Facebook, is poised for its IPO. But is the social media company positioned for the 21^st century? It boasts annual sales of $3.7 billion. And 58% of its users are women. Yet unlike Google, LinkedIn, HP, Apple, and other Silicon Valley companies, Facebook has a grand total of zero women on its board of directors.

Are we jumping to conclusions? Perhaps Facebook can’t find qualified female candidates for director roles. Actually its COO, Sheryl Sandberg, is among Silicon Valley’s most respected execs. And Katie Mitic, Facebook’s head of platform and mobile marketing recently became a director at eBay.

Perhaps candidates for Facebook’s board need a better resume.  I would be happy to write a resume to help get a woman (or two) on Facebook’s board of directors. No extra charge.

A recent study by the Pew Research Center shows that the exact opposite is true among users of Facebook. They determined that the average user ends up getting more positive feedback from others than then send out themselves. This can come in the form of having their comments “liked” by others, or in the number of “friend requests” they receive on a regular basis.

Because of the positive feedback that seems to be the norm on Facebook, it actually can raise your spirits by belonging to the social network. If you are looking for a job and can incorporate Facebook into the job search, all that extra affirmation is sure to not only keep your confidence up, but may in fact help lead to a more successful hunt for employment.

More and more companies are using Facebook to help with their job searches, and the immediate feedback that using an Internet site such as this can provide can help cut down on that extended wait time between sending out a resume and receiving a reply.

And in the meantime, you can sit back and smile as your friend count grows and your likeability increases by leaps and bounds. Soon you will even be able to Like your own stock in this  company.

However, in the corporate world, such body art is frowned upon and if you show up at a job interview sporting ink, even if you the most qualified candidate for the position, you are likely to get passed over for someone who more “looks the part.”

While personal expression is usually something to be admired, when it comes to getting a job, you have to fit in before you can stand out. Make sure any tattoos are covered, either by makeup or long clothing and if you’re hunting for work, be sure to steer clear of the tattoo parlors for the time being.

One of Rihanna's tattoos

Rihanna

 Dear Paula Deen,

This is a message about life and career. The two are connected. Why did you wait so long to let the world know that you were suffering from diabetes? That’s the question that needs to be answered.

You’ve known for three years that you have the disease, which does have a genetic element to it, but is primarily linked to a poor diet. A diet, not so coincidentally, that you wholeheartedly endorse in your cooking shows and in cookbooks aimed at children.

Still, people would not be so upset with your making your illness public if it came along with the slightest amount of contrition on your part. Instead, you’ve made the “difficult” decision to go on national talk shows to tell your sob story at the exact same time that the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk announced you as a very well-paid spokeswoman.

Seriously, Paula? That’s as hard to swallow as most of your fatty, sugar-filled recipes.

It’s not even that you kept your diabetes a secret for so long. Even celebrities have a right to privacy in matters such as health. But to continue to push an unhealthy lifestyle to millions of people across the country when you know those meals are likely to increase cases of diabetes? How can you justify that?

Arguing that you only eat that way when you’re on camera, which you claim is only around ten percent of the time, also misses the point. You don’t tell people who watch your show that these meals are to be eaten occasionally.

Your shows are on all year round, and they have made you a fortune. The least you could do now is to apologize and to not continue to advance your own career and line your own pocket with your sugary sweet, “Hi, y’all!”
Quite frankly, it makes us sick.

Sincerely yours,

Paul Freiberger

Paula Deen

Marianne Gingrich and Newt Gingrich

Newt and Callista Gingrich

Of course, according to Marianne, he had already been seeing Callista Bisek, the woman who would eventually become Mrs. Gingrich No. 3, on the side. She said that after she refused his request, her then-husband further salted the wound by calling her a “Jaguar” and that he would rather have a “Chevrolet.”

Shaky car metaphors aside, what Gingrich did by adding insult to injury as he ended his second marriage was to burn his bridges and set himself up for the public relations disaster that her interview is sure to bring at a crucial moment in his political campaign.

It is never a good idea to leave a situation on bad terms if you can at all help it. Here are a few tips for those people who are planning at making a break from their current job so that they can avoid anything coming back and biting them in the future:

• Don’t leave early. If you do find a new job, make sure you tell your current employer with enough time to allow them to find an adequate replacement. You don’t have to stay there indefinitely, but the courtesy of giving two weeks’ notice is certainly something you should be willing to do.

• Keep your opinions to yourself. It may be tempting to give the boss a piece of your mind as you head for the door, but you never know when your paths might cross again. Why create an enemy for yourself? Bite your tongue and be happy with your newfound freedom.

• Don’t “cheat” on your job. If you are planning on leaving your current position, make sure that you’ve told your employer before you start tackling any duties for your new job. Just as you shouldn’t step out on your spouse, you shouldn’t have an “affair” with another boss either. If word gets out, it can get very messy for all parties involved.  Poor Newt.

Here’s the transcript of the ABC interview:

MARIANNE GINGRICH: I said to him, we’ve been married a long time. And he said, yes, but you want me all to yourself. Callista doesn’t care what I do.

ROSS: What was he saying to you, do you think?

MARIANNE GINGRICH: He was asking to have an open marriage, and I refused.

ROSS: He wanted an open marriage.

MARIANNE GINGRICH: Yeah, that I accept the fact that he has somebody else in his life.

ROSS: And you said?

MARIANNE GINGRICH: No. No. That is not a marriage.

And here’s the video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

During better times: Brad and Zoe

Brad Goreski had spent three years as the personal assistant to Rachel Zoe. By appearing on her television show, ‘The Rachel Zoe Project,’ in that capacity, he had become a recognizable name in the fashion industry.

Zoe is a fashion stylist who has worked with the Backstreet Boys, Demi Moore, Jennifer Garner, Cameron Diaz, Molly Sims, Anne Hathaway. For starters.

Although it was difficult to give up all that success, Goreski felt that he was getting older and it was time to move on. Through connections he had made while working for Zoe, he was able to convince Jessica Alba to hire him as her personal fashion consultant.

Now that he had a celebrity client of his own, Bravo decided to spin him off into a reality show called “It’s a Brad Brad World.”

Unfortunately, Zoe felt betrayed by Goreski’s actions and reports are that the relationship between the two might never be mended. However, Goreski felt he couldn’t let that stand in the way of a chance to make it in the industry on his own merits.

Ultimately, that’s today’s lesson from Brad Goreski. You have to break a few eggs in order to make an omelet, and while he never intended to hurt a friend and mentor’s feelings, he wasn’t about to let that stand in the way of his dreams.

Loyalty is a good thing, but blind loyalty at the expense of one’s own happiness doesn’t help anyone.  Read more about Brad here.

David Wiley on the Jay Leno Show

David G. Willey was a physics professor at the University of Pittsburgh who started taking on consulting jobs as a way to supplement his salary. After all, teachers don’t get paid nearly what they are worth.

Although he didn’t make much money at first, a funny thing happened while he was doing this extra work. He got discovered by Jay Leno and before too long he was making regular appearances on “The Tonight Show.” Soon, he was making appearances all over the country as “The Mad Scientist” and a new career took flight.

When you’re unemployed and in the middle of a job search, it might not seem like a good idea to simply “give your work away for free.” However, starting up a consulting business of your own is a good way to keep that time on the unemployment line as brief as possible.

At first, you may have to simply volunteer your services, or charge far less than they’re worth. But in the long run, this will only serve to help you. Not only will you be making a name for yourself that can lead to referrals and more and more paying clients, but consider the positive impression that your staying active can make.

When you do get that job interview and you are asked what you’ve been doing lately, which answer do you think will impress your prospective employer more? Do you want to tell them, “I’ve been looking for work, so I haven’t really done anything for the last few months” or would you rather say “I’ve been working with these three clients on some small projects.”

It’s always better to stay active in your field of expertise than to sit around feeling sorry for yourself. Starting up your own consulting business is the perfect way to enhance your job search and keep depression at bay.

There are many ways to learn massage and develop careers. It’s always true that getting some respected training improves your chances and your ability, which can improve your chances of earning more and having stability in your work life.

Massage therapy as a form of career improvement.

The National Holistic Institute is one organization you can consider. It has earned some positive reviews and it has locations nationwide.

Among the reasons NHI says its students select massage as a career:

• You get a great feeling in helping people have a better day.
• It gives you a chance to have an independent career.
• You can take it wherever you go.
• It’s a chance to interact with people while being a powerful influence on them.
• You can work as much or as little as you wish with a flexible schedule.

Some states require certification to become a massage therapist. The time it takes to get certified varies and depends on individual licensing laws. In some places there is no regulation and you can start whenever you are ready.

Before getting started you should certainly do additional research. I recommend checking out the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) for a discussion of professional benefits and opportunities. AMTA publishes the Massage Therapy Journal, which will help you learn a lot about goings-on in the field.

Achieving a successful massage therapy practice can take two years or longer, but it can still bring in extra income.  You can find work at resorts and spas but also at airports, fitness centers, and nursing homes.

You have to identify yourself to the job managers and the human resource professionals and everyone else, to the best of your ability as the person they want and need.  Here are some suggestions:

Bill Gates here with wife, Melinda, has a solid brand, but it has evolved based on need.

1. Resume tweaking. Pay attention to the job description. DO NOT  TREAT EACH JOB AS IDENTICAL.  Study the job description and make some adjustments to your resume to match the most important requirements listed in the listing. This will improve your chances of making it through the software filters (and the human ones, too). For years as head of Microsoft Bill Gates promoted his brand as a technology wizard. Now that he is mainly working to advance his Gates Foundation, his brand is more humanistic. He has changed it based on his need.
2. Identify your unique personal selling point. What makes you different? What is distinctive about you on the job that will make a difference. This has to come across in your resume, as well as your cover letter and in every phone screen and in-person interview.
3. Listen carefully. Part of figuring out what  to communicate is to understand well what makes them tick, or, what they are looking for.
4. Practice.  Create your branding pitch. Write it down first and read it aloud. Read it over and over. Gradually you’ll learn it just as actors learn their lines. You’ll make a more compelling case for yourself.

Job seekers must be consistent with their brand. You can always refine it and perfect it, but don’t ignore the importance of representing yourself to the best of your ability. It is a priceless benefit.

1. The new resume will boost your confidence, assisting you in applying the energy and focus a job search requires to succeed.
2. By doing a better job of identifying and highlighting your accomplishments, hiring managers will glance at your resume and realize that you make a difference so they will want to talk to you.
3. The resume – when done properly – acts as your best friend when it comes to preparing for job interviews. With the right resume, preparing for interviews is suddenly far easier.
4. The right resume will also help you use LinkedIn for your job search because it will have most of what you need to improve your LinkedIn profile
5. Shimmering Resumes will ensure that the resume highlights the most relevant skills for your job search while avoiding jargon that turns off readers.

I know these rates will increase in days as everyone moves away from the holiday season to make their career plans for the coming year. Companies will increase hiring in the new year, so but don’t wait to get started.

Shimmering Resumes has an unprecedented discount to improve your resume.