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What I Learned on the Internet, Unemployment Edition

By on August 19, 2009 in What I Learned From
frustrated-stress

photo by nighthawk7

With the current unemployment rate sitting at over 9%, nearly 1 in 10 people are in need of a job.  Here are some great tips and tricks for getting back into the workforce (or at least taking advantage of the extra time you have).

Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series.

  1. Stay Positive - Even though being laid off can suck, it’s important to stay positive through a layoff and focus on what you can do once the dust has settled.
  2. Get Inspired - Economic downturns don’t mean that nothing can survive.  Look to some successful brands that launched during downturns form inspiration.
  3. Find Out How Much You Need – When looking for a new job, it’s important to understand exactly what you need to survive.  The Living Wage Calculator can help you figure out averages in your region to know what you need to shoot for.
  4. Improve Yourself – Don’t just sit around hoping to find something–make yourself more marketable so you can become more competitive in the field of applicants.
  5. Find Your Niche – Getting laid off can be an opportunity to make a change in your career–learn your color to find the career for you.
  6. Work For Yourself – While searching for a job, you might find it an ideal time to start that business you’ve always dreamt about.  If you’re stable enough to go that route, make sure you know the essential tools for starting up your side business.

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What I Learned on the Internet, Language Edition

By on May 1, 2009 in What I Learned From

flagsAs companies continue to globalize, it’s becoming increasingly more important to be able to communicate across culture and language gaps. Here are a list of resources that can help you bridge that gap.

Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series.

  1. Picture the Words - Pete Lidwell shares a great tip on using Google Images whenever you get stuck looking for the right word in another language.
  2. Stay Current – Website Newseum can help you understand what is happening in your co-workers country with its interactive map of front pages of newspapers from all over the world.
  3. Learn the Lanugage – The Open Culture website rounds up the best free resources for learning a new language.
  4. Practice the Language – Busuu.com will help you practice speaking and writing to help you learn a new language.
  5. Know the Names – Public Profiler provides a nice webapp that will map the popularity of surnames all over the world.
  6. See Exactly Where They Are – Vic Gundota explains how to use Google Latitude to show exactly where you and your contacts are located on a map.
  7. Learn the Culture – Website Every Culture lists the history, culture, and much more of almost every country in the world.
  8. Translate Your Search - Google Translate offers the ability to search for terms in websites written in another language, automatically translating them for your reading pleasure.

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What I Learned on the Internet, Presentations Edition

By on April 17, 2009 in What I Learned From

projectorLearning how to deliver effective presentations is absolutely critical to be successful in today’s corporate world.   Here are some articles from around the web that can help make your next presentation the best it can be.

Note: This is part of the What I Learned on the Internet Series.

  1. Make the Boring Stuff Fun – Experience Designer Adam StJohn Lawrence shares how to make the seemingly boring parts of a presentation more entertaining and engaging for the audience.
  2. Rip a Phonebook in Half – This metacafe video shows how to rip a phonebook in half, a unique trick to do to highlight a point such as “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” or “knowledge is more important than power.”
  3. Respect and Love – Seth Godin explains the two elements that make a great presenter.
  4. Why You Should Tell Stories – Tim Sheppard describes how and why you should tell a story in your presentations.
  5. Office 2007 SmartArt – The Online Tech Tips websites explains how to spruce up your presentations and documents using Office 2007 SmartArt.
  6. Learn from the Best – slideshare provides a huge list of presentations that you can use for inspiration when creating your own slide deck.
  7. Be a Presence – Ralph Jean Paul details the importance of being a presence in any room, especially important when you’re the presenter.

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