Archive for the ‘Personal Career Websites’ Category

9
Aug/10

Planning for Career Success

Since the job market has become more demanding and competitive than ever, careful and strategic career management is required to ensure you make the most of your skills and experiences.

Planning your career

The most successful career paths have good planning, a sense of direction, and clear milestones along the way. A career path needs to be flexible but it should always be structured. If you have a “map” of your intended route, you can make sure that all the activities in your working life help further your aims and give you a sense of purpose. Managing your career does not mean closing your mind to luck and chance, but involves talking and thinking about your career in a methodical way. This will help you gain further insights and recognise any opportunities as they arise, so that you can make the most of them.

Make the most of all the career choices that face you during your working life, be clear about your goals, alert to opportunities, and quick to make key decisions when necessary. Effective planning will help you be prepared and focused, so that when you need to, you can make the right choices. Nobody wants to look back on their career at retirement and wish they had taken a different path or done things another way.

So take action and give yourself the best chance possible:

  1. View managing your career as an exciting new project.
  2. Give planning your career the time and effort it deserves.
  3. Concentrate on career opportunities.
  4. Be prepared to look back as well as ahead.
  5. Ensure you have the best marketing tools at your disposal, starting with your CV or resume

Marketing yourself

CVs or resumes are critical and to be noticed a CV has to be powerful. It is your primary marketing tool. The easy answer is that you need as many versions of your CV as it takes. There are different types of Curriculum Vitae  for different job-hunting methods — and if you are using multiple strategies and approaches to search for a job, you’ll probably need multiple versions of your CV:

  1. Traditional paper Curriculum Vitae
  2. Electronic CV for attaching to email applications
  3. Personal Career Website for hosting your CV, professional information and experience
  4. Video Enhanced CV to use as an attachment on electronic CVs or on your Career Website

Maximise your opportunities for success and ensure that you are approaching your career with a practical and realistic plan, a well-written CV and a range of marketing tools to help you stand out from the crowd.

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6
Jul/10

Graduate Market Becomes Even More Competitive

Unemployment among recent graduates has risen significantly, with men worse affected than women. The Higher Education Policy Institute has estimated that unemployment among graduates aged under 24 rose by 25% from 11.1% in December 2008 to 14% in December 2009. It went on to say that at the end of 2009 17.2% of male graduates were out of work compared with 11.2% of women. Intense competition for graduate jobs means that more than three quarters of employers require at least a 2:1 degree grade - a survey conducted by the Association of Graduate Recruiters also says there are more graduates chasing fewer jobs – with vacancies down by 7%.

Applications have soared, with an average of 69 people chasing each graduate job. In response, 78% of employers are now filtering out applicants who have achieved lower than a 2:1 degree. About two thirds of students achieve either a first class degree or a 2:1 – so this means the remaining third, who will still have passed their exams and paid their tuition fees, will not even be considered by these employers. These two reports, published in July 2010 (sources BBC 7th July and BBC 4th July), show how much more competitive the graduate recruitment market is. How does a graduate respond?

He/she must rise to the challenge of marketing themselves better than other graduates. It’s what has to happen when competition increases. This happens in all markets and is a natural response. In detail, you must ensure that your CV is perfect – get professional help with it. Every small improvement is worth having.

Use a video enhanced CV – by adding a short (very short 0 30 – 60 seconds) video you can make your CV stand out. But it does much more than just that – a thoroughly practiced video transmits a lasting impression to the viewer, it allows you to control and manage first impressions, and finally, it extends by more than threefold the time a recruiter spends on your CV when doing a first screen.

Use a Career Website to be found easily. A survey run by Microsoft found that 7 out of 10 employers took online references up before meeting candidates. They googled applicants and all they found was rushed profiles placed on LinkedIn and Facebook etc. By creating your own career website via a structured service like AccendoCV you can manage this uncontrolled branding by projecting a positive career image. A career website is ‘always on’, which is essential in a competitive market.

Feel free to look at the product family offered by AccendoCV

• CV writing service
• The Video Enhanced CV (securely hosted on a career management site)
• The Career Website – personal to you, professionally designed to be visually attractive and secure.

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1
Jul/10

Beyond the CV – Market Yourself Online with a Personal Career Website

A CV is no longer enough to promote yourself in the current difficult marketplace – whilst still necessary and important, a conventional document CV does not provide the visibility required to make an impact. An obvious solution makes the most of the internet, technology and the ease of online networking – a complete vehicle for marketing your assets and talents – The Lifebrand Personal Career Website.

There is absolutely no excuse for not having an online presence in the 21st century; blogs, websites and personal networking accounts are easy to set up and maintain, but it is essential that any site which represents your professional life should be just that – professional. It must project your own personal brand in a believable and honest way, showing who you are and what you have to offer. Tacky, amateurish exercises in self-promotion are sure to put prospective employers off, as will inappropriate content or irrelevant information. An Accendo Lifebrand Career Website is a purpose-built, professional and impartial mechanism that will allow you to market yourself professionally and maturely.

What are the Benefits of a Career Website?

A Personal Career Website has many uses, and can become an integral tool in your own career development. The beauty of such a customisable idea is that each website will be unique and different, showcasing each candidate’s personal attributes and fulfilling a variety of aims. Here are a few ways to utilise a Career Website:

  • A Marketing Tool – Having a link to your own website is a great addition to your CV, creating an opportunity to show more of your qualities and experiences than CVs or short interviews often allow. Use your web address on letterheads, in email signatures, on business cards and on your CV to give a professional view of who you are.
  • A Sales Tool – A Lifebrand Career Website can make you stand out from the crowd, giving an impressive, professional, experienced impression to prospective employers or clients. It shows you value your attributes and talents, and have the foresight to showcase them in an expert manner.
  • A Networking Tool – Online networking is a great asset to job hunting and career development. Providing clients, employers and head-hunters with a succinct summary of your work, your experiences and your best qualities means you don’t have to rely on your CV alone to publicise yourself. Your website will also show up in searches for your name/company, doing half the work for you!
  • A Personal Brand – Personal branding is in important concept in career development, and an Accendo Lifebrand Personal Website can help build up a picture of who you are and what you are capable of.

What to Include?

Your Personal Career Website should project all the aspects of your personality and experience that will help you to find the job you want. You might want to consider the following for ideas on what to include:

  • Relevant and compelling adjectives to describe you, and your brand attributes
  • Your greatest strengths (think about what other people would suggest to describe you)
  • What words do people use to introduce you? How do you appear to others?
  • What are your short and long term ambitions or goals? How do you intend on achieving these?
  • Do you know what your greatest weakness is – what is holding you back?
  • Where do you want to be in 10 years’ time?

Accendo can help you to answer these questions, and assist you in creating an apt and intriguing portrayal of your personal brand, allowing you to be in control and actively and positively manage and promote your career. To ensure a high level of independence, credibility and quality, Lifebrand websites can only be edited or changed by Accendo.

Which kind of Lifebrand Website Should I Choose?

All sorts of professionals can benefit from an Accendo Lifebrand Personal Career Website. There are various different types to choose from, ranging from 3 pages to a totally bespoke design, and you can upgrade or change your type and style at any time. Accendo will guide you to the right decision for your own aims and requirements. Lifebrand Personal Websites are idea for all types of candidates, including:

  • Graduates
  • Sole-traders
  • Business Owners
  • Professionals
  • IT Technologists
  • Entrepreneurs
  • Self-employed Professionals

In the current job market, finding work, changing jobs or developing a career is more difficult than ever. Finding a way to showcase your best attributes in an innovative, professional, contemporary way is vitally important. Accendo’s Lifebrand Personal Career Websites are the answer!

Visit the Accendo Lifebrand Personal Career Website today to find out more about our entire range of options.

View existing Case Studies for an idea of what your Personal Website could look like.

Check out Accendo CV’s other Career Management Services, including CV Writing and Video Enhanced CVs.

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Posted in Personal Branding, Personal Career Websites | 1 Comment »