Category Archives: career

Gaye Mack Ignite Your Passion Book Author Interview

January 7, 2013 April M. Williams Leave a comment

An interview with our “Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark” Amazon Kindle anthology co-author Gaye Mack.

CyberLife Tutors: You are a co-author of “Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark. “What is it that you are passionate about?
Gaye Mack: Throughout my younger and later adult years, my life has been influenced by a variety of passions. Some have been transitory; others have firmly remained as I’ve grown older. If I were to identify the one ‘umbrella’ passion it would be exploration of those things that exist beyond our five senses and how we’re affected by them as spirit in body. The pathways of my explorations have been varied; interest in cultures around the world, their spiritual and ancient healing traditions, experiencing them first hand and, always writing, writing, writing.

CyberLife Tutors: Why did you contribute this specific story to “Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark?”
Gaye Mack: If I’ve learned nothing else (but that’s not to say I always ‘listen to my own lectures’ as a friend of mine is fond of quoting), it’s the importance of trusting our gut, intuition, whatever term is comfortable for you. Listening to our soul’s wisdom is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves this lifetime on our evolutional path and it’s not easy because our ego always wants to be in charge. I felt it was important to share my own experience with this lesson and the rocky road I traveled to ‘get it’ (and still am!) in my own life.

CyberLife Tutors: Is this your first published book? If not, what other books have you published?
Gaye Mack: No. As I mention in my story, Polair Publishing- London, has published my books, “Igniting Soul Fire, Spiritual Dimensions of the Bach Flower Remedies” and “Making Complementary Therapies Work for You” (which has been translated into German). I’m also a contributing author along with Donald Neale Walsh, Irvin Laszlo and other spiritual pioneers, to “The View~Mind Over Matter, Heart Over Mind from Conan Doyle to Conversations with God.”

CyberLife Tutors: What else would you to share with our readers
Gaye Mack: Currently I have two 12th century historical mysteries represented by my literary agent, Peter Miller of Global Lion Intellectual Property Management with the goal of obtaining a contract with one of the traditional houses, as I work on the third book in this series. I’m also working on a sequel to “Igniting Soul Fire, Spiritual Dimensions of the Bach Flower Remedies“, which looks at the connection between Dr. Edward Bach’s Twelve Healers and the evolutional karmic story in our astrological birth chart.

CyberLife Tutors: You have a special offer for our readers?

Gaye Mack: As an active practitioner and teacher in the Bach flower remedies, I do see people privately for evaluation sessions regarding the flower remedies. For those who are also interested in astrology as well, sessions may include some integration with this tradition; it’s always up to the client. For more complete information on my Bach work, its best to look at my website or blog.

CyberLife Tutors: How can our readers contact you?
Gaye Mack: Find me on my website, blog, Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. Email me at gayemack at gayemack.com

career

Social Media and Job Search Tips for New Graduates

June 15, 2012 April M. Williams Leave a comment

Social media is key to job searches, especially for new graduates. If you have a new graduate looking for their first job, here are tips and common mistakes to avoid for job seekers, especially new graduates.

The first thing I recommend a job seeker do is create a résumé. There are plenty of templates available including CyberLife Tutors Sample Resume Format. Include relevant leadership roles, volunteer work and participation in organizations. Achieving Eagle Scout rank is impressive, especially to a hiring manager who is also a former scout. Be sure to spell check and ask someone else to give it the once over. Hiring managers will quickly toss out a résumé with errors.

Invest in one nice suit, dress or slacks and top for interviews. You can wear the same outfit every time, hiring managers will not know the difference. Your clothing style should reflect the company you interview with. Ideally, you blend in with employees. For jobs in conservative industries like banking, a white shirt and dark-colored suit is appropriate.

Keep a stack of thank you notes and stamps in the car. While still in the parking lot after the interview, hand write a note to the interviewer thanking them for their time. Express your desire to work at the company and let them know you look forward to hearing from them soon. Very few job seekers take this steps and you will stand out from the crowd. Address and stamp the envelope then drop it off at the post office on your way home.

Company’s will investigate your online presence. Sign out of all your email accounts and search for your name in Google and Bing. You may see different results in each site. Use quotes around your name “april m williams” to narrow your search results. Also look for variations of your name (William, Bill, Billy). Closely look for any negative references, even if they don’t refer to you. This is what a prospective employer will see and they cannot tell from the search results it the person is you or someone else.

Social media plays a big part in job searches today. Be sure your Facebook pages and other sites don’t contain career limiting comments, pictures or video. There is no “private” on the internet. Most states still allow companies to ask for your social media passwords so employers can look at your account. You do not have to allow this though the company may not continue with the interview process.

The best way to combat negative results it to create positive results through social media and blogs. I work with people in career transition and businesses to effectively market themselves through social media. One cost-effective step to build your online reputation is to create a free WordPress blog and write a short 200-400 word article every day directed to your target audience. This returns positive search engine results and creditability quickly.

Don’t wait to get started on your job search. The longer you are out of school, the bigger the gap on your résumé gets. While you are job hunting, volunteer for a charitable organization of your choice so you have something positive to respond to the “What have you been doing this summer?” question. “Hitting the beach,” is not a desirable answer.

Build your connections and let others know you are in the job market. The more specific you are about your desired role, the better your results will be. You never know who can help you. Just ask.

CyberLife Tutors offers career coaching and business social media programs in McHenry County. Social media includes strategy, implementation, coaching and training. For information on upcoming programs and events, visit our calendar at http://www.cyberlifetutors.com/calendar . Email April M. Williams or call 414-502-7745 for more information.

career

LinkedIn Resume Builder Creates A PDF Resume File Quickly

May 1, 2012 April M. Williams Leave a comment

LinkedIn Resume Builder turns your LinkedIn profile into a PDF resume in seconds. Resume Builder connects to your LinkedIn profile to gather specific information. Use the editor to select the format and content for your resume.

First, choose the template for your resume then use outline mode to reorder sections of information. Set the privacy settings as you desire then share with others if you choose. Save your file within the LinkedIn Resume Builder and save a copy to your computer. Share a link publicly or to a limited audience.

Click on the link to my resume and let me know what you think of the PDF file created by LinkedIn Resume Builder.

career

Social Networking Throughout Your Career Book Free Chapter PDF

April 9, 2012 April M. Williams 1 Comment

FREE Chapter (PFD) Social Networking Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About?

“I’m on LinkedIn, now what?”
“Where do I begin and HOW DO I KEEP UP?”
“How often should I blog, post video, “tweet” prospect & clients?”

After hearing these questions from my clients, I had to write this book, Social Networking Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About? I go way beyond the basics in this easy read. My goal is to answer your deeper, more specific questions.

Click on the book image to download your FREE chapter of Social Networking Throughout Your Career book by April M. Williams.

Keith Warrick says: This is an excellent primer on just how social networking tools have emerged as the primary go-to resources for finding job candidates and how one needs to effectively leverage and marshall them in order to attain professional/career aspirations. April does an excellent job outlining how all of them – Linkedin, FaceBook, Twitter, etc – have their place and value and offers excellent suggestions on just what one needs to do in order to stay on top of them. It’s all about developing an effective strategy and staying with it throughout one’s career not just when one is unemployed. Too many of us stop networking once we land a job thinking that it is no longer necessary. You’re wrong and this book tells you why. There are some valuable lessons here for anyone that does not think that having a positive social media presence is important in these times – it is mission critical. This book is an excellent reference that you can refer back to time and time again.

Suzanne Kauss “MY SPECIAL ASSISTANT” says: If you snooze on reading Social Networking you might as well keep snoozing! My title of this review is EXACTLY what I got from April’s book entitled “Social Networking Throughout Your Career”…..If you snooze on Social Networking you might as well keep snoozing! I was not even the least bit interested in social networking except for my personal Facebook page….after reading this book it was very clear to me there is no other way to market a business but social networking! The book covers many scenarios and I know you will find WHY you and/or your business NEED to get started. The urgency to learn more and get started was so overwhelming while I was reading this book, all I wanted to do was to get started NOW as I do not want to be left behind! Social Networking Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About?

Heidi Thorne Says: Ah, the power of Twitter to make connections! April M. Williams and I had connected on Twitter. I knew a little bit about her from her blog, website, and Twitter profile. Since we are both active networkers in the Chicagoland area, we decided to “tweetup” to get better acquainted.

When I arrived at a local Starbucks, I found April already chatting with a gentleman that she obviously had met at some other time. Come to find out, it was a client of hers. Yes, these chance meetings at Starbucks coffee stores do happen. But I think it points to another fact: April is a networking pro who has learned how to establish and maintain valuable relationships. She even was able to leverage her network to find a new job within only a few short weeks after a massive corporate layoff. So writing a book about social networking is a natural fit for her.

April’s book Social Networking Throughout Your Career is a quick and helpful introduction to the world of social media. I think it is especially suited for those folks who are barely on the on-ramp to these arenas. It discusses the pros and cons of the various networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook in a non-overwhelming manner that should help those on the fringes want to make the leap online.

What I particularly liked about the book, and true to its title, was that it emphasized how to use these networks “throughout your career.” Some networks and strategies are more appropriate to some life stages than others. Also unique to the book was the emphasis that one begin social networking for career purposes in high school. High school! That is a departure from the literature in this subject area which often does not address age issues. I think we do need to show teens how their online activities can enhance or detract from their future college and professional careers.

One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “It is not who you know. It is who you know knows.” Building your social networking channel can help you tap into that second “who you know knows” tier of contacts.

Sheri Bland says: I read this book knowing I needed to get on board with social networking for my professional life. WOW! I was able to read it in a weekend and found it an ‘easy” read, not technically over my head, and it categorizes the various types of social networking tools and directs how and when to use them. It made me see that this IS where the business world is, and how I can navigate the tools to the best advantage for my business and career. I like how April laid out the different tools, analyzing your career stage and goals-I was able to set up my own Linked In account after completing the book. I highly recommend this book to professionals who need to know more, who want “how to’s” on where to go with social networking and who desire to market and build their business and career.

Click to download A FREE Chapter

Click here to purchase your copy of Social NetworkIng Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About? at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, CyberLife Tutors (request an autographed copy)

career

Be Productive Instead of Busy: Effective Time Management Techniques

April 4, 2012 April M. Williams 1 Comment

At the end of the day, do you feel frustration that the important things are not done? Are you always struggling to catch up? Learn how to be productive instead of busy.

There have been many occasions throughout my career where time has been extremely precious to me and maximizing what I had was top priority. Juggling a hectic schedule, I had to learn how to get the most important things done first. Over the years, I incorporated time management techniques and tools to get the most out of my time.

A recent article listed the top 10 productivity applications and I do use several of these tools. I make use of many tools from Google like Google Docs, Google Calendar and Google Alerts. My Iphone is my number one tool.

Click on the presentation below to see some of my other favorite productivity tools and techniques.

career

Craft Your Social Media Strategy Class Starts Soon

April 1, 2012 April M. Williams 1 Comment

Craft Your Social Media Strategy! The Internet Marketing Intensive is a complete internet marketing series that will help businesses integrate various internet tools into an overall marketing strategy. We focus on small business, authors, sole proprietors or non profits and how to make the most out of small marketing budgets.

Class starts April 2, 2012 and runs 6 weeks. No fooling!
Click on the video below to learn more.

Click below to get started:

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Creating Buzz Marketing for Professionals BDPA conference

August 4, 2011 April M. Williams Leave a comment

The 2011 Black Data Processing Associates national conference features Algonquin author and executive coach April M. Williams, President of CyberLife Tutors, an executive coach and author of “Social Networking Throughout Your Career.”

Her presentation “Creating Buzz Marketing for Professionals” is provided for attendees to download.

April is available to speak at your conference, association or event. Submit a request or find information about booking April as a speaker.

career

Creative Way to Use Twitter to Get Hired

July 6, 2011 April M. Williams 1 Comment

Looking for a creative ways to use Twitter to get hired? Ed Morita posted a link to this Alltop video on using Twitter to land a job. Using five different Twitter accounts, they targeted specific people in their industry involved in hiring decisions.

This creative use of Twitter worked. They successfully landed jobs in their field by gaining the attention of those in a position to hire them.

The online profiles and 140 character tweets reenforced their message.

What other creative ways have you discovered for using Twitter to enhance your career? Click on Comments and tell us your ideas.

career

Code Generators For QR Code Barcode

February 13, 2011 April M. Williams Leave a comment

Have you created a QR code for your website? Or are you wondering what those funny black and white squares are used for?

What is a QR code?
A QR code is a two dimensional scannable graphic. The graphic can be scanned and read by scanners on mobile devices.

Why use a QR code?
Data can be encoded within the QR code. Examples of types of information are website URLs, links to special offers, coupons or contact information. A QR code on a resume could link to a LinkedIn profile or an online resume.

Scanning the QR code can open a specific web page. This bypasses the need to type in a long or complex string of characters in a URL.

Where can I get a QR code?
There are many companies that will generate QR codes. Some have restrictions like expiration dates, links to their site, etc. Enter “QR code generator in your favorite Internet search engine. We created our QR code with Scanlife.

CyberLife Tutors website QR Code:
Here is the code for our “CyberLife Tutors website. Our website URL is embedded in the QR code graphic. Use a scanner application on your smart phone to scan this graphic and your phone browser opens up our website.

CyberLife Tutors website info QP code — CyberLife Tutors website info QR code

Need assistance getting your QR codes set up? Call us at 414.604.6645 to do it for you.

Social Media Marketing | Algonquin, Crystal Lake, McHenry | April M. Williams

Category Archives: career

Gaye Mack Ignite Your Passion Book Author Interview

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Social Media and Job Search Tips for New Graduates

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LinkedIn Resume Builder Creates A PDF Resume File Quickly

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Be Productive Instead of Busy: Effective Time Management Techniques

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Craft Your Social Media Strategy Class Starts Soon

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Creating Buzz Marketing for Professionals BDPA conference

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Creative Way to Use Twitter to Get Hired

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Code Generators For QR Code Barcode

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Social Media Strategy, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Blogs

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FREE Chapter (PFD) Social Networking Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About?

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