May 2023 - Page 8 of 12

Is Resume Writing Really That Important?

The reason why so many people are willing to invest a significant amount of time, energy and money into creating a résumé is because it is the one area of job hunting that is controlled by them. Psychologists will tell you that an innate fear of failure causes people to take what seems like forever to create their résumés. They fear rejection via a face-to-face interview which is why they spend so long crafting the ‘perfect’ résumé rather than calling a prospective employer on the phone for example. Hardly anyone ever gets hired via a résumé alone and must also face an interview. You should know that according to recruiters, 40% of a hiring decision is based entirely on the individual’s personality. Therefore, your résumé is only the beginning of the job seeking journey so stop taking so long creating it!

What To Include In Your Résumé

Keep it under 2 A4 pages because most résumés are scanned in a matter of seconds. The content should be easy to read and relatively free of jargon. Why? Because the person reading your résumé will probably be from the company’s HR department and may have no clue about technical issues related to your industry. Stay traditional in terms of font with Times New Roman 10-12 font size and black type against white paper. A simple Word Document format is sufficient and your employment and education histories should be written in reverse chronological format.

Believe it or not, including personal information is what could keep you from being hired. For example, if the job you’re looking for involves lots of travel and you are married with young children, the company may decide against interviewing you. Avoid fancy phrases and use words that refer to titles such as controller, manager and customer service. Above all, tell a story in your résumé as much as space allows. For example, explain that you completed a project 20% under budget or else you were responsible for initiatives that yielded a 14% increase in company profit.

Courage & Initiative

Initiative is not just something that should be showcased on a résumé; it should be in everything you do related to job hunting. Approximately 60% of jobs are found through networking so instead of hoping that your résumé will be spotted online by a recruiter, start picking up the phone and talking to everyone you have worked with that may have connections. Leave no stone unturned in your bid to become known and to find important information about people and companies that are hiring.

In the end, it is courage that will land you a job as much as your experience and qualifications. You could be the most talented person in your field but if no one knows you exist, how can you expect to get called for an interview? Everyone can send out a résumé but ultimately, it is interviews that get you a job. It is important for you to accept the risk of being rejected and to keep trying again and again until you succeed. While you should absolutely take some time to create an excellent, professional résumé, don’t spend weeks and months on it because it is just one step in a very long journey.

Choosing a Professional Resume Format

Professional Resume Writing

There is a lot involved in creating a professional resume that is attention grabbing and lands interviews. Did you know that some job postings can bring in as many as 500-1,000 resumes? And, recruiters will spend between 10 and 30 seconds reviewing a resume with their primary goal being to whittle down the piles of resumes that they receive each day to a manageable stack of “keepers”. Obviously, there is a lot of competition out there from other job seekers vying for the same position.

You’ll need to start your resume writing by deciding on a format. There are essentially 3 different resume formats: the chronological resume, the functional resume and the combination resume. Each has its advantages and disadvantages which is explained below.

The Chronological Resume Format

The chronological resume format is the most common and the one that people are most familiar with. In the chronological format, each of your jobs and corresponding descriptions of responsibilities are listed in chronological order starting with the most recent job. Dates of each job are included on the resume and it usually includes a career objective section, skills & attributes section or profile section and an education section.

The Functional Resume Format

The functional resume format is not as common and most often recommended for people who have gaps in their work history or for those who have been out of the workforce for a while. What is most prominent about this resume format is the candidate’s skills, attributes and accomplishments. A career objective should also be included as well as any educational qualifications. The actual jobs however, do not include the dates. The career history section will typically be limited to a list of company names, location of each company and job titles. One advantage to using this format is that it usually shortens the length of a resume. If you’ve got a 25 year job history and several jobs where you’ve performed a lot of the same duties, you can imagine how lengthy (not to mention repetitive) your resume might get. The functional resume format is an effective way to reduce the number of pages that an employer will have to read and will make your application more impactful. The disadvantage to this resume format is that recruiters don’t like it. They get suspicious about your job history if no dates are included and may toss it in the garbage if it raises too many questions. Although, at one time I used a functional resume because in my chronological resume I had gaps in my work history that I suspected were keeping the phone from ringing with interview requests. I changed the format from chronological to functional and the phone started to ring! So, for the best of both worlds, you might want to try the combination resume if you’ve got gaps in your work history or have been out of the workforce for a while.

The Combination Resume Format

The combination resume as its name implies, combines the best of both the chronological resume and the functional resume. A functional resume format is followed but the job dates are included. The employer is primarily interested in knowing what value you can bring to the company so that if your first page (or the first 2/3rds) of your resume can effectively show what value you bring to the company, then any gaps may be overlooked in favour of bringing you in for an interview.

3 Reasons Why You Should Write a New CV Today

Over the past decade the quality of CV writing has risen dramatically. This is down to the amount of free information you can find online. There are lots of CV writing guides and tips which help anyone wanting to improve their application, and this has pushed the quality up to a whole new level.

Because of this employers are now expecting a higher quality of CV, which leaves anyone not swotting up online in the past. The old style of writing a CV is not good enough anymore and it’s harder than ever to now get an interview.

If you’re worried that your CV may be failing you, here are 3 massive reasons why you must write a new CV today.

It’s too generic

If your current CV is purely a list of all your skills, qualifications and experience – then read on. This approach to CV writing is out of date and not going to impress anyone. But what will help you get a job interview is tailoring your application.

To find out if your CV is too generic, grab a highlighter pen and print off a copy of your CV. Having read the job advert you should have a good idea of the skills and experience they require. Then, highlight all the information which isn’t relevant to the employer you are going to send it off too. After highlighting all the irrelevant parts you will probably have most of your information in yellow by now!

Like so many other CVs you should find that most of your information isn’t going to be of interest to the employer. Now that you’re staring at a huge sea of yellow or pink highlighter, you can see why a generic and untailored CV is not going to get you an interview.

Now would be a great time to start again completely from scratch. Keep your old CV so you have all your work history, but create a new one which now takes into consideration what the company wants.

You must tailor your CV to the role and the company if you want to succeed. The hiring manager wants to pick up your application and instantly see that you are suitable. A generic CV will force them to read between the lines, and most of the time they won’t bother.

You only update

If you keep the same CV and simply keep updating it every time you change jobs, you definitely need a new CV. Your old and tired CV is going to continue to slowly step out of favour with its design and content.

“Tailor your CV. Look at the company’s website and social media accounts, look to see if they’ve recently been mentioned in the local press and use the job advert to make sure your CV is targeted to the role and employer.”

https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/cvs-and-cover-letters/how-to-write-a-cv

We’ve already covered the topic of tailoring your CV to the role, and by doing that you will prevent this from happening. You don’t need to keep making small updates if you always write a brand new CV every time you apply. Even if you’re applying to numerous employers for the same job title, you should still write a new one for each – there will always be differences, no matter how subtle they may seem.

So stop making small updates and start again. It will ensure your information is relevant and fresh, and you can also choose a new design for your layout. This brings us on to…

You haven’t used a CV template

A CV template is a ready made layout that you can use to simply insert your details. Not only will that save a lot of time and stress, it will look great!

Unless you are a graphic designer or have a keen eye for this sort of thing, you should always choose a ready made CV template. You just have to make sure you pick a good one and avoid any rogue websites. Unfortunately not every CV template website you come across offers the best designs, but hopefully you will be able to filter out the good from the bad.

There are lots of modern designs to choose from and most are free to download. If you can find one that’s recent and clearly looks fantastic, it will certainly help you get a job interview. The overall layout and design of your CV is just as important as the skills you have to offer.

When a Free Resume Ends Up Costing You More Than a Professional One

The most commonly searched keywords regarding resumes inevitably include “free” or “template” in them. Nobody wants to pay for something they think they can do themselves. A quick search will yield dozens of different services and sites offering free assistance with writing your own resume. But before you decide to sign up for any of these services, you ought to do your research on them first. Just like with any industry, even resume writing services has its shady underbelly.

One of the most common free resume template services involves an application where you provide your information such as name, education, work experience, etc., and the application plugs it automatically into a ready-made template. But before you are allowed to save your document or print it out, you are asked to pay a small, negligible fee, often around $2 or sometimes give your credit card information for a “free” trial that you can supposedly cancel at any time. Not so bad for something other people may pay several hundred dollars for, huh? Think again.

Hidden deep in the fine print, that no one seems to read anymore anyways, is the agreement you make to be charged for an automatically renewing subscription service. Before you know it, your credit card is being charged $40, $50, or even more every month. If you take a look at some of the consumer reviews for some of these “free” resume services, you will find that unfortunately many people do not pay very close attention to their credit card statements and may end up having these reoccurring charges for more than a year. What you thought was “free” or only a couple of bucks ends up turning out to be several hundred dollars or more, depending on when you notice the fraudulent charges.

Oftentimes, you will have little to no luck disputing the charges with your bank or credit card company. If the charges are reoccurring on your account, you will have been assumed to have agreed to them. This is another good reminder to always keep a close eye on your bank and credit card amounts. And good luck trying to dispute the charges with the actual company over the telephone or email. Why would they want to give you the time of day to cancel the charges when hidden fees and surcharges are their bread and butter? Always be suspicious of businesses without verifiable, physical addresses, and do your consumer research beforehand.

Many people who are looking to have a resume written are unemployed and looking to save money wherever they can, so they turn to “free” resume making websites that they believe will improve their chances of securing interviews. The sad reality is that there are many companies out there whose entire business model is based off scamming the poor and destitute with hidden fees and a sub-par product. If you are looking for help writing your resume, always do your research before you hand over any credit card information. Furthermore, ask friends and family what has best worked for them. Legitimate, professional resume writing services may not be for everyone, but they do help a great deal of job seekers. Sometimes the initial investment is well worth the reward. A well-written, effective resume could be the difference between you getting a new job in the next couple of weeks vs. you getting a job in the next couple of months, and all of that lost income will add up.

Actually Free Resume Templates

It is likely you have resume templates already installed on whichever word processing software you have. There are plenty of places where you can legitimately download them for free online and just enter in the necessary information yourself. For many people, this is as far as resume writing goes. Write a simple objective, name the school you went to, describe your work experience, and list any certifications. The problem is that, while templates may give you a basic format outline, it does not tell you what to actually write in it or how to write it. Just as all individuals are different, so should every resume be different.

Remember, free resume templates are designed to grab your attention, not the attention of the people who actually matter, such as hiring managers and recruiters. They may try to wow you with different fonts, graphics, and colors, but this is not what employers are looking for. You may think you will come off as interesting, creative, and eye catching if you used a unique resume template, but in the eyes of the hiring authority it will be clear as daylight that you used just another generic resume template.

When I have been in charge of hiring before, one of my most memorable examples was an individual who described themselves as a “creative type” and “proficient in Microsoft Office.” Their resume formatting and style was a little out of the ordinary for sure, but it was also obvious they used a rather common resume template. Why would I want to hire someone who says they are “creative” and “proficient in Microsoft Office,” if they can’t even format their own resume?

When looking at resumes, hiring authorities want documents that are simple, clean, and get straight to the point. With a competitive job market, a Human Resources official may sift through hundreds of resumes for a single position. They don’t spend too much time on each one, normally just a quick glance before they decide if it goes in the garbage or if the candidate needs a closer look.

A final warning about free resume templates is the question of how Applicant Tracking System (ATS) compliant they are. Many companies, especially large corporations, use ATS software to pre-screen applicants. This software scans the document for things like experience level, skills, certifications, educational background, industry keywords, and more. If you have a strangely formatted resume, it will be difficult for the software to read your resume. Even if you are the perfect candidate and have an otherwise well-written resume, it may get thrown in the garbage before a pair of human eyes ever actually looks at it.

How to Make a Resume – 3 Vital Tips to Make Your Resume Stand Out

Whether you’re fresh out of the university or someone who’s hoping for a career change, it’s important that you learn how to make a resume. The resume contains all of your achievements and work experiences. It tells the employer what you have to offer the company.

A lot of people actually don’t know how to make a resume. Most of them just copy it off from a standard format. While this is not exactly a negative thing, it keeps them from understanding the purpose of the resume and does not give them any room for creativity.

It is always in your best interest to know exactly how something works and innovate it to your advantage.

1) The Basics.

If you want to discover how to make a resume that sells, it’s important for you to know about the basics first. The resume should obviously contain your name and your contact details. It should also contain your educational background, your work experiences and your achievements.

All of these details should begin at your most recent; and try to include only those that are actually relevant to the company you’re applying for.

Unless you’re applying for a position in the creative department, stick to the standard fonts (Arial and Times New Roman) and font size (10 or 12).

2) Use The Active Voice.

When trying to make a resume, always use the active voice. Employers like people who are doers and not just watchers. Avoid sounding pompous and arrogant though.

3) List Down Your Other Strengths.

Once you have all the basics down, it’s time to figure out how to make your resume more interesting. If you are fluent in any other languages, it is to your advantage to include them in your resume.

Many companies have sister businesses in other parts of the globe; and if you can speak in other languages, they’ll immediately see that as an asset.

Be mindful of the other strengths you have. Being the top scorer in an online video game should not be included here, unless you’re applying for the position of video game tester. Stick to those that you think might be of use to the company.

Learning how to make a resume is important. While there is a standard format to be followed, there is still room for creativity and other strengths. By simply changing your sentences into the active voice, you already have an advantage over the other applicants

Example of Sales Letter

As the name suggests, sales letter templates assist in composing promotional letters for goods or services that you want to sell. They can be downloaded from the Internet and used as guidelines along which you can do sales copywriting. Sales letter templates specify what you can incorporate into the letter that is used to launch your produce. Initially when you start as a sales copywriter, sales letter templates may be followed to write effective letters that sell, rendering the task much easier. It is not necessary that you depend upon a template but most people find it to be a convenient tool to formulate letters that are an instant hit to set the stage for vending your merchandise.

Effective sales letter templates generate ideas in you that you can use to make the product sell like hot cakes. It is of utmost importance that letters for selling your product help you to reach your objectives. Sales copywriting is carried out with a certain segment of society in mind. Getting across to them is the sole aim of using appropriate sales letter templates.

A sales copywriter is advised to compile the letters of sale using a conversational tone. Avoid sounding too formal and earn greater appeal from prospective customers. If the letters that sell exude warmth, the readers are immediately put at ease and you have better chances of converting readers into customers.

Do not fill up every available space with words, leave white spaces in the letter. This is a good way to retain the readers’ attention all through the letter. Short, terse paragraphs make a great read. Bullets or numbering point out the salient feature keep the letter from sounding too drab. Follow the sales templates carefully and win over a larger number of consumers.

It is important not to push your customers to buying your product. Select only the parts of the sales letter templates that aid in building a trust between the readers and you. If at any point the reader feels that he is being compelled to procure the items for sale, he is likely to lose interest and this implies that you are a loser too. Instead, set a tone that depicts your genuine concern for them. By being helpful to them, you will increase your rate of success. Readers want to obtain suggestion to solve their problems through the products you are selling but prefer to be the ultimate decision makers. Simply point out ways to assist them by providing ample information about whatever you are selling but refrain from driving them to take that path.

Using a sales letter template is better than not using it at all because it can lay a firm foundation for your business. Over a period of time, you will find using a template too binding and become comfortable with writing on your own. Once you gain mastery over the letter writing skill, you can discontinue the use of sales letter templates and be able to write flawlessly.

Customize Your Resume to Jump Start Your Job Search

Your resume is a sales letter promoting your background, abilities and potential. A good resume will get lead to interviews and poor one will keep opportunities out of reach. It is important to develop the best sales presentation to differentiate yourself from your competition.

Many job seekers get frustrated sending out lots of resumes and never hearing anything in response. They apply to a few dozen companies and hear back from a couple and sometimes none. The reason is simple – when companies post a job, they receive thousands of resumes that have nothing to do with the job.

Some job seekers, frustrated with the lack of response, resort to a mass mailing approach. The idea is to send out massive volumes of resumes and hope a few will get a response.

The problem with this strategy is the poor quality of the resume that is sent. Generalizing your background to be suitable for almost any job results in your resume looking like everyone else’s. This ensures you will not stand out and will not get attention.

Customization

The solution is to customize your application. The more you can do this, the more successful you will be. If your job search is stalled, working to customize your resume for each position will help jump start your efforts and get your search back on track.

Taken to the extreme, you would write a custom cover letter and resume for a position, address them to a specific individual, and hand deliver your information to the hiring manager – ideally with someone from the company referring and recommending you to the hiring manager. In this situation, your resume is going to get a very close look and you will get a response.

Unfortunately, this level of customization and personal contact isn’t always possible. So what should you do? Customize the sales pitch as much as possible.

The first step is to have a cover letter. Many job seekers omit a cover letter, but including one can help differentiate you from the other applicants.

Second, customize your cover letter to the position. A cover letter, specifically mentioning the position and company, along with a persuasive reason why the job seeker will add value to that company, is more likely to generate interest.

Third, customize the objective statement on your resume. Make sure it indicates you are interested in the position.

Fourth, customize your skills, highlighting the skills most important for the position. Often, this requires only a slight change to your resume, but it can make a huge impact. Look at the job description and make sure you show your skill level with any required technical skills. You may think that the skills you include in your resume imply that you would have other related skills, but you can’t count on this. It becomes especially problematic if the person doing the initial resume screen doesn’t understand the technical details of a position. In this case, they may have a checklist of skills – if you mention everything on the checklist, you pass, if you don’t you’re rejected.

Fifth, customize the accomplishments on your resume. Look for key elements of the job description, paying particular attention to the goals, expectations or challenges of the role. Include examples of how you have met similar goals or expectations, or have overcome similar challenges in the past.

If you adjust all five of these elements on every resume you submit, you will greatly improve your success rate. Making these modifications takes time, but it is worth it. The tighter the job market gets, the more important it is to maximize your chances for every opportunity.

Search Engine Optimization

World’s major SEO companies

Google, AOL, Info Space, Yahoo, Askewest, MSN, AltaVista, Lycos, AllTheWeb, Netscape, Looksmart, Go/ InfoSeek, Overture, NBCi/Snap, Kanoodle, IX Quick, Northern Light, Excite, DMOZ, WiseNut, Teoma, Hog Search, MetaCrawler, Dogpile Web Search Eureka, EuroPages, Free Find, Go.com, Mirago, Nerd World, Northern Light, Open Directory Project, OpenText, Planet Search, Scoot, Starting Point, UK Directory, Webtop, Yellow Web

SEO an Overview

The objective of Search Engine Optimization is to increase web visitor counts by ranking very high in the results of searches using the most appropriate keywords describing the content of your site. This relative ranking is often viewed as a struggle to best use a few keywords, instead of a struggle to out-do your competition. If you search on your target keywords, you will see the leading site in the rankings. All you need to do is to be better than that number one site. This page suggests ways to optimize and improve search engine results with ranking and placement advice, placement hints, tips, and clues to improve your search engine keywords relative to existing leaders. After all, better keyword ranking is your real objective.

It is not enough to simply add META tags and do search engine submission of your site to a million search engine indexes and directories. The first placement step in obtaining significant web visitor counts is to seek first-page search engine results. An early step is to build a great content-rich site. One of the last steps is the proper submission of your great site to the search engine or directory. In the middle is a step that is VITAL if you want to obtain front-page results, and most sites skim past this step because it is forgotten or too complex, but without competent Search Engine Optimization you are destined to be search engine fodder.

There are no Search Engine Optimization secrets — just ranking and placement methodologies to follow in order to beat your competition in obtaining a high ranking for desired search keywords. This site targets improving search engine rankings by using a “follow the leader” approach to keyword selection and page wording. Once you know what keywords and search engine marketing services (not spam) worked for the “leaders”, you can “beat the leader” and do even better! Proper Search Engine Optimization requires that you beat your competition, so knowing the keywords and criterion used by your competition is the most important first step. It will become obvious that good ranking excludes keyword spamming the search engine, and that with the careful selection of your keywords that you will fare well for a little effort. Bruceclay.com offers help, hints, and tips for improving search engine results via a specific search engine keywords placement methodology.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the science of search as it relates to marketing on the web. It is mostly technical in nature, combining programming with business, persuasion, sales, and a love for competitive puzzle solving into a written form capable of maintaining desired revenue goals while achieving high rankings in the organic sections of search engine results pages. It is not just technical, nor copywriting, nor links, nor just search engine submission, but an intricate blend of over a hundred variables into the fabric of a website. It is difficult to accomplish without a formal proven methodology and strong proprietary tools. We offer you a tutorial on all of that and more on these pages…

Before you start, you should understand that top 10 rankings with every single major search engine and directory can be obtained, although very few sites can get there and the effort is often beyond reason. Note: URL ranking results change week-to-week due to competition, so maintaining a top ranking requires constant keywords monitoring and information rework. Search Engine Optimization never rests, much like your competition.

The key information on this page includes how to prepare both you and your site for the search engines, choosing the right keywords, how to analyze your competition, what is submission and how is it best accomplished, when to monitor your ranking, instructions for performing an analysis of your site results, complete with tools and aids. This site covers all basic and advanced strategies and the common mistakes to avoid.

The overall SEO involves:

o Attracting prospects to a web site

o that is properly designed to encourage visitors to browse like Web Site Design

o leads the visitor to a completed transaction by offering products easily and without undue complexity like Web Site Navigation

o Addresses concerns (perceived risks) that can scare off the potential buyer if left unanswered like risk avoidance.

The overall SEO involves

o Attracting prospects to a web site

o That is properly designed to encourage visitors to browse like Web Site Design

o Leads the visitor to a completed transaction by offering products easily and without undue complexity like Web Site Navigation

o Addresses concerns (perceived risks) that can scare off the potential buyer if left unanswered like risk avoidance.

SEO Case Study
o Do you have any intent to sell your product yourself?

o Do you have any intent to sell this product through a traditional retail channel?

o Have you decided to sell this product via the Web?

o Determine What You Have To Sell

o Determine Who Already Needs What You Have To Sell

o Determine What They Will Pay For What You Have To Sell

SEO Guidelines –

o Obtain A Domain Name And Site Host

o Search Engine Marketing Through Links

o Search Engine Marketing Through Public Relations

o Search Engine Marketing Through Banners and Print Media

o Search Engine Marketing Through Strategic Relationships And Reciprocal Links

o Search Engine Marketing Through Email Discussion Groups And News Groups

o Search Engine Marketing Through A Bulk Email Program (Careful!)

o Measure Progress And Change Only One Thing At A Time

o Proceed to Search Engine Placement Tactics and Tools Page

Develop A Website Using These Principles:

Before submission you must have prepared your site for search engine placement. If your site is not prepared for top ranking then a submission service can only give you many, many poor rankings.

Consider techniques for counting visitors and have a demographics collection process (newsletter registration or perhaps a Guest Book or equivalent) for capturing visitor name and email information.

1. It must showcase the need that your product addresses (public interest)

2. It must showcase the solution that you are offering.

3. It must provide instant gratification (for information and access to the solution).

4. It must provide appropriate and timely information (in images and words) to allow the visitor to make a decision. Help them to decide that your product meets their needs.

5. Allow the visitor to buy your product (or, if a service, allow them to contact you).

6. Allow for easy information requests if questions arise anytime, day or night. Always respond promptly!

7. Consider techniques for counting visitors and have a demographics collection process (newsletter registration or perhaps a Guest Book or equivalent) for capturing visitor name and email information.

8. Change the site often (at least once per week) to give users a reason to visit again and again.

9. Consider offering a “gift” to visitors (free is best, perhaps a contest) to have them tell their friends to visit your site. Word of mouth is a powerful tool. We have our own “tell-two-friends” referral script on our site.

10. Have the site be “High Class”. Curb appeal is important in determining if you want surfers to stop and visit. Opinions will be formed early about whether the customer wants to do business with you. Plan improvements.(Regardless of what you may think, every site on the Web is under construction all of the time). Make sure that your web site design does not violate any taboos.

11. Design for the masses. Do not use exceptionally advanced technology unless that is your product. The Web is still connected to a lot of slow computers, and many do not operate on the latest Netscape or Internet Explorer products. Keep it simple and still meet your web site design and promotion goals. The toys must be appropriate to the mission of your web site.

12. Write the text and “storyboard” your site much like creating a good product specification. Use a word processor to lay-out all of your pages. Make sure that the flow is simple for the novice Internet user. Try to keep the body content each Web page to one to two 8½ x 11 sheets of paper, or if heavy information, minimize graphics and limit the size to no more than six pages. Focus on making the message clear. Creativity, and how quickly the page loads, is more important than the use of extra artwork for the sake of “cute”. And when this is done, call a Marketing Consultant first, definitely before you call a web page designer. Message and Placement sell on the web.

13. It is important to consider some aspects of eCommerce: web-based commerce with a human touch is very effective in most cases, especially with 60% to 70% of all shopping carts being abandoned. Do not design around human contact if it increases the ability to sell your products. Factor it into your design. While this may be against the Amazon.com hands-off model, some firms like Face Time Communications are integrating AOL Instant Massager with their website eCommerce applications to answer last minute questions. Reports are that buy decisions increase six-fold if questions are answered. Customer Service is evolving, and it is alive and well on the web.

14. Double check the site architectural concepts.

15. There are obviously “things” that a Web architect must know. Much of this is contained in this site and many others linked to this site below. You still need to have a minds-eye image of what is possible before you spend too much money doing it. We recommend that for optimal search engine placement that you start by reviewing this site once, and then on the second pass spend more time on the Web by “surfing” my links and those linked from our links.

16. For all sites that you identify, go to their website and visit their home page. Choose the browser option to view their Home Page HTML source (this might be a complex process). Scan these sites for search engine placement keywords and terms to make sure that your list is as complete.

17. Marketing is everything. It brings potential buyers to your door. But proper design is vital, because without effective design the buyers who see your home page will leave before it finishes loading. The average home page loads in 48 seconds at 28.8, and the average visitor stays at a home page for 35 seconds, obviously many leave before the page finishes loading. We can learn from this.

18. Create/Design the site by taking content and art, mixing it with navigation and style, testing it on family and friends, and always listen to comments, grunts, pregnant pauses, and blank stares. Specific advice on development of a page is at our Quality Site Criteria page and we suggest that you visit it now, before you code your first Web page! Try not to copy a page layout from another site. Use your own words, ideas, and artwork whenever possible, making sure that the message in the image matches your text. Make sure that the visitor knows what you are saying/selling at all times.

19. Carefully consider the use of database tools, visual tools, and java tools. These are areas receiving a lot of interest, and technology work, and they might be right for your site. Carefully consider your options since some could adversely affect search engine placement.

20. Use the smallest graphics that you can to relay your message. It is estimated that 20% of all Web users surf the Web without graphics enabled! But always have graphics if it helps sell your product. Don’t add graphics just to be neat — an animated mail box is really not something to add to a commercial site.

Follow these rules (mandatory for Free Site Listings)

o Make sure the site is rated for Family Viewing (keep it clean).

o Be courteous to other authors at all times — respect their copyrights, trademarks, and intellectual property.

o Make sure the site is NOT a multi-level marketing site, a network marketing site, or a get rich quick site (although some MLM sites can get into the free lists if they are not moderated).

o Make sure the site is NOT graphically overburdened. Minimize the use of CAPITAL letters, large fonts, and extensive graphics, especially animation.

o Make sure the site Home Page loads quickly and informs the visitor what you have to offer them right up front. If using sounds, use MIDI files whenever possible instead or WAV files, and default to off unless sounds are short. Be careful, some browsers crash with sound enabled.

o If you entice visitors with a FREE OFFER or CONTEST, make sure you explain how to obtain the gift or prize in an obvious manner. (FREE is good, but contests usually don’t work and there may be legal problems).

o Always choose to communicate information rather than to display wiz-bang nifty technical skills. These gadgets are a no-no to many free sites even if mandatory for some award sites. Animation, although exciting to see sometimes, is a real distraction on most pages and actually decreases sales. Avoid it unless there is a purpose.

o If you are going to be selling a service or product, take the time to establish a merchant account and accept credit cards. The good news is that this is easily implemented with or without a store. The bad news is that it takes effort to set it up. It is strongly suggested that you visit our page on e-commerce considerations and follow those instructions carefully!

Search Engine Placement through Search Engines, Links, and Awards
Before submission you must have prepared your site for search engine placement. If your site is not prepared for top ranking then a submission service can only give you many, many poor rankings.

There are many Web businesses offering to list your site with search engines or directories for FREE for a few sites, and for a small fee for other sites. The key is that over time, the categories change, the registration format changes, and there is a great difference between being submitted and being registered. At present, there is a 25% mortality rate for search engine sites every few months, and those that survive do so by upgrading categories and registration formats.

Search engine placement requires some homework. Before making this commitment, make a written note with the below information:

1. Your Web address (URL) in the form of http://www.yoursite.com

2. Your email address in the form of yourname@yoursite.com

3. The title of your Home Page in the form of “your site -products for (need}”

4. A 40 character product description

5. A ten to twelve word site description (your site TITLE probably)

6. A twenty-five word site description

7. A forty word site description (keep in your paste buffer). Consider using this text at the top of the displayed area on your home page.

8. A list of sixteen to twenty words best describing criteria that a prospective visitor would use in a search engine to find your site

9. A complete list of keywords (up to 1000 characters) sequenced with the most important first (possibly from your HTML Keywords line)

Fascinating Leadership Styles From Cricket for Organisations and Leaders

An in-depth and extensive analysis of the game of Cricket has provided following fascinating variety of Leadership styles that can be adopted by organizations and leaders. Adaptation of suitable leadership style is to be based on the organisation/team composition, strength and weakness of members, organization and individual goals, nature of assignments to be handled-as to long/medium/short-term, commercial or social, new assignments or repeat/ standard ones and so on. By identifying multiple situations that can confront leaders in their career path, this article brings to focus forcefully that leadership style cannot be static for a leader and will require them wearing different leadership hats, suiting a variety of situations

We have chosen the fascinating game of Cricket to identify leadership styles for organizations and leaders, as it is characterized by the following features:

1) It offers a variety of formats like Test Matches, One-day, 20-20, knock-out, League format and so on, requiring different skill sets from team members and different leadership styles to handle them. 2) The long- history of Cricket has witnessed a phenomenal variety of leaders (Captains) , some of them legends, some great, some average/passable, some downright failures and so on 3) On the personal side Cricket is a team game and has always consisted of a great variety with respect to the team composition, as to location, culture, language or dialect or way of speaking, economic strata, age, experience, physical appearance, nature and so on 4) On the technical side the complexity of skill sets consisting of Match winners, All-rounders, Batsmen (Aggressive hitters, balanced ones capable of long-hauls, slow-pick-up) , Bowlers (Fast, Medium, Off-Spinners, Leg-spinners) Fielders (Close in, out-field, out-standing, good, bad and to be protected etc) , Wicket-keeper and so on.

5) Also leadership styles to suit the style, stature and strength of opponents, type of pitches, situation in a series, qualifying requirements, availability of /injury to players etc. 6) A great entertainer (on its day) and a money spinning spectator sport. 7) However great you are (like star performers in an organization) , you have to abide by the authority of umpires and captains on the field, with selective/limited options for appealing, calling for judicious usage Of such opportunities. 8) Need for all team members to alter their style to the format of the game or situational requirements and hence the expectation from the captains to prepare and mould them accordingly.

The fascinating range of Leadership styles unearthed as part of the in-depth analysis of game of Cricket reads as follows The leadership styles are listed in the alphabetical order for easy recall and do not signify any order of importance etc.

1) ACTIVE (OMNIPRESENT) LEADERSHIP 2) AGGRESSIVE (TIGER ON THE PROWL!) LEADERSHIP 3) CHARISMATIC (ROYAL!) LEADERSHIP 4) CONFIDENCE-BUILDING (IDENTIFYING GEMS!) LEADERSHIP 5) COOL (ICEBERG) /PASSIVE LEADERSHIP 6) ENDURING (STABILITY/COMMANDING RESPECT) LEADERSHIP 7) INSPIRATIONAL (TRANSFORMATIONAL) LEADERSHIP 8) PARTICIPATIVE (OUTSTANDING OR STAND-OUT?!) LEADERSHIP 9) PROJECT STYLE (SLAM-BANG!) LEADERSHIP 10) TASK-MASTER (MILITARY) LEADERSHIP 11) UNOBTRUSIVE (CARROT& STICK) LEADERSHIP

Here we are analysing the 11 leadership styles:

1) ACTIVE (OMNIPRESENT) LEADERSHIP – Here the captain/the leader adopts the style of being present virtually everywhere, signifying an intention to be in the know of all and sundry happenings. Team members are likely to feel the leader virtually breathing behind their neck. Hence to avoid being over-active, as that may communicate a lack of confidence with the team members This”OMNIPRESENT”style of leadership (somewhat duly modified) , may be relevant in organizations/teams consisting of predominantly freshers, less skilled etc requiring and looking for constant guidance. The exceptions in the team need to be handled differently and hence the modification indicated.

2) AGGRESSIVE (TIGER ON THE PROWL!) LEADERSHIP – This is generally the style of leadership adopted by Australian Captains, who invariably with a strong and aggressive team backing them, mostly tried to play a psychological game (almost bordering on mini-warfare) of conveying to the opponents that Australians are supremely confident of winning and out to make a mince-meat of hapless opponents. While mostly it has worked for strong teams, when this borders on over-confidence or gross underestimating of opponents, this can back-fire very badly. In an organization/team environment such a style can succeed if the team members know and have adopted to this style of their leader. In a situation of mixed team of old and new members, the new ones need to be put in through an orientation of this “TIGER ON THE PROWL” leadership style and old team members style of functioning, for this to succeed. Otherwise it can back-fire very badly, as new members may get alienated. Also this may work well even with new comers like ambitious management graduates, who believe in aggressive leadership for fast-track growth

3) CHARISMATIC (ROYAL!) LEADERSHIP – This style of leadership has occurred whenever captains have been towering personalities of the game or with royal lineage etc. We have instances of both legendary and successful captains and miserable failures under this category. In an organization/ team set-up this can work (without much modifications) , if the team members deem it a privilege to be working under a star personality. Otherwise there is a definite need for such leader to communicate in no uncertain terms, he is very much approachable and his stature need not be a deterrent for the team members

4) CONFIDENCE-BUILDING (IDENTIFYING GEMS!) LEADERSHIP – One of the examples always quoted in cricket for this style of leadership is Imran khan of Pakistan, who is credited with unearthing gems like Wasim Akram, Abdul quadir and others. Sensing their potential, he is supposed to have been always on their side, when they were down and out, to build confidence in them. Together they played a key part in taking Pakistan to their pinnacle of glory by winning world championship. In an organization/team set-up such leaders can be an asset in identifying and moulding gems. However they will be disasters, if they are seen to be playing the game of favouritism, misusing their position.

5) COOL (ICE-BERG) /PASSIVE LEADERSHIP: One classic case of Cool leadership (as coined by commentators, Media& others) has been Mahendra Singh Dhoni of India. This type of leadership has the risk of being classified as cool, when the team is winning and passive when the team is losing! In an organizational/Team environ this style of leadership can work, if you have a well settled team/products/ services, stable organizational /economic environ and the organization/team is perceived to be succeeding. When this situation changes, unless there is a perceptible change in leadership style, the leader will be branded “PASSIVE”or inactive.

6) ENDURING (STABILITY&COMMANDING RESPECT) LEADERSHIP: Even though many Australian captains have exhibited such leadership style, slightly lesser credit is being given here for their endurance, as their teams have been virtually “WORLD-CHAMPIONS” for prolonged periods of time. Very rarely a boat is disturbed, when the sailing is smooth. Hence a little bit more focus is on leaders/ captains like Daniel Vettori of New zealand, Greame Smith of South Africa, Mahela Jayawardane of Srilanka as they have been Enduring leaders, inspite of their teams not being the Champs. This style of leadership in organizations/teams is possible for leaders, who are perceived as people oriented and when no major competing leader of stature is in sight. The stability should not lead to too much comfort, familiarity& personal equations with the team members leading to difficulties in extracting performance. Also this style of leadership may not sustain when strong alternate leader emerges (with general preference for change) and when the performance of the organization/team goes below certain benchmarks.

7) INSPIRATIONAL (TRANSFORMATIONAL) LEADERSHIP: Possibly the most striking example in cricket for this style of leadership is Mike Brearly of England, whose leadership qualities are termed out-standing. The legend goes that he could have been part of any team in the world as a captain, but not as a player!The classic example is that of Ashes series, after England was down &out 2-nil after 2 matches and their star performer Botham performing miserably, as per Australia’s aggressive game plan of containing Botham ( who is a match winner on his day) . The arrival of Mike as a Captain from the 3rd test turned the series on its head, with the totally transformed Botham, single-handedly winning the remaining 3 matches and the Ashes for England. Such inspirational is highly relevant for Organizations /Teams involved in creative activities, has star performers/ Orgaisations/Teams undergoing bad patch, to transform people at leadership levels and so on, rather than in routine and mundane type of activities. They can be ideal for start-ups to inculcate a sustaining performance culture from the beginning itself.

8) PARTICIPATIVE (OUTSTANDING OR STAND-OUT?!) LEADERSHIP – Possibly a positive example of this style of leadership is former Indian Skipper Saurav Ganguly, going both by his track-record and the team members, recalling his leadership always with fondness and pride, long after he ceased to be the Skipper. There are many examples in International cricket, where captains have carried it to the extreme and failed. This style of leadership will have to ensure in an organisation /team environ, that it is clearly communicated that while quality participation from the team is welcome and appreciated, the final decision taking authority, based on facts, figures and organizational requirements will rest with the leader. Also such leadership should avoid excessive, endless, free for all participation bordering on LAISSEZ FAIRE style of “NON-LEADERSHIP”Instead of being an”outstanding leader “the leader may have to “stand out” of the leadership position!.

9) PROJECT STYLE (SLAM-BANG!) LEADERSHIP: This style of leadership requirement is akin to having different captains for shorter versions as against test matches. For instance Bailey for Australia, Kohli for India and so on. Generally they are perceived to be more aggressive captains, basically more risk-taking in nature to meet the deadlines as demanded by shorter versions of the game. In an organization/team situations, leadership is required to complete different types of tasks/ projects with deadlines, uncertainties etc, through being very alert and dynamic, risk taking, able to take decisions at very short notice, even with limited information. A word of caution would be, though dynamic such leaders need to have a mature head on their shoulders and capable of reasonable restraint, otherwise in the name of dynamism, there is every possibility of going overboard with decisions with disastrous results.

10) TASK-MASTER (MILITARY TYPE) LEADERSHIP: We have come across this type of leadership in cricket. Some have shown good results, handling a team of rookies and some have miserably failed, trying this style even to an experienced team leading to resentment. This style of leadership is difficult to practice in letter and spirit in modern organizations. Still this is being followed with varying degrees of control on shop-floors, wherever routine, compliance oriented and automated operations are pre-dominant etc. Such leadership style should provide flexibility for potential employees to grow, lest they leave

11) UNOBTRUSIVE (CARROT& STICK ) LEADERSHIP: These are leaders in the know of things with their hands on the pulse of the situation and the team, without forcing themselves on the team, all the time. Anil kumble of India was considered one such captain. In the organization /team situations, such leaders can produce good results, if the team consists of experienced/senior professionals, who normally prefer a hands-off leadership style and if the leader has the stature to command their respect, when required. The leader should ensure that the leaders presence is clearly felt, in all Important decision-making by the team. This type of leadership, makes their presence felt by rewarding right behavior and vice-versa. The leadership style should be never allowed to degenerate in to passive /Laissez faire category in the name of extended freedom for the team. Such leaders need to be more hands-on, when the composition of the team changes with more of fresh/lesser experienced team members requiring guidance

Mortgage Sales Letter Tips

A good mortgage sales letter that produces leads from a cold list or generates new business from your old client list is worth 1000 times it’s weight in gold.

Lets say you have a list of 50 clients and 50 leads that you haven’t converted. If you send one letter at a cost of just .42, and $100 for printing. That’s just $142 in total costs for a basic mortgage sales letter.

One new loan can generate several thousand dollars in commission. If you get just one new loan from a mortgage sales letter, you are going to be profitable (assuming you aren’t mailing to an enormous list).

As a result, it’s important to create an effective mortgage sales letter to maximize your lead generation efforts.

The key is to write an effective mortgage sales letter that people read and respond to. Most mortgage brokers don’t know the power of effective writing and rely upon hype and trickery in their letters.

The good news is you don’t need to hype up your letter, and you don’t need to rely on tricks like the old ‘fake looking check in the window’ letter (by the way, this does work, but only if you do it without fooling the recipient).

If you want leads and referrals here are the three most important parts of a successful mortgage sales letter that will help you boost response rates and build your book of business:

1. A Compelling Headline. Almost every mortgage sales letter must have a headline. Why? I’ll let the late great David Ogilvy explain it to you:

“On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar.” -David Ogilvy

The job of a headline is to get people interested and excited about what you have to say. For example, a poor headline might say, “Introducing Your Local Home Loan Specialist!”

A better headline would be, “Susan Johnson Saved $498.95 Per Month On Her Mortgage Payment — Here’ How You Can Save This Much or More!”

That headline needs a little work, but it’s light years ahead of the average mortgage brokers marketing letter.

2. Stories Sell. Nothing gets people more involved and motivated to take action than a good story. Instead of cramming a pitch about your products and services down your prospects throat (which puts them into the defensive mindset), tell them a story about a client who saved money instantly. And as a result of saving this money she could pay for child care or get a mini van, or go on a vacation that she has been putting off for a few years.

They key is to write a story that fits into the mindset of your audience. If you are targeting subprime mortgages, tell a story about how a down and out client with no hope. How he brought his family out of a rental in a bad part of town to owning a nice home in a wonderful school district.

3. Call To Action. The next important area of an effective mortgage sales letter is the call to action. You want your prospect to take action and call you or fill out a return reply card.

For example, a weak call to action would be, “Call me at 555-555-5555 between the hours of 8am and 4pm Monday through Friday.”

A stronger call to action would be, “For a free no obligation consultation to see how much you can save on your mortgage payment call me now: 555-555-5555. We can schedule a time to meet and discus your financial situation, or do it on the phone. You can reach me at 555-555-5555 anytime during normal business hours. Or, you can call my toll-free 24-hour voicemail at 1-800-555-5555 and leave your contact information and I’ll send you more information.”

In addition to a headline, a story, and a strong call to action, your mortgage sales letter should include a Post Script (PS), and testimonials. Studies show that up to 80% of your readers will read the PS first. This is where you restate your benefit in a conversational way. Testimonials are very effective in establish credibility, and they reinforce your claims.

If you follow these simple guidelines to a more effective mortgage sales letter, you will generate more qualified leads and referrals.

Sit down and write a mortgage sales letter tonight instead of watching Fringe or Dancing With The Stars. Send it to your current clients, and old leads. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.