Marissa E. Marsala
ABOUT MARISSA E. MARSALA
I am an accomplished senior marketing and communications management professional with over 15 years of proven strategic and tactical marketing experience growing market share, driving revenues, and delivering ROI. I have held a variety of senior-level positions managing, mentoring and coaching high-performance teams.
www.linkedin.com/in/marissamarsala
Marissa Marsala is the owner of Employer & Candidate Connection, a consultancy that serves three job-related types of clients. Prior to launching my own business, I created a LinkedIn group bearing the same name. This group serves as an online meeting place for job seekers and employers to post and apply for jobs. In addition, it provides a variety of useful tips, tools, articles, short videos, and techniques to assist job seekers in leveraging the Internet, social media and other sources to get the competitive edge in today's tough job market.
I also possess a 15-year background in strategic and tactical marketing. Prior to my marketing career, I enjoyed a 12-year career as a senior HR professional. As a result, I possess a broad range of expertise including organization and leadership training/development, recruitment and retention strategies, employee relations, employee benefits, and compensation.
Given this experience and my marketing background, I am frequently called upon by friends, former colleagues and others to formulate career-related strategies to assist them in identifying and securing their next great position. For this reason, aside from assisting businesses with marketing initiatives, I launched this consulting practice where I help market, coach and prepare individuals for the next level in their careers or help guide and facilitate career "makeovers." This includes resume/cover letter writing, career counseling, job sourcing, job lead research/sourcing, search services, and candidate elevator pitch/brand-building. Aside from being personally gratifying, this work is professionally rewarding as it blends my creative Marketing and HR expertise.
In addition to the pro Bono work I do on a generalized basis through my LinkedIn group and individualized job seeker support, I also provide traditional contingency search firm sourcing and screening services for both employers and search partners through my consultancy. The goal of this three-legged business model is to make successful employer and candidate connections.
I am an accomplished senior marketing and communications management professional with over 15 years of proven strategic and tactical marketing experience growing market share, driving revenues, and delivering ROI. I have held a variety of senior-level positions managing, mentoring and coaching high-performance teams.
www.linkedin.com/in/marissamarsala
Marissa Marsala is the owner of Employer & Candidate Connection, a consultancy that serves three job-related types of clients. Prior to launching my own business, I created a LinkedIn group bearing the same name. This group serves as an online meeting place for job seekers and employers to post and apply for jobs. In addition, it provides a variety of useful tips, tools, articles, short videos, and techniques to assist job seekers in leveraging the Internet, social media and other sources to get the competitive edge in today's tough job market.
I also possess a 15-year background in strategic and tactical marketing. Prior to my marketing career, I enjoyed a 12-year career as a senior HR professional. As a result, I possess a broad range of expertise including organization and leadership training/development, recruitment and retention strategies, employee relations, employee benefits, and compensation.
Given this experience and my marketing background, I am frequently called upon by friends, former colleagues and others to formulate career-related strategies to assist them in identifying and securing their next great position. For this reason, aside from assisting businesses with marketing initiatives, I launched this consulting practice where I help market, coach and prepare individuals for the next level in their careers or help guide and facilitate career "makeovers." This includes resume/cover letter writing, career counseling, job sourcing, job lead research/sourcing, search services, and candidate elevator pitch/brand-building. Aside from being personally gratifying, this work is professionally rewarding as it blends my creative Marketing and HR expertise.
In addition to the pro Bono work I do on a generalized basis through my LinkedIn group and individualized job seeker support, I also provide traditional contingency search firm sourcing and screening services for both employers and search partners through my consultancy. The goal of this three-legged business model is to make successful employer and candidate connections.
Listen to Marissa on the Tough Talk with Tony Gambone show
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/toughtalkradionetwork/2012/12/20/tough-talk-with-tony-gambone-with-guest-marissa-marsala
I published this article on my blog a few months back, but think some of these tips bear repeating, especially for mew members. Melissa sent to NhN and all her friends on the "right coast"
How ACCESSIBLE are YOU on LINKEDIN? Ten Tips to Get Contacted by Recruiters & Employers
There are many articles about optimizing your LI profile to that you come up higher in searches performed by recruiters, employers and others. Key among these tactics are optimizing your current title with descriptive and keyword-rich terms, ensuring that your last title is optimized to the extent reasonable, adding "SKILLS" and adding "SPECIALTIES."
Are you making it easy for employers and recruiter to contact you? If so, is your status (in transition and available for full-time or consulting work) crystal clear?
When I do a keyword search for candidates, after reviewing each profile and determining their potential suitability, if I decide to pursue them, I look for any way to contact them. Some contact access points are obvious, but perhaps some are not. Here are some things you may not have thought of, but they are VERY critical.
1) Is your phone number or email address anywhere on your profile? I have seen this information in the following areas:
a) Inside a member's title)
b) In the Summary area above Work History
c) In your contact info stated in your Other Information section at the bottom of your profiled)
In an attachment such as a resume, a PowerPoint presentation or other document(Not everyone feels
comfortable or safe stating a phone number or email, but including your contact info inside an
attachment is an excellent alternative means by which to guard against "pharmers" and "phishers"
easily scanning your profile for this information.
2) Have you checked your settings and preferences to be contact-friendly? Some profiles I have seen do NOT state that the member is open to career opportunities. This may discourage recruiters or employers from contacting you.
3) If you are no longer working, does your profile reflect that you are no longer affiliated with your last employer?
4) If you are Consulting, working at a temp agency, volunteering, on a Board, etc., have you added your status as a "New job" to reflect that you may be taking on consulting jobs as an interim measure until you land your next (fill-in-the-blank) job?
5) Have you revised the Summary area above Work History to articulate your status and reinforce your availability (while remaining positive and ensuring that you do not come across as anxious or desperate)?
6) Do you have a personal blog and/or website that you can add to your LI profile? If so, this will add dimension to your capabilities, PLUS will give recruiters another way to contact you.
7) Have you gotten at least the minimum of three (3) recommendations required to qualify for a 100% complete profile? If so, recruiters MAY be able to contact you through those who recommended you if they know them well enough (have a first connection with them).
8) Are you a member of groups, and if so, do you display the ones that best depict the types of jobs/industries you are targeting? (If you do this, those who want to contact you can join the groups you are a member of and contact you through that group affiliation.
9) Are you a member of professional organizations, and if so, are they listed in the lower section of your profile?
10) Have you listed as many employers within a reasonable time frame (e.g., up to 15 years), so that those interested in you can either contact you if they were affiliated with those companies in any way? A variation of this is that if you list more employers, those wanting to pursue you can reach out to their contacts who worked at the same companies within the same time frames and ask THEM to reach out to you.
11) Do you update your status bubble on your LI landing page to state that you are currently exploring new (insert types/categories of positions) opportunities in (state Industry, if desired) and in (state general locations or "virtual/remote", if appropriate)?
12) Do you offer a "FREE InMail" option for others to use to contact you? (I have contacted three people in as many weeks using this feature.)
13) Are your visibility setting set at Anonymous or Private?
14) If you ARE a member of groups, is the last box in your settings for those groups checked so that anyone in those groups can send you a free message?
Bonus
(#15): Do you state in your profile Summary that you will accept all invitations! (Many LI members know that if you receive too many "Don't Know this member" results after attempting to LinkedIn that you get sanctioned by the LinkedIn team. To avoid this concern, let those viewing your profile know you're receptive to invitations.
The above are just SOME of the measures you can take to facilitate a phone call or email from a recruiter.
As an aside, I frequently have jobs I am trying to fill and go on LinkedIn as one of my search strategies. I cannot emphasize enough how often I cannot GET to candidates. In several cases, a desirable candidate's headline or summary makes it obvious that the member is seeking work. For example, Current Title reads, "Open to New Opportunities" -- yet, they are unreachable.
Being found is one thing. If you want to be contacted, you need to do everything possible to make it easy for others to connect with you.
I hope this article sheds some light on how to improve your odds, and motivates you to take action to improve them!
How ACCESSIBLE are YOU on LINKEDIN? Ten Tips to Get Contacted by Recruiters & Employers
There are many articles about optimizing your LI profile to that you come up higher in searches performed by recruiters, employers and others. Key among these tactics are optimizing your current title with descriptive and keyword-rich terms, ensuring that your last title is optimized to the extent reasonable, adding "SKILLS" and adding "SPECIALTIES."
Are you making it easy for employers and recruiter to contact you? If so, is your status (in transition and available for full-time or consulting work) crystal clear?
When I do a keyword search for candidates, after reviewing each profile and determining their potential suitability, if I decide to pursue them, I look for any way to contact them. Some contact access points are obvious, but perhaps some are not. Here are some things you may not have thought of, but they are VERY critical.
1) Is your phone number or email address anywhere on your profile? I have seen this information in the following areas:
a) Inside a member's title)
b) In the Summary area above Work History
c) In your contact info stated in your Other Information section at the bottom of your profiled)
In an attachment such as a resume, a PowerPoint presentation or other document(Not everyone feels
comfortable or safe stating a phone number or email, but including your contact info inside an
attachment is an excellent alternative means by which to guard against "pharmers" and "phishers"
easily scanning your profile for this information.
2) Have you checked your settings and preferences to be contact-friendly? Some profiles I have seen do NOT state that the member is open to career opportunities. This may discourage recruiters or employers from contacting you.
3) If you are no longer working, does your profile reflect that you are no longer affiliated with your last employer?
4) If you are Consulting, working at a temp agency, volunteering, on a Board, etc., have you added your status as a "New job" to reflect that you may be taking on consulting jobs as an interim measure until you land your next (fill-in-the-blank) job?
5) Have you revised the Summary area above Work History to articulate your status and reinforce your availability (while remaining positive and ensuring that you do not come across as anxious or desperate)?
6) Do you have a personal blog and/or website that you can add to your LI profile? If so, this will add dimension to your capabilities, PLUS will give recruiters another way to contact you.
7) Have you gotten at least the minimum of three (3) recommendations required to qualify for a 100% complete profile? If so, recruiters MAY be able to contact you through those who recommended you if they know them well enough (have a first connection with them).
8) Are you a member of groups, and if so, do you display the ones that best depict the types of jobs/industries you are targeting? (If you do this, those who want to contact you can join the groups you are a member of and contact you through that group affiliation.
9) Are you a member of professional organizations, and if so, are they listed in the lower section of your profile?
10) Have you listed as many employers within a reasonable time frame (e.g., up to 15 years), so that those interested in you can either contact you if they were affiliated with those companies in any way? A variation of this is that if you list more employers, those wanting to pursue you can reach out to their contacts who worked at the same companies within the same time frames and ask THEM to reach out to you.
11) Do you update your status bubble on your LI landing page to state that you are currently exploring new (insert types/categories of positions) opportunities in (state Industry, if desired) and in (state general locations or "virtual/remote", if appropriate)?
12) Do you offer a "FREE InMail" option for others to use to contact you? (I have contacted three people in as many weeks using this feature.)
13) Are your visibility setting set at Anonymous or Private?
14) If you ARE a member of groups, is the last box in your settings for those groups checked so that anyone in those groups can send you a free message?
Bonus
(#15): Do you state in your profile Summary that you will accept all invitations! (Many LI members know that if you receive too many "Don't Know this member" results after attempting to LinkedIn that you get sanctioned by the LinkedIn team. To avoid this concern, let those viewing your profile know you're receptive to invitations.
The above are just SOME of the measures you can take to facilitate a phone call or email from a recruiter.
As an aside, I frequently have jobs I am trying to fill and go on LinkedIn as one of my search strategies. I cannot emphasize enough how often I cannot GET to candidates. In several cases, a desirable candidate's headline or summary makes it obvious that the member is seeking work. For example, Current Title reads, "Open to New Opportunities" -- yet, they are unreachable.
Being found is one thing. If you want to be contacted, you need to do everything possible to make it easy for others to connect with you.
I hope this article sheds some light on how to improve your odds, and motivates you to take action to improve them!
I wrote this prayer/poem on the plane on Saturday night, and shared it at the NCCC event that I facilitated tonight. It apparently struck some common chords, and many attendees asked me for it for inspiration.
I thought I'd share it in the event you'd like to share it with the group/others. Marissa
My Wish for Fellow Job Seekers This New Year...
My wish for fellow job seekers in this New Year,
Is to be focused, vigilant, positive, and persevere.
To take stock of your talents, and get crystal clear,
On how to market these strengths that you bring to bear.
To keep an open mind to any new idea,
Rather than dismiss it or otherwise not let yourself hear.
For if someone offers advice because they believe you need it,
Divine Providence may be 'at play,' so you should be sure to heed it.
My other wish for job seekers this year,
Is for an increased focus on others to show them we care.
For by paying-it-forward others benefit from what we do,
and doing so has a tendency to find its way be to you.
Share words of encouragement or any act of kindness,
For as a community, these are the ties that matter and bind us,
For those who need it most, no act is too small,
Offer a lead, a smile or willing ear … anything at all.
It can mean so much when others express care and concern,
It can transform our mood, lift our spirits, inspire us to learn.
It can open windows or doors … or cause other small miracles to be sent to us.
And often will lead to the job meant that is for us.
By expanding our minds, NEW possibilities can be born,
And from them new leads and new paths can take form.
Your kindness may have more impact than you might expect,
Like a pebble in a pond it creates a splash and ripple effect
And can be that one key we needed to land that next opportunity,
For that’s the value of building a strong networking community.
To get a job in today’s market is a challenge, to be sure.
It takes fortitude, a good attitude, and guiding light from above to endure.
As we close the chapter to a year now completed,
Take stock in your skills; resist feeling defeated.
With the new year upon us, it is a time for reflection,
A time to recalibrate, to chart a course for a new direction.
And for those who have spent longer periods in transition,
Lean more on your higher power and God-given intuition.
Trust that there is a path, and invest time wisely to seek this path out,
For this is what true faith is about.
A new year is a blank canvas and invites us to move ahead.
So my wish for you -- with all these things now said ...
Is that you successfully FIND and LIVE your Dream
-- as early as possible in 2013.
I thought I'd share it in the event you'd like to share it with the group/others. Marissa
My Wish for Fellow Job Seekers This New Year...
My wish for fellow job seekers in this New Year,
Is to be focused, vigilant, positive, and persevere.
To take stock of your talents, and get crystal clear,
On how to market these strengths that you bring to bear.
To keep an open mind to any new idea,
Rather than dismiss it or otherwise not let yourself hear.
For if someone offers advice because they believe you need it,
Divine Providence may be 'at play,' so you should be sure to heed it.
My other wish for job seekers this year,
Is for an increased focus on others to show them we care.
For by paying-it-forward others benefit from what we do,
and doing so has a tendency to find its way be to you.
Share words of encouragement or any act of kindness,
For as a community, these are the ties that matter and bind us,
For those who need it most, no act is too small,
Offer a lead, a smile or willing ear … anything at all.
It can mean so much when others express care and concern,
It can transform our mood, lift our spirits, inspire us to learn.
It can open windows or doors … or cause other small miracles to be sent to us.
And often will lead to the job meant that is for us.
By expanding our minds, NEW possibilities can be born,
And from them new leads and new paths can take form.
Your kindness may have more impact than you might expect,
Like a pebble in a pond it creates a splash and ripple effect
And can be that one key we needed to land that next opportunity,
For that’s the value of building a strong networking community.
To get a job in today’s market is a challenge, to be sure.
It takes fortitude, a good attitude, and guiding light from above to endure.
As we close the chapter to a year now completed,
Take stock in your skills; resist feeling defeated.
With the new year upon us, it is a time for reflection,
A time to recalibrate, to chart a course for a new direction.
And for those who have spent longer periods in transition,
Lean more on your higher power and God-given intuition.
Trust that there is a path, and invest time wisely to seek this path out,
For this is what true faith is about.
A new year is a blank canvas and invites us to move ahead.
So my wish for you -- with all these things now said ...
Is that you successfully FIND and LIVE your Dream
-- as early as possible in 2013.
Marissa attended our NhN meeting in Middletown Twp Library on December 27, 2012 and conducted a great " open microphone session" for all our members in attendance. It was amazing to have a career professional of her magnitude come all the way from San Diego to help our members. She has been a great friend of NhN since April 2012 and has contributed great support tools for our members to use. She is a true Pay It Forward Professional.
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