Last month, I profiled Erik Proulx, longtime agency copywriter and creative turned founder of PleaseFeedTheAnimals.com.

In that profile, we also spoke about a very cool documentary he’d been working on, featuring people in the ad biz who’d been laid off and taken that as an opportunity to take back their lives. But, he wasn’t quite ready to go public with anything too big (or visual).

Well, today, he launched the trailer for Lemonade Movie and it rocks, so I just had to share it with you guys. Enjoy.

Do you know Peter Shankman? If you are interested or active in the world of online personal branding and blogging, you should.

Peter is an entrepreneur, author, speaker, blogger, you name it; however, he is probably best known for founding Help A Reporter Out (HARO). HARO is currently the largest free source repository in the world, sending out thousands of queries each week from journalists, reporters and bloggers to more than 100,000 sources around the globe looking to be quoted in the media. HARO’s tagline “Everyone is an Expert at Something” is continually reaffirmed as thousands of new members contribute to HelpaReporter.com each week.

As a career search and personal branding blogger (and my own personal brand manager), I am always seeking new ways to build upon my own personal brand and reputation online.

While I currently do this through my blogging and professional networks by sharing news and advice and by constantly generating and seeking new and relevant content for my own blog and my guest posts, I discovered that HARO provides two outstanding services that can help you grow and enhance your personal brand online.

FOR EXPERTS

Become a HARO source by signing up for free here. Each day, you’ll receive up to three emails, each with anywhere from 15 to 30 queries per email. They will be categorized into groups, including Business & Finance, General, Health & Fitness, Lifestyle, Technology and Travel. If you match the query’s desired source request and can provide truly relevant insight, information or testimonials, you can contact the respective journalist to contribute.

If the journalist responds and your contribution fits his/her needs, you may be featured in his/her work online. This is a great way to build up your reputation as an expert in your field, help others with relevant information, and strengthen your personal brand.

FOR CONTENT GENERATORS

Ever get blogger’s block? Ever want to include others’ insights and experiences in your articles and posts? Create a new query and submit it for free here. You can include all of your information, or leave it anonymous, and submit it to multiple categories, including those listed above.

This is an excellent and simple way to gather valuable and relevant information to compliment your own in your articles and publications. Involving others via HARO enhances your credibility and that of your personal brand online.

No service or tool, including HARO, will make you a “star” brand overnight; however, HARO offers you two effective online channels through which you can gradually launch your personal brand.

_______________________

Chris Perry is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.

It’s Wuthering heights meets Spongebob, but edgier and with a Quentin Tarantino fast cut Miller Time energy. It’s The Four Hour Workweek meets Fried Green Tomatoes, but set in Little Havana and with a bit more of a Catcher in The Rye slash The Secret thing happening. And let’s not forget, “it’s the next Hemingway, Brando, Jobs or Ablom.”

People want to frame and pitch you in the light of other massive successes to give context in the hope that you’ll ride reputation of the legends you’re being compared to.

Sounds cool, shorthands the pitch…only it’s garbage.

Strike that. It’s worse.

Because implying you’re the NEXT something or someone simultaneously diminishes the value and power of you being the FIRST you!

It tells people from the get go that you’re derivative.

It strips away the extraordinary opportunity to rise to the challenge of defining who you are, demonstrating the value of your own unique contribution and proving to the world that you’re not the next anyone. You’re the first you. And that’s enough to get you where you’re going and then some.

So next time you or your rep are tempted to shorthand how you’re magically delicious and utterly different, do it by framing yourself as the first big you…not the next big someone else or the coolest elements of other peoples’ work,

Kapish?

I’ve always wanted to turn elements of Career Renegade into a college/MBA course, but I never imagined one of my first exposures to students would be as the subject of an exam question for MBA students at a New York’s famed Baruch College.

Well, that’s exactly what happened a few weeks ago when Professor Cynthia A.Thompson, Ph.D., made this the last question on her final exam:

From the NYT: “Companies do not usually advertise that they expect employees to work 12-hour days; instead, they nurture a corporate culture of over-achievement and leave employees to make scheduling choices on their own” (4.16.06, p. BU9). Especially in today’s sick economy, employees are highly unlikely to complain. However, long stressful hours will ultimately lead to employee burnout, illness, and ultimately reduced job performance and life satisfaction.

Jonathan Fields, a former hedge-fund lawyer for a large-firm in NYC turned serial entrepreneur, almost worked himself to death before getting out of the law business and into yoga (he founded Sonic Yoga and has since written the best seller, Career Renegade). Imagine that you are the owner of a highly stressful but surviving business, and you want to make sure that your employees are not headed toward burnout. How would you go about diagnosing potential burnout, and what steps would you to take to ensure that your employees do not sacrifice their physical and mental well being for the sake of your company?

A friend put me in touch with Professor Thompson and we thought it would be fun to share the best answers from her students (with everyone’s permission).

So, without further ado, here they are:

Overall Best Answer to Question 7: Mikaela Lee

The sources of stress and anxiety are mounting for employees, especially when uncertainty also comes into the picture.  Increasing demands at work due to advances in technology, our ability to stay connected to work, caring for elderly parents and children and an economy in peril are some of the reasons employees are more stressed out than ever.  As the owner of a highly stressful business who does not want my employees to sacrifice their physical and mental well-being for the sake of the company, some measures need to be taken to diagnose and implement programs to help my employees achieve work-life balance.

Burnout is a psychological consequence of stress that afflicts some employees who experience high levels of stress at work over an extended period of time.  Three key signs of burnout are feelings of low personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.  In diagnosing burned out employees managers can look out for these signs in addition to diminished job performance.  Managers can also look for behavioral cues such as absenteeism, turnover and disagreeable personalities in normally agreeable employees.  Exit interviews can be reviewed to uncover any potential patterns in reasons why employees chose to leave the company.  If possible, an outside consulting firm can be hired to conduct surveys in order to get feedback from employees on their feelings of burnout, stress and work-life balance concerns.

In keeping with my goal of ensuring my employees have the opportunity to retain their personal non-work lives, considering the stressful nature of their jobs, and desiring to retain my talented employee pool, I would implement the following policies, programs and benefits:

Manager Support & Training- I want to maintain a positive, employee focused environment at my company where managers support their subordinates’ personal needs and non-work priorities.  Employees need to perceive that the company respects their time away from work as well as appreciating their contributions to the company while at work.  My managers also will receive training to learn to identify signs of burn out in their subordinates, while also learning how to manage telecommuting employees and employees working a flexible schedule.

It’s also crucial for managers to communicate and disseminate information about the programs that are available to employees and also work with employees in determining what benefits will yield the greatest positive result for the employee based on their specific needs.

Telecommuting & Flexible schedules- Just the act of commuting can consume several hours of an employee’s day if they live far from work.  Understanding those few hours can be more rewarding and better spent with their families or taking care of personal appointments (especially since the cleaners never stay open late enough on weekdays) I will offer those employees whose work does not require them to be physically at the office at a set time, the option to telecommute or work out a flexible schedule that can be mutually beneficial to both the employee and the company.  If an employee would rather spend part of their Saturday at the office so they can leave a few hours early every day to pick up their kid from work, that is definitely a scenario worth exploring.

Employee Benefits such as pre-tax commuter benefits, health insurance, new parent leave (to include fathers and parents of newly adopted children) at 100% pay, Summer Friday half days, discounted gym memberships, a day care center, company parties, retirement plan, unlimited sick days, and tuition reimbursement will be part of the employee benefit package.  It’s important for employees to understand that my company celebrates their diverse needs, and that we realize this diversity requires flexibility and support in whatever way we can provide it.  Hard working employees deserve to have perks to motivate them to keep up the good work.  There will also be a company-wide intranet with all the company policies and benefits readily available for review so that employees can easily access the information.

While it is essential that employees’ non-work lives are acknowledged as important, the jobs the employees hold are important to address as well. Job-related stressors also need to be minimized to the extent possible in terms of role ambiguity and work overload.  Employees should have a clear understanding of what is expected of them and how their jobs should be carried out.  Especially in new employees role ambiguity can be high so managers should take extra time in making sure new employees know what they should do and how to do it.  The work that employees are assigned should also be a manageable load, and not too much to handle.  There is no benefit in offering flexible scheduling and summer half days if employees are not able to take advantage of those benefits because of an overload of work assignments.

Runner Up: Grant Fromer

In today’s recessionary economic climate of dwindling corporate profits and rising unemployment, workers are happy that they have jobs at all and are not going to complain about longer hours and higher stress levels.  As the owner of my company, I have seen an increase in this behavior in my staff ever since the credit market collapsed last September and I am starting to get worried that they will begin to burn out and decide to leave my firm.  This is a worst care scenario for my company as I will lose their expertise and my investment in their training.  This will further stress the remaining staff.  I will also have the added expense and time pressure of seeking their replacement.  In order to prevent this, I am going to take a proactive approach in identifying signs of possible worker fatigue and then implement a series of programs designed to decrease worker stress yet keep productivity levels the same.

Unless a set of behaviors is written down identifying possible signs of burnout, I and others will not be able to know how to spot these indicators of increased stress.  To correct this problem, I am going to set up a series of one-on-one meetings with HR representatives and workers of all levels from across the company.  The HR reps have the required background needed to pull the relevant data from these meetings and formulate a set of worker burnout signals that others can look for.  Once this has been completed, any person who manages others would be required to attend a workshop going through this list.  From there, those managers would meet with their direct reports and determine their burnout level and whether not there is any danger of worker fatigue.

As those one-on-one meetings are taking place, I will begin implementing some work-life initiatives aimed at reducing worker stress company-wide.  First and foremost, a flex-time schedule will be put into place in three parts.  Many of the staff’s responsibilities can be completed on a computer and through telephone communication and do not require them to be working 12 hour days in the office.

However, without the use of laptops, many of them are unable to work from places outside the office.  I will help alleviate this problem by purchasing laptops for all senior executives and providing additional laptops that all other workers can borrow in order to work outside the office.  In addition, I will strive to lower the average work week from 60 hours down to 50 hours or less over the next 6 months.  This will be achieved in part by utilizing the location flexibility that laptops provide and giving workers the option of working from home when work schedules permit.  This will not only cut down on the number of work hours, but also save on commute time and subsequent travel costs for my employees.

While 10 hours may not seem like a large decrease to some when still working a 50 hour week, it is important from a profitability standpoint to ease into the reduced hours and not go any further right away.  Additional reductions in hours can be utilized in the future if the initial results are successful.  Tying into this will be in-house sessions on time management and office efficiency.

Thirdly, as a tie-in to the reduced hours, a change in company philosophy will occur around meetings and work commitments.  Since we have clients located across the globe, we have to schedule meetings during non-normal work hours to accommodate the time zone differences.  At present, everyone has been required to be present in the office for these teleconferences.  Going forward, I will give those workers the option of either attending the meeting at the office and then leaving early/arriving late the following day or calling into the meeting from home.

Next, workers’ physical and mental health is always a concern as an owner and an unhealthy increase in stress can subsequently lead to increased levels of illness.  I will contact local gyms that offer a full service of weight training, classes, spa treatments and other amenities and set up a reduced rate to make the membership payments affordable for my employees.  Due to the reduced work hours, the workers are able to spend no more time away from their families than they already are and at the same time can become healthier in the process.

Also, I will set up an employee assistance service with an outside counseling firm.  These firms provide short-term counseling or referrals for issues such as stress, family or marital concerns, depression, anxiety, alcohol or drug abuse, and other personal problems.  My company would assume all costs for the initial assessment and counseling sessions for employees and their dependent family members.  If the counseling is continued, their health care plan might pay for part of this service.

While I am going to assume initial start-up costs for these programs, the hiring and training costs of replacing burned out employees will greatly supersede some gym memberships and laptops.  I have always tried to create an environment that people would want to work in and even though the economy is fighting through a recession right now, I want to make sure that my company continues to have a happy and successful workforce.

Excerpts of additional good answers

Stephanie Cronin (excerpt)

Prevention is the key in most burnout situations. Quick fix remedies such as mandatory vacations will not solve the long-term issues. Managers must ensure workers are given time off (e.g., vacation, personal days, comp days) and that they use the time allotted to avoid burnout.   In today’s working environment, employees are surrounded by technology.  Employees should be required to step away from the technology for a period of time each day to de-stress.

Management must support employees and provide employees with the necessary tools to do their jobs and minimize frustrations where possible.  Hiring the correct amount of workers needed to complete tasks efficiently and fostering teamwork enable individuals to feel less isolated and provide an environment for colleague support.   Managers must make sure these teams have a healthy working relationship. Individuals should be given as much autonomy in their work as possible to provide them with the control necessary to overcome stressors and avoid feelings of helplessness. Management will be asked to look at their departments to spot potential process failures and work with Human Resources to help promote efficiencies.  Employees will be asked to participate in the redesign where possible as they are the ones most affected by the change.

Peter Scanlan (excerpt)

To combat burnout and ensure the physical and mental well being of my employees, I would implement a company wide initiative towards encouraging workers to prioritize their wellbeing.  I firmly believe that regardless of position or work environment, a healthy balance can and should exist between work and life.  This balance starts with the organizations stance on such issues, and this initiative is the first and most crucial step towards creating an environment where employees feel valued and comfortable asking for help if they need it.  This initiative would require mandatory participation at all levels of the organization in education and activities designed to help employees find a healthy work life balance while maintaining productivity.

These activities would include those mentioned above as well as special events during the work day to showcase my companies dedication to its employees well being.  An example might include free healthy lunch workshops, where employees can sample healthy foods and are encouraged to use their lunchtime for themselves.  While many will initially be skeptical, a consistent and clear message through a variety of channels will eventually make the company’s message clear.  I would encourage supervisors to implement flexible scheduling, and give them the authority to implement it as they see fit.  This position would be clearly explained to workers, with an emphasis on removing any negative connotation that may exist.  Convincing employees that they will be more productive and successful when they have found a better balance will not be easy, but the same consistency will be there to reassure them.

Shun-Yu Wilson Cheong (excerpt)

Another strategy is reducing job ambiguity; since job functions are fixed, it should be relatively simple to redefine actual areas of responsibilities and roles. This will require the organization to perform job analysis in the short-term, and acquire a holistic long-term approach to the future as part of their norm, such that future forecasts will be more accurate and reliable. No one should be surprised if they were to be fired or laid off; employees should be assured some level of job stability, e.g., employment contract with clauses on specific performance requirements as a way to ensure job security.

Caring for the young is also a significant contribution to employee burnout; companies can establish day care centers and medical benefits for employees’ children. The organization should however, estimate its effectiveness by surveying the percentage of its employees that are parents before conducting such an initiative. Finally, the company should abolish the performance assessment mentality using face time in favor of work output quality instead. This involves giving employees the latitude to determine their own work hours as long as the desired outcome is accomplished…

Christopher Cresci (excerpt)

….there is a systemic problem when the process for charging transportation, food and lodging to the company (who often pass these expenses on to the client) is more advanced than the internal mechanism for keeping track of what an employee is doing all day.  Being able to track how an employee spends their time may seem draconian but it is necessary in order to prevent burnout and to make accountable those supervisors who improperly allocate their supervisees.

Matthew Hanna (excerpt)

…Simply acknowledging that your subordinates are over-worked and pushing themselves can go a long way to making them feel better about the situation.  If their efforts are recognized, it will at least give them the satisfaction that their hard work is appreciated and being noticed.  In some cases when a firm can afford to, it would be wise for the firm to go above and beyond acknowledgment, and reward their employees with extra pay at year end, small gifts, bonuses, extra vacation days, etc.

Also, allowing an employee to come in an hour later than usual after working until midnight one night would help.  The employee would feel more refreshed with the extra rest, and also be satisfied with the token of appreciation.  Businesses and their employees are in a very difficult situation right now with a struggling economy, but business owners and managers need to remember that a high level of performance is critical right now to stay competitive, and working your employees for all hours of the night is only going to haunt you in the long run as performance will eventually suffer.

Jonathan Zuckerberg (excerpt)

…Next, I would suggest having … an apprentice who can fill in for the short term on projects that require unusually long hours in the office. At my company, a small firm, we spend a certain amount of time learning each others jobs so that should someone be absent (or reach their “threshold”) someone else can pick up the work in the short term. …spending a long day working from home instead of in the office, or providing employees with a “yoga break” or some alternative, required relaxation/stress reducer during long days.

At the end of the day you have to put multiple preventative measures like these in place, and insist on employee feedback to try and help manage the well-being of your workers better. Personally, I certainly think it is quixotic to believe that the majority of employers would try to prevent their employees from sacrificing their physical and mental well being for the sake of their company, but like I hear all too often at my job: “This is a volunteer army.”

Rakesh Patel (excerpt)

Set challenging, yet attainable goals of employees

When employees are aware that they are working toward a clear-cut goal, with a clear-cut deadline, they tend to regulate their workday in order to meet it. If Max knows he has to boost revenues in his department 5 percent by July 1, he will stay focused on that goal. He will be less likely to get off track by other tasks that are less important.

Make the workday meaningful

When employees are fully involved with their work, they’re less likely to perceive intensity as “stress.” They will be motivated by their task list rather than feeling subjugated by it. Therefore, it becomes necessary to give employees challenging and meaningful assignments that stimulate and inspire them. It is important to understand that employees today want more than just a job and that they want to contribute to the big picture and help sustain the company through difficult times.

Abhas Kashyap (excerpt)

1. Enhance the role: The organization should look at redesigning the positions of high volume/high stress groups and look to investing in tools that could ease their workload.  They should go into the depth to figure out why employees have to spend additional hours to get their job done and what sophisticated systems could aid in easing their load.
2. Do not hide policy: The management should adopt a policy of sharing all the legible information with their employees.  The biggest fear for an employee today is the fear of getting laid off and it’s a pity that most employees do not know their fate until they walk into their office on a certain day only to learn that their position has been cut short.  The companies should make it a policy to give their employees a notice well in advance and help them transition into a new role during this period.
3. Talent development: It may seem futuristic and unrealistic but organizations might eventually benefit from developing their employees in the field of their choice.  They should setup a mentoring committee that aids employees in developing the skills that they are interested in.  Ex: This committee should provide guidance to a financial analyst who likes to cook and provide him with resources to get more involved in his hobby.  This will aid in reducing their work stress, give them an option for an additional future career and make them more loyal towards their company and they would actually see their stress levels drop.

Nirav Modi (excerpt)

If the organizations want to change this situation and make sure that their employees are not headed towards burnout, they should implement several changes within the organization. According to Deming, “change can come only from the management.” Changing the culture needs a top down approach as employees will not change their workaholic behavior if they observe their supervisors overwork themselves.

Adarsh Abraham (excerpt)

…Job autonomy can be increased for each worker. Studies have shown employees with higher levels of autonomy were more likely to be satisfied with job, family, and life in general. A strong link was also found between job autonomy and job satisfaction. The positive effects of job autonomy on an individual’s health cannot be understated; both mental and physical health is influenced positively. Autonomy for our employees will also help our company’s productivity…

Jonathan Bolton (excerpt)

…I will work to create a physically friendly environment where my employees will be able to join a company softball or volleyball team in order to not only build comradely but also help loosen internal stress. Secondly, it is important that my new company be a dog friendly environment where my employees will be able to bring their dogs to work.  Animals in the workplace are surprisingly fun, and promote a lighthearted escape from mundane and tension filled projects. Animal socialization will also allow employees to let down many previously created guards and maybe even help employees to socialize with colleagues that they previously may of not of connected with.

Thanks so much to Professor Thompson and all of the students in her Management 9300 course.

I love the creativity and bigger picture approach that many of the students took. And, with the additional pressure being heaped upon so many employees in this economy, the students’ solutions couldn’t come at a better time.

Curious, how would you answer this question?

Share your thoughts in the comments…

I’ve been blown away by the reception to Career Renegade, “the book.” And, Ive also been overwhelmed by the volume of requests to offer something more than the book, from private launch consulting to retreats, coaching, advanced marketing trainings, social media seminars, copywriting clinics and more.

Thing is, I don’t want to offer anything that you guys don’t want…your time and my time are just too important. So, I’ve posted a survey that lists variety of potential programs and offerings that have been requested, along with very brief descriptions and possible fees (nothing is set in stone). I’d really appreciate if you would take a minute and share what’s most appealing to you, if anything, or add anything you’d be interested in that’s not there.

Thanks, again, for being so cool and sharing what’s on your mind!

I’m actually going to post more about this over the course of the next month, but today I thought I’d share a pretty cool new resource that was just launched (literally, today) for those looking to brush up their interiew skills. It’s a virtual interview training website called 360jobinterview.com. And, it let’s you master the art of the interview through video chat coaching and more.

Beyond the value of the services offered, it’s got a lot of free resources (including a post from me) and the website is also a great example of finding the opportunities that have been “created” by this economy, then leveraging cutting edge technology to deliver a great solution.

Textbook Career Renegade thinking.

So, go check it out, see what you can create by focusing on opportunity, rather than desperation and, if you need some interview training, maybe give it a whirl!

As always, I’m fascinated by the range of answers (and the number of people who are both kind and bold enough to share them).

In this experiment, I was also struck by how many people found it to be an interesting enough question to pass on by “retweeting,” but did not share an answer of their own. I think it speaks to the desire to explore it, along with the challenge of answering the question in a genuine way.

Anyway, enough waxing, here’s what a bunch of people said (BTW, the bottom two answers were from me)…

So, what about you? How would answer this question?

Share your thoughts in the comments below…

Within seconds, answers came flooding in. You can find them all individually by just searching on twitter, but, I thought it’d be valuable to aggregate and a share a sampling of replies here on the blog, too, because it really shows the diversity of mindset that’s out there today.

And, amazingly, a full 45% said…no, they’d walk away from the money. I sometimes wonder what that says about people on twitter (or who follow me) versus, those in the “general population.”

So, without further ado, here are the detailed replies from twitter…

And, now, my question to you is…what would you do and why?

Share your thoughts in the comments…

Okay, well, there’s a simple lesson, drawn from the world of internet marketing, more specifically, pay per click advertising that’ll put you miles above everyone else who graces the resume slush pile or the interview chair.

What’s the secret?

Relevance!

For those who don’t know what pay-per-click is, it’s the little ads you see on the side of a google search page. Advertisers post those ads and then pay every time someone clicks on one. Rule of thumb—the more relevant an ad is to what a person is searching on, the more likely they are to click on it.

So, after a bazillion or so tests, advertisers realized that if you actually insert the specific keyword phrase that was searched on into the ad, preferably in the headline, that ad would trigger relevance sirens and more people would click on it. And, once they clicked though to a landing page, if you then also began that page with that same phrase, the clicker would be even more likely to then continue to read and buy your stuff.

If you match exactly what someone is searching for, it’s like you’ve read their mind. You’ve given them the most relevant solution possible. And, once they’re on your page, you confirm they’re in the right place by repeating the phrase.

Relevance resonates because it’s like saying, “here’s what you were looking for, on a platter!”

Same thing applies to resumes and interviews.

Rather than sending out batches of mass resumes. Target a smaller number of positions, read the job descriptions carefully to determine the most importance keyword phrases, needs and qualifications in it. Then, tailor your resume to begin with and strongly emphasize those very phrases.

Once you’re actually in the interview, then, just like our internet marketer did on their landing page, focus immediately back in on the critical phrases and ideas from the job description and keep them in the front of your mind as you frame answers to questions.

Big warning – This will work if you actually have the relevant skills, abilities and ideas. If you say you do on your resume, but you really don’t, your conversation will quickly betray and you’ll likely end up labeled inauthentic at best and a liar at worst.

In the pay-per-click world, a giant relevance gulf between the ad and the landing page will get you labeled a spammer by google and “slapped” with massively higher costs as punishment. In the job hunting and interview world, it’s no different. And, by the way…people talk!

So, if you really wish you had something to offer that you don’t have, go out and get it.

But, don’t be someone you’re not.

Kapish?