February 7th, 2010
Students, and parents, need to get past the idea that it’s still easy for kids to get a quick summer job at McDonald’s or run around the neighborhood mowing lawns. Times have changed.
Labor laws are so cumbersome and difficult to monitor that some businesses just don’t hire kids of certain ages anymore. Neighbors don’t want the liability of kids working around their homes with power equipment, and they don’t want to give access to anyone when they aren’t home. Where does this leave kids that want and/or need to work?
First, you–the student–must accept the fact that you have a great deal of competition. Your competition may be willing to cut their hair, wear a tie, and work on weekends even when it means missing a great party. The nature of the working world is that employers can call the shots and demand whatever they want. There are more workers than jobs. Even adults with many years of experience and advanced degrees are working longer hours for less money.
Second, you need a good resume that points out what you have to offer. It is possible to have a resume at any age. Include clubs and student activities, special awards, short-term jobs, volunteer projects, special interests or summer workshops. All of these things help build a profile of a person an employer wants to hire when you look for your first job.
Third, talk to adults you know about providing references. Tell people you know that you are looking for a job. Ask for references from anyone you’ve worked for, or with, that can testify about ability, skills, and responsible behavior. If you can’t think of anyone, volunteer for a project at a church or school. You will need a reference or two that aren’t family. It is a bit of a dilemma, but you can find ways to build references.
As the school year winds down, there will be more tips and information for students of all ages. I’ll be tweeting some of them too. Keep checking back and send in your questions. If you have questions, other kids do too.
Posted in Interviewing Tips, Resume Tips | No Comments »
January 5th, 2010
Most small business people and freelancers do their own marketing, especially in the present economy. Many work hard to keep up with new venues in advertising and the new technology that goes with it. I sympathize. I struggle with these things too. However, it never ceases to amaze me the number of postings I see that are poorly written. You may hurt your image, and your credibility, when you take on too much or try to reach beyond your abilities in these areas.
Some postings are obviously written by people for whom English is a second language. Even so, if a person isn’t fluent in the language they are using–especially if that is the language used in the media and audience they are addressing, they need to get help. In other cases, I can’t decide whether what I see is carelessness or poor skills or both. Spelling and typing errors run rampant. Posting for discussions in professional groups on Facebook or LinkedIn isn’t the same as throwing together a quick email to your friends. You won’t make points with the agent who happens to read your post if your work looks like it was written by a first grade student.
Another issue is blatant disregard for the group rules and the annoyance of the group members. There are new marketing “gurus” that teach people how to use the groups to market themselves. The problem is that most of what they are teaching can get you banned. It may work for a while. On the other hand, it may annoy the members so badly that the only responses you get are a lot of angry comments. I’ve seen it happen. Some groups are very proactive.
These groups are set up to discuss professional issues and offer helpful information. Admittedly, some of them are not well monitored. In those cases, people tend to drop out or just turn them off. Obviously, you can’t sell something to a group that isn’t reading your posts. All members need to take responsibility for abiding by the guidelines.
One other issue I see a lot is misdirection. If you want to sell your skills in investment writing or your expertise in restoring antique cars, you need to belong to groups where you will find customers. For example, peer groups of other writers are for learning the trade or asking for advice about resources. They are not your target audience. In fact, some of them are likely to be your competition.
The wide variety of media that’s growing daily is confusing. It’s also widely misused. If you misuse it, you waste time that can be used to grow your business. Slow down and read some tutorials. Take it one step at a time and don’t go overboard initially. A presence is good. However, all visibility is not equal. Poor choices can hurt your image and take a long time to overcome. Move cautiously.
Tags: bad marketing, bad writing, business writing, discussions online, how to write, social media, write to sell, writing for social media, writing tip, writing tips
Posted in Everything Else, Sales & Marketing Tips, Small Business, Writing Tips | No Comments »