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Showing posts from April, 2012

Is it still a man's world?

While women have succeeded in getting jobs almost everywhere that men work, there is still a gaping wage discrepancy between the two genders. Michigan has the 10th worst wage gap in the U.S. with women earning an average of 74 cents for every dollar that men make, or $12,540 per year less, according to The National Partnership for Women & Families, The Equal Pay Act, which took effect in 1964, has helped but progress has been slow. It didn't solve society's attitude that a man should get paid more than a woman, even if they are doing the same job. It's not just men that have this attitude. Women defer more to men as well. Women are often overlooked for promotions in favor of men. Worldwide, four out of ten businesses don't have any women in senior management, according to  Collegetimes.us/10-surprising-statistics-on-women-in-the-workplace/ .  Car dealerships are a good example. While women purchase more than 50 percent of new vehicles and influence the purc

Email or phone, it's your call

Using email cuts down on phone calls, but sometimes relying on it, can turn a simple exchange into a week of back and forth conversation. First of all, emails messages should be short and easy to understand. It is sometimes hard to determine when it is better to either pick up the phone or walk to someone's desk. Even if they sit 50 yards away from you, it can sometimes save you a ton of time and aggravation. (It's also a nice diversion). Many people are multi-tasking and only giving their email correspondence a portion of their attention span. This creates extra work for themselves and those they are emailing with. If you find that someone is giving you half answers or creating confusion, it's time to talk.  Also, if there is a personal issue or potential conflict, there should be a verbal conversation. And if you have an item that helps explain your communication, visit the person's desk.

6 Changes Every SEO Should Make Before the Over Optimization Penalty Hits

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Having overly optimized web pages could soon get your websites in some hot water with Google and their search results. It has recently been announced that Google will start to penalize websites that engage in over-optimization practices. Here is some information and changes that you should be making to your SEO practices in order to avoid this type of penalization. [Source:  http://goo.gl/F8NRe ]

Make your press release count

News people receive hundreds of emails daily, so here are some tips to help your submission get covered. First, give a hint as to what your email is about in the subject line. If it's about an event, you could write, "Hot dog race Sept. 4 in Pontiac" in the subject line. It doesn't need all the details in the subject, just an idea of what it is about. "Exciting news" or "press release" aren't very informative. If you send photos, please send in jpg, jpeg or tiff format. The size needs to be at least 100 KB, larger is better. We love pics with PEOPLE in them. In the email message, include their names listed in order from left to right and titles or companies, or schools if applicable. Also note where they are and what is happening, if it's an event. If you send mass emails, blanketing the media universe using blind copy, don't be surprised if you receive two or more replies from the same place. This is a big time-waster and annoyance f

Upcoming business events

April 17: Healthy Habits for Managing Workplace Stress The Healthy Habits for Managing Workplace Stress event is from 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 at the Automation Alley Headquarters, 2675 Bellington Drive, Troy. Speakers will discuss how to transform unhealthy workplace habits into healthy ones that will benefit your body, mind and spirit. Screenings will be available throughout the day and are free of charge: blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, stress and depression self-assessment. Call 800-427-5100. April 17: Intermediate Facebook for Business Facebook for Business Intermediate is from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday, April 17 at the Oakland County Business Center, 2100 Pontiac Lake Road, Waterford Township. In this Intermediate session of Facebook for Business you will establish your social media objectives and goals for Facebook, create your Facebook social media marketing strategy and schedule, integrate Facebook into your marketing strategy. The cost is $40. Contact Ka

Star Jones tips to be a successful businesswoman

Submitted by Emily Forrest, Laforce-Stevens of New York, NY , www.laforce-stevens.com     Star Jones is a successful lawyer and businesswoman. A leading legal and social issues pundit, she is most well known for her national television appearances on programs such as the Today Show. Star was recently named national spokesperson for the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW) , a network of 300,000 female professionals, executives and entrepreneurs. She has traveled across the country offering her advice to NAPW chapter Presidents. Here are her top tips for being a successful businesswoman.     Attend seminars, conferences and events – Seminars, conferences and events provide opportunities for women to meet other like-minded professionals and listen to speakers discuss their experiences. They are great for networking as well so remember to bring business cards and copies of your resume and follow-up with everyone you meet Become/Find a Mentor – Mentorship prog

Use social media networking to find a job

While recent news has questioned whether employers should be asking applicants for Facebook passwords, applicants are finding social media networking sites to be increasingly helpful in searching for employment.  LinkedIn is the most traditional work-related networking site. While it started out pretty much like a Rolodex, it has evolved into a business connection site with groups to join and recently become more Twitter-like, only not so REM fast. LinkedIn is good for connecting with people that you have worked with or clients and associates. People can view your profile with links to your website, blogs and your resume.You can also search companies in your desired area, they often post job openings. Twitter is more of a brief connection, but it can get you connected. If you don't know many people, start building your Twitter followers by location, (using advanced search). You don't need to know people to follow them. You can follow people who work in the industry that you

Facebook Timeline Business Page - 14 Important Tips

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1. Create a new Facebook timeline cover image.  The cover image provides amazing opportunities for branding and to visually inspire and connect with your fans. The options are endless as long as you stay within the Facebook guidelines outlined in #3 below. Create several different timeline covers so you can provide a fresh and inspiration experience for your timeline visitors! Image dimensions:   851 x 315 Download a  free template  I created in both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator formats here. 2. Facebook cover image content guidelines (rules).   Facebook has set pretty strict guidelines for what can and can’t be displayed and communicated on the new timeline cover image. What you CAN do: Brand the heck out of your company, book or personal brand. This include brand images, logos, photos and any other visual marks. Inspire your audience with visually appealing graphics, colors and images. Use simple language that will help you inspire and connect with your f