Get. It. Done.

Get. It. Done. I just read one of my newly favorite business books called Bootstrap Business.  It really was quite brilliant even though it was longer than I normally read it was full of a lot of meat: advice, stories, case studies, practical ideas, etc. Highly recommended. Get Bootstrap Business here (amazon affiliate link). One thing that Im almost positive I read in there (I read about 4 books at a time and might have gotten mixed up) was how to make sure you are getting things done. Not just being busy, but actually moving forward in a strategic, methodical way. Rich Christiansen suggested you simply make two lists one of IMPORTANT things you need to do today and one of URGENT things you need to do today. Then, make sure you do the IMPORTANT things. Brilliant, really. The URGENT things will be done, I promise.  They have to get done. Dont the IMPORTANT things tend to get pushed aside and delayed? But if you focus, every day, on making sure that IMPORTANT things are getting done then you are moving forward. Thanks Rich, for one tiny tidbit that has already had a significant impact on my business! Get. It. Done. I just read one of my newly favorite business books called Bootstrap Business.  It really was quite brilliant even though it was longer than I normally read it was full of a lot of meat: advice, stories, case studies, practical ideas, etc. Highly recommended. Get Bootstrap Business here (amazon affiliate link). One thing that Im almost positive I read in there (I read about 4 books at a time and might have gotten mixed up) was how to make sure you are getting things done. Not just being busy, but actually moving forward in a strategic, methodical way. Rich Christiansen suggested you simply make two lists one of IMPORTANT things you need to do today and one of URGENT things you need to do today. Then, make sure you do the IMPORTANT things. Brilliant, really. The URGENT things will be done, I promise.  They have to get done. Dont the IMPORTANT things tend to get pushed aside and delayed? But if you focus, every day, on making sure that IMPORTANT things are getting done then you are moving forward. Thanks Rich, for one tiny tidbit that has already had a significant impact on my business!

Why You Shouldnt Hire the Perfect Employee on Paper

Why You Shouldn’t Hire the Perfect Employee on Paper A couple of years ago, I was working with a SaaS startup in San Francisco when I was told we would be looking for a new VP, Sales to manage the sales team.Up until now, our VP of Sales Ops was wearing both hats and managing the sales team. Hiring a dedicated VP, Sales was necessary to help drive the growth that our sales team needed. So, we did what any smart team would do. We posted the job online and as the applications came in, we started screening candidates.The ScreeningThere were impressive profiles here and there, as well as some lousy profiles. We unanimously agreed that one candidate, in particular, was the most impressive candidate on paper. For the sake of this article, we will call him Charlie. Charlie was the “perfect employee.” We called Charlie and set up an interview.The InterviewOn the day of the interview, we eagerly waited to meet Charlie in the conference room. Our office manager brought him into the room, we shook hands, then sat down. So far so good, I thoug ht to myself.As we began chatting, Charlie and I hit it off. We talked about his background, work experience, passions, why he was interested in the role, salary expectations, etc. Pretty much everything you would expect from an in-person interview.The OfferLong story short, Charlie was extended an offer and would start working in 2-weeks. While we did invite three other candidates in for an in-person interview, it was really just to compare them against Charlie. He was our number one option from the time we looked at his resume until we extended an offer.The MessThis is the part of the story that I wish never happened. Although looking back, a valuable lesson was learned that I am ultimately grateful for. Within about 2.5 months of hiring Charlie, all hell had broken loose. What we didn’t find out from his resume or interview was that he was an intense micromanager. The last thing that anyone wants in a startup environment is a dictator-like-micromanager who is going to come in a nd make drastic changes without even observing the current environment.Three months in, we had lost two of our top sales reps, one account manager, and we were on track to lose more. We had hired Charlie to improve our sales team, paid him a very handsome salary, and he had immediately cost us more than we ever imagined.The CleanupNobody likes to take a loss, but we had no other choice. We had to accept that we made a poor hiring decision and fix it before it was too late. We were able to bring back one of the sales reps who had left but unfortunately, the other two were long gone. Sales were down, team morale was down, and a lot of time was wasted.The Problem1. The problem here is that we had tunnel vision. We thought so highly of Charlie from the beginning that we turned a blind eye to the tragedies that were occurring. This caused our mistake to drag out months, rather than weeks.2. We had very specific criteria in mind for who we felt would be the perfect employee. Charlie met t hese criteria. As a result, we overlooked many potentially great fitting candidates.The SolutionIt’s important to be realistic with yourself when writing a job description and screening candidates. Decide what skills or experiences you can and can’t live without. From my experience, the best jobs I have ever posted had a healthy number of preferred qualifications and a more conservative number of must-have qualifications. In order not to eliminate candidates that could be great fits, I am very conservative with my must-have section.Additionally, the resume only tells you so much about the person. Instead of checking off boxes trying to find the perfect employee, take time to look beyond the resume. Soft skills are equally, if not more important than hard skills. People are more than their resumes.There will always be give and takes throughout life and business. In this particular situation, we got the perfect employee on paper, but a horrible employee in reality.

20 Ways to Give to Enhance Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

20 Ways to Give to Enhance Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Giving is on my mind lately, with the tragedy still unfolding in Haiti. Rob Key, CEO of social media marketing and communications agency Converseon, says you should “lead with altruism” and “come bearing gifts.” He’s referring to the use of social media by businesses, but I think the same rules should be applied when creating and maintaining your personal brand. Twitter (and other similar platforms) 1. Share articles and blog posts you believe followers will find interesting and/or helpful 2. Retweet whenever possible 3. Answer followers’ questions if you’re knowledgeable about the subject 4. Give followers advice in your area of expertise 5. Connect followers when you believe it will be beneficial for both parties 6. Add a Twibbon or two to your avatar LinkedIn 7. Add the LinkedIn Answers application to your homepage, and respond with your expertise 8. Join Groups, and take part in discussions and post job opportunities and news items 9. When appropriate, introduce your connections to one another 10. Provide your connections with recommendations, even when you haven’t been asked Facebook 11. Support a cause 12. Include helpful links and information in your status update 13. Become a fan 14. Join Groups, and take part in discussions and post job opportunities and news items Blogs 15. Write for your readers, not just yourself 16. Give some “link love” in your posts and blogroll 17. Comment on other people’s blogs Offline Networking 18. Remember and recognize birthdays and anniversaries 19. Offer your advice, personal experiences and expertise 20. Pay it forward â€" share job opportunities, event announcements, discounts, etc. In what ways do you give to your various audiences? Author: Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder president of Come Recommended, an exclusive online community connecting the best internship and entry-level job candidates with the best employers. She is also the national entry-level careers columnist for Examiner.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Your Team Sees You as Manipulative -- and What to Do About It

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Your Team Sees You as Manipulative -- and What to Do About It In a new book, Work Rules! Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How you Live and Lead, author Laszlo Bocksaysthat the company wants to serve as an example of how to better treat employees and do business. Bock, senior vice president of people operations at Google, stresses that the key for any manager is to share information and be transparent with workers. The benefit oftransparencyis not just that people feel trustedThe other benefit is that theyll know whats going on. Theyll make better decisions and theyll create better products, he says. Two of the terms Bock mentions sharing and transparency often are used in connection with what is known as participative leadership. Under such a management style, a manager not only shares his or her thoughts with teams, but the teams share their ideas with a manager. While Google goes much further and implements other ideas, more companies are looking at participative management as a way to stir collaboration, productivity and engagement. However, new research finds that it isnt always a panacea for leaders and organizations. Specifically, a new study from Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the City University of Hong Kong finds that employees dont always buy what the boss is selling. Namely, they can spot when a manager is truly committed to participative leadership and when he or she is just going through the motions. When that happens when the manager isnt engaged in the process 100% it can lead employees to have a negative assessment of the leader and see it only as a way to increase the employees workload and responsibilities with no reward, finds thestudy. It is no secret that participative leadership is a challenge for managers, and this study reinforces the message that a casual approach will not only fall short but may very well make things worse. In short, go all out or dont go at all, says Catherine K. Lam of the City University of Hong Kong. Lam recommends the go all out approach, because the study found that is the key to truly boosting a teams performance. While half-hearted participative leadership showed little or no change in worker performance, those managers who threw themselves into the process saw a jump in performance when information-sharing was high. The authors of the study recommend that companies foster effective participativeleadershipby training leaders in two-way communications with their employees, so that workers clearly understand how much they need to participate in decisions, and the positive outcomes if they do. Equally important, they stress, is that the employees understand the good participative intentions of their leaders. Experts say the best way to implement participative leadership is to do your homework and unveil it in a deliberative way. If not, your efforts will show little results, and may even damage employee morale and trust. Here are some things to think about if you believe participative management could benefit your team and your organization: Understand the goals.IT managers need to clearly state what they hope to achieve with a more participative style, but workers also need (read more here)

What a Personally Branded Executive Resume Does For You - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

What a Personally Branded Executive Resume Does For You The main purpose of an executive resume is to land interviews. But it can do so much more for you, as you navigate an executive job search. When you add personal branding to the mix, a resume becomes an even more powerful positioning and job search tool. The information-mining process, before you write your resume â€" researching your target employers, defining your personal brand and developing content for your resume (and and Google+ profiles) â€" helps you understand what makes you and your target employers a mutual good fit. You learn how the value you offer is the answer to their current challenges. You learn which qualities and areas of expertise you possess that they need. You learn how to translate your top career accomplishments into an indication of what you will do for your next employer. You’re equipped to create resume (and online profile) content that will resonate with your target employers. Your confidence in your value is boosted, so you network better. You know who to seek out and how to present yourself better. Which results in you gaining interviews with the companies you want to work for, and excelling in those interviews.   But well beyond landing interviews, your resume keeps on giving. It becomes an integral reference point for you and those assessing you while you’re interviewing, and once you land your next gig: It prompts the interviewer to dive into topics you both want to discuss. By reinforcing your brand promise, it helps hiring decision makers deliver on their promise â€" to hire the top pick to support the company’s brand, enhance the corporate culture, best care for their customers, and grow the company. With metrics that enumerate the savings, improvements and growth you will bring to that company, it supports your salary requirements, helping you get paid what you’re worth. Once you land the job, it sets you up to keep your network alive, anticipating your next career move in this new world of work, where no job is permanent. Related posts: Does Your C-level Executive Resume Differentiate You? I’m a CMO But I Need Help Writing My Executive Resume How C-A-R Storytelling Gives Executive Resume Branding Zing 10 Brand-Diluting Phrases That Weaken Your Profile (and Resume) photo by Nguyen Vu Hung 00 0

Your Job Search Marketing Toolkit - Networking - CareerAlley

Your Job Search Marketing Toolkit - Networking - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Network, Network, Network the most important three words in job search. According to a report from ABC News, 80% of todays jobs are landed through networking. You know that old saying, Its not what you know, its who you knowand this could not be more true for finding your next job. While who you know has always been important, it has never been easier to leverage your network with services like LinkedIn and other social networks. But more importantly, its not only who you know, but also who knows you. Successfully leveraging your social networks in job search requires that you focus on those individuals who know first hand about you and what youve accomplished in your career. Dont have a network? Yes you do. Even if you dont have a LinkedIn account (hard to believe) or dont have a network list, you do have a network and your network is one of your best resources for finding a job. Time to organize and leverage your network. Your network is made up of: Direct Network: These are people you know first hand. Friends Relatives High School and College classmates Co-workers (and former co-workers) Clubs House of Worship Indirect Network: These are people who have something in common with you. Other people who went to your High School or College People who worked at the same companies as you (but you did not know them) People who work at companies where you would like to work People who are successful in the same industry (or company) where you would like to work Building and Maintaining Your Network: Your Need a Tool Keeping a list of your contacts / network on scraps of paper is probably not the way to go. While I highly recommend using LinkedIn, there are alternatives such as Meetup.com, Opprtunity.com, even Facebook and Google + (see LinkedIn Alternatives for Online Resumes). Pick your tool and get comfortable with it before you continue with step 2 below. Make Your List Start with your Direct Network from above and then continue on to your Indirect Network (the best source for your indirect network is LinkedIn). Prioritize Your Network Not everyone in your network was created equal. Some people have more value (those who know you best or have the best connections) while others are not as valuable (mostly your indirect network). Use a ranking system to prioritize the list so that you know who to focus on first. Create Your Networking Plan and Implementation Tips Now you need to decide how you will leverage your network. Create your networking message. Basically, what do you want the people in your network to do for you? This should be outlined in an informal message. While 80% of your message can be consistent across members of your network, be sure to include some personalized stuff (hows the job, hows your family, etc.). Remember, Networking is a two way street. Dont expect everyone in your network to spend their time working for you. Try to give back when you can, make your communications two way. Networking is all about building relationships. Targeted Opportunities Sometimes there is a specific opportunity where someone in your network may be able to help you. Give these the highest priority. Alternatively, when a potential opportunity arises, leverage the research you did on your network to figure out who may be able to help. Manage your time Its not about how many people you contact in your network, its about the value for the time spent networking. Leverage your network in a way that is productive. Other Networking Resources Facebook and Twitter can also be leveraged in a way similar to LinkedIn. Use your time on Facebook to informally network in a way that will enhance your relationships while leveraging your contacts. Additional Resources: Creating Your Network on LinkedIn. 5 More Tips for Leveraging Your Social Networks in Your Job Search [easyazon_link asin=1605095222 locale=US new_window=default nofollow=default tag=caree07-20 add_to_cart=default cloaking=default localization=default popups=default]Networking for People Who Hate Networking: A Field Guide for Introverts, the Overwhelmed, and the Underconnected[/easyazon_link] Career Tip of the Day:9 Reasons Why I Wont Hire You Suggested Reading:Network for a Job: The PeopleHirePeople process to build a job-specific network We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ what where job title, keywords or company city, state or zip jobs by What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Career Icebreaker Discovering Your Natural Talents and Abilities - Hallie Crawford

Career Icebreaker Discovering Your Natural Talents and Abilities Career Icebreaker: Discovering Your Natural Talents and Abilities by , Career Coach, CPCC Are you looking to make a career change or break into a new field? Are you dissatisfied with your current profession but not sure what your next career move should be? Before you make a major shift in your career, its a good idea to take some time out for self-exploration. When was the last time you took stock of your personal strengths? Career coaching can help you uncover the hidden talents and abilities that, once discovered, can start you on the path to a job youve always dreamed of having! Try the following brainstorm exercise, meant to help you pull out the best parts of your professional personality. All you need is a pen and paper or your computer, and some quiet time to do some reflecting. There are no right or wrong answers here. Just be honest with yourself. When were reasonable about what we can achieve, were better matched to a future position, one that satisfies us because we are inclined to perform that particular role and do it well. 1. As a child, what types of leisure activities did you enjoy most? (Were you handy with tools? Good at making crafts? Did you write stories, enjoy brain teasers? What about sports or outdoor exploration? Were you a budding entrepreneur, with lemonade stands, a paper route, or other lucrative childhood pursuits? What about science projects or caring for, spending time with pets?) 2. When asked to volunteer for a group project, whether its on the job, with your church, school, or other organization, in which areas do you typically offer your assistance? 3. Which electives did you sign up to take in high school, college, or other training school? Out of those, which classes stand out in your mind as being the easiest and most enjoyable for you? Which ones did you get the best grades in, and for what types of assignments or projects? 4. What about extracurricular activities at your high school or college? (To which groups did you belong, and in what areas did you offer your contributions? Were you on the school paper or yearbook committee? Did you enjoy building stage sets for the theater group or work as a deejay for your school radio program? Were you a sports team member or assistant coach? Part of the computer or math club?) 5. Think back to all the memorable moments in your life where you were congratulated or thanked profusely for your efforts. What did you do at that time to warrant recognition? If you can think back to notes of thanks, testimonials or other expressions of appreciation, what did people have to say about your best qualities? 6. When asked to write out performance reviews for your job, which areas of proficiency did you most excel at, and in what ways? Take some time to explain these, citing examples of moments where you exhibited stellar performance on the job. When youre finished writing out the answers to the above questions, go back and give your answers a re-read. What personal attributes can you see popping up repeatedly over the course of your life? Can you think of different types of jobs where youd be able to best utilize these skills and personal strengths? Congratulations! You have just taken the first necessary step to uncovering your career skillset. Now try your hand at writing your resume. If you have additional questions or want to take the next step in uncovering a career that fits for you, review the career coaching and career teleclasses pages on my website HallieCrawford.com for more information. Copyright 2006 . All rights reserved.