Internet Marketing Resources for Students Transitioning to Careers

Getting ready to launch your career? Looking for help beyond the resume & cover letter? How about resources from the internet?!?

You may want to check out these resources from Mike Sansone, one of the top blogging coaches I've found...

Last month he spoke to students and instead of passing out handouts, in true Web 2.0 fashion Mike posted links:

1. Delicious bookmarks: http://del.icio.us/mikesansone/JannFreed to key websites and blogposts

2. His books recommendations from the Shelfari bookshelf - a neat way to recommend and share books http://www.shelfari.com/

Go Red for Women -- Doctor & Spokesperson

Dr. Debbie Plate has combined her role as doctor and public speaker. She spoke to a group of women in Akron to make us more aware about heart health. If you are considering a career as a health professional, you might not realize how much public speaking could play a role in your career.

Knowing how to communicate key information in front of an audience using a laptop, projector and PowerPoint is a skill that transcends many careers.

This morning while attending the American Heart Association breakfast to promote awareness of Go Red for Women, I had the opportunity to hear Dr. Debbie Plate describe some rather startling facts about women's heart health in the United States:

• 460,000 Women per year die of heart failure, making it one per minute. That's more from Heart Failure than the next 5 killers combined! (Cancer is #2 and stroke is #3.)
  
• Among women over 20, about 30% have high blood pressure.


• Overweight women in the USA over 20: 58% of the white women and 79% of African American.

Dr. Plate is a communications person and a doctor. Besides speaking throughout the community, she is often seen on TV representing Akron General Medical Center and interviewing other doctors about their specialties.

She urged the audience to wear RED the first Friday in February to help build awareness of heart health among women. May 8th is the fundraising luncheon to help build awareness.

When something is the number one killer, and so many of the problems are preventable, doesn't it make sense that we should focus on this?

It's amazing to me that wearing seat belts and not cutting your vegetables & chicken with the same knife & cutting board or eating raw eggs seems like it has more public awareness than the actions that cause heart failure. (but I digress.)

If you enjoy public speaking, you are probably in the minority. Many people fear public speaking more than anything else -- even death, rattlesnakes or heights!! Making your career into something where you combine two passions can be a real great way to find the work you love.

And. Oh yeah. Go eat some vegetables for your heart!!

25 Tips for Women to Make More Money than Men

When I entered the workforce women made 56 cents to men's dollar. Although it is improving, recent statistics show women make only 89 cents according to a New York Times article from this year that discusses a Queens College study. Others say 75 cents, 76 cents or 12 cents. I guess it depends on how you measure: Hourly? Salary? Same job? Same education? Same amount of experience?

There are ways to increase your earnings. Robyn McMaster at Brain Based Biz offers a book called Why Men Earn More: The startling Truth Behind the Pay Gap -- and What Women Can Do About It by Dr. Warren Farrell in her recent post Men, Women, Brains and Earning Power

The 25 strategies boil down to 3 categories 1) be more productive, 2) put in more hours and 3) choose careers that pay more.

Ironically most of the 25 strategies suggest giving up up some quality of life and job satisfaction. (IE be a prison guard vs a child care worker. Or travel extensively as a sales person.)

Many women (most women?!) choose to figure out a way to create a job that fits with their life rather than make their life fit their job. Is it that way for men too? As more men realize the lifelong satisfaction of raising children like being there at the teachable moment or for the school play or being the team manager, I believe the salaries and wages will become closer and closer.

We want to have our cake and eat it too. And why not?!

But still, as you select your career, take some time to picture how you might increase the salary by selecting a different job within the career (example, a nurse anesthetists and traveling nurses each make twice the pay of regular nurses.)

What is it Like to have a Career in Event Planning, Trade Shows, Talent Management and Talent Development?

Ann Ramsey Metzler knows what it takes to work in the high pressure world of trade shows, events, talent management and talent development. She recently relocated to Northeast Ohio after working 7 years in Columbus. She shares her career experiences while working at COSI and at The Ohio State University.

Biggest challenge: My biggest challenge is knowing how to stop at good when that is acceptable for the task. Being a perfectionist at heart makes that difficult and creates the drive in me to go forward to 'great' in every situation.

Most important lesson learned: I have learned to trust my own instincts and also trust the team I am working with for the certain task. Jobs very rarely are accomplished by only one person, therefore, the team that is assembled becomes vital to the successful completion of the task.

Someone considering this for a career should: Be willing to put in long hard hours initially and work on the weekends. Once you become more accomplished you will be able to select the specific projects and programs you work on.

What training did you have? On the job training seems to be the best training in this field. I have learned more from my mistakes then my successes. Finding a good mentor has been critical to my success.

Tips for the Recent Graduate who is Job Hunting

Yesterday I met with a recent graduate who is the daughter of a friend of my sister-in-law's. She majored in marketing and is working on her job hunt. I thought some of the information I shared with her might be helpful to other recent graduates:

• Make sure you work in an internship. An internship tells a future employer that you've worked in an office setting and know important things like how to answer the phone and sound professional, work a fax machine, copy machine, postage machine and what an "in-basket" is used for. Internships also help give you some results to list on your resume, something to put in your portfolio and real life examples of how you helped a company achieve something toward their goals.
  
• Clevelandinterns.com is a good website to get started in your job hunt. So is www.careerboard.com, as well as monster, career builders etc. But more importantly than websites, networking is still a crucial way to meet contacts who know people who are hiring.
  
• Use at least a 12 point typeface on your resume. Most people who are hiring are over 40 years old and often don't like to use reading glasses during an interview. Especially when we are talking to a 22 year old.
  
• Make sure you know your way around the computer -- if you know special tricks with powerpoint, excel and word that others don't -- you'll be invaluable. What about publisher, paint and outlook? Take some time to brush up on those clever little tips that give you an edge to be able to do something that most people with the 3-5 years of experience don't need to know to get a job.
  
• Expect to pay your dues when you start. I know, you did your 4 years of college... well, so did most of the other people in the office, so it's like you're a freshman again.
  
• Develop some questions for the person who interviews you. Things like: "what is the main focus of your company's marketing goals?" or "What's the biggest challenge in your marketing department?" are open ended questions that may trigger a response from you that tells the interviewer how you could help.
  
• Most people you meet will know someone who knows someone who might know someone who is hiring. It's about networking. Make business cards with your contact info so it's easy to refer and reach you.
  
• Find time to visit the chamber of commerce luncheons and talk to the other people at your table.

Getting a job is a job on its own. After you do get the job, remember that someone else is probably looking too. Take the time to encourage them with advice from things that helped you. Extend a hand behind you and help the next young woman in line!!

Sunny Lurie Helps Others Launch Their Careers

Interview with: Fast Focus Careers, Creator and Owner Sunny K. Lurie, PhD.

About: Fast Focus Careers help people who want to launch a career that gets them excited. We have a unique and proven method to get people to stretch their career imagination and get to know their strengths and interests. People get a rare opportunity to brainstorm their dreams and passions with a mix of peers and professionals and magic inevitably happens— to focus on a career that’s right for them. We guarantee it!

Best thing about her job: I get to do my passion which is helping people discover the type of work they can be passionate about.

Biggest surprise: The number of people here (northeast Ohio) and other cities who want to get involved in helping grow this program – - finding your passion hits on an important aspect of our life – that seems to be appealing to people.

How she prepared for this work: Many years of my life – actually 3 decades of an intense curiosity how people figure out the right career path; I collected career info. and ideas in a huge 10lb. idea notebook, also work experience, college and my doctoral research.

Most important lesson learned: Happiness at work is a choice. Try hard to do your work the way it will make you happy — I never wanted to be a career counselor working with a limited number of people in a school. So I created a career program where I could be an entrepreneur and creatively help 1000s.

Best advice: working “authentically” – being who you really are -- gives you confidence like nothing else. When the going gets tough, I seek out new people to team up with to get me excited again.

For relaxation: I spend time with nature – bike riding, tennis, golf, boating, jet skiing, walking in the park.

What she'll be doing 10 years from now: traveling around the country to my 50 Fast Focus Career sites, doing talks for 1000s of people we helped uncover their dream job.

Her one piece of advice: “No” is not an option—keep maneuvering the obstacles – if you believe there are other ways to reach your objective, you will make it happen.

Photo by Bob Perkoski www.perkoski.com

Congratulations to Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis, Athena International Award Recepient

Mary Ann epitomizes great leadership. From her early education at Saint Joseph Academy as a young girl, to John Carroll and Case Western Reserve University -- Education has always been a big part of her life. She sees it as the key to the future.

On Thursday evening Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis was honored by the Athena International as the Cleveland Recipient for her 25 years of leadership roles at American Greetings, her many years of serving on the board of Saint Joseph Academy in Cleveland and now as the president, where she provides leadership to the 665 girls at the all girls school. Education is her passion. She received the Alumni Medal of John Carroll University in 1994 and was inducted into the Saint Joseph Academy Alumnae Hall of Fame in 1996.

Shown here with Laura Shrieve of Marketing Resources & Results (left), Mary Ann Corrigan-Davis holds the Athena International Award which is named for the Greek Goddess who stands for wisdom and strength, two traits that are considered for the award.

Theresa Carter Recognized for Leadership, Professional Achievement & Community Service

Giving back. Lending a hand. Leading the way. Helping others.

Last evening Athena International (an organization that supports and honors women leaders) recognized 12 women in Northeast Ohio for their leadership, professional achievements and community service. Theresa Carter (right), president of the Omnova Foundation, was the recipient of the Athena award for the Akron area.

In addition to running the foundation, Theresa is leading the effort for this year's Summit County United Way Fund Drive and serves on 10 boards and 9 advisory councils and committees throughout the Akron community including:

• Akron Urban League
• Greatker Akron Chamber
• Fairlawn Chamber
• Tri-county Jobs for Ohio's Graduates
• Project Grad Akron
• University of Akron Foundation
• NAACP
• American Red Cross of Summit County

Theresa is congratulated in this photo by Norma Rist, Vice President of Athena.

Last night in her opening remarks Norma challenged all the Athena finalists and recipents in Northeast Ohio (about 60 women in total) to develop a volunteer effort involving leadership for women within our community.

I'll be writing more about that later, I'm sure!!

Interview with Sue Ann Schmidt, Minister

Today's career exploration interview is with Sue Ann Schmidt. She is a minister at the First Congregational Church of Hudson, Ohio, which is the church where I am a member. I asked her to share some of her experiences and thoughts to help some other young woman who may be considering this career path.

What is the best advice you could offer to a young woman who wants to break into your career area?

Probably the first thing to be said is that ministry is more of a calling than a career. A young woman considering ministry as a profession would want to feel that God is calling her to use her gifts and talents in a pastoral ministry setting, i.e. a church, a hospital, chaplaincy, school, or neighborhood service setting. Following the educational training needed by your particular religious institution.
When you started out in your career, how important was your prior experience compared to your formal education? What helped the most?

When I started out in ministry I was educationally prepared, but not so much experientially prepared. I welcomed being with more experienced people who could mentor me and help me develop skills that I knew about, but had not had much opportunity to try out....lots of new areas that were scary until someone was kind enough to walk through them with me.

How did you decide to start?
I always felt I wanted to work in a church. When I was quiet young women in my church were not allowed to be ministers. This is something that I just grew into.

What's been the accomplishment to date that you are most proud of?
I think that it would be hard to single out one accomplishment, but perhaps I would lift up that I hope I’ve made the way a little easier for other women by being a positive example.

Do you set goals each year and are you willing to share one of them with our readers?
My present position requires that I set goals each year. One for this year was “To seek additional ways for the congregation to better care for each other.”


Who was most influential for you when you were making your early career choices?
As a child I had an adult friend who modeled a church career/calling for me, but also I think my parent’s were a strong influence for me.

Did you consider other career choices other than the ministry? For a brief period I wanted to be a cowgirl!

What made difference in your choice? I always felt my life was directed by God’s leading.

Thank you so much Sue Ann for sharing your story with us. I'm sure that this will help someone else who is exploring and looking for where their life may be headed.

PHOTOS: Thanks to the church for allowing me to copy photos from their website. Some of these were from the staff retreat at Habitat for Humanity.

100 Helpful Tools and How-To Resources for Women Entrepreneurs

Jessica Hupp at Bootstrapper has a great post full of 100 resources for women entrepreneurs: blogs, tools, networking & organizations, government resources, how-to, inspiring stories and books.

Twenty Somethings: College to Career

Lindsey Pollak specializes in young professional career issues. She's a wealth of ideas and suggestions for twenty-somethings who are moving from school into the professional working world and speaks frequently at universities, corporations and business associations. Her book: Getting from College to Career lists 90 Things To Do Before You Jjoin the Real World. Here are a few:

• Subscribe to a daily newspaper
• E-mail like a professional
• Make every event a networking success
• Practice the eight essentials of internship achievement
• Perform five minutes of stand-up
• Overprepare for interviews
• Persist

Although most of her advice is for getting the job rather than actually transitioning into the day to day working world, her blog is filled with helpful info:

• Tipping.
• Who pays.
• How to Network for a mentor.

Learn more at Advice & Resources for College Students and Young Professionals

It's a fairly new blog but she posts regularly and has great advice. Lindsey is a graduate of Yale University.

The "W" List - Women bloggers

Special thanks to Elysa, a 25 year old Graphic Designer in Texas, who blogs to let others know how "our generation" is different than those before us. We are career women, single & married, girl friends, and individuals. There is a delicate balance in being an individual and being part of a support system for your friends, family and your environment. GenPink is about balancing family and work, technology, entertainment, and exploration of new ideas..

Elysa categorized the blogs into helpful groupings which makes is easier to know which ones you want to read first! Enjoy.

I added a few more to this list of over 150 too!

Art & Design

• A Look at Art & Design: Websites, Graphic Design and Marketing for Artists & Galleries - Lisa Mikulski & Dragonfly Blu Design


• Case-Notes from the Artsy Asylum: creative professionals, take on a connected world - Susan Reynolds


• Creative Curio: Learn, discuss and explore the realm of Graphic Design. - Lauren Marie


• Debbie Millman: "You can be anywhere when your life begins." These are the musings of Debbie Millman. Debbie has been in the design business for the last 20 years fulfilling her dream of working in branding and furthering the meaning, purpose and stature of brands in our culture. - Debbie Millman


• decor8: decor8 is a quick fix for design addicts that love decorating their homes but find it challenging to shop online. Your time is important, so Holly Becker scours dozens of resources for the latest tips and trends so you don’t have to. - Holly Becker


• design*sponge: is a daily website dedicated to home and product design run by Brooklyn-based writer, Grace Bonney. Launched in August of 2004, Design*Sponge features store and product reviews, sale and contest announcements, new designer profiles, trend forecasting and store/studio tours. - Grace Bonney


• Designers Who Blog: DWB features blogs discussing graphic design, web design, illustration, marketing, photography, branding, writing and advertising. - Cat Morley


• Design Your Life: DESIGN YOUR LIFE is about thinking. DESIGN YOUR LIFE applies ideas from design theory and practice to some of the basic problems of daily living, from organizing a household and thinking creatively in the workplace to achieving a relaxed and satisfying erotic life. - Ellen and Julia Lupton, identical twins


• Diary of Claudine Hellmuth : Hip art for playful hearts. "I am a mixed media collage artist, author & illustrator." - Claudine Hellmuth


• Emily Chang - Strategic Designer: Emily Chang is an award-winning strategic designer and co-founder and principal of Ideacodes, a web consultancy in San Francisco focused on next generation websites. - Emily Chang


• Essential Keystrokes : "Essential Keystrokes is where I share my favorite tips, tools, reviews and commentary on web design, marketing, blogging, new media and related topics." - Char


• Illustration Friday: Illustration Friday is a weekly creative outlet/participatory art exhibit for illustrators and artists of all skill levels. It was designed to challenge participants creatively. - Penelope Dullaghan


• Mandarin Design Daily: "For people who make mistakes." Explores numerous Web design and CSS styling tricks and techniques. Features a weblog, color chart, and free images gallery. - The MEG Blog Michelle Goodrich


• molly.com: "I’m Molly E. Holzschlag, and this web site shares my web development work and personal thoughts. Think of it as a personality site. Given that, one hopes I have an interesting enough personality to keep you entertained for at least a little while." Molly E. Holzschlag


• Netdiver: Digital culture magazine + new media design portal -> Feed your eyes. Netdiver is a digital culture magazine and luvs everything design. Like illustration, reels and shorts, flash and CSS, print and new media, urban scene, artists, portfolios, rich media, mobile generation, architecture, product design, toys and indie merch, photography and the powagirrrls. - Carole Guevin


• oh joy!: inspiration, design, style & other cool things - locally or across the country. - Joy Deangdeelert Cho


• On My Desk: Artists, Illustrators, Designers & Creative Folk Share The Stuff On Their Desks… - Linzie Hunter


• poppytalk: mining for the beautiful, the decayed, and the handmade. poppy talk is a canadian design blog collecting inspiration and promoting emerging design talent.


• Quinn Creative:Quinn McDonald’s blog is about the trips, leaps, falls, and joys of living a creative life. Quinn is an artist, writer, speaker, trainer, and certified creativity coach
  
• swissmiss: swiss designer gone nyc. "swissmiss is my visual archive of things that ‘make me look’." - Tina Roth Eisenberg


• this is rachelandrew.co.uk : Rachel Andrew is a web developer and writer. She heads up a company that provides web development services on an outsource basis to design agencies and individual designers. - Rachel Andrew


• Sheriar Designs: This is where Mani Sheriar, a self-proclaimed CSS-obsessed freak, shares her passions, thoughts, and insights into web design and development using web standards. - Mani Sheriar


• Veerle’s blog 2.0: "I’m a graphic/web designer living in Belgium. My personal journal is an online source for topics ranging from XHTML/CSS to graphic design tips." - Veerle

Beauty & Style

• The Floozy Blog: "Welcome to the exciting online shopping experience that is Floozy!" - Kate Coote


• Hostess with the Mostess: a place for readers to discover and dish on hip & modern entertaining products, party ideas, and other great stuff. - Jennifer Sbranti


• Little Splurge: Little Splurge is a shopping blog devoted to the material trifles beloved - at least for the moment - by the site’s author, who lives in New York City and is pretty dang proud of the illustration she drew above.


• Oh Happy Day: Updated Daily with Pretty Things. - jordan


• paperclippy: Paperclippy is the shopping blog for professional women on the go.

Business

• 45 Things | On the Job: Helpful Information and advice from America’s favorite workplace columnist - Anita Bruzzese


• BlogWrite for CEOs: BlogWriteForCEOs.com, a Technorati Top 10,000 blog considered one of the most influential about business blogging. Debbie Weil - known as the Mona Lisa of Blogging - is a corporate and CEO blogging consultant and author of The Corporate Blogging Book: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know to Get It Right. - Debbie Weil


• Brain Based Biz: Refreshing Business through Arts and Mind. "In this blog I tap into arts and mind to gather insights that stir creativity in business applications."- Dr. Robyn McMaster


• Brain Based Business: Using your Brain to succeed in Business. Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights. - Dr. Ellen Weber


• Brazen Careerist: Advice at the intersection of work and life. Penelope Trunk writes career advice for a new generation of workers. She explains why old advice - like pay your dues, climb the ladder, and don’t have gaps in your resume - is outdated and irrelevant in today’s workplace. - Penelope Trunk


• Build a Solo Practice: Newly Minted or Well-Seasoned, Teaching You How to Create and Grow Your Legal Practice. - LLC by Susan Cartier Liebel


• Confident Writing: Coaching tips from a writing coach. "I coach people to write with confidence - to say what they mean, and mean what they say." - Joanna Young


• Conscious Business: Learning, understanding and teaching how to participate in the business ecosystem, in the service of sustainable small business - Anne Libby


• Conversation Agent: Connecting ideas and people how talk can change our lives. - Valeria Maltoni


• Customers Are Always: Exceptional Customer service. Devoted to customer service and the principles of exceptional customer services. - Maria Palma


• Customers Rock!: A blog about customers, their experiences, and how businesses can make sure their customer experiences rock! - Becky Carroll


• CustServ: Customer Relations: The New Competitive Advantage. - Meikah David


• Design Your Writing Life: "I work with people who have some foundation in personal development who not only want to write, but crave to create a business, launch a project, or develop a venue for the expression of their work." by Lisa Gates


• Escape from Cubicle Nation : How to go from corporate prisoner to thriving entrepreneur. - Pamela Slim


• eSoup: simplify, organize, thrive. eSoup is Sharon Sarmiento’s site about productivity, entrepreneurism and working virtually. - Sharon Sarmiento


• Forward Steps: "Notice Board of new events and happenings at Forward Steps. When I remember, I let you know of new resources I’ve created or changes to my life coaching tools and sites." - Thea Westra


• Franke James: "I am an artist, writer and storyteller. My two main blogs are not really typical blogs at all, but they are catching people’s attention, and I hope, contributing to making the world a better place. My Office-Politics daily blog is a collaborative effort, drawing on the talents of experts in the areas of executive coaching, leadership development, dispute resolution, employment law, PR and ethics to answer letters submitted to the site. My Franke James blog — where I write, illustrate and photograph on environmental issues." - Franke James


• Get Fresh Minds: Ideas so fresh … they should be slapped! For the past 14 years, Katie Konrath has been deeply in love with creativity and creative problem solving. - Katie Konrath


• Great Presentations Mean Business: Pistachio Consulting: When You’ve got something to say. Laura Fitton is a presentations consultant and speaker. She helps clients achieve their business objectives by speaking with clarity, focus and ease. - Laura Athavale Fitton


• Hey Marci: Marci Alboher, an online columnist for the New York Times, has built a reputation for spotting and chronicling the latest thinking on careers. - Marci Alboher


• J.T. O’Donnell Career Insights : Empowering individuals & corporations to new levels of professional success. - J.T. O’Donnell


• Joyful, Jubilant Learning: Welcome to Joyful Jubilant Learning, created for everyone who loves learning. We consider learning a joyful and worthwhile life’s work. We call it our 7 Wonders: Listen, Learn, Laugh, Link, Love, Live, and Leap to Wonder with us. - Rosa Say


• Liz Strauss at Successful Blog: Successful and Outstanding Bloggers. "I am a writer who uses the language to paint and to play word music, places my heart and head in the spaces, and writes in the hope that one person is better for having read what I wrote." - Liz Strauss


• Management Craft : Discussions about state of the art management. "Management Craft is my vehicle for exploring my passion for management and leadership. I am a professional management and leadership trainer, coach, and organization development consultant." - Lisa Haneberg


• Productivity Goal: Work productivity, time management, organization, tools and tips. - Carolyn Manning


• The Brand Dame: why you, no matter what you do, must find and flaunt your personal brand–how to do it, how not to do it, and everything in between…… Lyn Chamberlin


• Talk It Up: Trade show and public-speaking secrets from a Chicago trade show spokesperson. - Heidi Miller


• The copy Writing Maven: A copywriter shares tips, techniques, reviews & cranky commentary. - Roberta Rosenberg


• The Engaging Brand: Anna is popular speaker on areas such as social media, personal and employer branding, and leadership. She is an energetic speaker, recently described as "a ball of energy and crammed pack of ideas". The Engaging Brand works with both companies and individuals on various areas of engagement: How social media can boost your bottom line, How to attract and retain talent, How to develop the leadership capability within your company & How to create a strategy that both delivers results and engages the audience. - Anna Farmery


• The Kiss Business too : (the "Keep It Simple Sweetheart" principle in business). No more "Double Dutch" in Business. - Karin H.


• Water Cooler Wisdom: Up-to-the-minute career advice from one who has survived the trenches. Alexandra Levit is the founder and president of Inspiration @Work, a career consultancy. She regularly speaks at universities and corporations around the country about workplace issues involving young employees. - Alexandra Levit

Business: Marketing

• angiemckaig.com: still a great pair of legs: angiemckaig.com is the personal site of web guru Angie McKaig. Her specialties include simple, functional user experiences, micro content, online marketing and business strategy. - Angie McKaig


• BeRelevant: Email Marketing Best Practices: "I’m passionate about email marketing and I want to share that passion with the world." - Tamara Gielen


• Biz Growth News: Marketing and new media strategies to bring your corporate, employer and personal brand to life. - Krishna De


• Brand Sizzle: anne has significant experience providing strategic planning, brand development, and product innovation services to C-suite and senior marketing clients in a wide range of industries from travel, beverages, tourism, financial services and building products, to cellular, medical technology, data storage and social media. Anne Simons


• Branding & Marketing: "All things marketing: research, promotions, communications and measurement. I am especially interested in Web 2.0/social media and emerging marketing methods. - Chris Brown


• CK’s Blog: Clever strategies, the new best practices and the smart marketers behind them. - CK (Christina Kerley)


• Communication Overtones: Conversations at the intersection of public relations and social media, live from San Antonio, Texas, USA - Kami Huyse


• Corporate PR: Commentary on the theory and practice of public relations and organizational communications. - Elizabeth Albrycht


• Diva Marketing Blog: An approach to marketing that’s fun, bold and savvy … but always strategically aligned with your brand’s objective. - Toby Bloomberg


• Every Dot Connects : connection through conversation … a social media consortium. - Connie Reece


• Flooring The Consumer: A marketing blog about improving the consumer experience, particularly in flooring. To get there, it is critical to understand who that consumer is, what matters to him/her in a retail experience, and where to look for inspiration. And, by the way, more often than not, this consumer is a woman! - C.B. Whittemore


• Forrester’s Marketing: "The world is changing. And we’re not going to sit by and watch. We’re not just going to document what we see. We’re seeking to understand what’s happening, really understand it. And to help you to deal with it." - Blog Shar, Charlene, Chloe, Christine Elana, Laura and Lisa


• Inspired Business Growth : Exceptional marketing, branding and entrepreneurship. by Wendy Piersall


• Kinetic Ideas : Marketing Blog, Small Business Marketing Ideas, Marketing Tips. - Wendy Maynard


• Marketing Roadmaps: "If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there," wrote Lewis Carroll in "Alice in Wonderland." Marketing Roadmaps is Susan Getgood’s blog about where we are going as marketers, with a little bit about where we’ve been (the wrong turns and the right turns.) It’s also about turning down new roads to explore new ideas. - Susan Getgood


• Narrat Assets: Telling the Story: The impact of Art, Science, and Technology on Brand Communication and Marketing. A marketing communications professional with a flair for strategic and creative thought. - Karen Hegman


• Presto Vivace Blog: PR, Marketing, Communications, and Potomac Area Technology by Alice Marshall, Presto Vivace, Inc - Alice Marshall


• Spare Change : "my two cents on making a difference with social marketing
  
  postings from Nedra Kline Weinreich" Nedra is a consultant, author and speaker working in the field of social marketing. - Nedra Kline Weinreich


• The Origin of Brands: marketing guru, consultant, bestselling author, speaker. - Laura Ries


• Versa Creations: Build Wealth through Smart Marketing. - Vivienne

Conflict

Conflict coaching and resolution for the workplace : Dr. Tammy Lenski is a dialogue jump-starter. An expert at helping people talk out their differences and build stronger work and home relationships in the process, Tammy has helped individuals, work teams and entire organizations make their peace with conflict for almost two decades.

Education/Teachings on Life

• Learned on Women : Uncovering. Connecting. Inspiring. "My 17+ year career in marketing and public relations took an exciting turn into the realm of the women’s market in 2000. That year I began regularly writing for online publications about the ins and outs of, you guessed it, reaching women consumers." - Andrea Learned


• Live the Power: "Maybe I can help some other scared, young “grown-up” just like me to discover some of the greatest truths to creating a happy life. You are the only creator of your life!" by Karen Lynch


• Making Life Work for You : Providing information on community, success, and life management. - April Groves


• Manage to Change: Making sense out of change. Ideas need to add up before they can multiply. "I hope that together this blog will help us to open our minds to new ideas – get comfortable with them – and maybe even take them out for a spin!"- Ann Michael


• Peace Love Harmony: Words of wisdom from "Friend" - a conglomeration of nonphysical energies devoted to helping us along our journey. by Kirsten Harrell


• Priscilla Palmer: Personal Development Demands Success. "Hi. I am Priscilla Palmer. I am a life coach who specializes in personal development. There are many skills that have helped me turn my dreams into reality. These skills can be learned by anyone who is willing to work at it. I want to share my passion with the world. I believe that it’s okay not to be perfect, but it is catastrophic to be complacent. Life is a gift. Let’s live it up!!! Let’s make the most of it while we can!!!" - Priscilla Palmer


• Purse Lip Square Jaw : Anne Galloway, Lecturer & PhD Candidate Department of Sociology & Anthropology Carleton University Ottawa, Canada. - Anne Galloway


• The Podcast Sisters "The podcast for the Non Geek!" - Krishna De, Anna Farmery and Heather Gorringe

Entertainment

• The Parody: "Parody n a thing that is done so badly that it seems deliberately to mock what is intended." Inspired by musings, interests, and true events. - Sasha Manuel


• That’s What She Said: a blog by Julie Elgar about the popular television series "The Office" - Julie Elgar


• Enter the Laughter: "Hi! I am a wife, mother, friend, humor columnist, online retailer, aspiring novelist, and pumpkin farmer… a woman who is trying to do ten things at once, but only succeeding at about half of them!" - Marti Lawrence


• Entrepreneur’s philoSophie’s: A weekly comic for women entrepreneurs. - Joanna Alberti

Green

• Small Failures: Sustainability for the Rest of Us Jess Sand. Every action is a choice and a risk, but it’s the small failures that
  
  lead to big successes. Small Failures sets out to prove that living sustainably and living well are not mutually exclusive. Within these pages, you’ll find tips for living sustainably without giving up the fun stuff, profiles of sustainable products and businesses, and a soapbox-free (most of the time) place to learn about the green stuff.

Finances

• Wealth Strategy Secrets: Helping you go from Financial Zero to Wealthy Hero. - Nicola Cairncross, Judith Morgan and The Money Gym Coaches

Health

• Back in Skinny Jeans: The skinny on skinnifying. It’s one thing to read about health. It’s another thing to live a healthy life. - Stephanie Quilao

Music

• Christine Kane: Christine Kane is a singer-songwriter, performer, teacher and writer. - Christine Kane

Personal

• 365 Days of Gratitude Photoblog: be grateful for the simple things in life.


• Do It Myself Blog: Glenda Watson Hyatt shares her experiences living with cerebral palsy to motivate and inspire others to think about how they perceive their own situation and their own world around them. She does all this by typing with only her left thumb! - Glenda Watson Hyatt


• Dooce : My name is Heather B. Armstrong. I am married to a charming geek named Jon. We live in Salt Lake City, Utah, with our three-year-old daughter, Leta Elise, and our five-year-old dog, Chuck. - Heather B. Armstrong


• Get Shouty - Katie Chatfield


• if..else : Hand Crafted Geekery. If..Else is the personal site of Phu Ly, a developer living in London. - Phu Ly


• Moda di Magno : Blog for stylish living. Mrs. Magno Audi driving, Mac using, doppio drinking, (mostly) Red Sox loving liberal. - Lori Magno

Technology/Blogging

• Deborah Schultz: Technology changes, humans don’t. Evangelist, strategist, catalyst in the new world of social media and beyond. - Deborah Schultz


• Lorelle on WordPress: On Lorelle on WordPress, she writes about everything WordPress and blogging, covering more than you may want to know about how all this blogging business works. - Lorelle VanFossen


• PopGadget: Personal Tech + Innovative Lifestyle for Women. Technology magazines ignore women and women’s magazines ignore technology. Popgadget is a lifestyle magazine that embraces technology as a regular and essential part of women’s lives. - Mia Kim & Hoyun Kim


• Tech Kitten: Mac Tech, Tips, Advice and Reviews. - Trisha Miller


• Techie Diva: Techie Diva is technology blog with an undeniable feminine twist. This doesn’t mean the opposite sex isn’t allowed, on the contrary, we love men who don’t mind partaking in our fun conversations which cover everything from emerging technology to the latest "it" gadget. - Gina Hughes


• The Business Blog Angel: business blogging services, for SMEs, coaches and other solopreneurs. - Claire Raikes

Travel & Culture

• Escape Blog: Giving sight to culture-blind travelers. - Melissa Petri


• Fish Creek House : For the fishing, for the forest, for the fun. Luxury with a taste of the rugged outdoors. - GP

Twenty-Somethings

• BeautyLoveSpirit: Our philosophy is simple: Positive advice and inspiration for twenty-something women


• GenPink: GenPink is about being a twenty something woman. Letting others know how our generation is different than those before us. We are career women, single & married, girl friends, and individuals. There is a delicate balance in being an individual and being part of a support system for your friends, family and your environment. GenPink is about balancing family and work, technology, entertainment, and exploration of new ideas. - Elysa Rice


• keep up with me: "I’m 27. No kids, no pets, nonsmoker. I live in the DC metro area (Alexandria, to be exact – which, although it’s close to my own name, I swear I didn’t move here on purpose). I’m the second of five kids (two sisters and two brothers). I’ve been blogging since September 2002. College graduate, sociology major. Voracious reader." - Zandria


• Lindsay Pollak: Advice & Resources for College Students and Young Professionals. - Lindsay Pollak


• Little Red Suit: The purpose of LittleRedSuit is to explore the many ways our lives, our efforts, our careers and our PR and marketing efforts are impacted by our new media world. Join me in this conversation, and you’ll probably hear a lot about marketing, media, Generation Y, the workforce, communication, personal branding, relationships and very likely several other topics. - Tiffany Monhollon


• Michelle & the City: I am a 25 year old Graphic Designer. I work at a law firm and I absolutely love my job! - Michelle


• Modite: Helping you change the world, because a quarter-life crisis is so last year. Rebecca Thorman gives advice to navigate beyond the line of work and play, based on real experiences. It’s engagement for the next generation, and the young at heart, like you! by Rebecca Thorman


• Ypulse : Media for the Next Generation. Daily news & commentary about Generation Y for media and marketing professionals. - Anastasia Goodstein

Weddings

• Style Me Pretty: Abby is a writer, a designer, a girly girl. She is forever inspired by the world around her. She dreams in color. Professionally, abby designs a line of invitations and social stationery. For fun she scours the world for inspiration. - Abby


• Weddingbee: Weddingbee is a wedding blog updated daily by 20 real brides across the US and Canada. We feature an active community, wedding inspiration and ideas, diy projects, product reviews, vendor spotlights, advice and news, with a core focus on real brides’ wedding planning journeys from engagement to “I Do” and beyond. - Bee Kim

Women in Business -- Research and Information

I found that the Center for Women's Business Research has many interesting statistics about women owned businesses.

• Between 1997 and 2006, the percent growth in the number of 51% or more women-owned firms was nearly twice that of all U.S. firms (42.3% vs. 23.3%).
  
• In Ohio, 38% of privately held businesses are owned by a woman, either as a majority owner or equally owned.
  
• According to the Center’s research, four in 10 women entrepreneurs want their businesses to become as large as possible and 83 percent want to increase their firm’s profitability. However, only three percent of all privately-held women-owned businesses generate $1 million or more in annual revenues. This is compared to six percent for men-owned businesses.
  

What is the difference in the businesses? Here are some of the things the Center discovered about the women with a business that generate over a million dollars in revenue:

• Plans for growth
• Sets goals
• Sells to other businesses (I'm not sure if that means they sell their busines or they supply Products and services to other businesses as opposed to consumers. Probably the latter.)
• Constantly upgrading their skills
• Bring in business partners
  

The Brazen Careerist: New Rules for Success

I finally found the right thing to give as a graduation present.

Penelope Trunk has a really powerful book about advancing in your career. She understands the marketplace in a way that few do and has shared her ideas in her new book called: The Brazen Careerist: New Rules for Success

It's only been out for less than a month is already #1629 on Amazon with 5 stars and 21 reviews.

An example of some of the best career advice that I've found is posted on Guy Kawasaki's "How to Change the World" blog in some Q&As where he asked her 12 questions. Here's my favorite:

Question: What’s the right strategy for the search for a first job out of college?

Answer: Don’t place too much importance on your first job. You’ll have a lot more. Most people have eight jobs before they turn thirty, and that’s fine. It is nearly impossible to know what career will be a good fit for you until you start trying things. So give yourself the latitude to try a lot. And don’t get hung up on a big soul search. To land a great job, you don’t need to know the meaning of life, just the meaning of hard work.

I love the chapter titles: "An Interview is a Test You can Study For" " A Resume is a Sales Tool Not a Work Summary"

An excerpt from her bio explains:

Penelope Trunk writes career advice for a new generation of workers. She explains why old advice - like pay your dues, climb the ladder, and don't have gaps in your resume - is outdated and irrelevant in today's workplace. She has a reputation for giving advice that is counterintuitive but effective, like take long lunches, ignore people who steal your ideas, and stop vying for a promotion.

She is a career columnist at the Boston Globe and Yahoo Finance. Her syndicated column has run in more than 200 publications. Earlier, she was a software executive, and then she founded two companies. She has been through an IPO, an acquisition and a bankruptcy.

It's clear to me that "she gets it!"

Interview Questions, Suggestions and Tips from Women Who Have Been There

Just graduating from college and looking for that first "real job"? Or perhaps you want to find something in your field that will give you the flavor of your new career, but you're not quite finished with your training or college yet. Or maybe your looking into the next position.

Regardless of your situation, here are some great tips that can help you prepare for the next round of interviews:

Alison Doyle at Career Savvy suggests you go online and download the application if it's available because that will give you an idea of things they will ask you during the interview. Alison is the author of an About.com ebook: Guide to Job Searching: Tools and Tactics to Help You Get the Job You Want. Although I have not downloaded or read the book, I think that if it's half as good as the free information she gives away on her blog, it would be extremely helpful in any job search.

Susan Heathfield, also at Career Savvy suggests that volunteering and interning is a wonderful way to take a look at future careers. She offers lots of great links as well: "Ten Top Tips for Interns and exploring career options.

Together Susan and Alison provide quite a bit of great job hunting information including a wonderful link to Career Hub: Free Advice from Career Experts where thereare lots of great ebooks on interviewing, letter writing and various aspects of job hunting.

How to Figure out What Salary Your New Job Might Pay

Trying to figure out what jobs pay?

(** College students: I don't recommend picking your major that way! Instead, select your major in what you LOVE. Follow your passion!)

Back to Pay Scales:
Passion is important, but after you've selected your major and graduated, now it's time to get a job that has a salary to pay back all those student loans, right?! I'm sure you're interested to know what your skills and talent might be worth to an employer.

One way to find out is to look at the wage survey that is published online and easily accessible by anyone. This wage survey lists May 2006 as the version, but shows April 2007 as the last update. It is compiled and maintained by the US Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics. They not only have numbers for each job, but numbers for each job in each state and each city area in the country.

Although it doesn't separate out what you'd make in the first year... or in the last year before you retire... it can show you ranges that will give direction.

Make sure you adjust it for your state and region. I have it set to Ohio since that's where I live.

Happy hunting!!

Liz Strauss & Tammy Lenski: Tips for Women at Work

Sometimes you meet someone that you really admire. Right away. As soon as the first words out of her mouth. Sometimes there are two someones that you meet at the same time.

That's how I felt last Friday night when I met Liz Strauss & Tammy Lenski at a conference in Chicago. Two intelligent and caring women that really "get it."

A week later, I'm not surprised to find some really great, timely info from the two of them:

Tammy: What advice would you give women about engaging conflict effectively in a corporate setting?

Liz: Someone recently asked me what I wish I knew when I first started working I said this: It doesn’t matter how good you are, if no one wants to work with you. For conflict situations I would add that the second you feel righteous, you are wrong in some very big way. If you can only see the problem and not the other person, you need to find someone who can help you see more.

This is quoted directly from a published interview of Liz Strauss, an educational publisher who is a writer, career coach and strategic planner from Chicago, conducted by Dr. Tammy Lenski, a professional mediator from New Hampshire.

You can read the entire interview right here.

College to Career: Making that Leap

Are you job hunting?

May is the month for many college graduates to enter the "real world." But then again, so is June, July, August, September...and just about any month. Anyone that has ever struggled with a job hunt knows that sometimes it can take months to get that first "real" job in the field you've studied.

For women re-entering the job market, the process can feel really intimating at times... like it's a secret club where everyone knows something that you don't. (They don't!)

To help with your job search and quest to enter (or re-enter) the workforce... here is a 50 page F*R*E*E downloadable e-book of advice called "Give College Grads A Fighting Chance" from real people with real careers. Each page is from a different person with their best advice for getting that first job, what they wished they knew when they were job hunting and much more.

I know many of these people from their self-published websites and I agree with about 99% of what is suggested. If you're job hunting, do yourself a favor. Take ten minutes to download this book and give yourself a dose of "instant mentoring".

Thanks to Drew McClellan at Drew's Marketing Minute for throwing out the question and compiling the responses into this easy-to-read, chock-full-of-great-ideas book. Nice photos too. Take a minute to send Drew a quick comment of thanks for all the work he did on this. Thanks is a powerful word.

More than just a book publisher and a talented individual, Drew is also a marketing expert who knows his stuff. I met him last weekend at a conference in Chicago and found that he is a one of those folks with an abundance mentality who shares himself and his knowledge to help others. He runs a marketing company called McLellan Marketing Group in Des Moines, Iowa. He really understands the concept of paying it forward.

Graduates: Have You Developed Your Personal Branding?

Developing a personal brand will be very important as more and more graduates enter the job market as well as entry level employees begin to look at their next steps in their career. I asked Dan Schawbel to be a guest on Real Women-Real Careers because he specializes in PERSONAL BRANDING.

1. What are the most important 3 things a new graduate should do to establish personal branding?

Graduates already have Personal Brands but require more extensive training on how to create a strong Personal Brand. Here are my 3 tips:

1. Brainstorm all your interests, values, goals, objectives and personality and make sure they are consistent in everything you may do.
2. Research other brands that have already been successful and either reach out for them or analyze what has placed them at the top and try and use it as a resource.
3. Be yourself in anything you may do or achieve and when presenting your core message to your audience. You must use what is in the inside and project it outward, through brand articulation.

2. How does personal branding differ from product branding?

Both Personal Branding and Product Branding are quite similar and mathematically, if you replace the product with the person and form a marketing mix around that person, it will have the same effect. Products are material objects, that are sold through a transaction from interest, being "top of mind" and in the customers evoked set.

A product is a symbol and has special qualities that differentiate it from others in the marketplace (non commodities), just as every Personal is different. The same tactics can be used for both a product and a person because at the end of the day, both need to be sold to the audience.

A product's brand is from the viewpoint of the audience and is based on appearance packaging), personality (overall attitude towards it, how does it make them feel), sophistication (a person's competency) and differentiation (which allows one product to be sold over another).

3. Most people resist being stereotyped. Isn't personal branding stereotyping yourself?

Personal Branding is not about stereotyping, yet one's brand is already stereotyped by it's appearance. The concept concentrates more on personal growth, development and creating a lasting impression with the audience.

It is about focusing on the positive in an individual and mapping it to their audience, which could be a recruiter or someone in their network. Stereotypes happen instantly and individuals can only control their behavior, body motions or attire, but not their skin. Personal Branding hones down on what you can control and that is the major difference.

4. How did you get interested in your career area?

Good question. I actually built my Personal Brand during college, without knowing that it could be considered Personal Branding. I branded myself by diversification and experience, with 8 internships in all marketing functions, 7 leadership positions on campus and straight A's. During interviews I had a great story to tell, from companies such as Reebok, Lycos and LoJack.

By doing this, I positioned myself as an excellent candidate for a full-time position when I graduated and now I work at EMC. Throughout college, my peers always asked me for advice and I started to value the idea of mentoring. I started brainstorming what I enjoyed most out of life, such as helping others, sharing advice and developing my own career.

I stumbled upon the idea of Personal Branding and I knew it was exactly what I had been looking for the whole time. Now I have my own blog on the subject and have written articles for other blogs and major magazines and newspapers.

5. What the interview question that you hate the most and how do you handle it?
My least favorite interview question was from TJX, which was "when was the last time you were in one of our stores." I was truthful, so I told them that I don't shop in stores anymore, but rather use the internet. Of course, they were less interested and I didn't proceed to the next round, but clearly that showed that it wasn't the proper position for me.

6. What's the one interview question you wished they would have asked… and were you able to weave your answer into the interview anyway?

I always wished they asked me how I could be a valuable asset to their company. I say this because my background was so diverse and I know that I could fit into any position in marketing that was open. If I was unable to obtain a spot for the position I was interviewing for, it might have set me up for an interview for a different position within the same company. You just never know!

7. What do you suggest a person does to begin their personal branding?

I call the first stage in Personal Branding, brand discovery. This is where you flush out all your interests, valuable, beliefs, attitudes, goals, objectives and network. The purpose is to have a full understanding of exactly where you are, where you want to be and how to get there. You must have both short-term and long-term goals and they must align for a higher degree of success in the future. Discovery is the most challenging area of Personal Branding because individuals might have no clear path or direction and this is when you would see a Personal Branding expert (such as myself) for further insight and guidance.

8. What are 3 action steps that someone can take to begin to brand themselves?

• As mentioned previously, dedicate and invest your time in brand discovery, as it will make the rest of the Personal Brand lifecycle much more clear and easier to maneuver.
• Create your brand and make sure you have an electronic Personal Brand as well. Your Personal Brand online will be extremely important moving forward as the recruiting process moves to the internet. Vehicles, such as blogs, can help you display your Personal Brand in this area.
• Maintain your brand through constant development opportunities, acquiring new skills and networking with others. Remember that 60% of people get jobs through networking, which means you should use your brand as a tool when networking.

9. What's the biggest "No-no" in personal branding?

Displaying a negative Personal Brand or one that "appears" to be weak. By this I mean that an individual who breaks the law, picks a verbal fight with a co-worker or shows poor team skills. These are examples, where an individual brand is tarnished and it can have a lasting effect. Remember that your brand is always in jeopardy, so be careful with what you do and say to your audience. You will be judged on everything, which also poses an opportunity for you at the same time.

10. What's the one question I should have asked but didn't?

"How do you think Personal Branding will tie into online communities and the web 2.0 craze"?

What a really greatquestion!! I'll follow up next week to find out more! But for those of you who can't wait to find out... I bet you'll find the answer at the Personal Branding Blog

And to you, the readers, what question would you like answered on Real Women -- Real Careers?

Technorati Tags: Marketing, Branding, Personal Branding

Mother's Day Tributes: Empowering Women through Unity

I recently found a website that focuses on empowering women. It allows tributes to be posted that honor and acknowlege women who have inspired and influenced.

This would make a cool Mother's Day Gift for those Moms who have everything!!

Check out the site and create a Tribute at Unitus.

Hat tip to "Know More Media - all business, all the time."

Technorati Tags: Mother's Day, Unitus, Empowering Women

Women's Groups: A key to starting a mentoring relationship!

The best thing young women can do long before they get out of school is to get involved with women's groups (yes, those old ladies.)

Attend a meeting, or better yet, call up a member and ask if she can meet with one or two of their members to talk about their career path- what worked, what didn't.

This could be a great mentoring start, and a great boost for the egos of the women involved who will then take a special interest in this young women.

Jan Bassett

Author's note: I met Jan at the Athena International's Leadership conference in April. Jan, Thanks so much for sharing what you've learned with the next generation! Chris

Words of Encouragement from Victoria

Victoria Bown Copley offers this as words of encouragement to young women starting out there careers:Victoria Bown, published children's book author and 2007 recipient of the Athena International Award - UK, says:

This is my favorite quote, I feel it says so very much and the words have been and still are a great inspiration to me.

Author's note: Victoria Bown lives with her husband Andrew and their blended family of five children. Her children's books about "Sammy The Pony" have character building lessons and provide encouragement to children of all ages.

Transitioning from School to Career - Some Help

I just got back from an awesome conference in Chicago by Athena International. It was dedicated to advancing women's leadership roles. One thing I learned is "giving back" and "paying it forward" can make a big difference in someone's life.

I know first hand what a difference it makes when you've got a helping hand. If you're trying to transition to grow to the next level --from high school to college ,from college to career or from a first job to a bigger role -- having someone point out the steps, give suggestions and encouragement make a BIG DIFFERENCE.

So, to try to help young women with their transitions, I've asked some of the women I met at the conference to share their wisdom, their insights, hints and tips for helping other women along the way.

In the next few weeks I'll be posting suggestions, photos, encouragement and words of wisdom. This could be a great place to find those job hunting tips and even network to find your next job! Keep watching.

I remember how it was when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up.
Chris Brown

Work with a Mentor -- Fast Track Your Career

When asked what was the one thing that really helped make the difference in her career, many successful business women reply, "Having a mentor."

Here's some tips on how to get the most from a mentoring relationship. And remember, you can be a mentor at any age and at any level of achievement. Paying it forward is the right thing to do.



Thanks to www.catalystwomen.org for these tips.

Here's a few tips for those who want to work with a mentor:

Find a mentor:

• Look for role models (who would you like to be in 5 -10 -15 years?)
• Women leaders are not always easy to find. Ask around.
• Consider women you know, your parents know, your teachers/professors. Maybe ask the chamber of commerce, HR department of companies, look into professional organizations.

Figure out what to work on:

• Identify your goals
• Brainstorm stepping stones to get to your goal.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions. Make a list.
  

Pay it Forward:

• Plan to become a mentor yourself.
• Look for someone like you (15 - 10 -5 years younger)
• Share what you learned so far.
• Don't be afraid to learn from them too!

Marketing Tips for Recent College Grads

I posted this the other day at my Branding & Marketing blog, but I think it has a lot of potential benefit to all the college graduates who are job hunting right now:

I was reading Lyn Chamberlain's the Brand Dame today about college graduates and trying to market their skills to a new employer.It reminded me of two really great sites that would be of interest to any college student or graduate who was trying to brand themselves.

One is from Mike Sansone at ConverStations called Brand You with a Blog. Great idea Mike. When I read so much in the press about students being irresponsible with blogs, its great to read something where it shows the power of blogging.

The second is a really neat idea of Drew McClelland at The Marketing Minute where he asked many, many professionals to share job hunting stories, sage advice and professional encouragement with soon to be college grads. It's called Help me give college grads a fighting chance.

Career Day at Goodyear April 28 for Young Women considering Engineering

Goodyear is sponsoring the upcoming Engineering Career Day for young women (grades 6 through 12) on April 28th at its Goodyear Hall facility in Akron: www.goodyear.com/careerday

The program focuses not only on engineering but also on careers that can be launched from an engineering background. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on activities related to multiple engineering fields and will also have the opportunity to interact with professionals from Goodyear, other industrial companies and local universities to learn more about careers in engineering and the sciences. Several engineering disciplines will be discussed, including polymer, biomedical, aerospace, chemical, civil, materials and mechanical.

This FREE event runs 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday April 28 is open to the public and includes lunch. However, girls must pre-register to attend through the website by Friday, April 6th: Career Day Registration http://www.goodyear.com/careerday/registration.html

Students may be accompanied by one parent during the day’s activities.

Space is limited, so please register early. Last year, the event filled up BEFORE the deadline, so please hurry and pass this message along to any others who may know young women who might like to consider a career in Engineering!