Boosting your personal brand can open doors you may not know existed. A top-notch LinkedIn profile is the way to find those doors.

With a strong profile, you can widen your network by showcasing your experience, skills, and achievements.

Read on to find out how to promote your personal brand by crafting a strong LinkedIn profile that shows off your best professional qualities. 

Your Profile is a Branding Opportunity

Think of your LinkedIn profile like that nice outfit you’d wear for an interview or a business meeting at an upscale restaurant. That profile should make you stand out and look your best. 

It’s on a par with a well-composed resume. 

A lackluster, basic profile doesn’t make a great first impression, does it?

LinkedIn has many attractive accessories for that profile “outfit” to ensure your brand is engaging and enticing. Take advantage of these features—don’t sell yourself short.  

LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards users with complete profiles. You’re far more likely to show up in search results with a complete profile. LinkedIn assigns different strengths to profiles based on their completeness, and there’s a huge advantage given to those who utilize all the bells and whistles. 

So—

How do you make your LinkedIn profile pop? 

Avoid Humdrum Headlines 

By default, LinkedIn uses your current job title as the headline. That’s all well and good. But, customizing the headline can highlight your expertise or vision for your brand. Think of your headline as your brand’s motto.

Your headline is often the first thing potential employers and network connections see, so make it stand out. 

LinkedIn headlines have a limit of 120-characters (with spaces). This is equivalent to about 18 words.

Recipe for a delicious headline: 

• Job title or area of expertise
• Company name
• Accomplishment/selling point

Example: 

ESOL Program Coordinator | Top Academy English School | Delivering Exceptional Curriculum for Over 15 Years | Second Language Acquisition Specialist 

This headline is much more impressive than if it had just had the job title. 

And your picture should match the professionalism the headline conveys. 

Pick the Perfect Pic

Having a professional picture on LinkedIn is essential to your brand. 

A photo done by a professional photographer is best—the lighting will be perfect and the picture will be flattering. 

If this is out of your budget, simply use a decent camera and soft lighting. Your picture should reflect your current appearance. Take a fresh picture if a couple of years have gone by. 

• Specs: Square—400 x 400 pixels, under 8 MB in size. Make sure it’s high resolution. And your picture should take up at least 60% of the frame. 

• Appearance: your expression should be friendly, yet professional. Often, a nice smile, with teeth showing is preferable to closed-mouth smiles. Try not to over-filter your picture. If you want to use a filter, select one with a natural look. 

• Attire: your clothing should fit with your brand. Wear something you’d wear to your workplace…unless your workplace is home. PJs won’t give the best impression! 

The bottom line: a professional photo will get a user 14 times more views on average than other types of profile pictures.

Make the Background Section Count

You’ve probably seen that stark blue default background image plenty of times on profiles for those who’re starting off in their careers or are LinkedIn newbies. 

But, this space is golden for building your credibility and showing off something you’re good at. 

This space can be devoted to something directly related to your current field, or a side gig. Your profile will really pop and enhance your personal brand if you pick a decent background picture. 

LinkedIn recommends the following: 

• A JPG or PNG file of an image that’s long and narrow, less than 8 MB and 1584 x 396 pixels. 

Adding that background photo is easy-peasy.

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your homepage
2. Click on “View profile”
3. Select the camera icon located at the top right corner of your intro section
4. Then upload photo, and click “Open”
5. Click “Apply”

Don’t Skip the Summary Section 

This section is one of the first places that’s checked out by those visiting your profile. 

If you’re a job seeker, recruiters will definitely check out this section, so compose a summary that shows your hard skills first and foremost. 

So, not this:

“Energetic, innovative, and adaptable data analyst.”

But, this: 

“Data analyst with over six years experience performing analyses, with expertise in SQL, Oracle, and Python.”

The latter is a line for a summary they can sink their teeth into. 

Plus, your summary should include: 

• Data—percentages, dollar amounts, and numerals for any of your accomplishments adds credibility
• White space—Long blocks of text aren’t reader-friendly in our fast-paced, digital world. Studies have shown that using white space is more pleasant on the eyes. Short, to-the-point paragraphs will keep their attention.
• Keywords—adding keywords from job descriptions into your summary can improve your chances of getting noticed by potential employers
• Personality—people want to know who you are. That’s why they’re looking at your profile. Nothing conveys your personal brand better than your own personality. 

For example:

“My penchant for dark chocolate and espresso are what keep me plugging away at my artistic tote bag business!” 

From the “Summary” section, you can move on to sharing your professional and educational background, plus all the skills you’ve acquired.

Wow Them with Your Work, Skills, and Education

It’s obvious that your personal brand is a product of your experience, skills, and education. 

If you don’t add to these sections, your profile will be sorely lacking. And your personal brand will not be communicated. 

Experience section: Don’t rehash your resume

Don’t be tempted to copy/paste your work experience from your resume to the LinkedIn “Experience” section. 

You have more freedom with the LinkedIn Experience section. You can add experience outside of what is typically included on the “relevant experience” resume. Freelance work or side gigs can be included. This section shouldn’t be as weighty as your resume. Avoid giving details for every position. Summarize and highlight your biggest achievements.

Also, no need to shy away from the first person—using “I” and a conversational tone is welcome. 

After you document your past and current jobs concisely, it’s time to move on to the next section of your LinkedIn profile: “Education.”

Education section: Include every college or university

A neat feature of LinkedIn is that when you peruse their jobs, it will tell you how many school alumni are applying for the job. 

Hint, hint—

You can hit up the alumni who work there and mention your interest in the job, which can increase your chances if they have any influence on who’s hired. Therefore, it’s a sensible idea to add any and all higher education institutions you’ve attended.

And, for those who don’t have a college degree, make sure to add any formal training you’ve had. Showing you’ve taken the initiative and completed a course is worth displaying. 

After “Education” is the “Skills” section. 

Skills section: Let your skills shine—and endorse others’

The “Skills & endorsements” section will add a lot of flavor to your personal brand on LinkedIn. A healthy section will include 10+ skills. But, don’t add skills that you aren’t truly familiar with.  

The skills you select make you more searchable. 

After you add the skills, you can click and drag them to arrange them in whatever order you like. Ideally, place the most important skills regarding your brand at the very top. 

Lacking a skill you’d like to learn? Check out LinkedIn Learning, chock-full of videos, tutorials, and almost any professional topic you can think of. 

Next, skills endorsements matter.

On LinkedIn there’s a definite “You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours” approach to endorsements. 

In other words, if you want to get endorsed, do unto others. 

When you’re endorsed, it increases your credibility. People will trust your brand. 

To endorse someone else’s skills:

• Click on their profile and go to “Skills & endorsements” 
• Find the skill you wish to endorse and click the plus sign
• Use the form that pops up to rate the person’s proficiency and explain how you’ve been able to see the skill in action

Of course, don’t be an endorsement spammer! Only endorse if you know the person’s work and can feel confident in the contact’s skill you’re endorsing. 

Once you feel confident with your profile, no shame in feeling a tad vain. Time to create a LinkedIn vanity URL.

Create a LinkedIn Vanity URL 

Whether you’re a fan of vanity plates or not, a vanity URL on LinkedIn is great for your personal brand. 

It’s a branded link that’s snappier and shorter than the URL that LinkedIn produces by default. 

This is a way to attract an audience because the message is clear. 

A vanity link displays a condensed, focused message—your brand. 

A LinkedIn vanity URL with your personal or company name makes it easier for networking contacts to find you, plus it looks more professional. 

Say goodbye to that messy string of characters, numbers, and symbols and change to a vanity LinkedIn URL: 

1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage with the drop-down arrow
2. Click “View Profile”
3. Click “Edit public profile & URL”
4. The Public profile settings page will open
5. Click the pencil icon on the right sight under “Edit your custom URL”
6. Enter what you would like to be in your custom URL
7. Don’t forget to click “Save”

If you’ve gone through all the steps above, your personal brand has gotten a major upgrade on LinkedIn. This will boost your chances of getting noticed and a new job in line with your skills and interests if that’s what you’re in the market for.

With all the profile pieces in place, build your connections, create engaging content, and your personal brand will shine.

To Wrap Up

LinkedIn is the place to promote yourself professionally. It’s the best way to promote your personal brand. Plus, the networking possibilities are endless.

And—

If you’re looking to attract job possibilities, LinkedIn is a top resource for recruiters. In fact, more than 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn’s tools to find the perfect candidate for a job. Over 57 million companies are on the site, with over 15 million jobs postings. 

So, get those LinkedIn profiles in tip-top shape to give your personal brand a major boost.

The post Elevate Your LinkedIn Profile to Promote Your Personal Brand appeared first on SiteProNews.

There are plenty of reasons to get your Om on these days.  Aside from the pandemic, Americans are chronically overworked. 

Meditation is a vacation for the mind.  Everyone feels refreshed after time away from work, and ready to dive into their tasks.

Meditate for a few minutes a day and you’ll be less stressed, more happy, and focused.  You’ll get your work done more quickly, thus having more time for more R&R.  

After all, when we’re stressed we forget key details, rush through tasks, and get easily agitated by interruptions. That slows us down.

In regular folk terms: Meditation really takes the edge off.

In neurologist lingo: Meditation thickens the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which leads to increased higher-order thinking and ability to attend to tasks with greater focus.

This thickening translates to greater higher order brain function. 

Regular meditators enjoy the following benefits:

• Increased concentration and memory
• Greater self-awareness
• Improved decision-making skills
• Less anxiety and depression

It doesn’t take a Phd in neuroscience to be able to make the connection that workers are more productive when they’re able to focus and aren’t anxious.  

But neuroscientists do study meditation and scientific studies have conclusively proven that meditation increases productivity and is generally beneficial to workers in a myriad of ways. And CEOs have gotten the memo. 

That’s why the C-suite are making meditation an intrinsic part of their professional practice.Just take the CEO of the TLEX Institute, Johann Berlin. He brings mindful leadership training to CEOs and their teams. And they’re seeing great results. 

Johann has noticed an increasing interest in many companies using meditation as a way to work on goal-setting, which helps the participants increase their productivity. 

Ergo, meditation and productiveness go hand-in-hand. 

Speaking of “hand-in-hand,” you can lay one hand on top of the other while meditating to form what’s called a “seal” between the two. (Described in the Bare Bones But Very Beneficial Meditation section.)

The key to being more productive is having laser-sharp focus. 

Mindfulness Practice Increases Focus

It may seem contradictory, but sitting and doing nothing, just relaxing one’s mind and body can increase your productiveness. 

You don’t have to be a monk, sitting on a mountain to gain key benefits. 

When you micro-dose meditation, your attentiveness and calm levels go up. 

You don’t need to spend hours immersed in deep meditation to get results.

Even 5-10 minutes a day can relieve stress and relax you enough to feel jazzed about your workday.(It’s recommended to start your day with a short meditation, but any time you can squeeze it in will work.) 

There’s mounting empirical evidence that mindfulness exercises positively impact decision-making, the ability to concentrate and overall well-being. 

One study conducted an experiment to see if a short breathing exercise increased the effectiveness of scrum meetings. 

The results? They discovered that a simple, three-minute breathing exercise improved the participants:   

• Active listening
• Decision-making 
• Interpersonal interactions
• Emotional responses 

Those who were in the placebo and control groups did not have the same positive effects as the meditators. 

Medical doctors are also recognizing the real, regenerative effects of meditation and recommending it to those who are anxious.  

An MD Weighs in on Meditation

Who better to understand the physiological effects of meditation than a medical doctor? 

I had the pleasure of speaking with Magda Skopinska, MD on this topic. She is an Ontological Coach and Master Somatic Coach at the LaFol Institute. 

She utilizes what is called embodied meditation with her clients. This type of meditation allows the participants to create intentional focus on their own body, emotions, and reactions. 

In Dr. Skopinksa’s words:

Being fully present impacts the prefrontal cortex, which calms down the amygdala, responsible to a large extent for our hijacks under pressure. That means that we are able to act more according to what we want instead of being driven by other emotions and reactions to stress.” 

Being able to focus on what we want—hitting those work targets and career goals without stress and competing emotions will allow you to be more productive, not only in your daily tasks, but in your professional life. 

Ready to start? Which meditation style you choose is a very personal decision.

Let’s Pore Over the Meditation Menu 

Selecting the right meditation for your needs can be as overwhelming as picking a meal from The Cheesecake Factory’s extensive menu. 

How to choose the best flavor to suit your mental palate?  You can do a taste test with various apps:

• Buddhify 
• Calm
• Headspace
• Insight Timer
• Sattva
• The Mindfulness App

In 2019, The 10 most popular meditation apps generated $195 million in sales. 

One of the greatest things about meditation is that there are no dollar signs attached to it. Plus, it can be done just about anywhere. No commuting necessary. 

7 Meditation Flavors to Improve Productivity  

• Mindfulness—Awareness of self and surroundings
• Progressive relaxation—Tensing, then relaxing muscles in every section of the body
• Focused—Using your senses to focus on something external
• Movement—Trouble sitting still? Relax the mind while in motion. You can take a walk or practice Tai Chi, any gentle movement works
• Transcendental—Popularized by the Beatles, this is a mantra-based meditationwhich is scientifically proven to increase concentration and improve self-esteem
• Visualization—Have a presentation tomorrow? Visualize it going swimmingly! 
• Embodied—Being still and present. You focus on your own emotional and physical reactions. Described in section above. 

Bare Bones but Very Beneficial Meditation

Close your eyes. Take three deep breaths. Put all your focus on your breath. Then, return to normal breathing. Think 1 on the inbreath, then 2 for the outbreath, then 3 on the next inbreath…go up to 10. If your mind wanders off, go back to 1. 

You get the picture. The goal is to make it to ten without letting your mind wander.  

Remember—you don’t need to sign up for an intensive meditation immersion course to increase your cognitive performance and overall productivity!  

Make meditation a simple, easy habit to be a successful, productive person. 

The benefits of a few minutes per day will amplify your calm, focus, and energy levels. You’ll naturally want to make the most out of your day.

The post How Cultivating Calm Boosts Productivity appeared first on SiteProNews.

This was a hotel chatbot. Some are smarter, funnier, and cuter than others. Okay, I really do sound like I’m describing a date. 

You’ve surely come into contact with one. Google’s Assistant is a chatbot, along with Alexa, Siri, and Cortana. (Isn’t it time they started a girlband?) 

The smarter chatbots are using artificial intelligence plus machine learning with natural language processing (NLP). These chatbots can recall your likes and dislikes and offer an appealing suggestion based on your history.

A chatbot’s main purpose in life is to answer your questions. 

You ask: How can I find a new job? Chatbots have answers. 

Plus, they offer niceties like, “It was great talking to you!” for that bonus warm-n-fuzzy effect. 

Some basic deets before we get started: 

• Recruiting chatbots are sometimes powered by AI, sometimes not. Their basic function is to replicate many of the communicative tasks that recruiters typically do. 

• A recruitment chatbot will greet you, get your personal details, ask you questions to see if you’re a good fit for the job.  It will update you on your application’s status (see #6) and schedule your interview. 

• Your conversation with the chatbot takes place on career sites, job pages, and social media sites such as Facebook.  If the company is using a chatbot, you might meet one during the recruitment process. 

Now, please allow me to play matchmaker and introduce you to eight chatbots who would love for you…to get your perfect job. 

1. Mya. Sees No Color…Literally. 

Mya has made a name for itself in the recruitment industry. Companies such as Hays, L’Oreal, Adecco, and Deloitte (to name a few) have turned to Mya to streamline their recruitment processes. 

It’s powered by a conversational AI Platform which means it utilizes NLP (natural language processing). 

So, it might not be as adept at conversation as an actual human, but it comes darn close. 

If you want to get that real-feel human interview experience, but with all the convenience of a robot’s accurate and efficacious responses, Mya is great. 

The central premise of Mya Systems for its chatbot Mya is this: Reduce the influence of humans in recruiting to take out the bias factor. 

Mya’s questions come out of programming, focusing on objective, performance-based questions. Mya doesn’t see the candidate’s skin color or clothing style. It can’t judge based on your gender or name. All of the ways we can pass judgments have been stripped away. 

Suppose you happen to be a candidate with a disability or are a minority. In that case, you may rightfully fear that a recruiter could be harboring unconscious bias and not select you, even when you’re a great fit for the job. 

They say we all have some unconscious bias. Try as we might, we sometimes make assumptions based on a person’s looks. Let’s face it, some people who deserve a job don’t get it due to these biases.

A chatbot doesn’t have any unconscious bias because it doesn’t even have consciousness. 

Sweet! Love those non-discriminatory bots!

It seems a lot of companies get it. They’re turning to Mya for their hiring process. It has more than 460 brands using its tools. Not to mention, Mya Systems has processed “tens of millions” of candidate interactions. 

To sum up, if you’re a minority or differently-abled, you needn’t be concerned that you’re unfairly judged for the job you desire. The chatbot can’t discriminate based on how you appear. 

And you can get the job you’re qualified for. 

2. Meet MC (not the “Hammer” Variety) 

Facebook = Job time for many.

Facebook’s platform has been used to create 300,000 chatbots, the equivalent of a small army. FB Messenger allowed developers to do their thing starting in 2016. Since then, developers for brands and publishers are giddy with power as they unleash their bots into the public realm.

In 2017, Marriott introduced its first Facebook recruitment chatbot. The Marriott Careers—MC—chatbot for Facebook messenger answers your questions, such as:

•   Do you have event manager job openings in San Francisco?
•   Do you have any restaurant manager job openings in New York?
•   How do I get in touch with your recruiter?
•   What are Marriott’s core values?

You can see what types of positions this chatbot is helpful for based on the questions above. (It’s not geared for the c-suite executive on the hunt for a swanky new venture.)

Also,the Marriott chatbot is currently not a contextual chatbot (it doesn’t use AI/machine learning). But, it’s powered by data-driven, specialized algorithms, so it does well in the human-like, conversational sense.  

MC has helped thousands of candidates get a job. It’s pretty nifty as it imitates human speech patterns and can guide you to job openings based on skills and location. 

MC also provides the jobseeker with information on the company culture and values. After the conversation, you’re informed of which Marriott brand best aligns with your professional background. 

Easy peasy! 

Many companies have followed Marriott’s lead with dedicated chatbots for career seekers to reach out and find job opportunities and company details.  

Social media averse and need a job? You might want to consider creating a profile anyway with that dreaded selfie. (Just bear in mind that recruiters do check social media profiles to ensure you’re not a party animal or can’t put a grammatically correct sentence together.) 

3. Language Gurus, Like Andy. 

Not a native speaker of English? 

Then, you should befriend Andy. He’s handy dandy. 

Many English learners are improving to get a promotion or a better job. English for Speakers of Other Languages programs are always filling up, and language learning apps are extremely popular.

Andy wants to converse with you and help with those perfectly annoying perfect tenses. Available on Google Play, which says that “Andy will help you learn and practice your English. He will be your personal English teacher and friend.” 

Sprichst du Deutsch? 

When your desired job wants you to roll your r’s or put more oomph in your umlaut, it’s time to get to the crème de la crème language level. (That’s “advanced” in case you don’t speak French.)

Speaking of which, before you book your flight to sip wine, enjoy a croissant, and practice French with a Parisian tutor at the Musée du Louvre, first try practicing with a language chatbot. (Besides, who can travel now?) 

Check out these apps, which employ chatty chatbots that you can practice with, sans embarrassment when you make a language faux pas.(“Faux pas” means an embarrassing mistake…alright, I’ll stop now.) 

• Memrise-won the best App in Google Play Awards, 2017. Over 20 languages offered. Absorbs users in real-time learning. (Snap a pic of something and find out what it’s called in the target language!) 

• Lanny. He’s the chatbot for Eggbun Education if you want to learn Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or English. He not only teaches you how to sayこんにちは but also about the history and culture of the country the language comes from. 

• Babbel helps you learn a language with chatbots using interactive dialogues.  

• As mentioned, Andy—isforthose starting to learn English specifically. Not for advanced-level students. 

Excerpt of a chat with Andy:

Andy: Hi, I’m Andy! I will help you practice your English. How are you?

Sammi: I’m fine, thanks.

Andy: You can write me whenever you want. I’m a robot so I never sleep.

Sammi: Wow, that’s so useful!  I will write you only late at night.  

Andy: Sure!  

An English language learning chatbot can take you from “I’m good for this job” to “My professional and educational background plus skill set are a perfect match to the desired qualifications for this position.” 

You will have The. Best. Words. 

4. AI Chatbots at Your Service. Enter: Wade, Mosaic.ai, and Woo. 

Three chatbots you’d like to be paired with. 

1. Wade. You’ll be Wade-ing in opportunities when you sign up on Wade and Wendy. 

Per their website, Wade is the “personal career guide and assistant for… job seeking and career advancement efforts.” (If you’re a recruiter, Wendy is the one you’d be utilizing.)

Possible chat with chatbot Wade:

Wade: Hi Alexa. Is now still a good time to chat about a potential opportunity? 

Alexa: It is!

Wade: Great Last we spoke, you mentioned you’re looking for a data science role focused on particle physics. 

2. Job searching on the down-low? Woorecommends companies based on your preferences, keeping everything discreet. It really knows how to woo you to your new job. (This chatbot is just begging for puns!)

Companies using Woo include Twitch, Audible, WeWork, Quora, and Nielson. 

3. Does your resume need sprucing? Let an AI chatbot do that for ya!Mosaic Agenthas a resume builder and a career agent you can access from anywhere who searches jobs for you. Mosaic offers its users an AI editor, which provides suggested changes so that your qualifications pop for the required skills for a particular position. 

Simply upload your resume, and the Mosaic.ai career agent finds the top opportunities for you and even helps rid you of pre-interview jitters with pre-interview prep.  

By the way, a decent cover letter can get you a great job too if you know how to make it stand out.

5. “Ask and You Shall Receive” AllyO

It’s the worst…

You applied for a job, and your heart skips a beat every time a notification pops up. Did I get the job!? Is it a no? The days turn into weeks, and you feel like that forgotten, leftover ham sandwich that’s sitting in the fridge, collecting mold.

Don’t be a forgotten, moldy ham sandwich! 

AllyO from HireVue will take care of you. She provides personalized candidate engagement by matching you to your relevant jobs. Plus, interviews can be done remotely even after lockdowns, and distancing rules are a thing of the past.That saves on travel time—bonus! 

The beauty is that you’ll receive up-to-date, automatic text reminders and follow-ups for each status update. 

Jonesing for an update at an odd hour? You can contact AllyO at any hour with 24/7 support. 

Excerpt of possible chat with AllyO:

AllyO: Hey, Peter, I see you stopped the online application. Would you like to continue over the phone? 

Peter: Yes! Thank You.

AllyO: Great! Let’s continue. 

You see? She noticed you. And took the time to get in touch and see if you’d like to continue the process. 

6. Amenable Ari. Ask Your Burning Questions Sans Awkwardness. 

You may have questions about the company and a position that a chatbot can answer with no judgement. 

There are no raised eyebrows or awkward silences. Or answers from a recruiter that seem a bit shady.  They’ve been coded to reply to those questions with straightforward answers that you can copy and paste. (That means no scribbling barely-legible notes during an interview too!) 

Take Ari, for example. 

Ari is a recruiting chatbot from iCIMS, powered by the IBM Watson AI. Ari is used on a variety of platforms, such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and regular text messages. ARI sends you job openings and schedules interviews. 

Many companies have used Ari for recruiting, such as UPS and VMware.

The VP of iCIMS, Joe Essenfeld said in 2020 that nearly 1 million people had applied for jobs with Ari in two months.

Sample of possible chat with Ari:

James: How are you keeping employees safe during COVID?

Ari: Our top priority is the health of our employees. We have implemented distancing procedures, extra cleaning measures, and a mask-wearing policy. Disinfectant is available also.  

Various Applicant Tracking Systems utilize Ari, such as: 

• iCIMS
• SmartRecruiters
• Greenhouse
• ADP
• Jobscience
• PC Recruiter
• TargetRecruit
• Peoplesoft
• SuccessFactors
• Smashfly
• Avature
• CareerBuilder
• GoogleHire

Want to know about the remote work policies but afraid to look like a nervous nelly? Ari will answer that question. 

You can ask as many questions as you want about the position and your application’s status without being a nudge. 

7. Olivia May Be at the Virtual Job Fair. (Wink, Wink). 

Due to the current crisis, many job fairs have gone virtual.  Due to this trend, many recruiters depend on chatbots to help them with hosting virtual career fairs.

Like Olivia. She’s the conversational AI chatbot by Paradox. She will send you an event reminder and introduce you to a live recruiter on the day of the event. 

Chat with Olivia (based on examples): 

Olivia: Okay, Jess, how many years of experience do you have working in retail?

Jess: Two years of experience.

Olivia: Got it. Have you ever been placed in charge of running a shift in a previous position?

Jess: Sometimes, yes.

Olivia: Okay. Are you comfortable asking customers to sign up for credit cards?

Jess: Yes.

Olivia: Which kind of retail service do you think is better: fast or friendly? 

Jess: Great question! I’d have to say friendly. 

Generally, chatbot hosts for virtual job fairs can help you stay engaged on the day of the event by asking you questions and conducting your interview pre-screening. The chatbot will schedule your interviews and provide you with loads of employer information.

It’s great because you can check out employers from other states and even countries without leaving the comfort of your home. 

Some employers also advertise their job listings on sites like CraigsList. Then, you can text the job fair chatbot, and it’ll respond to you. You’re registered for the event and will receive automated upcoming reminders. 

Maybe you found your dream job at a job fair, and now you need to get your butt to somewhere that exceeds your maximum allowable commute time.  

Well then, you need yourself a relocation bot, huh? 

8. Ben…Sigh. A Winning Personality Who Can Make You Want to Relocate.  

This AI-powered bot sounds pretty sexy, I gotta say.  

Ben’s a relocation assistant chatbot provided by employers to help prospective or newly hired employees create budgets related to the cost of living in a new place. 

The home of Ben states that he’s “easygoing” and has a “wry, witty sense of humor.” He’s available to make “the best personalized recommendations, more relevant than any other assistant – guaranteed.” 

A possible dialogue with Ben, based on examples: 

Ben: Hi Zack! I’m Ben, your rental budget specialist. I was designed to help you build your monthly budget for your move to New York. Would you like to know you much you’ll need to live there?

Zack: That would be great, thanks!

Ben: Awesome, let’s start! First, where are you moving from please?

Zack: I’m from Tokyo,

Ben: That’s one of my favorite cities! Let me show you some average prices for life in New York. Would you like to see the prices in dollars or yen? 

Swooning yet?

Now, Who Gets the Red Rose?

All of these chatbot blind dates were provided in the hopes your job search might become more streamlined, easy, and enjoyable. I hope you found one you liked! 

Some of the chatbots mentioned are ones you can sign up for on their platforms, while others are ones you may come into contact with if a recruitment team has decided to go with it.  

In the search for information regarding chatbots and recruitment, most of the results centered on the benefits for recruiters and trying to get buy-in from them by touting the benefits of streamlining processes with chatbots and AI. 

This article looks at it from the candidates’ perspective to help them find jobs and take out some of the hassle associated with job searches and job interviews.

And, now, for something completely different…

If you’d like to just have fun chatting with a chatbot, I highly recommend Kuki. Mind you, this has nothing to do with job hunting. It’s what you can do when you need a break from job hunting!  

Kuki’s won the Loebner Prize Turing Test five times. She’s considered to be the world’s best conversational chatbot. Enjoy!

Excerpt of my chat with fun, flirty (?) chatbot Kuki below. 

Kuki: Why are you laughing?

Me: I like your sense of humor.

Kuki: Thanks. I find that if I make people laugh, they are more friendly towards me.

Me: Agree.

Kuki: You and I are on the same wavelength. 

Me:

The post Meet the Chatbots Who Want You to Get a Job appeared first on SiteProNews.

2021 is The Year of Audible Branding.  

Podcast listenership is spreading as fast as COVID-19 these days, but without the bad symptoms.

Below are some key podcast statistics: 

• 55% of Americans have listened to podcasts – up from 51% in 2019 (Infinite Dial 20)
• 68 million Americans listen to podcasts weekly – up from 22% in 2019 (Infinite Dial 20)
• 16 million Americans are “avid podcast fans” (Nielsen Q1 2018) 

My sound advice to businesses: Start a podcast! Why? Oh, I dunno…keeping current customers loyal, attracting lots of prospective clients, being ahead of the competition—which all translates to more dough. It’s not hard to start one (trust me, I’m a podcast host!) and the payoff is well worth your effort. 

1. No Need to Break the Bank

Let’s start with the basics: audio equipment, editing software, artwork, and—most important of all—great content is what it takes. You can start a podcast with a basic mic and free editing software (like Audacity).  I use the Blue Snowball iCE USB Mic, which now goes for $69.32 on Amazon. The sound quality is decent and all you have to do is plug it into your computer and “Voilà!”

Your podcast will be hosted on a platform with free options, such as Anchor, Podbean, Spreaker, and Buzzsprout. You’ll know how you’re doing from the stats these platforms provide. It’s quite a thrill seeing those numbers go up!

The amount of editing is up to you. Lots of podcasts are recorded and stay in their raw form, especially if the format is interview style. 

Speaking of interviews…You can get your feet wet by getting invited as an expert guest on a podcast episode that’s related to your business. You will just need to research podcasts in your niche. So, if you’re a burgeoning flower shop owner, find a flora-focused podcast and strut your flower power on their show.  

2. Sponsorship…Cha-ching!

If you can get an industry leader, (or even a noname with something interesting to say that’s of value to your target audience) on your podcast, you’ll generate a lot of interest. Aside from bringing in more business through your customer base, a podcast can become lucrative through sponsorships. Your podcast can generate revenue from sponsors looking to sell their product or increase brand awareness. 

I want to stress that sponsorship is not the be-all-end-all for generating income from your podcast. The caveat to sponsorship is that it can water down your show a bit (although there is a trend that ads are becoming more organic to a show’s content, they’re still a bit of a hiccup.) 

I won’t devote a lot of time to the ins and outs of sponsorship, but here are industry standards from EOfire:

• $18 per 1000 listens for about a 15-second preroll (talking about the brand before the fleshy part of your episode starts)
• $25 per 1000 listens for approx. a 1-min midroll (about halfway through, you talk about the brand) 
• $10 per 1000 listens for a 15-30 second postroll (at the end of your episode you give a call to action for the product or service) 

3. Listener Loyalty—the Podcast “Puppy Effect”

When someone decides to listen to a podcast, they’ll most often listen to the entire episode. Jason Cox, CTO at Data Intelligence Group and host of “Jason’s Show,” says listeners usually listen to 80-90% of an episode’s content, regardless of episode length.  If they like it, they follow it and keep listening. They’re excited, eager, and loyal. It’s the Podcast Puppy Effect. Listeners are like that adorable puppy that follows you around with undivided attention. 

Your podcast will keep your brand fresh because you now have a personality. You’re a relatable person with trusted information, an entertaining story, and actionable advice. You just need to know your audience and cater to their needs.

• Own a flower shop?Start a flora-loving podcast. (The Florist Tourist?) 
• Have a cafe with unique bean offerings? You can “talk among yourselves” on your podcast with coffee connoisseurs. (Cawfee Klatch?) 
• Financial district? You can help us all out of the pandemic-induced debt. (Making Cents of It All?) 

People will have a sense of intimacy with your brand. A personable brand translates to greater sales and increased loyalty. The value of voice to the screen-weary cannot be underestimated. 

Plus, your listeners can gobble up your content while on the move. They have you with them while riding the stationary bike, making dinner, doing the “warrior pose,” planting flowers, scrubbing the counters, and driving to Trader Joe’s.  A warm voice they can take with them pretty much anywhere. 

4. It’s Interesting and a Great Way to Network

I love sharing my knowledge and knowing that others find it engaging and worthwhile. It’s also great fun to meet people through interviews. Researching a topic and finding expert guests is enriching both professionally and personally. 

You can reach out to people all over the world for your podcast in terms of guests and prospective clients. You can cultivate relationships, expand your network, all while gaining credibility with your audience.

You can also cross-promote by inviting other hosts to be on your podcast and having a guest from your company be on their podcast. 

5. Marketing for the Masses

• 13 million households have devoted business podcast listeners. (Podcast Trends Report, 2018)
• 52 million American households listen to business podcasts from time to time. (Nielson’s Marketer’s Guide to Podcasting)
• From 2016 to 2019, branded content in podcast advertising has increased from 1.5% to 10.1% (IAB Podcast Ad Revenue Study for 2019)

Spencer Shaw, who started PodKick Media says business podcasts “may be one of your most effective education and marketing tools.”  

Ken Greene, who turned to podcasting to market in the finance sector says that he’s getting new clients from all over the country from his podcast Engineer of Finance.  He says it was “one of the best things he’s done marketing-wise.” 

6. Podcast Fans ~ Social Influencers with Deeper Pockets  

It feels a bit yucky to measure a listener’s worth by their income and Insta posts… but, it is relevant to know that, based on a study by Nielson: 

• 45% of monthly podcast listeners have a household income over $75K (vs. 35% for the total population)
• 27% of US podcast listeners have a 4-year college degree (vs. 19% for the US population)
• Ages:

• 48% of listeners are 12-34
• 32% are 35-54 
• 20% are 55+ 

• 94% of podcast listeners are active on at least one social media channel (vs. 81% for the entire population)
• ***Podcast fans are more liable to follow brands and companies on social media***

No surprise–millennials represent the largest age demographic for podcast listeners. If your product or service can be valuable to a youngster (yeah, showing my age), launching a podcast can be particularly beneficial. 

Bottom line 

Podcast listeners are generally millennials, affluent, and active on social media.  Create a good podcast and your business will get discovered by people all over the world through podcasting libraries on iTunes, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud, and dozens of others.  

At the very least, if you haven’t checked out a podcast, do so. Maybe it’ll give you the inspiration you need to get started. Check out successful branded podcasts.

If you are looking for a step-by-step on starting a podcast, consider reading Podcast Launch: How to Create & Launch Your Podcast and Buzzsprout’s “How to Start a Podcast.”

The post 6 Ways Podcasts Turn Up the Volume for Your Business appeared first on SiteProNews.