career

Interview Tips to Land Your Next Job

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Just in time for your next interview is our report interview tips to land your next job.

You probably have heard this one before. Preparation is the key to successful interviewing. You only have one chance to make a good first impression. Hiring managers and recruiters often receive hundreds of applications for a single job opening. If you can not answer the question “Why should I hire you?” confidently and convincingly, you do not have a chance. Are you ready with your answer to this question?

Our Interview Tips special report helps you through four of the trickiest questions and how to practice for your interview.

Interviewing Tips to Land Your Next Job from CyberLife Tutors

Get the tools you need to be confident at your next job interview. Invest in yourself. Blowing an interview will cost you maybe thousands of dollars. Get ready to shine when you meet your potential new boss.

Social Media

Social Networking Etiquette

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There is etiquette in social networking. Yes, the typing short cuts are GR8 and punctuation is optional. Despite this fact, there are rules in the online world. FInd out how you can make the most of your online time and present the best side of you.

Social Networking is about relationships. You’re building a community. As with any other group, there are standards of etiquette that will keep you in good standing with the people and groups with whom you connect. Find out the “dos” and “don’ts” to make the best impression. These powerful tools are free to use and can differentiate your brand. Stand out head and shoulders above the crowd without standing out like a sore thumb.

Social Networking Etiquette Report from CyberLife Tutors

Learn how to put your best face forward when you are online in this Social Networking Etiquette Report from CyberLife Tutors. Invest in yourself and learn how to effectively use social networking etiquette.

Social Media

5 Reasons to Join LinkedIn Groups

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Do you need more reasons to join a LinkedIn group?

For those who say they do not have time to network, here are some interesting statistics I read:

  • Percentage of elite professionals (those earning more than $200,000 per year) who say networking impacts income, according to a study from Upwardly Mobile Inc. with the assistance of the Graziadio School of Business Management at Pepperdine University: 80%
  • Percentage who believe a skilled networker could see up to a 100 percent increase in income: 58%
  • Percentage of respondents who said networking is how they found their current job: 40%

Source: uexpress.com/figurativelyspeaking

LinkedIn members, know they can connect directly with other individuals. LinkedIn groups enable collective connections with others to engage in group dialog.

Here are five reasons to join a LinkedIn group:

  • Learn from having rich discussions with others in your field, industry, geographic area, etc.
  • Identify partnership opportunities
  • Share best practices with other like-minded networkers
  • Post job openings
  • Build relationships to benefit from future employment or sales opportunities

To choose a LinkedIn group to join, search the ‘groups’ directory. You can choose from corporate, professional, industry, alumni, or geographic groups.

Join LinkedIn groups and network with others who are serious about managing their careers. You will learn and share ideas with industry experts. Members understand networking is not something you do for a short time to land a job. Networking is for life.

Post a question, offer your perspective, link to a career article or let us know about job openings. Send a note to the group and introduce yourself. What you put into the group will come back to you again and again.

event

Social Networking Class July 2010

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New summer social networking for business classes added to our summer schedule. Check out these sessions in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. These sessions are designed for business owners and employees who want to leverage the power of social networking tools to gain market share. Learn how you can rank higher in Google and other search engine results without paying for these hits. See how you can use these tools to build relationships and community with your current and potential customers.

  • Blogging Basics – 7/12/2010 Students will need access to a web based email account (Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc) to participate in this class.
  • I’m LinkedIn, Now What – 7/19/2010 Create a free LinkedIn.com account before class
  • Facebook for Business – 7/26/2010  Create a free Facebook.com account before class

Register early as these sessions have been selling out. Contact Elgin Community College for information on class fees, dates, times and locations. For information on upcoming classes and other events visit our website events page.

event

Autumn Social Networking Class Elgin ECC

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The Autumn Social Networking schedule at Elgin Community College is here. This series called “Small Business Evenings” will be in Streamwood, Illinois. The classes are a joint partnership between Elgin Community College, Illinois Small Business Development Center and Village of Streamwood.

Limited seating available for these session. The last series of classes sold out. If you are interested in attending, do not wait to register.

CSS 310 Tweet for Profit
People are looking for your business on Twitter. Are you there to talk with them? Learn how to make the most of this micro-blogging tool. Create a free Twitter account before the class starts.
300 67693   7-9PM    9/1/10   $69.00

CSS 313 Facebook for Small Business
Learn how to leverage connections to build relationships for business. Learn about group and fan pages and more. Create a free Facebook account before the class.
300 67692    7-9PM   9/8/10   $69.00

CSS 311 Blogging Basics Small Business
Curious about blogging but you do not know where to start? In this session you will create your own blog and post your first online message. NOTE: To participate in the session, you’ll need access to a web based email account such as Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc.
300 67690    7-9PM    9/15/10     $69.00

CSS 312 I Am Linkedin, Now What?
In this session learn how to build effective connections, get recommendations, get introduced to others, find customers and partners, use groups and stay in touch with other potential contacts. Create a free LinkedIn account before the class starts.
300 67691    7-9PM   9/22/10      $69.00

Registration

For more information and registration, contact Elgin Community College.

  • Online – Small Business Development category
  • In Person at the Main Campus
  • By Phone Call 847-622-3036
review

Social Networking Thoughout Your Career Book Reviews on Amazon

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Are you getting enough value from your social networking? What’s all the Buzz About? After hearing these questions from my clients over and over, I wrote a book on the topic.

Yesterday another client quoted my book while we talked saying “I’m learning so much!”

Another person showed me the passages she highlighted and her list of action items in progress.

So I had to write this book, Social Networking Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About? I go way beyond the basics in the book. My goal was to answer some of the deeper, more specific questions I’m asked.

Here is a couple of 5 star reviews you can read on Amazon.com:
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 Throughtout 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?

Learn more Social NetworkIng Throughout Your Career: What’s All the Buzz About?

career

Learning Japanese to Sharpen the Saw

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Steven Covey‘s 7th habit in his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“,  is “Sharpen the Saw“. For Covey, this means growth and self renewal in physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual areas of your life. By challenging ourselves, we stretch our mental capacity to keep on top of our game.

My husband and I enjoy traveling and learning about local people, customs and cultures of the places we visit. In Hawaii, we often encounter Japanese tourists and residents who speak limited English. We decided to learn to speak Japanese to better communicate when we are on island. My husband devotes more time to this studying and further ahead in this journey. He is able to converse to understand and get his point across in Japanese.

Sharpening the saw in your business is also important. Staying current with evolving trends and  technology allows you to better communicate with your customers. What are you doing to sharpen your saw?


career

Find Your Passion for Life

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Several years ago, I was working at a large corporation and found I had lost my passion for my job. I lost my passion for the work I was doing and dreaded the 2 1/2 to 4 hours a day commute. My efforts seemed futile and felt unrewarding. I thought there must be more to my career and life.

Over the next several months my life began to change. Both Internal and external forces shifted opening doorways to a radically different career and life style for me. I said “goodbye” to 4 hour commutes and the corporate world. It was “hello” to self employment, new clients and partners.

Through this transformation, people noticed how excited and passionate I was about my work. They were excited too. I collected my thought in an essay which started the “Ignite Your Passion” book. The anthology brings together the stories of 17 people who have found their passion for their careers.
"Ignite Your Passion Kindle Your Internal Spark" now availble in paperback and Kindle

Social Media

Where Are You Today Video Podcast

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“Where Are You Today?” is the name of our podcast series published on our travel blog and  YouTube. My husband is the Executive Producer for these episodes and we have fun filming and producing the scenes.

One of my students walked into my “Facebook for Business” class yesterday and said “I did not know how much fun Social networking can be!” We do find social networking fun as we blend both our business and personal life online.

My husband and I enjoy traveling locally and afar. On our adventures we bring a video camera to shoot footage at the places we visit. We especially like finding out of the way treasures. Having the video camera with us gives us the ability to be spontaneous and take advantage of the moment.

When we get home, Noel transforms the bits and bytes into three – five minute segments we publish in our “Where Are You Today?” YouTube video podcast series.

Enjoy viewing these “Where Are You Today?” segments.

event

Need a Speaker for Your Event?

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Is your group looking for a keynote speaker for your upcoming professional, community or corporate event?

April is available to speak for corporations, associations, public seminars and events and industry-specific trainings. Topics can be customized.

  • Social networking strategies
  • Building your brand
  • Finding passion in your life
  • Volunteering
  • Mentoring
  • Accountability groups

Hear what attendees are saying about April’s presentations http://bit.ly/April_Speaks. For booking information call 414.502.7745.

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

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