How Micro-Marketing Can Get Results for Business

How Micro-Marketing Can Get Results for Business How Micro-Marketing Can Get Results for Business For a considerable length of time, the revitalizing cry in any publicizing or advertising effort was plan for an impressive future. But as information has become a significant showcasing device, and the capacity to use it viably improves after some time, enormous isn't as lovely any longer. Huge crusades, referred to in the business as full scale promoting, adopt a shotgun shoot strategy to publicizing (it's the place the articulation shower and implore originates from). The thought is that you toss out an increasingly broad message to an immense crowd with expectations of getting a decent level of them. Indeed, that is incredible in case you're a multi-billion dollar company with promoting financial plans that equivalent the GDP of a little nation. Be that as it may, imagine a scenario where you're simply beginning. Or on the other hand, you simply don't have the capacity to toss that sort of Super Bowl spending promoting out there? The appropriate response is smaller scale promoting. Points of interest of Micro-Marketing Like each showcasing opportunity, there are qualities and shortcomings to the methodology. Eventually it relies upon your plan of action. Here are a few different ways you can utilize it furthering your potential benefit: Profoundly Targeted. In a smaller scale advertising effort, you are getting granular. You are penetrating down into the segment to choose a particular portion of the populace, in view of ethnicity, area, sex, interests, and even most loved foods.Cost Effective. Small scale promoting efforts generally accompany miniaturized scale financial plans. Saying this doesn't imply that they don't cost a ton of cash, however in contrast with an across the country, hit them with all that you have approach, it's path less to shell out.User-Generated Growth. Miniaturized scale advertising efforts plant seeds in specialty territories and let the early adopters do the promoting. At the point when individuals discover something they love, they educate others regarding it, and it spreads. Inconveniences of Micro-Marketing Along these lines, you know the advantages. Be that as it may, what are the potential drawbacks? Here are the best three: Greater expense Per Acquisition. While you are allotment significantly less of your promoting spending plan to the battle, you are likewise focusing on many less individuals than a full scale advertising effort. It, thus, can cause the normal expense of getting another client to go up.Possibility of Missing the Target. As referenced before, the shotgun approach of a full scale crusade is going to mean you will hit unmistakably a larger number of individuals than with a sharpshooter's slug. Small scale promoting efforts are super-focused on… and that implies it very well may be more earnestly to score a bullseye. Tedious. Small scale advertising efforts set aside some effort to create, and much more, an ideal opportunity to plant roots and spread past the underlying objective. Be set up to invest more energy creating and keeping up a dedicated client base. In any case, strong oaks from little oak seeds develop. How Uber Used Micro-Marketing to Achieve Unprecedented Growth Odds are, you've known about Uber ?however have utilized the administration much of the time. You may believe that Uber is a moderately new organization that accomplished fast development in record time, yet that is not so much exact. Established in 2009 by Travis Kalanick, it didn't begin as a taxis for all plan of action. A remarkable inverse. Be that as it may, by utilizing profoundly focused on miniaturized scale promoting efforts in only one market â€" San Francisco-it developed rapidly by listening in on others' conversations. At the outset, it was a way of life organization. You press a catch and a dark vehicle comes up, said Kalanick It was a hotshot move to get a dark vehicle to show up quickly. For some time, that was Uber. An application based dark vehicle limo administration that tackled an authentic issue in San Francisco. To be specific, poor taxi foundation, grimy taxis, inconsistent taxis, not tolerating Visas, and drivers declining to go to specific pieces of town. Presently, for a higher premium, you could go around San Francisco like a superstar. The convenience, the application that followed the driver, and the wellbeing of knowing the driver and his/her rating spread around the sound region quickly. It spread from city to city, and state to state, much like an infection. Furthermore, as it spread, the miniaturized scale advertising effort concentrated on another city, offering free rides or ride credits, and growing the buzz. At that point, extra services were included, as UberX and Uber SUV. Presently there's additionally Uber Eats, which was again developed by miniaturized scale promoting efforts in key areas. Uber isn't a multi-billion organization not terrible for under 10 years available and a lot of its prosperity can be ascribed to an exceptionally focused on, laser-centered miniaturized scale promoting procedure. Think little, get the early adopters, and let them spread the news for you.

Final Countdown! My Book Launches Tomorrow!

Last Countdown! My Book Launches Tomorrow! TOMORROW is the BIG day! Following quite a while of composing and pausing, its at last here and Im so energized! ***Make sure you enter the giveaway to win a free book. The giveaway closes at 12 PM this evening. Snap here to enter.*** Here are what youll be expecting in the following barely any days: February 10th: Live online class with myself and Amanda Abella. We are going to impart to you an intriguing issue, How to Manage Men and Your Money. Two things each lady must learn!! Snap here to enlist. February 12th: I will be talking at the North County Women in Networking in San Diego. Click here to enroll. February 14th: I will be talking at the National Association of Women Business Owners in San Diego. Click here to enroll. February 19th: I will talk with Dr. Lois P. Frankel, the creator of Nice Girl's Still Don't Get The Corner Office. Snap here to enlist. February 19th: I will be talking at the San Diego Women in Finance occasion. Snap here to enlist. February 22nd: Book dispatch party festivity with loved ones profiting the Jenna Druck Center in Coronado, CA. The Jenna Druck Center Spirit of Leadership program endeavors to touch off, instruct and move a different gathering of high schooler young ladies to become pioneers in their own lives and their communities. Click here to enlist. February 27th: Elevate Your Career Cocktail Party and Book Launch in Mission Valley, San Diego additionally profiting the Jenna Druck Center. Click here to enlist. I trust you will get the chance to go along with us at any or these occasions coming up soon! What's more, make sure to ensure you return to the blog on Monday for the enormous book dispatch declaration!!

7 Ways To Improve Your Failing LinkedIn Strategy - Work It Daily

7 Ways To Improve Your Failing LinkedIn Strategy - Work It Daily Attempting to quit fooling around quest for new employment mileage out of LinkedIn? In the event that businesses surf your Profile and, at that point leave (or overlook your reaction to work postings), you may be missing basic procedures for introducing your image on the site. Related: 10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn Consider these clear, restorative activities in your LinkedIn system, techniques, and point of view â€" which can have the effect between getting an extraordinary activity and wasting your time: 1. Reinforce your image message by including rich media (video, records, or connections). Need managers to show signs of improvement image of your abilities? At that point show them â€" utilizing a real realistic, introduction, video, or connection to work tests or examples of overcoming adversity. You can join these records to your Summary or under each occupation in your Experience area. To do as such, click the container with an or more sign close to Alter while in the Edit Profile show; drift the mouse over this symbol to see Include connection or Transfer document. After you wrap up the thing, a thumbnail will show up on your Profile, infusing a fix of shading and interesting your guests. Every one of your occupations can be related with Projects or Honors Awards, where you can likewise include URLs showing up under each employment. Snap +Add in Projects to indicate the connection, portrayal, and dates. Colleagues can include their investment too (demonstrating your synergistic side!). Regardless of how you influence rich media, the additional visual enthusiasm on your Profile makes certain to draw sees â€" and help advance your image. 2. Cut the thick passages. You're composing your LinkedIn Profile for web perusing, not a paper-bound account. Submit a general direction to successful web duplicate norms, with simple to-process sentence sections tuned explicitly for the present snap glad crowd. Break separated any passages longer than three lines, focusing on compact thoughts and utilizing a technique like this one for a VP of Sales: As a senior deals pioneer creating brings about Americas and APAC markets, I'm known for: - Generating predictable year-over-year consequences of up to 75% steady development. - Winning the main 3 programming authorizing bargains in new markets (Australia and Japan). - Building channel and VAR contracts putting ABC Company among top worldwide tech players. Include shot images by just reordering slugs you've utilized in records (or seen somewhere else on LinkedIn) to help set apart the content you've included. 3. Invest energy in catchphrase enhancement. Did you realize businesses go through hours searching for the correct up-and-comers on LinkedIn â€" utilizing catchphrases as a manual for discover top up-and-comers? On the off chance that you haven't utilized catchphrase technique, you'll have to take a gander at how your Profile positions among your opposition, with changes to improve your findability. In case you're a Premium LinkedIn client, you'll currently get a rundown of well known, traffic-overwhelming catchphrases when altering your Summary. On the off chance that you have a free record, you can generally investigate work postings to get a smart thought of normally looked terms for your field. For instance, an IT Director may need to incorporate Cloud Architecture, Help Desk, Governance, and IT Roadmaps to show competency as a specialized pioneer. You'll additionally profit by including watchwords in profoundly listed fields, for example, Job Title and Skills Expertise. Adding elucidating terms to a Job Title (IT Director â€" Enterprise Strategy) and picking up Endorsements on your Skills will likewise push your Profile higher in query items. With a Premium record, you can likewise see your Visitor insights and Profile View positioning to check whether your traffic is developing or contracting. On a free record, focus on whether you're getting standard consideration from managers. If not, it's a great opportunity to make catchphrases a significant piece of your LinkedIn procedure. 4. Utilize a photograph that speaks to your expert side. As yet including a trimmed out shoulder from your companion? Posting a too-easygoing selfie? Rather, support your expert nearness with a photograph that shows what you'd look like at the meeting. Most expert picture takers will set up a computerized photograph for a sensible charge, including enhancing with Photoshop and various postures. In any case, you may locate that a companion can carry out the responsibility with a variety of shots in easygoing and office settings â€" permitting you to pick the best visual for an expert touch. Paying attention to your LinkedIn photograph will show managers that you're not kidding about doing your absolute best. Keep in mind, this is one of the primary brand components they'll see on your Profile. 5. Quit agonizing over associating with others. You're on LinkedIn to advance your own image, produce business connections, and advantage from utilizing the site (right?). So don't treat it like Facebook. Not at all like less-expertly arranged online networking, LinkedIn values volume of associations, and you're seldom decided on the nature of your contact list. What most bosses and selection representatives notice about you on LinkedIn is the manner by which wide your system is, the means by which well your Profile addresses your capabilities (and their needs), and how effectively they can contact you through your associations. Consider it another way: every new association puts you one degree more like a spotter or employing authority. So open up your system and let individuals in! 6. Get moving on Groups. One of the most dismissed but one of the most high-ROI exercises you can attempt on LinkedIn, joining and utilizing Groups will assist you with making a significant computerized personality. On the off chance that you need confirmation, take a gander at LinkedIn's Who's Viewed Your Update highlight (discharged in mid 2014). Situated on the right-hand side of your landing page, this capacity gives you what number of clients took a gander at your Status Update, gathered by association degrees. In case you're sharing Status Updates just with those in your system (which means posted legitimately on your Home page), you'll see sees from first degree associations as it were. However, in the event that you share Updates all through your Groups, presently you're arriving at second and third degree associations interested by your post â€" and perhaps your experience. Utilize your Group gatherings to take part in discourse, sharing your ability (in an expert way, obviously) and talking about subjects of industry intrigue. This technique can help position you as an idea head in your field. 7. Make it simple for others to get in touch with you. In the event that you've fail to include Contact information, for example, your portable number or email address, get this refreshed rapidly! Such a large number of clients neglect to determine these subtleties, and afterward wonder why they're not getting requests. You can likewise include an email address directly in the Summary, with a sentence urging others to connect with you (I invite requests and association demands at john.smith@gmail.com). Since selection representatives regularly pay extra to source competitors, they'll be glad to discover your contact data for nothing. Another approach to encourage contact is to join a lot of LinkedIn Groups, which permits other Group individuals to message you for nothing. Enrollment specialists who source competitors in a particular field will frequently join industry Groups for this reason. In outline, in case you're not getting the influence out of LinkedIn that you need, it may be a great opportunity to improve your whole procedure. These straightforward rectifications can bring substantially more traffic (and results) your direction. This post was initially distributed at a previous date. Photograph Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our vocation development club?Join Us Today!

Resume Writing After Unemployment - Some Suggestions on How to Organize a Resume

<h1>Resume Writing After Unemployment - Some Suggestions on How to Organize a Resume</h1><p>Resume composing after joblessness is an extremely testing task as it requires some investment to discover your vocation course. The fundamental issue is to guarantee that you don't land up in any dead end.</p><p></p><p>When you land up on this area of your resume, the principal thing that you have to do is to dispose of your old resume and go for new resume. This is on the grounds that there are a few things in your resume that you have overlooked while going after a position or didn't utilize appropriately while presenting the resume. In any case, when you have made a new resume for yourself, it's critical to check and survey your resume before submitting it.</p><p></p><p>To check your resume, you can peruse through your old resume yet it might be hard to comprehend what you have composed. All in all, what would it be a good i dea for you to do when you get to the resume audit segment? Initially, you have to deliberately peruse the entire resume before getting a thought of what should be finished. Along these lines, you will have the option to recognize what is required and what is not.</p><p></p><p>During the last readiness stage, you should guarantee that your resume has the entirety of the right data that is required by the organization. Ensure that all the essential data like contact number, address, historical verifications, individual history, etc are remembered for your resume. Likewise ensure that your resume has been expertly structured by employing experts. It is better in the event that they can include more than one contact number toward the finish of the contact form.</p><p></p><p>You can experience your resume once you are certain that everything has been very much checked and dealt with during the last assessment. After this, you have to guara ntee that you have transferred all the fundamental information in the right spot. For instance, you ought not forget about the contact number of the organization at the base of the resume. All the essential data ought to be conveniently organized in such a way, that it can undoubtedly be perused and handled by the reader.</p><p></p><p>Another thing that you have to remember while composing your resume is to guarantee that you ensure that you are agreeable in giving all the subtleties of your experience to the business. At the point when this is done, you will have the option to show a human touch on your resume. You can likewise consider including a portion of your preferred leisure activities and experiences.</p><p></p><p>In end, continue composing after joblessness is anything but an insignificant assignment. It requires a ton of difficult work yet it will pay off over the long haul. On the off chance that you pay attention to this, you will have the option to find up with the best opening for work in your field. So prepare to compose a new resume for yourself and get all your stuff sorted out with the goal that it can without much of a stretch be seen by the employer.</p>

Dont Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes - Resumonk Blog

Try not to Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes - Resumonk Blog Try not to Make These 10 Cover Letter Mistakes I've currently been sending my introductory letter too alongside my resume. Much the same as you suggested to me. Be that as it may, I am still not getting any meeting calls. Is it the economy or me? deplored my companion Tanya. I had recommended that to her in light of the fact that according to a study, 87% of the businesses were supportive of up-and-comers incorporating an introductory letter in their request for employment. We can discuss the genuine number, yet we can't deny that an elegantly composed introductory letter goes far in helping you stand apart from rest of the candidates. I had just observed her resume, so I offered to edit her introductory letters. Introductory letters? I simply have one that I send all over the place. There you go. Most likely the greatest mix-up work searchers make with their 'introductory letter' (play on words expected). Introductory letter is your lift pitch to the employing director on why you are the best individual for their specific employment opportunity. On the off chance that you hit the nail on the head, you increase your odds of getting a meeting call. In any case, in the event that you commit errors in it, you'll be dismissed likely without even getting a glance at your resume. We should inspect the absolute most basic introductory letter botches, just as certain methods you can use to maintain a strategic distance from them while making your next letter. 1. Not Customizing Your Cover Letter For Each Job Application In the event that you are sending precisely the same introductory letter to all the organizations where you are applying, at that point STOP. Truth be told according to another review, 48% of employing chiefs state they will naturally excuse a resume or introductory letter that isn't modified. You need to modify each letter dependent on the organization and the particular position. For instance, look at the accompanying 2 introductory letters made utilizing Resumonks Bold Collegium layouts separately. The individual is going after User Experience Designer job at Airbnb Visual Designer job at Apple. In view of the expected set of responsibilities and the organization profile, she has modified her introductory letters for them two. Here is the introductory letter for Airbnb Client Experience Designer Cover Letter Example Notice how she has featured her solid involvement in the Airbnb application and referenced a specific post on the airbnb.design blog too. This shows the questioner how well the candidate follows the organization, and frequently this turns into the primary idea in the meet. You are as of now beginning a positive note and it sets the tone for rest of the meeting. What's more, presently check this introductory letter by a similar individual for Apple UI/Visual Designer Cover Letter Sample Put yourself in the shoes of the recruiting director. Whom would you require a meeting an individual who set aside the effort to disclose to you how they are a solid match how energetic they are for your organization OR somebody who simply sent you a nonexclusive cutout introductory letter? 2. Counting Grammar and Spelling Mistakes About portion of all employing directors will immediately dismiss introductory letters with spelling errors. Sending an introductory letter with syntactic or spelling botches is a moment warning. Aside from utilizing your assertion preparing programming to recognize these mistakes, you can likewise demand another person to edit the report before sending it. 3. Making It Too Wordy or Lengthy Another normal mix-up is found in the general length of your introductory letter. According to an overview, about 70% of bosses need either a half page introductory letter or 'the shorter the better' approach. Recommended Cover Letter Format In a perfect world, three or four passages ought to be bounty enough for you to persuade your planned manager why you are an extraordinary fit for the specific employment opportunity. You can structure your introductory letter in this following way: Opening Paragraph: State why you are composing, the particular situation for which you are applying, and quickly present yourself Paragraph(s) 2-3: Write about your achievements aptitudes applicable to the employment opportunity. Feature a point about the organization that shows you've done research about them or have been tailing them for some time. Shutting Paragraph: Convey your energy in an expert way and show that you are anticipating got notification from them. Here is a case of programming engineer introductory letter made utilizing Resumonks Elegant layout: Programming Engineer Cover Letter Example In the event that you are an accomplished activity searcher, you may think that its hard to consolidate and sum up all your prior accomplishments into a solitary page. The issue is exacerbated when composing various introductory letters that are intended for various positions, particularly if every one is intended to feature various abilities and achievements. In that case, you can have a go at composing different passages into a third archive that is discrete from both your resume and introductory letter. As you review your past aptitudes and accomplishments, quickly compose a passage to feature that achievement. At the point when it comes time to compose different introductory letters, you can refer the most applicable sections to the current situation. 4. Rehashing Too Much Information Redundancy works, however you ought to abstain from impeding your introductory letter with precisely the same data that has just been expressed obviously on your resume. Avoid copying visual cues from your resume and gluing them straightforwardly in the introductory letter. Rather, utilize a conversational tone and feature explicit reasons why you would be an extraordinary fit for this specific occupation. Dont sound excessively easygoing, and talk as you would do in an expert domain. 5. Saying 'To Whom It May Concern' Will you ever send a greeting saying 'To Whom It May Concern'? It sounds extremely inconsiderate and frequently puts off individuals. On the off chance that you don't have the foggiest idea about the name of the individual you are sending to whom you are sending the introductory letter, simply state 'Dear Hiring Manager'. 6. Expressing Your Weaknesses Try not to state what you need an introductory letter. for example In spite of the fact that, I have no involvement with . This is your attempt to sell something and you should discuss what abilities you have and how you are most appropriate to this specific occupation. 7. Being Negative About Your Current Job Absolutely never be negative in your introductory letter about your present place of employment (or your present chief). Try not to state them as reason as to why you are searching for a new position. You will doubtlessly get dismissed on the off chance that you commit this specific error in your introductory letter. 8. Clarifying Why You Quit Your Last Job On the off chance that you are as of now on a break or jobless, don't make reference to the motivation behind why you left your past activity in the introductory letter. You can clarify it when the questioner gets some information about it, yet there is no compelling reason to bring it up in the introductory letter itself. 9. Getting Too Personal Try not to get excessively close to home in your introductory letter by discussing your issues and hardships. You are hoping to land this position on your legitimacy and not by bringing out any sad inclination in the recruiting director. Indeed a great many people would reject such candidates. Likewise, abstain from discussing religion or any such close to home themes too. 10. Utilizing a Different Format Than the Resume One of the most evident missteps is likewise, lamentably, one of the most widely recognized. Changing the configuration between your introductory letter and the resume is both an indication of indiscretion and confusion. In addition to the fact that this causes your general portfolio to seem incoherent, yet it can even reason disarray among recruiting directors and HR work force. In view of that, you ought to consistently set aside the effort to coordinate components like text style, edges and headings between both the introductory letter and the resume. In the event that your introductory letter utilizes any extraordinary characters, for example, visual cues, ensure they coordinate, as well. Or on the other hand better, simply use Resumonk to make an introductory letter that precisely coordinates your resume position. Look at these delightful introductory letter layouts that precisely coordinate the going with continue. Aside from flaunting your steadiness and expert association, introductory letters that share the arrangement of their comparing resumes make a feeling of continuation between the two archives. This builds the coherence of the two reports while as yet expressing what is on your mind. Capitalize on Your Cover Letter You had me at … .. the introductory letter. You can establish an incredible first connection with an elegantly composed introductory letter. Try not to commit any of the errors recorded above and give yourself the most obvious opportunity for finding your fantasy work. Are there some other normal introductory letter botches you'd prefer to impart to us? Do tell us in the remarks. This post was written in joint effort with Sarah Landrum, Founder of Punched Clocks.

Career Corner Four Perks to Being Single and on a Career Search Part IV - Hallie Crawford

Profession Corner Four Perks to Being Single and on a Career Search Part IV Im a confirmed vocation mentor and I work with individuals like you who are in profession change furthermore, needing direction and backing. Theres a unique spot in my heart for single vocation searchers. It wasnt such a long time ago that I was single myself and encountering indistinguishable precise apprehensions and sentiments from you are. Despite the fact that it may not generally appear along these lines, there is a huge measure of help and backing out there for singles needing to make a profession change. Its an extraordinary time to learn, develop, and investigate your numerous abilities and character characteristics. Here is reason #4 why it rocks to be single and on the sneak for a fab new profession: 4. Vocation organizing is an incredible method to get out there and meet new people.Networking so as to find that new position is tied in with putting your most expert foot forward. Be that as it may, you never know, you may likewise meet some new companions simultaneously and extend your group of friends. I'm not proposing vocation organizing is an approach to meet a planned accomplice, a long way from it. Be that as it may, organizing is an incredible method to put yourself out there and beat any apprehensions you may have about gathering new individuals. The extraordinary thing about vocation change is that during the exploratory stage, youll become familiar with parts of your character that you may never even have known existed. Its a definite fire approach to draw nearer to discovering what truly will fulfill you throughout everyday life. All the best for vocation searchers who are flying performance! Heres to having a vocation you love! Vocation Expert

Graduates, Heres How to Spot a Job Scam

Graduates, Heres How to Spot a Job Scam For any of you who have taken a gander at my LinkedIn profile, you might notice a brief gap between my first job out of university, and my second job where I joined a recruitment agency. It looks like I didn’t do anything during that time, but the truth is, I did however, I have been too embarrassed to tell the truth: I fell for a graduate recruitment scam. Given that here in the UK this year’s cohort of graduates is in the process of entering the workforce, I thought it would be timely to share my story and provide some insights on how graduates can avoid job scams. What is a job scam? When I left university, I went to join a new business that the father of a friend of mine was starting up. It involved selling nail guns, nails, and other fixing supplies to the building industry obviously a natural career choice for someone with a BA in English Literature! But, I really enjoyed it the work was massively varied (I built both the racking in the warehouse, and much of the company website using a CMS), and I thought that getting in early would stand me in good stead for promotions. Unfortunately, this was during the time when the recession was in full swing, and the construction industry took some massive hits. The resulting downturn in sales meant there wasn’t enough money for the owner to keep me on, and so, with regret on both sides, he had to let me go. So, I found myself without a job, competing not only against the 2010 graduate cohort, but also the 2009 graduates who had struggled to find work due to the economic downturn. I followed all the advice; I rewrote my CV for each job I applied to, to tailor it to the requirements, I spent hours a day on job sites, and dedicated all my time to finding a new job. I had a couple of interviews, but didn’t get that far. Then, I found an advert for a graduate job, promising rapid promotions, good earnings, and the chance to run an office within a couple of years. As I mentioned in my last post, university students are told that our degrees are the key to high paying jobs, responsibility, promotions etc., so it sounded right it sounded like what I had been promised. I applied, and to my surprise got a call back within 15 minutes offering me an interview the following day. I tried researching the company but couldn’t find much. There was a website, but all it contained was an explanation that they were looking for graduates with the drive to succeed, and advice for graduates on interview tips. That should have been my first alarm bell; why didn’t they have a website establishing who they were, and what they do? When I went to the interview, I was told it would be a two stage interview, and if I passed the first stage, I would be invited back for the second stage. However, the first interview was (as I now know) very unusual I was asked very few questions, and most of it was the interviewer telling me about my prospects, my potential to earn, how soon I could be opening up my own office etc. You, savvy reader, are probably aware that this is a common feature of pyramid schemes “recruitment” events which are essentially pitching a too-good-to-be-true opportunity. But, I didn’t know that. When I confirmed that I was interested, I was told to come back the next day for an all-day interview. The all-day interview involved going out with a senior member of the team, into the field it was at this point that I learned what the work was; door-to-door sales. This should have been a massive warning flag; how could it be that I only found out what I would be doing at the second interview?! The interview was also used as a sales pitch; the senior member kept boasting about how rapidly she had been promoted, how soon she would have her own office, running her own sales teams, how much she earned, and how much I could earn. At the end of the day, at 9pm, I was taken back to the office and given a final interview with the head of the office, where I was told I would only get the job if I agreed to start tomorrow more high pressure “sales” tactics to beware of. What was the scam? The scam was that it was a way of getting people into door-to-door sales; in my case, selling energy deals (or “consulting”, as they put it, to make it seem more graduate appropriate) on behalf of one of the big 6 energy firms. Door-to-door sales is a pretty horrible job, with a massive employee turnover. I assumed I was being taken on as an employee of the company I had interviewed with, but when I asked where my contract was, a week or so in, I was informed that I was in fact self-employed (again, something I was not told), and therefore not eligible for any benefits, holiday, or really any legal protection whatsoever I was assuming all of the liability for the work. Furthermore, despite the many, many lectures I had received on how much I would be earning per week, they never mentioned that the earnings were completely commission-based, with no basic salary; a lie by omission. Legitimate commission-only jobs are typically VERY upfront about this from the outset. The company kept myself and the other employees motivated by having lectures every morning, telling us how much they wanted to get us out of the field, get us promoted, get us running our own offices. It was essentially a pyramid scheme; all they wanted was a free source of labour for the door-to-door sales, and for every deal I made, I got a pittance (around £15), whilst the company pocketed the majority of the commission from the energy firm. It took me over a month, but once I sat down and worked out how little I was earning, and how much all the commuting was costing me (not to mention the long working hours I worked from 9am to 9pm every day), I realised that I had been diddled. I called up the head of the office, told him that I wouldn’t be coming in the next day, and never heard back from him. This, if it was needed, would have been the final warning flag: in a proper job, you can’t just walk away like that without notice. I was then very lucky to find a great recruitment firm hiring, and was able to at least use the sales experience I had gained to help me in my interview. However, I have since taken the experience off my CV, and have never put it on my LinkedIn, because I still feel ashamed at falling for a scheme admittedly, a very clever one. Of course, self-employed, or commission-only, sales-based jobs do exist, but the difference is that when it is a legitimate job, the company would be upfront about it from the outset, not seeking to deceive and mislead. This scheme was so successful because it knew that graduates were struggling to find work, and knew precisely how to sell itself to a new graduate. So, for all you graduates who are currently looking for work, here are some hints on what to look out for, to avoid falling for a scam of your own: Does the company have a proper website, with descriptions of what they do? Does the job advert actually tell you what you are doing, what your responsibilities will be, and what the salary will be? Look at the job advert: is it a very long sales description that seems too good to be true (“You can earn £ £ £ every week!!”)? When they interview you, who spends most of the time talking: you, or them? Will they give you a formal contract? Are you being asked to pay any money up front? (This didn’t happen to me, but often does. This should NEVER happen.) Unfortunately, job scams do exist, and there are scammers who have realised that graduates are an easy target, because of the promises we were made about what our degrees will get us; rapid success, and a high powered, high paying job. Ultimately, the best advice I can give is the same advice given about any scam: does it seem far too good to be true? If so, it’s probably a scam. RELATED: Job Scams and How to Avoid Them