My Favorite Things Erins Picks - When I Grow Up

My Favorite Things Erins Picks - When I Grow Up This is a brand-new series I like to call My Favorite Things, based on the popularity of the posts where I list my favorite people and products/platforms. Now Im currently sharing a room with my friend Erin at WDS, but she sent over her favorite things to share with you. As a professional photographer, a co-owner of a social media production company and as Your Blog Doctor, I know shes gonna have a ton of gems up her sleeve. Enjoy! My Favorite Things by From Small Things Im Your Blog Doctor so when I say Ive heard a lot of blogging sob stories, you know its true. Designers who never respond, graphics that wont load. And there you are stuck with a site that only kind of works for your business and your brand. You might be creating epic content everyday, but WordPress is blocking you at every turn. Honey, Im here to help. Below is a list of my not-so top secret ESSENTIAL WordPress plugins that can help you run your blog and business more effectively. These are the ones I recommend to all of my clients. Theyre little things that can have a big impact. Some of them might even make running your website a little fun so dont say I didnt warn you. Backup Buddy / Sucuri I have a confession. Before I was Your Blog Doctor, I ran a  WordPress  website that crashed. I wasnt backing the site up and I had to recreate everything from old files that were missing lots of important stuff. I learned the ultra-hard way that having an easy-to-restore backup is as good as money in the bank. Backup Buddy is a premium plugin and in my mind its the best blog backup solution fullstop. Sucuri is a sort of companion service. For a small fee, they will scan your site as often as you want for malicious code (hackers!) and if they find any they will fix it for you as well! And they do it fast.  WordPress  is a fast-growing target for all sorts of nasty people and with these two plugins in my corner, I dont have to worry. Tweetily Im so glad someone made this plugin because it solves multiple problems at once. You set it up to randomly tweet out old content to drive new traffic to your site. You get fresh new tweets and your audience sees articles that they may have missed the first time around! Automation is amazing. WordPress Ping Optimizer Im going to get technical here, but dont freak out.  WordPress  has this wonderful built-in feature called pinging. Basically every time you update your site it sends out a little beacon to let search engines and indexes know that Hey, something new is here! Used properly it can help boost your search rankings. Unfortunately, its rarely used properly. The default WordPress setting means your site is spamming pinging services every single time you update, schedule or publish a post. This can get you banned from pinging services.  WordPress  Ping Optimizer allows you to change that so you only flag search engines on a schedule you set AND lets you specify tons more services to ping so you rank faster. Digg Digg Social Bar There are tons of social share bars out there, and Ive tried them all. This is my newest favorite by the folks who made the Buffer app (which you should also be using.) Its fully customizable and includes buttons for everything that can be turned on or off. Awesomesauce. Gravity Forms If youre running an online business, dont mess around with free contact forms. Gravity Forms, another premium plugin, is easy-to-use but full-featured as well. They also offer Paypal integration so selling off your site has never been easier. Scribe SEO This is a new, premium plugin that Ive been test driving lately and have really come to depend on. The main problem with SEO is that its a ton of work. Researching keywords doesnt necessarily tell you how to implement them in a way to get your articles noticed. Scribe is SEO that is a part of your writing and editing workflow. Its not a cheap service, but if youre trying to build an audience and links to your content, definitely give it a look. Your Blog Doctor is Erin Wigger. I have been building web sites since the dark ages of the internet. In 1993 you could find me running up my parents’ Compuserve bill and teaching myself HTML on a 386 Pentium computer. I have produced web sites for Microsoft and Expedia.com, among others.  I have designed and built WordPress themes for the past five years for fun and profit. As a  professional photographer, I’m uniquely attuned to the needs of creative clients and their businesses.  You shouldnt have to do it all by your lonesome. If youre stuck on what comes next, try a Triage Session to identify what your brand and business needs content plans, social media strategy, video lessons, usability or SEO and lay out a plan to get you there.  Want to know more?  Get in touch!

Use a Resume Writing Service For Your Job Search

Use a Resume Writing Service For Your Job SearchWriting a resume is just one of the vital aspects in a person's job search. In order to succeed, one should consider getting a resume and cover letter writing service. It has been observed that most employers depend heavily on resumes. This is the reason why one should get the right tools to write a resume.Getting the right kind of materials is important to write a successful resume. Even if you have good presentation skills, the truth is that the employer will not know if you are the best one to apply for the job if you do not give them the materials that will boost your chances. One way to improve your chances is to use a resume writing service.What does it mean to provide a resume? A resume is a document written by an applicant in which he or she explain his or her past and present accomplishments, educational background, work experience, as well as his or her skills and abilities. The primary purpose of having a resume is to build c onfidence with the employer in the eyes of them.With the proper resume and cover letter writing service, you can be assured that it will be delivered to the company that you have chosen. It will contain your personal information and the application form. One more good thing about getting the services of a resume writing service is that it can save you a lot of time and energy that can be invested in the different aspects of a job search.By choosing a professional resume writer, you will get all the necessary documents needed to prepare a resume and cover letter. That is one big advantage that you get from hiring a professional. They are experienced in writing resumes and cover letters. This means that the documents will be professionally written and well-written.A professional resume writer can handle a wide variety of applicants and can find the best candidate for you. Once you hire a professional, you can rest assured that your documents will be professionally written. In addition , they know how to edit resumes and how to set it up. Many resumes and cover letters are sent out without any of the required information included. The result is that you may miss the chance to hire a perfect candidate.When it comes to submitting your documents to various companies, you need time and effort to accomplish this task. Using a resume and cover letter writing service will give you the time to research and write a resume. You also need to give time to the resume writer to work. The advantage is that you do not have to spend too much time in researching and writing a resume.

5 Reasons To Never To Use an Infographic Resume (Examples)

5 Reasons To Never To Use an Infographic Resume (Examples) Spread the loveThe resume is the most important document in your job search. Its the first impression you make on a potential employer. You can be qualified for a position but if your resume isnt polished you wont get called for the interview. Many job seekers turn to infographic resumes in hopes of standing out from the competition.When should you use an infographic resume? NeverThis is almost always a terrible idea. No hiring manager is basing their decision around how well you design your resume. Your resume shouldnt look like an art project which is what many infographic resumes end up looking like.We will go through the reasons why you should never use an infographic resume.Infographic Resume Example:5 Reasons Never to Use an Infographic Resume#1 ATS OptimizationMost employers today use whats called an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to automatically screen resumes. The ATS have a very hard time reading infographic resumes which means the resume could be automatically rejected .ATS resume scanning software is designed to scan a resume for work experience, skills, education and other relevant information. If it feels the resume is a good match for the position, it gets sent forward to the hiring manager. Those which dont meet the qualifications are rejected and the resume is never seen by a human.ATS Resume Test  You can see how your resume performs in an actual ATS scan with our Free Resume Review:Free Resume Review#2 Resume TailoringYou need to be tailoring your resume to each position you apply to. That includes changing some of the content (Summary, keywords and work experience) to better match the job posting. Sending the same resume to every position you apply to is not effective. It does take some time to tailor your resume but you will really start to notice those call backs.Infographic resumes are very difficult to tailor. Changing the design or adjusting the text could be challenging with an infogrpahic resume.Stick to a standard resume format. We wrote a good post here on which resume format to use.  #3 Unusual FormattingHiring managers only look at a resume for an average of 6 seconds.  They quickly scan for relevant experience, skills and education. No hiring manager is going to sit there and try to dissect your resume and figure out where the information theyre looking for is.When looking through hundreds of resumes per day they want to see a resume that fits a traditional format so they can quickly find the information theyre looking for.#4 UnprofessionalHow do you dress for an interview?You want to appear as professional as possible. You wouldnt wear a tie dye shirt to an interview to stand out from the competition would you?This is the same reason you wouldnt turn your resume into an art project. You want to appear professional at all times during your job search.#5 Focus on ContentUnless youre a graphic designer, its hard to create an infographic resume. Many job seekers put to much focus on the design of the r esume rather than the actual content. Your experience, skills, education and achievements are what gets you the interview not the design of your resume. Focus on writing a resume that really helps you stand out from the competition.So what does a good resume format look like?Here is a good example:Closing ThoughtsAvoid using an infographic resume for the reasons we laid out above. Many job seekers think it helps give them an edge, but it could actually be doing more harm than good.Hiring managers also prefer a traditional resume format.Focus your attention on developing a resume that highlights relevant skills and experience rather than colors and graphics.Best of luck with your job search! 5 Reasons To Never To Use an Infographic Resume (Examples) Spread the loveThe resume is the most important document in your job search. Its the first impression you make on a potential employer. You can be qualified for a position but if your resume isnt polished you wont get called for the interview. Many job seekers turn to infographic resumes in hopes of standing out from the competition.When should you use an infographic resume? NeverThis is almost always a terrible idea. No hiring manager is basing their decision around how well you design your resume. Your resume shouldnt look like an art project which is what many infographic resumes end up looking like.We will go through the reasons why you should never use an infographic resume.Infographic Resume Example:5 Reasons Never to Use an Infographic Resume#1 ATS OptimizationMost employers today use whats called an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to automatically screen resumes. The ATS have a very hard time reading infographic resumes which means the resume could be automatically rejected .ATS resume scanning software is designed to scan a resume for work experience, skills, education and other relevant information. If it feels the resume is a good match for the position, it gets sent forward to the hiring manager. Those which dont meet the qualifications are rejected and the resume is never seen by a human.ATS Resume Test  You can see how your resume performs in an actual ATS scan with our Free Resume Review:Free Resume Review#2 Resume TailoringYou need to be tailoring your resume to each position you apply to. That includes changing some of the content (Summary, keywords and work experience) to better match the job posting. Sending the same resume to every position you apply to is not effective. It does take some time to tailor your resume but you will really start to notice those call backs.Infographic resumes are very difficult to tailor. Changing the design or adjusting the text could be challenging with an infogrpahic resume.Stick to a standard resume format. We wrote a good post here on which resume format to use.  #3 Unusual FormattingHiring managers only look at a resume for an average of 6 seconds.  They quickly scan for relevant experience, skills and education. No hiring manager is going to sit there and try to dissect your resume and figure out where the information theyre looking for is.When looking through hundreds of resumes per day they want to see a resume that fits a traditional format so they can quickly find the information theyre looking for.#4 UnprofessionalHow do you dress for an interview?You want to appear as professional as possible. You wouldnt wear a tie dye shirt to an interview to stand out from the competition would you?This is the same reason you wouldnt turn your resume into an art project. You want to appear professional at all times during your job search.#5 Focus on ContentUnless youre a graphic designer, its hard to create an infographic resume. Many job seekers put to much focus on the design of the r esume rather than the actual content. Your experience, skills, education and achievements are what gets you the interview not the design of your resume. Focus on writing a resume that really helps you stand out from the competition.So what does a good resume format look like?Here is a good example:Closing ThoughtsAvoid using an infographic resume for the reasons we laid out above. Many job seekers think it helps give them an edge, but it could actually be doing more harm than good.Hiring managers also prefer a traditional resume format.Focus your attention on developing a resume that highlights relevant skills and experience rather than colors and graphics.Best of luck with your job search!

Are Franchises Really More Successful Than Independent Businesses - Work It Daily

Are Franchises Really More Successful Than Independent Businesses - Work It Daily We hear a lot of questions on this topic. Is there an accurate answer? Let’s look at some of the data. According to the International Franchise Association, franchise companies often have a revenue advantage over independents. Sometimes a very large advantage. In the food and retail sectors, for example, franchises make up only fifteen percent of the business units, but they receive 40% of the revenues. Do the math â€" these franchisees average much more revenue than the typical independent business. This seems like a huge difference. Is there any logic to it? Of course there is. If not, why would thousands of people thoroughly research franchises each year and then decide to invest? No rational person would pay the franchise fees required to open a franchise unless they saw a clear benefit to the franchise system. What kind of advantages are there? We usually focus on three: 1. Franchises provide a proven system. They have already figured out what works and what doesn’t. They know what demographics need to be, how many employees you need, what kind of advertising works best. The franchise company learned their lessons the hard way â€" by making expensive mistakes. They already tried advertising that doesn’t work. When you become a franchisee they will share this information with you. In a snap, you have access to all of that learned experience. 2. Franchises provide support and training. Remember, the franchise companies make more money when the franchisees make more money. They have every incentive to help the individual franchisee succeed. Good franchise companies get this. Because of this, most franchise companies have employees with the sole task of supporting the franchisees. Typical areas might be IT support, Sales Training, Advertising, Accounting, and Human Resources. Imagine the cost of an independent business trying to hire experts to give advice in all of these areas! 3. Before you invest a single dollar into a franchise, you can find out all about it. This is the advantage that gets people’s attention. With an independent business you have to make a lot of assumptions as you do your business plan. You really have no way of knowing if those are realistic. With a franchise, there are many other franchisees who have already started this exact same type of business. They are all a resource to you. As part of your research you have the right to call as many of the existing franchisees as you like and find out what their experiences have been. It is a federal regulation that the franchise company gives you a list of every franchisee, including the phone number. You have no need to make an assumption that might not be accurate. If you aren’t sure, just ask some existing franchisees. They will tell you if you are on the mark or not. These are some of the reasons franchises are more successful. But let’s look at actual data. According to a study by the accounting firm Arthur Anderson, 96.9% of franchise units were still successfully in business five years after opening. Similarly, a study by the U.S. Small Business Administration found the average franchise had five times the first year revenue of the average independent business. If you think about it, it all makes sense. We would all expect a business with more support, more training, and a more proven way of doing business to have the best chance of success. It turns out the numbers back this up: Franchises are more successful than independents. Your Next Step First, watch my short video below where I elaborate a little more on this topic. Then, opt in on the next page to receive access to my FREE video archive. This library includes eight different tutorials that will teach you how to own a franchise the right way. FREE ACCESS ? Franchise versus independent business image from Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

Multiple Jobs From Same Company On Your Resume

Multiple Jobs From Same Company On Your Resume How to include multiple jobs from the same company on your resumeThis is how to format a resume for multiple orts at the same job. So youve been promoted or changed positions with an employer, and youre unsure how to present this on your resume. There are two ways to format your positions stack the job titles under the employers anthroponym, or create separate position descriptions.Approach 1 Stack the job titlesThis strategy is good if you would like to emphasize your highest-level position and show promotions within the organization. Include the overall date range for your employer next to the company name and location, followed by a list of positions in reverse chronological order (most recent first). For exampleCOMPANY NAME - City, State, 2/01 to presentStore Manager, 8/03 to presentAssistant Manager, 5/02 to 8/03Clerk, 2/01 to 5/02To emphasize your promotional advancement, lead your position description with something like Promoted to store manager to... and then describe the challenges and responsibilities that you assumed with your promotion. Be sure to include a bulleted list of achievements, which can reflect your contributions from any of your positions.On your Monster resume, you can keep one employment listing by including your highest position in the Formal Title field, and then explaining that you held other positions in the Work Description section.If you held numerous positions (five or more) with one employer, the above list of job titles will start to take up valuable space on your resume. Summarize your early job titles using one line of text. For exampleCOMPANY NAME - City, State, 2/01 to presentStore Manager, 8/03 to presentAssistant Manager, 5/02 to 8/03Early Positions Student Intern, Clerk and Retail Sales Rep, 2/01 to 5/02Approach 2 Create separate position descriptionsIf each of your positions is strong and relevant, separate the job titles and provide individual position desc riptions. This approach is a great way to reveal your achievement history according to position and time frame. Pay attention to how you format these jobs so that you dont appear to be job-hopping. By keeping the overall date range next to the employers name and indenting the job titles, the reader will easily see that you moved around within one organization. For exampleCOMPANY NAME - City, State, 2/01 to presentStore Manager, 8/03 to presentDescribe responsibilities and achievementsAssistant Manager, 5/02 to 8/03Describe responsibilities and achievementsClerk, 2/01 to 5/02Describe responsibilities and achievementsOn Monster, simply provide a new employment entry for each position.Draw attention to promotionsHighlighting your promotions shows potential employers that your previous supervisors valued your work performance. Even zur seite hin gelegen moves suggest you were able to handle diverse responsibilities. Here are a few ways to describe your promotionsRepeatedly recognized fo r top performance through fast-track promotions and selection for high-priority initiatives.Earned promotion following superior performance and demonstrated ability to quickly learn and master complex concepts.Established an accomplishments-driven career highlighted by rapid acceleration to increasingly responsible positions.Achieved promotional advancement from earlier positions.Get your resume reviewedShowing off a promotion or lateral move indicates to hiring manager that youre invested in your professional developmentand companies like to see that. But thats not all your resume needs in order to be effectiveNeed some help?Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts atMonsters Resume Writing Service. Youll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review ofyour resumes appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiters first impression. Its a quick and easy way to make sure your resume is clear, organized, and ready for the job search.

The Biggest Myth About Things to Put on a Resume Exposed

The Biggest Myth About Things to Put on a Resume Exposed On a resume, it does not have any place. Member area The excellent resume builders online will provide you with a members area that you could join. Obviously you wouldnt wish to violate the privacy of any particular person competing for the exact sort of job. Psychological Services Attending college and leaving home for the very first time may be a remarkable stressor on a person. Whispered Things to Put on a Resume Secrets The options are endless with 100s of unique places she could wind up working. Maybe you are earning a career change into a totally new profession. Actually, in regards to first resumes and job applications, the idea ought to be to take care of the process for a learning experience. Choosing Things to Put on a Resume Ensure that yur resume contains everything the employer has to be convinced that youre a great match for the position. You ought to find specific job opening posted by a particular business you would love to submit an application for. Have a look at our 8 job skills you ought to have page to find some of the things which employers are commonly on the lookout for. One of the absolute most important features of your resume to a prospective employer is your employment history.

paylocity

paylocity2017 was a big year for Paylocity With over 50+ new product releases, theyre not only committed to building great products, but one of their primary goals is to make Paylocity an amazing place to work.To see all available opportunities with Paylocity, click here. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would he lp drive innovation and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 o r higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.