Writers, Don’t Give Up On Social Media
Writer Randy Ross recently wondered on his blog whether social media was turning out to be a waste of time for promoting his writing. He wrote in a blog post that Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn “seem to be over-saturated with users generating useless crap.”
Randy has seen both his web traffic and Facebook Reach …
Tell the Truth With the “Weakness” Interview Question
I’m surprised at the bad advice given when it comes to the “weakness” interview question — “what’s your biggest weakness?” — from career experts.
“Turn it into a strength,” they say. “Use examples like ‘I have to triple check everything before I send it out,’ or ‘I insist on being early for every meeting.'”
That’s …
Five Personal Branding Tips for Musicians
Some of the best and worst personal branding practitioners I know are musicians. The good ones promote the bejeezus out of themselves everywhere and anywhere they can. The bad ones book a gig, post something to Facebook (maybe), send a few posters to the venue, and leave it at that.
Here are five personal branding …
Why I Hate Elevator Pitches
Fellow PBB writer, Scott Bradley, nearly had me rolling my eyes when he wrote about why your personal brand needs an elevator pitch. But he saved me from serious eye strain when he avoided making the cardinal sin most elevator pitch writers make.
The sin of being too clever.
Scott’s strategy is a good one. …
Use Your Micro Brand for Extra Perks
Do you have a micro brand? Do you know what a micro brand is?
Your micro brand is that thing you do on the side, but are still known for. If your primary personal brand is what people understand you do and stand for, your micro brand is that sideline or hobby that you enjoy …
Stand Firm On Your Speaking Rates
One of my problems as a professional speaker is that I’ve often been too willing to speak for free. This bothered my wife and my business partner to no end because, they said, my time and knowledge are worth something, and that I’m devaluing myself by speaking for free.
So I finally took the time …
How to Meet People in a Room Full of Strangers
What do you do when you find yourself in a room full of strangers and don’t know anyone? Maybe you’re attending your first networking event. Maybe your spouse brought you to their office Christmas party. Maybe you’re attending your first ever industry convention and are at the networking party. Whatever the reason, people often have …
Who Is Your Professional Catalyst?
Each of us have a few people in our lives who got us started down the paths we’ve followed. It could have been an English teacher who encouraged you to write that started you down the path to being a writer, or a supervisor at work who put you on a project that led to …
Build Your Brand on a Shoestring Budget
How can you build your brand when you’re on such a thin shoestring budget that you don’t even have a smartphone, and having an Internet connection at home is difficult. Is it even possible to establish your brand online? You bet. Here are a few ways you can do some personal branding while you’re keeping …
Some Hiring Managers Are Doing It Wrong
As someone who has been on many a job search, I can tell you that the way people in this country are hired is broken. And the parts that aren’t broken, are needlessly rude and disrespectful.
1. Hiring managers insist on receiving paper résumés in the mail.
Paper résumés?! Seriously?! Who the hell still uses …