Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Leadership Lessons from Campaign Headquarters

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Leadership Lessons from Campaign Headquarters Henry De Sio is the author ofCampaign, Inc.: How Leadership and Organization Propelled Barack Obama to the White Houseand is known for serving as the chief operating officer of President Obama’s epic 2008 campaign for the highest office in the land. De Sio credits a campaign organized around three principles â€" agreement,collaboration, and reliability â€" as critical to its ultimate success. He also connects his many valuable campaign insights to the business world. “When a campaign starts up, it’s an entrepreneurial showcase,” he says. “Leadership is on display like on a reality show, and every action is open to full scrutiny and review. At the end, the best CEO wins.” Here are five lessons we can learn from De Sio’s political adventure. Strive for Efficiency The first employees of the Obama campaign, including De Sio, wanted everything to move through a proactive and efficient process. At the beginning, however, the system was tenuously held together by fax machines and human runners, and new people were put anywhere they could find an Internet connection and a flat space. When they moved into campaign headquarters, staffers were ripping Blackberries out of boxes and opening bank accounts minutes before they were paid by donors. Building the airplane mid-flight, they struggled to catch up. De Sio credits Intuit QuickBase as the red tape buster, helping the team to become instantly more productive. “I was in quicksand, and QuickBase was my lifeline,” he says. Select Your People Carefully Obama insisted his campaign build from the bottom up, be free from drama, and respect everyone. The candidate’s persona was of a hope and change-maker with a collaborative outlook, an entrepreneurial spirit, an innovative mind, and a service-oriented heart. From these factors, De Sio created the identity of hisideal team member: ambitious, competitive, hungry, personally motivated, and driven to make a difference â€" and not necessarily with a Washington resume. Position Your Leadership De Sio learned that he must define himself in the moment, lest someone else do it for him. “You have to claim your frame,” he says. He also had to be prepared to recalibrate. For instance, in the campaign’s early days, De Sio was the quarterback, then a coach, and then a strategist. Refusing to be boxed in, he constantly re-assessed his positioning so that he was known not for his responsibilities, but for his possibilities. At the same time, an effective leader makes it clear that he controls his environment. “In a campaign, everyone wants to be noticed by the right people and sometimes they give in to their inner jerks. Without longstanding cultural norms, seeds of turmoil can form,” he admits. “It’s the manager’s job to get ahead of this.” For more where this came from, head over to Intuits Fast Track blog.

Resume Writing Services - Is There a Difference Between JK Resume Writing Services and Other Services?

Resume Writing Services - Is There a Difference Between JK Resume Writing Services and Other Services?It is true that JK Resume writing services have created a niche for themselves in the world of resume writing. As there are a number of such companies, it is necessary to investigate their credentials before you sign up with them. While the actual question would be how much they charge, it is better to ask yourself whether or not the writer can actually help you achieve your career goals. The following tips can help you make this decision.The first step in choosing a service provider is to find out what other companies are saying about them. Make sure to keep this as an important consideration. There are people who are professional writers and yet don't excel at the kind of application writing required by professionals. The importance of feedback is that you can always find out the caliber of the writers before you have a chance to choose a name for yourself. Some services offer writ ten samples, while others simply do a basic test on your application.For example, you will be asked to complete a form which might ask you to fill in certain information. If the writer isn't great at pattern matching, he or she might miss some of the crucial details that you really need. This is the reason why it is important to look at what other companies are saying about them.You should never have to pay for resume writing services. Even if you feel confident that you know what kind of requirements you have, don't hesitate to talk to someone else. You can save a lot of money by simply requesting advice from your colleagues, and the fact that your friends or colleagues know more about your situation than you do should help you come up with a better choice.There are websites that specialize in offering resume writing services. These sites can save you money because they get a percentage of what you are willing to pay for them. It is also a good idea to check for reviews on these we bsites; there are lots of people who go in for the same service but these sites can usually tell you about how well the writer is to match the requirements of a particular company.The best way to find a company that is truly an expert resume writer is to search online. You can find the best in these sites because they conduct their own testing on resumes. Many of these sites have the largest database and hence, you can have a chance to compare their service and find out whether you can benefit from it.Resume writing services do cost money. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that the writer is not capable of helping you. Many of the best service providers offer basic test or an initial consultation where they can look into your personal needs and then give you a proposal.As you can see, it isn't difficult to find a good company for resume writing. However, it's all about what you choose to pay and what you require to get the job done.

4 Smart Money Tips for Self-Employed Individuals - Classy Career Girl

4 Smart Money Tips for Self-Employed Individuals Increases in technology, individuals’ desire for more freedom, and the high cost of hiring employees has led to an increase in the number of self-employed workers in the United States. The job market for freelancers is expected to rise to $40 million by 2019. Ready to join the freelance revolution? Don’t dive in headfirst. Freelancers and self-employed individuals trade financial security for increased freedom. While 42% of freelancers reported they earned more than they did as traditional employees, freelance success is based on locating a steady stream of short and long-term freelance gigs. The situation can become a little trickier when you consider that you no longer have an employer to cover part of your income tax and health insurance premium. While money is sometimes an issue for self-employed individuals, there are strategies that current and future freelancers can implement to make freelancing more sustainable. 4 Smart Money Tips for Self-Employed Individuals 1. Use Free Tools and Web Apps Don’t use paid tools when there is a perfectly good free substitute. While I love Microsoft Word, it’s a spendy word processing tool. Google Docs, while not as fancy, is free. Rather than diving into purchasing a dozen or so different paid tools, you should research if there is a free alternative you can use. Here is a list of 15 free tools to get you started. 2. Pay Taxes On Time Taxes are an on-going obligation for full-time freelancers. In the US, full-time self-employed individuals (and some part-time) have four different tax due dates they need to meet. It’s in your best interest to meet those deadlines. Missing one of the deadlines can be a costly mistake. The penalty for late tax payments to the IRS is 5% for every month that the payment is late. If you can’t file or pay your taxes on time, you can file for an extension. This will reduce the potential late fee from 5% to either .5% or 1%. [RELATED: 5 Signs You Are Ready To Be Your Own Boss] 3. Take Advantage of Tax Deductions US based freelancers and self-employed individuals can increase their disposable income with a variety of business tax write-offs. You can write off far more than you think. Self-employed individuals can write off a percentage of: Rent or mortgage payments (based on the area your home office is located in). The phone bill for business calls. Utility bills that are work related. Meals eaten at business meetings. Office supplies. Travel expenses (gas, airplane tickets, hotels). The expense of hiring an accountant to help with taxes. 4. Move Living wage in the United States differs from city to city and state to state. A freelance income of $25,000 will equip you with a better life in Boise, Idaho than it would in NYC. An income of $25,000 in NYC is equivalent to an income of $13,221 in Boise, Idaho. As a freelancer, your wage isn’t as tied to a location. You can try to set your rates to allow you to live in an expensive region, but businesses might not be willing to pay enough (especially as a newbie freelancer) to help you live comfortably in the more expensive regions of the US. If you do find yourself with an unlivable freelance wage, but you don’t want to go back to a regular 9 to 5 job, you might need to move to a new location. Check out this handy tool to find a cheaper location. Finances can be difficult enough as a regular worker bee. Freelancers and self-employed individuals can have a slightly more difficult time making ends meet. With a little bit of work, a little bit of planning, and a little bit of luck, you’ll be on your way to a fruitful freelance career.

7 Rules for Recruiters When Texting with Candidates

7 Rules for Recruiters When Texting with Candidates Sponsored by MightyRecruiter We’ve said it many times before: timing is everything in recruiting. So often it makes the difference between winning enough attention of talented prospects to bring them into your hiring funnel, or getting brushed off as “just another recruiter.” For many recruiters, text messaging is the secret sauce in getting the timing right. It puts you in the sweet spot of a candidates personal communication space. It facilitates synchronous communication, something emails and voice messaging fail to do. It can make each touch more personalized, and get you treated more like a VIP contact. It can put you in the middle of the action for both active and passive job seekers, both of whom increasingly prefer pursuing job opportunities using a mobile device. And, it is indispensable for confirming appointments, coordinating logistics, and sending timely follow-ups. Much of the etiquette for texting with candidates is common sense. But as we all know, recruiting is intense work. It is very easy to get caught up in the flurry of it all and let your game slip, especially during high season. You shut yourself in your office and are constantly on the phone, trying to get less behind on a massive backlog. You don’t get much chance to come up for air. Yet doing what you do so well as a recruiter is a lot like breathing: sometimes you’ve got to be conscious of it in order to go back to doing it naturally. Let these rules provide a few waves of fresh air to help you along. 1. Be one to ask permission, not forgiveness In some organizations, the norm is “better to ask forgiveness than permission.” But when texting with candidates, if you don’t ask permission first, there might not be much forgiveness. Think of it this way: once you and a candidate have each other’s contacts stored in your phones, there is a slight but nonzero probability of pocket dialing. That’s a level of mutual trust that should be established, not presumed. It is usually best to ask permission to text once you’ve made a verbal connection with the candidate. At that time, briefly set expectations and determine if the candidate has any preferences for time and frequency of texts. Unsolicited texts are best avoided unless the candidate has reason to expect to hear from you. If the candidate has previously opted into receiving texts from your organization, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself by name, title, and get permission for texting going forward with this particular engagement. 2. Be succinct Text messaging is by nature a pithy medium. Candidates may be on a metered data plan. Get right to the point, and make every word count. Avoid line breaks, long greetings or salutations, empty phrases, and unnecessary punctuation.p Texting is effective because it helps free up working memory. Therefore, make it clear to the candidate when a texting session is concluded. Don’t leave them wondering whether they should expect additional follow-up or information from you. 3. Be appropriate Texting with candidates is most useful for confirming availability and appointment times, coordinating logistics, providing directions, and following up. It is also useful for delivering urgent messages or reaching a candidate who hasnt responded to earlier emails or voice messages. All of these tasks fit nicely within the two-minute rule of time management and can be done faster by text than email. Avoid asking for anything that requires a more complicated response than a yes/no or simple multiple-choice answer. If it’s out of scope for an email, it’s way out of scope for texting. Confine your texting sessions to normal business hours in the time zone of the candidate, though perhaps with a little leeway. 4. Be professional Texting is by nature also an informal medium. But its no time to lower anyone’s standards. Correspondence with recruiters often sets the tone for the entire candidate experience. Avoid using internet jargon, leetspeak, or textspeak in an attempt to seem glib. Avoid emojis, smileys, or any nonstandard text element. Absolutely never respond to a text with, “K” (or “k”). Use familiar abbreviations where appropriate, but always keep the communication businesslike in tone and diction. 5. Be tactful By texting with candidates, you have been invited into their personal communication space. Always treat it as a privilege, and be careful not to apply a heavy hand. Avoid texting anything that contains strong emotion, weighty content, or summary decisions. It is an abhorrently bad form to notify a candidate of a decision not to move forward through a text message. You and your organization are better than that. Save that conversation for an email, or even better, a phone call. 6. Be prompt People expect to conduct business quickly when text messaging. Do your best to deliver on that with candidates. No matter how busy you get, remember that your job is fundamentally about efficient hiring, effective communication, and managing expectations. If you become delayed, acknowledge receiving the candidate’s text, and convey that you will respond fully by a certain time. Never humble brag to a candidate about how busy you are, or use the phrase, “back-to-back meetings.” 7. Be yourself If you’ve been allowed into a candidate’s personal communication space, rest assured you’ve done a lot of things right. Proceed with confidence in who you are and what your organization is offering the candidate. Avoid boilerplate or HR operations talk and instead use your natural recruiting voice. It’s what got you invited into that space, to begin with. About the author:  MightyRecruiter  is an intuitive, comprehensive, and transformative recruiting solution.  Source passive candidates, track and manage applicants,  access an expansive, Mighty resume database, and take advantage of  Mighty free job postings. Then, hire the most relevant candidates for your jobs, all at no cost.

Tips For Writing A Resume Professionally

Tips For Writing A Resume ProfessionallyWriting a resume can be a very time consuming job, but the more you write a resume the better chance you have of landing a job. This is the main reason you should write a resume as often as possible. Unfortunately this also means that you have to take into account the fact that it can take quite a while to write a good resume and that time can affect the quality of your resume. It's obvious that the longer you sit and wait the worse your resume will look, but there are several steps you can take to make your resume look professional even when it takes you some time to write it.The first thing you should do when writing a resume is to ensure you have a cover letter attached. Not only does this tell your prospective employer why you want the job, but it also acts as a preview of your resume. This is the only chance you get to communicate with the potential employer about your skills and experience, so it's important that you use this opportunity carefully. Some potential employers may not be as open minded as you may think about the cover letter and if they see something that doesn't sound professional they won't be impressed.Another tip for writing a professional resume is to include a title and a job description in the first paragraph. This helps potential employers quickly see what you're offering, and gives them an idea of what the job is like. Don't just stick to one format though, as different formats can look very different when you're reading it through.In addition to the titles and descriptions you should keep your resume updated. This means that you should update your skills and experience throughout the resume, or make sure you add some new skills or get rid of outdated skills. If you need to make any updates then do so before you submit it.One of the most important parts of the resume is the contact information. You should include your telephone number, email address, and even physicaladdress. However, don't inc lude anything that isn't required, and make sure that you also include your name, your job title, and the department that you are applying for.Don't forget to include your education in your resume as well. Many employers will look at your educational background before they even interview you, so make sure that you mention it in your resume. You should also list any professional organizations you are involved with, such as the Boy Scouts or Rotary Club.As you can probably guess, if you are going to be meeting people then you want to make sure you leave yourself enough time to contact each person before you actually meet them. Writing a resume properly requires you to plan your time correctly, and remember that you may have to wait on someone until the next day. In the event that you can't contact someone right away, then you should ask them to reschedule, or give them a call to let them know you have already contacted them.Writing a resume can be a very difficult task, but if you tak e some of these tips into consideration you will have a much better chance of success. All it takes is a little time and dedication to make sure that you have a great resume that will land you a great job.

Resume Falsification - CareerAlley

Resume Falsification - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Why Scott Thompson is the standard and why you should be the exception. How many resumes are dirty? Former Paypal president and Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson has been in the media recently as it came to light that he had a falsification on his resume, regarding a computer science degree he didnt actually earn. This resume-gate is garnering plenty of attention because of the ethical questions it raises. But people should be hesitant to jump in on the witch trials, as its apparently more common than you might think to have inaccurate, misleading and downright false statements on your resume. The idea of manipulating how we present ourselves for personal gain is not a new phenomenon. From the choice of clothes we wear to the pictures we upload on Facebook we are always projecting fabricated images of ourselves to others. The key distinction is where we draw the line, what is considered bendable, and what is concrete. As the date presented here eludes to, resumes are not above manipulation. According to a AOL Jobs survey a whopping 78% of respondents admitted to having a misleading resume. However a Accu-Screen survey from 2012 has 73.5% of respondents claiming no falsifications, ever! On that survey only about 10% admitted to outright falsification (on multiple occasions). This hints at two possible conclusions. One being that these surveys are inaccurate. The second being people are lying about lying. Call me cynical, but Id bet on the second. Is it really a bad thing? According to regulatory filing Mr. Thompson was receiving a base salary of $1 million with annual bonuses assumed at least double that given based on performance. He also received an equity grant worth up to $11 million, an inducement grant of $5 million, a cash bonus of 1.5$ million for leaving Paypal and stock incentives worth up to $22.5 million. So if you were to candidly ask Mr. Thompson if he regrets having that extra education section on his resume, I bet hed laugh. Hed probably also tell you the success he achieved at Paypal and Yahoo! was not directly correlated to having an extra degree on his resume but instead a result of a thousand other variables including track-record, networks and achievements. So if you have the connections, and are aiming to be a CEO of a multi-million dollar company (it seems you must have the latter to achieve the former), then maybe distorting your resume isnt all that bad of an idea. However, if you are like the rest of us, its probably not worth it. Anyone born of a mother (yes, you too) knows the inevitable result of consistently lying; they catch up to you, and they bite. Johnny High school Biology wont have the million dollar cushion to pad his falling from grace should his employer discover falsities on his resume. Acceptable Inflation Dont let fear of embellishment completely take over though. The point of a resume, and the subsequent interview is to appear to be an attractive candidate to an employer. This demands that you highlight your accomplishment and place emphasis on your strengths while downplaying (or not mentioning at all) your weaknesses. Be honest, but be proud of what youve accomplished and it should show in your presentation of yourself. Also, the prevalence of online resume builders and career coaches these days to help to keep people honest by providing structured formats, how-tos and advice on the key points of creating a strong resume. Byline:This article was contributed by Copy My Resume (https://copymyresume.com.) We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+

3 Stories of Video Used to Land a Job - CareerEnlightenment.com

Not only that, his video has got over 70000 views till date. Not bad for a recent grad right?Takeaway: Don’t be afraid to leverage your hobbies like singing to apply for jobs.Turn a resume into a video Graeme AnthonyWe keep hearing the word video resumes over and over again but Graeme took it literally. He made a video for each section that you are likely to see on a resume like portfolio and skills.Combined, his videos have been viewed over half a million times.He ended up getting offers from startups to multinational organizations and a whole bunch of press including Forbes.Takeaway: You can create a video and still look very professional by focusing on the right content.Announcing your resignation publicly Marina ShifrinThis is my personal favorite. Marina decided to make a video for her boss that she was resigning from her job.The video received widespread media attention and has been viewed over 17 million times. Yes that’s 17 million.Who would’ve thought that a public r esignation would actually help Marina instead of hurting her?Here’s why it worked. She was a copywriter meaning she was a part of a creative industry.She turned her resignation into an opportunity to show off her creative skills.It worked wonders for her including getting a job offer on live television from Queen Latifah!Takeaway: Doing something that’s never been done before may seem scary but you can be surprised at the results. Nothing big was ever gained without a bit of risk.The bottom lineHumans love stories and there is no better form of storytelling than video.Being able to to associate a face to a resume can make a huge difference in the minds of employers.When you apply for a job, you’re just going to be a name in a stack of hundreds of others. But, it’s how you decide to apply will help you stand out.