Cinco de Mayo. American Passion.

After having lived in southern California for a number of years, Cinco de Mayo became known to me as an official holiday of sorts. Although this date is not celebrated in Mexico outside of the state of Puebla, it has become a US day of celebration and pride for Mexican heritage… almost the Mexican version of a St. Patrick’s Day (another US-originating holiday that is not really celebrated in the country it commemorates).

Whether or not you celebrate Cinco de Mayo or St. Patrick’s Day, these quasi-holidays are a fun reminder of the power of celebrating what inspires you. If you’re inspired to celebrate your family, your friends, your heritage, your co-workers, your neighbors, your school, you should do so. In a similar vein, remember to celebrate the aspects of yourself that inspire you the most – your career, your parenting, your interests, your political views – whatever you feel passionately about and want to share with others.

Of course, be sure to celebrate yourself and your passions in your Ziggs Profile. A Profile written with enthusiasm and authenticity will carry you farthest.

Dos tacos de pescados, por favor. Gracias amigo.

"Don't Deny Your DNA"

I give full credit for this thoughtful phrase to the company and person, Spike, that recently blogged about it at Brains on Fire, a highly creative identity agency.

Denying your "DNA" suggests that you’re ignoring your instincts or rejecting your personal gifts. But, in today’s world of economic quicksand, sticking to your “DNA” can be your key to staying afloat and grounded at the same time.

In fact, understanding your "DNA" - your personal brand - helps you know where you’re going and why. Once you're clear on your brand "DNA," you become more effective and focused in everything you do. For example, people who know their brand "DNA" tend to present the most compelling professional Profiles at Ziggs.com. These profiles are confident, clear and direct.

So, be sure to express your own brand “DNA” succinctly in your own Ziggs Profile now.

For more thoughts on this, read the recent Brains on Fire blog entry on this topic here.

What's Your Curb Appeal?

You know the house. It’s that one house on the block with the most inviting look from the street. It draws you in because it's so well-maintained. This kind of house certainly attracts buyers more easily than an overgrown house with a cluttered yard. Creating curb appeal for your home is key to your sales strategy. What about your career sales strategy? Have you checked your online curb appeal lately?

As the economic crisis continues to deepen, it’s even more critical that your online brand is professional and inviting. It’s important to ensure that prospective clients or employers enjoy almost effortless access to you through the internet, for new business, or a new job. Your Ziggs Profile is the first place to start updating your online curb appeal. Here are three quick steps to update your online brand.

1. Update the landscape. A good professional photo can be likened to a well-landscaped home. Make sure your online photos present you as current, fresh and focused.

2. Paint the house. Just as the proper paint choice and trim color make a house shine, presenting the right content and tone in your profile will make a difference in your ability to make an impact with the reader.

3. Be found on the map. If a buyer can’t find your house, it’s hard to sell it. Making sure your online profile is easily found in search results is equally important. Upgrading your online visibility in search results gives your online brand a competitive boost. Learn how Ziggs can do that for you.

Taking time to enhance your online curb appeal might make all the difference for you in the year ahead… So join Ziggs and create your free Ziggs Profile today. Or, if you already have one, update your Ziggs Profile now.

Sold!

Pink Slip Job Tips

According to CNN, unemployment is at its highest rate in fifteen years. If you’re among those who have recently received a pink slip, you’re not alone. The good news is that with professional networking websites and online brand management services that are easy to use, a job seeker has more free tools in his job-seeking tool kit than ever before.

Gerri Willis from CNN recently reminded job seekers that in today’s market, it’s not always "what you know, but who you know." She says that 80% of jobs today are found through networking with someone you know. Gerri also suggests that professionals get visibility online for themselves using a free professional profile. This helps you be found when recruiters search for you online. To hear more of Gerri’s tips, tune into her recent news story at CNN, where she also recommends Ziggs:

Whether you are a long-time user or a brand new member at Ziggs, here are three simple Job-To-Do’s every professional should check off today, employed or not.

1. Manage your free professional Ziggs Profile. Update it, add photos, add links to your work. Keep it fresh. If you don't have a Ziggs Profile, start yours for free here.

2. List yourself in several of Ziggs Professional Directories for added visibility in your field.

3. Use Ziggs' free people search to find others at Ziggs within your profession to build your network and your business.

For those looking for new employment, feel free to browse Ziggs’ free Jobs Board once a week.

Wishing you all good employment this holiday season.

Got Dirt?

Google your name. If you find links to information you would not want your boss or a prospect to see, then you have digital dirt that could use some cleaning. As people continue to post personal information freely on the web, the incidents of digital dirt negatively affecting careers are on the rise. Career experts and even TV news journalists have raised the red flag on digital dirt and are writing about how you can clean yours up.

According to Rita Ashley, job search coach, veteran technology recruiter, author and blogger at Job Search Debugged, “personal digital dirt has no shelf life; it can last forever.” She asks, “How can you overcome these self made obstacles to create a professional brand? How can you manage your professional brand on-line and keep dirt away from your digital door?” Rita answers these questions in detail with six action steps anyone can take to shine up their online brand and keep it squeaky clean. I can’t help but agree with Rita’s ultimate suggestion – use the “uber solution” that helps push your bad search results lower by positioning your best search result content on top – a solution also known as Ziggs.

Ned Hibberd, newscaster at FOX in Houston, recently reported on digital dirt and how to respond to it. Ned recommends that you “accentuate the positive, even if you can't eliminate the negative.” He goes on to suggest using Ziggs to accomplish just that. Take a look at Ned’s views on this topic in his recent news story "What's Google revealing about you?" on FOX.

Got dirt? Rise above it... Check out Ziggs WebPro to learn how you can put your best foot forward on page one is search results using your Ziggs Profile. Don't have a Ziggs Profile yet? There's no better time than the present. Give yourself the gift of having a positive online brand by joining Ziggs now and starting your free Ziggs Profile.

Thank You From Ziggs

Ziggs has been quietly fielding media interview requests for some time now. As a result of this growing interest in Ziggs, we have recently received national news coverage from CBS, Yahoo.com, AOL.com, MSNBC TV and numerous blogs during early October. We're honored to have our story shared by these media giants with you. Thanks CBS and especially Molly Hughes for your recent news story about how people can learn a little more about how often they're being googled and found via their free Ziggs Profile's email alert and tracking service.

From CBS: Who is Googling You? Ziggs Knows.

To understand exactly how this free Ziggs service works, learn more here.

We’d like to thank our new and existing customers for their interest in Ziggs and their ongoing support of Ziggs. We hope you take advantage of all the free services Ziggs has to offer professionals.

Remember to keep your Ziggs Profile updated, shiny and new at all times. So far, CBS and Fox have interviewed fifteen Ziggs customers from across the US, with more in the works. Maybe you'll be next!

Recession Proof Yourself

According to the US Department of Labor, US jobless claims were at a seven year high at the close of the week of September 20th, 2008. Although this is partially due to a lift in jobless claims as a result of hurricanes Gustav and Ike, it's times like these that call for every professional to take frequent steps to recession-proof their business reputation and their career.

Steps can include taking classes part-time to expand skills or improve leadership abilities. Increase the frequency of networking activities with both distant colleagues and local events for your profession.

Since your reputation and your experience are part of your professional brand, it's a good idea to highlight your recent accomplishments both offline and online. Polish up your resume with new accomplishments. Put a fresh shine to your online business profiles, especially your Ziggs Profile.

Your Ziggs Profile can be enhanced by adding your recent accomplishments, adding new links to your online results, and improving your professional photo if possible. First impressions make a lasting impression so make sure your online impression is a powerful one via your Ziggs Profile.

To ensure potential job managers can find you online, be sure to give your Ziggs Profile top visiblity in all search engines, and also buy your own domain name for added professional visibility. You can do this through Ziggs quickly and easily. Ziggs will link your profile directly to your new domain name at http://www.yourname.com/.

Once you've completed these touch-ups to both your offline and online brand identity, continue to grow your network now. You'll be glad you did if you reach a point where you need to network for a new job. But in the meantime, remember to smile. We'll all get through this if we work together.

5 Ways to Give Your Online Brand an Olympic Boost

Brush off those last bits of sand from your summer vacation and get ready give your online brand an Olympic-sized boost. Why? The more effective your online professional brand is the more compelling people will consider you when they google and find you online. Why now? At least once per quarter it’s a good idea to take a look at the status of your online brand and then take a few moments to identify ways to improve it. As the remarkable Beijing Olympics have just come to a close and we reflect on the incredible focus every athlete exhibited, give your online profile the focus it needs to help your brand stay active, competitive and current. This kind of footwork may some day help you earn the gold medal of your career.

Here are a few quick tips for boosting your online brand today, Olympic-style:

1. Refresh your Profile. Update all of your online profiles on the web, especially your Ziggs Profile. Update your work experience, add new photos, and expand your links in Interests. If you don’t have a free Ziggs Profile, start one now or learn more.

2. Join a Ziggs Directory. List yourself today in all Directories at Ziggs that apply to your profession. This increases your online professional visibility for free.

3. Own your Name Online. Is your name available? Have you ever checked? Here’s a quick way for Ziggs members to find out. If you're not a Ziggs member, you can find out here. Owning your name online gives your brand more power.

4. Top-list in Search. Catapult your name and link to your profile to a premium position in every search engine. Research shows that searchers rarely go past the first page of results to find information, so be sure your profile is found on that first page. Here's how.

5. Enhance your Signature. Add your Ziggs Profile link into your email signature. This gives everyone you email a chance to learn more about your talents with a click. Try it now.

If your online brand is already fully boosted, consider boosting a friend’s. Share this blog with a friend today.

Congratulations and thank you to all Olympians for giving our world a boost of unity.

Launch Your Job Search at Ziggs

Ziggs has just introduced a new Jobs Service.

The new Jobs Service lets you find newly listed jobs at Ziggs by keyword, title or location.

You can instantly apply to any job in Ziggs and your Ziggs Profile goes along too.

You can easily track the jobs you’ve applied for with your own private Jobs List.

Ziggs lets you search jobs listed at Ziggs or jobs from across the web.

As recruiters or hiring managers view your Ziggs Profile, you'll receive an email alert every time.

Or Relax. Be Passive. Let the Job find You.

Blue-chip recruiters visit Ziggs every day. By keeping your profile updated and interesting, you can dramatically increase your chances of being searched for and found for great job opportunities via Ziggs. So once you’ve updated your profile, relax, be passive, and let the recruiters come to you.

Real-Time Alerts Grow in Popularity: Google, Ziggs, Twitter...

Receiving real-time alerts about important data on the web is a growing trend and a pleasure for many. Google has been in the alerts business for some time. You can set an alert at Google for a keyword of interest to you, such as news on a specific company. Each time news about that company appears on the Internet, Google will send you an email alert giving you access to the link.

Ziggs is a friend of this trend as well. Ziggs sends a free personal Search Alert to its customers each time a visitor googles their name and then clicks through to their Ziggs Profile. Getting notified when someone has visited your profile helps you keep your fingers on the pulse of search activity to your name.

For job seekers, Ziggs Alerts provide a quick glimpse into the traction your online resume is receiving on the web from recruiters or hiring managers. Ziggs even shows searcher information from a global level or down to the building level (global Ziggs Search Alert map shown above, with each red marker indicates a searcher who googled and found my Ziggs Profile). Everyone should be more aware of how often they’re searched and found online. Ziggs can provide this information for free.

Newcomer Twittervision gives you another taste of real-time alerts in the form of global tweet viewing. Although it feels a bit voyeuristic to follow tweets in real-time across the US or even in France or China…..that is part of the point of Twitter: instant insight into the micro-ideas of the masses. I see it as somewhat of both a local and a global communications experiment, where the outcome remains to be seen.

I use Google Alerts to follow company news stories. I use Ziggs Search Alerts to get notified when someone has searched me and viewed my Ziggs Profile. And I use Twitter to follow tweeters on a number of topics including social media (Ziggs, LinkedIn and Facebook). My tweet topics vary but will often include Ziggs, professional networking, social media, marketing and branding. Follow me on Twitter and I’d be delighted to follow you too.

If you're using alerts from Google, Ziggs or following Twitter in real-time, I'd love to hear about your experience. Or, if you're enjoying another kind of real-time alert, I'd love to know more about it.