Personal Brand Rebrand or Evolution - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Brand Rebrand or Evolution - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Why should a business get your services? Why should a company hire you? What makes you so special? Think of yourself as a product that you’re marketing to an audience â€" why should they buy you? Though you may have defined your personal brand earlier on, having decided on the niche or industry you want to pursue and built an image around it, it shouldn’t mean that you should feel confined to that particular image. On the contrary, most people have realized that their first attempts at personal branding aren’t very successful, and so they have continually adapted and evolved until they finally find the image that really suits them. Products actually do this a lot as well â€" changing or evolving for the better (or sometimes worse) in order to cater to their chosen clientele better. Is this what rebranding is all about? So you may have started with a personal brand that you soon realized doesn’t exactly fit the image you want to portray now. You’ve already exerted a lot of effort in this branding campaign, only to find out that it just doesn’t click. So does this mean you need to rebrand yourself? Actually, when you think about it, your personal brand is still all about you. Maybe you want to change your focus, redefine your message, or you want to target a niche that’s more specific, but in the end, it’s still your story, your ideals, your values. That doesn’t change â€" and so as a personal brand, you don’t really have to rebrand per se, but you grow, evolve and blossom as you find a better focus on what you really want to stand for. Let’s face it â€" brands, whether they’re personal or business ones, constantly need to adapt to the changing times to survive. Brands who remain stagnant, those who are unwilling or unable to budge from their current focus even as the rest of the world evolves, are the ones who gradually die out and lose their customers, because they are unable to adapt. People continually reinvent themselves as they take on new challenges, get new jobs, or find better pastures in other fields. There are times when the changes are small, while some also have to make major changes in their lives so they can fully embrace what’s about to come. But as your brand changes and evolves, how do you ensure that the transition is smooth and hassle-free? How do you keep your current audience while opening yourself up to new ones in your evolved personal brand? Take small steps You don’t have to do a complete 360-degree turn from your current personal brand. Actually, as you adapt to your newfound focus, it’s a lot better to take small steps and gradually change aspects of your brand one by one until you finally get to where you want to be. First, make sure to define where exactly you want to focus your energies. Do your research, take classes, talk to people, make sure you understand the industry, and look for mentors within it. Ask yourself what you need to know, and what you can do to learn it. Then go from there. Let your audience know what you’re doing Though you may want to surprise your audience with the change in your personal brand, that may not be the best way of retaining their attention. Some of them may not take it well, especially if you’re really moving away from your current focus. The best way to ensure that you don’t alienate your audience is to let them know what you’re doing. Let them know that there’s going to be a change, but that it’s going to be for the better, and you hope that they stick around for it. They’ll surely be curious enough to wait around for the change in your personal brand. It’s not about abandoning your old brand, but making sure it adapts to what you picture it to be Truly, it’s not like shedding off your skin for a new one; it’s simply about making sure that your personal brand is what you really want it to be. Honestly, it’s not really about rebranding, but evolving and transitioning to an image that better represents you and what you do. The previous experiences you have can actually enhance what you can offer in the future, so make sure to use that to your advantage.

Page Breaks - When Is It Better To Insert A PageBreak Or Let Text Wrap Onto The Next

Page Breaks - When Is It Better To Insert A PageBreak Or Let Text Wrap Onto The NextThere are a number of reasons why people need to insert a page break after they've entered text. Text will be delivered to the browser's screen without having to fit it into the allotted space, but some browsers will still consider that text to have been too long. If the page can't be properly displayed in the viewport of the browser, then the user is left with nothing but a blank white screen!The simplest way to fix this problem is to simply add some padding around the edge of the content, making sure that the text will fit in the browser's viewport. However, with all the different screen resolutions out there, the most appropriate solution is to insert a page break so that the content can take up as much of the page as possible. The best approach is to start inserting a page break as soon as you have completed typing the first word of the page.However, the problem with this solution is that it won't always properly display the page on the browser's viewport. The browser might decide that the paragraph is too long, and the user will still see the blank page that we discussed above. Therefore, it's not always the best option to insert a page break.Another way to add padding around the edge of web content is to use CSS. To ensure that the entire document will be rendered correctly, add the padding-top property. The UA (User Agent) must know what size and position of the padding are to use for the page. It is only when the UA knows that the padding is the right size and position that it can use the page break.As an example, the document might contain a form which requires input of some kind, such as text, and the form needs to be submitted before it will do anything else. As the user is submitting the form, the UA can determine if the text is too long to be accepted and, if so, let the user know that it's too long. If the text length is correctly set, the user will be able to subm it the form without too much trouble.The HTML for the document is also allowed to allow-javascript-to-apply-to-file-not-found-page-break property to allow the HTML to remain valid while it's getting loaded. To be extra safe, we'd still like to avoid page breaks for files that don't exist, so that the page content will not be compromised. This is where the allow-javascript-to-apply-to-file-not-found-page-break property comes in.When the browser attempts to load the page for the first time, the allow-javascript-to-apply-to-file-not-found-page-break property allows the user agent to disregard the entire page. If the user agent knows that the file exists, then it knows that it's OK to load the page; otherwise, it will not load the page and it will also ignore the document, which will make the document unreadable by the browser and probably cause it to close.There is still a problem, however, if the document has already been loaded, and the content is not yet displayed. In this case, the allow-javascript-to-apply-to-file-not-found-page-break property must be used in order to prevent the content from being loaded until the document has fully loaded.

4 leaders from diverse backgrounds tell us about their career paths

4 leaders from diverse backgrounds tell us about their career paths This article was written in collaboration with EY. Find out more about roles and opportunities available at EY by heading to the Opportunities tab of the Debut app. Many of us have heard the phrase ‘career path’, but few know what that actually means. Rarely is the route to success as easy as following the yellow brick road (lucky Dorothy had that signposted for her). In fact, before you pull up Google maps and try to plot your course (alright we know that’s not quite how it works, but stay with us), we reached out to some inspiring EY employees to talk us through their journey to success in the finance industry and they very kindly obliged. So, before you start spinning in circles unsure which direction to turn, have a read of what Shivana Maharaj, Director Transaction Analytics, Kemi Lawson, Manager Valuation and Business Modelling, Gillian Whyte, Manager Audit, and Nilesh Dosa, Manager Financial Services Advisory, had to say about their very own long and winding road to career contentment. Let’s start from the very beginning And the beginning, for some people, is already pretty clear. A company’s culture is such a significant consideration when it comes to applying and joining a firm and luckily businesses with the best culture can be identified before even joining. As Gillian notes of her attraction to EY, “it was clear that culture was key” from the very beginning; “it was a very welcoming environment without seeming forced.” Nilesh also picked up on the “people-focused culture” from his early interactions with the company. But it’s not just a company’s culture new graduates need to keep an eye on. Some people may not have a set idea of where their career path is headed and that’s ok. EY in particular are aware that not everyone has a set path from year dot and in fact welcome candidates from a range of degree backgrounds. *Recalculating route* One of the other key misconceptions around ‘career paths’ is that once you’ve started down one route, you can’t change direction. In fact, many companies (EY included) encourage employees to move into different sectors and actively pursue different opportunities within the business throughout their career. Graduate schemes are all about what your “strengths and weaknesses” are, as Gillian notes, and there’s no way to know them for sure without trial and error so you can “progress and improve along the way.” Companies recognise the importance of allowing employees to try their hand at different things in order to grow and develop both personally and professionally. Companies like EY provide a supportive atmosphere to ask questions and to learn from people really dedicated to great client service, Kemi states, helping individuals to better realise which path is right for them. A bumpy ride However even with the above, having to make a U-turn / not knowing your east from west when it comes to planning your career are all common. For many, the initial transition from university to working life can be one of the biggest false-starts. Nilesh says: “It was different and required me to change, and like anything new, required some getting used to. However being on a grad scheme, where you are with others who are making the same change, really helped.” The truth is there is no one straight-shot to career success, particularly for women in what are traditionally male-dominated professions. There are often challenges to be overcome but many companies are working to give women the support they need to forge their own path in what can be difficult terrain. Some strong advice from Kemi on making this transition is to “start working on building a supportive peer group and diverse network straight away. Identify some mentors who can really help you to develop your career.” EY are a prime example; they ensure entry-level employees are given the support they need to succeed. Shivana says “EY offers everyone so many opportunities to grow and develop both personally and professionally”, while both Kemi and Gillian want to highlight the “supportive atmosphere” and “significant number of opportunities” open to all, respectively. Co-driver But if there’s one thing guaranteed to ensure the perfect career road-trip, it’s having the right company at your side acting as co-driver. Picking an employer thats going to support your transition from further education into the working world is paramount. As already stated, EY are supportive of candidates joining with any degree background; you may not realise it, but the skills gained whilst studying a humanities, social sciences or STEM degree are transferable and valuable in the business world. Similarly it’s important to seek out a company that invests in diversity initiatives to help support all employees on their journey and Nilesh goes as far to say that “EY is the most diverse firm that I have worked for.” Companies need to have initiatives and programmes in place to help support all their employees from every kind of background if they want to foster an environment of diversity and collaboration and EY has this in abundance. In fact,  Shivana sits on the Steering Committee of the Future Leaders Programme, Kemi is “part of various recruitment diversity initiatives” and Gillian is part of the EY Women’s network. Final destination Ultimately, it’s important to remember that there is no ‘right’ career path some follow the traditional routes and others forge their own way to success, but everyone takes an unexpected detour at some point. The most important thing to remember is that with a company such as EY by your side, youll never get lost en route. Connect with Debut on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Why Ping-Pong Tables Wont Make Your Employees Happy - And What Will - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Why Ping-Pong Tables Wont Make Your Employees Happy - And What Will - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog In this animated interview Olivier Larvoir and I talk about: Which company recently installed a slide in the office to make it a ?happier? place to work (#facepalm) Why your employees don?t want free coffee, ping pong tables and away days ? and what they DO want How to attract the best talent without writing a job ad or hiring a recruitment agency What happiest places work all do that you can implement today (think: Google, Zappos, Southwest Airlines) The one word most leaders are scared to say but is the key to better productivity (hint: it isn?t ?motivation?) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

It is the season for job searching - Hallie Crawford

It is the season for job searching This article, Job Search: Tis the Season So Get Out There! is from late November, but I think it is still worth reading. I wanted to share with you this excerpt. January and February represent the strongest hiring period of the year. New projects, initiatives, and budgets are put into place and hiring generally skyrockets at the beginning of the year. Although not every January can promise a boom in the marketplace, by actively networking and positioning yourself as a valuable and enthusiastic candidate, youll be well on your way to getting that all important call for an interview on January 2nd.   In my Mercer MBA workshop last week, we talked about the concept of sharpening the saw from Steven Covey. Keep your skills sharp so you remain competitive in your job search. Always be looking for a way you can stand out from your peers. If you found this helpful, and want help taking the next step in your job search, please contact us today for a complimentary consultation. Certified Career Coach P.S.  Be sure to join us for our FREE TELECLASS: How to Find Your Dream Job in 2012. Register here.

Sales Skills Resume - How to Build a Selling Machine

Sales Skills Resume - How to Build a Selling MachineSales skills resume is very important for those who are about to enter the business world. Those who want to apply for jobs in sales related industries like insurance, insurance agents, financial institutions, real estate and so on need to have sales skills resume. People do not stop looking for ways to increase their sales skills or what they can learn from such professions. The sales skills resume is one of the best resources to find out more about the candidate.Sales skills resume is a questionnaire which has some basic questions. These questions are asked to determine the skill of the candidate. In this questionnaire, it will show the person's traits.The first question is how well does he or she know what the question is. There are many elements which are involved in the job. They must be able to answer all these questions correctly. All the elements should be carefully considered while coming up with an answer. This should not take a long time to figure out.The second question is whether the candidate has the qualities of sales skills. This is important because you do not want to hire someone who cannot deliver on the job. Every person working in the sales industry knows that the amount of money he or she is earning will never be enough. So, you need to assess the person properly. You must know what to look for. If there is something missing, then the person may not be the right person for you.The third question is what kind of people is the potential candidate. This is important because you are going to put your trust on the person. This is so because you do not want to lose money if the job is not done well. The idea is that the person should be able to provide quality service to customers and clients. If the person cannot deliver on this, then you will lose your money.The next question is what does the person do when it comes to generating leads. How does he or she handle this process? The best thing i s to see if the person can lead the team to make more money. How do they earn more money?The other question is to see if the person can get more knowledge points. Some companies want to know the skills the person has in order to produce good results. So, here is where the sales skills resume comes in.

Facebook Announces New Sexual Harassment Policy

Facebook Announces New Sexual Harassment Policy Facebook published its official policy on workplace sexual harassment Friday, with clearly-defined examples of bad behavior, specific steps for employees to report abuse, and how Facebook investigates these complaints. “By sharing our policies openly, we hope to help smaller companies that may not have the resources to develop their own,” a spokeswoman told MONEY. “Obviously these are complicated issues and we aren’t claiming to have all of the answers, but we do believe that if more companies are open about their policies, we can all learn from each other.” Like other industries marred by stories of sexual abuse and assault, set largely in motion by allegations of sexual assault by producer Harvey Weinstein, Silicon Valley is picking up the pieces of its own battered reputation. In February, Uber employee Susan Fowler wrote a web post detailing systemic gender discrimination at the company. It went viral, and ultimately lead to the resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick. In June, more than two dozen female entrepreneurs spoke to the New York Times about predatory behavior from powerful venture capitalists. Nearly 80% of female tech founders have experienced sexual harassment directly, or know someone who has, according to a survey from First Round Capital. Writing a policy won’t resolve this. Last year, researchers from the University of Missouri found that even though 98% of organizations in the U.S. have a sexual harassment policy, the language used within the policies is so ineffective that employee interpretations were muddled, at best. “Although the policy clearly focused on behaviors of sexual harassment, the participants almost universally claimed that the policy focused on perceptions of behaviors,” lead researcher Debbie Dougherty writes in the Harvard Business Review. “As a result, the organization’s sexual harassment policy was perceived as both highly irrational and as targeting heterosexual male employees.” To change institutionalized abuse, organizations have to treat sexual harassment policies as more than a tool to avoid liability â€" and they need to trumpet the consequences. Facebook, for its part, seems to be waking up to that. Read Facebook’s sexual harassment policy below: Sharing Facebook’s Policy on Sexual Harassment By Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer, and Lori Goler, VP of People Harassment, discrimination, and retaliation in the workplace are unacceptable but have been tolerated for far too long. At Facebook, we treat any allegations of such behavior with great seriousness, and we have invested significant time and resources into developing our policies and processes. Many people have asked if we’d be willing to share our policies and training guidelines, so today we are making them available publiclyâ€"not because we think we have all the answers, but because we believe that the more companies are open about their policies, the more we can all learn from one another. These are complicated issues, and while we don’t believe any company’s enforcement or policies are perfect, we think that sharing best practices can help us all improve, especially smaller companies that may not have the resources to develop their own policies. Every company should aspire to doing the hard and continual work necessary to build a safe and respectful workplace, and we should all join together to make this happen. You can find Facebook’s internal policies on sexual harassment and bullying on our Facebook People Practices website, along with details of our investigation process and tips and resources we have found helpful in preparing our Respectful Workplace internal trainings. You’ll see that our philosophy on harassment, discrimination, and bullying is to go above and beyond what is required by law. Our policies prohibit intimidating, offensive, and sexual conduct even when that conduct might not meet the legal standard of harassment. Even if it’s legally acceptable, it’s not the kind of behavior we want in our workplace. In developing our policies we were guided by six basic principles: First, develop training that sets the standard for respectful behavior at work, so people understand what’s expected of them right from the start. In addition to prescribing mandatory harassment training, we wrote our own unconscious bias training program at Facebook, which is also available publicly on our People Practices website Second, treat all claimsâ€"and the people who voice themâ€"with seriousness, urgency, and respect. At Facebook, we make sure to have HR business partners available to support everyone on the team, not just senior leaders. Third, create an investigation process that protects employees from stigma or retaliation. Facebook has an investigations team made up of experienced HR professionals and lawyers trained to handle sensitive cases of sexual harassment and assault. Fourth, follow a process that is consistently applied in every case and is viewed by employees as providing fair procedures for both victims and those accused. Fifth, take swift and decisive action when it is determined that wrongdoing has occurred. We have a zero tolerance policy, and that means that when we are able to determine that harassment has occurred, those responsible are fired. Unfortunately, in some cases investigations are inconclusive and come down to one person’s word against another’s. When we don’t feel we can make a termination decision, we take other actions designed to help everyone feel safe, including changing people’s roles and reporting. Sixth, make it clear that all employees are responsible for keeping the workplace safeâ€"and anyone who is silent or looks the other way is complicit. There’s no question that it is complicated and challenging to get this right. We are by no means perfect, and there will always be bad actors. Unlike law enforcement agencies, companies don’t have access to forensic evidence and instead have to rely on reported conversations, written evidence, and the best judgment of investigators and legal experts. What we can do is be as transparent as possible, share best practices, and learn from one anotherâ€"recognizing that policies will evolve as we gain experience. We don’t have everything worked out at Facebook on these issues, but we will never stop striving to make sure we have a safe and respectful working environment for all our people.