Sharon B. Cohen

Guidelines for Guest Post - Open to Blog writers

Guidelines for Guest Posts

For the past 10 years, all content has been 100% written and curated by me - Sharon B. Cohen.

Due to requests, I'm now accepting guest posts on a limited basis. Thanks for your interest in writing a guest post for "My Career Manager" blog. I only review completed posts -- not headlines or concepts. I am selective in accepting guest posts. Please follow these guidelines:

You must be a subject matter expert or a current/recent job seeker who is going through/recently went through the topic about which you are writing. We do not accept guest submissions from people just looking to get a link back to their site.
Present new ideas, fresh perspectives, and unique approaches which we haven’t seen elsewhere online. What can you offer that will make the reader think? What haven’t they thought of or tried yet? Read my blog to learn what I've covered in the past.
All work must be original, provided exclusively to this site.
Everything must be properly cited – links, images, etc. Basically, we should be able to hit publish as soon as it arrives in our inbox.
Include a headline and a bio.
Our readers come from a broad range of industries, so we prefer broadly-based posts, not geared to 1 particular industry.

Exclusivity

What does it mean to be exclusive? In short, you wrote this post for this site only. You didn’t submit it elsewhere with the intent of seeing who will pick it up first. You are welcome to write on similar topics elsewhere; however, the post that we run should appear only on our blog.

Topics

Our readers are business professionals, job seekers, employers (hiring managers, HR pros, and recruiters). Topics we’re interested in include:

Social Media optimization & resources
Career Change for Business Professionals
Job search success stories
Career management advice from experts
Attracting, hiring, and retaining advice (for hiring managers, HR pros, or recruiters)

Formatting and Submission

Write your post in a Word document and save it. Please submit to us below. Make sure all links are active. Some things to keep in mind when formatting:

Bold your headline
Post length – 1,000-1,200 words
Keywords – write with a single keyword in mind. The keyword should be included in your headline, first paragraph, and final paragraph at a minimum.
Break up your post by using a bulleted or numbered list or sub-headlines.
Include a post image with a tagged hashtag, back to this site and the topic.
Links – The body of your post itself cannot contain promotional links. If it does, we may reject your post altogether. Again, links must be 100% relevant.

Editing

We reserve the right to edit all posts. For minor edits, we’ll make them without informing you first. On occasion, we’ll send a post back if we think it’s a good topic but could use more work and needs a re-write.

Bio

Please include a bio in 2-3 sentences. You may link to your blog, your website, your professional social media profiles, etc. However, we do ask that you only include a maximum of two links. Please write your bio in the third person.

• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• iGoogle http://www.google.com/profiles/sharonbcohenma
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

Networking 101: Get out of Bed!

When you arrive at a networking event, ask yourself two questions.

1) Who do I need to meet?

2) If I don’t know who, why am I here wasting my time?

Easy, right?

Consider what industry associations, will yield the best contacts. Many businesses associations host pay as you go events, or a la carte events. IE: $15 coffee mixer event, speed networking, panel of experts. Check out the vibe and see if the fit is right for you, before signing up for a costly, annual membership.

Before you attend an event, you must have a plan. Is there a specific person you’re trying to meet?

*Are multiple people from your top companies or industry vertical, in attendance?

*Is it an industry event with several of your top companies attending?

*Next, have a goal or intention for the event. Setting a goal will force you to manage your time

*Remember the quality of contacts are more important than the quantity.

*Follow up (most people don't!) Meet for coffee, see that at the next event, stay in touch...

Building business contacts, is a long-term investment!

Informational Interview - Create a Pitch & get Noticed!

An informational interview is an opportunity to connect with someone in an industry, company or role of interest. It is less formal than a job interview and focused on career exploration and research. You will be gathering information about the company, culture, role or industry. Learn more than what's posted in the company website. Ask questions and do your due diligence to determine your 'fit' in the potential, company. Below is a template for outreach to request informational interviews. Many people also get good results from a referral from someone in their network to a person of interest. Choose whatever method you prefer to make the initial contact.

This is the simple email template that I recommend requesting informational interviews.

*****

Hello (First Name),

I was researching alumni on LinkedIn and saw that we both attended the same University. I saw that you graduated a few years ahead of me.

I’m a (industry or title) specialist with a (major) degree and am exploring career paths post-graduation. I would love to hear about your career path and any advice you may have for me.

Would you be available for a short call (15 min max) or can I buy you lunch/coffee if you have more time?

What day/time works for you?

Thank you in advance!

Your Name

Moments that Matter: 3 True Stories of the Great Resignation

As a career coach in private practice, I'm on the front lines of this sea-change. So, I'd like to share 3 client stories with you. My 3 clients are from different generations, at different stages of their careers and in different industries. But all 3 of them experienced 'moments that matter.
Moments that matter are a human resource concept which refers to pivotal times in an employees' career and life. How they are treated in these moments, impacts their engagement on the job and their decision to continue working for their employer.

Gen Z client (this cohort is currently15-25 yrs. old). My client works in retail food services. He is relatively new to the world of work, but is great with customers, has good attention to detail. Most importantly, he had a perfect attendance for 9 months, which is rare in food services. My client got really sick with a cold and had to miss 2 restaurant shifts. He called in and spoke to his boss, expecting kindness. Instead his boss was angry and frustrated and retorted 'my older employees are much more reliable.'

Millennial client (this cohort is currently 26-40 yrs old). My client has 11 years of professional experience including 6 years working at her current bank. She has held a variety of roles, including branch manager. Currently she's in a client-facing, personal banking role. This pays more than branch manager role and there has been some friction about this. My client and her 2 children all become very sick in November. Worried that they had Covid-19, they all got tested at a local pharmacy. She told her boss, that she needed to stay home since she was feeling sick, had to care for her kids and it would be 48 hours before she got her test results. The branch manager said that 'covid leave is only for people with a proven diagnosis of covid,' and if she wanted to keep her job she had to come into work. My client was very upset, but she worked on Friday and Saturday in her client-facing role. On Sunday, she received notification that she had Covid and so did her 2 children. Her husband tested negative.

Gen X client (this cohort is currently 40-56 years old). My client worked in the non-profit sector & is a religious minority. Last year, his coworker was promoted and is now his new boss. For an upcoming, religious holiday, my client asked for leave 4pm on a Wednesday and 2 days additional days. The company approved it, as they do every year. In the week's leading up to it, the new boss made several comments about 'how much work still needs to be done' and the 'burden on the rest of the team.' A week before the leave, my client turned in a big project. No response or feedback until the day before his leave. The boss had many changes and wanted content revisions right away. My client sent in multiple drafts, but it was sent back for more revisions each time. Then, the Wednesday of the leave the manager began criticizing the graphics, layout, font color & size. My client reminded the manager of the leave but was told they "Can't leave until it's done." So, they were stuck in the office until 8pm and missed the preparations for a religious ceremony. How would you feel?

Moments that Matter. Opportunities to support and connect with an employee in a time of need were wasted. All 3 of these employees felt unimportant, disrespected and angry at their employers and decided to quit. They hired me for career coaching and that's when I heard their stories for the 1st time. I helped them with their resumes, labor-market research, job-search and interview preparation. All 3 have new jobs now, but it didn't have to be this way. My clients are now part of the Great Resignation of 2022.

Have you ever experienced a moment that mattered? How were you treated? Did it impact your feelings about your boss and employer?

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• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/

How the Hidden Job Market Found me: Again!

Hello job seekers,

Sometimes, you will need to give samples away for free to get noticed. I consider my career articles 'free samples.' But it's worth it. Below is an email I received for Blog writing work. I didn't know the sender and she found me!

Hello Sharon,
My name is Cassie Nelson, Marketing Coordinator for MetroJobs.com (and many other local employment and diversity websites). I came across your article, "What is Your Stage of Identity Development? The Increasing Globalization of the Workplace" and I was very impressed by your insights on the challenges job seekers face.

One of the things job seekers really appreciate about us is our commitment to providing high quality content from local authors and experts. Content that helps them with their career search. After reading your articles, I believe that you could be an invaluable contributor.

I accepted their offer and have written articles for their career websites which are published and syndicated throughout the USA. I didn't have to interview or chase the leads. I used to use pull marketing, to 'attract' the leads to me. You can do it too!

Examples of Pull Marketing

Social Media Networking
Word of Mouth
Media Coverage
Sales or Promotions
Advertising
Email Marketing

How does this apply to job search? Bring the Hidden Job market to you! Consider the following questions:

What are your talents?
How can you promote your talents?
What is the best way to display or exhibit your talents?
Are you a subject matter expert who can present at a conference or volunteer?
Can you join a trade association and build your reputation outside of your current job?
Can you send out a newsletter, showcasing your unique skills?

The traditional job-search has changed, have you kept up with the changes?

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Author: © 2022 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Dip. Educ, Career Counselor & Career Transition Specialist. Atlanta, GA. "Helping business professionals, reach their career potential!"

Contact me to get started! Drop me a line at sharoncohen200@bgmail.com

Pages

Guidelines for Guest Post - Open to Blog writers

Networking 101: Get out of Bed!

Networking 101: Get out of Bed!

Informational Interview - Create a Pitch & get Noticed!

Moments that Matter: 3 True Stories of the Great Resignation

How the Hidden Job Market Found me: Again!