Yesterday, Dan Schawbel released the free sample pre-edition of his magazine, Personal Branding Magazine. The full issue, which is a paid subscription, is scheduled for publication on May 1.

You can get the free sample or sign up for the paid edition of the magazine by visiting his website www.PersonalBrandingMag.com. We are happy to be of sponsor of Dan’s and highly recommend that our readers take an opportunity to at least check out the sample.

Dan is a subject matter expert on personal branding and writes an engaging blog [called Personal Branding Blog, what else ] and is the first ever Social Media Specialist at EMC Corporation. This latest issue brings together 25 articles from leaders in the recruiting world. Get the sample here.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Article Title: Can MBA Degree Guarantee Career Success?
Author Byline: Practical Tips for Young Urban Professionals
Author Website: http://youngurbanprofessionals.net

In part, it may or can contribute to a successful career, but never a guarantee. However, if you want to grab the opportunities below, you might want to consider getting an MBA degree.

The demand for marketing, advertising, promotions and public relations managers is expected to grow faster than the average for all occupations through 2012. -U.S. Department of Labor’s 2004-05 Occupational Outlook Handbook

The MBA Advantage

For those of us who are pursuing careers in these fields, this is a good time to consider an MBA degree. While, as I asserted, MBA degree is no guarantee, it can however give you an edge over other employees or candidates for managerial positions. In fact, some companies would require managerial candidates to get a graduate degree to qualify for a management office.

“Why would I spend my time in the university again? I have already put on 5 years of my life in college, and then you expect me to put on another three in graduate studies? That is too much! It’s time to earn my way through my career, besides work experience is much more important than an MBA degree!”

Sound familiar?

Many young professionals, I noticed, tend to shun pursuing graduate degrees or higher education beyond college. Some would even contend that it is a waste of time and money. Further; they aver that you can succeed without a MBA strap on your shoulders. I agree partly, because a degree is only one of many contributing factors in career success. I have already made that assertion earlier. On the other hand, I disagreed on the former contentions. Graduate degrees, an MBA for example, have their own merits, and would prove to be an advantage if you are vying for a managerial position.

During my stint as Corporate HR Manager, I have interviewed more than a thousand candidates for specialist, supervisory, managerial, and executive positions. I have noticed, roughly, only 1 out of 10 candidates has a Master’s degree or is pursuing a graduate program. My stats show that whenever I short list one of these candidates against two others who are not in their category, 99% of the time, the CEO or COO will prefer the former.

What does this implies?

Young urban professionals with Master’s degrees or pursuing graduate education are:

* Viewed to have more potential for promotion to leadership or managerial positions than other candidates. Which can easily be translated to savings and profits on the cost of staff hiring and training;
* Considered as forward-looking professionals. They step ahead of their peers, innovative, creative, and are visionaries;
* Considered as good and well-informed business decision makers. They value statistics, careful studies, and planning while taking calculated risks;
* Found to be aggressive and tenacious in any undertakings. Getting an MBA, for example, is a result of hardwork and perseverance in itself because of stiffer requirements than a bachelor’s degree;
* Serious about their career growth.

Here are your quick takes:

* If you are not fending for your own family, meaning you can afford to pursue a graduate program on a full-time basis –enroll today and get that MBA or graduate degree of your choice. Sometimes, a job can wait a little longer. An investment on graduate degree today can mean more and better job opportunities and offers in the future;
* If you are being offered a job, do not just negotiate about the salary and benefits package, include time allotment or scholarship fund for a graduate program;
* If pursuing graduate studies in-campus is not feasible, try online graduate courses or any other similar on line universities. By all means , get that master’s degree;
* Do not put-off pursuing graduate education in the latter years of your career, for by then you might not need it. You need it today!

Again, can MBA or a graduate degree guarantee career success?

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.

Article Title: Interview like a Rock Star
Author Byline: Phil Rosenebrg, President reCareered
Author Website: http://linkedIN.com/in/philrosenberg

Nope, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke.

You just had a Rock Star interview….you walked out of the office and knew the job was yours for the taking. The company is dying for you, and even you choose that this job isn’t the right move for you – at least the ego boost feels great.

There are two secrets to a Rock Star interview: Preparation and Execution.

Preparation:
Research - Rock Star preparation starts before you even write your resume. Research the company and industry, using SEC reports (if public), Company Website, press releases & Articles, Hoovers, Yahoo Finance, Google searches, social network contacts, and blogs. Find out everything you can about industry trends, how the company is reacting to them, or planning for them. Find out the company’s goals and challenges.

Peel - After you’ve done your research, start to peel the onion a little. Ask yourself what challenges the company is likely to face along the way. How will the company’s changes also change the area you are interviewing for. What problems are likely to arise that your Subject Matter Expertise can uniquely solve.

Solve Problems - Now you’re set to write a Rock Star resume – one that presents a solution to problems your target company faces. Throw out the old biographical resume. Instead, craft a resume that anticipates your target company’s problems, and demonstrates what you’ve already done to solve the exact or similar problems in your past experience.

Bait - To make a truly Rock Star resume, you’ll want to list a few points that cause the reader to ask more questions….questions that you’re dying to answer. Bait your resume with a few partial statements, and leave your audience curious to learn more, helping you to control the interview by what you’ve left out of your resume.

Prepare questions - Lots of them. Forget the questions about work environment career advancement and benefits – you’ll have plenty of time to ask these later. Ask questions to draw out problems and implications – of problems you can uniquely solve. Ask questions you already know the answer to, to see how the prospective employer answers, and how impressed they are that you had the insight to ask.

Anticipate - What questions will the interviewer ask you? Practice answering questions in a positive manner, while still telling the truth.

Execution:
For management/professional roles - Go in with the attitude that you are interviewing the company…not the other way around.

Dress the part – see my earlier post What to Wear? Acing the Interview – Part 1

Open - Stand tall, maintain eye contact, smile, and use a firm handshake – just like Dad taught you.

Initial impressions count - Remember that people form an initial impression of you in the first 30 seconds. That’s before the interview even begins. Start it out with a little small talk or a quick joke – getting your audience to laugh goes a long way to pass the “likability test”.

Control the interview - For more on controlling the interview see my post on How to Take Control of the Interview.

Eye contact - Maintain eye contact while talking, but don’t stare the interviewer down, either.

Questions - You control the interview and demonstrate both Subject Matter Expertise and leadership by asking questions. For more on questions to ask, see my earlier post Do you have any Questions?. Ask the same questions to different people in your interviews and see if they answer differently.

Turn negatives to positives - Why say you left because your boss was an insufferable jerk, when you can say that you didn’t agree with management’s direction? Wouldn’t you look wiser by anticipating the poor strategy of your company, than looking like you were a difficult employee for your boss? Don’t lie in your interview – it’s not necessary, and there’s a high likelihood you’ll get caught.

Close – Closing techniques will take a number of future posts to cover. In general, close by gaining some sort of feedback, and time/action commitment to next steps. If your interviewer is asking you what other companies you are interviewing with, you’re a finalist (not applicable for recruiters – headhunters ask this question to everyone). If your interviewer is asking you when you’ll be making your decision…you’re the Rock Star.

Re-Close - Send a Thank You note. For Thank You note strategies, see my earlier post Thank You! Make an Impact in 5 minutes.

Now that you’ve been through Rock Star School….what are you going to change in your next performance?

If you’d like to discuss how you can turn ordinary interviews into a Rock Star interview, a free 30 minute resume consultation, or some advice about your career transition, just email your resume to reCareered at phil.rainmakers@gmail.com, and we’ll schedule a time to talk.

http://recareered.blogspot.com/2008/04/nope-this-isnt-april-fools-joke.html

Phil Rosenberg
President, reCareered & Rainmakers Global
Email: phil.rainmakers@gmail.com
Web: http://reCareered.com
Blog: http://reCareered.blogspot.com
LinkedIN: http://linkedin.com/in/philrosenberg
Facebook: http://profile.to/philrosenberg/

Article courtesy of the Recruiting Blogswap, a content exchange service sponsored by CollegeRecruiter.com, a leading site for college students looking for internships and recent graduates searching for entry level jobs and other career opportunities.

INTERVIEW on DEMAND - removing the barriers between TOP CANDIDATES and the COMPANIES that seek them.
Hiring managers - make faster, better hires while reducing costs.
Recruiters - make more placements with more companies, faster.