How to Build your Job Experience in Just a Year (Pt. 2) Building Your Future Now

How to Build your Job Experience in Just a Year (Pt. 2) Building Your Future Now It doesnt matter if you lack little or no job experience, the opportunity to find a job and establish your career is very doable within a year. Here are a few more ways to build your job experience: Volunteering The number one priority is finding and attaining a job when you lack experience. However, when you are established at a job (over the course of a few months) it is a good idea to do some volunteering. Even if its a few hours a week, volunteering accomplishes a few goals. It builds further confidence and experience, and provides you with credibility as an individual that wants to give back to their community. Pick an organization that you can identify with or one that you believe you can make a difference at! Another amazing thing about volunteering is giving you another place to meet new people and grow your network. Side gigs / Free Lancing Are you good at writing, design, or anything else you can help someone with remotely? Along with your job try advertising your side gig on Craigslist or Kijiji. For example, if you are capable of writing about a certain subject advertise that on a free ad site. Also, check out what people or businesses might be looking forthis gives you another easy, yet effective way to quickly build your experience and your portfolio while getting paid. But keep in mind: this may take some time as you are building your freelance credibility. Tools to keep around As you continue to meet new people and expand your network, you need to always keep a few key tools with you at all times. You need a business card which you can easily make one via sites like Vista Print. Keeping a few extra copies of your updated resume can come in handy. And finally even if its thin on projects an updated project portfolio is a wonderful idea to have with you because it quickly shows potential employers your body of work, awards, credentials and projects you have completed. Final thoughts Before you know it, the time you have spent looking for a job has paid off. Although the job you found might not be glamorous or high-paying it gets you working and building your experience quickly. From there you keep on building your network by volunteering, freelancing and reaching out to other professionals using LinkedIn and Facebook. Also, research training opportunities and educationthere are many ways to better yourself when it comes to learning something new! Overall, it may be a tough first year but it will be one of amazing growth and opportunity. Remember to never give up and stay focused on your personal and professional goals! Image: Skeeze

Entrepreneurs Find and Reach Customers With The Right Social Media Strategy

Entrepreneurs Find and Reach Customers With The Right Social Media Strategy These days, almost everyone is on social media â€" and that includes your current and potential customers. The percentage of adults who use at least one social media platform has increased by 58% in the last 12 years, from 11% in 2006 to 69% in 2018, according to research conducted by SCORE, mentors to America’s small businesses. Businesses large and small have realized that they need to be where their customers are, with 77% of small business owners reporting that they use social media. So, how should entrepreneurs go about creating an effective social media marketing campaign? The first step is finding your target audience with the right social media strategy. How do I get noticed by the right people? Great marketing can’t be effective if it’s not reaching the right people, which is why it’s important to consider which social media sites your target consumers are using. YouTube is the most popular social media channel across the widest range of ages. According to Pew Research Center, 94% of 18-24 year olds currently use YouTube, in addition to nearly three quarters of U.S. adults. Facebook comes in a close second, with 80% of 18-49-year olds and 55% of 50+ year olds using the platform. Younger consumers are much more likely to use Instagram and Twitter than are adults over age 30. The same research from Pew found that Instagram is used by 71% of 18-24-year olds, followed by only 53% of 25-29-year-olds. That number drops to 16% among people over age 50. Twitter followed a similar downward trend. Less widely used social media platforms are helpful for targeting more specific demographics. For example, 50% of college graduates use the career networking site LinkedIn, and   41% of women report using Pinterest. How can social media help my business? An understanding of who your customers are, and where they spend their time online, is crucial to getting your message across. Now that you know where to find them, what’s next? Brand Awareness Social media platforms enable businesses to increase their brand awareness at an unprecedented rate, when done effectively. In fact, 44% of local businesses say social media helps generate brand awareness. By posting, liking, sharing and commenting on content in a consistent manner, businesses can increase their brand’s public exposure and interact with consumers in more creative and personal ways. New businesses can also increase their brand awareness by joining industry-focused social media groups. Startup business owners across the country reported that the most successful marketing tactics directly engage with prospective customers. Customer Service Social media is also a useful tool for improving your customer service. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter provide a constant flow of consumer opinions and feedback, which businesses can use to improve their product or service and respond to any complaints in a timely manner. A recent report found that 59% of Americans think customer service through social media makes it easier to resolve an issue. Handling customer concerns quickly, considerately and consistently sends a public message that your business cares about its customers. Generate Sales Now that you’ve gotten your customer base familiar with your brand, the final step is generating revenue. Whether you opt for a paid campaign, or stick to a free approach, using social media can help your business tremendously. For example, with the knowledge that 50% of college graduates use career networking site LinkedIn, you may choose to prioritize that platform and use it to promote more niche-specific messaging. Here are 40 ideas for creating new and fresh social media content for your business: https://www.score.org/blog/40-ideas-social-media-content If you opt for a paid social media campaign, you have the potential to greatly increase the number of times your advertisement is seen, and learn a lot more about the users who are engaging with your content.   Most social media packages for small business can help you boost your social media presence.  Looking for More Help With Your Social Media Strategy? Business owners looking to take a deeper dive into improving their social media marketing will benefit from connecting with a mentor. Prevailing research, including our recent Megaphone of Main Street report have found that entrepreneurs benefit from the support of a business mentor. Mentor-supported entrepreneurs are five times more likely to start a business, and 87% are still in business after one year (in comparison to 75% of those without a mentor.) Connect with a free, expert SCORE mentor today for help getting started with your social media marketing plan.  This guest post was authored by Betsy Dougert Betsy Dougert currently serves as Vice President of External Relations for SCORE, where she is responsible for national public relations, government relations and sponsors. Her ten years of experience in marketing and communications have focused on building brand awareness and engaging stakeholders through storytelling at educational institutions and non-profits. She earned her master’s degree in strategic communications with a certificate in public relations from Villanova University, and a bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Being Unconfident Isnt a Bad Thing

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Being Unconfident Isn't a Bad Thing What would the world look like if people had less confidence? In his new book, author Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic contends that if people had less confidence, they would begin each day better prepared, there would be fewer arguments and mistakes, company leaders would be less corrupt and wed all be more competent. This certainly goes against other assertions thatconfidenceis the cornerstone of any successful persons life, but Chamorro-Premuzic contends we too often downplay things like talent and hard work. Recently, Chamorro-Premuzic, a professor of business psychology at the University of College London, discussed his book, Confidence: Overcoming Low Self-Esteem, Insecurity, and Self-Doubt with Anita Bruzzese. AB: You say that successful people like President Barack Obama and Sir Richard Branson did not become great successes just because they have confidence. That appears to fly in the face of everything we understand about how we need confidence to be successful. Can you explain? TCP: There has never been any evidence for those claims in the first place! If you look at the actual research evidence you will see that the correlation between self-perceived and actual abilities is marginal, meaning that confidence is almost totally unrelated to actual competence. Yes, Obama and Branson are no doubt very confident, but there are millions of people in the world who are as or even more confident without having achieved even 1% of what they did. A second important point is that confidence is more influenced by actual competence than vice-versa; so, while it is true that many exceptional achievers are confident, their confidence is a realistic consequence of their actual accomplishments. The simple truth is that achievement is mostly the product of hard work, and people who work really hard do so because they are aware of their limitations when you feel that you are super competent you will not have any incentive to work hard. AB: Is there such a thing as having too much confidence? If so, what is the result? TCP: What do you think? Most fights, accidents, wars, health epidemics, addictions, and financial problems are a direct consequence of overconfidence. Furthermore, excessive confidence threatens self-awareness and self-knowledge. Most (read more here)