Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom The State of Information Technology

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom The State of Information Technology In order to get to the bottom of where IT is now and where the industry is going,Spiceworksrecently surveyed over 1100 IT professionals in North America and EMEA. A majority of respondents work for small to medium-sized organizations with between 20-249 employees, although companies of all sizes were included. Industries with the highest representation were manufacturing, IT services, education, and non-profit. Ninety percent of respondents are involved in developing and managing IT budgets, and 37 percent hold the title of network or systems administrator. IT Spending Spiceworks learned that IT administrators have large annual budgets (over a quarter million on average) that are growing. Forty-two percent plan to increase budgets over the next year. The respondents’ organizations have an average of 4.2 IT professionals on staff, and 28 percent are adding staff this year (60 percent are staying the same). Compared to other employee costs, IT is exceedingly scalable. The more employees an organization has, the less it spends on IT per employee ($2770 per employee for organizations with fewer than 19 people versus $698 per employee for organizations with more than 500 people). Cloud and Virtualization Adoption Once a fluffy buzzword, the cloud is a reality for a majority of the respondents. Whether IT professionals are adopting services for web and email hosting, file sharing, or content filtering, the cloud is helping their departments scale infrastructure and keep costs down. Sixty-one percent of respondents overall haveadopted cloud-based applications, and adoption is slightly higher the smaller the organization. In terms of the cloud-based services IT pros are eager to start using this year, online backup and recovery is #1. Virtualization refers to taking hardware into the cloud, and Spiceworks’ respondents are on board this ship. Seventy-four percent of respondents overall have adopted virtualization, including 90 percent of respondents working in organizations with 500 or more employees. The most commonly employed virtual workloads are in IT services (81 percent), internal IT (77 percent),productivity apps(64 percent), industry-specific apps (62 percent), and business support (60 percent). For more about the IT industry in 2015, have a look atIntuits Fast Track blog.

Personal Branding Weekly - List to Last - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - List to Last - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Real estate agents say â€" “list to last” because when you list a home for sale you have the opportunity to earn money when that home is sold by you or a fellow real estate agent. As a business professional, the care, nurturing and development of “your list” determines how long you last as a professional or expert in your field. Grow and develop that great list and your great connections on that list will be your avid brand advocates, supporters, mentors, referral sources, trusted vendors, great clients and friends. What do you do to develop and care for your list? How do you stay in contact? How up-to-date is the information on your list? Have you opened your list and found 20 different versions of the same person with email addresses from each past employer or different phone numbers? How, or have you, stayed in relationship with that person? When a relationship (this goes for business and personal ones) ceases to be mutually beneficial to both people involved, somebody leaves. Are you ready to “fall out” of relationship with someone just because you got too busy, forgot to stay in touch or just didn’t have good contact information to stay in touch? What have you done to take care of the people on your list? Remember, each name on your list represents a person and a relationship.  [tweet this] If you need help in growing your list and business, I’m hosting a webinar focused on just that! Register here! And, use the discount code MIDLANDCHAMB so you can save for being such an avid reader. Thank you! Were you busy last week? Not to worry, below are all of the great contributions from the Personal Branding authors last week : Conversation Starters by Kevin Monahan Reacting, Responding and the Power to Know the Difference by Skip Weisman Why Youre Nobodys Hero. Yet. by Nance Rosen Have You Ever Thought About Becoming an Entrepreneur by Ceren Cubukcu How to Create a Personal Marketing Plan by Heather Huhman How to Overcome Obstacles As You Advance Forward by Elinor Stutz How to Write a White Paper That Doesnt Suck by Nick Inglis Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Career Search Tool by Alex Freund Job Seeker Employment Date Codes by Richard Kirby 10 Ways to Measure the Success of Your Branding Efforts by The Young Entrepreneur Council Book Review: The Essentials of Business Etiquette by Maria Elena Duron Easy to Imagine, Hard to Achieve by Jeff Shuey Can Instagram Be a Branding Tool for Your Business? by The Young Entrepreneur Council Nervous about Networking? Find Your Own Sweet Spot by Sharmin Banu Three Personal Branding Secrets for Academics by Erik Deckers 6 Places to Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile by Leslie Truex 2 Social Media Tactics for Managing Your Career by Marc Miller The Optimistic vs Pessimistic Job Applicant by Ken Sundheim The SEVEN KEY TAKEAWAYS from last week include: 1. Become the source for news about your field of study so that other academics in your field will come to recognize you as a leading authority. (Author, Erik Deckers) 2. I believe that it’s better to focus on optimizing a few social media channels at a time instead of using a shotgun approach and ending up with a half-baked strategy on everything. (Author, The Young Entrepreneur Council) 3. Manage your career to demonstrate longevity with past employers, try to conduct your job searches when employed, and get moving quickly when unemployed to avoid reductions in your marketability. (Author, Richard Kirby) 4. Let’s face it: we are what we do. (Author, Alex Freund) 5. There is nothing worse than a White Paper that was written by someone who lacks basic writing skills. If you can’t write, go take a class, every community college has basic writing courses that can help you get your skills up to par. (Author, Nick Inglis) 6. Knowing that networking is uncomfortable for the majority of participants, go into the event determined to make it a good experience for you and others by taking the lead. (Author, Kevin Monahan) 7. You need to write A book and not THE book! (Author, Marc Miller) Dove-tailing on what Personal Branding Author Nance Rosen shared, “To be a memorable personal brand, you don’t have to be a super hero. You don’t have to be saving lives and building a real estate empire at the same time. You just need to be an everyday kind of hero”, what can you do to make an experience a good experience for someone on your list? That’s one way to develop relationships, grow your list and your business. This week we’ll focus even more on your personal branding with: • 5 Soft Skills to Emphasize in Your Brand • Four Words You Never Say to Your Boss • Do’s and Don’ts of Resumes • And more! If you really like something on the Personal Branding Blog this week, let us know! We appreciate and value when you let us know what you really want to see here. Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of  buzz2bucksâ€"  a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is founder  and moderator of  #brandchat   a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of  branding  that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers. Are you busy? Here’s some quick and easy tips on  Social Marketing for busy people.

How Do the Happiest People Find Their Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How Do the Happiest People Find Their Career - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do what you believe inâ€"Greg Baldwin, President of VolunteerMatch I recently had the privilege to interview Greg Baldwin, President of VolunteerMatch: the award-winning VolunteerMatch.org service and the Webs largest volunteer engagement network. Greg joined the founding team in 1998 as its Chief Imagination Officer to build a website to make it easier for good people and good causes to connect. Today, as President, Greg oversees the expansion of a network that is already serving 96,000+ nonprofits, 165 enterprise clients, and a quarter of a million interested volunteers a week. Since 1998 the VolunteerMatch network has helped the nonprofit sector engage more that $4.5 billion worth of volunteer services. My questions for Greg focus on his career path and the lessons he learned along the way that could be instructive for Millennials seeking a career as an entrepreneur in an online business or a career as an Executive for a non-profit. Greg’s rise to becoming President didn’t happen overnight and required that he develop skills in marketing, technology, entrepreneurship and fundraising. Beth: What was your career path that led to your current position as President of VolunteerMatch? Greg:  I was recruited directly out of college with an undergraduate degree in Public Policy from Brown University in 1990, to work for Leo Burnett, one of the nations leading advertising agencies. My keen affinity for and interest in human behavior helped me get hired there. After two years I was doing well as an advertising account executive and yet I wasn’t satisfied in my work. I couldn’t shake the feeling that all of the talent, resources, and imagination were being applied towards encouraging people to buy muffins and orange juice in the mid-west. I like muffins and orange juice as much as the next guy, but it just wasn’t resonating for me. I couldn’t imagine doing this for the next forty years. Beth: What did you do after you left your job at Leo Burnett? Greg: (laughing) I had a mid-life crisis at age 22 and went to the beach on Cape Cod with an old college roommate who was experiencing a similar shift in mindset about our jobs and wanting to find something more meaningful in our work. We formed a “two-man graduate program” reading everything in the local library from Henry Thoreau, Dostoyevsky, William James and John Dewey. Coming out of that, we were determined to figure out what we wanted to do with the rest of our lives and having read every worthwhile book at the local library we decided it was time to move back to Boston. Beth: What prompted you to leave Cape Cod and to become an entrepreneur? Greg:  A friend from Leo Burnett who was at Harvard Business School asked me to write the business plan to build and scale a national, interactive kiosk network,  2D Interactive, in malls and college bookstores in ’93-’97. This was my first real experience as an entrepreneur and manager. The launch of Netscape changed everything and the Internet quickly eclipsed the possibilities of the kiosk business. While I was proud of my contributions to 2D Interactive and learned many valuable lessons, by 1997 I knew it was time to look for other opportunities Beth: When you left 2d Interactive, how did you move on to your next project? Greg:  A friend from college, Jay Backstrand, contacted me and asked if I would be interested in building a website to make it easier for people to find local volunteer opportunities? He knew that I had experience in building the brand and interfaces for 2D Interactive and that I wasnt afraid of new ideas. So he asked me if Id be willing to help out. I became an enthusiastic volunteer and in the fall 97  Jay asked me to join the team to design and launch VolunteerMatch.org. There were only four of us so we got to pick our own titles. I became the Chief Imagination Officer, which I thought was a fitting mashup of webmaster and creative director. I combined my background in psychology, public policy, marketing, communications, technology and entrepreneurship to build a website that would engage users and simplify the process of finding a great place to volunteer. Beth: Did you get paid a lot for your work launching the website? Greg:  No, not really, but that wasnt why I was interested. VolunteerMatch is a nonprofit so I knew it would never be about the money. I was excited to be doing something that I was really interested in. I felt good that I was using my expertise and my time to create something that would be a useful tool for improving how we interact with our community. The biggest payoff came later as we could see the impact of our work for tens of thousands of nonprofits and millions of volunteers. Beth:   Did you ever regret success didnt make you rich? Greg:  Sometimes I wish we had the visibility and respect that money can bring, but I dont envy the money and think weve been incredibly lucky. Beth: What makes VolunteerMatch special for you? Greg:  Building this website was the first time I fully utilized my skills, insights and energy towards a venture that I found both interesting and meaningful. I followed my parents’ career advice, which was to “do what you believe in”, and my gut instinct that this business could change people’s lives. This has been the most rewarding experience of my professional life and I’ve never looked back to question my choice of jumping off the corporate ladder. I love my work and all the people I work with inspire me. Beth: Did you choose any mentors along the way to help you build VolunteerMatch?  Greg: I chose great mentors to serve on the board: Im surrounded by like-minded people whose skill sets compliment mine and who share a vision of doing good, giving back and solving big problems. The people on the board have all made a huge impact and continue to provide invaluable feedback, insight and encouragement. Beth: Can you describe some of your organizations greatest accomplishments? Greg:  I like to think our greatest accomplishment is that we are still here after 15 years. Not many Internet companies survived the dot-com bust and not many new nonprofits survive, period. It is remarkable to me that everyday close to 40,000 volunteers visit VolunteerMatch to find an opportunity to give back. We are also proud to partner with businesses to provide tools and services to help companies successfully manage volunteer programs and support  corporate social responsibility initiatives. It is rewarding to be working with such a broad range of clients committed to making a positive difference. And of course, it is also nice to be recognized. VolunteerMatch has enjoyed receiving many awards over the years for its innovative approach to social change, its social impact, and its sustainable business model. Beth:   What is your definition for success? Greg:  Success for me has been finding the intersection of what youre good at, doing something that you believe in and getting paid to do it. If you are ambitious then my advice is dont settle for success you dont believe in. If you are genuinely interested in what you are doing, unless you are very, very lucky chances are youll never find the success you deserve. Greg modestly speaks of his work being meaningful. But anyone who visits the site is immediately impressed: It’s easy to use and is a tremendous resource for organizations and individuals seeking a role in alleviating suffering. VolunteerMatch has clearly had and will continue to have a revolutionary effect on how people and organizations find ways to improve the world. The impact this site has is enormous and Greg, as well as its co-founders, are rightfully proud of their accomplishment in creating this site. Greg recognized his good fortune, developed useful skills, networked with smart people and gave of himself in order to reach his current role.   He wasn’t driven to become an Executive: He was driven to have a positive impact on people’s lives using his unique skills and abilities to drive his agenda forward. The main lesson one can learn from Greg’s experience and from his career path is that having a vision and being patient and persistent can lead to having an exceptional career. Greg’s move from advertising to creating a non-profit was a non-linear move, which required reflection and a willingness to risk leaving a high salaried job. But when Greg realized he wasn’t fully maximizing his potential (or doing what he believed in), he listened to his gut and made the necessary shift to improve his situation; and he ultimately found the meaningful work he was seeking. Greg’s career journey shows the importance of combining both practical skills and idealism in approaching your career choice. He developed rare and valuable skills that enabled him to develop a website in an industry that suited his belief system and ultimately found fulfillment and happiness in his work.

How to Handle When Headhunters Call - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Handle When Headhunters Call - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career First, you want to check if they are retainer or contingency. You want to work with retainer only. Next, tell them you will call them back. Do call them back when you are at a comfortable place to talk to them. Let them tell you enough about the job so you can be sure it’s not for you BUT so you know enough to be able to refer a name or a source for a name. They like that a lot and they will remember you. Something like, “I receive these calls frequently as you can imagine ….I will always listen to your opportunity to see where I can be of help….I’m very happy here, working on ____ and ___…. As you explained the job specification I’d suggest you talk to Jill Jones as she could be a candidate or know someone who would be. I’ve already done that job. My next move inside or outside of an organization will be (next level up) so that is where I’m headed….for now, I’m being rewarded for my contributions and very happy where I am….” You always want to listen, be pleasant, be helpful. Then you remain in touch every six months of so with an update of new things you are doing and the offer to help by giving them other names  in your network. (And thats why you keep building your network or connections so that you do have people to suggest!)

Writing A Good Resume For University Students

Writing A Good Resume For University StudentsResume writing for university students is not as difficult as many assume. Though, it may seem complicated at first glance, the task is actually very simple once you understand the purpose of the document. Using the proper format can be a big advantage because it allows the person applying for the job to get noticed by the hiring manager. It's important to give a clear impression about yourself in the resume writing for university students.The first step to completing this task is to ensure that the information is all on the same page, which is the correct format. Usually, this is done with the time when the section of the resume has been formatted and is laid out in the right order. The table of contents is important in order to know where to begin with.The first thing that a student should do is write down his or her basic information about him or herself. A general introduction will usually suffice, though if the student wants to includ e his or her college education, then they should provide a link to the school's official website in the area where the information is required. An objective statement is a good thing to include when beginning a resume because it gives you a sense of what you have to offer.Next is the job title, and all applications for specific jobs must have this section. Include the title in the appropriate bold text, but make sure the word 'job' is in capital letters. An interview is sometimes required, so make sure you include this line too.Though resumes are often used for career guidance, they are not required for all universities for university students. However, it is always good to know where your application stands. This is where the personal statement comes in. This brief explanation about who you are and why you want to go to university can include a summary of your personal qualities or achievements.The personal statement is basically a farewell letter to the world of learning, and it m ay include a few anecdotes to remind people of you. However, it is important to state your reasons in the statement, including any relevant personal qualities or accomplishments that you wish to highlight. The easiest way to do this is to write down a few examples and then use your own words to do it. Your purpose is to convince the hiring manager that you have exactly what it takes to graduate from the university.The last thing that resumes for university students should contain is a summary of the main points they want to address. All of the vital information should be placed in this section. To ensure that you have a well-written resume, it is important to cover all the bases.Keep these tips in mind as you begin your resume writing for university students. By taking the time to carefully plan out the design of your resume, you can help assure the hiring manager that you have exactly what it takes to graduate from the university. Also, remember that it's not the quantity of your w ork experience that makes you qualified, but your understanding of the subject matter that helps show the prospective employer that you are truly interested in their company.

New Boss, New Strategy - Pathfinder Careers

New Boss, New Strategy - Pathfinder Careers New Boss, New Strategy Undoubtedly, most of us have gone through some kind of transition with our supervisors. Perhaps the person was recruited away to another company or maybe there was a merger and they got reassigned to another department. Whatever the reason, something important  has been lost.    When your boss leaves, they take with them  that persons knowledge of your contributions, skills, knowledge, and expertise. And a new boss means a completely blank slate. Your new job is to get to know them, ASAP.   If you dont take the time to build rapport, it could have deadly consequences to your career. The reason?   If they dont know your value, they could make decisions that dont factor you in as a valuable asset. Try using these four  tips to build a connection to a new boss: 1) Speak up in meetings.   If you are always in the background, now is the time to jump in. If you arent seen as an active participant on the team, this could be a red flag to a boss who might be surveying the landscape for potential house cleaning later.   Be a positive contributor. 2) Set up a one-on-one meeting. If the boss has not done so already, set up a time to meet with them to provide an overview of your work and to allow them to get to know you better.   Building connections will also help you both assess your working styles to figure out how you will be able to communicate best.   This can lay the ground work for a great collaborative work relationship. 3) Provide regular updates.   You dont need to be a classic brown-noser but proactively providing updates on project status or other work you are conducting is one less question or request that the boss has to make.   If you reliably turn in work or reports on-time and in an organized fashion, youll be perceived as professional and as the department standard. 4) Empower, Educate, and Engage.      New bosses dont necessarily want to admit that they are behind the learning curve in getting acclimated to a new company or division.   They are struggling to get caught up with priorities, challenges, and opportunities, while trying to get to know the team that will take them there.   Be willing to share in a helpful way to give the new boss the knowledge and tools to get them up to speed as soon as possible.   You could gain a very powerful career advocate as a result. If you build a reputation as a helpful, friendly resource who is competent in your work and an engaged member of the team, your new boss will see you as an important asset and include you in key projects and potential promotions.

5 Reasons Why You Didnt Get The Job

5 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get The Job 5 Reasons Why You Didn’t Get The Job Even if we don’t want the job, most of us want to get the offer. When you actually do want the job, getting a “pass” can be downright devastating. I’ve been there too. Sometimes knowing the reason, you weren’t hired is easy. Maybe you didn’t have most of the “requirements” but you decided to apply anyway. Perhaps you didn’t click with the hiring manager. As soon as you left the interview your gut told you that you wouldn’t be moving forward. Other times, you leave an interview feeling great and are stunned to receive a “we went another way” letter in the mail. You go over every interaction over and over trying to figure out what went wrong. The truth is in most cases you’ll never know why. One of the reasons you get vague, if any, feedback from the recruiter, hiring manager, or HR is because companies are concerned about litigation. In late 2012, employers were put on notice by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that “discrimination in hiring practices” would be one of its top priorities for the next three years, according to the  The Wall Street Journal.  This is one of the primary reasons why candidates rarely receive any specific feedback. Employers are afraid. So what can you do? Begin by trying to think about your experience objectively. While one or two things may jump out in hindsight it’s unlikely you’ll ever know for sure. But, there’s no reason you can’t go into the hiring process stronger the next time. Here are 5 common reasons why candidates don’t get hired. There Was Too Much Me, Me, Me Of course you need to sell yourself to the employer. You need to focus on your skills and accomplishments. You need to show that you are excited and enthusiastic about working with them too. But, don’t spend all your time focusing on how great you are â€" essentially me, me, me make sure you talk about what you can do for them. How can you solve the employer’s problems? That’s why they’re hiring you. You Badmouthed Your Employer (Or Past Employer) Even if your boss is the devil incarnate bite your tongue during job interviews. Share every mean thing he or she has ever done over cocktails with your best friend. That’s not appropriate conversation to have with a potential employer. Throwing your current company under the bus or badmouthing your boss is a big turnoff to hiring managers. Negatively during the hiring processes is a red-flag for a couple of reasons. It makes them wonder what you’ll be saying about them when it’s time to move on. It also makes employers think “Who wants to work with that person?” They Found Incriminating Evidence Online The first thing most recruiters do after looking at your resume is to check you out online. LinkedIn is likely the first stop, followed by other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Many will search Google or other search engines to see what the results turn up. They’re not looking for reasons to rule you out, they’re trying to learn more about you Are you continually whining about little bumps in the road or are you posting about coaching the little league team? You may not think it makes a difference but it does. Again, “who wants to work with that person?” You Moved Around Too Much   Unlike decades ago, many employers find job hopping more acceptable, particularly if you’re a younger worker. Some employers even expect it. Still, while job hopping may no longer be the kiss of death there are still a significant number of employers who won’t consider someone who has moved often. As a recruiter, I worked with a hiring manager who wouldn’t interview anyone with less than 5 years with each employer. No matter how great the candidate was.   So if you have several short stints at various companies on your resume you may be out of the running for some positions. You Just Weren’t The One   It’s possible they just didn’t think you were the right person. In the end interviewers are human. They may think you are too young or too old to fit with the company culture. They may think youre too driven or too laid back to mesh with the rest of the team. The hiring manager might not “click” with you because subconsciously you remind him of someone he doesn’t like. You may have turned him off with a weak handshake or a failure to make eye contact. Fair or not likability is part of the hiring process. When you’re looking for a new opportunity rejection is a part of life. There are dozens of candidates, in some cases hundreds of candidates, for every position. Only one person will be hired for the job. While there are some things you can’t change, like having five jobs in the last ten years, there are other things you can, like how you talk about former employers and what you post online. Focus on the things you can control and try not to obsess about the rest.