Thank You Followers

As the future of my blog lies in the balance and my final year here at UNI is winding down, I want to thank everyone who has liked, visited, or shared my blog. My social media engagement project for my digital advertising class ends today, and with that, my blog ends… For now :)

In my Digital Advertising class we were assigned a social media engagement project; it consisted of developing a blog and creating/enhancing our digital brand. For a kid who would rather be traveling, playing sports, or hanging with my buddies, and has limited experience blogging, I'm very happy with my work. I tried to give valuable tips and information on marketing yourself as a business professional. I've talked about a lot of things: resumes, cover letters, social media, a book review, and other topics I've learned during my five years in college that I think people would find helpful. It was fun putting the information stored in my large noggin to good use.

Final Blog Numbers:

Over 1,170 blog views

13 posts

Average session duration 2:19

Pages per session 1.96

New Visitor Percentage 65.7%

For a blogging "newbie", I'm very proud of what I accomplished and who knows, maybe after I graduate you'll find some new posts on Marketing Files!

Until then… Thank you all!

Thank You Card Tips

If you really want that job, send a Thank You card!

So you just scored a job interview and you thought it went perfect! You didn't bring up your embarrassing bad habits or talk about how your mom made you get a job. (I've heard of people doing this!) Now you're praying that you got the job. What can you do next?

Most employers don't want to you to call them after an interview. It can come off as annoying when you bug them about a job, and they probably still have a handful of interviews after yours. If they don't want you calling them, is there anything you can do to follow up? An employer can have 25+ interviews and if you were one of the first interviews, you need to put your interview back in the minds of the interviewer.

Send them a Thank You card!

Sending a thank-you card in this day and age is a lost art to most people. Cards are a polite way to show grace and thanks for something your're appreciative of. If written correctly, thank you cards can give you a leg up on your competition. It's an easy step that gives you the opportunity to confirm your strengths for the position and say anything you forgot or what you want to reiterate. To the employer, it shows that you really want the job and that you will go the extra mile. It's the perfect opportunity to thank them for their time and consideration. 

Tips

If possible, always send a handwritten thank you...

Make sure it's free of grammatical errors...

Send it within 24 hours of the interview...

Don't write it ahead of time. You don't know how the interview will go, so you don't know what's best to say...

Make sure it's relevant. Talk about the interview and how well you enjoyed it...

If you have business card, put it in the thank you card...

Act like you already got the job...

You can also send a card to politely reject an offer...

Remember your're trying to show your value to the company.

Here is an example of what to say:

Dressing: Business Casual

We talked about business professional dressing, now we will talk about business casual. (There's a difference!) Dressing appropriately after you get the job is just as important as dressing for the job. Being well dressed at all times, can show your employer you care about your job. It's also probably mandatory. Casual dressing is key to giving off good impressions to your co-workers and to your customers but knowing how to dress casually can be still be tough. We've all been invited to an event that is "business casual", and if you're an incoming college student, you might not know what that means. It can also be hard if you don't have a little knack for fashion.

When in doubt, just do some research.

Don't be afraid to research what people wear to formals, work parties, and group outings. Remember,
just like professional dressing, when in doubt always over dress. It is better to be overdressed than be under dressed and risk giving off the wrong impression.

Business Casual 

Business Casual style is the typical dressing for socials, parties, and organizations that don't have a strict dress code. Once again, it depends on the job you have, but you can usually scrap the tie and suit.

For Guys:

- Use a variety of patterns and colors for dress shirts and sweaters.

- Dress pants and slacks

- Relaxed shoes but still business appropriate (No Tennis Shoes). 

For Girls

- Variety of colors and patterns for short sleeved tops and vests.

- Different combinations of skirts and pants with open toed shoes. 

 - Business Casual Tips -

Don't be afraid to mix and match.

Know your employers dress code!

Utilize Pinterest!

Dressing: Business Professional

I've said before how important the first impression is. Being well dressed makes you feel good and it shows that you respect the interviewer and their time. Dressing professionally is key to the first impression and landing a job, but knowing how to dress can be tough. If you're like me, it might be hard to understand the differences in types of professional dressing. To make it easier, there are two styles of dressing you need to know: Business Casual and Business Professional.

Knowing the difference between these two and knowing when you should dress casual and when you should dress professional can be tricky. When in doubt always over dress. It is better to be overdressed than be under dressed and risk giving off the wrong impression.

Business professional 

Business professional style is the typical dressing for accounting, finance, and professional organizations. For career fairs it depends on the job you're looking for. Dressing for a career in the health field is going to be different than dressing for a career in accounting, but in general business professional should be worn at career fairs. 

For Guys:

Suit: Conservative, dark suit either dark blue, black, or grey.

Shirt: Long sleeved dress shirt.

Tie: Some businesses might encourage wearing a fun and color full tie but if you're not sure stick with a conservative tie with a basic pattern.  

Shoes: CLEAN shoes that match with your suit. Can be laced or slip-on.

              *Make sure you have dress socks on .

              * Style your hair and if you facial hair make sure it is trimmed. 

              *NO COLOGNE! Cologne can be overpowering and unbearable. 

For Girls: 

Suit: Conservative, dark suit or pantsuit/skirt (below knee length).

Shirt: Make sure shirts aren't too revealing and not transparent. 

Shoes: Closed-toe shoes.

                 *Make sure hairstyle is neat and not distracting or covering your face.

                 * Minimal or no perfume. 

                 * Minimal jewelry.

- For Interviews - 

Bring a portfolio with a pen and paper

Cover all tattoos

Ask Questions 

Spend all your money on traveling..

I'm currently a student at the University of Northern Iowa with a major in marketing and a minor in health promotions. When I'm not slaving away at the library trying to finish my degree, you can find me on the mountains shredding some slopes. If I'm not there I'm probably in the hospital due to the shredding of the slopes. (I separated my shoulder last year on the Black Diamond). If I'm not on the slopes or in the hospital I could possibly be on a plane. I love traveling. I've been to 8 countries, and that's not including the greatest of them all, the US of A! I have been fortunate enough to get to travel with my family and friends throughout the years visiting Canada, Mexico, Ireland, Costa Rica, Panama, Scotland, France, and England.

Money doesn't buy happiness, but it does buy you a plane ticket to somewhere. 

Okay, I'm not saying you need to take out your life savings just so you can afford a trip, but I am saying you should take out most of it! You have your whole life to slave away at your job and make money. If you're in college then you're probably already broke, and if you're not, then you're not doing it right! College is the best time to travel.

You have some of your best friends you will ever have (Trust Me) in your life right at your fingertips.

You're young!

You have all the time in the world.

Once you graduate, your real responsibilities set in.

Some of the greatest life lessons I learned were while I was traveling. Traveling gives you experiences you can't learn in the classroom. It changes the way you interact with people. You learn to appreciate the things life has to offer even when things aren't going your way.

I truly believe that traveling can change the way you see the world and in turn change your approach to things in the business world. Traveling helps you market yourself!

And hey, you might be in middle of Ireland and find a bar named after you!

Take that Internship!

Internships can be a scary process. You're used to working a minimum wage job that took no experience to get, and if you're lucky, you moved up the ladder and got a 50 cent raise. If that's how you want to spend the rest of your life then by all means go ahead and keep doing what your doing. If that doesn't sound like how you want your career to end up then it's time to put what you've learned in school to the test and apply some of that knowledge. Sure, you might have to quit that job you have and throw yourself back into the pond to have a chance at getting a job that hundreds are applying for.

So why do it?

Internships give you that valuable experience that is directly related to your career. I guarentee you'll get more experience with a short internship in your related field than you would by working at a random job for years.

Internships aren't just a notch on your resume; they show future employers that you have the ability to learn quickly and adapt to a business. Summer internships can be as short as 2-3 months so the initial learning period will be very short, and businesses will expect you to catch on quickly. Future employers will also expect you to catch on quickly because they don't have the time or resources to spend training new employees.

Supervisors for your minimum wage job will be good references to speak on your character as a person, but how good will they be on speaking about your qualifications for the job? Future employers WILL call your past supervisor to ask all kinds of questions about you. (Stop showing up late for work!) Taking an internship gives you credible references that you know can say great things about how you were as an employee.

These are just some of the reasons why internships are essential to your career. If you're ever struggling over keeping your job or taking an internhsip… go with the internship!

- Advantages an internship gives you over others -

1.) You gain valuable career experience.

2.) It shows you can learn quickly.

3.) Internships give you credible references. 

4.) Colleges might give you course credit.

            My marketing internship counted as a marketing elective! Anything beats sitting in class… 

5.) Great networking opportunities.

6.) Develop new skills and experiences. 

7.) GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE.

Best Websites for Young Professionals

If you haven't realized by now, social media and social media apps have taken over our lives. If you haven't joined the social world in some way or another it's because one or two things. Either you've been living under a rock your whole life or you still think millennials are a bunch of lazy kids with no respect for authority, who like getting things handed to them. (Seriously if you still think this way walk into the business building at any college and I guarantee you will change your mind)

Not only are millennials taking over the work force, but they're utilizing new ways to network, staying in touch, building their personal brand, and marketing themselves as business professionals. Just like companies who fail to adapt to the ever changing business environment, (RadioShack, Blackberry, Blockbuster, Kodak, etc.) professionals can fail to stay in touch with the business world. It might be time to get with the program or you will find yourself quickly falling behind in the professional world.

5 websites that young professionals should be using to stay ahead.

LinkedIn is the go to place for business professionals. One of the best networking sites, LinkedIn allows you to make connections with people in the professional world. Business is all about who you know and LinkedIn is the way to show that. Not only can you connect with the people you know professionally but you can also endorse their strengths, experiences, and expertise. It allows you to showcase your previous work experience so both employers and potential employees can find you. Find new ways to market yourself and learn about business. Gain knowledge and find inspiration to better yourself as a professional. 

At first you might be judging my credibility. Don't get me wrong it's probably justified. I'm no Pulitzer Prize winning author, but think about how many times a day people check Twitter. I can't even tell you the last time I checked Facebook, yet I've checked Twitter around 30 times while typing this post! Within seconds Twitter allows you to interact with hundreds of followers. Throw a hashtag in there and thousands of people can see your tweet. It is arguably the easiest way to interact with your circle of friends and if used properly, it can be a powerful tool to build your personal brand.

Follow me on Twitter @ryanschaben :)

Hootsuite has a funny name but is a powerful tool in the social media world. It is more of a management system than a direct social networking site. You can track and control all your social media channels and then use it to monitor what customers and people are saying about your brand. You can add streams so you always know when words are mentioned, if people tagged you, and what people are saying about your desired streams. It also allows you to schedule when you want your posts to be posted on your sites! If you have something clever to say but you don't want it posted until after a certain thing happens, you can type it on Hootsuite and then schedule it to post at a later time.

If you're thinking that this sounds pointless... THINK AGAIN! Did you know that people are the most active in the evenings? Or that posting a tweet on the weekend can increase your number of retweets, favorites, and mentions? 

KLOUT is way to see how influential your business or brand is. You may not concerned about your social media presence, but it is still a good idea to be involved with social media marketing because companies want to make sure their time and money is well spent. KLOUT gives your social media presence a score between 1-100. The higher the score the better you're utilizing your presence. You connect your different forms of social media (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube) and it tracks them together to see which ones you're better at. The average KLOUT score is 40, and if your score is higher than 63 you're considered to be in the top 5% of all users. When I first started using KLOUT my score was 25 and now my current score is 49!

If it's not on my Google Calender, don't expect me to show up! Google Calender runs my life. If you aren't using Google Calender it's time you hang up the notepads and pencils, save a few trees, and download it. Google Calender not only lets you keep your schedule digital, but you can also make alarms that alert you when something is coming up. Develop agendas and lists so you don't worry about losing them on your way to your next meeting. Employers can add you to work meetings directly from the site so when you confirm they know to expect you. Once you have a Gmail account you can also use Google drive which lets you takes notes in class and work on group projects without the hassle of finding a time to meet up. You can develop PowerPoints, documents, spreadsheets, etc. with ease. 

Cover Letter Tips

How important is a cover letter?

A great question asked by my follower Nolan Swanson. Cover letters are something I haven't talked about but they have a very significance importance. 

To answer the question:   YES!

A cover letter, sometimes called a letter of application, is attached with a resume when you apply for jobs and it gives you chance to explain with more detail why you are the best fit for the job. Most businesses request that you send one but sometimes they don't. That's because some companies assume that it's implied that you send a cover letter with your resume. 

A cover letter should be the same format as your resume because consistency is important. Generally cover letters have an introductory paragraph, 2-3 body paragraphs, and a closing paragraph. 

Intro Paragraph

States why/what you are applying for and then tells them a little about yourself. Are you a senior business major? Did you just come off an internship looking for a full time job? Let the employer know who you are.

Body Paragraphs (2-3)

Filled with points on why you're the person for the job. Show them requirements that you have that fit with the ones their looking for. Talk about the experiences you've gained while working your previous jobs. Leave out anything that doesn't pertain to the job you're applying for even it seems important to you. This is the time for your selling point on why you should be the person that gets the job. 

Treat it like an interview.

Closing Paragraph

Thank the person reading the cover letter for the time. They didn't have to read yours but they did so thank them for it. Have a call to action. Politely tell them you would like to meet with them or that you would want to schedule an interview. Leave your information and then let them know what else you attached to the cover letter.

Be professional and upfront but stay honest. A little braggy but not to cocky. Let them know they should hire you! 

Hope this helps and good luck!