How to Write Press Releases for the Media

How to Write Press Releases for the MediaHow to Write Press Releases for the MediaPress releases are an essential tool for getting the word out about either your own business or your clients. And the good nachrichtensendung is, you dont need to be a PR pro to write one. When youremanaging your own public relations campaign, writing press releases should quickly become very natural to you. If youve got news about your product, service or company, then youre ready to experience the power of press releases.And best of all? Its free But first, lets look into the press release itself. So, just what is a press release? Its simple. A press release is a one to two page document used to call attention to your company and its products/services. They are written in very formulaic ways, and with good reason. Hundreds, if not thousands, of these press releases, come onto the scene every day. If they all took different formats, it would be a nightmare for the press to handle. By making them si mple to read, with simple formatting and expected places for dates, times, headlines and so forth, you make the journalists job much easier. And when you make their lives easier, you are more likely to get coverage in the newspaper, magazine, website, or news broadcast. For those reasons, its imperative to learn the building blocks of how to write a press release before you start submitting your releases to the media. Otherwise, youll start getting a reputation that youre an amateur and your press releases will be ignored. Sending out press releases - The basics When youre ready for free media coverage, you send press releases to editors and TV stations. This isnt a guarantee that youll get free publicity, though. There are many differences between advertising and public relations and in PR, the media is not required to cover your story. You send your press releases hoping they will pick it up for their magazine, newspaper or local newscast. But you have to be patient. Some publ ications may take several months to publish your press release. And then there are other publications that will print your release in a few days. It all depends on your news and their schedule. And television stations are a different story entirely. If youre trying to get airtime for an event, send out your press release to your local TV stations at least two days beforehand.Since news varies from day-to-day, a car crash can prevent stations from covering your event. But your chances are even lower if they receive your press release the same day. The press release must be newsworthy Press releases are also known as news releases. Back to basics, it means just that news.If youve been marketing the same heating pad for 20 years and nothings changed, theres no reason to write a press release. Editors will snub their nose and then line the bottom of their trash can. Say your heating pad now has an automatic timer built in for convenience. Theres your newsThere are several types of p ress releases you can write. Starting a business. Having new employees joining your team. Your company wins awards. Youre working with a charity. Or anything new or different about your business and its product line constitutes a newsworthy press release. Theres a trick to writing press releases, though. Your message has to be newsworthy without sounding like a blatant advertisement. The release is written in an unbiased format so the reader trusts the information to be accurate. However, theres a clear distinction between advertising and public relations. But if theyre written correctly, press releases can be even more effective than advertising.

Lack of #8220;Corporate Recruiting#8221; Majors Hinders Colleges and Universities

Lack of 8220Corporate Recruiting8221 Majors Hinders Colleges and Universities Lack of 8220Corporate Recruiting8221 Majors Hinders Colleges and Universities And yet it is a distinctive career track that is not offered as an area of concentrated study at the collegiate level.That business is the staffing industry, and the career track is corporate recruiting, in which, according to Staffing Industry Analysts, revenues will jump to $134.4 billion at the conclusion of 2013. That number represents a vast fortune, one derived from areas as diverse as transportation, workforce management, IT, healthcare, governmental contracting, finance and accounting, to name just six of a plethora of dozens.When you think about it, the skills recruiters and account executives in the staffing industry must have in order to achieve success could easily be taught as part of a stand-alone concentration for someone pursuing a baccalaureate degree within the framework of liberal arts/business education.Bel ow are eight1. Sales skills2. An ability to build a strong network of personal and professional relationships3. A dogged determination and unwillingness to take no for an answer4. A competitive spirit5. Strong analytical skills6. A willingness to embrace technology and technological change, particularly as it relates to how people use technology in their day to day lives7. Effective communication skills8. An ability to discern the psychology of the candidateWhile there are over 260 Human Resources-related undergraduate programs in the country, the courses offered that are specific to corporate recruiting are limited. At most, students enrolled in HR for a major will take courses called Attraction, Selection and Development, and/or Talent Management.And that is where the academic introduction into corporate recruiting generally concludes. That preliminary exposure does not constitute a major in corporate recruiting.For example, lets say students were interested in learning all they c ould to become recruiters in the field of life sciences.What a college or university would have to do would be to define what that term means, and how it would go about providing a foundational background in that area to its students who wanted to become recruiters in that space.The general definition for life sciences is that it consists of the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms such as plants, animals, and human beings, as well as related considerations like bioethics. And while biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to an increase of specializations and interdisciplinary fields.Some of which are biomedical science, biochemistry, biocomputers, immunology, medical devices, computational neuroscience, genetics, genomics, medical imaging, computational neuroscience, environmental science and biomechanics, to name just 12 potential areas for study within the discipline.What wou ld an HR majors schedule look like though? Well, a college could do is have its students take a quarter of their courses within the life sciences discipline. The courses selected, obviously, would depend on what the university offered within the life sciences field of study.A second quarter of the students course load would be devoted to communication skills. The students would take a variety of writing classes to enhance their communication abilities. They would also take those classes that would help them become expert in the use of the different platforms that define social media.The third quarter of classes recruiting majors would take would be business related, so they would graduate with an understanding of how corporations work. Classes taken in this block would focus in the areas of finance, accounting and statistics.The last quarter of classes would be the core requirements all colleges and universities require for graduation with a baccalaureate degree.The hypothetical sce nario we just sketched for college students interested in earning an undergraduate degree in recruiting, with a specialization in life sciences, holds for any other academic concentration.Colleges and universities, which are after all businesses, could reap a sizable financial windfall if they offered corporate recruiting as a standalone major.More importantly, however, they would be contributing to a vital sector of the economy that impacts every facet of the world of work.

9 Tips for Getting the Referrals You Want

9 Tips for Getting the Referrals You Want9 Tips for Getting the Referrals You WantNeed help getting the right references for your dream job? Try these tips. At one time or another, weve all been asked to provide a list of references when seeking employment. This request is typically accompanied by a few guidelines such as the number requested (three is standard) and who they dont want you to list (fruchtwein notably relatives). If you have an active short-list of people who can vouch for your strengths and accreditations, this is an easy task. But what if you dont have such a list prepared?The ideal reference list, much like your resume and cover letter, can be tailored to suit your specific career needs. With this in mind, having only three references waiting in the wings isnt the most sufficient strategy. You should be prepared with a team of referrals for each individual lage you may be applying for.Not sure where to start? Here are nine tips for effectively asking a business asso ciate for a reference.Plan aheadThrowing together a list of references last minute is never a good idea. Instead, create a list of people who you feel would be great character references before you begin your job search. These professionals should know you well and be prepared to answer any inquiries about your past experiences and skills related to the position in question. The better they know you, the higher your chance of success. It doesnt matter if you know the mayor of your city if he or she cannot attest to your solid work history.Create bucketsJust as a single resume should not be used for applying for every position, the references you provide to a qualifikation employer should be customized for the target position. As you look through your contact list, think about the types of positions in which certain business associates might assert themselves best on your behalf and separate them into buckets. Such buckets may include preferred contact method (some references shine b est via the written word, others flourish over the phone), relevant projects you may have done together and/or how well they can vouch for your specific skills or strengths.Get permissionPersonally, Ive only run into this problem once, but it was awkward and ultimately left a great candidate out of the race for what could have been their perfect career. When I called one of their listed references, the person on the other end of the phone had no idea who the candidate for whom I was calling was until I explained it to them. The referral they gave wasnt bad, however it left me wondering how well the reference really knew the candidate, or why the candidate would put someone they knew in that position. The moral of the story is simple dont leave your references in the dark. Just ask. If you have a positive relationship with the person, Im sure theyll be happy to help.Tell them whyThe reason why you may need a certain professional as a reference may seem obvious to you, but this is not the time for assumptions. Let them know why you think you are the perfect fit for the role in question and why they are uniquely qualified to talk you up to an employer. The more transparent you are, the lesser the burden will be on the reference (and its imperative to keep them in good graces).Offer an outAsking a business associate for a reference can be an unnerving process. Whether you ask in person or via email, try to be tactful. Rather than demanding a reference, phrase your request carefully. Try something along the lines of, would you have time to provide a reference for me in the next week or two? This approach grants those being asked the option of bowing out gracefully if they dont feel up to the task.Ask if you can helpBeing a business reference isnt something most people take lightly - these individuals are putting their professional reputations on the line for you After someone has accepted your request to provide you with a reference, ask them if theres anything yo u can offer to make giving the referral easier. This may be something as simple as a brief write-up of why you think youd be great for the job or a copy of the position description. Whatever you think would lessen the trouble of the professional doing you a favor.Confirm their contact informationWhile this seems like a no-brainer, once someone has agreed to provide you with a reference, make sure that you have their correct contact information. While you may chat in person on a regular basis, double-check that you have their correct street address, email address and phone number.Be graciousWhile you will certainly say thank you upon acceptance, a heartfelt thank-you note is an appropriate extra step to show your references that you appreciate their help. Theyll remember it, and will most likely be more receptive if you need them again in the future.Provide updatesOnce youve established your list of references, remember to keep them informed. Its always a great idea to provide the pr ofessionals on your list with a current copy of your resume and routine updates as to which types of roles youre pursuing. This will help them feel as confident and prepared as possible when speaking with your potential employer.Remember, you should only send a list of references to a potential employer when asked. And dont forget to bring your list of references with you when you attend an interview. If a recruiter does happen to asks for these, youll already be one step ahead

3 Quick Tips to Seem Younger on Your Resume

3 Quick Tips to Seem Younger on Your Resume3 Tips to Seem Younger on Your Resume3 Quick Tips to Seem Younger on Your ResumeFighting the effects of aging is all the rage these days, with everything from little blue pills for your you-know-what to facial injections that promise freedom of expression (thats expression, singular). If everything else gets softer and flimsier as we age, why does job seeking get harder? It seems unjust. But not to worry old dogs can indeed learn new tricks, so here are three quick and easy tricks to put that youthful vigor back into your resumes and cover letters.1. Replace Your Fossilized Email AddressYou need a professional sounding email name for job hunting, including the part that comes after the sign. For my money, a free Gmail account is the way to go. As Jibber Jobbers Jason Alba recently pointed outGmail makes you look mora sophisticated (or up to speed, or whatever) than other providers like AOL (old), Juno (older), Yahoo, etc.Gmail is Googles we b-based email service, and its fast becoming a favorite among the technically savvy, who love it for its excellent spam control, among other things. (I dont have any vested interest in Gmail. Im just sayin.)2. Webinar Your Way to the Latest Knowledge Webinarsweb seminars you can attend on your computerare available on just about any work-related topic you can think of. Theyre great for helping you get up to speed on the latest trends and information in your field. Most webinars are free and typically last 90 minutes or less. To find them, do a web search on your desired topic (e.g., marketing best practices webinars orgraphic design webinars) and follow the instructions for signing up. Webinars and other online resources (such as Interview Tips) will not only boost your confidence, theyll also show that youre always learning new things. Keep track of the names, sponsors, and dates of the job-related webinars you attend, and list them on your resume under a heading such as Specialize d Training or Professional Development. It might look something like thisSPECIALIZED TRAINING Demystifying Web Analytics, ACME Industries Webinar, Mar. 2009 Measuring Market Share, TopMarketer Webinar, Apr. 2009 Search Marketing Best Practices, SEOpro Webinar, May 20093. Be More Intimate with Your Readerstitelblatt letters and resumesused to be formal and generic. To Whom It May Concern, your letter might start, Please accept the enclosed resume as an expression of my keen interest in blah, blah, blah. Can you imagine a hiring manager in this millennium getting inspired to read a whole letter written in that kind of stuffy language, let alone the accompanying resume? Business casual is not just for clothing career documents are more conversational and authentic these days, too. Heres an example of a cover letter opening with a bit of life in itDear Mr. Ortiz ABC Development has been one of the Top 3 places Id like to work ever since you came out with the successful Widget 3.0 Line i n 2005, so I was excited to learn about the Development Director opening. With 14 years of progressive experience as a Development Specialist with companies like XYZ, Acme, and DevCorp, my hintergrund seems tailor-made for this position....Think about capturing the readers attention, standing out from the masses, and subtly countering the ageist stereotypes facing middle-aged and older job seekers in the job hunt. Hiring managers have little time and a lot of applicants for every job, so present yourself as a seasoned professional who offers fluency in the latest technologies, web resources, and resume trends, bundled with the wisdom that comes only from experience.

5 easy ways you change the way you look at your life

5 easy ways you change the way you look at your life5 easy ways you change the way you look at your lifeThe word cant is probably the only four letter word I never heard in my 24 years as an FBI agent. I learned early in my career that negativity would impair my ability to analyze a tough case that looked impossible to crack.Once you allow a negative thought to take root, it can change the way you look at your life. Everything from business to relationships can become affected by your negativity if you allow it to raise its ugly head.It might not be a lack of talent that holds you back in your business. It might not be a lack of personality that holds you back in your relationships. Instead, it might be the way you look at your life and relationships that prevents you from moving ahead.Witnesses are always important in FBI investigations because they observe first-hand the sequence of events. In the same way, you need to witness your thoughts and observe them so you are in a better p osition to identify and eliminate their negative influence.Here are 5 easy ways you can change the way you look at your life1. Avoid Use Words Like Always and NeverAbsolutes like always and never are rarely correct. If you use these words when confronted with an obstacle or barrier, you activate the limbic brain system. This produces emotions like fear and anger.My children never listen to me.I never get recognized for my hard work.Everyone always takes advantage of me.I always end up on the short end of the deal.How To Make It Work For You Think about how many times you use an absolute to describe a negative event. Have a trusted friend repeat how many times they heard you use absolutes like always and never in a conversation. Whenever you catch yourself thinking in terms of absolutes, stop and find a different way to express your disappointment.2. Pay Attention To Your Self-TalkStudies have shownthat our mental chatter is 70% negative. Deep down, we are more self-critical, pessimi stic, and fearful than we convey in our conscious thoughts. We are wired for survival, and our aversion to pain can distort our judgement and the way we look at our life.The brains negativity bias produces a greater sensitivity to unpleasant news. The bias is so automatic thatit can be detected at the earliest stageswhen the brain processes information.How To Make It Work For You Question your negative feelings dont act on them without thinking them through. For example, when you feel guilty about something, be skeptical. Is the guilt trying to teach you something rational and helpful about your behavior? Or, is it an irrational response to a situation?3. Change Your Memory Of A Negative EventOnce you draw a conclusion about yourself and your abilities, all you will notice is information that reinforces your beliefs. This is called a confirmation bias, and your brain will discount new or different information that contradicts the way you look at your life.For example, if you believe youre a failure, thats all youll remember about a specific incident or event- how you failed. The way you look at your life will become your reality. If youve drawn inaccurate conclusions about your talents and skills, you create self-limiting beliefs about what you can achieve in life.Research shows that new memories remain unstablefor a short period of time after the event. During the unstable period, memories are being coded and consolidated into your consciousness.We can erase our fear if we can alter our memory of it, and the best time to do that is during the unstable period which usually lasts a couple of hours. If we can interrupt the coding and consolidating, we can change our memory about an unpleasant event.How To Make It Work For You If you experience a terrifying event or situation, the best thing you can do is redistribution policy that memory with a better one- right away. Take the opportunity to update and transform your memory. It is important, however, that you ma ke sure your environment is safe before trying to extinguish your fear-conditioned memory.4. Keep It PositiveOptimism is a soft and fluffy term that is seldom taken seriously by leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners. Much like the term happiness, it conjures images of toothy smiles and a Pollyanna attitude about life.Positive thinking, however, has deep roots in serious research.Barbara Fredrickson, a positive psychology researcher, discusses how positive thinking can change the way you think about your life.According to Fredrickson, a healthy balance of positive and negative emotions is essential to overall health. People should cultivate positive thinking in themselves and those around them because it not only nurtures psychological growth, it also fuels resiliency. Resilient people have energetic approaches to life, are curious and open to new experiences, and are positive thinkers.How To Make It Work For YouAs an adult, we need to give ourselves permission to play, and yes - smile Play produces a sense of adventure, and that leads to to contentment and joy as we build new skills. The upward spiral leads to new success, which leads to more positive thinking, and on it goes.5. Stop Seeing Yourself As A VictimVictimhood has become an American epidemic. If something goes wrong, we claim victimhood and blame someone else for our situation. We dont like what someone says, or the way they look at us, we scream micro-aggression and seek asafe placewhere we know well be coddled until our little tantrum ends. In the real world, not everyone is a winner and nothing is free.We arementally toughwhen we acknowledge and accept responsibility for our life. We cannot dodge responsibility for it. The worst thing we can do is take on the role of victim, make excuses, or blame others. This is a lie we tell ourselves, and it prevents us from reaching success.How To Make It Work For You Its your choice if you let the actions of other people affect you in a negative way. If you always take things personally, you make yourself a victim of what others think and do. All this does is to give people power over you, and quite frankly, its self-absorbed to live this way. Do you really believe that everything is always about you?This article was originally published on LaRaeQuy.

The Biggest Myth About Elon Musk Resume Exposed

The Biggest Myth About Elon Musk Resume Exposed Your long-term goals help the organization in ascertaining what they want and also in figuring out if youre just trying to find a temporary escape. Your achievements can be framed along with the duties if at all possible, as a way to include both at the exact same time, in order to explain how you accomplished the results while you performed your typical duties. If you are in possession of a very long work history, concentrate on the latest accomplishments and the skills that are repeated in numerous jobs. If you believe something is most likely likely to wind up in failure, but its important enough to try, be sure you do it. In truth, its been dead for some time. Bear in mind, the upside is receiving the job that you want, so spending a little more effort is well worth it. If you succeed at each turn, youre most likely not going to go down in history among the worlds best innovators. Lies Youve Been Told About Elon Musk Resume To conserve your physical and mental wellness, you may have to find a business which is much less trying. As an example, his mission statement is quite broad, focussing on his wildest long-term ambitions in place of immediate targets. You ought to make a long-lasting decision based on long-term details. An Unbiased View of Letter No company is precisely alike locating a candidate to fulfill each provider s one-of-a-kind small business culture is necessary to employment thats valuable. The Elon Musk Resume Stories Musk stated the business intends to make devices to take care of severe brain diseases in the short-term, with the eventual aim of menschengerecht enhancement. Elon Musk was chosen not just due to his contemporary prominence, but instead to demonstrate that even an extremely prosperous career like his can be shown in a one-page resume, Andrei Kurtuy told Business Insider. It is perhaps the greatest visionary on this planet. So, youre not Elon Musk. The CV is fre quently the first document a recruiter will appear at. Tailor your resume for the precise job you desire Exams are only finishing up and you may have finished your this past year at school, or maybe you be searching for a work changeover so making an ideal CV (Curriculum Vitae, or resume) can be quite challenging. Career aspirants ought to look out for a resume template rather than a curriculum vitae template. Now, in case you have very little work experience then you need to definitely include your educational qualifications in your resume, but in case you have already worked in lots of companies for a nice length of maybe 10 decades or so, then its possible to look at excluding your educational qualification to make certain that the CV fits in 1 page. The Awful Side of Elon Musk Resume In the event the text on the second page is a couple lines, you might think to re-formatting and sticking to a page rule. For instance, if youre an editor for your college magazine, it might b e an appropriate expertise in landing you a content writing internship. When you are conversant with Word and PowerPoint, its somewhat simpler to edit the CV template in PowerPoint. If you order a CV template its a one-time buy, there is absolutely no subscription needed. There are additional elements that you are able to enhance your CV, based on whether the info is relevant for your job application. With a PDF CV document youll be absolutely sure the individual that receives your CV will observe the document precisely the same as how you see it on your PC. When youre writing your CV its ideal to use a reverse chronological order. A fashionable CV with a matching cover letter will be able to help you improve the way that you present yourself. Having around 2 pages at your tafelgeschirr isnt the simplest, particularly if you have extensive professional experience. With all these achievements and previous experiences, an individual would be right to believe that you would nee d tons of pages so as to cover all of them. A couple of the templates are free while others cost a couple dollars. There are a number of free resume templates readily available online but sometimes it can be quite tricky to decide on the very best one thats most suited to you.

Finding Career Independence

Finding Career Independence One of the the most common causes of career dissatisfaction is the lack of control. It can take many forms bedrngnis doing the kind of work you enjoy, working for a boss you dont like, being underpaid, etc. No matter what your lack of control looks like, it can breed a feeling of helplessness that takes a toll on your emotional state both in the office and outside of it.Finding career independence starts with identifying what is within your radius of control. What can you do today that will help you gain more freedom tomorrow?First, I recommend keeping your resume up to date at all times. That way, youll always be prepared if a new opportunity comes into view. For similar reasons, you want to keep your LinkedIn profile current and maintain active connections with your colleagues.If youre not using your favored skills at work, look for others ways to keep them sharp. Consider taking on small consulting projects or volunteeri ng at a nonprofit. You may even want to take a class or two to keepyour certifications current.If youd like to acquire some new skills to take your career in a different direction, look into classes at local colleges and online. Again, youll want to find opportunities to practice these new skills outside the office.Nurture your network. Attend events, get lunch with coworkers from previous jobs, and stay connected.If youre beginning to feel dissatisfied in a career that used to be fulfilling, its time to reevaluate your priorities. The source of your unhappiness is likely a change in whats important to you. For example, early in your career, you may have been willing to work for hours on endto make the most money possible. Now that youre older, work/life balance may be more important to you, yet youre still stuck working 60+ hours a week.Unlike Independence Day fireworks, career freedom rarely happens all at once. Instead, gaining career independence requires a long-term commitment. But if you put in a little work every day, you will soon be able to take your career entirely into your own hands.A version of this article originally appeared onCopeland Coaching.Angela Copeland is a career coach and CEO at her firm,Copeland Coaching.