Top 10 places around the world for vacation

1.Paris

Why go: Year after year, the magnetic City of Lights draws travelers looking to cross the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame off their bucket list. But what visitors really fall in love with are Paris' quaint cafes, vibrant markets, trendy shopping districts and un-mistakenable je ne sais quoi charm. 

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London

Why go: London is a world unto itself. The eclectic neighborhoods — which house a blend of historical landmarks and modern-day attractions — can keep you occupied for days. Visit the Tower of London and the British Museum or explore Portobello Road and Borough Market. 

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Barcelona

Why go: Though known for its fútbol team, Barcelona boasts much more than athletic talent. The city is a feast for the eyes: Visitors walk past medieval architecture in the Barri Gòtic and Gaudi's innovative creations at Parc Güell. Meanwhile, Las Ramblas buzzes at all hours. 

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Maui

Why go: Maui — one of the most beloved of all the Hawaiian Islands — lives up to its superlatives with exotic beaches (like Kaihalulu), palatial resorts (like the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea) and lush terrain (as seen in the Iao Valley State Park.

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New York City

Why go: New York City hosts infinite urban adventures: Wander through Central Park, tour the exhibits at the Met, catch a Broadway show or peruse SoHo's stylish boutiques. And at night, admire Manhattan's glittering skyscrapers from the top of the Empire State Building. 

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San Francisco

Why go: Gourmet restaurants, funky boutiques and laid-back vibes are just some of San Fran's charms. A ride on the cable cars and a visit to Alcatraz are musts. And, of course, don't forget to visit the city's crowning architectural achievement — the Golden Gate Bridge. 

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Puerto Rico

Why go: Meander along cobbled streets and admire historic sites like El Morro in Old San Juan. Prefer miles of sand? Consider the bioluminescent bays of Culebra and Vieques. For a vibrant night scene, visit the Isla Verde or Santurce neighborhoods of San Juan. 

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Sydney

Why go: This metropolis offers more than just a dizzying array of landmarks (e.g., the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge). Sydney boasts a warm, sunny climate ideal for enjoying the city's beaches. The sands at Coogee and Bondi draw locals and tourists alike

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^#9

Rio de Janeiro

Why go: Rio jockeys with Buenos Aires and São Paulo as South America's hottest destination — and not just for its warm weather. The famous Christ the Redeemer statue presides over Copacabana Beach. And you'll be hard-pressed to find a more lively event than Rio's Carnival. 

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Bora Bora

Why go: It's hard not to be enchanted by this paradisiacal destination: Lush jungles extend into sky high volcanoes and sands stretch into upscale resorts. Carve out some time for hiking Mount Otemanu, observing aquatic life at the Bora Bora Lagoonarium and relaxing on the beach. 

How To Conduct A pain Interview With Your recruiting Manager?

Pain Interviewing begins when you shift your hiring executive’s focus from the standard interview script to the actual business matters he or she is responsible for.
We call it Pain Interviewing because in the same way that a Pain Letter deals with the real Business Pain behind the job ad, a Pain Interview digs into what isn’t working right now in your hiring manager’s world. That’s the meat of the matter.
Who cares what kind of soup you would be if you were a can of soup, or what you think your greatest weaknesses are or what you had for breakfast? An interview is a business meeting, so let’s talk about business!

You can help your hiring manager get off the interview script and begin the Pain Interviewing process.
You’ll do it by answering one of your hiring manager’s questions, often the question “Tell me about yourself!” with a short answer and then ‘spinning the table’ to ask a question of your own.
Here’s a script to illustrate the Spin the Table process and get your hiring manager off the interview script into a human conversation about real business issues.
Once you begin to get off the script and talk about the Business Pain behind the job ad, you’ll find that the conversation gets easier and more interesting. All you can do when you’re being asked traditional interview questions is sit and answer them.

















You are not an active participant in the interview process as long as you’re answering questions like a person taking an oral exam or a citizenship test.
You have to get off the script to get to the heart of what’s going on in the organization you’re thinking about joining.
Here are some Business Pain questions you can ask your hiring manager at your job interview. When you ask these questions and talk about your hiring executive’s business obstacles, you’ll be in a Pain Interview!
You have to start with a Pain Hypothesis that you formulated long before the interview, maybe a week or two ago. You researched the organization. You read your hiring manager’s LinkedIn LNKD -1.38% profile from top to bottom. You thought about the question “If I were this manager, what would be keeping me up at night?”
Is it customer service hold times, or the fact that the company has no social media strategy from what you can tell? Is it problems with financing for new product development? You know a lot about your industry and your function. Let’s put that learning to use!

Here’s how you’ll advance a Pain Hypothesis to get the Pain Interview party started!

MANAGER: So, how long have you been using Excel?

YOU: Oh, about five years I guess – I love Excel. I’m a spreadsheet geek, for sure. Listen, can I ask you a quick question about the job?

MANAGER: Sure! (He’s bored with the dumb scripted interview questions, too.) 
YOU: Fantastic. I’m wondering about your product road map. You launched the edible nail-polish line about 18 month ago, right?
MANAGER: Give or take.
YOU: And it looks like it’s doing well, but it’s more of a novelty than your other products. I see it in the novelty gift stores at the mall, rather than chocolate shops.
MANAGER: Yeah, that product didn’t really work in chocolate shops.
YOU: But it was a big seller when it launched. I’m curious what your product road map looks like now, and how you’re feeling about the new product release schedule for 2015.
MANAGER: That’s an insightful question. It’s one of the reasons I’m hiring a Number Two here in Marketing. I have my plate full. We need to keep coming out with new products.
YOU: What would your ideal release schedule look like?
Now you are talking about something real. You’re talking about what’s working and what isn’t. You are way too polite and professional to point out that when you asked your manager about the schedule for new product releases this year, you didn’t get an answer. That’s good! You love to hear about Business Pain. Business Pain is your favorite topic, because you can solve your hiring manager’s pain.
You can’t ask your hiring manager “What isn’t working here?” You have to advance a Pain Hypothesis and let him or her react to it.

You may have to ask several pain-related questions. Even very competent and astute managers don’t always have a clear view of what’s working well and what isn’t. You will be a consultant to your hiring manager, even before you get a job!

Practice Pain Interviewing and see if you don’t find what other job-seekers have found: that it’s more interesting, more intellectually stimulating, more fun and more likely to lead to a job offer to talk about pain and solutions than to stick to the interview script!

Twitter got the number one position ahead of linkedin

The most flawed stories are those that we think we know best and are often repeated by those around us – and so we rarely investigate further. Ask anyone in business to name the most important social network for salespeople, and you will almost always hear:LinkedIn, of course.

LinkedIn, with its 364 million users and Twitter with its 302 million active users both are in a race to get more engaged users, albeit for different reasons.  Yet, most (myself included) presumed LinkedIn to be the go to platform for salespeople. But according to the sales survey and research we conducted with a client, Twitter ranked slightly more valuable than LinkedIn when it came to sales prospecting . This is a follow up to a sales survey I wrote about on Forbes with Jim Keenan and Barb Giamanco in 2013.

If you’re surprised, we are too. Yet it’s clear that Twitter is a preferred platform for salespeople. We decided to ask some influential social sales people in the industry for their reactions to the news, this is what they told us:

“The fact that Twitter surpassed Linkedin as the #1 social media sales tool is not surprising to me because that is where the relationship typically begins. Professionals are more protective over their LinkedIn connections than their twitter exchanges. I like to describe Twitter as the bar after work – where you keep your tie on but loosen it a bit, and LinkedIn is the conference room in the corporate office.

Due to the fast and collaborative nature of twitter a sales person can effectively share and idea or engage with a prospective client through a pithy missive.  When the exchange goes well, it can then be moved to Linkedin – which represents a much larger personal commitment.”

John Barrows, Owner, Sales From The Streets

“The significance of this is that Twitter is way easier to use and search for information than Linkedin is right now.  The hashtag is a powerful and easy way to find out what people are talking about.  You can also follow people directly on Twitter without asking for permission.

With Linkedin, if I really want to hear what you are saying and keep up to date with you I have to be connected to you and that means I have to send you a request that you can deny if you want. Twitter doesn’t allow that option so I can follow whoever I want.  Between the searchability and ease of connection I can easily see how Twitter has surpassed Linkedin on this front.

One tip or recommendation I would make for Twitter is to set up a separate Twitter account and use it to follow your top 25 prospects (the company and the individuals).  This way you can have all your prospecting information on one feed without having to sift through everything else to find something worth using as a reason to reach out to someone.”

Babette Ten Haken, Founder & President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers, LLC

“For me, Twitter is my platform for determining the pulse of an industry vertical. I can learn a lot, very quickly about an industry vertical by tracking the chatter under specific hashtags. Who are the thought leaders? Who are the frequent participants? Who is making a lot of unsubstantiated noise? What are the issues in the vertical? Then I take my findings on to LinkedIn to build out my perspective.”

Jill Rowley, Startup Advisor & Social Selling Evangelist

“I’m shocked that Twitter has surpassed LinkedIn.  That said, I can typically learn more personal things about a buyer on Twitter than LinkedIn — who she follows (business professionals, my competitors & partners, influencers, comedians, politicians, athletes, news outlets, charitable organizations) who follows her, what she tweets about, who she retweets, what lists she’s a member of and subscribes to.

I use Twitter to not only research, but ENGAGE. If I believe the content being shared by my buyer is relevant to my network, I will comment, retweet, and potentially favorite. I might share (via Twitter, LinkedIn, or email) a relevant follow-on article, blog post, podcast, eBook, video.  I also use Twitter to “attend” events virtually via the event hashtag. It’s all about being where your buyers are: offline, online, #AllTheTime.”

Jack Kosakowski, Regional Sales Manager, Act-On Software, Inc.

“Twitter is the main driver of social selling and will continue to get farther ahead.  The only way to properly engage naturally at all levels is through twitter engagement.  Where else can you start a conversation with a fortune 500 CEO and get into a conversation with in minutes?  Social selling is all about getting involved in conversations, at the right time, with the right people.  No other platform allows you to do that.  It’s a no brainer and companies that understand the value will surpass their competition.”

Evan Carmichael, Founder,   Evan Carmichael Communications Group

Rather than comment on the news, Carmichael outlined a 7 step process for users on Twitter to engage your prospects: “If they are active on Twitter this method works remarkably well. I’ve used it to get in front of CEOs of huge organizations where otherwise you’re dealing with countless gatekeepers.

1. Hope that she’s on Twitter and is active.

2. Search for her on twitter (and hopefully find her).

3. Create a custom list in Hootsuite (or similar solutions like Tweetdeck) to keep track of her posts. Check daily.

4. Engage with what she tweets. Genuinely (this is really important)

5. Give her public accolades (ie. Thank you “@name” for your leadership and best practices in marketing).

6. Repeat until you get a reply from her.

7. Use the reply as an intro to set up a conversation.”

Julio Viskovich, Vice President of Marketing, rFactr

“Historically, LinkedIn has been the network where more formal business communication takes place but there is a shift to buyers and sellers engaging around less formal communications via Twitter. Twitter really allows for more of a 360 degree view of your buyer and allows for more personal communication to take place.

A great tip would be to segment your experience into lists – prospects, competitors, partners, influencers, and customers – engage and share targeted content accordingly and use your competitors for intelligence and lead generation.”

Shane Gibson, Author, Speaker & Sales Trainer, BuildDirect

“Twitter is a true open network and is really only limited by the creativity you apply to using it. There’s not a city in the world I traveled to where I couldn’t make new connections within hours of landing there using Twitter. My big tip for Twitter and social selling in general is to ‘use the internet to get off of the internet and deepen relationships. Twitter doesn’t sell, relationships and trust close the deal.’”

Gabe Villamizar, Social Media Marketing Manager, HireVue, Inc.

“This finding is significant because it shows that buyers are not “only” on LinkedIn, but they are also Twitter, which is underutilized for prospecting in the B2B industry. One way to use Twitter effectively is to research the buyer to understand what kind of content they like to share, what days and times do they tweet the most, and who do they engage with the most on Twitter. By only knowing these three social behaviors, the seller will be able to accelerate the sales process.”

Mistakes made by college graduates in job search

A new study shows that college students need to be doing a lot more to set themselves up for a job after college. According to the report, conducted by career website AfterCollege from a March survey of 600 college students, 79% of students have done at least one internship in the past six months, but 57% of those internships were unpaid and 76% did not result in a job offer.

AfterCollege did the survey in conjunction with Millennial Branding, a one-man consultancy run by Dan Schawbel, 29, who bills himself as a Gen Y research and consulting firm. Schawbel’s clients include American Express, Monster and NBCUniversal. He knows from his own experience how tough it can be to get a job after graduation. He did eight internships while he was a student at Bentley University in Waltham, Mass., before setting his sights on a marketing job for tech giant EMC. It took him eight months until he landed a position. I asked Schawbel for his opinion on what the survey shows about the mistakes student job seekers are making. He ticked off five things:

1. Students are not applying for enough jobs. According to the survey, 44% of students only apply to between one and five jobs at a time. Schawbel maintains that students should go after 30-40 jobs at once. “It’s like a full-time job to get a job now,” he says. I agree that it makes sense to consider numerous possible employers but I think it’s also wise to set your sights, as Schawbel did, on one firm or a handful of companies where you feel truly motivated to work. That said, you shouldn’t wait around for your efforts to bear fruit. Do pursue alternatives in the meantime. The best case scenario is that you get more than one offer and can use it as leverage to negotiate the terms you want from your target employer.

2. Failing to do enough of their own networking. While 57% of students say they wish their schools offered more networking opportunities, Schawbel says students aren’t taking it upon themselves to ask their career offices for help. Half of students either haven’t used their school’s career office, have had a bad experience or feel the office needs improvement. Schawbel says the most valuable thing students can get from school career services is connections to alumni in their desired line of work. Alumni can teach students about the day-to-day realities of a job, how to craft a résumé, how to interview and how to land a position. Students should also go to conferences, industry events and Meetups in their areas of interest. One event-listings site Schawbel recommends:eventbright.com.

I’m also a fan of more basic networking: Stay in touch with lots of people, especially those who are not in your immediate circle, including professors and teaching assistants you may have had three semesters ago. Let everyone know you’re looking for work.

3. Spending time on Facebook and YouTube when they should be using LinkedIn. The survey reveals that while 90% of students use Facebook and 78% are regularly on YouTube, nearly half—46%—say they never use LinkedIn. Schawbel says that it’s an absolute must to create a LinkedIn profile by the time you’re a senior in college, but it’s an even better idea to start as a freshman. He’s also an advocate of linking to as many people as you possibly can, which runs counter to the advice that LinkedIn staffers offer, to only connect with people you would want to network with in person. Schawbel, who has 7,400 LinkedIn connections, eschews this advice because of the compound strength of a deep LinkedIn network. “I’ve landed business because of my multiple connections,” he says. Example: American Express, where one of his connections was working. Schawbel convinced the company to partner with him to sponsor the research for his next book called, appropriately, Promote Yourself.

As a journalist who faces a daily onslaught from PR people wanting to connect with me on LinkedIn, I have a tough time agreeing with Schawbel about connecting with as many people as possible. But I think it’s wise for college students to create LinkedIn profiles early and to start to build connections, endorsements and recommendations. In fact I’m thinking my 16-year-old ought to start a profile after he finishes his second paying gig this summer working for a neighborhood tennis camp. If the boss loves him, he should get that on record and also get in the habit of updating his profile, something I don’t do frequently enough.

4. Believing that applying through an employer’s website is all they need to do. The survey shows that 70% of students turn first to an employer’s website while 65% talk to someone who works at the company where they want to work. Some 61% approach employers through school career fairs and 58% search through online job sites. Only 26% use social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook. As I noted above, Schawbel is a big advocate of LinkedIn.

I agree with Schawbel that stopping after you apply through an employer’s website is a mistake. As the old saw goes, people get jobs through people they know. Once you’ve found a listing and applied through a company website, it’s time to find a direct connection to someone at the company. Go ahead and use LinkedIn, as Schawbel suggests, but make your goal an in-person meeting. It’s encouraging that 65% of students are making contact inside companies.