Beware of the Top 5 Interview Mistakes

Today’s post is courtesy of Deborah Walker, Certified Career Management Coach. For more career tips, visit her website at www.AlphaAdvantage.com.

We’ve all heard stories of job candidates who looked great on paper but who were absolute disasters in person. With fewer interview opportunities available in our competitive job market, it’s essential to make the best possible first impression. Learn from the mistakes of others and avoid these top five worst interview blunders:

1. Not preparing for the tough interview questions.

Like every job seeker, you probably have your own set of tough interview questions you hope will never be asked. The best strategy is to prepare ahead of time with answers to ALL of these questions. A career coach can be a great resource for helping you work out suitable answers with a positive spin on negative or challenging career situations.

Website Design: Got Your Magic Wand?

“Voice from the Trenches” is written by Karen Euler, director of marketing at TRO Jung|Brannen. A dedicated member of SMPS Boston, she enjoys conversing with readers via Twitter [@karen_e] or LinkedIn.

Via Twitter, I recently asked some smart tech people for recommendations for designer-developers for a website overhaul. I got a curious reply from Charlie Crystle, a serial CEO who currently serves as Interim CTO at a consumer web startup in NYC (I have met him once in real life). He tweeted back, “Click heels three times. Rinse, repeat.”

“There’s no place like (a good) home(page),” said Dorothy while wearing her ruby slippers. An architectural portfolio should look shiny-haired and beautiful, just like the shampoo label suggests. So begins the fantasy-filled voyage to a new website.

Out and About: TRADE

Today’s post is courtesy of Suzanne King, business development coordinator at Mass. Electric Construction Co. For questions or recommendations for her next review, e-mail her at sking@masselec.com.

My original intention in writing this article was to review a new, casual (and possibly romantic) dining location for a Valentine’s dinner. After going to Trade , it became apparent that while the food was delicious, it was not a good location for an intimate dinner – at least not on a Friday evening.

Located on the ground floor of the newly renovated Atlantic Wharf building (LEED Gold-Certified) in Boston’s Waterfront District, Trade has an open layout with high ceilings and front glass windows which face Atlantic Avenue and Congress Street. The atmosphere is inviting and warm. However, one thing to keep in mind is that it is loud with customer conversation, which could make it difficult to carry on a discussion.

Public Relations Can Bring Big Attention to Small Business

Today’s post is courtesy of Michele Spiewak, an account manager at Rhino Public Relations. Questions or comments? E-mail her at Michele@rhinopr.com or visit www.rhinopr.com.

In today’s business environment and media landscape, companies are vying with each other for attention from a myriad of audiences: customers, suppliers, consultants, and prospective employees to name a few. It can be especially difficult for small businesses to make a big impact in such a noisy environment. Small businesses have their own particular goals and challenges in the marketplace. Public relations can play a significant – and often cost effective – role in raising the visibility of small businesses.

Why should a small business consider launching a public relations program?

Measuring Up

Today’s post is written by Valerie Conyngham, an Associate and Marketing Manager with The Cecil Group and owner of vianne chocolat. Follow Valerie on Twitter @ValConyngham and @viannechocolat

Metrics are a part of everyday life, both inside and outside the office. In our personal lives we might be tracking our BMI, weight, running speed, even our wii fit age (mine is embarrassingly pathetic), at school we might be tracking grades, and at work we might be tracking press hits, social media mentions and proposal hit rates. But are we tracking the right thing? There are lots of people that will tell you exactly what you should be tracking and what numbers you should be aspiring to. However, the reality is that only you can decide which metrics are worth your time and what your goal numbers are. The space where this is most apparent is proposal hit rates. Here’s just some of the advice I’ve been given by respected industry peers to track and aspire to:

Top 10 Resources for Marketing in 2012: Eclectic Mix

“Voice from the Trenches” is written by Karen Euler, director of marketing at TRO Jung|Brannen. A dedicated member of SMPS Boston, she enjoys conversing with readers via Twitter [@karen_e] or LinkedIn.

Marketers are working harder than ever these days. There is barely time to pop up from the toil of the day and take stock of our surroundings. I have had a difficult time in the past few months because two people with whom I work very closely gave notice in early December. We are in dialogue with some great candidates, and I am sure a new team will take form soon, but it is has been a rocky time. Throughout, I have been supremely grateful for these aids for the busy, fretful marketer:

1. A mentor. The benefit of having someone older and wiser in your life to advise you in career matters is enormous. My mentor achieved more in her career than I can imagine achieving, so her insights truly push me beyond my comfort zone. Our relationship has grown naturally, yet I will take credit for recognizing a good thing in the making and nudging it along. If you are a little shy about approaching someone more senior, know that people who are facing the twilight years of their career are quite often very happy to share their knowledge.

6 Steps to Building Your Personal Brand

Today’s post is written by Valerie Conyngham, an Associate and Marketing Manager with The Cecil Group, an urban design and planning firm located in Boston’s Fort Point Channel neighborhood. For industry related tweets follow Valerie on Twitter: @ValConyngham

We all know that creating experts is a key way to establish credibility for our firms. When our principals are teachers, presenters, lecturers, we have something to talk about. It’s easier to present their credentials for an upcoming project, especially if you’re presenting them to someone who has seen that principal speak. Why then don’t we do the same for ourselves?

Being marketers we’re at an advantage in creating our personal brands. We know the tricks, we know how to get our names out there. And in an environment where job stability is a thing of the past it’s even more important to start building that credibility now. Maybe you’re already on your way to building your personal brand, but if not here are 6 simple steps to get your started:

Three Resume Rules for Baby Boomers

Today’s post is courtesy of Deborah Walker, Certified Career Management Coach. For more career tips, visit her website at www.AlphaAdvantage.com.

The most common concern among job seekers over 50 is that their resume tends to date them. While it’s true that with age comes wisdom, it’s also true that securing a great new job becomes challenging after a certain age. If you are a member of the baby boomer generation you’ll want to take note of the following three resume rules.

1. Don’t make it a history lesson.

One sure way to date yourself is to take your resume all the way back to your first job out of college. That type of ancient history only serves to give a time line to your age. Worse yet, it may show a zig-zag career path that leaves the reader wondering how you arrived at your current career destination.

Promoting the Mission: PR Strategy for Non-Profits

Today’s post is courtesy of Jeff Lavery, an account manager for Rhino Public Relations. Questions or comments? E-mail him at jeff@rhinopr.com, and follow his tweets on Twitter @RhinoPR_Jeff.

Oftentimes, a business will use its public relations program as a means to promote recently completed work or new assignments. In other instances, it may be tied to a new hire or promotion of a key executive. While a not-for-profit has similar motivations for drumming up awareness, marketers for non-profits must take a unique approach. External communications must be used to not only share news about the organization but also to demonstrate the effectiveness of its mission and petition for support from current and prospective donors.

After absorbing the devastating impact of the global recession on charitable giving throughout the late 2000s, non-profits faced an uphill battle as the economy sputtered to life. Private giving increased by about 2% in 2010 in comparison to the previous year, according to a study by the National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS).  According to the same study, however, giving merely rose to year 2000 levels in 2010, to approximately $290 billion. With numbers like these increasingly seen as the new normal, promoting a non-profit’s commitment to its clients and the community can play a key factor in preserving existing donation levels.

You Have A Marketing Plan. Now What?

Today’s post is courtesy of Colleen M. Doherty, MBA, Marketing Manager at Bryant Associates, Inc.

So your firm has developed the “Marketing Plan” for the new year. Now it’s time to implement the plan – where to begin and who should be involved? These are common questions for any marketing professional.

The SMPS Boston Education Committee hosted a timely and informative luncheon on Jan. 5 to address marketing planning and implementation strategies for the new year. Marc Pelletier, a seasoned marketing and business professional and principal of the Baldwin Group, facilitated the luncheon. Marc shared various strategies and tactics for ensuring that the marketing plan is put into action, as well as engaging the participants to contribute ideas and suggestions.