Saturday, May 30, 2020

Virtual Contacts 2 Real World Contacts

Virtual Contacts 2 Real World Contacts I got this question on Twitter a couple of weeks ago: Hello Jason, I am looking for an ans. hope you can help me.How do I translate online connections into real world ones? thanks. This is a great question, especially as we are encouraged to network online, and try and figure out if we want to connect on LinkedIn, or how we will accept Friends on Facebook, etc.   Here are some ideas: Email the person. This is super easy because its just a simple email we all read email, we all write email. However, I get emails from people and cant tell if its spam or form letters or real, genuine interest in me.   Be careful how you craft it I dont like anything too formal (looks like spam), and I trash stuff an email that is addressed to someone, but no my name (webmaster, sirs, etc. is not good enough). Ask the person to lunch. This is my favorite thing to do.   When I first started networking with bloggers in Utah I thought that they all knew one another, and that I was the outsider.   I quickly found out that very few of them had met face-to-face sitting down for an hour or two, learning about them, and sharing time with them is a terrific way to start a relationship. Do them a favor. Perhaps introduce them to a network contact.   Or send them a book from Amazon.   Do something that shows them you are more than just someone trying to get more numbers in your network.   Dont stalk, but be considerate and thoughtful.   Im not good at this but have had the fortune of meeting a small handful of people who are amazing (Heather Gardner). Introduce them to someone in your network. This is free and so powerful.   Making connections between your contacts is an awesome thing to do for each person (including yourself).   Youll be amazed at some of the connections you can make, and you will start to earn the confidence of individuals in your network. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! Harder to do as your network gets bigger, but so important.   Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to stay relevant to your contacts!   I hear JibberJobber is a great tool to help keep up with follow-up things. What do you suggest to translate virtual contacts to real world contacts? Virtual Contacts 2 Real World Contacts I got this question on Twitter a couple of weeks ago: Hello Jason, I am looking for an ans. hope you can help me.How do I translate online connections into real world ones? thanks. This is a great question, especially as we are encouraged to network online, and try and figure out if we want to connect on LinkedIn, or how we will accept Friends on Facebook, etc.   Here are some ideas: Email the person. This is super easy because its just a simple email we all read email, we all write email. However, I get emails from people and cant tell if its spam or form letters or real, genuine interest in me.   Be careful how you craft it I dont like anything too formal (looks like spam), and I trash stuff an email that is addressed to someone, but no my name (webmaster, sirs, etc. is not good enough). Ask the person to lunch. This is my favorite thing to do.   When I first started networking with bloggers in Utah I thought that they all knew one another, and that I was the outsider.   I quickly found out that very few of them had met face-to-face sitting down for an hour or two, learning about them, and sharing time with them is a terrific way to start a relationship. Do them a favor. Perhaps introduce them to a network contact.   Or send them a book from Amazon.   Do something that shows them you are more than just someone trying to get more numbers in your network.   Dont stalk, but be considerate and thoughtful.   Im not good at this but have had the fortune of meeting a small handful of people who are amazing (Heather Gardner). Introduce them to someone in your network. This is free and so powerful.   Making connections between your contacts is an awesome thing to do for each person (including yourself).   Youll be amazed at some of the connections you can make, and you will start to earn the confidence of individuals in your network. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! Harder to do as your network gets bigger, but so important.   Perhaps the single most important thing you can do to stay relevant to your contacts!   I hear JibberJobber is a great tool to help keep up with follow-up things. What do you suggest to translate virtual contacts to real world contacts?

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Resume Design Vs Resumes Writing

Resume Design Vs Resumes WritingThere is a very large difference between resume design and resume writing. Both need to be perfect. Some great examples of resume design and resume writing are the internet, resume paper, and even the resume book.If you want to learn how to write a great resume, and then to also learn how to apply resume design to your resume, then this article was written for you. You will learn how to make your resume shine with the help of resume design. Just read on to discover the information you have been looking for!Creative Resume Writing - there is nothing better than designing your own resume, and this is not something that you do without any professional help. Why would you want to do this? Because the first step in developing a great resume is creating a great resume, and resume design is all about creating great resumes. So, it's your time to shine, and you must start right now!You will be shocked at the number of different styles and formats you can creat e. Even a simple resume that is designed on a computer, can be modified and edited to fit any purpose, but if you choose to make your resume through resume writing, you get to be creative. That is one of the reasons that resume writing is so popular nowadays, because you can be as much of a designer as you like.The second huge benefit of resume writing is that you can customize it to any purpose. You don't have to stick to the standard format and style, you can be as creative as you like, just like you can be when creating a resume design.Post-its or Cross-outs: There are also other methods to edit and customize your resumes, and it's not difficult to do either. By adding cross-outs or bullet points, it is very easy to bring down the number of things on your resume. This saves you a lot of time, and it also shows that you actually did some work and know a little about what you are applying for.Letterhead: You can also make use of a letterhead, which is made from a lot of paper, and you can use that to save yourself a lot of time. By utilizing letterhead, you can have different logos, graphics, and pictures on the front side of your letterhead. This way, it would look very professional and it would also be very impressive.It is very easy to utilize both resume writing and resume design to your advantage. Keep this in mind, and you can do very well.

Saturday, May 23, 2020

How to Quit Well

How to Quit Well So it’s time to go. Maybe even past time. You’ve been thinking about moving on from your current job for a while, and you’re wondering whether to stick it out until you find a new job or leave now. Here are some things to consider. The answer is almost always to stay until you find a new position, unless your job is affecting your health or wellbeing. Planning your exit gives you time to set goals and deadlines and to create a budget for paying down debt and reducing your current expenses. You should be prepared to cover expenses when you leave; you may have to pay for COBRA coverage for interim benefits or cover medical expense out of pocket until your new benefits kick in. You may wind up commuting longer distances, so your car may need repairs or upkeep. In most cases, you won’t qualify for unemployment if you quit your job, so you won’t have that safety net to tide you over. Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'XgDP0feeQ45Akljx2L79HQ',sig:'p0-QoicH7aBb3QWbrpXO3ETMMZHnfvhWjB1THOmu1eM=',w:'336px',h:'508px',items:'98666960',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); If you plan to stay at your job for a while, take a careful look at your recent performance. Are you starting to let your lack of passion for the job show? If so, pick up the pace. There are two dangers in letting your performance lag: one is that you may be asked to leave before you’re ready (aka being fired.) The second is that even if you’re not fired, you may not be welcome back to the company if your last few weeks or months were lackluster. I’ve written before about the importance of leaving on good terms and how new jobs don’t always turn out the way you hoped. Both good reasons to make sure you have a bridge back to your former position. Make sure that your job search efforts are ethical and done on your own time. Be aware that a flurry of sudden activity, including a series of absences for interviews or updating your LinkedIn profile may tip off coworkers or your boss that you are getting ready to make a change. Being ethical about your plan includes deciding what you’ll say if someone asks you outright if you’re planning to leave. When you do start looking in earnest, keep in mind that it’s easier to find a job while you’re still employed. Companies still have a bias toward people who are working. In fact, if your period of unemployment lasts more than a few months, it can be very difficult to get back into the market. Matthew O’Brien, writing for The Atlantic in 2013, says that there’s a very big gap between the job market for those who have been out of work a short while and those who are long-term unemployed. He reports on a study by a researcher who put 3,600 fake resumes out into the market. He kept all demographics (like education experience) equal except for the length of time the applicants (all with racially neutral, male names) had ostensibly been out of a job. He wanted to see who would get called back. The results were definitive. He writes; “Employers prefer applicants who havent been out of work for very long, applicants who have industry experience, and applicants who havent moved between jobs that much. But how long youve been out of work trumps those other factors.” If you quit, be sure you can get back to work quickly. You may also be raising red flags if you quit your job without a compelling reason you feel comfortable discussing. Alison Green, who writes the “Ask a Manager” blog, says: “As for whether it’s going to be a red flag for employers in the future, it probably will be for some. Rightly or wrongly, employers tend to assume that people don’t quit jobs without another lined up unless (a) they were about to be fired, (b) they actually were fired and are just saying that they quit, or (c) they’re potentially someone who walks when things are frustrating, which is worrisome because of course every job will be have frustrations at one point or another..” Should you stay or should you go? Until you have a great job offer in writing, you should stay.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Be Fearless to Find Collaborative Partners - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Be Fearless to Find Collaborative Partners - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There is a steep learning curve to be overcome when you are accustomed to competition and competing for prizes. Most people in business fall to the fear of others vying for the same clientele. The problem is conclusions are not always correct, and opportunities lost. One example is of sales professionals who perform varying types of work. Some train executives while others coach beginners, and some work in-person while others are online. Their clientele differs and their focus is limited, but when they collaborate to share information of one another, their reach becomes exponential. Partnering may then expand to many types of related endeavors that become an expanded branding program. The Problem Reluctance to share equally in the promotion of one another will limit a person’s approach to one audience. Cross-over for potential new clients is not possible. Fear prohibits people from moving ahead and eventually will put them behind. Some people will be very appreciative of your willingness to help them, but will not reciprocate in return. Free yourself of unequal partnerships to leave time for those willing to genuinely partner. In sales, the advice is to “qualify and match” for clientele. But this is true for everything you do. It’s another type of balance. Selecting the Better Partners Reciprocity in sharing content and referring others. Support for and contribution to new ideas. Help is readily available. Recognizing the fact that not everyone views business the same way, allows you to move on to find those who do. Being fearless for finding new partners while maintaining balance in all areas gives you a better chance for steadily moving forward. The second order of “qualify and match” is to look for the methods of how others conduct business. Check for ethics, customer service and whether their effort is a traditional in-person approach or more online. We each need to decide the better factors for our model of business so that we may find the better collaborators. The significance of who you select as partners is it reflects heavily on your personal brand. Your Story As we approach the year-end, think about everyone you view as a part of your inner circle. Is each of you supported equally? Do some question marks exist? Do you view some as old school versus what you are trying to accomplish? The end of the year is the best time to re-strategize career and business. Perhaps just a tweak or two need to be made, or an entirely different strategy is in order. The important piece is to pay keen attention and make the needed changes to free yourself from wasted effort and time. Create a plan so that you may enjoy a highly successful new year. Sales Tips: Think about your top personal connections to list the most supportive. Think about those you support but who fail to reciprocate. Consider if it’s time to move away from those who do not do the same for you. List the people you with whom you would like to connect. Create a list of the companies you wish to contact. Craft a plan for connecting with the people and the companies to improve results. Speak with people who are similarly aligned with your newer endeavors to gain insights. Revise your plan for moving forward in the New Year. Commit to the new and incorporate frequent review to refine as needed. Celebrate success! Following these guidelines will lead you to the Smooth Sale!

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Writing a Good Cover Letter For Resume

Writing a Good Cover Letter For ResumeWhen you are writing a good cover letter for resume, your skills and interests would naturally come to the fore. This is something that you should be aware of when doing it. This is because you have to bring out your strengths and develop them to make a good impression on the hiring manager.However, when writing a good cover letter for resume, it is important to remember that not all applicants are equal. There are many different applicants to hire, so as you make your own statement, it would be important to focus on how you can differentiate yourself from the others. To do this, consider some ways to strengthen your chances of getting hired.You would need to look at your achievements when it comes to your field in order to create a good impression on the hiring manager. Your industry and level of expertise will help you in making a good impression. It would be helpful if you also have some stories of accomplishments that could help in making a b etter impression. The more you have, the better your chances of being hired.Write a compelling opening line and then work on your cover letter. When you are sure that you have filled in all the information in your resume, you can start off with your first paragraph. It is a good idea to try out different kinds of phrases to make it easier for the reader to understand.Make a positive statement and then tell your story. If your life has been full of challenges and failures, you would have no doubt been through enough, and this will definitely make the readers wonder about your capabilities. The truth is that your story would have a great impact on the hiring manager. Just be sure that the only thing you want to emphasize is that you have made mistakes and are willing to learn from them.Have a specific question and try to provide the details of what happened. It is important to give a detailed account of what happened when you were faced with a specific problem, so that you would have a specific reason for your failure and achievements to back it up.Remember that your resume should contain your experience and abilities that are needed to get the job done. In order to make your cover letter good, remember to put emphasis on the skills and talents that would be needed to tackle the tasks that you have undertaken.When you are writing a good cover letter for resume, your resume should have a focus on what the employer is looking for. Therefore, it is important to emphasize the abilities that are needed for the job to be done and the problems that you have had in order to succeed.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

If Your Business Model is Flawed, Your Marketing Wont Work - Kathy Caprino

If Your Business Model is Flawed, Your Marketing Won’t Work In working with hundreds of professional women these past several years, and launching my new Breakthrough Vision marketing and Prosperity Marketing Mindset programs, I’ve uncovered one key truth that was hidden to me in the past: If your business model is flawed, no amount of great marketing will help you make the money you need and want. Here’s a case study of what I mean, using my personal experience (I’m sharing here the real insider story about small business â€" something you’ll seldom hear from thousands of professed “experts,” many of whom aren’t making a living). I launched a career coaching practice after long, hard research about what it takes to be successful, and earning the credentials, experiences and know-how to be respected and recognized in my field, and to rise above the competition.   I followed all the core marketing and business development strategies that one needs to achieve national recognition, and be considered an acclaimed “expert” as coach, author, and speaker. Throughout this 9-year development process, I learned some hard-earned insights about myself as professional and about what it takes for me to be a successful entrepreneur, namely: 1) I LOVE helping women achieve breakthrough in their lives and work, relationships, and in themselves â€" to create life and work as they truly want it. 2) I LOVE to help a select group of women.   Here are my personal criteria for folks I’ll work with as clients: Above the line thinkers (those who believe they are accountable, capable, responsible and ready to commit to reclaiming their lives) Ready and able to do the inner and out work of real change Able to invest time, money, energy in the process of life and career change Not expecting an easy fix or magic bullet Not viewing me as the answer to all their problems Able to make the financial investment of working with me, without it adding stress to their already stressed-out lives 3) I DON’T WANT to work (and to be paid) only on an hourly basis (even if my hourly wage is substantial, as a coach or consultant).   I DO want to have several different avenues of generating revenue, including one-on-one work, group coaching, speaking engagements, marketing and business consulting, and successful passive-income coaching and marketing programs and streams top programs and resources that help a wide global network of women, without my having to necessarily provide them with direct, in-person service.   I’d like to make money while I sleep! 4) I’ve EMBRACED what it takes to identify exactly what I want to create, produce, and sell in terms of products and programs, and have a solid plan for building those But You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know I was trucking along these past years building my coaching business, and everything I was doing felt and sounded “right,” until about six months ago, when I finally realized, “You don’t know what you don’t know!” Here’s what I realized I hadn’t known, in developing my coaching business model: The Big Flaw There was a big flaw in my business model.   The FLAWED part of my model is that, after years of serving as a career coach for women, I realized that my business is simply too limited in focus and too narrow in terms of the types of products and services I offered, to be financially successful at the level I wanted it to be. My narrow service niche (career coaching for women) which I deliberately and intentionally designed has turned out to be too confining and limiting for me.   Career coaching alone isn’t tapping into all the many marketing, business development, communications, and strategic planning skills, talents and experience that I’ve earned in my 20 years in the corporate arena.   I had chucked out the idea of using those marketing and business development skills (or, more accurately, before now it hadn’t even occurred to me to utilize these skills as a consultant) because much of my corporate experience had been so emotionally unsatisfying for me that I threw the baby out with the bathwater!   But doing so meant I was stopping myself from serving thousands more women whom I truly want to support, in ways I’m uniquely capable. As a result, the financial and emotional success results of my business were limited for me as well. Here are several core nuggets of learning from these past 10 years of shaping my new professional life and business: 1) Marketing won’t help you, when your business model is flawed No matter how strong your marketing is â€" no matter how well planned or executed   â€" if your business, services and focus are too narrow or only tap into a very limited group of clients/customers, then your rewards will be limited as well. Scrutinize your business model intensively â€" look at the niche you serve and the products and services you offer â€" and make sure there’s sufficient breadth, depth, and reach to make the money you need to, each and every month. 2) Marketing also won’t help you in you don’t know how to run a business or manage money. There are 5 “M’s” that are essential to running a successful business.   They are: Management Money Marketing Mastery Mission Don’t skimp on mastering these “M’s” or getting outside help to do it.   Running a business successfully is a large endeavor, and you can’t do it alone. 3) Determine ALL the talents you have that you want to use, and create a plan to utilize them all  For me, I’ve learned that there’s another vast and growing group women entrepreneurs â€" whom I want to help and support, along with all the women in corporate America who are in urgent need of career transition assistance.   I know now that I want to offer career growth support, as well as top-level strategic marketing, business planning and development, and financial guidance to help women entrepreneurs create their businesses to succeed and thrive, from the moment their business launches and onward.   And it turns out I have the experience and skill to do it. 4) Make sure that the niche you want to serve is big enough, and has the ability to utilize, hire and pay you Another truism in business â€" if you want to be profitable, you have to make money.   This is NOT a volunteer endeavor, this is a business.   So make sure that the target group you serve is big enough to support your business, and full of thousands of people whom you can reach, who are in the emotional, financial, and behavioral condition to utilize your products and services fully, and can pay for them easily, without strain. 5) Spend money on marketing your business only after you have clarity After you’ve developed a sound business model, then and only then should you invest in marketing your business and branding.   Don’t spend thousands of dollars on marketing before you know what you need to offer and provide. 6) Think bigger about yourself Identifying a defined niche and serving it well is essential, but in doing that, don’t limit yourself to only one facet of yourself and your skills.   Use all of your talents and skills, and expand to new dimensions that allow you to use ALL of who you are, for the greater good of your business, and for the world. *   *   *   *   *   * There’s a great deal involved in creating a successful entrepreneurial venture, and crafting a long-term career that you love and that brings you success and fulfillment.     But you can do it!   Get help to master the 5 M’s of business, and build a strong model and foundation for your business, get help where you need it, and be open to learning what you don’t now know.   Then, you’ll be well on your way. Take a look at your business model can you see where there might a tiny flaw or crack thats holding back the success you long for?   Share your comments here please!

Friday, May 8, 2020

How to Impress Your Stakeholders

How to Impress Your Stakeholders People are always forming impressions of each other. We can’t help it because that’s just how our brains work. And it happens quickly â€" it takes just 0.7 seconds for our brains to form an impression. And when it comes to your career, these impressions can make a fundamental difference to the opportunities you get and how you move forward, or not. Since stakeholders are the people who have a say (and a stake) in your work and your career, they’re key to your progression and worth having on your side. So, how do you impress them? In my experience, there are two kinds of situations that are especially important to get right when it comes to impressing your stakeholders. Two Kinds of Moments to Impress Stakeholders 1. The “Stand Out” Moments The “stand out” moments are when you’re “on stage”, whether that’s making a presentation to the executive committee, in a major client pitch or giving a speech. These are formal situations when you know you’re being watched and evaluated so you’re likely to prepare and be at your best. 2. The “Everyday” Moments The second kind are the “everyday moments” that are part of your daily routine, so you’re likely to discount their importance because you’re “off stage”. These can be informal situations around the coffee machine, your weekly team meeting, or just walking down the hall. These are the situations that can let you down or raise you up without your realizing it. They can sneak up on you because you take them for granted and aren’t self-managing. Because it’s what you do every day, it’s easy to stop noticing how you’re showing up. After all, it feels like you’re “off stage” and it’s exhausting to be “on” 100% of the time. When you’re not conscious of how you’re coming across in these routine moments, they can become “stand out” moments, both good and bad. When Routine Moments Become Stand Out Moments I learned this when I was coming up for promotion to a more senior level. Unfortunately, I had a habit of walking into meetings with a large stack of papers (in case someone asked me a question and I needed to look up the answer) and taking copious notes (so I would remember everything that went on and be able to follow up). Imagine a cross between a filing clerk and someone taking dictation. While this was a great strategy when I first started out, nine years later it made me come across as still that junior team member and lacking in confidence as I clutched my “security blanket” of files. Well, I didn’t get promoted that time but making better use of those everyday moments helped me get promoted the next year. You’re Never “Off Stage” The lesson I learned was that you’re never truly “off stage” as long as you’re around other people. I don’t say this to make you feel self-conscious or stressed. And it’s definitely not about acting, pretending or being fake. It’s about being your best self intentionally, even if there’s not a clear reward for doing so. So be aware of how you’re showing up every day, especially when you think you’re “off stage”. It’s simple things like how you walk through the hall, where you choose to sit in a meeting and how engaged you are, your posture, nervous habits, how you respond to requests from senior people and team members alike. “You are who you are when you think no one’s looking.” The good news is, you have opportunities every day to make a good impression. You just have to be aware and use them consciously. You have opportunities every day to make a good impression. Be aware and use them consciously. Use All the Moments When you use all the moments in your day to your advantage, you’ll be better able to impress your stakeholders â€" current and future. And that leads to greater opportunities and ultimately, the career you dream of. You never know who might become a stakeholder in the future. So make sure that the way you conduct yourself everyday represents you well. That makes it easy for people to form the right impression of you. How are you showing up every day and what change would make the biggest difference to impressing your stakeholders? Leave a comment and let me know. Next week, I’ll share some advice on how to sound like a leader so you can impress your stakeholders even more!