is public editing. This means that anyone can see the wiki. However, not all changes will be visible to everyone. Once you make changes, you need to share them with all of the other editors, and this will cause the wiki to become cluttered, especially if you have a lot of information to change.Writing a resume using a wiki is very similar to writing it on paper. It includes filling out information about your education, experience, and education in general. After you have completed this part, you should go through the entire resume and do a quick edit to make sure that it looks the way you want it to. Once you have everything looking the way you want it, you can go back over it and add information in order to complete the job.There are two things to keep in mind when using a wiki for this purpose. First, while the formatting may look great, it won't necessarily look good when you are trying to make it editable. Sec ond, while it is very easy to add information to a wiki, you will not be able to copy and paste unless you have a special program.Once you get to the point where you are able to add information to a wiki, you should try to do it at the same time as you are adding the actual information to the resume. In other words, do not start editing the resume until you have added some information to the wiki. You will also need to be able to know how many times you are going to edit it, and what time the new changes will be in effect.While writing a resume using a wiki is similar to most other writing, it can be much harder to edit. You will have to put more thought into the edit before you know whether or not it will look the way you want it to. It can also take longer to complete the task because you won't be able to edit it until the other information has been updated.

Personal Branding Weekly - Meaningless Appreciation Works against Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Meaningless Appreciation Works against Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career We’ve all been at the receiving end of a meaningless ‘thank you’ or ‘appreciate you’. When appreciation is insincere, it’s received negatively. It actually has the opposite effect than what may have been the original intention.   Or, even worse, it’s seen as manipulative. I shared some of the negative phrases that are seen as pithy or disingenuous in a recent post about Appreciation in Business: The Crimes against Words of Affirmation. In business, it’s even met with a more cautious demeanor.   According to a survey by the John Templeton Foundation of West Conshohocken, PA, the workplace ranks dead last among the places people express gratitude, from homes and neighborhoods to places of worship. Only 10% of adults say thanks to a colleague every day, and just 7% express gratitude daily to a boss. It matters because when people don’t feel genuinely appreciated, according to Dr. Paul White and Dr. Gary Chapman, co-authors of The 5 Languages of Appreciation, there are: Higher rates of tardiness More absenteeism Higher turnover rate More conflict It’s also important to recognize that appreciation and recognition are not one in the same. And, because it is still unusual in most businesses, supervisors new at expressing appreciation may come across as awkward which might be misread as insincerity. In the post I wrote, I went into greater detail and a specific how-to, step-by-step approach of communicating appreciation.   Here’s a quick outline of what you can do to make your words communicate genuine appreciation in a way that is meaningful. Be specific. Make it personal. Focus on how it matters or makes a difference to you. Share how it matters or makes a difference to the company. Also, be aware that as you become more aware of how appreciation is communicated and received that there is still history in relationships. Keep in mind that appreciation can be seen as false if you: Ignore tension in a relationship with a colleague and communicating appreciation anyway. Move from a difficult conversation to encouragement too quickly. Change from virtually no communication at all to a lot of positive communication in a short time period. Give positive messages with your words but your facial expression, tone of voice and gestures communicate a different message. How do you avoid these? Check your motives. Check the context. What if you’re on the receiving end of appreciation delivered in a meaningful way? Try to stop from jumping to the conclusion that the person is being manipulative. Sometimes expressing appreciation can feel awkward to the unpracticed. Take the lead on communicating the importance of appreciation. There are lots of great videos here that can help introduce the concept that we all receive appreciation in different ways. Our hope and focus here at the Personal Branding Blog is to provide you with the best information to manage your personal brand. Here’s the topics and helpful tips we shared this past week: Learning from Successes Trumps Learning from Failure Every Time  by Skip Weisman How To Value Yourself So Others Will, Too  by Nance Rosen Choose Your Boss Not Your Job  by Ceren Cubukcu 10 Words to Never Use for Your Personal Brand  by Heather Huhman Conducting New Improved Business  by Elinor Stutz Adam Corolla’s Method to Build a Powerful Personal Brand  by Brian Horn Ways to Get Help While in Transition  by Alex Freund Are YOU Still Laboring in ‘Stable Misery’? Why?!  by Skip Freeman How to Upgrade Your Resume, Part 4  by Richard Kirby The Problem with Gifts of Appreciation  by Maria Elena Duron One Simple Tip to Make it Easier to Engage  by Jeff Shuey 3 Easy Branding Tips for a Stronger Community  by Susan Gilbert Adjusting to Working From Home  by Leslie Truex Twelve Traits that Define a Truly Amazing Boss  by Beth Kuhel Discovering Your Personal Brand Vocabulary  by Marc Miller Building Confidence by Staying in a Positive State of Mind  by Ken Sundheim

How To Ban Busy in 2017 - Classy Career Girl

How To Ban Busy in 2017 I love the concept of macro and microscheduling.   What is it?   It is the intentional use of time to achieve your goals.   Start the new year off right and makeover your schedule. We are in the age of glorifying busy and it’s really just too much.   We are humans, not machines.   Give yourself grace to enjoy life and do those things that are most impactful for yourself, your business or career, and your health. How To Ban Busy in 2017 What is Macroscheduling? Macroscheduling is the beauty that is the Vision Board.   Your vision board might be magazine clippings, a Pinterest board, a list, or even a spreadsheet.   It represents your dreams for the year.  Macroscheduling helps you make those dreams come true.   I often get asked, “How do you do it all?”.   The answer is, I don’t.   And, I’m not afraid to be honest about that. Is your identity rooted in being busy?   Macroscheduling means choosing what is important in each season and focusing solely on that.   The intentional use of time.   Scatterbrained isn’t sexy. [RELATED: Free Tools to Improve Productivity] Maybe you focus on a business launch in the Spring, marketing in the summer, content building in the Fall, and customer appreciation in the Winter. Or, professional development in the Spring, staff development in the summer, career advancement in the Fall, and having fun in the Winter.   At the end of the year, you will have a well-rounded career life or built a comprehensive business that is running smoothly. For personal wellness, you can focus on meal planning in the Spring (post holidays!), outdoor exercise in the summer, fitness challenges in the Fall (pre-holidays!), and appreciating food in the winter â€" ok, not all winter, but enjoy that macaroni and cheese.   It’s all about balance. Macroscheduling means deciding what is important in the big picture.   Everything is not important all the time.   Think about fun, faith, business, family, and health goals to focus on each season. What is Microscheduling? Microscheduling represents getting into the details of the day.   It’s the Type A woman’s best friend, and needed most by those who don’t want to do it.   How do you spend each day?   Continue giving yourself grace.   You cannot do everything every day.   You cannot spin all ten plates at the same time.   You cannot juggle all eight balls at the same time. You get the idea.   Decide how you will spend each day.   You will wake up knowing what to expect and will be more productive as a result. You should not have to decide what is important each day.   You should already know what is important  before you wake up. Heres an example: Mondays are for article writing, Tuesdays are for connecting with clients on social media. Wednesdays are for back office activities. Thursdays are for connecting with current clients. Fridays are for in-person social and networking events, and weekends are for faith and family.   There’s your free blueprint.   With a clear idea of where your year and your day is headed, you will be lit on fire daily in 2017. Focus your time.   Give yourself grace.   Be productive. Live intentionally. Ban busy.

Advertising Resume Writing Service - How To Find The Best One

Advertising Resume Writing Service - How To Find The Best OneIf you are considering an advertising resume writing service, it is essential that you understand what goes into making a good one. Just about every advertising job involves some amount of research and writing.Professionals at this type of company are experienced and knowledgeable about the most up to date in-demand and even outdated language. They will often help you to perfect the format of your resume, so that it has the perfect content to impress your potential employer. Here are a few tips for getting the best results from them.First, remember that you do not have to be an English major to write a resume. In fact, they can take care of the formatting of it for you, so that you can focus on the content and how it should look. The way that they work will be best explained by an example. Say that you are trying to find a job as a Marketing Manager.The first step that you will need to take, in order to get a perfect job af ter you have put together a great resume, is to find a professional writer. You can find them in virtually any city and they are widely available. If you are going to hire them, it is important that you give them an overview of what you need them to do for you, such as what skills you want them to include in your resume.It will also be very helpful to provide them with examples of your job experiences and professional resume writing. The more details that you provide them, the easier it will be for them to understand the exact format that you want your resume to be. With all of these things taken into consideration, they can make a great resume for you.From there, you will be able to find the right people to write for you. There are writers who work in a single location. Others can have multiple locations or even several offices. Working with someone on the job site will be a much better option, since they will be able to handle the entire process.Most of the time, they will use tem plates for your advertising resume, so that you don't have to worry about it ever being a problem. You should also be able to use these templates, so that you can get everything together and ready to send out to potential employers. Remember that these professionals work on a commission basis, so it is extremely important that you check the terms of their contracts before you sign on the dotted line.Another important element that you should look for is the quality of the writers themselves. While you may hire the best, that doesn't mean that they are skilled. Make sure that they are able to handle all of the different components of an advertising resume for you. It can make a huge difference in the quality of the finished product that you end up receiving.

Why Should You Use a Professional Engineer Resume Writing Service?

Why Should You Use a Professional Engineer Resume Writing Service?Professional engineer resume writing service is fast becoming an accepted and effective means of assisting the career seeker in accelerating his or her career. Being a well-written resume will provide prospective employers with the utmost impression about the candidate. In order to ensure that you land that job, here are some tips for resume writing service.The resume will have to convince the potential employer that you are the one who can match his requirements. Thus, it needs to be professional and to the point. A professional resume has to highlight your skills, achievements, relevant industry experience and also your ability to provide quality services.It is of utmost importance that you follow the pattern of the resume and you have to include the required information in the professional manner. There are few things that you need to bear in mind while writing a resume. You can just write your resume with a hand-he ld application. However, if you want your resume to be a little more professional, you need to use a computer application to do the job.Moreover, a professional resume writing service will take care of all your expectations and requirements. It will help you prepare and get ready for an interview. Since the whole process takes time, hiring a resume writing service is definitely a good idea. It will be a great idea if you can make use of a resume writing service that will guide you through the entire process.The professional resume writing service would work out a copywriting plan which will give you an idea of how you can compose your resume. They will provide you with a copywriting template which you can use in preparing the resume. This template is commonly used by the companies that provide resume writing service. Also, you can get a professional resume writing service who will help you in composing your resume by using a similar template.It is always important to check whether t he resume has been prepared according to the required format only. You should always be on the look out for the spelling and grammar mistakes in the resume. Make sure that you understand each and every word of the resume. Moreover, the professional resume writing service should also help you in making your resume interesting by increasing the content of the resume.It is always a great idea to get a resume service which will work out a copywriting plan for you. This is so because you need to maintain consistency in your resume and you will be in a position to explain your experiences accurately. Since the resume writing service is an innovative way of making your resume attractive, you will be able to present your best face to the prospective employer. The personal references will help you impress the person whom you are targeting for the job. He or she will get to know more about you and how well you have impressed him or her with your personality.Using a professional resume writing service will be a great idea. This will allow you to write your resume in an easy to understand manner, thus, convince the prospective employer and land that job you have long wanted.

Job Search After Age 50 Discovering Your Fit - Hire Imaging

Job Search After Age 50 Discovering Your Fit - Hire Imaging Job Search After Age 50:   Want to remain in the workforce? I love the term retirement career. It’s a positive description for new career adventures in life phases long stereotyped as the time to step aside and “relax”. This post examines moving into retirementâ€"or second careers after age 50. Job Search After Age 50: Why? There are numerous reasons you might want to work for pay after you retire. Maybe you were offered an early retirement package that you couldn’t resist; but you really preferred to remain in the workforce. Perhaps it wasn’t even your choice (not uncommon in this economy and job market). Your company may have downsized, relocated or even closed its doors. You’re 50ish, 60ish or even older and thinking, “This is not what I want; I’m not ready.” My client Greg found himself in this position. At age 59, he lost his job of 31 years due to cutbacks. He was furious when people called him “retired”. He said, “Okay; they took away my job and gave me some severance. I just feel like I’ve lost my job and have no options.” Greg in reality did have options. After a few coaching sessions, he realized he could channel his anger and redirect that energy into his job search. He created a job search strategy and plan, and began reconnecting with people in his network. Within six months, he was offered a position at a manufacturing company through connections he had made in a local service club. For my client, Mark, it was not about the money. Mark, at age 65, was financially secure, but wanted to keep busy, productive and stay connected. His mantra was, “Continue working; continue to enjoy it.” He simply saw working as his ability to continue contributing to an employer’s needsâ€"and in return, a validation of his abilities and worth. It was important to him to stay out there. Job Search After Age 50: Reconsidering our views If you are 50 or older, want to keep working and are in a job search, you may feel disheartened. “There’s nothing for me at my age.” While in reality, some industries may court younger workers, overall age discrimination may be a flawed view. Middle-aged and older people today are in better health and are planning to work longer. Additionally, according to AARP, some fields are finding it hard to attract qualified younger workers to fill their openings. They will likely have to rely on older workers. Studies suggest they will start offering incentives, such as flexible hours, telecommuting and reduced workloads. Job Search After Age 50: A few clients’ success stories Decide how many more years you want to work.   If it’s five years, you might stay in your current field. If you’re thinking that 10, 15 or even 20 years is practical, develop a plan. Some of my clients did so, with wonderful results. Tricia, at age 54, wanted to transition from customer service to the medical field. She got an assignment through a temp agency as a chemo patient scheduler. She was soon hired on full time. Perry, at age 58, moved from corporate to private bankingâ€"a growth field. He became certified as a Financial Planner. He had six offers to choose from. Mike, at age 63, was a corporate software director. He started his own consulting business. It was a perfect fit with his life: flexible hours, more time with his grandchildren, and a schedule that allowed him to pursue his love of woodworking. Job Search After Age 50:   Will it happen overnight? Realistically, you shouldn’t decide today that you want to retire in the next month or two and expect that to happen with great results. Give yourself time to conduct the necessary research, do appropriate networking, figure out the milestones and timetables, and accomplish the goals that you’ve set for yourself. In my next post, I’ll share some tips on strategies for tapping into your retirement career. Job Search After Age 50: More Job Search Tips . . . Photo:   Crystl

Networking HOWs - Virtual Networking -

Networking HOWs - Virtual Networking - If you havent read my previous  blogs  about  networking, look at the Categories section to your right and click on Networking. Practical Tips  to Help  Optimize  Your Online Network   The possibilities to connect are endless:   Blogs, networking sites  such as linkedin.com and large and small social networks provide opportunities to meet professionals from every industry.   How  should you take advantage of the possibilities? Blogs Identify  the key bloggers in your industry.   Who has their finger on the pulse  of your  working world?   Read their blogs  and, whenever possible, make intelligent comments and suggestions.  Ã‚  Simply agreeing or saying nice post doesnt count!   Take some time to try to add to the conversation.   When you become a regular contributor, you will begin to form a community of people who recognize  you and value your opinions. Consider authoring your own blog!   The Wall Street Journal article, How Blogs are Changing the Recruiting Landscape, reports that one recruitment manager spends one to two hours a week searching blogs for potential hires.   In three years, blogs helped him fill 125 corporate jobs. Only take this on if you are willing to work at putting together  something professional.   If your blog is sloppily done, it could hurt you.   Blogging about your industry can be a great way to gain a positive reputation. Organize a Social  Network   If you have the time, consider organizing a social networking site online.   It could be an offshoot of another site or in response to your in-person networking.   If you see a need or a niche, taking the time and effort to fill it may get you noticed! Linkedin This site is a goldmine of information, networking resources and potential job opportunities. Industry Specific Groups Consider joining several industry specific networking groups.  Ã‚   This association  Ã‚  directory can help get you thinking about organizations in your arena. Etiquette   As you join social networks, chat rooms and groups, be sure to observe (lurk) before you chime in with your 2 cents worth.   You will come across more professionally  if you understand the etiquette of a site before you inject your opinions. Dont forget that networking isnt only about what you can get from others.   What goes around comes around be sure that you  make the effort to extend yourself in your networks.   Help someone else!   Provide a suggestion, a resource or an answer to a  question.   If nothing else, it is good karma!   Your Reputation As you put your name out there, be sure to keep track of how you are being indexed in search engines.   Google your name.   If anything negative comes up,   Lindsey Pollaks   blog suggests checking out  Ã‚  reputationdefender.com.   This company promises to get rid of unflattering online content.   Since many employers are supplementing reference checks with online searches, this may be a valuable tool.   Another great idea from Lindseys blog is to sign up for  Google Alerts  on your name. Google will  e-mail  you every time you are   indexed, and you can keep track of your virtual reputation. Consider the following tips that apply both to  on- and off-line networking:   Dont wait until you are looking for a job to begin networking. All leads are worth pursuing. Set networking goals.   Prioritize and focus.   Stay organized. Keep track of contacts, what you have learned and who referred you where.   (This can be especially important in the online world, where networks will intertwine.)   Research and be prepared. Always send a thank you note to everyone who helps you.   Cyberspace contacts appreciate knowing they had a positive impact, even if their comments or suggestions were not targeted to you.   If someones blog or suggestion helps you, let them know! Write professionally.   Spell check and use proper grammar. Be genuine, enthusiastic and confident in all networking communications. Keep adding to your contact list and continue networking, even when you have a job. Stay tuned for how to optimize your in-person career networking!   keppiecareers.comWe advise, encourage, enlighten!