Posts filed under 'Marketing Yourself'
October 13th, 2008
The following myths are from networking expert Liz Ryan, who is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace.
6. Networking is only for entrepreneurs.
If you don’t believe that having business contacts and experts at your disposal would be useful for you as a corporate person, talk to any top business leader and ask his or her opinion. It’s essential to be connected to other professionals, not just for “it’s-who-you-know” reasons but in order to get perspectives on your business and career issues that are different from?your own.
7. Networking is a waste of time.
Your networking time will surely be wasted if you approach each interaction as an opportunity hawk your wares. Ditto if you believe that your job as a networker is to tell every person you meet all about your job search and express no interest in him or her. If you can get past these bad networking ideas and cultivate some relationships, your time will be well spent.
8. Networking is expensive.
The popular networking site LinkedIn has a free membership level and 15 million users. Plenty of face-to-face networking events in your town will cost you nothing more than parking or bus fare.
9. Networking is phony.
If you go to a party at your sister’s house and meet her boyfriend’s dad, is your conversation phony? Networking conversations need not be any different than any other interactions between new acquaintances. It’s up to you.
10. Networking is a thing of the past.
Person-to-person relationships are more important in business than ever. If anything, networking is a thing of the future.
October 9th, 2008
The following myths are from networking expert Liz Ryan, who is a 25-year HR veteran, former Fortune 500 VP and an internationally recognized expert on careers and the new millennium workplace.
1. Networking means meeting as many people as you can.
If possessing a huge stack of business cards or having met every business person in your city was a ticket to riches, this might be true. But it’s not. Networking gives you a chance to meet new people, but quality trumps quantity in human relationships, every time.
2. Networking means telling people about your business whenever you get a chance.
There’s nothing wrong with letting the folks at your gym, at your place of worship, and at your book club know what you do for a living. But people will quickly forget the details of your professional life. What they’ll remember is you — if you approach them with a desire to learn about them, as well.
3. Networking is hard work.
It may be that you’re working too hard. Networking happens naturally if you introduce yourself to people, stay in touch with people you’ve met, and think, in every interaction, “How could I help this person?”
4. Networking should start when you’re job-hunting.
If you get the call that you’ve been selected to compete on “American Idol,” it’s too late to start an exercise program or go on a diet. When you’re out of work, it’s a bit late in the game to start networking toward your next job. If you have to start then, do it; but it’s far better to start networking now, and build contacts for the job search that will inevitably come your way if you’re a working person who isn’t close to retirement.
5. Networking is for schmoozers.
Schmoozing is by far the least important networking skill. Good listening is far more useful to a relationship-builder than the ability to spit a thirty-second elevator pitch into someone’s face.
Check back soon for tips 6-10!
September 23rd, 2008
Job Fair season is here and for any of you out there attending one to meet a potential new employer - beware of your behavior while being a participant. As I just attended a job fair, I will admit, I was shocked to see some things that definitely could deter a person from finding a job. Many of my colleagues made note of things and as a blogger, I felt compelled to share. A couple of tips to be mindful of:
- Dress professional - no shorts, low cut tops, tank tops, or sandals. Wear a smile, and have no food or chewing gum while visiting the booths- save it for outside.
- Companies are not just there to hand out freebies such as pens, candy and company logo items. Be considerate of one per customer and remember you are at a job fair to get a job, not the coolest new pen in town. While employers take pride in the products that they can share with candidates, the point is sharing. They want to talk to you and see how you might fit into their company and tell you about the opportunities they have. It is discouraging for employers and Human Resource professionals that spend their day talking up their company only to find out that all someone wants is the pen they have, not hear about their company.
- Make sure to have childcare arranged so you do not have to bring your children. Employers want to meet you and focus on you, not whether the kids are going to destroy their display.
- Don’t take up too much of the HR professional’s time. Share your resume and listen to what to they have to say. Find the details about what they offer.
- Find out the application process and if there is follow up required after the job fair.
- Remember that this is a brief chance meeting with the company. Make your best impression because employers recall things from job fairs.
Share the job fair stories that you have witnessed or embarrassing situations - everyone has one!
September 3rd, 2008
Tattoos are never going to be fully acceptable in every workplace, but as they are becoming more accepted throughout society, the guidelines are becoming more relaxed in the workplace.
In most workplaces, as long as the tattoos are covered up, it is okay for people to have them. Service industries typically have the highest restrictions regarding tattoos since they deal with customers and clients on a regular basis. In other industries where employees have limited or virtually no contact with outsiders, the rules are more lenient for body art.
What do you think about tattoos? What makes a tattoo acceptable or not? Does a tattoo really affect a person’s work performance?
We would love to hear your views about tattoos in the workplace!
August 25th, 2008
As the Olympics come to a close, some of the memories I’ll take from these games are Michael Phelps’ dominance in swimming, the USA team coming in 1-2 in the all-around women’s gymnastics final, and the latest version of USA basketball’s Dream Team bringing the Gold back where it belongs. But, even more than the individual or team accomplishments, I will take from these games the pride that all these athletes have in their country.
Take a look at the athletes in these Olympic games. While they have spent their many years training for this moment, and the individual payoff of a gold medal is the ultimate goal, the opportunity to represent their country is the greatest honor in these games. I hope that on some level, our generation hasn’t got away from loyalty to the companies that we work for and that we are proud to represent them as well.
In many ways, we can use sports as a model for business success. Hard work, teamwork, and going the extra mile. People coming together for a common goal. All things companies look for in their employees. Most believe that these traits create a formula for business success. Most would be right.
Do you take pride in your work? Are you working for yourself, or for the company?
Maybe it’s both.
August 8th, 2008
No one likes to be criticized or even be the one to do the criticizing. The thing people need to realize that to be successful in obtaining or keeping a job is that we are all flawed. As a Recruiter and sometime Employment Counselor/Coach/Mentor/Cheerleader, I often deal with people that are frustrated they have had 10 interviews and no job offer. Sometimes someone can send out 100 resumes and receive no phone calls for an interview.
I often am put in a position when someone asks “Why is this happening to me?” I only am doing my job well if I am honest with people- if a resume looks scattered and fluffy-I encourage a candidate to rethink the resume and use facts/figures/details, not just buzzwords. After the candidates make the changes, if they start getting calls for interviews, maybe that was the trick. If a client offers feedback after an interview that the candidate was not confident and questioned if they could do the job-they talked themselves out of a job. Remind yourself that an interview should be an honest reflection of you, but if you come across as a “Debbie Downer,” you might not get a call back.
The best thing to think about criticism is that it should reflect some truth and the criticism may change the outcome of an effort-if it was constructive. It should never be intentionally hurtful. When feedback feels negative, it strikes a nerve-sometimes that is uncomfortable.
Just remember, take the feedback and do something with it. Turn it into a way to check in with yourself. Be conscious of things that were said or expressed. Write them down and recognize them. Listen to the criticism and see if it makes a difference with the end result.
July 30th, 2008
In order to be equipped for interviews in today’s working world, it is very important to do your research. Not only should you learn about the company and the position that you are applying for, but also your own experience and qualifications. Be prepared to discuss specific reasons why you would be an asset to the company, and provide examples of work-related accomplishments.
Tricks to help you: The 3 B’s and RELAX!
Be Prepared
Be Honest
Be Calm
R - Research
E - Experience
L – Lessons Learned – turn mistakes into a positive
A – Attitude – have a positive attitude
X– eXamples
Remember to smile!
July 24th, 2008
Have you heard the phrase or been sent an invitation and said “what on earth is this LinkedIn?” Well, I am here to tell you about it. LinkedIn is an online networking resource tool that people from all over the world can connect with.
First, to be able to connect you need to be a member- it’s free to join. Second, you need to have a purpose: job seekers-networking-professional-personal affiliations. Visit www.linkedin.com - (now don’t go look at that site until you finish reading this and post your opinion about LinkedIn). Do you have a profile up? If not, it doesn’t take that long to do it. It will be worth it if you know you will use it.
Once you have a LinkedIn account - there are a number of ways of inviting people to connect on LinkedIn. The follow is from LinkedIn Q & A page:
If you have specific contacts in mind: Invite one contact at a time by entering his or her name and email address into the Quick Invite Box on the home page.
To see which of your contacts are already LinkedIn and easily select multiple contacts to invite: Upload contacts from Outlook or upload a .csv file of your contacts into the Other Contacts section of your LinkedIn account. From there, you can see which of your contacts are already LinkedIn, select contacts and invite them to connect. *Note that these two methods require that you know the email address of each person you invite to connect.
To reconnect with colleagues or classmates who are already LinkedIn, use LinkedIn Colleague and Classmate Reconnect features:
Colleague Reconnect helps you connect with current and former colleagues who are already LinkedIn users. It searches for LinkedIn users who have worked at companies and at times that match those in your profile, then displays the results so you can decide which colleagues to invite.
Classmate Reconnect helps you find current and former classmates who are already LinkedIn users. It searches for classmates with educational experience in their profiles that matches yours, then displays the results so you can decide which classmates to invite.
LinkedIn is actually a neat tool to connect with people in similar professions, help solve problems in your working world, help with a job search, and connect with an old co-worker. Check it out!
July 22nd, 2008
The potential for employers to see your online accounts is very likely nowadays. The Internet is such a highly used resource in today’s technologically advanced world, and an employer could possibly look at your Myspace or Facebook account. Employers can use your online profile to do a little more research about who you are as a person.
In my opinion, these accounts really should be completely separate from work. These social media sites were designed as a tool for people to keep in touch with old friends or to stay hip to the new age way of communicating.
On the other hand, these online accounts should not be so inappropriate that a future employer could not look at them.
Just keep in mind, future or current employers could have access to look at your MySpace or Facebook accounts, and if there is something inappropriate for work, you should probably avoid putting it on your personal page.
July 9th, 2008
Network with previous employers from summer jobs or internships, classmates, and parents of friends and classmates. Do some connecting with local affiliations that are of interest to you or your field. A simple e-mail with your resume and a note attached will suffice- don’t be pushy. Have good follow up, but not to often. You do not want to become a pest.
In addition, open your search outside of the obvious box. Connect with a good Recruiter. You never know how they can help with your search or who they may know in order to assist you in your search.
Do you have any tips for the fresh talent in the job market?
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