Want To Land The Job? Take It From The World’s Most Innovative CVs

Building a creative Curriculum Vitae (CV) or Resume pays off especially if it is artistically suited to the position you are applying for.

1. SUPER INTERACTIVE RESUME BY ROBBY LEONARDI

Inspired by the legendary “Super Mario Bros.” game, multidisciplinary designer named Robby Leonardi had created an interactive resume featuring his knowledge on illustration, animation, graphic design, and front-end development. Take a look at it here.

With its undeniable awesomeness, this CV had been viral in the social media platforms last 2013. Aside from the striking appearance of the interactive resume, I must point out that he added offbeat details such as being an NBA fan. This is a detail that you do not see often.

Furthermore, he worked in huge companies such as AOL, Incognito Digital, and Fox News. It truly pays to highlight an impressive background. The sum of his overall uniqueness made his CV stand out from the pile!

2. LIKABLE RESUME OF SABRINA SACCOCIO

The Psychological phenomenon called “mere-exposure” effect shows that we develop a tangible preference over things that we are familiar with. Truly, there is something attractive about familiarity. It is comforting and warm.

That is the route that Sabrina Saccocio has taken. Her resume had the format of a Facebook profile page (see it here). She even included the recommendations and references of her previous and present colleagues in her “wall comments”.

With the Facebook suit, she is showing that she knows how to communicate to the general audience. This strategy works because of her knowledge on the influence of relationships and social dynamics. Make it your weapon too.

3. NINA MUFLEH’S IN-DEPTH RESUME

Nina Mufleh’s story proves how handwork and technology can go hand-in-hand to achieve your dream job! She designed a resume (browse it here) that proactively tackles the growth of the company and her rightful place in it through an online resume following the Airbnb’s website template.

She provided data and examples as to how Airbnb as a company can branch out in the global tourism scene, particularly in the Middle East. She chose Middle East, as the company’s penetration there is far too low. She highlighted why her idea matters, how the company can start it, and which partnership opportunities they can explore. Now you see what I meant by handwork! She absolutely did an extensive research of the company’s operations while adding sufficient data.

Then, she tweeted this to the heads of Airbnb. To her surprise, Brian Chesky (CEO of Airbnb) tweeted back with a positive response to meet her. This go to show that if you are really passionate about something, you must work hard for it and show why you deserve it!

Bonus! If you are looking for free tools to help you make your own innovative CV, you may try checking out Prezi, Adobe Photoshop Express, and GIMP.

Image Credits: Flazingo Photos via Flickr

Image Credits: Flazingo Photos via Flickr

Sources: 1, 2,& 3

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6 Highest Paying Jobs In The Field Of Technology (IT)

With the increasing global concern for cyber security across companies, there has been an ongoing demand for Information Technology (IT) Professionals. In fact, recent study showed that the five highest income-earning sectors in Singapore include Information Technology alongside Banking and Finance, Petrochemicals, Pharmaceuticals, and Semiconductors.

Salary.sg, a website dedicated to relay information on career and jobs, used the Ministry of Manpower wage date and excluded the bonuses and profit-sharing to generate the monthly gross wages of over a hundred jobs in Singapore. Looking at the IT sector through a microscope, here are the 6 Highest Paying Tech Jobs In Singapore based on the 2014 data by Salary.sg:

6. NETWORK AND SYSTEMS ENGINEER

Network and Systems Engineers can earn about S$4,000-7,000 a month.

They are tasked to oversee functionality, security, and design of the computer systems. To keep the internal and external company databases running smooth, they are responsible to look to how information is shared both internally an externally.

5. APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT

Application Development Consultants can make about S$5,000-7,000 a month.

They are tasked to consult with the program managers, senior consultants, and clients to understand information requirements, operational procedures, and transaction processing. Basically, they are responsible for designing fresh software applications from the concept to completion.

4. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TESTING IT

Testers can earn about S$6,360 a month.

IT Testers are tasked to check for system bugs or other concerns in the new software to ensure that the company standards are maintained or that the product integrity is preserved. They examine a program by going through its typical uses and noting down the observable problems.

Image Credits: Bob Mical via Flickr

Image Credits: Bob Mical via Flickr

3. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SECURITY SPECIALIST

IT Security Specialist can make about S$6,385 a month.

IT Security Specialists are tasked to analyze the security breaches that have or may occur. Then, they must repair and strengthen the system against these breaches. Simply put, their work focuses on the risks to the security of valued company information or data.

2. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGER

IT Project Manager can have a paycheck of about S$8,320 per month.

A bachelor’s degree and significant years of experience is usually required for this position. IT Project Managers are tasked to manage and coordinate with the staff to oversee various computer-related assignments for the company.

1. CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) can earn about S$10,648 per month, on average.

CTOs are tasked to play an important role in setting the company’s direction, development, and future growth by supporting all information and technology-related operations. With your growing years of experience and educational background in tech, you too, can be the CTO.

Image Credits: Chad Kainz via Flickr

Image Credits: Chad Kainz via Flickr

Sources: 1, 2, 3, & 4

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Make a Six Figure Income as a Fashion Blogger? Well, she just did.

Weworewhat instagram

Step aside Singapore’s bloggers.

Meet the new Instagram sensation who has recently hit 1 million followers last month.

Danielle Bernstein of We Wore What (@weworewhat) is a popular US’s fashion blogger that has set the fashion world abuzz with her inspiring street style.

Since started in 2011, she has amassed over 6,000 posts on her Instagram and is currently rank 1852nd in the World on Social Blade — a website that measures social media presence.

weworewhat

Photo: @weworewhat/Instagram

Bernstein had revealed to Harper’s Bazaar that she charges between US$5,000 to US$15,000 for each piece of sponsored content. And mind you, she don’t have to write a long review like any other bloggers did — instead, she just need to pose and get a #instaworthy shot of herself featuring a brand onto Instagram.

On average, if you have hundreds of thousands of followers you can make anywhere from $500 to $5,000 a post, but if you have upwards of 6 million followers, your fee can be $20,000 to $100,000 a shot. “Which is kind of crazy,” Rankin says. (Source: Harper’s Bazaar)

Of course, having the opportunities to work with big brands such as Lancôme and H&M helps.

weworewhat-lancome

weworewhatliterally on the move with @lancomeusa #miracleonthemove makeup | #ad (Photo: @weworewhat/Instagram)

Companies and brands shell out billion of dollars each year on sponsored content from the so-called new generation of social influencers. Being able to attract followers on Instagram (or other social media platforms) is a serious business.

Even Bernstein said: “Without my followers, i would not be where i am today”

For some, the holy grail of having a huge fan base would almost put you in the rank of celebrities.

Kelly Cutron, a judge on America’s Next Top Model, said to The New York Post:

Are bloggers important? Yeah they f–king are. They’re super important. Bloggers are being paid to sit in the front row, and editors aren’t. They’re talent along with reality-TV people and actors.

With the advent of Internet and technology, Generation Z social-media influencers are changing the way how brands engage their audiences. In fact, a recent research from BDMI has shown that social influencers have a far better reach than the brand itself.

BDMI Social Media

(Chart: BDMI)

Well, then what about the local scene? Let’s not entirely discredit our own Singapore-based fashion bloggers. We do have some popular fashion tastemakers who have got their own taste of success. Ms Andrea Chong (@dreachong) who first started out as a fashion model years ago now boasts an impressive amount of followers on her Instagram. She has worked with numerous brands such as Victoria Beckham, H&M, D&G, Kate Spade Saturday and more.

Drea Chong

Screengrab’s dreachong.com

Her street casual style has definitely won the heart of her fans from all walks of life. And she’s not afraid to share too. Last year, she ran a workshop on “I Want A Fashion Blog” and she covered topics like photography, blogging to social media marketing. If you have missed that, follow her on Facebook and Instagram to get your daily dose of OOTD and fashion tips.

Can you make that kind of money as a fashion blogger? You certainly can. But to make that amount of money, it takes a lot of hard work and passion in the ever growing niche.

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Leverage on modern marketing for your brand

owl city singapore featured

Times have been difficult recently and this resonates with companies trying to keep their costs low. Traditional marketing techniques have been slowly losing its trend due to its time consuming and costly factors. All these things are delivered in print format or in person. On the contrary, Internet marketing transcends outdated form of marketing using the power of online networks and interactive media to reach your marketing objectives. With modern marketing, you can lower costs and accomplish more without catalogs, brochures and any other marketing collateral. You can reach more customers than ever before with its cost efficiency formula.

Spreading the name of your company does not have to be expensive. Owl City SG provides online advertising, marketing and profiling for local companies and businesses. They were nominated this year with “Top 25 Prestige Award 2015” for demonstrating exceptional accomplishment in Business Fields.

Owl City provides excellent Business to Business (B-to-B) services ranging from Profile Portal, E-commerce, Media Advertising and Marketing Consultation.

A recent profound marketing collaboration that Owl City has undertaken involves assisting Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) on their Drug Awareness Campaign by managing CNB’s “Life Does Not Rewind” FaceBook page. In there, creative marketing techniques such as videos and games contests were showcased with highly creative and engaging content resulting in overwhelming responses from the general public.

Essentially, Owl City’s achievements would not have been made possible without Miri Yeo, the Founder of Owl City SG. Through her sheer determination to pursue her passion of starting up a marketing firm, she stands firm to her beliefs that profit maximization should never be her main goal, rather the importance of advocating an honest reputation when doing business, alongside with maintaining top-notch work quality standards and efficiency.

Fundamentally, over 300 clients who have engaged Owl City SG’s advertising and branding services have left them with positive feedbacks which resulted in significant cost savings in the long run. Owl City SG remains as a prime choice for people who wish to grow and expand their businesses, and customer bases. Its grasp of modern media and advertising is second-to-none.

An example on how Owl City provides a comprehensive services to Yoogane, a Korean restaurant in Singapore:

yoogane

Yoogane, client of Owl City Singapore

For more information on Owl City SG, refer to the links below:

http://www.owlcitysg.com/ (Business to Business Services)
http://www.owlcity.com.sg/ (Business to Consumers Services)

This article is brought to you by Owl City Singapore.

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How To Avoid Losing Money To High-Pressure Or Hard Sell

no_more_hard_sell_with_loyalty_apps

You might have encountered a salesman who constantly pushes a product for you even if you expressed feelings of indifference towards it. This aggressive form of sales or advertising is called “hard sell”. A hard sell, or high-pressure sell, encourages a consumer to purchase a product or a service in a short period of time such as when you are trying to sell a limited car model.

The advantage of hard sell is that it is direct and it helps earn quick bucks. Its disadvantages include customer annoyance and customer avoidance (as some may sound like a scam).

When caught in a situation where high-pressure sell is present, remember these following tips:

  1. UNDERSTAND

Before coming to a decision, it is best to understand the product or service in the eyes of trusted individuals or previous customers. Ask as many questions as necessary.

  1. LOOK AT THE FINE PRINT

Read the fine print such as hidden charges and product risks to avoid adverse side effects and unwanted circumstances.

  1. LEARN TO SAY “NO”

Do not let your momentary emotions and wants dictate your purchase. If the product or service is really unnecessary, learn to say “NO”. For the pushy telemarketers, firmly tell them that you are not interested and end the conversation on the dot.

  1. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

If you have been sold a financial product that you did not sign up for or if a telemarketer calls you harasses you with numerous calls, file an appropriate complaint.

Now, if you are a marketer that is trying to avoid the hard sell approach, remember these following tips:

  1. RESEARCH

Assess your target market and focus on building your brand rather than using threatening marketing tactics.

  1. BUILD A STRONG RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CUSTOMER

If you are hard selling, the tendency is for the consumer to look for a similar service or product that is less pushy. To avoid this, build a strong relationship with the customer by engaging him or her with a good experience. This will create loyal customers in the long run.

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(Image credit: George Redgrave via Flickr)

Sources: 1

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