networking - Portfolio Creative

How to Market Yourself at Networking Events

June 18, 2019

By Catherine Lang-Cline It seems like there are networking events every day of the week. After you have decided which one to attend, you need to figure out how to get the most out of your time, something beyond, “what do you do?” and “can I have your card?” Everyone is there for the same thing, to shake hands and maybe make some sales. With that in mind, you should not be afraid to start a conversation. You should also be doing more then just collecting cards too. Here are

Sharpen Up Your Search

July 25, 2018

By Kristen Harris Shark Week has become such a big deal, it’s practically a national holiday! (Nice work, Discovery Channel.) We’re always picking up new ideas about careers and job search. So, in the spirit of the almost-holiday, here are a few lessons learned from the sharks. Happy hunting! Never Stop Moving. Sharks have to keep swimming to avoid sinking to the bottom. They are basically always moving, even if it’s ever-so-slightly. Whether you’re building a career, starting a business, or searching for your next opportunity, never stop moving. Do

Networking Like a Shark

July 23, 2018

By Catherine Lang-Cline People think that you need to be very aggressive to properly network. What networking really is, is building relationships, but there are some characteristics we could adopt from one of the most aggressive creatures on the planet to produce some very effective networking, I am talking about the great white shark. In honor of “Shark Week,” here is what we can learn from these bold creatures: Sharks work alone. This is almost always true, but sometimes they work in teams. Networking works the same way, you throw yourself

The Black Hole: You Aren’t Alone

July 10, 2018

By Derik Abbott One of the most common pain points we hear from candidates that come into our office is their inability to get responses to their resume submittals for openings online. While this might seem like something that is only affecting you, rest assured, it’s an epidemic that plagues all job searches out there. We, as recruiters, actually see this happen with a lot of hiring managers we work directly with (most we’ve met in person and have some level of relationship with). It’s something that everyone from job

Networking Ninja: How Introverts Can Get the Most Out of Any Event

February 20, 2018

By Kristen Harris Some people love networking. They really like meeting new people, chatting in the grocery line, making friends on the airplane. When they walk into a room full of strangers they just see potential future friends. These people extroverts and they are not me. I like people, I really do. But I want to have the chance to get to know them, to understand who they are, what they think and where they’re coming from. I’m an introvert but I’m not anti-social. I just need to apply a

Your Career: Five Common Job Search Mistakes

August 14, 2017

By Kristen Harris Looking for work might seem like a fairly straightforward process but, in fact, it’s quite complex. There are several steps, a series of interactions, and multiple people involved in your search. Each stage of the process is filled with nuance and details. One false move can take you out of the running, and you may not even know it. The job search process is challenging and stressful enough without putting barriers in your own way. Check yourself…are you making any of these five common job search mistakes?

Networking: Don’t Shake Hands, Build a Network

June 6, 2017

By Kristen Harris Do you cringe when you hear the word “networking”? Get invited to a “networking event” and suddenly have an unavoidable conflict? Often say “I hate networking”? If all you can think of when you hear that word is a room full of fast-talking people handing out business cards and shaking hands, I challenge you to think differently about what networking really is. Consider these definitions of network, as a noun: a group or a system of interconnected people or things an association of individuals having a common

Promotion: Getting the Word Out About You

March 8, 2017

The 4 P’s of Marketing Yourself: Promotion, Part 3 By Catherine Lang-Cline Once you have established where you need to be, how do you make an impact? How do you get remembered? How do you stay front of mind? Creating your strategy for marketing yourself can be as easy as the 4 P’s: Product, Place, Promotion, and Price. Here we are going to talk about Promotion and how you can get the word out about you. These are some of the things that effectively work for me and for my company:

Place: Be Everywhere Without Being Everywhere

February 28, 2017

The 4 P’s of Marketing Yourself: Place, Part 2 By Catherine Lang-Cline There are many ways that people can advertise their services. Think about product placement in movies, commercials and magazines. The company needs to be very strategic to make sure their product is seen. Sometimes it needs to be seen in seconds and sometimes it needs to be seen in the time it takes for the consumer to flip the page. Yet products get found and purchased all of the time without having to advertise everywhere. You can do

Networking for Introverts: 10 Tips to Survive and Thrive at Events

January 28, 2016

By Kristen Harris NETWORKING. Just the word can send a chill down the spine of an introvert. When someone says, “do you want to go to this networking event?” I envision everything I hate—walking into a room full of strangers, an overload of social chitchat, needing to interrupt others to get a word in edgewise, shaking hands and handing out cards to everyone in the room, pitching my business or myself a thousand times—ugh. Let me just go home and curl up with a good book instead. If this is

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