Saturday, March 14, 2020

From Lou Adler to Seth Godin the future of a traditional resume

From Lou aar to Seth Godin the future of a traditional resume3KAbout 2 years back, I co-founded a resume building platform Enhancv. Over those years, Ive seen countless, soulless resumes that pretty much guarantee that youre leid getting called up for an interview. In an attempt to shed some light on the topic, Ive gathered seven points of the best resume advice Ive ever heard. Advice that will help you ditch the traditional resume and create something truly special.1. Submit a proposal not a resume to get a job interview Lou AdlerLou Adler is one of LinkedIns top 20 Influencers. He is currently the CEO of The Adler Group, a consulting firm helping companies implement performance-based hiring.If you look at it from the companys perspective, your traditional resume just doesnt work for them. They want to see who you really are but most importantly what you can do for them. So dont submit a typical resume. Rather, provide a solution for their problems.Before even abfluging with your resume, think what youre most proud of, and write down 5 of your biggest achievements. It could be anything winning a school competition, speaking three languages, studying abroad, or even living a balanced life. Any major part of your lifestyle or personality is worth to mention.That, coupled with why youd want to work specifically for the company youre applying for and how you can contribute to the company, would hardly ever get you rejected for an interview. For example, here is Ninas resume for Airbnb. It went viral for a reason the resume says a lot mora than Worked at X company for Y years and did Z. It actually showcases Ninas personality, skills, achievements and directly mentions how she can contribute to the company.Dont be afraid to ditch the old-fashioned way of applying for a job. Call it a resume, cv, lebenslauf, online profile or a summary. But your application should solve someones problem. The resume shouldnt just be a list of experience, education, and skills. W hat it should be is a proposal a glimpse into your personality, a showcase of your personal achievements, and a unique solution to the companys problems.2. Share a point of view. Invite people into a relationship Michael MargolisMichael Margolis is a TEDx SXSW speaker. He is a founder of Get Storied and author of the most shared resume article on 99U.If you already have a resume, open it up and read it slowly. Ask yourself Does this really describe who I am?.Then google someone elses resume. Read it and ask yourself again Do I have anything in common with this guy?.Sadly, in most cases, the answer to both questions would be a no. The traditional resume does not show the human being behind the resume, neither does it help to build a relationship with the person reading it.Companies dont employ resumes. They employ people. Yes, they care about your previous experience and education, but what they really want is to hear your story. They want to hear your point of view.Dont be afrai d to share mora personal details about yourself. Mentioning your favorite books, for example, shows your interests and passions. In special cases, this may even be a huge boost for your resume. Think about Elon Musk. Before he became the legendary entrepreneur we all know and love today, he wasnt the best of students. What put him ahead of everyone else, however, is the vast quantity of highly complex books hed read.By mentioning such details in your resume, you will show that youre more vulnerable. That is more human, approachable and relatable. Yes, your resume would be different from the rest. The person reading it, however, might find something in common with you. And at that point, youve already established some rapport youre no longer a piece of paper.Related articlesQuestions to ask your future manager before joining the teamHow to use volunteer experience to make your resume stand outHillary Clintons resume reveals how little we know about her3. Quantify Your Impact Accomp lished X as measured by Y by doing Z Laszlo BockLaszlo Bock is the SVP of People Operations and author of Work Rules. During Bocks tenure, Google has been personennamed the Best Company to Work For more than 30 times.There are many reasons why an application can get rejected from not being found on Google to having blatantly lied on the resume. The most common mistake, however, is surprisingly neither one of those. According to Laszlo Bock, the biggest reason resumes get rejected is because theyre filled with responsibilities instead of accomplishments. Traditional resumes show what people had to do for a certain position which is something that the HR already knows. Rather, you need to show them how exactly you executed your tasks, and what were the results you received. This empirically sets you apart from all the other applicants.For example, if youre a Social Media Marketer, everyone would know that you have to maintain the profiles of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. So, do nt waste space on your resume saying something as obvious as that. Instead, write how you improved the social reach and user engagement on either one of the channels, and what results did these metrics bring to the company. Be as specific as possible, including numbers and tangible results.Dont hesitate to rewrite every single sentence on your resume using this formula. Take a look at the following example which one do you think is more believable and useful?Raised engagement on Facebook by 140% over 2 months, by creating team video ads. Or Managed the companys Facebook pageKeep in mind that finding and then explaining your accomplishments or skills is not an easy task. Most people give up by just adding some buzzwords team player, critical thinking, problem-solving, etc or just completely skipping that part, thinking that theyve achieved nothing.If you cant think of specific accomplishments, or its hard for you to define your Top Skills, go ahead and ask your friends and colleag ues. Think about the belastung time you executed something successfully, the way you did it and the results you drove. Consider what skills helped you make all that happen. In addition to that, when writing about your achievements, make sure to mention the competition. If you won an entrepreneurship challenge, say exactly how many people competed. It sounds a lot better if you were 3 in a competition with 100 participants, as opposed to 1 and keep the number of participants unknown.So now that weve got all that covered, make it all come to life in your traditional resume Mention the competition in your achievements, the results of your actions and the significance of your accomplishments.4. Try to understand the job youre applying for Lily ZhangCareer Development Specialist at GECD and writer at The Muse.Thirty years ago when people looked for a job, they needed only one resume. Today, unless you want to apply for only one company, you need a couple.Dont just make one black and whi te resume, send it to a couple of companies and then pray to receive an answer. Dont try to cheat and craft 10 resumes, filling each with buzzwords from their respective job descriptions either.Instead, try to understand why you want to work for that specific company. Go ahead and read a bit about the organization, check out the reviews on glassdoor or their profile on Linkedin. If you still dont have much information, focus on the position that you are applying for. Read the job description and ask yourself Am I motivated enough to start working for that company?Most unsuccessful hires are not because they lack the skills, but because they didnt fit the companys culture. If youre not truly motivated to work at either of the companies, dont even bother sending in your resume. It wont be worth it either for you nor the company.In addition to that, a successful job search does not include sending your resume to 10 companies. Its much better if you shortlist 3-4 companies, the ones wh ere you really want to work and concentrate all of your efforts on learning about them and impressing them with your knowledge enthusiasm.5. You dont need to have had good jobs in order to have a good resume Penelope trinkenPenelope Trunk is an American geschftslebenwoman, author, and blogger. Her work focuses on the intersection of work and life.I have seen a lot of skilled people who are too scared to apply for major companies because, having only worked for the smaller organizations, they think that theyre just not good enough. The same applies to college students, who dont dare to apply for their dream internships because of the lack of work experience.Ive met Eastern European students who traveled all the way to the United States, worked the jobs no one wanted for over 100 hours a week, just to pay for their tuition. Those same students dont realize how valuable that kind of experience can be for organizations. True, its not directly related to a job as a banker, for example. But then again, how many students have the experience of working in a bank?While the experience may not be as relevant to the job itself, it proves that the student is hardworking and determined. If youve washed dishes for 100+ hours a week, you wouldnt be dismayed by working 80+ hours in an office for a bank. When thinking about your experiences, always ask yourself whether youve learned anything important working a seemingly irrelevant job. If the answer is yes, it definitely belongs to your resume.Most recent graduates dont get their first experience by working in big and famous corporations but through internships, part-time jobs, volunteering experiences and so on.Exactly this type of experience is what employers are looking for. The world has changed having a lower GPA at the university doesnt mean youre a worse hire than someone with a 4.0. The GPA was never a good predictor of career success, to begin with. This also goes for your work experience. Working for three months in a failed start-up can boost your skills way more than three years in a big corporation.Remember you DO have experience, but its up to you how you are going to sell it. Being aware of your own skills and experiences is the first step to success.6. A resume is an excuse to reject you Seth GodinSeth Godin is an American author, entrepreneur, marketer, and public speaker.90% of the resumes get rejected. Theres only one position after all, and unless you can differentiate yourself, it will end up in a trash bin with the rest.If you want to increase your chances against the statistics, ask yourself Why do I need a resume?. If the answer is I have to show the facts about me, according to Seth Godin that wont show what you HAVE. It will rather show what you MISS. Creating something just to show what you miss is really an excuse to be rejected.According to him, sending a traditional resume like everyone else and pretending that you are remarkable would make people ask themselves Ok if you are that special, why cant I see that through your resume?.That doesnt mean that you shouldnt send a resume at all, nor that you should follow all the standards and requirements you find on the web. It means that a traditional resume doesnt reflect who you really are and why youre special. The requirements tend to restrict you in a lot of ways, making concrete statements on what should and should not be done.The first step is to stop thinking of your resume as just a resume. Dont even call it a resume, when it can be something much more. Your personal story was written down. While there are some best-practices to follow, you should have complete creative control over all the content in the resume. After all, who knows more about your personality than yourself?Feel free to write something creative and against traditional resume standards. Youre not just a bunch of bullet points. Nor are you a combination of work experiences and education. Show people like Seth that you are specia l, that you are living your eulogy, not your resume.7. The best hire might not have the perfect resume Regina HartleyRegina Hartley is the Director of Human Resources at UPS, the largest logistics company in the world with over 10,000 employees.In 2015, Regina gave a TED talk about the candidates who are not all that good on paper but turn out to be some of the companys best hires.She called such people Scrappers people who dont have the best resume but have grown up constantly faced with adversity, resulting in a life filled with both passion and purpose.Take this resume. This guys parents give him up for adoption. He never finishes college. He job-hops quite a bit, goes on a sojourn to India for a year, and to top it off, he has dyslexia. Would you hire this guy?His name is Steve Jobs.Some of the most successful people can seem pretty inconsequential on paper. They may have not been the smartest kids in school, some of them have never even attended school. Such trivialities, how ever, dont stop such people from founding million dollar companies.Ive seen a lot of people who dont apply for the jobs they truly want, just because they dont think they have a good enough resume. Reginas talk proves pretty much the opposite. If youve survived hardships in life such as poverty or violence, you might be more valuable to a company than someone whos life was engineered for success since birth. After all, if youve survived poverty and violence, business challenges are nothing but a minor setback.Regina finished off her talk with a study done by DiversityInc, showing that the top 50 companies for diversity outperform the SP 500 by 25%. So, the next time youre competing with 4.0 Ivy League graduates with near-perfect resumes, stand your ground and prove yourself.To top it all off, if theres one thing you should take away from this article, its this. Even when faced with adversity, focus on being you, focus on telling your story, and youll get the job you deserve.To read next Check out our resume examples section that got people hired at their dream jobs. Tags career advice, resume, resume tips

Monday, March 9, 2020

How to Write an Online Bio With Short, Professional, and Other Bio Examples

How to Write an Online Bio With Short, Professional, and Other Bio Examples How to Write an Online Bio Writing your bio is as easy as, well, writing your bioWhich three words would you use to explain your personality to a stranger?If you could only think of human with face, or professional needs job, youve come to the right place. Learning how to write a bio is bedrngnis easy defining yourself in a few words even less so. But never fear you can do it Taking a few minutes to think about what youre about isnt just a great writing exercise, its a clarifying moment of personal development. Here are a few ways you can get started on your professional website, LinkedIn, or short bio.How to write a short bioWhen fruchtwein people think of online bios, they probably can readily name a few common short bio examples first. Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest all have space for a short description of who you are and what you do. And you should make the most of the one to two lines you re afforded here. Keep your social media bios short, sweet, and only filled with the most important things a stranger should know about you, such asYour nameYour current roleYour ultimate goalYour biggest achievementHow to write a professional bioProfessional sites like LinkedIn, AngelList, or a speaker bio on an event site all have space for a bio or summary section. For each of these, youll probably want to write a mid-length description of both your current role, professional aspirations, and biggest achievements. Professional bios allow you to go into a bit more detail than short social media bios, especially on LinkedIn. Its generally a good idea to includeYour nameYour current role or professional taglineYour company or personal brandYour goals and aspirationsYour 2-3 most impressive and relevant achievementsOne quirky fact about you (if its appropriate to the site)What to include in a bio at workWriting a bio for your companys website, HR system, or Slack instance? Be sure to give your co-workers a sense of both your professional expertise and your personalityYou should include anything youd include in a professional bio in a bio for your company, but dont be afraid to personalize it with a few personal details. Have a hobby you love? A favorite book? A professional hero you look up to? Add them to give your co-workers a sense of who you are before they work with you.What to include in a bio on your websiteThe About section of any personal website can be a slog. A drain. A hassle. Youve already created a whole website about yourself, so it can be difficult to muster the strength to write that final description of who you are and what youre about.But never fear Your website bio doesnt need to be complicated, it just needs context on who you are and what youve done. This is an open, larger space, so you have room to list a few accomplishments and give context on why theyre important. You can also add a short paragraph about who you are outside of your ni ne-to-five. For this type of bio, you may also want to include a contact form or email, to help prospective clients, employers, or collaborators get in touch. If you do, be sure to include a clear call-to-action for your reader to contact you.A bio template to use and customizeEven after you understand different types of bios, it can be difficult to get started. The words may not be flowing, you might not fully understand how your professional bio will be used, or you might just be stuck. Never fear Heres a bio recipe you can use across most sites.Your first and last name Start by writing your name. That wasnt so hardYour company or brand If you have a consulting firm, a brand you use for your side hustle, or a company you currently work at, list that next.Your current function What do you do for work? You can either list your current title or a short, descriptive phrase about your role here.Your north star People reading your bio will also want to get a sense of who you are. Listin g your overall goal, values, or a statement that describes your ethos will help them get to know you, even in short bios.Your top three accomplishments Especially in professional bios, youll need a few accomplishments to show off what youve done in your career. Choose the top two or three large milestones from your career (no more), and put them next.Your cute closer (optional) This may not be necessary in a shorter bio for Twitter or Instagram. But for a website or similarly professional bio, you may want to add a sentence describing who you are outside of work.Your contact info (optional) Depending on the site, you may also want to include an email, contact form, or another easy way for readers to reach you. List this information at the end of your bio.Short and professional bio examplesThe short bio heavyweight Janet Mocks TwitterJanets Twitter bio describes both her primary role on Pose as well as her book and podcast projects. It also lists her contact info and professional web site, in case her followers would like to contact her.The polished professional bio Yuriy Timens LinkedInLinkedIn summaries can read like either a list of accomplishments or a list of professional interests. Yuriys is neither. Instead, he explains his professional goals and lists his major accomplishment building Grammarlys anwender base.The website bio whiz Jamie McKelvies websiteOne could marvel at the efficiency of Jamies professional website bio. Using a descriptive headline about his work and a short list of only his most recognizable accomplishments, Jamie is able to sum up several projects in a relatively small space.4 quick tips on writing a bioEven with all of this information on how to write a bio, it might still be difficult to write about yourself. Even for the most confident person, self-promotion can be exhausting. But never fear There are a few ways you can keep your about me writing on point without pulling your hair out.Tip 1 Dont overthink itBios are usually form ulaic and thats okay For most professional bios, LinkedIn summaries, and speaker bios at events, you wont need to stray from the norm too much to stand out. Even adding an adjective that shows your personality or an unusual accomplishment can make your bio different from the crowd. You dont need to create the next Between The World And Me to write a killer bio.Tip 2 Remember your worthWriting a bio on a site like Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn can be daunting because there are already so many fantastic bios (and people) out there. But dont fall prey to bio comparison Your story is only yours to tell, and it has value. Focus on staying authentic to your truth, and dont worry about others.Tip 3 When in doubt, borrowBios can be repetitive, sometimes even tedious. So if you find a structure you like and think sounds unique, borrow it You should never copy a persons bio after all, its their story, not yours but you can mimic the structure if youre feeling stuck.Now that you have your bio straightened out, make sure your resume is in order with a free resume reviewfromTopResume.Editors Note This piece was written by Celeste Mora and originally ran on Grammarly. It is reprinted with permission.Recommended ReadingResume and LinkedIn Profile Writing How Different Should They Be?11 Steps to Writing the Perfect ResumeWriting a Cover Letter? Double Check These 5 Things FirstRelated Articles

Sunday, January 5, 2020

How Video Interviews can Make Your Hiring More Efficient - Spark Hire

How Video Interviews can Make Your Hiring More Efficient - Spark HireVideo interviews are a brilliant addition to your hiring process. Not only do they save you time and money, they also widen your talent swimming-pool and provide an effective way to screen candidates.If youre considering incorporating video interviews into your hiring process, read on to find out how they can make your recruitment strategy more efficient. Save time for both parties Were all busy people and it can be hard to find a time that suits both you and your candidate for a face-to-face interview. This is more difficult when considering candidates have to allow extra time to travel to your company and may be trying to work the interview around their existing job.Video interviews can be completed anytime, anywhere meaning no one has to travel, so it reduces the time you need to set aside for the interview. This also makes it more feasible to ask a candidate for a quick 20-30 minute chat, to get a feel for their skills and personality. Widen your talent poolThanks to video technology, candidates who live further away can easily be interviewed at the click of a button. This means they wont have to spend a long time traveling to your business, especially if they turn out to be an unsuitable fit. Traveling across cities or states for an initial interview might put some candidates off, and costs your team money in flight and hotel costs. You can prevent ansicht problems by meeting virtually. Whats more, this enables you to interview remote candidates and those who might be willing to relocate. It also means you can interview those in different countries and time zones. As a result, youll open yourself up to a much wider talent pool outside of your local area.Get personal with candidatesVideo interviews are a more personal approach than conducting a phone interview, enabling you to actually see the candidate. As such, youll be able to look at their body language, make eye contact with them, and better judge their communication skills. For instance, if the candidate is slouching, bedrngnis making eye contact or seems distracted, it might suggest that theyre not that interested in the position.Furthermore, videos interviews make it easier for both parties to build rapport, as youll have the opportunity to connect and look at each others facial expressions. Candidates will be able to put a friendly face to your name and capture your attention, and youll be able to get a better feel of their interest in the role. Gain a better idea of a candidates potentialFace-to-face interviews can be nerve-wracking for candidates as theyre coming into a new environment and have to sell themselves under pressure. If your candidate can do the interview from the comfort of their own home, it should help them to feel more relaxed and confident.This means theyll be able to think more clearly and youll be able to get a better idea of what they can do and whether theyre a good fit for the role. S creen candidates effectivelyIf youve received a huge number of applications, video interviews are great for screening applicants and narrowing them down to a shortlist. Youll be able to get an initial understanding of their skills and suitability and decide if you want to meet them face-to-face. Therefore, you wont have to waste your time (or the candidates time) arranging meetings with those who arent right for the position. Another bonus of video interviews is that they can be recorded, meaning you can re-watch clips to help you decide the best individuals to bring in to meet face-to-face. You can also share these with other team members or managers for a second opinion. Making your hiring more efficient with video interviewsConducting video interviews is a great way to make your hiring process easier. Whether you want to use them to recruit remote employees or screen candidates, there are loads of options available. So if you havent yet incorporated this into your hiring process, nows the time to start. Or if you want to find talented candidates to interview, check out Resume-Librarys resume search tool. About the AuthorAlice is a PR and Communications Assistant at Resume-Library. As a recent literature graduate, she loves anything that involves reading or writing, which is good news because her job involves a lot of this. She also is a chocoholic at heart which means lots of post-work trips to the gym

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

How Advertising Has Saved Lives

How Advertising Has Saved LivesHow Advertising Has Saved LivesWhen you think of advertising, you usually think of a bunch of high-powered executives in flashy offices, coupled with hipsters leaning back in their chairs. Its all about making money, and rampant consumerism. Thats all down to TV and movies. But there is another side to advertising, and its one that rarely gets talked about. How Advertising Can Be Used to Save Lives Over the years (well, decades really), there have been thousands of ads that have not promoted the purchasing of goods and services. Instead, they have pushed information information that is for the public good, and can prevent injuries and deaths. Some of those ads you will no doubt remember well. One of the most impactful campaigns if the last 10 years has been Truth (www.thetruth.com). Using a series of powerful events, and publicity stunts, the campaign for Truth has revealed some shocking and surprising facts about smoking. From what goes into a ciga rette, to the number of people who die every year from smoking, including passive smoking, Truth has hit home hard. And it has stopped many people from either taking up smoking or continuing to smoke themselves to what would probably be a painful death. AIDS Awareness Advertising In the 1980s, perhaps the biggest life-saving campaign to hit screens around the world welches AIDS awareness. At the time, there was little known about the disease, and it was a death sentence. Powerful ads from some of the best creative ad shops in the world hammered home the horrendous truths about AIDS, and how it was transmitted. Later, when the fear twisted the truth, more advertising was created to let people know that AIDS cannot be transmitted outside of sex and intravenous use. But thats only the tip of a very large iceberg. Think about how often you have been told something that has later saved lives either yours or someone you know Without creative advertising for certain cancers, and in pa rticular breast and testicular cancer, many people would not have caught the spread of the disease in time.Without creative and powerful advertising warning against the dangers of meth use, or other hard drugs, many people would have gone down a road from which it was impossible to come back.Without hard-hitting advertising for road safety, including seat belt use, tailgating, crash helmets, and drunk driving, there would have been thousands of casualties on the roads over the last forty years. The Impact of Charity Advertising Its easy to vilify advertising, because most of it is done for capitalist reasons. Advertising, marketing, and PR are the tools of large corporations, and they use this power to drive profits and make wealthy people even wealthier. But there are always two sides to every story, and although the charitable side of advertising is dwarfed by its other side, its still important to note that advertising has done a great deal of good over the years. Its also w orth noting that when a client comes into an agency that wants to do something that saves lives, everyone working on that account gets very excited. Well, perhaps excited is the wrong word. They are driven to do something that will have a huge impact and hit home. From the creative department to production and account service, working on a project that gives something back to the community is a huge boost to all those working on it. IN a very real sense, advertising that saves lives can also save the psyches of people who have grown weary of working the on car, alcohol, and fast food accounts. Advertising can save lives. It does save lives. And it plays an important role in the service of the community. If you work in advertising, and someone tells you its the work of the devil, just remind them of the great deal of good it has done as well.

Friday, December 27, 2019

First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 2)

First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 2) First Jobs and Life Lessons (Pt. 2) The first four lessons included1. A bad first job can focus your career goals.2. Start working early.3. Low pay is better than no pay.4. No job is too menial.As I read the Forbes article, I realized that I also learned similar lessons to those of older generations. Yet, some of my views differed, which led me to wander if this is because I am from the millennial generation (and we have different ways of thinking) or because our workforce has evolved so much that some of these first-job lessons simply dont apply today.Below are the final four lessons and my take on their relevancy to todays workforce5. Dress appropriately.While the article stressed that several Next Avenue readers said it was important to follow the dress code at work, I believe this lesson has changed with the times. Nowadays, workplaces dont have a strict dress code. Ive honigwein many people who still go into an office and their work attire i s jeans and a t-shirt. Appropriate dress in todays working environment depends on the culture of that organization.6. Work is what you make of it.The article says that first jobs are often the ones no one else wants. In my case of pushing carts in extreme heat and cold, this was true. And I think this lesson not only applies to first jobs, but to every position you have. Its like the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. You can choose to make the most out of your job and have a positive attitude while working. You can also find ways to make it enjoyable (or not). A lot of it is up to you.7. Dont date the boss (or if you do, find another job).The article explains how one woman, who was a typist in an ad agency, began dating the agencys president. And she believes people wont take you seriously if youre dating the boss.This lesson is timeless and applies to every generation. Work relationships can already be tricky, but once you add romance into the mix, 9 times out of 1 0 youre bound for disaster. Although I dont know anyone who had to learn this at their first job, the lesson is relevant in any job situation. Just dont do it.8. Do what you love.For this last lesson, the article references a man named Harold Sharlin, 89, of Washington, D.C., who it says has worked longer than most. He shows us that you have time to get it right, and if you dont like what you are doing at first, try something else.While I believe this is a good work lesson in general, like point number one, I dont think it necessarily has to come from a first job. Again, most people dont go into their first job (which is normally in their teenage years) thinking that this is what they love and will be doing the rest of their lives. People normally have the perspective that their first job is a temporary way to make money.Yet, as you continue to work and gain experience (especially after college) I believe then we grasp the concept that one should do what he or she loves because our experiences reinforce this notion.Not everyone learns the same things from their first jobs some people have similar takeaways while others are unique to their roles. Do you remember your first job? What were some of the biggest lessons it taught you?

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Millennials Should Love Law Enforcement CareersHeres Why

Millennials Should Love Law Enforcement CareersHeres WhyMillennials Should Love Law Enforcement Careers- Heres WhyPolice departments around theU.S. have long faced challenges in recruiting well-qualified candidates for vacant law enforcement positions. At the same time, agencies struggle to keep up with attrition as more and more members of the baby boomer generation retire. The obvious solution is to look to younger generations to fill those holes. But are millennials suited to a career in law enforcement? Some Statistics According to the Pew Research Center and the U.S. Census, millennials numbered some 71 million in the U.S. in 2016, the fruchtwein recent year for which firm statistics are available. Their numbers are expected to exceed those of baby boomers in 2019. But according to other sources, less than half of this age group trusts the assekuranzbrief. What Millennials Want in a Job Millennials arent quick to settle down into a job or career for life. They change job s an average of four times before age 32. And- no surprise here- they worship technology. About 90% regularly use social media and 59% prefer a job that offers state-of-the-art and cutting-edge technology. Studies indicate that while the vast majority of new graduates research job prospects before choosing a major, and they serve in internships in order to gain relevant experience prior to looking for a job, many feel that theyre underemployed. Theyre earning salaries far below what they expected, and theyre not receiving the formal training they think they need to do their jobs well. Millennials also say that they would prefer to forgo a higher-paying job with a large corporation in favor of a smaller company with a more positive work environment, and with opportunities for continuing education and advancement. What Does This Mean for Police Departments? These findings might look like bad news for police departments at first glance. Technology? Internships? Continuing education ? In fact, law enforcement careers can offer all three. With the right perspective, law enforcement recruiters can use this information to show millennials why they should want to become police officers. Accentuating the Positive Survey respondents essentially said they want what most people want in a job a decent salary, an enjoyable job with supportive bosses and coworkers, and opportunities to learn and to move up the chain. This is exactly what careers in policing can offer. Although theyre often seen as a rigid, structured, and stagnant, law enforcement jobs come with a lot of flexibility with regard to working hours and job duties. Salary Issues The starting salary of a police officer cant be considered high, but most departments do offer some kind of step-up payment plan where officers earn more based on their years of service. The salaries are also often in line with what many other college graduates earn...and sometimes theyre even more. Education Equals Advancem ent While police jobs are one of many paths in criminal justice that dont necessarily require a college degree, college graduates will soon realize how their education can help them find even more success in their careers. Training Options Abound Few professions offer the same level of formal training and continuing education given to police officers. Candidates spend six months or more in a police academy, then they move on to an extensive field training program where they put their classroom learning into practice. Theyre then placed on the job and onto solo patrol. Police officers have the opportunity to attend training throughout their careers that can help them advance and specialize after the real job starts. A Positive Environment There are a couple of poorly kept secrets within law enforcement. The first is that policing can be fun sometimes. Dangerous? Yes. Important? Absolutely. Noble? Of course. But its also rewarding and enjoyable, largely because of the intrins ic rewards that come with helping others. The other secret is thecamaraderiethat comes from being part of the lawenforcementcommunity. There are few professionsthat offer the same sense of belonging that a job in policing delivers. A Clear Path to Success Finally, careers in law enforcement typically offer clearly defined paths toward advancement. There are rules and policies that usually articulate exactly what officers must do receive promotions, allowing workers to advance at their own pace. The Right Choice for the Next Generation The bottom line is that careers in law enforcement actually offer exactly what many new college graduates are looking for. The trick- and the challenge- for police departments is to get the message out there to this new generation of workers.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Advertising Spec Portfolio Dos and Donts

Advertising Spec Portfolio Dos and DontsAdvertising Spec Portfolio Dos and DontsWhen youre showing your book around, either as a student or someone looking to switch agencies or careers, you are looking to impress people. Your portfolio should be a concentration of your skills, featuring solid work spanning multiple mediums and product segments. The work you show, and do not show, is paramount. So here are some things to avoid when preparing your book. Never Choose Easy Projects For Yourself Just for a moment, put yourself in the shoes of an advertising professional. They have taken the time out of their insanely busy schedule to look through your work, either with you present or by viewing your website or book. When the pages are turned and endless campaigns for Nike, Wonderbra, Viagra, Victorias Secret and Red Bull appear one after the other, you are giving a clear indication that you dont like to challenge yourself. A quick look at a site like Ads Of The World will give you a good idea of this phenomenon. There are dozens of campaigns for Wonderbra. Its easy to advertise big breasts and the outcome of them is a simple idea to get behind, and its easy to be visually funny and verbally concise. Most dont even have headlines. If you want to impress, do ads for bland products or services that have no easily-identifiable or unique traits. Choose an airline, dish soap, a wireless carrier, or something else that you have to use your brain for. You need to create a strategy rather than piggyback one. You need to think, and thats what employers want to see. Spec work should not be easy or like shooting fish in a barrel. Do Not Throw Money At The Problem Heres another classic mistake that many up and coming creatives make. A book filled with creative but extremely costly ideas is not going to do you any favors. Advertising and design agencies rarely have the huge budgets to work with that theyd like, and often have to think of creative ways to use the increasi ngly shrinking budgets that clients supply. By filling your book with $10 million solutions, no matter how creative, youre pigeon-holing yourself as someone who can only do good work if the budget is good, and 90% of the time, the budget is mediocre at best. By all means, have examples of places that you could take the campaign if the budget allowed. Dont fill your book with overpriced billboards, stunts, and Super Bowl ads. If you can give people a great idea that costs just pennies, they will know you can do something just as cool with a ton of money. Dont Ignore The Unpopular Types of Media Billboards, print ads, guerrilla and TV scripts are what most student books are filled with. Theyre big, sexy and fun to work on, but you can have so much more impact if you take your campaign to places that most people want to avoid. Radio, direct mail, websites, point-of-purchase, packaging, these are mediums to explore. Its easy to find people who can produce great billboard ads, but gr eat direct mail, thats another story. As David Ogilvy proved, its a very effective medium when done right. Dont Spend More Time on Polish than Ideas Great execution and polish have become commonplace in modern portfolios, but an agency cannot live on looks alone. There needs to be substance behind the style, and if you sacrifice great ideas for beautiful printouts, youre in trouble. In this day and age, its easy to go straight to a Mac, knock out an idea and then polish it to perfection, but if the idea is weak, the ad will always be weak. No amount of Photoshop can save it. Add polish if you like. But make sure those ideas and campaigns are concrete and your best work before you start shining. Dont Include Anything Youre Not 100% Proud Of A portfolio is only as good as the weakest piece in it. By filling your book with mediocre campaigns, youre taking away from the great ones that are in there. A good way to check this is to run through the portfolio and present it to a fri end. There will be some pieces that you cannot stop talking about. Youll be excited about them, and will be genuinely proud to show them off. Then, there are those other pieces, the ones that, when you know theyre coming up next, you get gelbkreuzgas for words. The ones youd rather skip past to get to the next campaign. These need to be cut. If your book goes from 15 pieces to 10, fine. If it goes from 15 to 3, youve got issues and your book needs a lot more work. And its also for this reason that you need to constantly update your book. Something you were proud of five years ago may not have stood the test of time. If in doubt, take it out. Never Start Strong and Finish Weak If you follow the advice above, you wont have any weak work in your book anyway. Even amongst great campaigns, some work is better than others. If you put all that up front, you will definitely make a statement. But as you continue, youll fail to top it and that does you no good. Follow these tips, and you should be well on your way to assembling a portfolio that will get you noticed in any advertising or marketing agency.