5 Types of Content Thatll Collect Links and Shares

5 Types of Content Thatll Collect Links and Shares Weve heard the phrase, you are what you eat,  but what about you are what you create? Cutting through the content noise online is difficult. How is it that some pieces of  content resonate incredibly well with a particular audience, while others fall on deaf ears and flop? Some content pulls huge social engagement, but is not picked up Google, while other content ranks well but isnt on social. Surely theres a logical explanation, and logical steps you can take to give your content the best chance at success? To find out what type of content will get you links and social shares, and why both are important, Ive interviewed  Steve Rayson of Buzzsumo  (content marketing and SEO tool). Dont fancy reading? Have a listen on iTunes, SoundCloud  and be sure to subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast. 1. Authoritative content  answering popular questions So number one, the obvious one is content that answers questions. In particular, authoritative content that answers questions. It might be as simple as, what is content marketing, what is shareable content, what is a backlink. Often those sorts of posts, those posts that answer questions, they get shared quite well, but they also gain a lot of backlinks, because people will refer to them I think almost as references. So certainly, content that answers popular questions, that seems to do incredibly well, and theyre classic examples really, but one of the ones that stands out for me is, What is content marketing? by Content Marketing Institute. Obviously, theyre an authority, a short post theyve got on what is content marketing. Theres not that many shares, maybe 5000, 6000, but its got over 2000 domain links, which is huge, really. 2. Strong opinion political posts The one that I think surprised me a bit more was strong opinion posts, or controversial posts. There seems to be no question that controversial content gets shares, but it also gets links. And the best example that Ive seen of this in our own space is Mark Schaefers post on Content Shock. So he wrote a post a while ago now saying, content marketing is not a sustainable strategy, or words to that effect. So thats slightly, well Mark would say thats not controversial, but it was certainly a strong opinion piece. Just looking at that, it got over four and half thousand shares, which is quite good, but it got 900 domain links. And lets put that into context. Marks entire blog only has 1,500 domain links. So more than 50% of all the domain links to Marks blog are to that one post. And I dont know if thats because people link because they support the view, or whether they link because they want to take issue with the view, but people do seem to look for the controversial content. And the s ame is true, if you go to the political arena, Michael Moores now famous post, I suppose, 5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win. Typically he doesnt get more than about 50 to 60 domain links generally for his content, sometimes 100, that post got over 1000 domain links. 3. Research   insight pieces The other type of content that always get links is research posts. We found this again in our research last year where we were looking at a million posts. We were looking for correlation of shares and links. The one site where we found a really strong correlation of shares and links was a site like Pew Research. They publish research content, and it gets lots of shares, but it also gets lots of links, and theres very little question for me really, that if you publish good original research, people not only share it, they link to it, and its much more likely to gain links. And again, examples from our own area, if you look at sites like Social Media Examiner, they get quite a lot of links, because generally How-to posts do quite well on links, and they publish a lot of those. But actually one of their most linked pieces of work is what they call their annual Social Media Marketing Industry Report. So they do research on the industry, and publish an industry report every year, that alw ays gets more links than other content on their site. So the recent one from 2016 got over 500 domain links. And thats good even for a site like Social Media Examiner which for the most post gets less than 100 links to them. So original research gets links, and it doesnt have to be your own research, thats interesting. 4.  Authoritative news  developments Other posts that get lots of links tend to be authoritative posts about new developments, and thats hard. Unless youre an authority thats hard for you to post something authoritative about a new development, but people who do this well, I think Search Engine Watch  did one about confirming Google to no longer put ads on the right. It seems fairly small but thats got masses of links, and I think its because they made it official, they just said, Confirmed: Google to no longer show ads on the right etc. And if the BBC or TechCrunch published something about a new iPhone feature, if theyre the first and most authoritative site, that content tends to get very well linked to. But its harder for the average content marketers to do that, because you have to build authority in the first place. 5. Content that leverages a trending topic but that also provides practical insights The last  one is  trending topics. Sometimes you can jump on a trending topic, and but if you just jump on a trending topic, it tends to get shares and not links, but if you can provide some real insight, and a good example of this was Inc.s one on Pokemon Go, which was how small businesses are using Pokemon Go to drive sales, and that got about 1000 links. And I think it was because it jumped on a trending topic, Pokemon Go, but it was practical, how-to content, and in my experience things like how-to posts generally get a few more links. Common questions: Shares and backlinks, do we need both? Firstly, shares are really important just because of the way people discover content these days. I mean, lots of the evidence is that people discover content more through social platforms than they do through doing a search engine search, for example so. So socials still important because its how people find content, and lots of people find it through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. So social sharing is important, but its not enough in its own right really. So, and the things that weve been looking at, its really links, I think we all know that links continue to have power, they continue to be talked of as one of the main ranking factors with Google. Whats the benefit of links versus shares? The differences between the two, the weakness of the shares I suppose, are that even if you get shared on social, most links on social are never clicked. Some people share articles on social that they never read or even visit, Im sure thats not true of us or other people but there are lots of people who will share stuff without reading it. Social posts also have a limited shelf life. If you missed that tweet this morning will you ever see it again. And also, social sharing tends to have a different format. It tends to explode quite quickly, get shared a lot, but after a week or so the social sharing tends to die down. Links are almost the reverse. Links are much, much harder to get, but they have more longevity. They tend to give your site more authority as well. And we know that links are the sort of things that Google also use to assess your content in terms of its quality and authority. So theyre quite different really. Social sharing takes place faster, easier to get in my view. Links dont, theyre much harder to get, but they give your content more authority, and more longevity really. So in an ideal world, your content would get both, in an ideal world. And so what weve been researching is, how can we help people understand what content gets shared from links, and what of your own content, whats been getting shares, whats been getting links, what can we learn from that in terms of future content planning. Follow Steve on Twitter @SteveRayson  and be sure to subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast.

Professional Writing Resume Services Reviews

Professional Writing Resume Services ReviewsAnyone who is thinking about a career in writing should be aware of the fact that there are some professional writing resume services reviews available. These are used to inform interested individuals who are looking for these services on the various things that they do and the benefits they offer. It is wise to utilize this when it comes to making a decision on which professional resume service to use.The first thing to take note of when reading professional resume services reviews is the uniqueness of each of them. Each service will have several different things to offer. This is due to the fact that every person may have a very different background and needs for their job hunting needs.What is best about using these different services is that they each have something that will work well for the purpose of searching for a job. Some professional resume services review will also let interested individuals know how long the services are goin g to be available. This will allow them to determine if they are going to have the time needed to find an appropriate job.One other thing to take note of when reading professional resume services reviews is the type of help the people at the company can offer. The company needs to be able to get the word out about their services while at the same time helping the clients achieve their goals. The reviews will show the various support that is offered in order to make the job hunting process easier and more successful.Resumes are another thing that is reviewed by the professional writing resume services. The reviews will detail the types of work that a person is qualified for and also the things that they need to know. Knowing what will be expected from a person when it comes to their job hunting can help make the entire process much easier.As stated above, a person should read some of the reviews about writing resume services before utilizing one. This way a person can find the right company for the job of writing a resume. They can also learn what will be expected from a person when it comes to getting the job of their dreams.This is just one of the ways in which the professional resume services reviews are helpful. They will let interested individuals know what they should expect when it comes to a good resume service. They should then take this information and use it to locate the company that will be most beneficial to them.It is always better to know what they should look for when they are looking for these good companies. They should do this before they start their search. They can use the professional writing resume services reviews to help them find the most efficient and reliable services available.

An Interview with the Man Who Coined Consumer-Generated Media - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

An Interview with the Man Who Coined Consumer-Generated Media - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Pete Blackshaw and it was tremendous. This is certainly one of my favorite interviews to date, out of over 50! Pete is the man who coined consumer-generated media. Hes also a top executive at Nielsen, an author, speaker, cofounder of the Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association, a columnist and much more. Its hard to keep up with Pete, just like its probably difficult to keep up with me (but at a higher level). You can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his blog. Today, we go over the importance of word-of-mouth, and what companies and individuals should start doing about the conversations that ARE ALREADY taking place on the internet. Pete, you coined the term consumer-generated media. Where did you come up with that name and what fvalue do you put on being a content producer, not just consumer? About five or six years ago, the name just slapped me in the face while thinking hard about how to best communicate the concept of how user content is shaping the new landscape. At times I worried we were being too abstact and technical in how we communicated the value and importance of internet monitoring, and CGM seems to solve that answer. I was also looking for something that sounded a bit like CPG to make the concept more media-centric. Also, I presumed a big tent under the word consumer, and that includes all other content creators. The use of the term media is quite deliberate, and I really wanted to underscore that the content consumers create acts like media in the product awareness, trial, and consideration stages. It especially acts like media in search results, a point I underscore quite emphatically in my book. Theres absolutely no question theres a media effect going on when negative experiences spill across the web. There are now countless examples of companies who monitor customer complains online. For instance, GoDaddy shut my websites now (3 of them) and I tweeted about it. After 24 hours I got a phone call from a man who apologized and told me that he will help next time via Twitter. What happens when a company ignores these conversations? What impact does it have on their bottom line? Companies that ignore these conversations merely increase the odds of the bad news spreading. Remember, consumers tell others because they often feel like the company is ignoring them. Negative word-of-mouth often serves an almost cathartic need. As for the bottom line, you can look at the impact in many different ways. Keeping customers loyal is always a good investment strategy, and social media and CGM afford us a unique and powerful lens into new dimensions of consumer loyalty. If the research studies are correct that consumers trust other consumers more than advertisers in their buyer behavior, theres no possible way to unpack ROI from CGM. In 5-10 years, do you think every company will have a blog, Twitter account, page on Facebook, etc? Should some companies stay out of social media? Most of these next-generation CRM tools are unavoidable, and for good reason. That said, I always tell companies considering social media or that proverbial blog to first call their 800 number and then look in the mirror. Many brands are poorly positioned to enter this space, and they need to ask harder questions about their core fundamentals. There are too many gaps between the the marketing positioning about dialogue and the core fundamentals of the 800-number, consumer affairs, the ol fashioned listening pipe. My book makes a strong argument that social media will never succeed, or become permanently chiseled in the company operating strategy, until you first nail the fundamentals. Your books title, Satisfied customers tell three friends, angry customers tell 3,000 is very interesting. I feel like Ive heard it before, yet I believe that in a web 2.0 world, to reach the 3,000 people is quite easy. For some bloggers that might be a single tweet or blog post. How did you come up with the title and what angry customer stories have you heard recently? The book was initially titled Cred as in Credibility which is a big piece of what the book is all about but Seth Godin, who I know and who works closely with my book partners at Lark Productions, suggested the tell 3000 theme. The publishers at Doubleday thought it was spot-on, and very consistent with my history in customer satisfaction. As for the angry stories, I cant even begin to list them all. There are thousands, perhaps millions. On PlanetFeedback.com, a site I founded, the service has probably aggregated over 800,000 negative stories. So let there be no question; Im close to the pulse on this front. We all are. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv8LSwmBqWA] You have done some truly remarkable things with building your own personal brand, from being the Executive Vice-President of Nielsen Online Digital Strategic Services, to winning countless awards and now this book. How would you describe your personal brand and what steps have you taken to grow it over time? Im very passionate about consumers always have been. Before business school, I worked in the California legislature, listening to the needs and aspirations of one of the most diverse legislative districts in the country. I carried that passion to PG and them PlanetFeedback.com, and now Nielsen Online. I actually believe what my PG mentors taught me that the consumer is our teacher and I try to reapply those principles and fundamentals to everything I do. Along the way, I never forget to remind myself that although I represent and try to solve problems or identify opportunties for companies, Im also a consumer. I relish from a personal perspective the same passions driving the entire CGM movement, whether as a father building blogs dedicated to my kids or as a son capturing the spirit of my now-deceased fathers life via YouTube interviews. The hands-on experience and personal passion helps build and nurture my overall brand so to speak. Pete Blackshaw is a recognized expert in interactive marketing, word of mouth, and consumer understanding. He currently serves as Executive Vice-President of Nielsen Online Strategic Services, a new strategy group within Nielsen centered on digital strategy, key influencer management, and what Pete dubs Defensive Branding. He is a co-founder of the 2004 Word-of-Mouth Marketing Association, and he presently authors a bi-weekly column on digital marketing strategy targeted to CMOs for ClickZ network. Hes frequently quoted in major publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Advertising Age, and USA Today. He authors several blogs, including www.consumergeneratedmedia.com, and he is author of Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell Three Thousand: Managing a Business in the Age of Consumer Control.   He was also elected elected chairman of the board of the National Council of Better Business Bureaus.

Tips to Minimize Your Carbon Footprint at Home

Tips to Minimize Your Carbon Footprint at Home If you read the news at all or spend any time on social media, you’ve definitely seen the multiple posts relating to climate change and how the Earth is at a critical point. Sea levels are rising, glaciers are melting, and permafrost is non-existent, animals going extinct or reaching endangered status due to the lack of food and trails for their migration patterns. It’s scary to read and think about what kind of world are people leaving for future generations. Some lawmakers are doing their best to fight climate change, but others tend to think it’s not as critical as people are believing. Regardless of your stance on the matter, there are ways (even the tiniest ones help) to reduce your carbon footprint at home. While you might not want to live a completely green lifestyle, these tips could aid you in the reduction of your carbon footprint while saving you money. That’s right! Some of these tips will save you money in the long run as you start growing your own vegetables, cutting down on certain gardening related costs and even reducing your monthly light bill. If you are interested in any of the above that was just described, then you definitely want to keep reading! Grow Your Own Garden Using Your Own Mulch and Compost One tip to reducing your carbon footprint is to grow your own fruits and vegetables. This will not only save money in the long run once your garden is producing a nice quantity of produce, but it will also help you eat healthier. Using natural pest removers and reducers will eliminate food from the grocery store that has been treated with chemical pesticides and steroids for size. Instead? You get freshly grown fruits and veggies at your fingertips. Plant lots of trees in your backyard that will turn carbon dioxide into oxygen and revel in the natural privacy they offer. Another way to reduce your carbon footprint by growing your own garden is to use homemade mulch and compost. This will act as a barrier to your plants against pests, temperature changes and wind speed changes. It helps the soil from being contaminated plus you get rid of things from around the house and yard. Compost also breaks down and formulates numerous nutrients that will help your plants grow strong and hearty. You can use items from newsprint to eggshells to yard clippings to wood chips. Just simply research homemade mulch and compost recipes online and get to work! Want to store your compost at home in a sealed container but don’t want to have to go outside into the elements each time you have something to add? Then check out these excellent kitchen compost bins. Carpool or Use Public Transportation Want to reduce wear and tear on your vehicle? How about lower your gas bill each month or week, depending on how often you use your car? Then start carpooling whenever possible. If there is enough interest, you can even start a carpool group where the vehicle used switches off each week. If a member needs their vehicle during their week, have a backup driver for the carpool and help each other save money. Another option is to instead of running errands on the weekends, do them after work to reduce the number of trips you have to make. This reduces the wear and tear on your vehicle along with your carbon emissions. One other way? Look into public transportation in your area, size up the costs and schedules and determine if that’s an option for you and/or members of your family. While it can be a pain at times, it does reduce your personal carbon emissions and helps the ozone layer. Go Solar While the thought of outfitting your home with solar panels might be too expensive, try using them in your backyard and around your patio. These lights gather the power of the sun and converts it to electricity for a soft, elegant glow. Another cool thing about solar lights is not only do they help keep away flies and moths, they also can be purchased in multiple places. If solar power isn’t an option for you at this time, switch out your existing high wattage light bulbs to LED lights that offer the same intensity of light without the wattages of electricity. Conclusion Regardless of your personal beliefs in the fight against climate change, it is important to help the environment in small ways. This will help the natural order of life on the planet stay status quo and not burn out. Bonus? It saves you money and helps you live a healthier lifestyle for you and your family. The days of being worried about whats in the food you eat and how you will pay for that increase in your monthly light bill. Instead â€" you have the comfort of knowing where and how your food was grown in terms of fresh produce, you will save money on your utility bills and also save wear and tear on your vehicle (which also reduces your gas bill). Reducing your carbon footprint at home leaves you with numerous things to gain and really, nothing to lose â€" except the carbon footprint of course!

Writing a Resume As a Stay at Home Mom

Writing a Resume As a Stay at Home MomAs a stay at home mom, you will know that applying for jobs can be stressful. Your resume and cover letter may be submitted to many different companies so you must ensure that it looks great on paper as well as online. A careful outline of your career is essential if you want to make the most of your resume and cover letter submission.It is important to write a broad description of your employment history because a detailed description will only scare off employers. It is best to not be too technical as this may put off a potential employer. Instead, choose something that is applicable to your job application and place it in a style that is understandable to the reader. Keep in mind that many employers will read your resume to find out what your abilities are and how you work with others. They may also find out some details about your past job experience, which you may not be aware of.If you already have the skills they are looking for you should list them in a way that puts them in the job description but does not distract from the specific job details. For example, if you are applying for a job as a receptionist, highlight your previous experience of giving sales or special orders. Again, ensure that the resume and cover letter is clean, readable and professionally written.The resume is the main piece of paper and a major part of your application. Your resume is the face of your application. It tells a recruiter a little about who you are. One of the most important parts of your resume is your skills and experience. If you do not highlight these in your resume you will find it difficult to land the job.You should use bullet points to highlight what you have done and how you worked with others. Sometimes you may find yourself pressed for time and you might find it useful to list your work experiences as a unit rather than one at a time. However, avoid using lots of dates and titles as this can make the information appear d isorganised. Remember, the recruiter is looking for individuals who they think will perform well in their role. Make sure you give them a reason to hire you!An important tip when writing a resume is to never start a section by including something that is not applicable to the position. This is a major turn off for any recruiter and you may end up wasting their time. Instead, make sure that you only list skills and knowledge relevant to the position and type of job. If you need to, mention previous training as this may help you land the job.You should also think about how to incorporate a cover letter into your resume. A cover letter is an easy way to make sure that the recruiter is aware of someone who is willing to take on the role of your potential employee. The cover letter can show the recruiter that you are an employee ready to go, that you are professional and a team player and that you have an ability to meet deadlines. This is why recruiters always want to see a cover letter and if you are unsure about what to include in your cover letter, ask someone who has been in a similar situation.If your cover letter is effective, it will help to speed up the process of hiring you. You should ensure that your cover letter is professional and shows that you have what it takes to be a part of the company and that you will work well with others. Remember, if you think your cover letter is ineffective you can always send it to the company again to correct any mistakes.

How to Increase Your Productivity When Working from Home

How to Increase Your Productivity When Working from Home The advent of modern technology has allowed millions of people to be very efficient and accomplish many work-oriented tasks from the comfort of their home. Companies are now saving countless thousands of dollars on office spaces and transportation funds, simply because they’ve allowed their employees to work from their households, via an Internet connection.There are numerous benefits for the employee, as well. They no longer have to get up two hours early in order to get ready for the office, and then spend close to an hour on the commute to work. Essentially, they get an extra two hours every day that they can use as they see fit, be it for leisure or work.There is a downside to working from home, however. Because of the lack of a real working environment, sometimes it can be pretty hard to motivate yourself and get as much work done as you would in an office. It’s easy to sit back and procrastinate while you’re in the comfort of your own home, hidden from the eyes of your bo ss and your colleagues.evalFortunately, there are a few highly useful tricks that you can utilize in order to increase your overall productivity when working from home. In fact, with the correct mindset, you’ll be able to achieve the productivity of a regular day in the office with all the benefits of not ever having to leave your room.1. Don’t Cheat, Start On TimeIt’s very tempting to stay an extra fifteen minutes or half an hour slouching around in your bed, and giving yourself the privilege of putting off your work.However, know right away that this is a bad idea in every possible way. Because the more you put off, the more you’re going to be discouraged about actually starting. If it helps, go through your morning ritual the same way you would when you had to go to the office; have a shower, shave, make some coffee, get dressed, anything you need to put yourself in a working mindset, and then get to work.Procrastination is hardest to fight before you’ve actually starte d your work â€" after that, it gets exponentially easier.2. Create Deadlines and Enforce ThemOne of the most effective ways to make yourself more efficient when working from home is to give yourself a time limit. Too much leniency and flexibility in your work is not a good thing, because it leaves you without a particular goal in mind; and of course, the goal is to finish your daily tasks until a certain moment.Of course, sometimes you simply don’t have any particular deadlines, so you’ll have to get a bit creative. Grab a stopwatch, or use a countdown timer app on your phone and set it to a certain time. I like to split my work into 10-minute-long bits, and challenge myself to do a certain amount in that time period. For you, 30 minutes might work or maybe an hour.evalAll that matters is that you give yourself a tangible time limit that you have an intention to beat, and you’ll find that your efficiency will skyrocket. It’s a really effective method if you find yourself con stantly slacking off and having your attention diverted.3. Eliminate DistractionsIf you thought that you’d be safe from distractions simply because you’re alone in your room without any coworkers, you’re horribly mistaken. Since you probably have to use the Internet to conduct your business, you’re completely exposed to a whole different world of mental detours.The Internet is unbelievably effective at stealing and diverting your attention, with the help of countless social media sites, and possibly even worse: constant ads.Advertisements are what funds websites, and so web developers pretty much have no choice but to place them all over the page any chance they get. These can get quite annoying and distracting, especially if you’re spending a lot of time doing research on the Internet.evalSometimes they even put a huge ad in the middle of a block of text, completely disrupting the flow of your research just so you can look at some big useless banner. What’s worse, adver tising companies are wisening up and now they actually collect your search history via intelligent cookies and use them to serve you personalized ads.This means that whatever you search for will be advertised to you at a later time on a completely separate website such as Facebook. To prevent this from happening, just grab some kind of ad blocking extension for your browser, as this will make short work of any annoying ads.If for whatever reason you can’t use an adblocker, a VPN service like Getflix can help you make your connection more private and prevent Google from serving you personalized ads, which are definitely even more annoying and invasive than regular ones.4. The Hardest Task Gets Done FirstThis is another cool trick that you can use in order to put yourself in the correct mindset for the rest of the day. By starting on your hardest task the moment you get to work and successfully finishing it, the rest of your obligations will seem trivial to you and you’ll accompli sh them with very little effort.On the contrary, if you start picking off your easiest tasks first, you’ll constantly be thinking about how you “still have to do the hard thing” which will demotivate you significantly.Not only that, but you’ll lack any real sense of accomplishment from the easier tasks, because after all, they’re nothing compared to what you still have to do. It’s all a matter of perspective, and you should always try to use perspective to your advantage.

5 Reasons Why the MBA Is Still Relevant - CareerAlley

5 Reasons Why the MBA Is Still Relevant - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. A lot of people tend to play down the importance of an MBA in an increasingly high-tech world or because of the sheer number of people who hold them. Others are told you cannot advance in your career without earning an advanced degree like an MBA. The truth is somewhere in the middle. Lets look at five reasons why the MBA is still relevant. source You Truly Learn Management Skills An MBA is one way to learn management skills. Better yet, an MBA teaches you how to make rational, data-driven business decisions, how to mitigate risk and assess all of your options. This helps you avoid drifting along a comfortable path until youre shocked by the change. Depending on the MBA program and coursework you take, you could learn about hiring and motivating employees or general financial management. The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business Price: $14.39 Getting an MBA is an expensive choice-one almost impossible to justify regardless of the state of the economy. Josh Kaufman founded PersonalMBA.com as an alternative to the business school boondoggle. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 Youll also learn how to become a better leader and get the best out of your employees. Leadership is not something that all of us were born with and isnt something that can be easily picked up. But most MBA programs will have modules dedicated specifically to leadership and how to develop it. An MBA is one way to learn management skills. Better yet, an MBA teaches you how to make rational, data-driven business decisions, how to mitigate risk and assess all of your options. Tweet This A good MBA program will emphasize leadership by taking you through a variety of practical and theoretical modules designed to give you a genuine C-suite experience. Young professionals dont often have the chance to make important executive decisions or implement strategies. With an MBA program, youll get to see exactly how it feels to be part of senior management and will be exposed to some of the problems that are relevant to different industries. Youll then have to work on how to address these problems and solve them. Youll also be able to see first-hand what the consequences of your decisions are and how one simple decision could affect the whole future of a company. Youll get to experience the kind of pressure and responsibilities administrators have to deal with on a regular basis. Being a leader is not just about you, but the team surrounding you as well. Youll be able to learn how to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your team members and how to work and navigate through different personality types as well. Youll also learn how to defuse and prevent conflict and how to boost employee engagement and morale. source You Enhance Your Soft Skills In an increasingly high-tech world, employers are desperately seeking those with strong soft skills. In addition to leadership, some of the most in-demand soft skills include things like collaboration and communication for instance. Youll develop these competencies in any MBA program. Listing an MBA on your resume demonstrates that you have these desirable skills. The MBA is a widely recognized credential in any case. These skills can help you when you start your own business, as well. Furthermore, when you approach potential partners and investors, an MBA shows that you are a more serious candidate than someone with an abstract idea and a vague business plan. The Networking Benefits Are Immeasurable As an MBA student, youll see incredible networking opportunities. Your fellow students may become your future employees or employers. Your professors and the other teaching staff are excellent resources while youre in school and can provide professional references later on. Alumni are another source of connections. Depending on the MBA program, you may be able to land a good internship through the school that leads to the job youve always wanted. Depending on the program you attend, you may be able to leverage the MBA into an international job or use it to prove youre qualified to work in international business. Or youll simply benefit from the broad, multidisciplinary connections youve made. source It Has a Good Average Return on the Investment According to this article by Jack Welch MBA, roughly 40% of people who decided not to enroll in an MBA program stated cost as the main reason they didnt enroll, while another fifth declined because of the time commitment. One of the online MBA benefits is the ability to take classes from home or wherever else you can connect to the digital classroom; it may save you time, too, since you dont have to drive to campus to attend class. The same survey found that there is a decent return on investment for the time and effort. Of those who enrolled in a top-ranked online MBA program, two-fifths said theyd do it again because their increased earnings made the cost of the program worth it. Theres no doubt that earning an MBA can give your career a boost. Research shows that a graduate degree in business can increase your earnings potential by 50 percent or more, and many employers will only consider candidates with an MBA or similar degree. How to Add Value to Your Resume With Your MBA Over three-quarters of MBA graduates said they earned more pay or received a promotion almost certain to lead to higher pay. For those who earned an online MBA, more than four-fifths received a raise or promotion, or both. This isnt surprising since more than half of MBA grads are managers or board directors. Other sources have found that the average salary for an MBA grad is much higher than those who hold any other masters degree twice as much as theyd earn with the average bachelors degree. Youll Learn Cross-Disciplinary Skills You can say youre a proven problem-solver, but an MBA proves that youve learned how to analyze a variety of problems, think critically, and find solutions. Youll have been trained using a variety of case studies and real-world scenarios. Youll be able to move into any management position, study and solve problems, cultivate human resources and identify opportunities. An MBA may prepare you to move into management at your current company, or it can open the door to moving into management almost anywhere else. It certainly prepares you to move into any high-level position, insulating you against business cycle shocks. Youll be ready to start your own business, take on any role at another firm or move into another department at your current employer because your leadership and soft skills are transferable. A good MBA program teaches you the skills that the workplace still requires at all levels, but these skills remain essential at the upper echelons. An MBA proves that you hold these skills and are capable of filling almost any position. Your MBA Game Plan, Third Edition: Proven Strategies for Getting Into the Top Business Schools Price: $17.99 Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to launch your career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

How to clean up your social media accounts -

How to clean up your social media accounts - It’s time for spring cleaning, but are you neglecting your social media accounts? Just as you’re supposed to change your smoke detector’s battery when you change your clocks, the change of  season is a good reminder to pay attention to your social profiles. Review  your social media goals What are your plans for social media? What do you want people to learn when they visit your profiles? What feeling do you want them to have? What do you want them to know about you or NOT know about you? What do you want them to DO when they land on your website? Take the time to audit your profiles to ensure you’re putting out the right messages. Ask a friend or a coach what they think when they visit your social media profiles and when they look at your streams of information. Make sure you arent missing the mark when it comes to shaping a reputation you want to own. Google Yourself At least a few times a year, you should Google your own name. You want to know what comes up when people search for you online. What pictures show up? Are they of you? Is there someone who has your name and comes up before you online, even in LinkedIn? Make a note of things that show up high in search, and make a point to spend extra time making those things the best they can be. (For example, LinkedIn likely comes up high in search. Manage your profile there first, before you spend time anywhere else online.) Update Your Bios When is the last time you reviewed your bios? Whether they are short (like Twitter’s) or longer (such as your LinkedIn Summary), now is the time to give them a once over. Make sure to include new accomplishments and look over your materials with fresh eyes to update them. Be sure you keep everything consistently updated. If you update LinkedIn, be sure to also update your resume. Once you’ve addressed the big picture: scrub your profiles! Review your  â€œtags” It’s a great idea to look into what photos you’ve taken over the past year and de-clutter. Be sure  photos where  other people tagged  you are appropriate and speak to your brand. If not, find the “Untag” button. In Facebook, get started by “viewing your activity log.” Un-follow Is your LinkedIn feed getting too spammy? Are you tired of seeing the overly politically charged updates in Facebook? Weed out people you don’t want to hear from. In LinkedIn, you can block people (which means you won’t see their updates, and they won’t see your content, either). LinkedIn won’t notify the blocked people! (Just click on the arrow next to the endorse button on their profile.) In Facebook, if you don’t want to “unfriend,” people, you can unfollow and they won’t be any wiser! Choose the   “following” button on the person’s Facebook page and select. “unfollow” Disconnect from apps you aren’t using. Have you given “permissions” to apps you don’t use anymore? Disconnect them! In Twitter: go to settings and apps â€" disengage from anything you’re not using now. In Facebook, find apps behind the Activity log button. Change Your Passwords Update and change your passwords. If you have trouble keeping track of passwords, you can use a password management program such as  LastPass. Also, be sure you are using your personal email for LinkedIn; it’s not a good idea to use a work email or an email you never check! Manage your brand How are you engaging? Check how you’re engaging in your networks. For example: look along the left side of your Facebook profile â€" are there groups you aren’t using? Feel free to remove yourself. How about LinkedIn groups? Did you join a bunch and never engage? Consider focusing on a few groups for the next few months. If you use Twitter, click on settings, and check apps. You may want to revoke permissions for some if you are not using them. Your visuals: On one hand, a consistent photo makes it easy for people to follow you, but this is a good time to consider a change. IF you have a business, make sure you check your logos and other visuals to make sure they still fit and are on brand. Your email addresses and notifications Are you checking your LinkedIn email regularly? Sometimes, people forget what emails they’ve listed for different networks, use a new email address and miss out on opportunities. What now? Now that everything is clean and tidy, commit to creating a stream of content that will demonstrate your expertise and grow your influence and presence in your field of choice!