More on this soon, but for now, check out these stories:

WSJ: With New Law, Profits Take a Back Seat

The Economist: B Corps – Firms With Benefits

During the process of skimming and scanning through these applications, a few things stuck out that I thought I’d share with you in case you ever find yourself applying for a job on LI. This post may feel like a soapbox, (it is) but I’ll do my best to be concise and hopefully point out a few helpful tips you won’t find in standard career guides.

1. Always submit your resume in PDF format. Do not use Word, Rich Text, or Otherwise. Submitting as a PDF allows you to ensure your resume appears the same on your potential employer’s computer as it does yours. I saw dozens of resumes with broken formatting, extra pages tacked on, poorly spaced lines, text overlapping other elements, and missing fonts. Chances are, the resume looked perfect before it was sent. Macs have PDF creation ability natively installed, and there are dozens of free PDF creators for PCs out there.
2. Before uploading your resume, rename the file to something that is meaningful and compelling. “Resume Draft 4 marketing.docx” tells me absolutely nothing about you at first glance, and when the recruiter is handling dozens of resumes, this one will definitely get lost in the mix. Instead, name it something like “Joshua N Jones – Compelling NonProfit Executive.pdf” – you’re guaranteed to get at least one more chance to build name recognition.
3. In a previous job posting, I received an 8-page resume from a 23 year-old.    No!
   2 and 3-pagers are fine if you’ve got the experience to back it up, but keep it short and concise. More than that and I expect to be reading about your physics patents and bestselling novels published. Oh, and by the way, please don’t list MS Word as a computer skill. Surely you can come up with something more exciting than that. You’ve got 30 seconds. Don’t waste it.
4. LinkedIn allows you to upload a cover letter, yet only 25% of our applicants did. What – too busy applying for jobs elsewhere? One resume we received was incredibly impressive: rocket science, security clearance and all that, so why in the world are you applying for an entry-level marketing position? Don’t take the time to briefly explain in a cover letter and I’ll assume the worst. Even if your resume makes perfect sense, your goal is to get your foot in the door, and the cover letter is one more chance to stand out. And if I see a cover letter that looks like it was just copied verbatim from a career handbook, I’m moving on after two sentences.
5. The days of “References Available Upon Request” are over, but that doesn’t mean you can’t copy your most compelling LI recommendations into part of your resume or an attachment. Just glancing through resumes is not when I start calling former employers, but seeing gushing praise from a past boss or team leader (that can be verified through your profile) is certain to catch my attention.

this one includes a nice waterproof case

I would love to see a carpenter use this

Cards like the one above aren’t likely to be forgotten, but expect to pay in the thousands for a stack of them. I update info on my cards so often, I’d be scared to get something like this printed.

Assuming your client is into fortune cookies, this is a strong way to send your message.

My old design firm used to have a tray out front with all of our business cards. This is a unique way to give out an entire firm’s contact info at once.

What distinctive shapes are unique to your business?

I only recommend something like this if you’re willing to spend a lot of time making sure your name is at the top of Google’s results. Interestingly though, the concept of pointing potential customers to search for a phrase for your business is actually VERY common in Japan. Most billboards and TV ads won’t even mention a web address, they’ll just show a search box with specific keywords.

While we’re on the subject of Japan, this is another common concept there: the QR code. It’s basically a bar code that many businesses use to link customers to their mobile site. You can find QR code creation software just about anywhere, and it basically sends a text string (usually a URL) to a reader (in Japan, just about every phone has one built in). I’ve used QR codes in direct mail pieces, and for people who live on their phones, it’s a great way to reduce the steps they take to get info on your business.

Click here for Part 2 of “Great Business Cards”

Sadly, I don’t have the sources on many of these images, as I’ve just passively collected them, but I’ll try and dig some of these up once I’m caught up. Feel free to help with the sourcing in the comments section below if you happen to know the agency, client, or back story.

Below you’ll find some of my favorite 3D ads; I always go back to this gallery when I’m creating a new billboard or promotional piece, as it really gets my creative gears moving.

What makes these ads so unique? Obviously, there is major pattern interrupt. Looking deeper, you’ll notice a common trend: “Exaggerated product claims” (i.e. our knife can cut through light poles or our batteries can run this huge bus).

What does your product or service claim to do? Taken to “slap-stick extreme proportions”, what would that look like? If this were a cartoon, and your “secret formula” were applied by the bottle instead of the teaspoon, what comedy would ensue?

• Management and Labor (Matt 20:1-16)
• Family-owned Enterprises (Matt 21:28-31)
• Hostile Takeovers (Luke 20:9-19)
• Return on Investment (ROI) – (Matt 25:14-30)
• Crop Yield (Mark 13:27-32)
• Management Criteria (Luke 12:35-48)
• Observation and Research (Luke 14:28-35)
• Bankruptcy (Luke 15:11-16)
• Leverage (Luke 16:1-13)
• High Risk Venture Capital (Luke 19:11-27)

These were taken from Anointed for Business by Ed Silvoso.

Another list I’ve shared is regarding famous professions and Biblical characters who filled those roles. Here are a few:

• Prime Minister (Joseph)
• Military General (Joshua)
• Judge (Deborah)
• Rancher (Job)
• Textile Import/Exporter (Lydia)
• Builder/Contractor (Jesus)
• Outdoor Adventure Gear Supplier (Paul)

Obviously the last one is a bit of a stretch, but we know Paul made tents, and I contend he likely was more diversified, with climbing harnesses and backpacks a likely choice…

I adapted this list from a short article I read in On Kingdom Business edited by Eldred and Yamamori.

Got more? Please add them in the comments!

Agrawal’s first major project … is being tested in six rural Indian villages. The initiative installs rainwater collection systems on villagers’ rooftops along with a pipe system that pumps water to larger reservoirs. Sustainable Solutions provides some of the cash, and the villagers provide the rest. In exchange, residents can keep some of the water for themselves and get paid for sending leftovers to the reservoirs.

…

Sustainable Innovations’ second major project, Arogya Ghar, delivers health care to villages via a laptop-based system that serves up disease protocols. Arogya Ghar also offers medical identification cards to residents, so every time someone gets a vaccination or a checkup, the procedure is logged using the card. “It’s a poor man’s medical record,” explains Agrawal.

Local girls are trained to use the cheap Arogya Ghar laptops, which are hooked up to diagnostic devices. They travel door-to-door checking up on residents, and are paid 25 cents for each diagnostic task performed. Agrawal says that the program provides self-esteem to the girls, whose options are usually limited.

In this article, I’ll highlight a few things that stood out to me.

First, I’ll start with something I didn’t completely agree with:

I’ve run into a lot of companies that invent positions for great people just so they don’t get away. But hiring people when you don’t have real work for them is insulting to them and hurtful to you. Great people want to work on things that matter. Inevitably, a great person working on imaginary work will turn into an unsatisfied person. Then he’ll leave.

My two cents worth: Great people will find work and create new projects. The best workers I’ve had are the ones who have come to me and told me something like “You were out of the office, and I finished my project early, so I took the liberty of doing [insert helpful taks here] for you.” Sometimes, as a manager, I’m just too busy to create work to fill in gaps in project schedules, but a great employee can do that for you. If there are too many gaps, then you need to take Jason’s advice and scale back your hiring.

A few things I liked:

For one thing, we ignore resumés. In my experience, they’re full of exaggerations, half-truths, embellishments — and even outright lies. They’re made of action verbs that don’t really mean anything. Even when people aren’t intentionally trying to trick you, they often stretch the truth. And what does “five years’ experience” mean, anyway? Resumés reduce people to bullet points, and most people look pretty good as bullet points.

…

When in doubt, always hire the better writer.

…

During interviews, we love when potential hires ask questions. But all questions aren’t equal. A red flag goes up when someone asks how. “How do I do that?” “How can I find out this or that?” You want people who ask why, not how. Why is good — it’s a sign of deep interest in a subject. It signals a healthy dose of curiosity. How is a sign that someone isn’t used to figuring things out for him- or herself. How is a sign that this person is going to be a drain on others. Avoid hows.

Overall, he’s got some great perspective, and the article is worth your five minutes.

Read it here

You can find many more detailed images here on Inc’s website.