Podcasts

Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.

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The New American Dreamer: Ready for Your Closeup?

06/13/2016

Staying with our LinkedIn leg of our journey (read our previous story) let’s get to uploading a photo of yourself. As much as we don’t like it this photo is a key piece to your profile. If a picture is worth a thousand words than a really good picture of you may be worth a thousand bucks or more. OK maybe that is an oversimplification, but we all know that today’s world is visually driven and that the Internet has only raised the stakes, so let’s take a moment to look closer at choosing a photo.

When looking to make your way in the business world you can help yourself by finding an image of you that shows everyone looking at it that you are professional, presentable and most of all, that you understand how to choose a professional photo. Once the photo has met those criteria and only after that should you get “creative” with your online photo.

What I mean by this is that your best bet is to simply take a great color photo of your face, looking happy, and just start there. Smiling is always a plus. This photo can be, or might be, one that you see next to your bio on a company website. These types of photos almost always work best for a LinkedIn profile unless your last job was at Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Of course there are exceptions. If you’re in a creative position such as Graphic Designer, you might do something tasteful but keep it simple. Sometimes simply going all B&W on us is enough to stand out in a distinct and interesting way. But if you’re searching for a position on Wall Street or looking for a business partner for your bakery, my advice is to first keep it simple and think about some things to avoid:

Shots of you sitting on a park bench eating lunch. Seriously keep it to your face, no body shots and no funky backdrops.

Looking hysterical, it’s better to just smile or appear neutral.

Shots of your pets, a sock puppet or an avatar. (You’d be surprised.)

Changing it every month. This shows indecision and insecurity. Keep a photo up for long periods of time so people can learn who you are.

Special effects. Save the sepia tones for your Facebook page.

Now please hear me: You do not have to hire a professional to get this photo done! If you have a professional photograph that you like that’s great but this is not necessary.Have a friend do it. If you hate it, you can change it just don’t keep changing it. Most photos taken by a friend should be easily uploaded to LinkedIn but there are technological specifications.

Your LinkedIn picture can be as large as 4MB in size and can be in the following file formats: GIF, JPG, and PNG. It must also be within the maximum limit of 4000 x 4000 pixels. To upload a photo to LinkedIn simply go to your profile page and click on the space where your photo would be that says “Edit Photo”.

If you’ve been reading along and perhaps have your own business and want to start to see how LinkedIn can better help you then click on the solutions page and see ways in which LinkedIn is working directly with small businesses.

But for many of us there’s a one more important leg on our LinkedIn journey that needs discussing next week, that of actually “linking” up with others and getting recommendations. We’re getting there.

So for now just smile and say cheese.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer: Searching for Yourself

05/30/2016

Two of the most important things to know about yourself are your credit score and your online presence. You can change or correct errors or problems on both but only if you look.

We spoke about how nosey everyone is these days, constantly snooping about each other online. What a potential employer or client finds might affect your career. So take a closer look at what could be a valuable asset and make sure it’s not a liability. (Review my previous story on resume keywords).

Let’s say you do a search for yourself and you see something you don’t quite like. This happens more than you think and there are ways to deal with it. First of all, remain calm. Before you leap to all sorts of conclusions contact the people responsible for posting the information by email and nicely state why you believe the information to be untrue and ask if they would be willing to take it down.

Not sure who is running the site or who to contact? Try this website to see if they are listed: www.whois.domaintools.com. If it’s listed look for “Admin Email” and contact them at that address. If they aren’t listed, there will be a technical contact with an email address available. You can also go to Google Content Removal with your plea but it’s very time consuming, so be patient.

Now most of the time simply asking someone to change something is enough, but for those rare instances when it isn’t, you can take further action. I suggest contacting a lawyer who can report Terms and Conditions Violations for you.

Many of the things people dislike about their reflection in the “digital mirror” can be found on Facebook. Facebook can assist you if necessary but many times that photo of you holding a beer in each hand (Hey, I know one was for your husband who went to the rest room, but the photo doesn’t say that!) can be easily removed when you simply ask.

You may be feeling fortunate when you search for yourself online and find nothing, nada, zero. Not so quick. You may not want derogatory information about you on the Internet, but you do need to have a presence online.

So if you need to take steps to remove offending information and photographs that could damage your reputation, act now to do so. The next step is going to build some impressive content about yourself online, controlling in a very positive manner what people see and think about you. Stay tuned.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer—
Making Your Vision a Reality

04/11/2016

When the Mega Million Jackpot hit more than $500 million recently, job-holders and job-seekers alike dared to dream. What would it be like to become a multi-multi-millionaire overnight, never having to worry about climbing that corporate ladder or looking for that next job?

Except for three lucky winners, all of us came crashing to earth the following morning. We could still chase our dreams, yet those dreams needed to be based in reality.

That’s what this column is all about, helping you, the New American Dreamer, reach your goals. If you are lucky enough to be working today (no small feat with so much of the population out of work), you may feel stalled. How do you rev up your career again? Your strategy may be simple, finding a new mentor, for example, or more complicated, actually switching careers.

If you are between jobs, then what do you need to do to stand out from the crowd? You may feel you have done everything possible, but there may be things you have overlooked. Together we will find out what those additional tactics might be and how you can employ them to your advantage.

Should you become an entrepreneur and start your own business? That depends on many factors and we will cover the topic in many different ways. Be warned: most new businesses fail in their first year. I’ll tell you why and come up with some ways you might avoid that fate.

Technology plays a huge roll in the workplace today, whether you want to work for an internet company or use the internet to advance your career and business. Everyone—let me repeat that, everyone—needs a presence on the web. You want to manage that image, not your employer, a friend, or someone who happens to snap your photo at a party. New instruments are now available to help you, but learning how to use sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, and others takes some time and effort. Don’t worry. You don’t have to be 13. We will show you how.

Spring is here. What better time to get started on your new life, one that doesn’t depend on winning the lottery but in working hard to reach your goals. And isn’t that strategy really at the heart of reaching the American Dream?

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

Five Popular Business Ideas for Women

02/18/2016

Here at Woman Around Town, we’re all about helping you take on the world. We’re here to help you find your passion, and turn it into a long-lasting career. But, what if you’re not the type who works well under a boss? You’ve got itchy feet, and a notebook full of creative ideas. What if you’re the type of person who wants to work for herself? Today, we’re looking at five popular business ideas for women. Ready? Let’s take a look.

Start a tech company

The tech industry is in good health right now. Venture capitalists are throwing millions of dollars at creative and inventive startups. Just look at the likes of Facebook, Netflix, and Google. These companies are thriving, and we’ve just scratched the surface of what’s possible. Unfortunately, the tech world is still dominated by men, but here’s an interesting statistic. Companies with women on the board or in the boss’ chair consistently outperform those with just men. Start a tech company, and there’s no reason you can’t leapfrog the biggest players.

Open a restaurant

Restaurants need three things in order to thrive. Number one, a fantastic chef. If that’s you, then it’s time to come up with a wonderful menu, and unique dishes. If you’re the brains behind the operation, then your first job is finding the best possible chef. Number two, a great location. Wait for the perfect premises to come on the market, and snap up that dream location. Number three, a winning concept. In other words, find something that sets you apart from others in the area. Don’t forget about all the intricacies of setting up shop either. You’ll need to work with a supplier such as Restaurant Source, and set a strict budget.

Parenting blogs

We know plenty of entrepreneurial women who love to pass on their advice and wisdom. One smart (and lucrative) way to do this is through parenting blogs. A large amount of these mom-blogs and advice columns have sprung up over the last five years. They make money by selling advertising, and capitalizing on affiliate sales. You can do a similar thing, and it’s a wonderful way to keep busy if you’re on maternity leave.

Event planning

Everyone loves a great party, but imagine if attending events was your job. There’s no bigger thrill than hosting a successful party. When everything comes together, and people have a great time, it leaves you with a smile on your face. This option is only for the very meticulous, and organized individuals. There are plenty of to-do lists and jobs to get sorted. It’s exhausting, but it’s a lot of fun. Start by offering to organize your friends’ events, and build your contacts from there.

Editorial services

There’s a huge demand for writing and editorial services online right now. Companies all over the planet are producing content to help promote their businesses. By offering your services, you can make a small fortune working freelance. You could even become a full time author.

That’s all for now, folks! Have I missed any other fantastic business opportunities? Let me know.

Contributed posts are advertisements written by third parties who have paid Woman Around Town for publication.