What to Use Resume or LinkedIn

What to Use Resume or LinkedIn When setting up your LinkedIn profile, you will note that the prompts will guide you to fill the same information as you are required to do in your resume. Info like educational background, companies you have worked for and the positions that you held previously in your career are some of the details that you are supposed to include in the profile. Although both are important to your job, there are ways that a resume and LinkedIn should differ. For starters, you should understand that the main difference between your resume and LinkedIn profile is that a resume may be a hardcopy in your folder or a file on your laptop, while the LinkedIn profile is a website application whose features keeps on improving on a regular basis. You may think that because the resume and the profile conveys the same information about you, you can then make the job of creating your LinkedIn  profile by simply cutting the info from the resume and pasting it on your profile. You can be very wrong because both media speak the same about you, but they do it in various different ways as explained below. The length â€" a resume is usually limited to about two pages, while on LinkedIn you are able to use up to 2,000 characters to design your personal branding statement. However, you are not constrained on how much information you should include on your profile. Presentation etiquette â€" being a formal document, one should not expect to see the “I” pronoun in a perfectly written resume. LinkedIn on the other hand is a social medium that is focused on helping jobseekers to mingle virtually with potential employers, business people and people with same ideas. LinkedIn is more social and you can communicate with the other party in a bilateral manner. There are no restrictions on how you should represent yourself provided it is within the legitimate limits. You can therefore speak about yourself in first person without the fear of disqualification. Tight wording â€" a perfect resume will always appear tight in wording, where complex words that can shorten the size of a paragraph and still maintain its meaning are used. People will usually use bullet points on a resume. Even though you may direct the reader to check your profile online on a website or blog, the resume will always be a text document.  On  LinkedIn, the language you use should be less formal. You are free to show your achievements in different ways, such as presented in a PowerPoint Presentation, artwork you may have done, photos of the products you have worked on, embedded videos, eBooks or any material that will tell enough about you. Submitting your information â€" when using a resume, you are supposed to send it directly to a particular person, company or recruiter, where you want to be considered as a candidate for a specific position. On the other hand, your LinkedIn profile can be searched by anybody who is interested in your skills, qualification and achievements. A company that is looking to develop a specific target of people with similar qualifications like you will simply access the LinkedIn site and include you in the list of the other candidates with similar profiles.  You may even learn of some positions that you didnt know  existed, through in-mails from recruiters. A document that is restricted in conveying your abilities will not work well for you, but in this case, the free world of the internet will do the trick. Tweaking â€" the initial resume that you design will not fit all the upcoming job opportunities, as  you design it according to the specifics of the particular job at that time. You will therefore have to change the details on the document each time you  apply for another job, as  jobs are different and the recruiters will ask for different requirements. Your  LinkedIn profile will never let you down because you will include  every new skill that you acquire, and therefore  it will continue growing and improving with time, capturing all your abilities, qualifications, achievements and all that is required to be hired for a job. Pictures â€" a resume is not supposed to have your picture on it, while the LinkedIn profile should. You build relationships via the LinkedIn platform, which is about meeting real people and real people have faces.  Your resume will always outline your past, while the LinkedIn profile should be up to date with your latest information, and what you are planning for the future.  A  recruiter may have your complete resume to check your details, but your LinkedIn profile will tell him or her more about who you are, what you can do and your future goals. Furthermore, you can communicate one-on-one on LinkedIn, a thing that can never happen on a resume. Author:  I’m Dominic Jones, a Pennsylvania State University Alumni with my Bachelor of Arts in English. Founder of  TOWWIOW  and author of “Now That You Can Hear Me”. My passions are traveling the world and writing. I took a theater class in my senior year of college that changed my outlook on theatre, playwriting and screenwriting entirely.    

Why You Should Take a Chance on the Unknown University of Manchester Careers Blog

Why You Should Take a Chance on the Unknown University of Manchester Careers Blog Guest blog post written by University of Manchester graduate and ex-Careers Service employee Toby Manley “Sorry! I dont want any adventures, thank you. Not today.” Bilbo Baggins The Hobbit And there The Hobbit could have ended, coming to a modest close on page four and shutting the door on one of (arguably) the greatest series of adventure novels ever. Thankfully, Bilbo Baggins surveys his comfortable life and decides to take a chance on the unknown, embarking on a quest. But what has The Hobbit got to do with graduate jobs? It epitomises the value of taking a chance. Taking a chance can be the best decision of your life. In fact, awaiting you at the end of this article may be this very chance! The Start of My Adventure My name is Toby. I’m seven months into the Sekisui Chemical graduate scheme, working for their HR department; the best seven months of my life. Enjoying Japanese culture with a BBQ with friends I didn’t plan for any of this. When I graduated from my MA in Intercultural Communication in 2015, I knew only one thing: I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. So I started working for The University of Manchester Careers Service as part of their Manchester Graduate Programme, and quickly settled in to my new role. I loved the freedom and opportunities that came with the role, and was content to consider my future in the University. I never imagined that six months later, I would have secured a graduate job in the Tokyo HR department of one of Japans leading chemical companies. All because I took a leap in to the unknown. I came across Sekisui’s job posting whilst working on the UoM jobs board, CareersLink: ‘Graduate English Business Coordinator â€" start your career in international business in one of the world’s most exciting cities.’ I was enticed. A job enhancing global communication in a multinational company? The opportunity to learn all about business with a starting salary of £29,000? A subsidised apartment in the heart of Tokyo, paid flights to Japan, no Japanese necessary!? The opportunity was brilliant. I was comfortable at the University…but I applied, just to see what would happen… The Sekisui Application The application process for Sekisui Chemical was much less convoluted than normal graduate schemes: no online tests, assessment centres or multiple interview stages. Sekisui made taking a chance easy. The application process is as follows: Step 1: Application form Step 2: CV and one-page summary of education/world experience Step 3: Final Interview Since joining Sekisui, Ive realised that the application process is simple because Sekisui value ambition and potential; showing that you have a genuine interest in working in Japan, and learning, are both important. For this reason, Japanese language ability isn’t necessary and they give you classes when you arrive. The degree subject also isn’t a deal-breaker (my BA is English Literature), but Humanities, Languages, or Business students are sought after. In my application, I stressed my own individual experiences and aspirations. Within a month and a half of applying, I’d been offered an interview. I was so nervous, expecting something ‘mysterious and Japanese’, but I was met with a friendly, multicultural panel, genuinely interested in my life experience and ambitions. It was the best interview of my life. In retrospect, I realise this is because Sekisui have the process down to a fine art. Succeed or fail, they leave you feeling proud and positive. This is a testimony to the expertise of the HR department, which I have been fortunate enough to learn from ever since. My Experience in Sekisui My job title is English Business Coordinator. It’s a role that comes with genuine responsibilities that impact the company, globally. Right now I’m managing all aspects of an international recruitment project, from market analysis to advertisement strategy and interview design. Ive also developed the English skills of members, enhancing their job functions, and supported global HR events. Toby and his team at Sekisui Of course, Sekisui reward you well for your work and help you assimilate to your new life on the other side of the world. What I value most about this role, however, is the opportunity to learn, though training and also interacting with some of Japan’s most talented people, every day. As with any adventure, it’s often the people you meet along the way that are the greatest treasure. Had I stayed put in the U.K., I wouldn’t know this different, amazing world that has allowed me to grow my skills, learn all about business here in Japan, and meet some of my best friends. “Knock Knock” Gandalf: “I’m Looking for Someone to Share in an Adventure” â€" If this sounds like something youre interested in, Sekisui are currently recruiting again. You can find out more on their website. Of course there are many other opportunities available for those of you interested in working overseas. Whether youre looking for a graduate job abroad, or something for your summer, you can find relevant information on our webpages. Dont forget that The Careers Service is always available to talk through your options and next steps! All Graduate jobs International

8 Signs That Youre on the Right Career Path

8 Signs That Youre on the Right Career Path Everyone has the potential to be incredible at  what they do. All that it takes is finding that one thing  that sparks  your interest and passion, making work feel less like work. Everyone deserves to wake up every morning feeling passionate and excited for the day ahead but this is far from reality for some. If you read this article and cant  relate at all  it may be time to pack up and head in a new direction. But if youre one of the lucky ones, who has found fulfilment at work then youll recognise some of the characteristics Ive listed below. 1) Sunday blues dont exist: The Sunday night blues are a real problem for some people theyll even spend the whole weekend worrying about beginning work again on Monday. If Sunday blues are effecting you dramatically, it may be a sign that your job isnt the right one for you. 2) You talk about work constantly: If you cant wait to tell your friends and family whats been going on at work that day, then chances are you either hate your job, or love it. Unsatisfied workers take any chance they can to complain about their workload and colleagues, but those who enjoy their job are equally vocal about it. 3) You always go the extra mile: Putting in a bit of extra work is no big deal if you feel passionate about your career. 4) You do things you love doing everyday: If youre working somewhere and the tasks you have to do dont suit you, your personality and your skills, then it may be time to look elsewhere. Work should include things that you love doing whether its problem solving or creating things. 5) You just get it: If you feel passion for the industry and company you work in, youre most likely on the right career path for you.  People who are meant to work in a specific industry or company just get it. 6) Youre excited and a little scared: Being on the right career path means that the future is an exciting one. Work should keep you excited and stimulated rather than bored. And remember, comfort can quickly turn to boredom. 7) Youre full of ideas: If youre happy and passionate about what you do, your creative juices should flow. If you feel like youre mind is full of ideas and potential projects, then chances are youre on the right track. 8) You feel on top of your game: Everyone wants to  go to sleep at night feeling accomplished and on top of their game. If this is how you feel every evening, youre one of the lucky ones!

Why Encouraging Employees to Take Vacation Matters

Why Encouraging Employees to Take Vacation Matters Entrepreneurs know what it means to put their nose to the grindstone and work hard to realize their dreams. It’s easy to get caught up in meeting daily business needs that never stop, and it’s more difficult to realize when you need to stop and take a break. Leaders must be examples for their employees, as 75 percent of American workers don’t take their full vacation time because they don’t want to miss out on important decisions or work that piles up. They may fear a negative review from their boss. Many employers also fail to motivate employees to take time off because there are other business matters of concern. However, many HR departments believe that encouraging employees to travel increases job satisfaction, productivity, performance and engagement. Employees Who Travel Are Happy at Work Your concern for the well-being of your employees is important in helping them maintain a healthy work-life balance, avoid burnout and be happy at work. In the last 15 years, American workers have lost nearly a week of vacation, and statistics show that taking time off results in greater happiness at work and home, more success on the job and lowered stress levels. Employee happiness at work directly impacts productivity. Employees Who Travel Are Productive Employers and employees who aren’t taking time off â€" at least once in a blue moon â€" get stressed out, which can lead to burn out. If you’re in a room full of stressed out coworkers, that stress is palpable and second-hand stress is contagious, which means that workers coming home with this weight are also burdening their families. Laughter is a better contagion. Let employees have time off to laugh with their families and return ready to be productive. When employees are anxious and can’t focus on work, their productivity, of course, falters due to not getting a break. An Expedia report found that 85 percent of those who returned to work from vacation were happier and ready to step up to the plate. Europe leads in happier employees, and Europe is also a country where vacations are considered more of a right than a luxury. Speaking of other countries â€" vacations can also boost employee creativity by exposing them to new environments and encouraging thinking outside the box. Employees Who Travel Perform Well There is a myth surrounding the idea of the “best” American worker, and that’s that they’re constantly in the office. In reality, low performing employees have been found to actually take substantially less vacation time than high performing employees â€" 14 days, as compared to 19 days, on average. Even more astounding is the fact that 70 percent of employees didn’t take PTO time in 2016, and there was a total of 600 million vacation days that weren’t used last year. That’s wasted money, only to waste more energy and performance from employees. The data is clear: Employees who take off more time perform at their best, find greater satisfaction and well-being and keep the economy healthy. Employees Who Travel are Engaged Many employees fear taking time off because they don’t want to upset the boss or their coworkers. This attitude negatively affects work culture and professional relationships. 84 percent of managers see a productivity increase after taking a break, but 17 percent felt that employees who take all their time off signal disrespect toward a good work ethic. Nearly two-thirds of American employees report their company doesn’t say anything at all about the importance of taking time away. Interestingly, 82 percent of small business owners who take vacation time report coming to work with more energy to focus on their duties. Employers should encourage more fun and teambuilding at work to give employees a break on the job. The myth of the hardworking American always having to be at the office to be productive must be debunked. Providing flexible work schedules and working from home are a few short-term ways to alleviate the risks of burnout. Employees will benefit by encouraging each other to go on vacation and conduct self-care practices when needed. Vacation and rewarding oneself doesn’t mean going into more debt or being selfish â€" it’s healthy for the employee. It’s more important in the long-term for employees to take advantage of their allotted time off. After all, employees who travel are statistically shown to be happier at work, more productive, high performers and deeply engaged on the job.

Do You Need Energy to Be Wildly Successful

Do You Need Energy to Be Wildly Successful Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comDo you need a bounce in your step to win?Do you really need to be a bundle of energy to “make it”?Nope.evalIn fact it’s annoying when a world wind is in your space buzzing around.Yes, you need energy to be successful â€" an abundance of it.But it needs to be a natural expression of who you are and how you do things.It needs to manifest itself as a means to an end.Being energetic for its own sake is dysfunctional and deters from your personal brand.Here’s how you can make an energy rush work for you.1. Pick a few things thatmatterSpraying energy all over won’t do you any good. Energy needs to serve a context. Target your effortsto the critical issuesfacing your organization.evalDeploy energy in these areas as an expression of passion for the things that matter to successful performance.2. Make sure your outflow ispositiveNegative energy repels; it shuts the door on others understanding your behaviour and what you are trying to achieve.Use your ener gy to move things forward not to criticize the position you are presently in.3. Include yourcolleaguesas subjects in your energy burstDraw them into your passion and paint them with your energy brush. If you diffuse your energy among others, you will be identified as THE valuable energy source.4. Take abreathevery once in awhileevalRelaxing during your out pour legitimizes your energy production; it says you are in control.And “the pause”prevents your situation from being perceived as simply an emotional rant.5. Leverage energy as a key element of yourbrand“It’s the way you roll”. It gives you the ability to persevere when things get tough.It defines you as someone with the tenacity it takes to get things done. And therefore it’s the way people can expect you to behave. No surprises here.Uncontrolled energy can get you in trouble. When it’s unexpected and presented erratically it works against you.Energy with purpose, on the other hand, can allow you to standout from t hose around you, achieve your goals and have a successful career.

Breaking barriers - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Breaking barriers - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I have spent this weekend breaking barriers at the DSN course held by the art of living. The DSN course is for people who want to create a better society. These people need to be able to rise above their own limitations, and to willingly go into situations that are unknown, uncertain, frustrating or scary. And after three days of non-stop activity (every day the course lasted from 6 in the morning til 11 at night) I can safely say that my comfort zone has been expanded vastly. My biggest realization at the course was, that for me the fear is not in the doing its in the hesitation. As long as Im procrastinating, wondering Should I do it? Will it work? Im afraid. As soon as I start actually doing it (whatever it is), the fear is gone. Im already applying this in my daily work, and this makes some things easier. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Platforms That Help Me Do It All Updated!

The Products/Platforms That Help Me Do It All Updated! These Are a Few of My Favorite Things by Quotes Quips I actually ran the bulk of this post last April, so while some of ya may be experiencing dejavu with it, know that (a) I only included the products Im still in love with and (b) I updated it to include the things Ive falled in love with since then! Oh, and some of the links are affiliate ones, but for serious, I wouldnt put the hooplah around it unless Ive used it for myself and wanna marry it. Dont tell my husband. For CRM (Customer Relations Management): Batchblue Ive used SalesForce in my Corporate America life, and hated the unprettiness/ clutteredness/ textbasedness of it all (although it looks like theyve updated it since). Thankfully, I found BatchBlue early in the game and used their basic plan ($9.95/month) for over a year before adding my Virtual Assistant to my mix and throwing em an extra $10/month, happily. The most amazeballs thing about Batchblue is their super-sophisticated social media integrations. If you have a name and an email address, you can click the Search Social Network button and have Batchblue find their Twitter account, Facebook profile, Flickr username and LinkedIn profile, which you can then add to that contacts Social Media tag. You can also add RSS feeds for, well, anything (I set ones up for blogs, Etsy and Pinterest) so that persons latest tweets and posts and pins and pics are all within their entry. Its also really easy to attach files, create To Dos and Events (that sync with your calendar), run reports for whatever you find important (i.e. I have one that tells me how many consultation calls end up signing on as clients), create web forms that then sync with the contacts info, and keep track of Deals. And seriously, the company is generally awesome. They not only send me goodies all the time, but the donated to my boob cancer walk! For newsletters: Mailchimp If every company aspired to be like Mailchimp, wed all be in a much happier place. Not only do they keep upping the amount of their free accounts (it used to be 500 subscribers, then 1000, and now 2000), but they keep things so user-friendly and pretty and easy from creating your first newsletter to reading the data of who opened your last email that its pretty much a pleasure to send an update to your fans. And when I do run into trouble and I did recently they have real people at the other end of the IM system that not only help you, but have personalities and might send you a ninja sticker postcard(!!!) after talking to them. And yes, I have said ninja sticker postcard. Its amazeballs. For social media management: Hootsuite Im a cheapskate. With all the free platforms out there, somethings gotta be really super good for me to pay for it. I think this proves how much I love me some Hootsuite, as I didnt bat an eye when they switched to a paying platform, and I happily give em my $5.99 each month for all they do. Yeah, I know people like TweetDeck and I think its still free, but I was super annoyed by the desktop pop-up Id get every time my home feed was updated. Whether on my desktop, laptop, or iPhone, HootSuite is the one-stop-shop for me to update my twitter account,  my Facebook profile, my Facebook fan page, my LinkedIn profile, and my FourSquare account (you can also add your ping.fm account, mixi (whatever that is), WordPress and MySpace). So, no need to go anywhere else to update all your statuses, schedule updates/tweets in advance, shorten links, and create private and public lists (no more homefeed overwhelm!). For clipping, organizing, and To Do-ing: SpringPad When I discovered SpringPad, I immediately unsubscribed from BaseCamp and stopped updating Delicious and Evernote. Im kinda afraid to explain it because theres so much and its so varied, I might (a) write for pages and pages and put you to sleep (b) make everything super convoluted, so head over to their info page and get the scoop. Then, know that you can keep all your bookmarks, all the products you want and recommend (whether youre surfing online or out in the world), all your take-out menus and fave spots, and all your notes/To Dos and put em in one place or in multiple notebooks in the same place. Theres even a Bulletin Board option for each notebook, so you can pull out images and satiate the visual piece of your notes youre yearning for. The only downfall Ive experienced with Springpad is that it wont mark a To Do as done until the To Do date passes, so if you have reminders set-up for something, itll keep reminding you to do it even if its been done (if that makes sense). Pr etty annoying. Springpad, please fix this! I love you! For email: Gmail Ive been using Gmail for my personal account for years, but it was a no-brainer to keep on using it when I became a Woman of the World (aka entrepreneur). I love me their folders, their filters, their forwarding, their starring system, their themes (the Bus Stop one changes with the weather!), their Priority Inbox, the amount of space I get, and their stacked conversation view. If youre curious, I did sign up for a free trial of Google Apps, but couldnt find the benefit, so never took the time to install/use it. If you use it and love it, please leave a comment Id love to hear! For calendering: Google Calendar Ive been toying with the idea of switching to iCal, but Im on so many different machines that I love the web-basedness of Google Calendar, as well as the ability to create multiple calendars for different categories (and color-code em!). It also seems to Sync with every application possible, so I have my Batchblue To Dos there and can see em every day in that view. I dont love that it doesnt live on my phone (I have to log-in to a web page to view it), but I do have the benefit of knowing its always updated no matter where I am. For time tracking: Freckle While I dont bill my clients based on my time, Ive found Freckle enormously helpful (and easy! and pretty! and visual!) in tracking my time, taking stock of what Im actually spending my time on. This has lead me to some valuable info for my business: what takes up most of my time, what I need to spending more/less time on, whats worth delegating, if Im charging enough based on the non-session time I dont bill clients for, etc. Even if this isnt something youre interested in in the long-term, the free 30-day trial (and they email you a week before its up so you wont get billed accidentally!) is an eye-opening exercise in time management. And having that timer on for each task has definitely keep me more focused and more unitasking! For legal signing: EchoSign I use EchoSign so my new clients can sign their agreements quickly/easily, agreeing Im not the boss of em and that they wont sue me and whatnot. I was nervous that just typing their name into a Word document wouldnt hold up in court, and scanning the document back and forth ended up being more complicated than I originally figured it would be. With EchoSign, I was able to upload my agreements, add the name/initial/date/signature fields I need, and keep em on file until I send em to my new client. Once the client signs it (by typing), it gets sent to me to countersign (again, by typing), and then we both get PDFs of the agreement for our files. Everythings time stamped and saved in the EchoSign files, so theres a real detailed record there should I need it later on. The only complaints Ive had is in the shady wording EchoSign used when I first signed up which theyve since updated and reflected in their pricing (they charge more for a month-to-month account than what they advertise the price there is if you prepay for a year, but they dont say that). But the actual products pretty great and gives me peace of mind, so I put up with it. They also recently got bought by Adobe, which I hope would have em get their act together on the back-end, but, uh, not so much (lets just say I prepaid for a year recently they kept emailing my monthly invoices for 3 months straight! even though I would correct em each and every time). Still worthwhile to me, though. For fancy schmancy online scheduling: Skedge.me When I first knew I wanted a fancy schmancy online scheduler, I did my research. It was a few years ago so I dont quite remember the others I looked at, but lots of them seemed salon- and gym- based. I found TimeTrade back then (2008 or so, I think), and have stuck with em until this month, when my yearly account expired. Yes, Skedge.me is 11x the amount of TimeTrade (which is still tough for me to swallow), but the truth of the matter is that back then I needed something uber-basic and uber-cheap, and now I need something, um, more complicated and with that comes a higher price range. When I knew TimeTrade was coming up, I pounded the pavement big-time, and I swear I signed up for a dozen free accounts. My non-negotiables? Being able for my clients to go to my next available appointment right away (instead of looking at 6+ wks of unavailable time), having an easy time zone converter, being able to add multiple services, not needing to have a physical location, and having my clients (or me!) be able to easily reschedule/cancel appointments. Skedge.me is the only platform thats given me all this, and while I wish they (a) had a buffer between appointments that I can load, so theres no danger of peeps booking back-to-back (b) they had room to put a description of each service, Im giving them a whirl. For blogging/websiting: WordPress Im a bit spoiled here as I know this is tough to set-up/design and my man did it all for me, so I cant speak to that. What I can speak to is that Im fairly developer-illiterate, and it didnt take me too long to figure out WordPress so I could add pics, links, movies, yada yada yada to my posts. And all the plug-ins it offers rock. For conference calls: FreeConferencePro Ive been using FreeConferencePro since I started coaching in 2007, and love it for (a) giving me my own number (b) allowing me to customize the greeting (aka make a sexy lady voice say the word amazeballs) (c) having a recording feature so I can email the link to my clients after each session, which they can then download or listen to online. I can count the amount of times the line has been down on one hand, and while its soooooo not fun when it happens (and the customer service team doesnt really care), its happened so infrequently it wasnt enough for me to change providers. For file sharing: Dropbox Whether youre sharing files between computers, with other people privately, or with the world at large, Dropbox is the coolest. Theres tons of storage involved with a free account (I have a crapload of files on it and have only used half of my available storage), and the app is great for when I need to read files on the road. Simple explanation, simple to use, super amazeballs product. For virtual meetings/workshops/presentations:  MeetingBurner When I hosted my very first virtual workshop last month, I was scared to death of the software Id have to use. I know that WebEx is the pain of all pains and that my beloved Vokle didnt have a way to make a live event private (hidden, yes private, no). Im not sure how I came across MeetingBurner, but Im glad I did! With just about an hour of testing, my reliable Virtual Wizard and I learned the ins and outs of the system felt confident that the live workshop would go off with minimal hitches (which it did! Yes, there was 1 hitch, but somehow we fixed it). Oh, its worth mentioning that the free account gives ya 15 attendees, while the accounts that charge ya give ya 50-1000+ attendees in the presentation with ya. Somehow I signed up before they upped the pricing (the free account used to give ya 50 attendees) and theyve kept me at the Pro account for free for life, but stillId pay for this to have the 50 attendees on any months I need a service like this. For team projects: Trello I have Michelle Nickolaisen to blame for this. Yes, I watched her video on Trello when she submitted it for my blog, and now Im hooked. I find, though, that I just use Trello for projects Im working on within a team so, for example, writing The Declaration of You book with Jess or launching An Effective Escape with Arwyn (shes that Virtual Wizard I mentioned earlier). Trello is great to eliminate the back-and-forth and make sure everythings out of your head, being worked on, or gonna be worked on. Amen and hallelujah! For pretending Im a designer: Picnik Im tempted to not even put a link in here because its closing in less than a month and that makes me cry, I really embraced Picnik this year to make buttons and jpeg stuff for my site. The Clubhouse images (minus the treehouse at the top Arwyn did that cause theres nothing that Wizard cant do!)? Mine! The Effective Escape payment button, the My Story/Safety Net/Plan B/Breathe Easy Number and An Effective Escape includes images (yup Arwyn did the rest!)? Mine! I really enjoyed (for the most part) stretching this creative muscle, and Picnik made it easy for me to create amazeballs images without much technical knowledge. Im definitely not interested in design enough to dive into Photoshop, so Ill be checking out iPiccy next (unless you tell me of another Picnik-like platform to try!). For super easy money management:  Outright Man, theres just something about the fact that Outright separates your PayPal fees automatically and sends you a weekly profit report (I can see the money thats come in/gone out the week before without doing anything at all!) that just gets me right in the heart-center. Sure, ya need to take some time loading in your accounts and categorizing things. Yes, I go in each month to categorize unknown sales/expenses and double-check the data between my PayPal report and my receipts. But man oh man, the upkeep seems minimal, and spending less than 2 hours a month on my money stuff makes this right-brainer uber-happy with her Outright Plus account. For online sales/affiliates/yada yada yada: ejunkie I dont know why ejunkie wasnt included in the original round-upprobably because its forgettable. I mean, its good at what it does (having affiliates, allowing you to sell something thats an automatic download, etc) but I soooooo want it to be prettier and more user-friendly that I dont really talk it up much. If anyone knows of a platform that does what ejunkie does and does it like Mailchimp/Batchbook/Hootsuite (aka purdy easy) and doesnt come with a $55/mo mark-up like 1ShoppingCart, I wanna know about it (or want you to invent it). For large file sending: YouSendIt Ive used a whole bunch of sites to try to send large files, and I always come back to YouSendIt. You have free unlimited sends as long as what youre sending is under 50MB and youre not sending multiple files at once. Thats about all there is to say about it. Its there, its free, it works. Good enough for me when it comes to this stuff. Whew! Hope that didnt send ya down the rabbit hole too much, but allowed ya to find some swoon-worthy products/platforms of your own. Happy favoriting, and remember being a solopreneur is *not* about doing it all on your own!