Substantiate Yourself (again)

Substantiate Yourself (again) One of the most powerful concepts Ive learned since I lost my job is that its more powerful to substantiate yourself (and your claims) than to just say what your claims are. Show, not tell. I wrote about this here: Substantiate Yourself My first real job offer was after I started JibberJobber.  No interview, no application, just an OFFER. Check out William Arrudas blog post: Don’t Tell People Who You Are, Show Them What You Are About I love this line: As you can imagine, I am now her biggest supporter.   She sits at the top of my list of coaches I recommend to my clients. This is so powerful. What are you doing to back up your claims (said differently, how are you substantiating yourself)? Substantiate Yourself (again) One of the most powerful concepts Ive learned since I lost my job is that its more powerful to substantiate yourself (and your claims) than to just say what your claims are. Show, not tell. I wrote about this here: Substantiate Yourself My first real job offer was after I started JibberJobber.  No interview, no application, just an OFFER. Check out William Arrudas blog post: Don’t Tell People Who You Are, Show Them What You Are About I love this line: As you can imagine, I am now her biggest supporter.   She sits at the top of my list of coaches I recommend to my clients. This is so powerful. What are you doing to back up your claims (said differently, how are you substantiating yourself)?

Warning Your Negotiation Skills Are Lacking

Warning Your Negotiation Skills Are Lacking The art of negotiation is just that: an art. And according to some folks including business expert Jack Welch its a lost art. Understanding how negotiation works is valuable, especially when your career is not developing in the direction youd like it to. When you think of negotiations, you might imagine board rooms and intense business deals. And yes, negotiation skills are very important in keeping your business positions. But these skills are valuable in other areas of your life, too. So, no matter why you want to improve your negotiation skills, lets take a look at getting what you want using simple negotiation tactics. What Do You Want? Before any negotiation, you should take the time to properly prepare yourself. The first thing to ask yourself is what you are hoping to accomplish. With a clear goal in mind, you`ll have an easier time working your way towards it. Get The Facts Youll likely have to do some research. Ideally, you want to enter into the negotiation being as well informed as possible. You want to be knowledgeable about the issue at hand AND about the person with whom youll be negotiating. If you know a little bit about the other person, their experience, and their motivations, the more you can gauge how to approach them. Attempting to profile them in advance will help you to prepare for your negotiation. However, make sure that you dont form a bias which can negatively impact the negotiations. What Will You Settle For? Be willing and prepared to make certain compromises. You will already have an idea in your mind of what youre looking for, but it might be necessary to settle for less. Think through potential scenarios ahead of time so youre not blindsided mid-negotiation. Just Walk Away Don`t be afraid to walk away from a bad negotiation. This is a common tip when youre applying for a new job. Its okay to realize you arent going to come to an agreement or a solution that is acceptable to both parties, and to respectfully stand up and walk away. As long as you`re respectful about it, this might be all it takes to get the other side to give in. Keep in mind that using this tactic as a bluff is very risky, so dont fake it just to get a slightly better deal if theres a risk of losing it all. Remember: Its Just Business Finally, dont take it personally. Dont get discouraged or lose confidence if a negotiation doesnt go your way. Likewise, also dont allow a success or two get to your head and cause you to lose focus for next time. If you want to improve your negotiation skills further, you might consider taking some training courses. Becoming a confident skilled negotiator is possible if you take the time to learn the techniques and practice regularly. Yes, it takes effort, but you may find it  well worth the time as you utilize your new skills to get what you want. All the time! About the Author: Mary Ann Keeling is a freelance writer and a blogger who works from home. She runs a successful small business and is pursuing a law degree. You can follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnKeeling. Image courtesy of rarpia.

Reasons to Promote Your Brand on Sites Like Buzzfeed - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Reasons to Promote Your Brand on Sites Like Buzzfeed - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Are sites like Buzzfeed and Upworthy a good place to promote my brand to consumers? Why or why not? The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) is an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. 1. BuzzFeed Is Popular and Free My company recently started making BuzzFeed posts as a consumer acquisition strategy. With 75 million unique visitors each month, BuzzFeeds posts can drive a lot of visitors and shares and are free to make. To give some context, a post made by one of my employees with our content drove 5,300 Facebook shares, 1,700 tweets and thousands of visitors to our site. Matt Ehrlichman, Porch 2. Both Sites Receive Heavy Traffic These two websites have received some negative press as of late, but they are both great options to promote your brand to consumers as long as you have a consistent content strategy. Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance 3. BuzzFeed Brings the Traffic Chocomize was featured on BuzzFeed in October, and although we were actually at the bottom of the article that listed 7 Delicious Mail-Order Snacks You Can Get Custom Made, it brought more than 5,000 new visitors to our site that day. Its a great way to generate new interest. Go for it! Fabian Kaempfer, Chocomize 4. Sites Are Good for Promoting Stories Blatant advertising on sites like BuzzFeed and Upworthy dont usually convert very well, however, creative content from a brand does. Sites like these that are filled with fun and unique content make it hard for you to stand out. If your brand can tell a unique and entertaining story quickly, then youll capture a lot of eyeballs and win over a lot of readers in the end. Logan Lenz, Endagon 5. It Depends on Your Audience Both BuzzFeed and Upworthy have huge audiences, but they reach very specific people. You need to take a close look at your ideal customer before committing to any particular site (or even an offline campaign). If you deal with younger audiences who engage heavily on social media, then BuzzFeed and Upworthy may be a good fit. But if your audience isnt there, dont bother. Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting 6. BuzzFeed Reaches Target Audiences If youre targeting audiences between the ages of 15 and 35, then BuzzFeed is great. Brennan White, Watchtower 7. These Sites Let You Be Creative The idea is to sponsor fun content that people want to read and share. You have to stay away from blatant advertising because people will mostly ignore it. However, if you carefully position your brand in a crafted piece of content thats either informational, humorous or provocative, then you can subtly earn a lot of attention for your brand. Andy Karuza, Brandbuddee Featured Photo Attribution

Why Taking Time Out is Essential

Why Taking Time Out is Essential Your professional self â€" your work â€" should contribute to unlocking your vast reservoir of untapped potential and creating the future you want. If its doing the opposite, taking time out to consider these six questions is essential. What does success mean to you personally? One of the keys to unlocking a motivational environment is to clearly understand your personal goals and how being successful at work can be one of the vehicles and enablers in helping you realise your goals. The moment we create the bridge in our mind â€" the link between our personal goals and what we do daily during work â€" self-motivation kicks in. What does success mean to you professionally? When you align personally and professionally your meaning of success and more importantly, the WHY you do what you do, this becomes a defining moment. Its the moment you change from someone with a job to someone with a purpose. You acknowledge and accept what you want to achieve professionally, which may be different from what you thought you wanted to achieve. Are you clear about your personal and professional tensions and trade-offs? When you are clear about what success means to you, both personally and professionally, you can design your working life, fully aware of the tensions and trade-offs youre making. For example, if youre seeking a promotion, you may accept the extra hours you have to work to prove youve got skin in the game, or you may not. You remove the pressure to be someone that youre not or dont want to be. You remove the potential conflicts weighing you down and the imbalance that goes with it. What requires your most attention? Our lives have many facets; work, home, family, friends, colleagues, partners and perhaps children. And over the years commitments have crept in, almost unnoticed, to the point where there are probably multiple versions of you â€" all with differing demands and expectations. The answer isnt to become universally excellent at all of them, but to understand which one requires the most attention at any given point. Remember, there may be many versions of you, but only one physical you. Is your work-life balance aligned to your WHY? So many successful people achieve high levels of professional success only to find when they get there, their relationships have fallen apart, or its not something they want to be chasing. You might be feeling youve ended up in a place that is now entirely wrong for you. Revisit what success means to you and challenge whether this is where you want to be.  What is truly worthy of your time? Its so easy to get caught up in the mechanics of the working day, and before you know it days, weeks or even months have passed. Ask yourself what is truly worthy of my time? If you find youre spending more time on tasks and activities which quite clearly you shouldnt be, then now is the time to change this because if you dont, nobody else will. One of the six core human needs is the need for growth â€" for emotional, intellectual or spiritual development. If you are not learning and bettering yourself every day, then you are not growing. Taking time out will make sure you invest time in you. This guest post was authored by Royston Guest Royston Guest is a leading authority on growing businesses and unlocking people potential. Entrepreneur, author of #1 best-seller Built to Grow and RISE: Start living the life you were meant to lead, CEO of Pathways Global and founder of The Business Growth PathwayÃ" and Pti Worldwide.  Driving sustainable business growth fast and unlocking the potential of individuals are Royston’s two professional missions. His clients include Metrobank, EE, Heinz, DHL, Virgin, Harrods, the NHS, ABTA, Virgin Holidays, Barclays, RBs, Santander, and Lloyds Black Horse to name but a few. Through exposure to an array of organisations and having worked with tens of thousands of people over the past two decades, Royston has created a set of breakthrough distinctions and insights into what it takes to unlock people potential and achieve greatness.

Why Your Resume Didnt Get You the Interview (4 MORE Reasons, PLUS a Bonus Tip)

Why Your Resume Didn’t Get You the Interview (4 MORE Reasons, PLUS a Bonus Tip) In LinkedIn Pulse 2.23.16, I outlined five common reasons why, even with the perfect experience, you didn’t get the interview.Here are four more. While not as common, these are equally important:1. Your resume is written in third person, as in “Mr. Brown is a seasoned professional…” I find this pretentious and off-putting 2. You ownIf you’re still struggling and would like 1:1 resume advice, let a recruiter revise your resume (it’s like having the IRS prepare your taxes).

How to Creatively Network for Your Job Search (guest blog from Sam Diener)

How to Creatively Network for Your Job Search (guest blog from Sam Diener) 2 Flares 2 Flares This post was guest blogged by Sam Diener of The Sam Diener Blog. Sam has built a name for himself in the ever important networking arena.  His  articles cover critical aspects of networking from various angles, providing powerful information to his readers.  Go pick his brain at SamDiener.com and enjoy Sams guest appearance on COTJ. So this is an article I have written for sharing on the Internet.  It does toe the line between politically correct and incorrect.   For some of these tactics, you should be a well polished communicator and know exactly what you are going to say. With that in mind, here we go…. Who am I?   My name is Samuel Diener.   I am 25, and I am networking for a job.   I have been successful in my own ways.     While I was employed, I used my skills to creatively network.   I have built up a network of literally thousands who I can call to help me and I am not afraid to go “creatively network my ass off” when I need to either.   Despite getting many interested inquiries, I haven’t found the right opportunity yet.     But I am also like all of you, and I feel your pain.   I, too, know what it feels like to submit my resume to the “perfect opportunity” seventy five times, and hear nothing back.   I, too, collect unemployment, and it isn’t really enough to live off of, is it?   If you aren’t getting results, I want to help you.   And I will, trust me. So who are you?     Maybe you are just out of college after sinking a nice chunk of your own (cough,  parents’) money into your education, or you might be a baby boomer in your fifties who just got laid off because the company was restructuring due to the, um, economy.   I want to help you both.     But here’s some tough love…..  You need to accept that there are hundreds, maybe even thousands of people who are the same as you, at least on paper. Wait, don’t leave! I have actual advice.   And I know you are reading this because “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”     I am going to tell you how to “know” people in today’s business world, and my first secret is that the days of the “BIGGEST NETWORKING EVENT in blah blah blah” are over.    Let’s get to how you really make an impact. A word about networking: Networking is not about getting a job.   Many people fail to realize that.   If you think that it is only about finding the person that can get you the job you seek, you will fail, miserably. I implore you to think about networking as kind of like making a group of friends.   They have to want you in their circle, too.   People make and maintain friendships with those that provide them value.   So when you are thinking about ways to be creative, you will have MUCH more luck thinking about how you can  help others, versus how they can help you. Setting the mood for creativity: I am sure that you know this by now, but today’s best networking sometimes occurs right in front of your computer.   But certain rules still apply.     Do you remember the old adage “dress for success” and “conduct yourself as if?”     A successful business person, or teacher, or whatever you want to be, doesn’t work from their dark basement.   And they certainly don’t do it in their pajamas, or hung over from last night’s dance party, either.   To truly be a good networker, you need to FEEL successful.   Therefore, have a healthy breakfast.   Work out.   Get dressed AS IF you were going to be successful today.   Then LEAVE the house.     Take your laptop, and go to a coffee shop, park, or anywhere with people.   I don’t really care where you go â€"just don’t sit in the house.   Don’t meet up with anyone you know either.   This is about getting out and surrounding yourself with NEW people.   You didn’t think you were going to a ctually network sitting by yourself, did you?   Do all of this, and I guarantee you will be more productive and insightful. Profile Management: I just told you to be  dressed for success and to leave the house.   Why would you do that?   Because you care about your first impression!   You might as well assume that you could possibly meet the hiring manager at your next job at any point while you are out in public.   And if you are being a creative networker, you ARE going to run into your future hiring manager.   Would you want this person to meet you while you were out drunk at a bar hitting on who you know to be your next ex-girl/boyfriend? Or while you were out half shaven and hung over on a Saturday morning? Do you know what I am getting at?   Well, don’t show them that online either! When was the last time you “googled” or “binged” yourself?     Seriously.   Go and do it now.   Look through the first three pages.     I don’t care if the so and so “drunk and flashing on spring break” isn’t you.   It still reflects poorly on you.   You must manage your first impression.   This is actually quite difficult as Google and Bing will pull pretty much anything you ever mention on the internet and index it in its’ search for everyone to see.   I will be writing another article on fixing this stuff later.     Or, you can plead with Google (good luck.) Use Social Media Creatively: By now you should all have linked-in, Facebook, and twitter profiles.   You more advanced users will have blogs.   The best will have their own domain names.   Embrace them all.   But let’s look at each site. Linked-in: Linked in shows off your professional front.     There are so many ways to be helpful and to network on this site.     When was the last time you took a look at the questions that users are putting out there and actually tried to answer some?   Have you joined groups that pertain to your interests?   Asked to moderate one?   If there isn’t a group for your particular interest, have you started one?   People do respond to you when you are the creator of a large group on linked-in that they have joined.   Case in point, I created the linked-in group for Enterprise Rent-A-Car employees and its alumni.   It now has nearly 2,000 members.   I recently created another group for those previous employees looking for jobs and recruiters looking for them.    I have a large group of people that I have helped network together, and they in turn help me.    What do you do for others on there?   If you can’t answer that, then it’s not nearly enough.   Your first step should be to go to a job search group, then join, find someone who is looking for a job, and see if you can help them by connecting them with one of your contacts. Facebook: This should be the most social of the three sites.   Obviously you want to have the fun perspective of your personal life out there for everyone to see.   Originally, Facebook was only for college students, and you could showcase all of your nights of debauchery and talk about whatever you wanted.   Now, everyone is on Facebook, and you MUST limit what people can see.     In any case, on to creativity. The benefit of having so much information out there is that you can find out anything about anyone.   Let’s say you are trying to get that job at XYZ company, and you use your linked-in account to find out who the hiring manager is.     Then you go to Facebook and find out that he is going to the coffee house concert that your sister’s boyfriend’s friend is putting on.     Well, by golly, you had better be there and work the room.   Yes, it’s a little stalker-ish, but it’s dog-eat-dog out there. There are many utilities on Facebook that can help you connect to others that you don’t know, based on mutual interests, or what you could conveniently front as an interest in order to garner an important connection.     If you started a group based on your interests IRL (that’s “in real life”) then you can’t be hurting yourself.       Also, have you thought about changing your picture to “I NEED A JOB?”   Think outside the box!!!! Twitter: This has a mind of its own.   If you think it’s useless, then you are wrong all together.  However, how to use twitter is beyond the scope of this article. My personal feelings are that not only is twitter useful, but it gives you access to people you couldn’t access before.   On Facebook and Linked-in, you are not able to directly connect to people you don’t know or that don’t know you.   So in essence, those connections would never even know that they were interested in what you have to say.   However, on twitter, your raw thoughts are put out there, and you could find that Oprah Winfrey is now connected to you.   At that point, you can essentially send the equivalent of a text message to her.   The creative goal here is to get as many followers as you can, and have as many people reading your messages as possible. So, how do you build followers?   Well, there are utilities to help, based on your interests.   Take a look at Hummingbird or Twollow if you are willing to spend a few dollars.   Otherwise, follow people that you are interested in, using the twitter search, and go from there.       Also, if you want direct access to the hiring managers on twitter, take a look at twitterjobsearch.com and find out who is tweeting the jobs.   It is only a matter of time before you start to interest those who can be helpful.   You can follow who they follow, and find out what interests them.   Guess what you talk about if you decide to make a cold call… Getting a little more creative about where you network: Another little secret for you.     Those people you want to meet, who can get you the job, are not at those huge networking functions.   If you know your target industry, you had better be at every convention that is even a close match.     They are your targets.     Executives from companies get to go to conventions, and they are there with an open mind to learn new things, and believe me, they can make jobs open up.   Just be there.   You should be doing it for your own knowledge anyway.   And if you don’t have the money to go to these conventions, stop drinking yourself silly, and use that money to go. Also, start getting cultured in your daily activities.   Getting drunk with your friends at a bar that has plastic cups isn’t going to get you face time with someone who can hire you.   Instead, pick and choose where you go at all times very wisely.   Instead of a dive bar, go to an upscale speakeasy.   Instead of a rock concert, go to the symphony.   Go to an art gallery!     Are you catching my drift?  Just keep thinking outside the box. Do Unto Others: Remember when I said that people want to help people that help them.     That being said, I am going to talk about some ways to be creative and help at the same time.     Alright, so let’s say you find out that you are interested in the medical industry, for example.     You should find a way to be volunteering your time.   If you want to get a job in a hospital,  apply to their volunteer program.   Or, you could plan a community event that requires the hospital executives to be present.     Apply the same theories to any other industry.     You never know where you can get simply by volunteering your time.     And it’s personally rewarding.    I was always taught in sales that people buy from those they see as helpful.   You are selling yourself. A Final Lesson: People like to be listened to.  Make sure in networking, you find a way to listen 90% of the time.  People like those they can talk to. Conclusions? I hope you all find my writing informative.   I welcome any of your comments, and I will respond to all inquiries and job offers at sam@samdiener.com.   Keep checking back for new writing.   Good luck. Click here to view this article over at SamDiener.com

Teaching Recruiters Can Use to Boost Your Resume

Teaching Recruiters Can Use to Boost Your ResumeNow that the new year is here, and teachers are getting ready to start applying for new job positions, teacher resume examples can be a great resource for teachers looking to add a professional touch to their application. Before you head out to your local job bank or career center, though, it's important to consider the type of resume examples you want to create and how these will help you stand out from the rest of the crowd.Teacher resume examples can help create a professional look for teachers seeking employment in various fields, including but not limited to teaching. In addition to showing employers that you have a personal connection to their industry, they can also help create your professional image to potential employers. With a resume like this, you can quickly convey your feelings about your potential employer without much of an explanation as to why you want to work at their school or position.One of the best things about t hese examples is that they can help with creating a successful resume. With professional examples, you will find that the structure and the format of the document are a step above others. Teachers can now see in advance how they should be starting each section. For example, if a job description includes a section on the applicant's education, then the teacher can fill in the blanks on this section using an example.While these example documents can make a great first impression, teachers must also consider the content of their resume. For example, should they include every class taken in their years of teaching? Most people would opt to do so, but doing so will make it difficult to show the diversity of their teaching experience.Instead, teachers should focus on putting their entire teaching experience on an example resume, which can contain only the hours and classes they were able to teach. By doing this, they will be able to easily demonstrate that they've been a good teacher for years, and that their past teaching experience is a positive quality they have to offer.In addition to showing the education they have in the classroom, teacher resume examples can also be used to show skills in the areas of social skills, teamwork, time management, and leadership. By including these on their resumes, teachers will be able to show that they've always been able to organize their time well, and that they're responsible enough to provide exemplary service for their students.While these examples can be very helpful, teachers should also keep in mind that there are plenty of websites and online databases where they can get help and samples of other types of resumes. So, whether or not you choose to use these, it's important to take advantage of the samples. Some of these can be found for free, while others may require paying for.Overall, teacher resume examples are a great resource for teachers who want to be noticed by potential employers. With the samples they create t hemselves, they can show employers that they have the skills they need to get the job done right, and that they're willing to put in the hours needed to do it.