Serious Business Networking
As they always say "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Of course just knowing people doesn't necessarily get you the job, or the promotion, or the contract you wanted, but it certainly can help; so long as people don't think you are using them. It's true that networking is extremely important, so finding new contacts is the key to your continuing success; you need to learn out about networking meetings or events in your area. Before you go to an event you should think about what you want to achieve. Who will be there? Decide who you would like to meet and what information you would like to take away. This will ensure that you remain focused and have a successful meeting. Use your Capsule Profile from the 'Presentation Statements' that we discussed in the self-marketing section of the website. http://www.your-career-change.com/personal-marketing.html You have about thirty seconds to get a person's interest or you lose your chance. Planning this beforehand is absolutely essential. You need to sell yourself before you can ask for the information or contacts you want. Consider the impression you're making and don't repel people by your (bad) jokes or (bad) manners or the way you smell (tobacco, garlic or aftershave / perfume). It isn't always easy to talk to people, but if you don't at least try you may lose out on an opportunity. Keeping a positive attitude and keeping smiling will increase the positive results. People enjoy networking with interesting, purposeful individuals. Dress for Success (http://www.your-career-change.com/Dress-for-success.html) at a business networking meeting as you would if you were going to an interview or a meeting with your most important client. If you spend all your time with contacts you've already made, you limit the value of the event; so the majority of your time should be spent meeting new people. Networking meetings enable you to expand your contact list if you use your time well. Do your best to remember the new contacts' names; we only tend to hear our own name when introductions are made so repeating their name will help you to remember it. And they like to hear their own names. Furthermore people will be most impressed when you remember their name the next time that you meet. Only collect a lot of business cards if you have good reason for each one and they allow you a follow-up action. Make notes on the back so you know where they came from and what follow up you intend to take. Although it's crucial to talk about yourself, you don't want to spend all of your time explaining what you do. Find out what the other person does. People love to talk about themselves and it will give you time to understand them and how you may be able to help them. If you can help them, they will be more likely to help you. With over 25 years running businesses; as a Career Coach and Consultant in many sectors; Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position. He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.These years of experience are distilled into all the essential facts and actions you must complete in order to achieve your own success. He is very clear that you shouldn't be misled into thinking of "acing interviews" or "finessing" your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly. http://www.your-career-change.com/personal-marketing.html You can learn more about his dynamic and comprehensive approach to career change, with every page dedicated to helping serious career changers if you go to http://www.your-career-change.com/index.html | | | | RELATED ARTICLES 5 Things You Need To Know Before Deciding On A Certification Training The right certification training Job Interviews and The Secret of Selling Yourself A very effective and persuasive tactic when selling something is to promote its benefits as well as its features. Career Search from Within Seeking meaningful and fulfilling work can become a discouraging, confusing and overwhelming journey. Beware spending too much time looking for your answers outside of yourself. Ultimately, coming to know our right livelihood is the inner work of our whole being. Should I leave My Job? Most of us have to work for a living. Since we spend so many hours each week at our jobs, it's very important that there is a good fit. If you have been feeling less enthusiastic about your work situation recently, maybe you have even begun to wonder if it is time to move on. Mid-Life Crisis: Its Not Just for Men Anymore! A recent story in Career Journal begins: You Should Interview the Interviewer, Too I know what you are thinking. You're thinking, "Wait a minute. Wouldn't that be somewhat presumptuous if I were to ask the interviewer questions?" No. The truth of the matter is they want to see that you have enough intelligence and business sense to ask questions requiring informative answers. Most human resource professionals and hiring managers believe having an applicant ask questions is one of the most important aspects of the interview. They are able to tell more about you by the questions you ask than the answers you give in response to their questions. Job Hunting Tips: Accepting Judgment Applying for work is stressful, no matter the circumstances. Even if you are already working, and merely looking to see what else is out there, you still want to be offered the position. If you realize, half way through an interview, that you would be miserable working for this company and you wouldn't let your dog take the job, you still want it to be offered. If the hours are unsuitable, the job duties demeaning, and the salary a joke, you still want to be made an offer. One Cover Letter Secret You Cant Afford To Miss Suppose you were the hiring manager, your desk piled high with cover letters and resumes to sort through. Which of the following cover letter greetings would grab your attention? How To Find A Telecommute Job The answer may be easier than you think, but there's a catch. Be Prepared for the Unexpected How long has it been since you last had to search for a new job? These days it's not at all unusual to change careers or jobs several times in a lifetime. The idea of retiring from the same company after a lifetime of service is much less a reality in today's world than it was a couple of decades ago. The likelihood of unexpectedly losing your job is greatly increased today due to a number of different factors such as corporate downsizing, technological evolution, and globalization just to name a few. Being thrust into a job search can be a rude awakening and an eye opening experience. Ideally a job seeker should already be prepared for the unexpected with an up-to-date resume and versed in good communication skills. The reality is most people don't have a current resume much less know how to effectively converse with a prospective employer. This lack of preparedness intensifies the stress and fear that comes with being unemployed. Having current documents and sharpened interviewing skills will greatly increase your sense of control over the situation and relieve some of the stress. The process of writing your resume will highlight to you the skills you have acquired and the challenges you have overcome. In turn your confidence in your abilities will have a positive impact on your self esteem which will effect a potential employer's impression of you. Review your resume and determine whether it portrays you to be the candidate a prospective employer would be eager to meet. It should paint a picture of a person ready and willing to use your skills and talents to further the mission and improve the bottom line of a prospective employer. A progressive climb to bigger and better opportunities should be evident upon first glance. Knowing how to answer and ask questions intelligently with professionalism and grace is just as important. Your resume is the tool to unlock the doors to interviews. Once the door has been opened the ability to communicate well is necessary to convey how you can be an asset to the company. This is the time to present your personal sales pitch.You should be prepared to ask intelligent questions as well as answer questions. Inquiries about the company's philosophy and mission, what will be expected in the position, and the degree of camaraderie among employees are examples of some of the questions you should ask. Usually applicants are given an opportunity at some point to ask questions and are very well expected to do so.Spend some time reviewing your personal marketing documents. Do some research on the internet or at the local library to learn how to communicate well in an interview. Make your own list of questions about the job and the company to pose toward the end of the meeting. Practice answering and asking questions with a friend or family member. Pay attention to your body language and composure as well as your verbal responses. You can turn an unexpected job loss into a positive experience. Take some time to discover the multitude of possibilities in which your skills and talents can be used and make it a positive one. You know the old saying, "When a window closes, a door opens." Even if you aren't currently seeking a new job, a career advance, or a change to improved employment conditions, be proactive and do the best you can to stay a step ahead. Keep your resume updated and your interviewing skills sharpened...just in case. Creating Your Own Luck Losing my job in the last recession of the last century, I discovered first hand the power of creating your own luck. A week later, I decided to locate an interim position while I looked for a "real" one. Accepting a temporary position at minimum wage in an industry I knew little about, I decided the way to enjoy the position was to learn everything I could and contribution all that I could. I poured over manuals in my down time, developed processes to expedite the work, trained new employees, volunteered for additional assignments, and did anything that needed to be done. Four weeks into a ten week job, I was unexpectedly offered my first management position. If I had listened to my friends cautioning me that taking a minimum wage position was career suicide, if I had been concerned about accepting a job "beneath" my education or experience level, or if I had only done what was expected, I would have missed an opportunity that led to five promotions in the next seven years. It has been my experience over the years, while climbing the corporate ladder to Vice President of a multi-billion dollar company, that opportunity is everywhere and anywhere. Often, it's in unexpected places for those who differentiate themselves in the workplace. People who do what is expected of them, do it very well, "and then some" have opportunities arise that others never do. And people who set their ego aside, contributing everything they can to the task at hand, often create their own luck. That's because initiative is a powerful commodity in the workplace. People offering to do extra work only if they get paid for it, or take on extra responsibility only if their salary is increased first, have it backwards in my book. My advice: do the work, do it well, and then do it even better. Higher pay, greater responsibilities and increased opportunities follow individuals who are contributors. Anytime I looked to hire people, offer permanent positions to temporary employees or interns, start up new departments or businesses, or promote individuals, I looked for people doing their job well ..."and then some." (c) 2004 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.  Job Search: The End of the Line There is an end to the job search tunnel! Get Dressed and Get Hired Tying a tie properly may tie you to your next employer. A properly tied tie is essential to a good first impression. With the recent outcry regarding athletes wearing flip-flops to the White House, it's apparent that a review of socially acceptable fashion rules is needed. Want to Work for Yourself? Those Dream Jobs Dont Just Happen, Theyre Created While traveling in northern California last October, I happened to tune into a local newscast. The newscaster was telling his co-anchor that the speaker at that morning's Rotary Club meeting had to cut his presentation short because he was being flown down to Disneyland to carve elaborate Halloween pumpkins for the park festivities. The newscaster wrapped up the story with the familiar quip, "Nice work if you can get it." He got the first part right. For a creative kid-at-heart, being a professional pumpkin carver is a dream come true. It was his serendipitous "if you can get it" thinking that missed the mark. The fact is, people rarely "get" great work; they create it!Despite all the emphasis on growth in the "job sector" I am continually amazed at just how many fascinating alternatives there are to the whole 9-to-5 schtick. And just as traditional job seekers can't wait around for "Mr. Job" to knock on the door, people who want to do satisfying work ? and call their own shots ? need to be proactive as well. Francis Bacon defined a wise man as one who "makes more opportunities than he finds." Here's a couple of other wise entrepreneurs who made it by going for it.Sports-lover Don Shoenewald was just 18 when he went to the Philadelphia Eagles management wearing a homemade Eagle costume and asking for a mascot job. They weren't interested. Undaunted, Shoenewald kept showing up at Eagles football games. Pretty soon the fans adopted him as the unofficial (meaning, "unpaid") mascot. Thirteen paid team mascot jobs, four mascot character creations (including ones for the New Jersey Devils and the San Jose Sharks), and 18 years later, Shoenewald started Mascot Mania, the only professional training school for mascots in the world.Despite what your high school guidance counselor might have told you, showing up invited in a bird costume isn't the only route to self-employment. For Dan Zawacki it all began when he was working as a sales rep for Honeywell and decided to give away 120 live lobsters as gifts to his customers. Dan was so bowled over by the response that he decided to open a small side business shipping live lobsters complete with pot, crackers, butter and bibs to crustacean-lovers from coast-to-coast. That is until his boss heard him pitching Lobster Gram, Inc. on a local radio station and promptly fired him.In the beginning, Dan worked out of his bedroom, storing his lobsters in a used tank in his father's garage. His first year he netted only $4,000. Ten years later, his company sells about 9,000 lobster packages a year for $99 plus shipping. All and all, not a bad tale.If you dream of making the transition from employee to self-bosser, the first thing you need to do is belief that you can. Then, the next time you see some entrepreneur doing what they love, try thinking: "Nice work ? now, all I have to do is get it! Sawbones I was rushing through the white-tented terminal building at Denver International Airport when my attention was diverted ? as if often is -- by a storefront massage business. Checking my wristwatch, I calculated I had just enough time for a 20-minute chair massage. Career Killers to Avoid Many professionals and managers are so involved in day-to-day crises and fighting fires that they forget about a key leadership characteristic: self-management. Effective leaders are first of all effective in managing themselves ? their time, their focus, their emotions and their careers. It's too late to figure out what's next for you once your company has merged, had lay offs, changed strategy or whatever. Here are the biggest mistakes leaders make in their careers. Can You Compete? Are you looking to hire the best talent? Are you thinking about adding a new employee who will significantly impact millions of dollars in YOUR business? Do you want to hire the best? Then you need to show and convince your next hire that you are serious about him joining your team. Troubleshooting Your Job Search OK. You've posted your resume online. You've sent out a dozen copies answering classified ads. You've told everyone in your network that you're looking for a job. How to Turn a Job Search into a Career Find The only way to find a new career is to stop looking for a job Career success requires the identical effort and targeting as setting a course for continuous professional development. How to Insure Job Security The attorneys I coach have one common problem. They don't have enough hours in the day to do everything they need to do. Most are working long hours and that "To do" list keeps growing not shrinking. So it is no wonder that when I suggest that they find time to market their practice they think I am just plain daffy!
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