This is a favourite blog post which I often share on Facebook or retweet on Twitter. As an inspirational post, many of the authors are recognized for their courage in sharing their own personal experiences touching on failures and successes to offer advice. The key word is personal! It denotes a genuine and authentic impression lending credibility to the content.

The reason I quickly deleted that particular days article without investing the time to read it was because it lacked a personal touch; the photo! Since all but this one post have consistently provided a personal photo and short introduction, it wasn’t until I received one without it that I realized it had been a key component of these articles; it put a human being behind the words. It was a personal touch which generated a first impression of credibility.

First impressions count! Reaching out to offer a firm handshake is the personal touch which will interest someone to get to know you. It is a personal message on Linkedin rather than the generic message that will inspire someone to link in with you. And it will be a professional photo added to your online profiles which will create a positive first impression and the personal touch needed to generate credibility. It will influence decision makers to invest the time to read your profile and discover your qualifications. Although your cover letter and resume will not include a photo, the opportunity is still there to add a personal touch by sending it attention to a specific individual and adding content which is directly related to the company and position.

The face to face personal touch, whether a firm handshake, a genuine smile or a friendly greeting will generate a positive impression. If you want to share information online, a professional photo generates a positive first impression and is key to establishing a genuine, authentic and credible brand. Don’t forget this most important personal touch!

ABOUT US

Elite Resumes has been providing successful resume help and job search strategies since 1993. Martin Buckland, Principal of Elite Resumes, is one of Canada’s leading authorities on highly effective resume writing, high impact cover letters, successful job-search strategies, executive coaching, personal branding and interview tutoring. He has many years of training, experience, professional development and industry knowledge. Tap into his elite network of key human resources, executive search firm and placement contacts.

Martin’s certifications elevate him to an elite group of career professionals in North America:

Certified Professional Resume Writer
Co-Pilot Executive Coach
Certified Job & Career Transition Coach
Certified Job Search Trainer
Certified Professional Branding Strategist
Certified Employment Interview Professional
Online Professional Networking Strategist
Microblogging Career Strategist
Social Networking Career Strategist
Certified Social Media Career Strategist

Clarity in the direction of your career will result in the confidence that is needed to stand out in the crowd and positively influence recruiters and HR professionals. If you are not sure about where your career is headed, you can be assured that those recruiting to fill a specific role will have no idea either and no reason to consider you as a potential candidate.

Organizations are very clear about the position they wish to fill and Recruiters or HR professionals are entrusted to secure the right candidate; the individual that most closely resembles this criteria and one who exudes the confidence that says, “I’m the right candidate and I will exceed your expectations in this job!” It is the clarity, confidence and expertise exuded that has even influenced some employers to create a position in their organization.

If you are currently in career transition and not completely confident in the direction of your career or employed in a position that is not meeting your expectations, seek out professional advice from an Executive Career Management Professional. “A professional coach will listen, collaborate, support and assist you to identify and gain clarity on your goals, achieve your dreams, fulfill your aspirations and enhance your power to succeed.”

After reviewing registrations recently for one of our monthly networking meetings, it was obvious that email addresses which varied greatly from a given name were not only a problem for us but seemed to be for the owners of the email address as well. On 2 separate registrations from the same individual one email address consisted of their first and last name and the other, their first and last name with the number 1 after it. Which one is the correct one? Did the owner create 2 separate email accounts? How far back do we go to discover the correct one? Let’s search incoming mail even though it appears the 1 was simply a typo.  Remember, don’t assume because the email with the number 1 after the name was the correct “one”.

Another email which appeared to be the first name and the first 3 letters of the last name also required further investigation because the first three letters of the last name were brd but the email address was bdr! Another typo? Is someone dyslexic? Was the last name spelled incorrectly or was the email address incorrect? Upon further investigation, which is my point, the inconsistency between the name and the email address was correct!

This is the given name, kazimier and this is the name used for the email address, casimir! Should we invest any additional time to consider if there is a typo here?

If you simplify your email address costly mistakes could easily be avoided. Imagine an amazing lead that could have come your way except the email address you provided for yourself was incorrect or was translated incorrectly! We are all aware that keeping it simple will result in fewer mistakes and increase efficiency. Your email address is a key piece of contact data; choosing to become too creative could lead to confusion.

Here are a few tips to consider for your 2012 email address:

• Write down your full name, the name which appears on your resume and mailing address and establish an email address that is as clearly related to this name as possible.
• Do not use words other than your name such as ballplayer, sexyone or gonefishing. The days of Hotmail are long gone and if you still have a hotmail or aol address, get rid of it.
• If your proper name is available, use it and only it. Don’t add numbers, extra letters or varied spelling if it is not necessary.
• If your name is not available give consideration to using a middle name or initials. Avoid numbers or a year of birth which mean nothing to anyone else who may be trying to decipher your email address. Consider a first initial with middle name or something which might be more familiar to those interested in your email address such as, johnsmithcga@ or johnsmithemba@.
• Avoid underscores as they are sometimes lost in the underline or confused with a dot. Unless the letters are within your name, use caution with i’s and j’s. Depending on the font type used, ijij you could be left guessing which letter it is.
• Stay as consistent as you possibly can and no one will ever be left guessing! The easier you are to contact the better your chances are of being contacted. The consistency between your name and your email address should be extended to your twitter, facebook and linkedin url’s; .com/name
• Create your google profile and establish an @gmail.com account. Rogers.com is another respected email provider.
• Those who have stayed current have likely purchased one or more domain names using a given name or company name. Establishing an email address in relation to the domain name is usually free and another option for creating a consistent, professional email address; JohnSmith@johnsmith.com.

Simplify your email address and reduce the risk of mistakes. That missed email might have been the opportunity of a lifetime!

Although a strong Internet presence is critical to any professional seeking to advance in their career, there is still one very important document which is an absolute must and that is a Professional Resume! Why? Because it is the core of your job search strategy and could very will be the source for seeking you out online. Perhaps you have excelled so well at establishing your personal brand online that you have simply been discovered by an interested potential employer? That’s great but you will still be asked to submit your resume prior to an interview! An experienced Certified Professional Writer has the potential to discover your most influential achievements and qualifications; those same key attributes a potential employer is looking for. Your resume should be updated and ready to send at every available opportunity. When you pay a professional to compose this most valuable and influential document, you are receiving a document which will be highly regarded by HR professionals and Recruiters but also one which will provide you with the majority of professional content needed to create your online presence. It is the consistency of content in your resume and online profiles which will ensure a credible and professional impression.

Don’t underestimate the importance of a professional resume. The most significant change in the past 15 years is not it’s relevance in today’s job market but simply that is now shared as a computer document rather than a paper document.

Every ExecuNet meeting provides the opportunity for each participant to share a 1 minute “infomercial” to clearly enunciate their value. This meeting however, will give you the opportunity to sell yourself to the leading Executive Recruiters in the industry!

Executive Recruiters can play an important role in your career management however, there are numerous inaccurate assumptions and misnomers about the recruitment process and how Executive Recruiters operate. Martin Buckland, Principal of Elite Resumes and ExecuNet Facilitator will conduct a Question and Answer period to further engage discussion and information sharing among event participants. To ensure all questions are addressed, please submit your questions upon arrival.

What will you gain by attending this meeting of career experts?

• Learn how to introduce yourself to Executive Recruiters.

• Uncover why Executive Recruiters very rarely return your phone calls.

• Network with leading Canadian Executive Recruiters in: Interim Management, Banking, Insurance, Real Estate,  Private  Equity, Infrastructure, Advanced Technology, Communications, Utilities, Not-For-Profit and Consumer Products.

• Uncover how Executive Recruiters source talent and how to gain the maximum traction to attract their attention during a career transition or while gainfully employed.

• How do Executive Recruiters evaluate your career history if you are contemplating changing industries?

• Acquire knowledge on how Executive Recruiters use social media including LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to find   candidates.

The following renowned Executive Recruiters will be joining our Executive Recruitment Panel:

Linda Clark

Partner/Recruiter

Knightsbridge Human Capital Solutions

Mandeep Grewal

Deputy Managing Partner

Rosenzweig & Company Inc.

Joe Zinner

Managing Director

Zinner & Company Inc.

Register today to advance your network of key career influencers!

Attendance for this event is limited to 75 participants and will be sold out quickly!

HR professionals and recruiters are googling potential candidates to verify credentials, work  history, gain an insight into their personality and review testimonials and recommendations. Organizations and companies must investigate extensively to ensure the substantial investment to hire nets the best possible candidate. This due diligence is necessary for anyone when considering an investment to secure the services of a professional whether long term or short term.

There will always be some willing to cash in on the vulnerability of those in career transition as we have seen recently in an investigation by CBC Marketplace, Job seekers warned about Toronto firm’s pitch. As stated in this article and previously posted on this site in, Recruiters Don’t Ask Job Seekers To Pay, no reputable organizations; recruiters, “job search marketing firms” or career management professionals will ever guarantee a job.

Professional Advice For Your Job Search and Google It and Avoid a Scam also reiterate the need for due diligence in the decisions made when managing an executive career. Your future starts with you and there are many reputable executive career management professionals qualified to assist in helping to meet or even exceed your career goals. Look for testimonials and referrals from trusted colleagues and join the pertinent groups on Linkedin to share in the many discussions available. Learn from the expertise shared by others and discover the advantages of highlighting your own expertise and expanding your professional network.

Should separating your personal and professional online profiles be a concern or a consideration?

Social media has enabled anyone with an interest, the ability to put themselves into the spotlight but unlike other media’s of the past, the control over the flow of information generated today utilizing social media is directly from the user. The options to establish your place in this spotlight, your online presence, are many. It is an easy task to research the professional sites versus the social or personal sites. Clearly, Linkedin is the number one professional networking site with over 150 million users. Other professional social media sites include Naymz, Zoominfo, VisualCV, ExecuNet and the list goes on. Sites such as Monster have rolled out Beknown on the FB platform to secure a significant online presence with networking opportunities and HAPPEN will soon be revamping their website to embrace the advantages of a social media site.

Today, there is no question that Facebook dominates as the number 1 social media site with 845 million users, forecasting 1 billion users by August 2012! This number of users, which is 695 million more than Linkedin must inspire the following question: Is it reasonable for anyone managing a career and working towards establishing a visible online profile to ignore the opportunity to establish a presence on Facebook? Professional Pages and Business Pages on Facebook have influenced millions and are easily established without any cost. Although a personal profile is necessary to establish a professional page, it is not necessary to have any direct link between them.

All social media sites offer privacy settings but when managing an executive career, especially for those in career transition, the risk is in blocking access to decision makers, potential employers and recruiters. Those who have the potential to positively impact your career should also not be left with the impression that you have something to hide. Embrace all that social media has to offer and concentrate on a consistent, authentic and genuine online presence regardless of whether it is a Linkedin profile or a Facebook profile;  a career network or a social network! Your online presence should be who you are and a decision to hide a personal profile or to establish a professional profile which varies greatly from a personal one will only serve to damage any credibility. Establish a true personal brand and stand proudly behind it. Obviously those who are dishonest or have been involved in criminal activity will have a more difficult time with the idea of being open and forthright but for many, you can be assured that decision makers are aware that professionals also have personal lives.

Today we are sharing comments with hundreds, thousands and potentially millions of people! It is true that our enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of us but it is during these times that you must take your fingers off the keyboard! Walk away, take a deep breath and enjoy a cup of green tea.  Heightened emotional states do not present a foundation conducive to presenting a professional personal brand.

A recent thread of numerous comments on Facebook had one individual standing out from all the rest. Approximately 10 people shared complimentary, friendly, light comments regarding a photo but one individual chose to post accusatory, insulting, rude comments using inappropriate language. The intended recipient certainly gained my respect when he simply ignored her unfounded and unnecessary comments. If an employer was able to view this profile, it would be a very easy decision to eliminate the obvious troublemaker from a list of potential candidates for hire.

Standing behind your values, morals and opinions is acceptable unless you feel the need to initiate an offensive online diatribe with someone who disagrees. A conversation which continues on long past any chance of a reasonable conclusion or mutual agreement may only impact a few, whereas online you could be leaving a permanent, negative impression that will be seen by hundreds, thousands or even more! Don’t comment back and forth to the extent that you have exhausted a topic. Agree to disagree or simply let it go! Any professional, social interactions entered into online require respect and should never reach the “I’m right and you’re wrong” stage.

Offering advice can be seen as thoughtful, giving, generous and further enhance the expertise and professionalism of a personal brand but a recent Linkedin discussion easily portrayed an individual as anything but, when the advice offered contained more personally directed negative criticism than it did positive advice.

Think positive, think professional and give serious consideration to the personal brand you wish to establish. Online comments have the potential to increase your visibility and your opportunities! One bad day and a few emotional or negative comments could easily tarnish an otherwise impressive personal brand and eliminate you from consideration as the next CEO or VP! Don’t hit send until you are sure the comment you are posting is appropriate and professional!

Why you should plan your exit before you’re in the door by Deborah Stokes for Canadian Business is written in response to the shrinking lifespan of a chief executive position. The evolving shortened tenure only heightens the need to take charge of managing an executive career and perhaps the most critical investment; a professional resume from a recognized, Certified Professional Resume Writer! This is an investment that presents a  clear and significant ROI. A resume is your ticket in the door and if it impresses the decision maker you’re one step closer to your next position. Securing a job interview is wholly dependent on a professional resume. Although networking likely led to discovering the open position, or even a recommendation, it is still your resume which will precede the interview or preclude you from the interview. The leverage to negotiate a salary increases with the number of offers to choose from and the most clearly recognized ROI that a professional resume will provide is a significant reduction of the time spent in career transition. If you secure your next position within 6 months rather than 12 months as a result of investing $1,000 for a professional resume, the ROI based on an annual salary of $150,000 would be $74,000! You may not reduce your job search by 6 months but even 1 month could result in a substantial return on your investment.

Contact Elite Resumes for a free resume critique from a Certified Professional Resume Writer.

Do you have a Facebook account? Are you a follower or a leader? If you have access to the Internet, it is simply a matter of time before you will decide to follow the other 800 million people and join Facebook. There is no doubt that for many it is the natural resistance to change that could be holding them back so if the numbers are convincing enough, it should be noted that Facebook was launched almost 8 years ago!

Another influential social media site is Twitter which was established in 2006 and currently has over 462 million users. An easy to use, real time resource, Twitter has become a favourite source for all who recognize it’s potential.

The absolute minimum online presence for anyone managing a career or business is Linkedin. Currently with over 136 million users, Linkedin provides a professional site with the resources to display authentic references and a career history linked to company’s and organizations. Networking with other professionals, following companies, job listings and the potential to connect with key decision makers around the world makes this the ultimate in job search tools.

Social media is not a passing fad and the consistent growth of Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin to name only a few, will ensure these social media sites continue to be key resources in the successful management of any career or business. No longer is there a choice to be the leader in joining these sites but by following those who did take the lead you are sure to discover the many benefits of online networking!