We really want to emphasize taking a fresh look at your resume and ensuring it communicates what you do, and perhaps more importantly, who you are. Your accomplishments and identity simply need to jump off the page at hiring managers if you want yours to stand out among the flood of cover letters.

Here are a few choice examples, taken from real-life resumes that have passed through my inbox.

“… experience including writing, content creation, media outreach”

OK, that’s a good start describing the basic skills that I may be seeking for a job opening, but I really want to know what the outcomes and successes have been as a result of doing these things in the business world, or in blogging life. Here’s what catches my eye a bit more:

“Writing for client pitches in a variety of voices from a ‘playah’ to a women’s rights activist.”

Now that tells me this is a skilled writer who can research and adopt the appropriate tone for various target audiences and then get down to the business of networking with them online. What would make this event stronger would be to articulate the outcome, such as, “secured a client interview with top-tier blogger reaching an audience of thousands.”

Here’s another example of going beyond “event planning.”

“Grew audience from a forty-person gathering in a crépe shop to sold-out theater crowds.”

Now that, I like. Who doesn’t want to bring on a team member with this kind of gumption? This is also the type of detail that helps you get the interview and builds up an identity–the perception of who you are–prior to that interview taking place.

Do you need a translation service for your resume? If you have a quick description that needs a brushup, post it in the comments below and we’ll throw you a few thoughts by return.

I know the life of an event producer is extremely glamorous and lucrative hectic and occasionally thankless, but Aaron Hockley, photographer and blogger and one of WordCamp’s producers agreed to answer a few questions about event production, giving us the behind the scenes look at why anyone would want to produce events at all. (Besides the riches glory first pick of the morning’s bagels and cream cheese.)

What do you hope attendees will get out of the event?

My goal for WordCamp Portland has always been to bring together bloggers from a variety of backgrounds, businesses, interests, and skill levels. Put all of those folks into a room and everyone is bound to learn from each other and hatch crazy new ideas.

The life of the event producer seems glamorous. What’s something people don’t know about event production?

Glamorous? Hm. Probably the biggest thing that folks don’t realize is the amount of work that isn’t directly related to the speakers or the program that goes into an event. With WordCamp, we put together a lineup of some awesome speakers, but there are all sorts of other logistics and organization that must take place so that attendees get to enjoy the speakers and have a pleasant experience. Ticketing and registration is a big effort. We need to secure a venue that has space for the conference. We need both equipment and expertise for audio/visual issues. We need to have coffee, snacks, and meals for our participants.

We need to cover our expenses. WordCamps are kept affordable and ticketing fees only cover from 25 to 35 percent of the event’s budget, so we depend on some great local sponsors to cover most of the expenses. Someone has to make those connections.

Yes, there’s an accomplished feeling once an event wraps up . . . but (especially for a volunteer-run event like WordCamp), the event can happen only after a lot of work and money from a lot of people.

There are people who would love to start speaking at events. What should they know when applying to be a speaker that would give them an edge above the competition?

Everyone has to start somewhere (heck, I just started speaking at events in the last few years). From a topic/content standpoint, find something and demonstrate your expertise and passion. Before speaking, start blogging, podcasting, or otherwise demonstrating that you know your stuff. When you’re ready to speak, start by finding a small group with a low barrier to entry. We have a couple speakers this year at WordCamp who were chosen after giving great presentations to small user groups of just 15 to 20 people.

Another important tip is to pay attention to the rules and what is asked for in a speaker proposal. Supply all of the information that is requested. I had one speaker submit a page of information when I asked for a “one-line biography.” Speakers who can follow directions are more likely to be selected.

What are you most looking forward to at the September 18-19 event?

I can’t wait to have so many folks who are energized about blogging and social media all together in one room. We always attract a diverse and smart crowd. On a more personal level I’m glad that several friends from around the region and country are planning to attend; it’ll be good to catch up with them while they’re in town for the conference.

Want to learn more about blogging and WordPress? Check out WordCamp Portland!

The amount of product giveaway at BlogHer is somewhat obscene–you should have seen the women vying for the chance to take home the Toy Story Mr. Potato Head toys!

So when 2,000+ women bloggers come together for the annual BlogHer conference, what are brands doing to stand out in the crowd, attract attention and tap into bloggers’ collective online influence? Check out these examples of a few of the brands and event sponsors that stood out to me:

Shine from Yahoo! – The Shine booth was a nice example of gathering user-generated content from an event. They asked women to share their story of reinvention–be it a new career, weight loss, love, etc. Women who had compelling stories were selected to tape video interviews complete with hair and makeup pampering. The videos were not only uploaded to Shine, but also were available to the bloggers to embed on their own blogs. I noticed a few other brands, including Walmart, used similar concepts.

Chevy Volt – Just like at SXSW, Chevy Volt sponsored the event’s Internet Cafe, a place where bloggers could charge up their laptops, netbooks and smart phones in between conference sessions. I thought this was a great example of connecting the brand to its key messaging while also serving as an excellent conversation starter among the spokespersons and bloggers in the room.

Ubisoft Just Dance 2 – Standing out in the crowd can be challenging, but it’s much easier to do when the crowd is at your booth! Ubisoft set up a stage for a dance-off to showcase their new Wii game, Just Dance 2. This served as an excellent product trial experience not only for users, but for the many spectators, too.

White House | Black Market – At an event like this, the value of swag cannot be overlooked. And the swag bags from White House | Black Market were seen everywhere! So much so that event attendees were using these bags more than the tote bags provided by the conference itself. It’s the high school clique mentality here–if the cool kids have the cool stuff, everyone else wants it too.

P&G – The “booth” for P&G was actually a 1500-square-foot house (larger than my apartment!) built on the show floor with each room showcasing a different household product. There was a lot going on in this house … product giveaways, contests and more. Despite the cool factor of this display, the product messaging from each room was lost on me by the time I left the booth.

The relationship protocol between bloggers and brands is still being defined, and questions abound regarding these cultural rules as the relationships between the two evolve. But for now it’s clear that brands are taking full advantage of getting their products in the hands of the stereotyped mommy bloggers.

Here in Portland, we have some terrific opportunities for users of social media to meet up. My favorite is the weekly Beer and Blog that happens every Friday from 4 to 6 at the Green Dragon. This ostensibly began as an opportunity for people to get help with their blogs, but it’s transitioned into a group of people getting together and chatting. They have guest speakers and often people sponsor that day’s beer and french fries (bless those fine people). New people are always welcome and for old-timers like me, it’s a great place to catch up with friends.

We also have Ignite Portland, and any number of un-conference-camp camps. The faces become familiar, and over time, the people walking into these events must feel like Norm felt walking into Cheers.

People aren’t using social media just to meet casual friends. According to Marta Kagan’s deck, What the F**k is Social Media NOW?, one in six marriages last year were between people who met through social media. Conversely, the London Telegraph says that one in five petitions for divorce cited Facebook. Social media hath given, social media hath taken away.

I love the variety of people you can meet through social media. As a kid growing up in San Diego, I listened to radio station 91X. Robin Roth was the voice of 91X and my personal hero. While helping a client grow his Twitter following, I stumbled upon Robin’s Twitter profile, added her as my friend and before I knew it, we were making plans to hang out when she comes to Portland. Robin Roth was the closest thing San Diego had to Siouxsie Sioux. I still freak out when Robin @replies me.

As social media becomes more prevalent, our personal and professional networks will expand. We’ll have the opportunity to meet more people, make more friends and broaden our own interests.

Oh, and get married. Though I’m not married yet, when the day happens for my boyfriend and me, we’ll comfortably fit into that one in six that Kagan’s talking about. Thanks, Twitter!

What about you? What real life relationships have happened thanks to social media?

Follow the below link to the voting survey and select your favorite. Voting is open until July 11, 10 p.m. PST.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CLJF8DK

Watch for the winning haiku announcement on Monday, July 12.

Good luck to the finalists!

The World Cup bug has bitten CMD more severely than first thought. So, in honor of Japan’s victory today, we’re launching a World Cup haiku competition. Submit a World Cup-themed haiku in this blog’s comments section from now until midnight, July 5, and you’re entered to win a participating country’s official jersey.

To learn more about haiku, click here.

And how will the winner be chosen? We’ll select our top four favorite entries on July 7 then let you vote on which one deserves eternal glory—oh yeah—and an official team jersey. The winner will be announced on July 12, the day after the World Cup championship match.

So get creative and start writing!

*A few competition notes:
Open to U.S. residents only
Entries must be themed around the World Cup
Keep it clean! Red cards will be awarded for foul language
Team jersey to be determined by CMD
Submit as many entries as you like
In case of a tie, CMD will determine a winner

Often the quickest route to clear communication with your audience is through conversation—simple, right? However, we spend a lot of time brainstorming, idea-bouncing and generally overthinking our communication efforts. Instead, we should be asking our audience directly how they would like to engage with us. You’ll be surprised at how eager your audience will be to share their preferences. In addition to formulating a strategy that aligns with the wants and needs of your audience, you will also gain a deeper level of connection as your audience sees that you value their opinions and are making changes according to their preferences.

Here are a few ideas for polling your audience:
• Add a poll to your newsletter
• Pose a question to your Twitter or Facebook followers
• Set up a quick and simple survey using a tool like SurveyMonkey

Most importantly, measure the results from your polling efforts and report your findings to your audience. Make changes to accommodate their preferences, even if the changes are small—baby steps are OK. Showing that you are listening will give your audience a reason to talk to you, and thus engage with your brand.

What are some steps you’ve taken to survey your audience? How did they work out for you?

Photo credit: Cameron Browne, cameronbrowne.com.

-From Faceless to Fantastic, @ekaterinawalter of Intel and @JeffWidman of BrandGlue

When launching something new, an online service, content, social network or otherwise, it’s much easier to succeed with a subset of your target audience, then scale up to a larger market. For example, Facebook started by saturating its target audience at Harvard. Likewise, Twitter launched in the fishbowl of SXSW. Both scaled up from there based on the success with the in-crowds who represented the larger user base they were ultimately seeking.

-From Zero to a Million Users, @drewhouston of DropBox and @asmith of Xobni

Web analytics is not about quantity of visits, it’s about the quality of the interaction. We should be getting the most out of everyone who visits, and to do so, we need to understand their behavior beyond simply looking up the initial referring site. Three fundamental metrics that you need to be tracking on your website:

1.       Where people first came from to your site

2.       What they did before they converted into a paid customer (or took the desired action)

3.       How long before they started paying you

-From Tracking People, Not Just Numbers, Neil Patel of KISSmetrics

“Every 10% easier you make your product, your audience grows by 50%.” @drewhouston, founder of DropBox

“Make something people want. We were building a product for ourselves and only incidentally for other people.” @drewhouston

“I’m waiting for my 3G iPad.” @asmith, founder of Xobni [Remarkably, there are still a lot of Macbooks and PCs around! JY]

[A commandment from on high] “Metrics: Know thy funnel.” @asmith

“Facebook says of every possible news story that can make the news feed, only 0.2% make it. That’s two out of 1,000. That’s scary for marketers. If you want a fancy Facebook presence, you need a fancy news feed, not a fancy page.” @JeffWidman of BrandGlue [Jeff went on to give a few tips about short and sweet updates that carry calls to action, such as “Like this” if you agree.]

“Analytics are not a quantity game, it’s a quality game. It’s the people who matter. … How can I make the most out of every single person.” Neil Patel of KISSmetrics

“There is no perfect solution to attract people on the web. What we can do is start correlating what a user does on the website.” Patel

As director of the PRSA Portland Metro Chapter’s New Professionals Group this year, I’ve talked with a variety of young public relations and marketing pros about scoring that first job, and recognized that there are a few things that college doesn’t necessarily teach you, but they’re important to acknowledge. Think networking, keeping up with the news, getting your references in order and dressing professionally. Here are three thoughts that I’d like to share from some of the New Pros:

1. Schedule informational meetings before the school year ends. Hiring managers get a flood of interview requests from graduates in the spring.

2. Ask for feedback. Schedule time with several professors, or your school’s career center, and show them your resume and portfolio, and conduct mock interviews. No one else is going to tell you you’re saying, “Um, and um, and like…” if you don’t ask.

3. Manage your online reputation. Most everyone is on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter these days. Not only should you demonstrate your knowledge of these apps, but it’s time to clean up anything you wouldn’t want published on the front page of The New York Times. Remember, if it’s on the Internet, an employer will find it.

What’s the best piece of advice you received about finding a job? Hiring managers, what do you like to see from recent graduates? I’d love to hear your thoughts.