Using QR Codes to Get a Job or Promote Your Business
Using QR Codes to Get a Job or Promote Your Business
You probably have seen QR codes and don’t even realize it. Perhaps they were on a marketing ad or a flyer someone handed you. You might have seen them on a promotional piece or on a poster at a local store. It may have looked so under-stated that you probably passed right by it and didn’t give it a second thought.
Start looking for them. You’ll be surprised at how many places are using them. What are they? Think of them like a bar code that lists a lot more information and can direct you to specific websites. Companies are creating these codes to be used with smartphone apps. This is an example code that I created for my book, It’s Not You It’s Your Personality:
It’s really simple to make one. You can go to a site like Qurify.com and type in the information you want to be encoded. It may be something as simple as a website address. You can go to the Qurify site and type in your website URL address. If you don’t have a website, consider putting in your Linkedin profile page.  Click on the Qurify button and then download the image it creates as a jpeg file. Now you can take this file and put it on your business cards, on your resume, or on any other information you create.Â
Anyone who has a QR Reader app on their phone can simply start the app on their phone and point it at your code. When they do that, they will be directed on their phone to the URL address you entered on Qurify. It couldn’t be easier.Â
This can really make you stand out from the rest in the job search. Just having that code on your resume will make those that don’t know what it is, look into it why it is on your resume. For those that do know what it is, they will appreciate how technologically you savvy are.
If you have your own business and want to promote different parts of your website, these can be useful as well. To show examples, I created several of these QR codes for Dr. Robert Spies’ plastic surgery site. To see how they work, first download a free QR Reader app onto your smartphone. Then open that app and point it at the codes listed below.
This code directs you to information about facelifts:
This code directs you to information about tummy tucks:
 
This code directs you to information about breast augmentation:
 
By having different QR codes like this, you can customize your marketing material to direct people to the appropriate websites. For companies like a plastic surgery practice, this can be a very effective tool to target people that have a strong enough financial background to own a smartphone as well as those that are interested enough to point their phone at the code for more information. It is a great tool to specifically target the appropriate population.Â
To find out more about how these codes work, check out information from the guys at how stuff works technology podcast.Â
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Where Your College Tuition is Spent
Many people are going back to school to further their education in the hope of being more marketable in the workplace. As tuition increases, students may be wondering where their money is being used.
Onlinecolleges.net reported 10 Telling Stats on Where Your Tuition Money Goes. It is interesting to note that the professor’s pay is not a big factor in these increases. It may be surprising how much goes to construction and renovations. Also of note is how much is being spent on entertainment. “Travel and entertainment are major expenses for universities. For example, Kansas State University spent $9 million in travel and entertainment related expenses in 2010.” For the complete list explaining where your funds are being spent, click here.
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Marketers Target Impatient Customers through Smartphone Quick Response QR Codes
Quick Response or QR codes are the latest bar code system that allows customers to use their smartphones to obtain discounts, gather information and even order products ahead of time so that they are ready upon their arrival. For an instant gratification generation, these new codes can connect customers to products faster than ever before.
Companies are putting these codes in their advertisements and on their products so that customers can scan them with their smartphones and gather more information, find out about discounts or even order the product. Although these codes aren’t that new, companies are starting to use them more due to the increased frequency of consumers using smartphones.
It’s simple to install an app on a phone. In fact some even come with the app pre-installed. Wall Street Journal reported, “Scanby Inc., a New York company that develops and manages QR codes, estimates that 30 million people in the U.S. have a code-reader app on their phone.”
Companies like Ethical Bean are taking advantage of the code to get their coffee products into their customers’ hands more quickly. Customers simply need to order their coffee through the use of these apps and it will be ready when they arrive to pick it up.
These apps can also give more information about the products being purchased. Customers can find out recipes, ingredients and more. The Wall Street Journal had some statistics about the use of these codes:
- 32% of consumers in a recent survey said they’ve used a QR code
- 70% plan to use QR code again or for the first time
- 53% are motivated to use it by getting a coupon, discount or deal
- 52% are motivated to use it by getting more information
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How to Find Hashtags on Twitter
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Hashtags are a popular way to start up a conversation about a specific topic within Twitter. By putting the # sign before a subject, it creates a conversation that others can join. For example, if I wanted to tweet about plastic surgery, I could include #plasticsurgery within my tweet and it would list my comment on the discussion being held within Twitter about that topic.  As you can imagine, a recent popular hashtag topic was #royalwedding.Â
The challenge comes with finding all of the conversations you would like to join. One site that is helpful is called What the Trend. Mediabistro.com reported, “What the Trend shows you the top hashtag and non-hashtag trending topics. It lists the 10 top trending phrases at any given moment on Twitter, along with a short description of each. Just underneath the written description is how long ago this phrase started trending, and when it received its description. What the Trend also shows you the top trending topics in several geographic areas. You can also view all of the trends from the past 24 hours, and sort by verified trends, explained trends and much more.”
Trendistic is another site that can tell you just how popular a hashtag is on Twitter. If you type in the hashtag phrase into their search, it can tell you not only the most recent conversations about that phrase but also how active it has been for the last 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days, 90 days and 180 days. The site also gives embedding information so that you can put their charts on your blog or website. Check out the right side of the main Trendistic site to see a list of the top trending topics.
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You Are Only as Good as Your Last Deal: Top 5 Ways to Avoid Being Expendable at Work
There is an expression that is often used in sales: “You are only as good as your last deal.” What is meant by that is that management has a short-term memory and no matter how good you were in the past, they are focusing on what you can do for them right now. It may seem unfair to those who have worked very hard throughout the years to find out that their jobs may be on the line due to one poor month of performance. However, this is a reality in this market.
The new movie, Larry Crowne, with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, is about Hanks’ character, a top performing employee who has won the employee of the month something like 8 times.  He is self-confident that management has requested his presence in their office to tell him that he has just won for the 9th time. Instead, he finds out that they are letting him go due to his lack of a college education.
This is a pretty common situation that happens in today’s workplace. Employees are becoming concerned about keeping their positions. There are a lot of people with strong work histories out there that are in the market for a job…your job.  There are some important tips to keep in mind when trying to avoid being expendable at work. These include:
- Work harder than your coworkers. That may seem to be common sense, but it is surprising how many people overlook the fact that they may not be number one in the office. There is an old expression: I don’t have to outrun the bear. I just have to outrun you.  Think of being laid off as the bear and you have to be better than your coworkers to survive.
- Multitask. One way to be more efficient at your job is to multitask. Some may argue that there is no such thing as true multitasking but there is such a thing as combining small jobs together so that you get more done in less time. I often share an example with my students of how I would type my call notes while “dialing for dollars” so that I could make twice as many phone calls as my coworkers who waited until the call was completed to type up their notes. Find ways to combine things like this to be more efficient.
- Add value through education. The Tom Hanks example is a good reason why you should consider furthering your education to compete. You might find that a certification is enough. You might find that an MBA would add value. Find the thing that makes you stand out from your fellow coworkers.
- Put in the time. If you are the last one to get to work and the first one to leave, you may find that management has noticed. Look around your office and pay attention to who gets there late, who lollygags around and doesn’t work hard. Put in the hours but also be sure that management sees how hard you are working. There is no shame in copying them on things that show you have done well.
- Work smarter vs. harder. Some people think that just putting in more work hours means they are working hard. If you are the guy/gal who plans the plan to plan the plan, then you are not efficient. A plan is important to keep you on track. Just be sure you don’t spend all of your time planning and none of your time doing.
If you do these 5 things, you’ll be well on your way to outrunning your coworkers and avoiding the bear (loss of employment).