Building your web site is simple. You already have most of the content. Nontechies (us normal people) shrink at the thought of creating a web site because it"s complicated. That doesn"t have to be the case. For years, I have been referring people to 3 great sites where you can buy a ready-made template that you can customize to fit your own needs.
The first is Templatemonster.com at at www.templatemonster.com. Historically, the advantage of using a template has been that you save time by not needing to master the technology first, but you do it at the cost of good looks. Frankly, looks matter. If a web site doesn"t look good, people will not bother with it. CEO David Braun has a.s.sembled a top-notch team of graphic artists who build and release up to a dozen new templates every day. These sites are pure eye-candy and cost as little as $25. Guerrilla, you can"t beat that.
Two other options include 1and1.com and and G.o.daddy.com These are superb resources. In both case you can choose a template and publish it to the Internet in minutes through their online, menu-driven, self-serve web site. The content is all you need to provide. These are superb resources. In both case you can choose a template and publish it to the Internet in minutes through their online, menu-driven, self-serve web site. The content is all you need to provide.
However you choose to get your site up and running, here are the major sections you need to include: * Home page* Contact page* Resume or experience page with all your resumes on it: Guerrilla, Extreme, ASCII, and so on* Interests or links page* Any optional pages you deem appropriate
The content of those pages must do the following: * It should engage the reader.* It must present a clean professional image.* Be consistent. It should present the same brand you are trying to achieve with your resumes and cover letter.* It should have a call to action-you need to tell readers what to do next or, at the very least, make it easy for them to contact you.* If you write a blog, there should be a link to it.
If you want to be seen in the best possible light as a potential employee, then your web site should not: should not: * Appear folksy or cute * Appear folksy or cute* Link to any questionable web sites of a religious, political, or s.e.xual nature* Have pictures of you and your family-especially young children-because you don"t know who is looking at the site and for what reason* Have your home address* Make mention or hint of your marital status* Your home phone number (get a second line or make them use e-mail)* Any personal information of any kind that could lead to ident.i.ty theft such as your Social Security number or driver"s license number
Recruiters (whether they be the employer"s or a headhunter) search the Internet for keywords. If you have a "Projects" section, you need to have hyperlinks that connect as described in the e-resume section, with links to: * Your current and past employers* a.s.sociations you belong to* Articles in which you or your project are mentioned* University and colleges you have attended* Special certifications you have received* Anything else that would prompt a call or inquiry from a curious recruiter
Most of the content for your web site will come straight from your resume. Keep your writing short and tight. The site"s purpose is to prompt the reader to call you, not to answer all questions.
Darryl Praill"s site is a great example (see Figure 6.1 Figure 6.1). It"s engaging, informative, and bold like the man himself. See what he"s done that you might incorporate in yours.
Your Blog
A blog is a powerful addition to your web site.
A blog blog is an electronic journal that has been made available on the web for others to read. The activity of updating a blog is is an electronic journal that has been made available on the web for others to read. The activity of updating a blog is blogging, blogging, and someone who keeps a blog is a and someone who keeps a blog is a blogger. blogger. Blogs are typically updated using software designed for people with little or no technical background. Blogs are typically updated using software designed for people with little or no technical background.
Figure 6.1 Darryl Praill. Darryl Praill.
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Your strategic use of a blog can make you a prime target for employers and headhunters. Why? Because you"re making it easier for people to find you on the Web. Just think of it: no more waiting for your blue-haired Web designer to update your site. You can post to your blog yourself. Having your own blog gives you credibility and a forum to demonstrate your expertise. If you"re not an expert, you can become the oracle by linking to other bloggers, articles, news sources, and web sites. You build your credibility by highlighting what others are doing. For example, if your goal is to be hired as a teacher, you can talk about the latest developments in K-12 or ADHD.
Best of all, blogging can be done for free. Check out these sites to start your guerrilla job-hunting blog: * www.typepad.com * * www.wordpress.com * * www.blogger.com
If you are not certain what to write about, then go to www.blogsearch.google.com and look at what other bloggers are doing. and look at what other bloggers are doing. BlogSearchGoogle.com will allow you to keyword search any subject. (There"s that term again-You should get used to hearing it because finding things on the Web-and being found on the Web-relies on understanding how to exploit keywords.) Fire up your Web browser, surf over to will allow you to keyword search any subject. (There"s that term again-You should get used to hearing it because finding things on the Web-and being found on the Web-relies on understanding how to exploit keywords.) Fire up your Web browser, surf over to www.blogsearch.google.com, and enter the keywords that are relevant to your area of expertise. In fact, while you"re there, create a Blog Alert [on the left-hand side of the screen]. Now, read what other people are writing about. It is that easy.
From a personal branding perspective, your blog is a billboard on the Internet. Use it to get people to stop at your web site, read your resume, and call you for an interview. Blogging can help you find a job in the following ways: * Increase your visibility because search engines love blogs.* Demonstrate your critical thinking and communication skills, which employers look for.* Establish and legitimize you as an expert in the field/function you want to be recruited into.* Brand you as informed and savvy.* Invite discussions and inquiries.
Being easy to find is the first step in securing your career future. If you do it correctly, you may never need to go looking for a job again because you"re making yourself easy to find. Being found is what you want; it enables you to market yourself 24 hours a day at little or no cost. Make certain to link your blog post to your web site, LinkedIn account, Facebook, and/or Mys.p.a.ce account. Type pad will do this automatically for you with the widgets (mini applications) available on its site.
Does this work? Adam Swift started a blog on mixed martial arts in his spare time while completing his law degree. Mark Cuban found him, bought the blog www.mmapayout.com, and acquired Adam in the process.
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A WAR STORY.
Adam Swift
During my second year of law school, I realized I didn"t want to be a lawyer. I had always had a pa.s.sion for sports business, particularly for the promotional aspects of professional wrestling as a child, and later mixed martial arts (MMA). Since I had entered law school, MMA had exploded into one of the fastest growing sports in the world. I decided to give it a shot and began mailing resumes and making phone calls to the leading companies in the industry. After months of frustrating cold calling, I realized that if I was going to land my dream job, it was going to take a more nonconventional approach.
I read Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters over the summer before my final year of law school. One of the strategies discussed was the use of blogging in order to demonstrate expertise and become more accessible to headhunters. I decided to implement this strategy by starting a blog dedicated to the business of MMA. I"ve always enjoyed writing and figured that at worst I would find a fun hobby. over the summer before my final year of law school. One of the strategies discussed was the use of blogging in order to demonstrate expertise and become more accessible to headhunters. I decided to implement this strategy by starting a blog dedicated to the business of MMA. I"ve always enjoyed writing and figured that at worst I would find a fun hobby.
MMAPayout.com was born in September of 2007. It didn"t take long for the blog to develop a following and start to produce networking opportunities. My timing couldn"t have been better because almost simultaneously a contract dispute broke out in the UFC, allowing me the chance to put my legal education to work. The exposure I gained covering that story generated some professional writing opportunities with magazines. I was able to parlay that into more networking opportunities and even a little side cash. was born in September of 2007. It didn"t take long for the blog to develop a following and start to produce networking opportunities. My timing couldn"t have been better because almost simultaneously a contract dispute broke out in the UFC, allowing me the chance to put my legal education to work. The exposure I gained covering that story generated some professional writing opportunities with magazines. I was able to parlay that into more networking opportunities and even a little side cash.
By the spring of 2008, I was being sought out by the New York Times New York Times and and Washington Post Washington Post for my expert opinion. I had also begun receiving feelers from various employers about potential job opportunities. The site even produced a fairly lucrative part-time consulting practice and I counted among my clients a billion-dollar public corporation. for my expert opinion. I had also begun receiving feelers from various employers about potential job opportunities. The site even produced a fairly lucrative part-time consulting practice and I counted among my clients a billion-dollar public corporation.
Shortly before graduation, about 9 months after I started blogging, I accepted a position with Mark Cuban"s HDNet Fights as manager of Marketing Alliances. Mark and Andrew Simon, the CEO of the company, had become familiar with me by reading my blog.
Adam Swift is the manager of Marketing Alliances of HDNet Fights (www.hdnetfights.com), one of the leading MMA organizations in the country, founded by Mark Cuban.
GUERRILLA TIP.
Don"t bad-mouth your current or former employers; it could cost you your current job, and it certainly could turn off prospective employers. The point of blogging is to get a job, not lose a future opportunity.
Mys.p.a.ce and Facebook
Mys.p.a.ce has more than 200 million users. If Mys.p.a.ce was a country it would be the fifth largest in the world. More than 25 percent of all Americans are on Mys.p.a.ce. On average, 300,000 people sign up to Mys.p.a.ce every day. Do you think recruiters are using it to find pa.s.sive job hunters? You bet. They use Mys.p.a.ce and Facebook with equal regularity.
I can hear you saying, "Geez, Dave, this is a lot of work," and you are right, but there are a few tricks you can use to decrease the time it takes to be found and it is still a lot faster than looking for a job the old fashioned way. Remember, thousands of recruiters and employers may be looking for you right now and, if they can"t find you, your next job may go to a lesser qualified, more Internet savvy individual. It doesn"t have to be. First, you already have most of the information you need to start a Facebook or Mys.p.a.ce account. Just recycle it from your resume, blog, and web site. Make sure that each Web presence you create links to all the others because this increases your ranking in Google and moves you to the top of the list. Invite your friends and colleagues, current and past. Join groups that are in line with your professional interests.
Last, check out the employers you are targeting by searching for their corporate profile on Mys.p.a.ce and Facebook. If you go to Alexa.com, you can see who has the most traffic of Mys.p.a.ce, Facebook, Monster, and CareerBuilder. Can you guess? Try it!
GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE.
Targeted Advertising with Facebook w.i.l.l.y Franzen
Traditional career experts will tell you that "job wanted ads" never work. "It"s been done a million times, and it never delivers results." If you asked about Facebook as a job search tool, they would probably tell you that your embarra.s.sing pictures from college can only cause trouble. "It"s a good way to lose your job or never get hired in the first place. Stay away from it." This well-meaning advice is dead wrong.
As a business owner, I"ve used Facebook"s targeted advertising platform to bring college grads and internship seekers to my web sites. Since Facebook allows advertisers to target their ads to individuals at a given workplace, I"ve also dabbled in using the advertising to reach employers who might be interested in advertising jobs on my web site. I quickly realized that job seekers can also use Facebook to target employers. To test my idea, I organized an experiment with 5 recent college grads. I encouraged each to design a Facebook ad and target specific companies they would like to work for. Their ads included a picture, a quick note about why they wanted to work for the company, and a link to an online version of their resume. The results were almost immediate-all enjoyed some level of response. One received dozens of e-mails from people willing to help her land a job at their company.
Facebook ads won"t instantly land you a job but they will open the door to new opportunities and get your resume to the top of the pile. By using creativity to stand out, you can make a positive initial impression.
To get started with your ad campaign, all you need is a Facebook account, a credit card, and some sort of publicly accessible online resume (a solid advertising campaign can be done for under $20). Once you have those, head over to www.facebook.com/ads/, and use their simple interface. You can have a campaign running in under 10 minutes.
The most important thing that you must do is write your ad copy specifically for each employer you target-it"s amazing how changing a few words can drastically change the number of people who click on your ad. Once your ads are running, monitor them. Try different variations.
If you do it right, employers will be knocking on your door to talk about their job. From there, it"s up to you to impress them and seal the deal.
For a step-by-step guide on how to manage your own Facebook job-wanted advertising campaign, type the following into Google"s search box, "Use Facebook Ads to make employers hunt you down."
w.i.l.l.y Franzen is the founder of One Day, One Job-www.onedayonejob.com-and One Day, One Internship-www.onedayoneinternship.com-2 sites that help college students find entry level jobs and internships. He can be reached at
YOUR PUBLIC RELATIONS STRATEGY-PUBLIC RELATIONS IS NOT JUST FOR PRODUCTS
After the invention of blogging, it didn"t take long to attach voice capabilities to an RSS feed. Next came the software to allow people to organize and automatically download posted mp3s from podcasting web sites. Enter Peter Clayton, an award winning writer-director of corporate image, marketing, and doc.u.mentary films and founder of TotalPictureRadio.com. TotalPictureRadio.com was the first-ever podcast for job hunters and career strategists. Now some 50,000 people download his show and listen to it whenever and wherever they want. was the first-ever podcast for job hunters and career strategists. Now some 50,000 people download his show and listen to it whenever and wherever they want.
GUERRILLA INTELLIGENCE.
Working with the Press Peter Clayton