Blogging4Jobs

You may remember that I had the opportunity to test drive a Chevy Malibu for 4 weeks as part of the Gotta Love Chevy OK Program.  It’s been an amazing experience and sadly late last week I had to say goodbye to the Chevy Malibu.

I enjoyed the experience and was more than satisfied with the Malibu and the way it drove.  It felt comfortable and worked well especially since I am always on the go as a mother and entrepreneur.  And last Wednesday I returned the car I was not able to record a video because of a nasty allergy attack that resulted in me loosing my voice.  While I’m happy to say I am fully functional and able to actually have real live conversation, I did decide to share with you my iTunes playlist, Life with Malibu.

One of the great features about the Malibu was the USB port built into the stereo.  I could easily charge of iPhone as well as play songs and playlists directly from my music listing.  In fact, Greg and I were able to charge both our iPhones at the same time–one with the USB outlet and the other with the cigarette outlet which worked great for us.

Goodbye Malibu. . . It’s been real.

Photo Credit Flickr.

Four and a half years ago, I was new in town looking for a job and opportunities to network and build experience.  A phone call inquiring about volunteer opportunities led me to HeartLine.  HeartLine is an non-profit that services the entire state of Oklahoma doing a lot of different and valuable services including suicide prevention and awareness training, 211, and their 1-800 CareLine.

• HeartLine’s 2-1-1 service provides Central Oklahomans 24/7 access to information on any type of health or human service, and this easy-to-remember telephone number is the best first place to call to get help, or give help.

• HeartLine’s CareLine Call Specialists are available 24-hours a day, every day of the year, offering compassionate listening, crisis intervention and suicide prevention. 848-2273 (CARE)serves Central Oklahoma.

• HeartLine’s Suicide Awareness and Prevention Programs target two separate populations – one that serves youth and one that helps the elderly:

• HeartLine’s Problem Gambling Helpline is the result of a partnership with the Oklahoma Association for Problem & Compulsive Gambling.  The 1-800-522-4700 Problem Gambling Helpline provides problem gamblers and family of problem gamblers throughout the state of Oklahoma information about treatment and hope for overcoming their addiction.

Every year HeartLine’s fundraising event is the Festival of Hope Gala, and this year’s event is Friday, August 13, 2010, at the Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.  In addition to recognizing some amazing folks including Tom & Lisa Price, Santa’s Cause, and Larry Hawkins, they host an annual silent and live auction to benefit their organization.  This year is special for me because I am the Auction Chair.  We have a number of amazing trips, weekend get-a-ways, and auction items that will appeal to each and every attendee.  One in particular that I am very excited about is a Hermes Birkin Bag and Wallet combination valued at more than $10,000.  It is the single largest auction donation item in the history of HeartLine and was donated by a very special friend of mine, Ties to Tattoos™ author, Sherri Elliott-Yeary.  (Thanks, Sherri!)

The Birkin will be part of the live auction and you are certainly invited to get in on the Birkin bidding auction.  Tickets to the Festival of Hope are still available on HeartLine’s website for $125 a person or $1,000 a table.  Feel free to give me a call (405.912.4885) directly or email (blogging4jobs@gmail.com) if you have any questions about the event.  Xceptional HR is sponsoring our own table as well as live tweeting and streaming the event.  Be sure to follow the Twitter hash tag, #hope as well as @HeartLine for real time insights and information into the Festival of Hope.

Hope to see you there.

Whether you are an Human Resource professional or business person, the game of life and business is ongoing.  Environments change, rules evolve, and business expands and progresses.  To stay on top of your game as a professional and leader in your industry and organization, you must always be pushing yourself to do and be better.

Being successful in business is more than business tools like income statements, P&L’s, and the process of SWOT analysis.  Even more importantly, providing value and continued benefit to your employees, team members, and yourself through professional development can be an effective tool in retaining top talent in tough economic times through training, education, and information.  Project Management is one of those essential business tools that all professionals can use every day.  PM is very rewarding and useful tool that can be leveraged in a variety of business as well as human resource situations.

Earlier this year, you might remember I wrote about the Cat Herding/HR Connection.  I snagged some awesome “I Herd Cat Pins” for me and some of my HR Evolution (un)conference friends.  The Persimmon Group, the creative geniuses behind the Cat Herding Pins offer a fantastic Project Management Training Class in addition to their consulting services.

The Persimmon Group and I have teamed up to offer some Project Management classes in the Oklahoma City Metro Area.  While I will not be teaching the classes (I am sadly not qualified), I am more than willing to write and talk about their upcoming training class called, “Surviving Project Management.”  It is a three day intensive and hands on class that provide participants with the foundations of project management.

Details. . . .

• August 22-25 in Oklahoma City, OK from 8:30-4:30 daily

• Meals and snacks included

• Course Materials, CD-ROM, and handouts provided

• Class is approved for 21 PDU Certification Credits

• Limited to 20 just participants

Registration for this three day intensive Project Management training is $995.  You can download information either HERE or below to learn more or contact 918.592.4121 to register or for more questions.   This class is available and open to all Blogging4Jobs readers.  Developing and improving your skills set is important to stay competitive and at the top of your professional game.  The Persimmon Group’s Surviving Project Management class can help.

Surviving Project Management

FTC Disclosure: I received compensation for mentioning the product listed above as part of one of the services I offer my clients. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Jessica Miller-Merrell participates in 4 week Gotta Love Chevy Program

07.13.2010 – OKLAHOMA CITY — — A prominent Oklahoma City blogger is among those selected to test-drive a Chevy for the next four weeks. Jessica Miller-Merrell, an author, HR executive and business blogger at Blogging4Jobs.com will pick up her 2011 Chevy Malibu at 1:30 p.m. tomorrow, July 14, at Mark Heitz, Exit 108 and I-35, Norman, Oklahoma.
The program is an indication of the growing role of bloggers in marketing and advertising. According to Miller-Merrell whose book, Tweet This! Twitter for Business was released earlier this year, the connection is growing between influential bloggers who command the attention of niche markets and companies with products to sell.
“Chevy decided to do something different,” Miller-Merrell said. “Advertising is very expensive and this is one way they figured out they could connect their brand with women for less.
“Research shows they are the primary decision makers when it comes to large purchases.”
Miller-Merrell, who began blogging 2007, will write twice a week about her experience driving the Chevy Malibu. “Anyone can start a blog,” she said. “Good blogging, however, takes a lot of time. I have worked hard to grow the community that has built up around my blog, but this is the first time I’ve entertained the idea of representing products.”
Chevy’s blogger program has previously selected bloggers in cities like Dallas and Houston, but this is the first time bloggers the program has come to Oklahoma.
“I’m really looking forward to this opportunity,” said Miller-Merrell. “It’s very exciting and a privilege to have been selected by Chevy.”
For more details, visit the Gotta Love Chevy OKC website, www.gottalovechevyokc.com and be sure to check out Jessica’s bio for the Gotta Love Chevy program below.
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CONTACT: Jennifer James, APR 405.401.1354 ■

■zenobiapr@cox.net zenobia, llc ■ zenobiapr.org

Jessica’s Bio from Jessica Miller-Merrell on Vimeo.

Part of my own strategy to build my brand, gain business, and establish myself as an expert in my field is by using my blog to write and interview other experts and companies promoting them while continuing to build and strengthen my own relationships. Last Friday was no exception. Through a simple LinkedIn invitation to connect message, (Yes, LinkedIn) I was able to secure an interview with best selling author, Jeffrey Gitomer. Jeffrey Gitomer is one of my favorite authors and speakers. While his followers and fans are generally sales professionals, I am a firm believer that each and every person works in sales in some form either as a job seeker selling yourself to a company, when dating or meeting your prospective mate (the ultimate sales job), and when making a major life purchase like a car or house. Solid sales, negotiation, networking, and presentation skills are all very important in all three of these scenarios.

Jeffrey’s three hour seminar touched a great deal on how a solid sales marketing and branding plan can impact your success. The bottom line is that people buy from people and those that are ordinary end up in second place. Sitting among the more than 300 in attendance, I was surprised to learn that less than 10% utilized social media tools as part of their sales, branding, and lead generation strategy. While Jeffrey discussed the power of social media and how it can help you engage decision makers as well as hiring managers.

He says, “The challenge is for you to understand is that we are the bailout. The challenge is not just about sales tips and ideas but what you do that’s pretty ordinary.”

Jeffrey encourages everyone to take control of their bailout and suggested that we can accomplish this in the following ways:

• Get a creative voice mail. Be different from everyone else. Humor is an excellent tool to define who you are and differentiate yourself from the rest.

• Schedule a three way lunch. If someone you want to meet is giving you the run-around, invite someone you know that they need to know with you to lunch. Call your contact & invite them again. You will build instant rapport and credibility with both parties.

• Be the Best. Don’t settle for ordinary. When you are the best at what you do, everything else shows up.

• Business cards matter. Find creative ways to keep people talking. Your business card is a representation of yourself. How do you want people to remember you?

• Get a flip. Video testimonial and video references are extremely powerful on your blog or website lending you instant credibility. Use a flip to interview experts and promote them on your blog or website building solid rapport and relationships not only with the interviewee but also your blog audience.

Check out my video interview with Jeffrey Gitomer below and don’t forget to visit his website at JeffreyGitomer.com. A special thanks to the Journal Record.

Photo Credit Gitomer.com & Active Rain.

Although I have only lived in the Oklahoma City Metro area for 3 1/2 years, I consider Oklahoma to be my home.  I’m excited to be a part of such a progressive, exciting, and wonderful city!  Take a look at the video to learn more about Maps 3 and don’t forget to vote YES for Maps 3, December 8th, 2009.

I urge everyone in Oklahoma City to get out there and speak with others on how important this vote is.  Oklahoma City is a city with so much potential.  Maps will help us continue to grow and promote this wonderful city.

To learn more about Maps 3, please visit the city’s website. You can also view recent Oklahoma City Maps 3 survey results.

Vote for Maps!

Dear OKDOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation),

I read recently in the Oklahoman about your use of Twitter as a way to update Oklahoman travelers about construction, heavy traffic, and weather conditions.  Twitter is a fantastic way for you to connect with drivers and travelers whether its during our daily commute to work or if someone is just passing through.  For the last year and a half, the Oklahoma social media community has used Twitter as a way to inform other users who reside within the state of construction, icy roads, and backed up traffic.  You may remember that during the ice storms last year, we used the hash tag, #okcice as a way to categorize our tweets for Oklahoma Twitter users who wanted to stay abreast on the latest weather conditions.  And this last year during the Oklahoma Fires we also used the hash tag in our tweets, #okfires.  It was because of tweets from my fellow Oklahomans that I was made aware of highway closings on I-35 because of the fire as me, my husband, and our infant daughter made our way north to visit my family in Kansas.

You may not realize but I myself am a social media consultant and have an upcoming book on how businesses can leverage Twitter.  Beginning in January 2010, people can purchase my book for under $20 which is well under the $7,500 you were reported to have spent.  However, I thought I would provide you and others with some direction and guidance (free of charge) on how you can grow and improve your Twitter Communication and Marketing Plan.

• Join the Conversation. Simply put.  Social Media communication should not be a one way dialogue.  You need to engage the Oklahoma Social Media community which as last estimated by Oklahoma native and technologist Matt Galloway in April 2009 was estimated to be at least 1 of every 100 Oklahomans.  This means posing questions, responding to the comments, listening to others, and being an active member of the Twitterverse.
• Beyond 140 Characters. There are times that communication needs to go beyond 140 characters.  I recommend leading your social media followers to a website or blog to provide your readership with more in-depth information about road closings, contact phone numbers, and emergency preparedness information.  This might include a twitpic of some traffic or insight on how potholes are repaired.
• Have a consistent voice. I am disappointed with your comment in the Oklahoman about how you will not have one person manage your account.  In order to build rapport with the social media community, develop relationships, and for consistency purposes your tweets should have the same style and flow.  This allows us to get to know you better, and there are a number of social media strategists including myself that can help you do this for much less than the $7,500 you spent analyze your Twitter usage.  I don’t recommend hiring an intern at least initially.  Because social media should be such an important part of your business plan, it is best left to a seasoned expert internally or externally.
• Reciprocity. Twitter is more than just joining the conversation.  You must follow others.  At current count you are only following 75 Twitter accounts while more than 500 are following you.  People like to be acknowledged and recognized.  Failing to follow people is like not giving every one in third grade class a Valentine on February 14th and people don’t like that.  Follow people back.
• Grow Your Following. Just imagine if you did just these four things.  I believe that your social media following and influence would grow from just above 500 followers to 3,000 in under two weeks and no article in the Oklahoman required.  It appears that you were already impressed by the 500 followers you gained since the Red River Rivalry.  Imagine how 3,000 would feel.

I truly hope that you and others take the advice I have given at face value.  Twitter is a fantastic tool that if done correctly can drastically reduce your advertising expenses while uping your cool factor and growing your brand virally.  Please give it some thought and feel free to call me at anytime.

Kind Regards,

Jessica Miller-Merrell

@blogging4jobs

Last week marked the two-month anniversary of my arrival to Oklahoma.  After being in California six months, missing home and nowhere to use my degree in communication, it seemed best to go back to the 405.

Leaving California with just a pocket full of money, no job, and nowhere to live, I certainly had my work cut out for me.  Prior to coming back to Oklahoma, I spoke to a friend about my job concerns.  She told me her boyfriend was on a website called Linkedin and had success with it.  Having never heard of the site, I dismissed the idea of checking it out.

Putting in applications at retail stores and call centers got old after a few weeks and I finally decided I needed to up my game and start thinking outside the box.  On a whim, I decided to check out LinkedIn to see what my friend was talking about. Being an amateur on the site, I just browsed for a few days and slowly built my professional profile.  I posted a message that I was looking for a networking event to go to in a group called Freedom Networkers.  Frustration was starting to take over and I needed a different way to meet potential employers.

Members of the group emailed me a schedule of events. I attended my first event on a Thursday and before I knew it, I was a networking machine.  During my first week, I attended nine events (four in one day!) and met as many people as possible. I began to tailor my pitch as far as what kind of job I was searching for and really began to build a rapport with the people I was seeing frequently.

Presently, I am working for myself as a Social Network Developer and met my first client while at an Oklahoma networking event.  I also have contacts that refer their clients to me for their social media needs, all because of networking.  They say it’s not what you know; it’s who you know and now I am living proof!

To learn more about guest blogger, Tess Mack, visit her blog and follow her networking travels in Oklahoma and Texas at Life on the O List.  You can also check out Oklahoma networking events at Freedom Networkers.

Botox & Your Job Search

Physical Enhancements Help Job Seekers Find Jobs

OKLAHOMA CITY – With the U.S. September job report hitting another 26 year high with more than 263,000 jobs lost and a 9.8% unemployment rate, job seekers are looking for creative ways to appear younger in their job search.

The only live job search webshow, Blogging4Jobs provides job seekers advice in learning the unwritten rules of the job search.  This week’s controversial webshow on Sunday, October 18, 2009  at http://www.momtv.com/blogging4jobs.html will discuss Botox and other physical enhancements as a way to appear more youthful and professional while interviewing with hiring managers.  The show, held weekly on Sundays at 9:00 PM EST on MomTV will administer Botox injections live during the hour long broadcast.

“With unemployment high and increased competition, job seekers are looking for any way to keep them disqualified from a position.  Although making hiring decisions based on age is illegal, it’s still important to look your best and make a positive impression., “ said Jessica Miller-Merrell, with Xceptional HR and host of the Blogging4Jobs webshow.  “Highlights, Botox, plastic surgery, and makeovers are becoming more common as the job market remains competitive.”

Viewers can tune in at http://www.momtv.com/blogging4jobs.html to watch the show live via webcam being held on location at Body Trends Spa South location at 13316 S. Western, Suites J&K in Oklahoma City, OK.  Harvey Jenkins, PhD and owner of the Body Trends Spa will be administering the Botox live during the show.

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Contact:

Jessica Miller-Merrell

Xceptional HR Consulting

405.343.5751 phone

Jessica@xceptionalhr.com

http://www.xceptionalhr.com

A little over three years ago I became a volunteer for an organization that has changed my life.  Heartline Oklahoma provides a variety of different services from suicide prevention, 2-1-1, the CareLine, and the Volunteer Center.  Since 1971, Heartline has connected Oklahomans 24 hours a day with over 100 volunteers.

The Carnival of Hope features bloggers who are also passionate about Heartline and the great services they provide thousands of Oklahomans.  As the Ring Master I am happy introduce our featured acts for the first ever Carnival of Hope!

Shauna Moerke, also known as the HR Minion starts the Carnival off with a touching post, Carnival with a Cause. Shauna, a resident of Minnesota, is a Human Resource innovator in the social media realm.

Brent Buxton, owner of Oklahoma based, Oklahoma Security Systems follows up with a blog post focusing on the Power of Hope.

Sharlyn Lauby, known as the HR Bartender mixes it up and discusses the importance of attendance and punctuality which is certainly important when arriving on time to the upcoming Festival of Hope Gala on August 28th.  Sharlyn is another Heartline supporter promoting from far away Florida.

And for a strong finish Oklahoma City’s Social Media Director, Mike Koehler brags about Heartline. Mike is one of OKC’s Social Media elite.  I recommend that aspiring businesses and social media enthusiasts should follow Mike.

The upcoming Festival of Hope on Friday, August 28, 2009 from 6:00-9:30 p.m at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, OK.  Tickets are $125 a person.  Thanks to all our supporters, kind comments, and bloggers who sent well-wishes and helped promote Heartline’s Festival of Hope.  I look forward to seeing you on August 28th.

And don’t forget to follow Heartline on Twitter.

**If you are a blogger who wants to participate in this or future carnivals, please email me directly at jessica@xceptionalhr.com.

Want to network locally for just the cost of a cup of coffee?

Whether you are in the job search, marketing, sales, or new to the area, networking is an important part of being a successful professional. These days it’s not just about your skills and qualifications but also about who you know.

Join Cup of Coffee Networkers at Cafe Bella in South Oklahoma City on March 5, 2009 from 7:30-9:00 AM for a good cup of joe and networking.

• Where: Cafe Bella, 9018 S. Pennsylvania Ave. Oklahoma City, OK 73159

• When: March 5, 2009 from 7:30-9:00 AM

Interested in starting your own Cup of Coffee Networkers Group? Visit www.cupofcoffeenetworkers.com

Check out another article below from Forbes listing the best and worst cities to be in the job hunt in. For most of us in the OKC Metro, we already know that this market is challenging for businesses and recruiters looking to hire. For the job seeker, living in Milwaukee and OKC, it couldn’t be better.

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Cities Where Getting a Job is Easier and Harder

By Lauren Sherman of www.forbes.com

For many Americans, finding a job is becoming increasingly difficult.

In the past year, unemployment rates have increased in nearly all of the country’s 49 largest cities (metros with populations of 1 million and over.) Unemployment rates were higher in June than a year earlier in 332 of 369 metropolitan areas, lower in 27 areas and unchanged in 10 areas, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which Wednesday released non-seasonally-adjusted regional numbers for June.

The overall unemployment rate in the U.S. increased 1% from 4.7% in June 2007 to 5.7% in June 2008.

“The economy stopped creating jobs in September of 2007, and it has been losing jobs since December,” says Dean Baker, PhD, an economist and co-director for the Center for Economic and Policy Research based in Washington, D.C. “We need to create 120,000 jobs per month to keep up with the labor market. Instead, we’ve been losing 60,000 per month.”

In the depressed city of Providence, R.I., the number of unemployed workers aged 16 and over jumped from 4.9% in June 2007 to 7.3% in June 2008. That’s a 2.4% increase: the largest in the country. The retail industry here has been hit particularly hard. Since 2005, the number of retail jobs in the city has decreased by 5%, says the BLS. And according to a study released in June 2008 by the Cambridge, Mass.-based Joint Center for Housing Research at Harvard University, one in 41 Rhode Island mortgages were in foreclosure at the end of 2007.

Riverside, Calif., didn’t fare much better. This Southern Californian city’s unemployment rate rose 2.1%–from 5.9% in June 2007–to 8% in June 2008. Along with other large chunks of the state, the area suffered from a loss of jobs in the construction industry. What’s more, thousands of undocumented workers were also laid off, but those numbers don’t show in the statistics since the jobs were never registered. That means the percentage in Riverside is probably significantly higher than reported.

And in Memphis, Tenn., unemployment rates increased 2%–from 5.3% in June 2007–to 7.3% in June 2008. FedEx–one of the area’s largest companies–has suffered from the slowing growth in gross domestic product (which has cut into shipping volumes) and the high price of oil.
However, in some areas, jobs are being added.

Two Midwestern cities–Oklahoma City and Milwaukee–saw unemployment rates inch lower. In the former, rates dropped to 4.2% in June 2008 .4% from 4.6% in June 2007. The latter slipped just .2%, to 5.3% in June 2008 from 5.5% in June 2007. Oklahoma City has benefited from the increase in demand for oil and gas, while Milwaukee has remained well thanks to its health care system, which employs over 140,000 people, according to the BLS.
While these decreases may seem insignificant, it means these cities are inching closer to the natural rate of unemployment of 4%.

Too low of an unemployment rate can result in labor shortages, which is just as bad for an economy as a surplus in labor.

One of the reasons I created this blog is to provide job seekers inside information about the full cycle recruiting process from start to finish from the eyes of a hiring manager, recruiter, or business owner. Next Tuesday, I will be conducting a presentation about Call Center Business and Effective Recruiting Strategies for the Oklahoma City area Call Center Networking Group (CCNG) on April 15th. Send me an email (jmiller-merrell@sbcglobal.net) if you are interested in attending as a professional member of this group. Not only are the topics information packed but the networking opportunities are outstanding! Bring plenty of business cards and purell.

Look for a full update about my presentation and other interesting view points later next week. If the stars align, I hope to post my powerpoint online for your own viewing pleasure and education. Education is power and by understanding the recruiting processes and strategies, it will better prepare you for success in the job hunt.

Happy Hunting!

Jessica