THE Tech Scoop » Business

Anatomy of an Outstanding Resume [infographic]

James Hicks — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:41:13 +0000

Are you looking for a job? You think your resume is going to end up in the short stack instead of that “round file”?

Well, here is an infographic that shows some great tips, direct from recruiters, that will help you get noticed and get that much desired interview.

Would love to hear your feedback and if you have any additional techniques or information to include on a killer resume.

image via http://bit.ly/stzzks

James Hicks

James is the Founder and Chief Technologist of HicksNewMedia, a technology consulting and digital publishing firm providing effective and relevant solutions to individuals and businesses looking to utilize all things on the interweb. Follow him on Twitter | about.me | Facebook | Google+

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Recruiters ARE Looking At Your Social Media Profiles

James Hicks — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:43:43 +0000

If you’re looking for a job I would caution you to be aware of what items you share on your various social media profiles.

I say that because, a new data visualization put together by reppler.com, shows the impact that Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIN interactions, and comments, actually have on you being selected by an employer.

For instance, in a recent blog post on the Simply Hired blog, Shannon Leigh, a talent and development manager at Kforce, posted the following as three things recruiters check for:

1. What you post. “Just having your name and where you worked doesn’t give us [recruiters] a lot of perspective of who the candidate really is,” says Leigh. “We like to see how candidates are leveraging social media and engaging in discussions to see what their thought process is.” To that end, make sure you’re pushing your industry’s “conversation” forward, not spouting off personal newsbytes or inane (inappropriate) banter about last Friday’s kegger.

2. Who you know. This reveals how well-connected (and in-the-know) you might be in your industry. Professional groups and associations likewise shed light on what you’ve been up to, and can show your willingness to step up your game and take on new skills.

3. How you present yourself. Is your profile filled out and up-to-date, or does it appear robotic, listing only your name and birth date? “Updating your profile with current experience is crucial,” says Leigh. “Recruiters want to find out everything they can about you to make sure you are the best candidate for the job.”

Times have definitely changed folks. Consider yourself made aware.

James Hicks

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Who Are The Entrepreneurs [infographic]

James Hicks — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 14:44:43 +0000

Who are they? Where do they come from? And what are the challenges facing today’s entrepreneurs?

[via]

James Hicks

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Behind The Scenes at 500 Startups

James Hicks — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:24:12 +0000

Dave McClure – the name is synonymous with the terms serial entrepreneur and venture capitalist.

Dave, as you should know is the man behind the technology startup incubator 500 Startups recently gave an impromptu tour of the 500 Startups office.

Seesmic founder and CEO, Loic Le Meur is the camera man and narrator (and we thank him for this…)

In the span of this brief 11 minute interview, you get a wealth of insight in terms of what McClure and his team are targeting, what sectors they feel are hot and still relatively untapped, and you get a cameo of a smartly dressed Robert Scoble in the middle of an interview himself.

My personal goal – to get a title like Paul Singh, who is a Principal at 500 Startups, but he’s more appropriately known as Master of the Hustle.

Enjoy.

[view more videos from Loic on YouTube]

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500 Startups

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James Hicks

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Adobe Tries New Business Model For Products

Wayne Dixon — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 03:00:05 +0000

Adobe's Design Standard Suite with Subscriptions

Adobe is known for Photoshop. One of the issues with Adobe Photoshop is that the initial capital outlay can be a rather hard pill to swallow, particularly if you are just out of school. The full version of Adobe’s products can go from $699 for the standard suite to $2599 for the Master Collection. Many users cannot fathom paying that much for a single version and then having to pay for subsequent upgrade versions that range from $299 to $1399 depending on which version of the product you currently own. Adobe is still keeping this model but adding another option, subscriptions.

The Subscription-based model allows users to pay monthly or on a yearly basis. The subscription allows the user to get the latest version of the product they have without having to shell out the upgrade costs. the pricing plans differ if you choose month-to-month or yearly. The price per month is lower if you choose to go with a one-year subscription. The prices range from $19 per month to $195 per month depending on which product you choose. Regardless of which option, month-to-month or yearly, you credit card will be charged monthly.

The month-to-month option can be cancelled at any point. This can be ideal if you only need to use a particular adobe product for a specific project and if you will no longer need it, you cancel your subscription. The year option is just that, a year-long commitment.

The biggest issue I see with the subscription is that you no longer own the software, you are effectively renting the software from Adobe. Once you stop your subscription you can no longer use the software, so be weary of this fact. Other than that, this is a great opportunity for Adobe as well as consumers because they can actually just use a piece of Adobe software for a month and try it out without any issues. You can read all about Adobe’s Subscriptions at their website.

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Adobe Systems

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Wayne Dixon

I'm into anything technology related. I do some HTML/CSS/PHP development. I like to follow things that most people would find annoying or not worthwhile. I follow Apple, Microsoft, Google, The Cloud, cell phones and even programming. By Day I'm a Systems Administrator for a Library, which has it's own set of issues. Follow me on Twitter.

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Microsoft Announces Hardware for Business

James Hicks — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 19:54:30 +0000

Microsoft announces their Hardware for Business products.

Everything from high-quality webcams, headsets, mice and keyboards. The line includes a range of Microsoft hardware products packaged for volume purchasing by businesses, such as the recently launched LifeCam Studio for high-definition video calls, saving businesses money and time on travel, and the Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000, providing users with ultimate comfort.

Microsoft Hardware for Business makes a range of Microsoft Hardware products available for purchase in increments of five, with each product individually packaged and licensed for easier distribution and customer support. The line makes it easy for IT professionals, business owners and distributors to purchase Microsoft Hardware devices for themselves and their customers.

A full list of products and more information is listed here.

James Hicks

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Get Your 855 Toll Free Number Now

James Hicks — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 00:29:21 +0000

The FCC recently released 7.7 million new toll free phone numbers with the 855 prefix, giving businesses a unique opportunity to secure highly valued premium and vanity toll free phone numbers for the first time in a decade.

Starting today, businesses can now obtain a new 855 toll free number when signing up for Onebox, a brand of j2 Global Communications, Inc., that brings voice, fax, email and conference calling together into a suite of business-critical communications services.

The Onebox branded service allows a business to eliminate the hardware, maintenance and support costs normally associated with an installed PBX system, while maintaining the benefits and rich feature-set normally found in traditional systems.

Key features include:

Auto-attendant with a customized, professionally recorded greeting
Multi-level menus and extensions
Voice-to-text transcription
Call recording
Conference calling
Web conferencing
No long-term contract
Free 24/7 customer support
Free activation

New Onebox customers can get a standard 855 number at no charge when signing up for the service, and can also obtain premium or vanity numbers. The FCC’s opening of the new 855 prefix means that previously unavailable premium or vanity numbers (i.e., numbers that spell out a company name or brand) are now available on a first come, first served basis.

Follow Onebox updates on Twitter @Onebox and on Facebook.

Onebox is a registered trademark of j2 Global Communications, Inc.

To sign up for an 855 toll free number and the Onebox service, visit www.onebox.com.

James Hicks

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Selecting The Best Server Hosting

Guest — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:23:54 +0000

There is no question that the internet is offering an incredible and expansive appeal of providing impressive products and services to consumers across the globe. Naturally, as this is actually a well known and growing fact, there are also an incredible amount of businesses opening up websites and launching products and services that are geared toward these consumers in order to ensure that they are able to cash in on such an incredible consumer base appeal. Thus, while this is the case, there is an incredible and growing appeal behind finding the best server hosting to ensure one is able to run an effective and marketable website.

In basic format and definition, an internet server hosting is a portal used which allows for any consumer or business based website the ability to transmit data and provide any sort of email based systems or other popular types of website services commonly used. Truly, this service is most often used from businesses that are growing in profitability and able to afford such services. Thus, there truly is a growing appeal behind this type of service for website consumption overall.

Basically, as businesses expand their internet presence and want their site to offer more products and services, a web server host is required for this level of expansion. Thus, there are often incredible amounts of smaller business website owners using this type of service. As this form of business sales and operations continues to grow, there are more and more server providers in existence today to keep up with this growing demand.

There is an incredible marketplace and need for this type of hosting provider which has opened the door for numerous service providers to choose from. In some cases, this is incredible while in other cases, it could be a very large source of confusion overall. Thus, making the proper and efficient determination into which one to use is often a crucial element of appeal. Fortunately, there are a few steps to follow to make the overall process much easier in the end.

The security offered form a server hosting provider is crucial for any given type of product offering. The internet is filled with online predators and allows for an incredible overall appeal. Thus, one should ensure there is an incredible security and encryption service offered.

Customer support is also something that should be looked for in this process. Basically, this allows for a more robust and dynamic appeal to providing top notch service and support. At any time, there are countless things that could go wrong which should be addressed immediately.

A dedicated server hosting could also be incredibly expensive to acquire. Of course, cost is always a factor but should truly be considered when dealing with such services. Ensure that with any cost being spent, there is a fair service offered with that price.

The server hosting provider should also offer an ease of use. As any business grows, the hosting service should be able to grow with it. Thus, there should be a very comprehensive training and ease of use.

A managed host should also allow for business expansion. Any business on the internet should allow for growth and everyday changes. Thus, there should be incredible expansion overall.

Are you looking for dedicated servers? Check out cost effective services for all your server hosting needs.

[image via: lrmoilpollutioncontrol.co.uk]

Guest

Contributing authors on the cutting edge of technology reporting.

So You Want To Start A Web Startup

James Hicks — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:25:39 +0000

Shouts out to James Yu for putting this very good animated video together.

The xtranormal platform has been the “birthplace” of many interesting and insanely funny videos that have gone completely viral on the interweb – count this as the next big hit.

By the way, we’ve made our own xtranormal video showing appreciation to all of YOU, our valued sponsors, readers and contributors.

James Hicks

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My Digital Afterlife – A Virtual Time Capsule

James Hicks — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 19:02:04 +0000

Since about 1939, the phrase “time capsule” has been used. What’s changed is its method of execution. Gone are the days of stuffing large, bulky objects with nostalgic and historical tidbits; My Digital Afterlife is a web service for creating digital time capsules. It allows people to share information in the event of death or an emergency.

For the company’s owner and founder, David Molnar, it was an “aha” moment.

“While doing the dishes one night, I learned of a friend’s deployment to Afghanistan,” Molnar says. “He was leaving behind a pregnant wife and the thought that he could be killed in action and never get to know his unborn child. This thought was what led to the concept of My Digital Afterlife.”

After some research, Molnar discovered that there was no similar service out there. He set out to create a virtual time capsule service where people could share everything from audio files and photos to important papers, videos and more.

My Digital Afterlife is designed to be used by anyone. It is ideal for people in the military, those interested in ancestry or simply for people who wish to leave lasting memories behind.

While the features of the site are numerous, this virtual safe deposit box is designed with a top-notch security system in place that has the highest-grade encryption. In fact, the site’s administrators cannot even view their clients’ files; Privacy is key.

“The site is also forward looking,” Molnar explains. “For instance, if someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness, but wishes to set up an e-mail alert system where a loved one will receive future birthday or anniversary notes; it can be done.”

In addition to personal letters, video notes and audio files, users may also upload financial information, important personal and business contacts, passwords and more. All information is safely stored in one, easy-to-access storage space.

Users also designate account administrators. These are trusted people who have account access and will provide any qualifying information such as a copy of a death certificate, or other necessary documentation. Once the appropriate information is received and verified, the process of sending notification to recipients of their digital inheritance begins.

“Ultimately, My Digital Afterlife provides the account holder with the necessary tools to document and preserve their personal history as it happens,” explains Molnar. “It’s the ability to pass on a firsthand account of their thoughts, feelings and actions to family and loved ones for generations to come.”

Monthly plans are $9.99; quarterly plans are discounted at $24.99 per quarter. For more information, visit: www.MyDigitalAfterlife.com.

You plan on checking this out? Let us know.

James Hicks

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