Your Career: How To Make It Happen, the text that builds self-confidence and workplace skills, unlocks the keys to career success. Corporate trainer and business consultant, Julie Griffin Levitt, cuts through the clutter of other career-planning texts to deliver a useful and engaging text, straight from the front lines of business.
Your Career: How To Make It Happen
Check out this "thumbs-up" endorsement of Your Career: How to Make It Happen by Margaret Riley Dikel, preeminent expert on Internet job hunting and research.
"This is a textbook for those offering classes on career planning and job search, complete with separate instructor's manual and accompanying CD with links to websites, over 300 Powerpoint slides you can use in your classes, and tests and career competency assignments you can use as-is or customize as you wish. The textbooks are colorful and full of great information and advice that is well presented. Having been a student myself, I know how hard it can be to get them to read what's on the page, but I don't see a problem with this textbook. The instructor's manual includes some model course schedules, a good syllabus, and other good help for your course."
Visit the Riley Guide web site: www.dbm.com/jobguide
"My goal is to show users how they can gain the competitive
advantage and achieve peak success in reaching their career goals."
~ Julie Griffin Levitt
Author, Corporate Trainer,
and Business Consultant
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
Ways to Reinvent Yourself
Seth Godin says now is the right time to reinvent yourself.
Ways to Reinvent Yourself
Seth Godin says now--right now--is the best time to transform your life. Here's how.
Seth Godin
Are you serious about transformation? I’m not talking about polishing yourself, improving yourself, making things a bit better. I’m talking about the reset button—a reinvention that changes the game. That means an overhaul in what you believe and how you do your job. If you’re up for that, then right here, right now, you can start. How?
Do work that matters.
Those four words are available to anyone; they’re available to you if you want them. The economy just gave you leverage—the leverage to make a difference, the leverage to spread your ideas and the leverage to have impact. More people have more leverage (more chances and more power) to change the world than at any other time in history. What are you going to do about it? When?
Here are seven levers available for anyone (like you) in search of reinvention.
1. CONNECT
Social media is either a time-wasting, woolgathering, yak-shaving waste of effort, or perhaps, just maybe, it’s a crack in the wall between you and the rest of the world. It’s a choice that’s up to you.
If you’re keeping score of how many followers you have, how many comments you get or how big your online footprint is, then you’re measuring the wrong thing, and you’re probably distracting yourself from what matters.
On the other hand, digital media can offer you a chance to make real connections, earn permission and gain insights from people you’d never have a chance to interact with any other way.
If you can reach and (far more important) touch or change people, you gain in influence, authority and power. We were isolated; now we’re connected. The typical individual didn’t have the time or the money or the connections to be heard just a few years ago. Today, the door is wide open but only for people who can touch others.
Shepard Fairey made a poster of Barack Obama. The Internet helped it spread. The poster connected one supporter to another, became an icon, a freely shared ID badge and ultimately a parody. And in the center of the spread was the artist. While Fairey didn’t make a penny selling the image, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he connected, and that connection gave his art leverage. He’ll never need to look for work or revenue again. It will find him.
We grew up isolated. The future is connected. We grew up unable to have substantial interactions with anyone except a small circle of family and co-workers. Now we can earn the right to interact with just about anyone. I think this changes everything—if we let it.
2. BE GENEROUS
The new economy often involves trading in things that don’t cost money. There’s no incremental cost in writing an essay, composing a song or making an introduction. Since it doesn’t cost money to play, we have the ability to give before we get.
The generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in circles of gifts. Not the direct I-gave-you-this- you-give-me-that, give-and-get of a traditional economy, but instead the tribal economy of individuals supporting one another.
Tribes of talented individuals who are connected, mutually trustful and supported by one another are in a position to create a movement, to deliver items of value, to move ideas forward faster than any individual ever could.
Derek Sivers built CDBaby.com from a bedroom start-up to a multimillion-dollar seller of independent music. Under his watch, he was selling more music from more artists than anyone in history. The secret? He spent virtually all of his time supporting the artists. The software he developed, the posts he wrote, the systems he instituted—they were gifts, generous contributions from Derek to the artists he worked with. In return, the artists built a thriving community, one that couldn’t help but turn a profit.
3. MAKE ART
Art is an original gift, a connection that changes the recipient, a human ability to make a difference. Art isn’t a painting or even a poem; it’s something that any of us can do. If you interact with others, you have the platform to create something new, something that changes everything. I call that art.
Art is the opposite of trigonometry. Art never follows instructions or a manual or a boss’s orders. Instead, art is the very human act of creating the uncreated, of connecting with another person at a human level. What we’ve seen is that more and more markets will reward art, while putting out compliant work to the lowest bidder.
Kathy Sierra does art when she teaches us about user interfaces, and Mary Anne Davis does art when she pushes the edges of what pottery can become. Art feels risky because it is. The risk the artist takes is that you might not like it, might not be touched, that you might actually laugh at the effort. And it’s these risks that lead to reward.
4. ACKNOWLEDGE THE LIZARD
That cringe you just felt when I wrote “laugh” is the sign of the lizard. The lizard brain, that prehistoric brain stem that all of us must contend with, doesn’t like being laughed at. It’s the part of our brain that worries about safety and dishes out anger. Being laughed at is the lizard brain’s worst nightmare. And so it shuts down our art.
Author Steven Pressfield calls this shutdown “the Resistance.” The Resistance is the little voice in your head that keeps your head down and encourages you to follow instructions. The Resistance lives in fear and doesn’t hesitate to shut us down at the first sign of possible derision or the first hint that we might be ostracized. The Resistance is the voice complicit in brainwashing, because The Resistance is easy to arouse. When your teacher threatens you with (insert social punishment here) if you don’t do your work in school, you do the work. The Resistance wins.
What artists over time have figured out is that the Resistance is the sole barrier between today and their art, that the act of genius required to produce original and important work is crippled by the Resistance. Ignoring the voice of skepticism is critical if you want to create art.
And so, we acknowledge the Resistance. We hear the voice of the lizard brain, and we recognize that it’s there. Then we stand up, walk to the podium and do the work anyway. We acknowledge the lizard, and we ignore it.
5. SHIP
Scarcity creates value. People pay extra for things that are hard to get, while things that have a surplus go cheaply. That’s basic economics.
So, what’s scarce?
The ability to ship.
If you can get something out the door while your competitors cringe in fear, you win. If you’re the team member who makes things happen, you become indispensable. If you and your organization are the ones (the only ones) that can get things done, close the sale, ship the product and make a difference, you’re the linchpins, the ones society can’t live without.
Shipping is difficult because of the lizard brain. The Resistance doesn’t want you to ship, because if you ship, you might fail. If you ship, people might laugh at you. If you ship, you might be held accountable for the decisions you made. The key to the reinvention of who you are, then, is to become someone who ships. The goal is to have the rare skill of actually getting things done, making them happen and creating outcomes that people seek out.
Michael Dell ships. So do Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and former Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy. Quieting the lizard, acknowledging it and then ignoring it—it’s the only way.
6. FAIL
And a key part of shipping is the ability to fail. The reinvention the marketplace is demanding is one that includes the ability to fail, often and with grace.
The old economy was based on factories and institutions, things that took a long time to build. No one at Buick or the Metropolitan Opera was interested in failure. It took too long to create these institutions for them to relish the idea of growth through failure.
Today, though, the only way for organizations to grow is to ship—to ship risky things, to create change, to make art, to change people. And yet, shipping risks failure.
You must be willing to fail. I hope you’re up for that.
For generations, artists tried to feign nonchalance. There’s even a word for it: sprezzatura. It’s an Italian word, defined as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.”
We need a new word now, one that means the opposite. It’s the obvious and supreme effort that goes into creating art, challenging the lizard and fighting the Resistance—and opening yourself to failure.
7. LEARN
And yes, here’s the seventh pillar, the key to the other six.
School used to exist so you could learn a trade. You apprenticed then you worked the rest of your life in the same job, in the same town, in the same factory, doing the same work.
Ha.
Dream on. Only lighthouse operators have that luxury today, and when was the last time you met a lighthouse operator?
To bring the school-as-event mindset to work today is to court certain failure. School isn’t over; school is now. School consists of blogs and experiments and experiences and the constant failure of shipping and of learning.
You already took a first step. You read something that challenged you to think differently. The path to reinvention, though, is just that—a path. The opportunity of our time is to discard what you think you know and instead learn what you need to learn. Every single day.
Darren Hardy interviews Seth Godin
SUCCESS Publisher Darren Hardy interviews Seth Godin on women in leadership and the role we all play in creating an efficient workplace. Godin says some of the measures we take to create our office environment are contrary to real productivity.
Ways to Reinvent Yourself
Seth Godin says now--right now--is the best time to transform your life. Here's how.
Seth Godin
Are you serious about transformation? I’m not talking about polishing yourself, improving yourself, making things a bit better. I’m talking about the reset button—a reinvention that changes the game. That means an overhaul in what you believe and how you do your job. If you’re up for that, then right here, right now, you can start. How?
Do work that matters.
Those four words are available to anyone; they’re available to you if you want them. The economy just gave you leverage—the leverage to make a difference, the leverage to spread your ideas and the leverage to have impact. More people have more leverage (more chances and more power) to change the world than at any other time in history. What are you going to do about it? When?
Here are seven levers available for anyone (like you) in search of reinvention.
1. CONNECT
Social media is either a time-wasting, woolgathering, yak-shaving waste of effort, or perhaps, just maybe, it’s a crack in the wall between you and the rest of the world. It’s a choice that’s up to you.
If you’re keeping score of how many followers you have, how many comments you get or how big your online footprint is, then you’re measuring the wrong thing, and you’re probably distracting yourself from what matters.
On the other hand, digital media can offer you a chance to make real connections, earn permission and gain insights from people you’d never have a chance to interact with any other way.
If you can reach and (far more important) touch or change people, you gain in influence, authority and power. We were isolated; now we’re connected. The typical individual didn’t have the time or the money or the connections to be heard just a few years ago. Today, the door is wide open but only for people who can touch others.
Shepard Fairey made a poster of Barack Obama. The Internet helped it spread. The poster connected one supporter to another, became an icon, a freely shared ID badge and ultimately a parody. And in the center of the spread was the artist. While Fairey didn’t make a penny selling the image, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he connected, and that connection gave his art leverage. He’ll never need to look for work or revenue again. It will find him.
We grew up isolated. The future is connected. We grew up unable to have substantial interactions with anyone except a small circle of family and co-workers. Now we can earn the right to interact with just about anyone. I think this changes everything—if we let it.
2. BE GENEROUS
The new economy often involves trading in things that don’t cost money. There’s no incremental cost in writing an essay, composing a song or making an introduction. Since it doesn’t cost money to play, we have the ability to give before we get.
The generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in circles of gifts. Not the direct I-gave-you-this- you-give-me-that, give-and-get of a traditional economy, but instead the tribal economy of individuals supporting one another.
Tribes of talented individuals who are connected, mutually trustful and supported by one another are in a position to create a movement, to deliver items of value, to move ideas forward faster than any individual ever could.
Derek Sivers built CDBaby.com from a bedroom start-up to a multimillion-dollar seller of independent music. Under his watch, he was selling more music from more artists than anyone in history. The secret? He spent virtually all of his time supporting the artists. The software he developed, the posts he wrote, the systems he instituted—they were gifts, generous contributions from Derek to the artists he worked with. In return, the artists built a thriving community, one that couldn’t help but turn a profit.
3. MAKE ART
Art is an original gift, a connection that changes the recipient, a human ability to make a difference. Art isn’t a painting or even a poem; it’s something that any of us can do. If you interact with others, you have the platform to create something new, something that changes everything. I call that art.
Art is the opposite of trigonometry. Art never follows instructions or a manual or a boss’s orders. Instead, art is the very human act of creating the uncreated, of connecting with another person at a human level. What we’ve seen is that more and more markets will reward art, while putting out compliant work to the lowest bidder.
Kathy Sierra does art when she teaches us about user interfaces, and Mary Anne Davis does art when she pushes the edges of what pottery can become. Art feels risky because it is. The risk the artist takes is that you might not like it, might not be touched, that you might actually laugh at the effort. And it’s these risks that lead to reward.
4. ACKNOWLEDGE THE LIZARD
That cringe you just felt when I wrote “laugh” is the sign of the lizard. The lizard brain, that prehistoric brain stem that all of us must contend with, doesn’t like being laughed at. It’s the part of our brain that worries about safety and dishes out anger. Being laughed at is the lizard brain’s worst nightmare. And so it shuts down our art.
Author Steven Pressfield calls this shutdown “the Resistance.” The Resistance is the little voice in your head that keeps your head down and encourages you to follow instructions. The Resistance lives in fear and doesn’t hesitate to shut us down at the first sign of possible derision or the first hint that we might be ostracized. The Resistance is the voice complicit in brainwashing, because The Resistance is easy to arouse. When your teacher threatens you with (insert social punishment here) if you don’t do your work in school, you do the work. The Resistance wins.
What artists over time have figured out is that the Resistance is the sole barrier between today and their art, that the act of genius required to produce original and important work is crippled by the Resistance. Ignoring the voice of skepticism is critical if you want to create art.
And so, we acknowledge the Resistance. We hear the voice of the lizard brain, and we recognize that it’s there. Then we stand up, walk to the podium and do the work anyway. We acknowledge the lizard, and we ignore it.
5. SHIP
Scarcity creates value. People pay extra for things that are hard to get, while things that have a surplus go cheaply. That’s basic economics.
So, what’s scarce?
The ability to ship.
If you can get something out the door while your competitors cringe in fear, you win. If you’re the team member who makes things happen, you become indispensable. If you and your organization are the ones (the only ones) that can get things done, close the sale, ship the product and make a difference, you’re the linchpins, the ones society can’t live without.
Shipping is difficult because of the lizard brain. The Resistance doesn’t want you to ship, because if you ship, you might fail. If you ship, people might laugh at you. If you ship, you might be held accountable for the decisions you made. The key to the reinvention of who you are, then, is to become someone who ships. The goal is to have the rare skill of actually getting things done, making them happen and creating outcomes that people seek out.
Michael Dell ships. So do Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and former Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy. Quieting the lizard, acknowledging it and then ignoring it—it’s the only way.
6. FAIL
And a key part of shipping is the ability to fail. The reinvention the marketplace is demanding is one that includes the ability to fail, often and with grace.
The old economy was based on factories and institutions, things that took a long time to build. No one at Buick or the Metropolitan Opera was interested in failure. It took too long to create these institutions for them to relish the idea of growth through failure.
Today, though, the only way for organizations to grow is to ship—to ship risky things, to create change, to make art, to change people. And yet, shipping risks failure.
You must be willing to fail. I hope you’re up for that.
For generations, artists tried to feign nonchalance. There’s even a word for it: sprezzatura. It’s an Italian word, defined as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.”
We need a new word now, one that means the opposite. It’s the obvious and supreme effort that goes into creating art, challenging the lizard and fighting the Resistance—and opening yourself to failure.
7. LEARN
And yes, here’s the seventh pillar, the key to the other six.
School used to exist so you could learn a trade. You apprenticed then you worked the rest of your life in the same job, in the same town, in the same factory, doing the same work.
Ha.
Dream on. Only lighthouse operators have that luxury today, and when was the last time you met a lighthouse operator?
To bring the school-as-event mindset to work today is to court certain failure. School isn’t over; school is now. School consists of blogs and experiments and experiences and the constant failure of shipping and of learning.
You already took a first step. You read something that challenged you to think differently. The path to reinvention, though, is just that—a path. The opportunity of our time is to discard what you think you know and instead learn what you need to learn. Every single day.
Darren Hardy interviews Seth Godin
SUCCESS Publisher Darren Hardy interviews Seth Godin on women in leadership and the role we all play in creating an efficient workplace. Godin says some of the measures we take to create our office environment are contrary to real productivity.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
How to Balance Work and Family
How to Balance Work and Family
By Recruiting Specialist
America’s Job Exchange
Balance Work and Family
As we celebrate Father's Day, this is a good time to bring up work-life balance. For many, as we've moved into a business culture where being available 24/7 is the norm, work-life balance can be an issue. With dual working family households at close to 50 percent, it is an issue that both working fathers and mothers face. But balancing responsibilities between the needs of your job and those of your family can actually help you maintain good career success. The recruiting experts at America's Job Exchange offer some tips that you can use to create some work-life balance today.
1. Schedule ahead and schedule in downtime. As you plan out your work week, be sure that you are including time that is solely devoted to friends and family. This could be anything from family game night to date night with your wife. Agree that you will not use your cell phone, Blackberry or go online during this time. The goal is to plan out your week and be sure to schedule time where you can regroup and recharge - work-free.
2. Try to negotiate flex time with your employer . Today it is not considered unacceptable to work from home or ask for flex time. In fact, many employers are willing to be flexible with schedules for productive employees. If you have a long daily commute, approach your boss to determine if you may be able to telecommute one day each week. If you are on long conference calls with overseas clients, consider conducting these calls in the comfort of your home. You will need to determine your company's policies before you bring up your request. In fact, there may be some flexibility in your work schedule that you may not be aware of that can help you achieve more balance.
3. Control the time you do spend at work. While you may not be able to control the need to be in the office 9 to 5 (with no flex time built in), you can control how you spend that time. For instance, instead of spending excess time in long meetings that may mean staying at work later than planned, suggest that meetings be cut down or as efficient as possible. Limit time spent for personal errands or discussions during working hours - which may also prolong your day. These activities may be causing you to be late for after-work appointments or add undue stress towards the end of the day. Managing your time at work can help minimize stress and the time you spend at the office.
4. Exercise relieves stress. Studies show that people who exercise frequently reduce stress, not to mention improve their overall health. Exercise is also linked to helping improve your energy level and focus. This can help you be more productive at work. When stressed, take a few minutes to stretch your legs and recharge. Also try to schedule in a regular exercise routine into your daily schedule, if possible.
5. Get creative and reduce errand time. What errands can you conduct online? What errand can be split between each family member? Can you have someone else cut your lawn so that you are not spending your weekends working at home? When you spend all your time "doing," you create more stress in your life. Simplify and see which of these activities can be outsourced or eliminated completely.
6. Take time to smell the roses! It may sound cliched, but sometimes it's best to just keep it simple. Being over scheduled, over planned and having your weekends maxed out with errands and other activities can add to the daily stress of life - all of which can manifest into poor work performance. Be sure to take time to just relax.
By Recruiting Specialist
America’s Job Exchange
Balance Work and Family
As we celebrate Father's Day, this is a good time to bring up work-life balance. For many, as we've moved into a business culture where being available 24/7 is the norm, work-life balance can be an issue. With dual working family households at close to 50 percent, it is an issue that both working fathers and mothers face. But balancing responsibilities between the needs of your job and those of your family can actually help you maintain good career success. The recruiting experts at America's Job Exchange offer some tips that you can use to create some work-life balance today.
1. Schedule ahead and schedule in downtime. As you plan out your work week, be sure that you are including time that is solely devoted to friends and family. This could be anything from family game night to date night with your wife. Agree that you will not use your cell phone, Blackberry or go online during this time. The goal is to plan out your week and be sure to schedule time where you can regroup and recharge - work-free.
2. Try to negotiate flex time with your employer . Today it is not considered unacceptable to work from home or ask for flex time. In fact, many employers are willing to be flexible with schedules for productive employees. If you have a long daily commute, approach your boss to determine if you may be able to telecommute one day each week. If you are on long conference calls with overseas clients, consider conducting these calls in the comfort of your home. You will need to determine your company's policies before you bring up your request. In fact, there may be some flexibility in your work schedule that you may not be aware of that can help you achieve more balance.
3. Control the time you do spend at work. While you may not be able to control the need to be in the office 9 to 5 (with no flex time built in), you can control how you spend that time. For instance, instead of spending excess time in long meetings that may mean staying at work later than planned, suggest that meetings be cut down or as efficient as possible. Limit time spent for personal errands or discussions during working hours - which may also prolong your day. These activities may be causing you to be late for after-work appointments or add undue stress towards the end of the day. Managing your time at work can help minimize stress and the time you spend at the office.
4. Exercise relieves stress. Studies show that people who exercise frequently reduce stress, not to mention improve their overall health. Exercise is also linked to helping improve your energy level and focus. This can help you be more productive at work. When stressed, take a few minutes to stretch your legs and recharge. Also try to schedule in a regular exercise routine into your daily schedule, if possible.
5. Get creative and reduce errand time. What errands can you conduct online? What errand can be split between each family member? Can you have someone else cut your lawn so that you are not spending your weekends working at home? When you spend all your time "doing," you create more stress in your life. Simplify and see which of these activities can be outsourced or eliminated completely.
6. Take time to smell the roses! It may sound cliched, but sometimes it's best to just keep it simple. Being over scheduled, over planned and having your weekends maxed out with errands and other activities can add to the daily stress of life - all of which can manifest into poor work performance. Be sure to take time to just relax.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Brand your Career
10 Tips For Communicating Your Career Brand
What talents and strengths do you want to be known for in your career? What kind of employer will be drawn to, connect with, and pay a premium for that?
These two questions capture the essence of what career branding is all about. Image and connection. Think of your brand as a uniquely individual image with a magnet attached to it. Many of the dynamics behind corporate branding–why a consumer chooses Crest over Colgate–also apply in hiring. These 10 tips will help guide you in creating and communicating a brand that will help employers choose you!
1. Job search is marketing. You are the product and the employer is the consumer. A clear and compelling career brand helps employers perceive the benefits of your product, giving you an advantage in the job market.
2. Successful career brands weave together three A’s: Authentic image, Advantages, and Awareness. Project an image of your authentic self, focus on the advantages you offer in getting the job done, and make employers aware of those advantages.
3. Branding can be accomplished through verbal and visual means. Verbal branding includes your sound bites and success stories, while visual branding is accomplished through your actions, attitude, and attire.
4. Hone your product benefits into a 3-Point Marketing Message that conveys your unique strengths. This is a critical sound bite in your branding campaign. Here’s a short and succinct example: I excel at the 3 R’s of sales: research, relationships, and revenue–I exhaustively research client needs, build relationships based on serving those needs, and have a track recording of driving record revenue as a result.
5. Create a Benefit-Driven Target Statement to keep you focused in your search, help networking contacts know how to help you, and explain your value to interviewers. Align your statement with employer buying motivators, such as generating revenue, saving money, or solving a problem.
6. Mix-and-match your success stories and sound bites to create a comfortable yet compelling 2-Minute Introduction. Consider using a tagline that helps people remember you in a unique and favorable light. Perhaps you can dub yourself “Mr. FedEx” because you always deliver projects on time!
7. Practice. You must be able to deliver your sound bites naturally, without appearing as though you’re reading a telemarketing script.
8. Visual branding means you must look the part. Ask for wardrobe advice from someone who is successful and has a good sense of style. If uncertain about how to dress for a networking event or interview, ere on the side of formality.
9. Visual branding also means you must act the part. Candidly evaluate your mindset, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. Are these consistent with others in your field who have attained notable success?
10. Find a person or two who will respectfully and selflessly support you in your commitment to shaping and enhancing your ideal image. A coach can be an ideal support person.
Branding will either contribute to or take away from the chemistry you want to create with employers. Enjoy creating and communicating your brand!
Source: Career Coach Academy
What talents and strengths do you want to be known for in your career? What kind of employer will be drawn to, connect with, and pay a premium for that?
These two questions capture the essence of what career branding is all about. Image and connection. Think of your brand as a uniquely individual image with a magnet attached to it. Many of the dynamics behind corporate branding–why a consumer chooses Crest over Colgate–also apply in hiring. These 10 tips will help guide you in creating and communicating a brand that will help employers choose you!
1. Job search is marketing. You are the product and the employer is the consumer. A clear and compelling career brand helps employers perceive the benefits of your product, giving you an advantage in the job market.
2. Successful career brands weave together three A’s: Authentic image, Advantages, and Awareness. Project an image of your authentic self, focus on the advantages you offer in getting the job done, and make employers aware of those advantages.
3. Branding can be accomplished through verbal and visual means. Verbal branding includes your sound bites and success stories, while visual branding is accomplished through your actions, attitude, and attire.
4. Hone your product benefits into a 3-Point Marketing Message that conveys your unique strengths. This is a critical sound bite in your branding campaign. Here’s a short and succinct example: I excel at the 3 R’s of sales: research, relationships, and revenue–I exhaustively research client needs, build relationships based on serving those needs, and have a track recording of driving record revenue as a result.
5. Create a Benefit-Driven Target Statement to keep you focused in your search, help networking contacts know how to help you, and explain your value to interviewers. Align your statement with employer buying motivators, such as generating revenue, saving money, or solving a problem.
6. Mix-and-match your success stories and sound bites to create a comfortable yet compelling 2-Minute Introduction. Consider using a tagline that helps people remember you in a unique and favorable light. Perhaps you can dub yourself “Mr. FedEx” because you always deliver projects on time!
7. Practice. You must be able to deliver your sound bites naturally, without appearing as though you’re reading a telemarketing script.
8. Visual branding means you must look the part. Ask for wardrobe advice from someone who is successful and has a good sense of style. If uncertain about how to dress for a networking event or interview, ere on the side of formality.
9. Visual branding also means you must act the part. Candidly evaluate your mindset, beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes. Are these consistent with others in your field who have attained notable success?
10. Find a person or two who will respectfully and selflessly support you in your commitment to shaping and enhancing your ideal image. A coach can be an ideal support person.
Branding will either contribute to or take away from the chemistry you want to create with employers. Enjoy creating and communicating your brand!
Source: Career Coach Academy
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
12 Tips to Help You Make A Better First Impression
April 18, 2011
12 Tips to Help You Make A Better First Impression
first_impressionWe talk a lot about personal branding and the need to have solid marketing documents that articulate your true value. However, if you can’t make a strong personal connection, it will be that much harder to demonstrate that you have the skills needed for the job. Making a great first impression is half the battle in impressing a hiring manager. Here are 12 tips to help you make a solid first impression, compliments of Alyson Kruger at Business Insider:
1. Dress to impress. Studies reveal that first impressions are formed within the first 17 seconds of a meeting, and 55 percent of that opinion is appearance. How does this affect your strategy for attire? Dress conservatively, even if the dress code for the workplace is casual or “funky.” Avoid loud accessories, hair styles, shoes, or anything that would take attention away from your skills. Also dress to show that you respect for the interviewee and the company.
2. Think before you speak. Seven percent of what we think of others is based on what they say. Think about how you want to come across, whether it’s humble, aggressive, optimistic, innovative, then make a list of words to convey that impression. Even if you don’t use those words it will help you prepare.
3. Watch your tone of voice. Thirty-eight percent of a person’s first impression is taken from tone of voice. Consider how you sound to others. Do you sound calm, enthusiastic, confident, humble, self-assured. Practice the way you want to be perceived.
4. Adjust your body language. Ninety-three percent of people’s judgments are based on non-verbal cues. A firm handshake, good posture, a smile, and eye contact will help reinforce a good first impression. Avoid gestures like crossing your arms or sitting too casually which may convey that you are bored or don’t care. Be aware of your physical attitude.
5. Use their name, often. People like to be acknowledged and studies show that addressing potential customers by name increases the likelihood of a sale by 36 percent. When you meet someone, say their name – “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jim.” And repeat their name through the interview. It will help cement the relationship.
6. Be on time. Being late shows a lack of respect for others’ time. If you can, arrive 15 minutes early and use the time to collect your thoughts.
7. Focus on them. Even though it’s an interview, focusing too much on yourself will bore the other party. Prepare by making a list of questions about the other person and their company. You don’t have to go into great detail but show that you are interested in learning more about them.
8. Listen. We have talked about the need for good listening skills in the past. Exchange information, don’t dominate the conversation, and listen to the others closely. Also acknowledge what they are saying with phrases like, “that makes sense” or “interesting” or “can you elaborate on that” to show you are engaged.
9. Tain’t necessarily funny. Watch the use of humor. Avoid sarcasm or controversial jokes that could be misinterpreted, especially if you are meeting someone for the first time.
10. Bring your documents. Don’t assume they will have copies of your documents. Bringing your own paperwork shows you are prepared. And bring them in a portfolio or briefcase to show you are organized.
11. Do your homework. Learn all you can about the person whom you will be meeting. Check them out on LinkedIn, the corporate web site, and using other social networking tools so you can ask informed questions about them.
12. Be yourself. If you can, try to relax and be yourself – be authentic. To help you overcome nervousness, do something to relieve the stress. Exercise beforehand, listen to music, whatever helps you relax. Also give yourself a pep talk, list your best qualities, practice in the mirror, or call a friend to give you a boost. And during the meeting try to relax. You can never know what the other party is thinking so just be yourself.
12 Tips to Help You Make A Better First Impression
first_impressionWe talk a lot about personal branding and the need to have solid marketing documents that articulate your true value. However, if you can’t make a strong personal connection, it will be that much harder to demonstrate that you have the skills needed for the job. Making a great first impression is half the battle in impressing a hiring manager. Here are 12 tips to help you make a solid first impression, compliments of Alyson Kruger at Business Insider:
1. Dress to impress. Studies reveal that first impressions are formed within the first 17 seconds of a meeting, and 55 percent of that opinion is appearance. How does this affect your strategy for attire? Dress conservatively, even if the dress code for the workplace is casual or “funky.” Avoid loud accessories, hair styles, shoes, or anything that would take attention away from your skills. Also dress to show that you respect for the interviewee and the company.
2. Think before you speak. Seven percent of what we think of others is based on what they say. Think about how you want to come across, whether it’s humble, aggressive, optimistic, innovative, then make a list of words to convey that impression. Even if you don’t use those words it will help you prepare.
3. Watch your tone of voice. Thirty-eight percent of a person’s first impression is taken from tone of voice. Consider how you sound to others. Do you sound calm, enthusiastic, confident, humble, self-assured. Practice the way you want to be perceived.
4. Adjust your body language. Ninety-three percent of people’s judgments are based on non-verbal cues. A firm handshake, good posture, a smile, and eye contact will help reinforce a good first impression. Avoid gestures like crossing your arms or sitting too casually which may convey that you are bored or don’t care. Be aware of your physical attitude.
5. Use their name, often. People like to be acknowledged and studies show that addressing potential customers by name increases the likelihood of a sale by 36 percent. When you meet someone, say their name – “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jim.” And repeat their name through the interview. It will help cement the relationship.
6. Be on time. Being late shows a lack of respect for others’ time. If you can, arrive 15 minutes early and use the time to collect your thoughts.
7. Focus on them. Even though it’s an interview, focusing too much on yourself will bore the other party. Prepare by making a list of questions about the other person and their company. You don’t have to go into great detail but show that you are interested in learning more about them.
8. Listen. We have talked about the need for good listening skills in the past. Exchange information, don’t dominate the conversation, and listen to the others closely. Also acknowledge what they are saying with phrases like, “that makes sense” or “interesting” or “can you elaborate on that” to show you are engaged.
9. Tain’t necessarily funny. Watch the use of humor. Avoid sarcasm or controversial jokes that could be misinterpreted, especially if you are meeting someone for the first time.
10. Bring your documents. Don’t assume they will have copies of your documents. Bringing your own paperwork shows you are prepared. And bring them in a portfolio or briefcase to show you are organized.
11. Do your homework. Learn all you can about the person whom you will be meeting. Check them out on LinkedIn, the corporate web site, and using other social networking tools so you can ask informed questions about them.
12. Be yourself. If you can, try to relax and be yourself – be authentic. To help you overcome nervousness, do something to relieve the stress. Exercise beforehand, listen to music, whatever helps you relax. Also give yourself a pep talk, list your best qualities, practice in the mirror, or call a friend to give you a boost. And during the meeting try to relax. You can never know what the other party is thinking so just be yourself.
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