From the IE Career Management Team we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Whether it’s a high-profile tech company like Yahoo!, or a more established conglomerate like GE or Home Depot, large companies have a hard time keeping their best and brightest in house. Recently, GigaOM discussed the troubles at Yahoo! with a flat stock price, vested options for some of their best people, and the apparent free flow of VC dollars luring away some of their best people to do the start-up thing again.

Yet, Yahoo!, GE, Home Depot, and other large established companies have a tremendous advantage in retaining their top talent and don’t. I’ve seen the good and the bad things that large companies do in relation to talent management. Here’s my Top Ten list of what large companies do to lose their top talent :

1. Big Company Bureaucracy. This is probably the #1 reason we hear after the fact from disenchanted employees. However, it’s usually a reason that masks the real reason. No one likes rules that make no sense. But, when top talent is complaining along these lines, it’s usually a sign that they didn’t feel as if they had a say in these rules. They were simply told to follow along and get with the program. No voice in the process and really talented people say “check please.”

Read more here

Vizualize.Me’s Eugene Woo Explains Why Infographic Resumes Are The Future

GlobalSportsJobs is a global job site and career advice portal supporting professionals working in the sports sector, helping them find their perfect job, build their network and get ahead in their careers. Search our sports jobs, access our career advice pages and set up a profile so you can interact with other sports industry professionals.

Click here to register and access the Job Offers and Career Advice

By Brian Groom, Business and Employment Editor

City job vacancies fell by 42 per cent last month compared with a year ago, as hiring collapsed amid the deepening eurozone crisis, says a report by a leading Square Mile recruiter.

Morgan McKinley, a financial specialist, also found in a survey that while two-thirds of City workers still expected to receive a bonus in the new year, a third thought it would be lower than last year’s.

The figures are the latest indicator that confidence in the City, which until 18 months ago was one of brighter spots of recovery in the UK labour market, has been battered by the renewed financial crisis.

Morgan McKinley warned that although an upturn in hiring was likely in February and March, when banks traditionally step up recruitment after the bonus season, volume would probably be subdued.

Read more here

Personal Branding (PB) + Relationship Capital (RC) = Career Branding (CB)

PB + RC = CB

Why does this matter?

The answer is simple.  If you work the formula you will have more successful career branding!

The time to build a network is when you are seeking nothing in return. If your objective is to time results, you will most likely come up short of goals because your relationships will be all short term, results oriented.   Thus any “relationships” will lack depth and breadth.  What you really need to do is position for the “whenever”.   You position for the “whenever” by building Relationship Capital before you need it.

Obviously, the unemployed are at a significant disadvantage to maximize an effective Career Branding campaign because by definition they have an immediate need for results.  Thus their ability to build Relationship Capital is limited.

The unemployeds’ immediate need for results has lead to the proliferation of LinkedIn advisors that make two strong recommendations.

1)      Build a large network of connections fast.

2)      Come up with a slick LinkedIn tag line

Concept 1

An artificial network is effectively a “spray & pray” marketing technique. There are numerous LinkedIn webinars or services that suggest (or actually help) build large LinkedIn networks instantly through various Inmail and aggressive “Group joining techniques”. Our opinion is that this does not represent a strategic job search and offers very little true utility in finding work faster.  It certainly can work and you could also win the lottery today and thus not be reading this article.  Creating artificial networks is counter to our formula for Career Branding.

Concept 2

Over the last several years, the unemployed have been coached to change their LinkedIn profile headline to titles like:

• Quality Guru
• Sales Superstar
• Digital Print Expert
• Online Marketing Sherpa

Career Brander definitely recommends and respects the attempt to clarify one’s specialty and create a personal brand.  A succinct and accurate LinkedIn headline is a good idea, however this is simply a beginning, and the real work is getting the personal association of the title in the marketplace. The mistake people make is waiting until they are looking for a new job to address their personal brand.  Brands are earned not instantly accepted!

The trick is to build the personal brand over time and then match it to one’s networks of connections/relationships.

Think about a salesperson cold calling a prospect.  If a sales person cold calls prospects, saying we are the best at “X” and asking for orders, they will fail 999.9 out of 1000 times.   This is not how “buyers” are wired and is a fairly ridiculous approach.   The prospect has not been nurtured.  The sales person is not a known entity and thus the recipient of the call has no inclination to listen or necessarily believe anything they are saying.  There is no reason for trust and trust is implied in every purchase!  The same principle applies to job search.

Successful salespeople (and companies) brand themselves by building relationships BEFORE they need them.  Career branding is no different.  Relationships are best built before one party in the relationship has an immediate pending need.  Trust is built by non-threatening exchanges that are not self centered.  The exchanges need to offer something to the other party such as knowledge, connections or other learning’s.  This principle is why, Career Brander does not advocate Linking on LinkedIn just to build out a network, but rather Linking based on real relationships.   Perhaps a Luddite’s view; but an on-line relationship is generally not nearly as deep as a more traditional personal one that has relationship capital build through non-cyber means.  There are exceptions, but just connecting on LinkedIn does not represent Relationship Capital.

Personal Brands and Relationship Capital are earned.  They take time to develop and require continual and consistent re-enforcement to build and become meaningful. They cannot be instantly achieved through LinkedIn profile headlines, cold calling, artificial social networks, or introductory emails.  Start now and invest time to PB and RC every week.

If you look at your peers, those who cycle through successful career positions without extended job searches, they have mastered the PB + RC = CB formula.

Let’s relook at the formula at this articles beginning.

Personal Branding (What you are known for.)

+

Relationship Capital (Your network and how committed are they to you based on historical actions and interactions.)

Equals

Career Branding

Author:

Ian Levine is a leading authority and frequent speaker on sales optimization techniques.  As the founder of Career Brander he applies sales and marketing techniques to Career Branding and Job Search.  Career Brander’s Job Search Radar, is a robust tool that integrates Hoover’s premium content, social networks and web agents into an effective career transition platform.  You can read additional personal branding, job search and career articles by Ian Levine on the Career Brander Blog.

Why did you leave your last job?

What you should know: There are numerous reasons why a person leaves a job. Sometimes it’s voluntary and sometimes it’s involuntary. Some of the circumstances are sensitive warranting a well thought out response for both voluntary and involuntary separation. The primary concept you must remember when responding to this type of question is to be brief. Rarely will someone drill down for more details when you stay brief and high level. The more commentary you make in either situation the more likely you are to say something that doesn’t reflect well on you. When a person has left under circumstances that create emotions for them, they are most often blocked in some ways by feeling like they can’t adequately answer this question. Right now with so many people involuntarily unemployed, the bigger picture of the economy prevails in most people’s thinking. Here are possible responses:

Answer: I was released (or use the words, separated or left) at the time when my company was cutting back in several areas. There were several (or give a number) people in my immediate group that left at that time. (If you would return but they can’t hire you due to cut backs say-) I was interested in being rehired but their situation has not improved.

Answer: My position was eliminated due to a restructure of the work and organization. Eliminating my position made sense because the nature of my position shrunk due to X being changed.

Answer: I had a personal issue that warranted more of my attention than I could adequately manage and stay fully engaged in my job. When I left, I left on good terms but they were unable to reemploy me because of budget constraints. The issue I had to focus on is now fully resolved and will no longer require my time.

For more great career advice and information, sign up for the free, bimonthly Career Makeover newsletter http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/

Check out ongoing free career teleseminars: http://www.careerrocketeer.com/career-studios

Author: Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients achieve their goals. Her programs cover: Career growth and enhancement, Career Change, Retirement Alternatives and Job Search Strategy. Want to discover specific career change strategies that get results? Discover how by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com

IE  is cooperating with Potentialpark in an international study on the communication between students and employers.

Searching and applying for jobs online is often time-consuming and frustrating. Furthermore, employers do not always know the best way to communicate via mobile applications and social media platforms. We would like to change that. Therefore we ask for your opinion in a short survey. This is your chance to tell employers how you would like online communication and recruitment to work. Every year, our study is read by many of the top employers worldwide and influences the development of career websites, mobile phone applications and social media communication.

Please click on this link to take part in the survey:
http://survey.potentialpark.com/s3/2012

The survey is anonymous and takes about 15 minutes to complete. It is independent and not sponsored by any company.

What’s in it for me?

1. You will shape the future of online recruitment so that it will become easier to find the right career opportunities and to apply for jobs online.
2. We will share the results with you, if you want.
3. You will learn more about the latest trends in online recruitment and gain insights that will be valuable for your own career.
4. You can win the latest iPhone, an iPad 2, one of 25 vouchers (Amazon, iTunes, Sodexo or Dangdang) or one of 500 iHipo.com membership.

The results will be published in media worldwide in the spring 2012 .

Thank you, and have fun!

As soon as it’s obvious that an interview is coming to an end a strange discomfort falls over the job seeker.  They aren’t sure how to end the interview and certainly what to do afterwards.  Year ago, the idea of sending thank you notes after such events were never questioned.  These days, we’re so casual about things most of the time a simple “Thank You” will suffice.  As a hiring manager, I can tell you receiving a thank you note were kind of irritating because it felt like a suck up.  I’ve discovered that my feeling is not shared with the majority of hiring managers.  Manners count to most people in the hiring process.

It is important to follow up after the interview with a thank you letter.  The thank you letter demonstrates your gratitude for the time to be considered, your professionalism and can act as a reinforcement of your qualifications.  There are certain elements you want to ensure are captured in your letter while still remaining brief.  Among the elements:

-          Appreciation for their time and interest in you

-          Restate your interest in the position

-          Review your qualifications for the position or if you forgot to mention some pertinent item is to state it to ensure they consider it

-          Follow up with any information the employer may have asked about during your time together, whether or not it is related to the position

-          To demonstrate manners and professionalism

Thank you notes are equally valuable sent via email or mail.  They should be sent within 2 days immediately following the interview.  As always, ensure the letter is free of typos and grammatical errors.

Thank You Letter Examples

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for taking the time to meet with me about your business development position yesterday.  I’m very excited about the position and feel well qualified to perform the job.

In addition to my MBA, I have 5 years of experience in developing markets in the high tech industry which have lead to over $5M in new business.  You mentioned you were looking for someone who was exceptional in forging new markets and I believe that my background demonstrates that I can do that for your business.  As well, I work well in a team environment and pride myself in making and meeting my commitments.

I am very interested in working for you and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Josh Brown

Dear Jane,

I wanted to thank you for taking the time to discuss the sale positions with you and John.  I am sure my background and skills fit with your needs.

You mentioned the challenges in the region including penetration into the education sector.  I think that my background in education along with sales experience will help your company make the kind of progress you are looking for.

I look forward to hearing from you concerning your hiring decision.  I appreciate your consideration.

Sincerely,

Mike Jacobs

Manners and good business etiquette is never wrong, even for people like me.  This is an easy thing to do, doesn’t take too much time and gives you one last opportunity to demonstrate your brand.

For more great career advice and information, sign up for the free, bimonthly Career Makeover newsletter http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com/

Check out ongoing free career teleseminars: http://www.careerrocketeer.com/career-studios

Author:

Dorothy Tannahill-Moran is a Career Coach and expert on helping her clients achieve their goals. Her programs cover: Career growth and enhancement, Career Change, Retirement Alternatives and Job Search Strategy. Want to discover specific career change strategies that get results? Discover how by claiming your FREE gift, Career Makeover Toolkit at: http://CareerMakeoverToolKitShouldIstayorShouldIGo.com

The Inside Buzz new 2012 career guides are now available for free download. All you have to do is register to get access.

Click here for the guides.

Also, you can participate in the the competition Facebook – simply like the page and automatically go in the draw to win an iPad2.

Other Inside Buzz News:

-          New jobs page in partnership with The Guardian

-          50+ new insider company profiles including: Thales, Enterprise Rent a Car, John Lewis, Nomura, FDM, SNR Denton & Shoosmiths to name a few

-          Over 5,000 new employee quotes

-          Dozens of new Buzz Board articles