BlogSentral

Sir Richard Branson founded Virgin in 1970 - it started off as a mail order record retailer. Today the Virgin Group is made up of around 200 companies spanning 30 countries with involvements in leisure, travel, tourism, mobile, broadband, TV, radio, music festivals, finance, health and more. Not bad for a guy who left school with "pretty well no qualifications"!

While 90 percent of American workers report feeling unfulfilled by their jobs at the end of the day, Simon Sinek has articulated a strategy for reversing that.

by Lindsay Olson | US News [Money Careers]

Dress the part

by Geoffrey James | Inc.

by Jeff Haden | Inc.

Thanks to the topsy-turvy economy, many marketing professionals who never planned to make a career change are suddenly looking for work. And if you belong to this job-seeking brigade—or suspect you might soon join their number—it's time to get that resume in order.

In a feature at the Editorial Emergency newsletter, Simon Glickman and Julia Rubiner asked recruiter Keva Dine for her resume-writing insights. "If I don't 'get' you after reading your resume—skimming it, if you want the truth—you haven't effectively differentiated, or branded, yourself," she told them.

If the impact of the recession has left your employees battered and bruised, why not make a special point of letting them know how much you value their contributions?

"The effort can help boost morale," writes Sarah Needleman at the Wall Street Journal, "and may even be prudent if you've had to cut salaries or work hours, or if your firm is operating leaner than normal."

By Christian Gulliksen | MarketingProfs

"Does your bio tell a story?" ask Simon Glickman and Julia Rubiner of Editorial Emergency. "Is the main character someone you'd like to know more about? Does the plot keep you interested?"

by Jeanne Meister, Contributor | Forbes

For proof that recruiting has entered a new era, one need look no further than an exceptionally novelinternship applicationsubmitted this summer by Shawn McTigue. This playful 2:50 video by Shawn was a response toMastercard’s call for applicants to creatively promote the benefits of a “cashless society.” It was his take on the “something creative” all interns were required to link to as part of the application. The rest of the process involved engaging on MasterCard‘s Facebook page, uploading a resume via LinkedIn, and following MasterCard onTwitter for further directions. The campaign represents the future of recruiting, where the process demands that applicants showcase their skills –and in the process makes them stronger candidates.

by Ron Ashkenas.

For most of us, starting at a new company brings up those same anxieties we felt when starting in a new school as a child. All of a sudden you don't have any friends, you're not sure what you're supposed to do, and it's hard to find the bathroom. Adding to the pressure is the unspoken fact that the clock is ticking: Your new colleagues may give you a grace period, but you know that they are making judgments about whether or not you'll be a good fit, starting on day one. And of course you are also making a parallel assessment to figure out if you made the right choice.

by Daniel Gulati | HBR Blog

While I was at the gym last week, I was shocked to see a fellow member lifting a fully stacked bar while simultaneously arguing with someone on the other end of his hands-free headset. Not only was he was ruining the quality of his own workout, he left everyone else in the gym shaking their heads and frustrated as they became unwilling, passive participants in his one-way shout fest.

by Kyle Wiens  | HBR Blog

If you think an apostrophe was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, you will never work for me. If you think a semicolon is a regular colon with an identity crisis, I will not hire you. If you scatter commas into a sentence with all the discrimination of a shotgun, you might make it to the foyer before we politely escort you from the building.

by Vivian Giang | Business Insider

It definitely ups your ante as a potential job candidate to be represented by a headhunter, and if you know you have a good job and are good at it, you might already be on their radar.

by Dorie Clark

The brand was languishing. The public dismissed it as outdated, uninspired, and a little stale. So in a bold move, a new public face was anointed — young, appealing, and energetic. It's a script we've heard before, whether it's yesterday's much-lauded announcement that Google executive Marissa Mayer will become Yahoo's new CEO or John McCain's ultimately disastrous choice to pick Sarah Palin as his vice-presidential running mate.

by Rosabeth Moss Kanter

by Jeff Haden | Inc.

To a small business owner, to an employee--to anyone--there is only one way to determine success.

by THE SYNERGIST | Les McKeown | INC.

It's easy to rest on success. But so often that can turn a great company into an average company.

by OWNERS' MANUAL | Jeff Haden | INC.

Charisma isn't something you have. It's something you earn. Here's how.

by SALES SOURCE | Geoffrey James | INC.

If you're unhappy at work--or anywhere else, for that matter--it's because you've made yourself unhappy. There's an easy way to change that.