28-Day Campaign #JobSearch Series

It’s the New Year! Many companies are looking to hire this time of hear. Meanwhile, many people are still struggling with unemployment. I know both of these facts because:

  1. I used to be a recruiter who worked with both companies hiring and individuals looking to be hired – and
  2. Just 7 months ago I was in that “unemployed category”

As a recruiter in my previous life, I have always understood the value of creativity when putting yourself on display for a potential opportunity (ie. resume). I saw many resumes that stood no chance because they had no differentiation (or 100 words misspelled)! By the same token, I also saw a few resumes that were pushed to “priority” because they brought something to the able that no one else did – personality!

In my “new” life, which has come back full circle to marketing, emphasizing on the “social” and “community” element, I was fortunate to have had those experiences as a recruiter. In finding myself working “pro bono” and ultimately unemployed about 7-8 months ago, I turned to Campaign #HireHoff. You may or may not have ever stumbled upon it. That doesn’t matter. What matters is how I did this. No, I am not a Personal Branding or Social Media expert by any means, but my goal for you (as it was for me) is to make you one less person on the job market!

Create a habit. Get “good” at you. Figure out who you are, what you want and where you want to be. They say creating a habit takes 28 days, and thus Campaign #JobSearch will last 28 days. Each day will focus on a different component to what I did and hopefully somewhere along the way you’ll pick up a thing or two.

Create Your Habit. Create Your Personal Brand. 2011 is about to be your best year yet!

The Digital Mention Change

On Tuesday I mentioned the 2011 Digital Mention Goals. And I also mentioned that word, “change.”

It has been 8 months since I began this Blog. The Digital Mention has been more than just a “Blog” to me; it has been a statement of personal growth, self-awareness and professional development.

I began the Digital Mention as a way to showcase and discuss other people and was ‘”built on the premise that everyone “secretly” or “not-so-secretly” wants their digital mention with and in whatever they do.”‘ But like most blogs, it has evolved and is continuously evolving, into something different than I originally planned for. No longer am I concerned with giving to people a “digital mention,” but more so to provide people information, resources and an angle of “thought leadership” into the areas they might be concerned most with.

Perhaps this is because I’m another year older or even more likely is the fact that my “professional” self has changed drastically this past year. This has allowed for new and exciting experiences, knowledge and (the hope) to share it all with the readers I am so grateful for.

During this past year, I have developed extreme passions comprised of:

  1. Generation Y utilizing the social web to “find a job” and excel in their own personal branding (via Campaign #HireHoff & #iBrandY)
  2. Community Management (I am currently the Online Community Manager Fitness/Sporting Goods (FitClub) at Sears Holdings Corporation)
  3. Integrated Marketing Communications (Social Media is not an Introvert)
  4. Generation Z (Start paying attention to them now)
  5. Social Media as it relates to health/fitness/food (Ok, let’s be honest – I’ve always been interested in this)

So back to the 2011 “goal” I’m striving for:

Be the digitally-addicted country girl with a foodie-fitness flare striving to simplify, create & engage in areas relevant to experience.

Those 5 “areas” are what I want to be present for, contribute to, provide value and focus on by giving without expecting return!

Have you thought about your 2011 goals for your own blog yet? I’d love to hear about what they are!