Heather Hernandez

inspiring women to be entrepreneurs

helping women network, find jobs, and be entrepreneurs

Why I Created Career Networking Business Cards for my Job Search

November 13, 2019 By Heather Hernandez 1 Comment

Since I’m conducting a job search again, I thought it would be a good time to update this post! Many people I meet don’t have networking business cards, or they’re using cards from one of their “side hustles”. I recommend creating a business card specifically for your job search.

Networking is a powerful tool for your job search so you want to hand a Career Networking Business Card to the new people you meet. I had business cards that identified me as a blogger, but this wasn’t the impression I wanted to leave on people during my job search. I wanted my new contacts to see me as a prospective marketing employee rather than just a blogger. Blogging is part of my work experience, but I’m not making it my job description. So I created a new business card to leave exactly the impression I wanted on my new contacts!

Think of your networking business card as the image of what type of professional you want to become. Highlight your relevant experience (but not all of it) and make it clear what type of job you’re looking for.

 
Here’s what’s on my Career Networking Business Card
* My Name ~ the most important thing!
* My Photo – well, maybe this is the most important thing because people remember your face before they remember your name
* My License ~ since I’m looking for a marketing job in a technical industry where it may be beneficial to have a Professional Engineer’s license I’ve added “P.E.” to the end of my name to help me stand out! Do you have any certifications that will help you stand out?
* My Own Job-Seeking Title ~ my job objective is “seeking marketing experience in a technical industry setting” so I used that to create myself a new job-seeking title “Analytical Marketing Professional” and put that just below my name
* What I’m looking for ~ I’m looking for a job in N. Houston or remote so I put that on the back of my card
* Who I Am ~ in 3 bullets I tried to sum-up who I am on the back of my card:
  • Master’s in Marketing student
  • Professional Engineer licensed in Texas
  • Social Media Influencer

* Email ~ obviously, this is my preferred method of contact

* Phone ~ just in case a new contact wants to talk to me in person

* LinkedIn URL ~ on the back of my card to encourage people to connect with me on LinkedIn

* Blog URL ~ also on the back, to encourage visits to my blog for entrepreneurs HeatherHernandez.com

* Blank Space~ people like to write on business cards, so half of the back of my card is blank space

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What’s on your Business Card?

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Why you should strive to be a benevolent during your job search

May 21, 2019 By Heather Hernandez Leave a Comment

A benevolent is someone who gives without waiting to receive much in return. It’s a good thing to strive towards in all chapters of your life, but especially during your job search. The reason is that acting benevolently leaves a lasting impression on people. When they benefit from your advice or help, they are more likely to remember it and return the favor when they can. That favor could come in the form of a new job or a new connection that may lead to a new job. Plus it just feels great to help other people!

Being a benevolent is all about paying it forward. When you talk to fellow job seekers do you have any tips to share with them? Are there people in your network that might be able to help them? Do you know anyone who works at companies they are targeting? Have you learned any resume tips you can share with them? I can tell you from personal experience that all of the interviews I’ve been on so far in my job search have all been thanks to someone in my network who is paying it forward by helping me get an interview.

I founded my own business (my frugal lifestyle blog Freebies 4 Mom) on the basis of wanting to help moms save money. I get a thrill every time I hear back from one of my readers about how I helped them save money, win a prize or learn something new. There is nothing more rewarding than receiving thanks from someone you helped. It makes you smile on the inside!

So during your job search, even though you are looking for people who can help you find a job you need to be a benevolent and help your fellow job-seekers in any way you can! You just never know when they’ll return the favor and they might just help you land your next job!

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How are you paying it forward?

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The Importance of Networking During Your Job Search

March 5, 2019 By Heather Hernandez 2 Comments


Networking is so important that I actually created a Networking is Valuable video about it for Brookwoods, the staffing agency I used to work for.

How important is networking for your job search?

I knew that networking would be important during my job search, but I didn’t realize exactly how important it would be until I was several months into my job search. Once you start actively expanding your network by attending networking events, you’ll realize that networking is actually a lot of fun!

How do you think you’ll find your next job?

I’ve learned that I am most likely find a job through my network either directly or indirectly. That’s because personal connections mean everything in a highly competitive job market. Networking is also how you access the hidden job market which has jobs available that are not advertised and you can only learn about through word-of-mouth.

How can networking help someone looking for a job?

Here are a few ways that networking could help you in your job search:

  • You discover a staffing agency the would love to help place you in a position
  • You meet a hiring manager who would love to interview you for a position
  • You make a new connection and they know about a job position that would be perfect for you to apply for
  • You become friends with a new connection and they are able to personally recommend you to a hiring manager they know for a job you’re applying for
  • You are considered for a position that normally you wouldn’t be considered for based on just your resume because someone gets to know you better

What are some other benefits to networking other than helping you find a job?

Some of the other benefits to networking other than finding a job such are:

  • Making lifelong friends in your profession
  • Getting out of the house to attend a professional networking event is good for your self-esteem and mental health
  • Events you can look forward to attending is important during your job search
  • Get support from total strangers, you will be surprised by how much others want to help you!

What types of groups can people become involved in to expand their network?

Here are some ideas for the types of local groups that you could join to help expand your professional network. Remember to add any volunteer positions or certifications from professional organizations to your resume!

  • Professional Organizations in your Field (i.e. I joined the American Marketing Association since I am looking for a job in marketing)
  • Chamber of Commerce (there are probably several near you if you live near a big city)
  • Special Interest Groups (i.e. I joined the NW Houston Business & Professional Women so I could connect with business savvy women who live near me)
  • Non-Profits (i.e. local churches or any non-profit where you can volunteer and get to know more people in your community)
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How are you expanding your professional network?

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What I’ve Learned after 6 Months of Job Searching

January 11, 2019 By Heather Hernandez Leave a Comment

It’s been 6 months since I started my job search for a full-time marketing position in Houston or remote. It’s been a wild ride but I’ve learned a lot about myself and about the current job search process!
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My Challenges:
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* Nobody wants to interview me, and if they do then they tell me I’m overqualified for the position! This is a huge challenge but what it means to me is that I haven’t found the right position yet. Some company out there needs an analytical marketing professional like me, I just haven’t connected with them yet.
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* I have the wrong Bachelor’s degree. It doesn’t matter that I’m working on my Master’s of Science in Marketing degree and that it’s on my resume. I have the wrong Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering so sometimes I’m automatically kicked out of the system when HR does their screening (especially if they’re using an Applicant Tracking System).
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What I’ve Learned:
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* Expanding my network is the most important thing I can do! Thanks to my network I’m learning how to increase the chances of my job search to be successful. Thanks to my network I landed an interview with a major corporation (that I don’t think I would have gotten without their help). Thanks to my network I remain optimistic about my job search and I’m enjoying making new friends.
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* I’m more valuable than I think I am. I’m learning that my unique skills are more valuable than I thought they were. This is a wonderful boost to my ego and makes me determined not to compromise or budge on my minimum salary requirement.
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* JobScan can help you beat the Applicant Tracking System. My worst fear is that I submit my resume for a job and a real person never even looks at it! But I’ve learned how to use JobScan to customize every resume with keywords to match the job description. It’s all about finding different ways to describe your experience and skills and finding ways to change your resume slightly. Now that I’m using JobScan to customize each resume, I’m more confident that my resume will make it through the initial screening process and be seen by a real person. I highly recommend using JobScan, it’s worth every penny!
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What has your job search taught you?

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Free Certifications and Courses for Marketing Professionals

December 18, 2018 By Heather Hernandez 2 Comments

When you’re looking for a job, you’re eager to add anything to your resume that will help you stand out among the crowd as the ideal candidate for a job. One thing that can help you stand out is having certifications. Where should you put these certifications on your resume? You can add them to your Marketing Skills section or if you have several you can create a new section called Certifications or Continuing Education. You also should add your certifications to your LinkedIn profile. Now many certifications you have to pay for, but I’ve found a few certifications for marketing professionals that are absolutely free!
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HubSpot offers 10 certifications – each certification course is a series of videos concluding with an exam
Inbound Certification – this is the first certificate you should try to get that includes 12 classes (should take less than 5 hours)
Social Media Certification
Email Marketing Certification
Inbound Marketing Certification
Content Marketing Certification
HubSpot Marketing Software Certification
Sales Enablement Certification
HubSpot Sales Software Certification
Inbound Sales Certification
Growth-Driven Design Certification
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Google Ads Certification – free study materials and there are two exams you need to pass:  Google Ads Fundamentals Assessment and your choice of Search Advertising, Display Advertising, Mobile Advertising Video Advertising or Shopping Advertising (your certification is valid for one year)
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Google Analytics Individual Qualification – free courses and study guides to prepare you to take the exam
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Bing Ads Accredited Professional – free courses that lead up to a 100 question exam focused on search engine marketing (your certification will be valid for one year)
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LinkedIn Learning – free courses (for those with LinkedIn Premium accounts) that when successfully completed appear on your LinkedIn profile so this is a valuable way to get certifications through LinkedIn
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SEMrush Academy – free courses you can take, although they don’t lead to a certification they do have exams to take so you can always list them on your resume in a Continuing Education section
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Do you know of any other FREE certifications that are useful for marketing professionals?

Filed Under: Uncategorized

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