JibberJobber Competition JibberJobber vs. the Excel Spreadsheet

JibberJobber Competition JibberJobber vs. the Excel Spreadsheet Yesterday I was talking to a very successful career coach who said that he continues to recommend JibberJobber, but some of his clients say oh, Im already using Excel to track my job search  He knows the value of JibberJobber over Excel, but he cant force people to change from Excel to JibberJobber. Ive talked to plenty of people over the years who have the same concern.  Ive already started on Excel and I dont want to transition over, or something like that. I realize this can be a hard mental transition (although quite easy to implement). This reminds me a of a delightful book I just read titled Selling The Wheel.  This is a really fast read, with a story about the guy who supposedly invented the wheel, and was anxious to get rich by selling it.  Max, the inventor of the wheel, was sure that everyone who saw the wheel would want one (or more) but when he went out to actually sell the wheel, he learned that he had some serious competition. His competition was what people where already using to move things: camels, elephants, slaves, sledges.  Max didnt realize that, even though his wheel had significant advantages to current ways of doing things, it would be hard for people to switch from the old, comfortable, familiar way, to some newfangled technology. As I read this story, I totally thought about JibberJobber.  Theres a better way, but some people would rather use old and comfortable. In this post, I want to share why I was audacious enough to think that a web-based job search organizer (aka, JibberJobber) could really be better than old and comfortable (aka, your Excel job search spreadsheet). Here are three reasons I think people love Excel so much to track a job search: Excel is familiar and comfortable.  Everyone has used Excel for something, at work, school or home.  We all understand spreadsheets.  I would argue that most people use 5% of the functionality of a spreadsheet but that 5% is functional enough to track someones phone number and email, and when you talked to them last.  Thats pretty easy to do. With Excel, you can create anything you want you have complete control over the columns and rows.   Excel, as a blank slate, lets you set up whatever you want: more sheets, more columns, more rows, and do whatever you want with them.  This can be, though, a double edged sword. I have heard from coaches over the years that some of their job seeking clients can spend weeks really, weeks! tweaking their spreadsheet.  On the surface level, it looks like you are being productive since you are setting up your tools.  Go a little deeper and youll find that too often, people who spend days and weeks tweaking are really hiding from the job search.  Its a lot more comfortable tweaking a spreadsheet by yourself than picking up the phone and perhaps getting rejected. Excel is a temporary solution, and you wont need this information after you land your job.  I believed that once I landed my job I could go back to my cozy place and not think about the job search, which included networking. I heard that I would transition every two to five years, but I didnt want to think about it at all I knew that my spreadsheet was going in the virtual garbage can. Even if I did pull it up two to five years later it was turning into such a disorganized rats nest I was sure I wouldnt be able to make heads or tales of it after I landed my next gig. Transitioning from comfortable/familiar (spreadsheet) to JibberJobber can just seem like its too much.  But it isnt too much, and heres why: The transition doesnt mean you have to take all of your spreadsheet stuff and copy it into JibberJobber. Im guessing that you have a lot of data youve logged in your spreadsheet.  Some of it is active, some of it is just a placeholder. Not everyone or everything youve logged is going to come up again in your networking or job search. Personally, I would keep the spreadsheet, and refer to it if I had to, but going forward, from this minute on, I would start to use JibberJobber.  Meet someone new?  Put them in JibberJobber (not in the spreadsheet).  Network into someone new at one of your target companies (where the target company is in your spreadsheet)?  Quickly add you target company into JibberJobber (it takes all of 30 seconds, if that), and then put that new contact in.  You dont have to copy and paste, or transfer over from the spreadsheet just stop using the spreadsheet and start using JibberJobber, and youll find that the main contacts you are networking and communicating with end up in your JibberJobber account.  These are the ones that are on the top of your list, and need more of your attention. Every once in a while, go back into your spreadsheet to see if there are people who have slipped through the cracks, and reach out to them.  When you do, add them into JibberJobber and remove them from your spreadsheet.  Youll find that the names and information in your spreadsheet will be whittled away and your JibberJobber database will be rich with real, current information and relationships. Bonus, this is a lot easier than you might think.  With the Email2Log feature (which is premium, starting at $5/month and up to $9.95/month, depending on how many months you pay for at once), you can add contacts and companies simply by emailing your contacts (which you are already doing), or by forwarding emails to the JibberJobber server.  While we have import tools, the Email2Log is the easiest way to get relevant information into JibberJobber quickly, and with virtually no effort. Email2Log is the secret weapon to transitioning from your existing tracking system to JibberJobber. You can import existing files, or sync your Gmail Contacts, but the people you are emailing today, and tomorrow, and this month, are the people who you need most in JibberJobber at least today. You are probably already emailing them, so the next time you do, add the Email2Log address, and even their company, just by hitting send. Some people like to import all of their contacts from LinkedIn, but this isnt critical.  Sure, it gives you the impression that you have a lot of contacts, but are you communicating with any of them?  Or does having a big list of people who you think you should know just stress you out, since there is a huge list you are not quite ready to contact, but think you should? Imagine if you started your job search over today.  What would you do differently? I ask myself this question with my own business (which is more like being in a job search than I would have guessed).  Sometimes stopping what you have been doing and starting over new gives you a chance to make the changes that you should have made earlier, but just never got around to. Sure, starting a new system can be a bit daunting. But getting started now doesnt mean that what youve done for the last few months is all for naught.  It was really Phase I of your job search and learning experience.  Now it might be the right time for Phase II. But what are the BENEFITS of switching to JibberJobber? Okay, so transitioning isnt really a big deal but is it worth it?  Here are some benefits of JibberJobber over an Excel or paper tracking system: The more you get into it, JibberJobber will be as comfortable as Excel. I know at first it can be confusing.  For many,this is the first time youve ever seen what a CRM (customer relationship management) system looks like, and for many, this is the first time youre doing a very proactive strategic outbound networking campaign.  This whole experience is overwhelming but the more you do it, the comfortable it will get.  Add a few Contacts and a few Log Entries and youll realize how easy and intuitive it really is.  Especially with Email2Log. JibberJobber wont waste your time with design tweaks.  Remember the guys tweaking their spreadsheets for weeks (which I call hiding from your job search)?  You wont feel like you need to do this.  We designed JibberJobber for job seekers, and WE have been tweaking for the last 8+ years, so you dont have to.  Of course there is flexibility, withe Manage Columns on the List Panels, custom reports, user-defined fields, etc.  But those are simple, easy changes you can make when you want to this allows you to focus on what you need to do (call and meet with people!!), and not fiddle around with technology. JibberJobber helps you network for many years to come.  Lets say you use it, then land your job, then in three years you are in a job search again.  You can log into JibberJobber and find all of the information you put in, just as you left it.  It will be easy to understand what you did, when you did it. Whereas my spreadsheet was turning into a confusing rats nest, JibberJobber will be a place that is easy to come back to. I remember an early user landed his dream job, then came back two years later when he was in transition, and said Jason, its like coming home!  Weve been around long enough to experience this many times with our users.  Weve been here every time theyve been in transition. Those three benefits address the three reasons people like Excel that I listed at the top of this blog post.  Here are some other benefits: JibberJobber is your long-term networking tool.  Every job coach and resume writer will tell you to keep networking, even after youve landed your job.  Its a pain to do.  Even if we got into a networking groove when in job search, starting a new job can be consuming.  But we should network, even when we are not in transition.  Even if we are introverts.  Even if this is my dream job, and Im not going anywhere.  Networking is the new job security.  And JibberJobber is the tool to help you do it. JibberJobber is a follow-up, network nurturing, and relationship tool. Keith Ferrazzi says if you want to be better than 95% of your competition, all you have to do is follow-up.  As Ive traveled the United States, Ive talked about the importance and power of NURTURING relationships.  All of this follow-up, nurturing talk is really difficult, though, if you are relying on a stack of business cards, relying on your memory to remember who is who, and what, why and how to follow-up. Take a lesson from sales professionals and use a system (JibberJobber!) to help you follow-up and nurture relationships throughout the rest of your career! JibberJobber continually improves and adds new career management features.  We started out as a simple replacement to the job search spreadsheet and over the years it made sense to add other functionality.  Like the Job Journal, where you can record past accomplishments that become part of your stories, and the Interview Prep area, where you can wordsmith how you are going to respond to interview questions and networking situations. There is also a coaching interface, which brings more value to the relationship between you and your coach.  As we hear about really cool best-practices in career management, we wonder should this be built into JibberJobber? JibberJobber is the hub for your career and networking information, regardless of any networks that tend to come and go. Find a contact name and email on a job posting?  Or meet someone on LinkedIn, or Facebook, or Twitter? Did you  read about them on a press release?  Did someone make a face-to-face introduction to someone you want to follow-up with?  No matter where you get your information from, JibberJobber sits comfortably in the middle, as the hub and information gatherer.  Social networks come and go in popularity (refer to MySpace), but that shouldnt impact whether your relationships come and go, too.  Have one single hub (JibberJobber!) to store information from disparate sources of information. Were constantly thinking of how to make things easier for you. As web users, we continually find coolness on other websites and think we should do this on JibberJobber!  Even though we are ancient in Internet years, we are continually trying to improve the value we bring you, and your user experience.  I promise your Excel spreadsheet is not thinking about you the way we are ?? Were constantly working on getting data in.  Getting data into any system can be a pain. Sometimes there is no alternative to just typing a name and number in.  But we are continually thinking how can we take this from 7 clicks to 4 clicks, or could we import this data?  Some of our tweaks have been big (the Gmail synchronization) while some have been small and almost unnoticeable (changing the order of fields on the Add Contact page, so that the first three fields are the main three fields you should have on every Contact).  Were also thinking of the next phase of Email2Log, and some amazing functionality that we could do with emails you send to the system. Were constantly thinking of how to get data out.  This is not just a repository of data, but its a tool to help you with the right information, at the right time. This might mean getting Action Item alerts via email or SMS (a premium feature), or showing you what you have going on this week every time you log in, or showing you how many open Action Items you have this week and next week from any page you are on.  Perhaps it is the custom reporting tools and the export functionality that is at your fingertips whatever it is, we want you to (a) feel like this is YOUR DATA, and its not trapped in some system that you dont own, and (b) can get your data out in a way that is meaningful to you. The interface with your daily email system and processes makes this a very easy system to use. Email2Log is the killer app in JibberJobber.  The idea that you can send emails all day long, and have that create Log Entries, Action Items, Companies, Contacts, and more, is simply awesome. We want to give you peace of mind.  Recently I got an email from someone who had just started using JibberJobber. He said I actually slept all through the last night now that I am feeling organized.  This struck a chord with me and reminded me of the feelings of anxiety you have as a job seeker.  There are so many unknowns, and so many things that are out of your control.  Let us help you get the organizational thing under control, and empower you so that you can have your own peace of mind in this very tumultuous time. JibberJobber is as inexpensive as you want it to be.  About two years ago we moved most of the features to the free side.  We simply just gave away what others had paid for in the past.  You can upgrade for $9.95 a month, or if you upgrade for a year you get 50% off (so it comes out to $5/month) and most people do that for the Email2Log (and extra storage).  But if you dont have any money, then enjoy almost every feature of JibberJobber, including our customer support that we pride ourselves on, at no cost. JibberJobber makes you a smarter, and more valuable, professional.  A few years ago I was talking to a recruiter who said If I was hiring someone who needed CRM experience, I would totally want to interview JibberJobber users.  Did you realize that using JibberJobber was on-the-job training? You are kind of reprogramming your brain to think about relationships, both with people and with data, differently.  Using JibberJobber helps you understand different thinking, different software, different interfaces, and how to think about these complexities differently.  You didnt know using JibberJobber is actually something you could add to your resume, did you? There are more benefits, but I should stop before this post becomes so long it should have been a book. I hope this has been helpful to you, if you have been wondering about transitioning from your spreadsheet to JibberJobber. JibberJobber Competition JibberJobber vs. the Excel Spreadsheet Yesterday I was talking to a very successful career coach who said that he continues to recommend JibberJobber, but some of his clients say oh, Im already using Excel to track my job search  He knows the value of JibberJobber over Excel, but he cant force people to change from Excel to JibberJobber. Ive talked to plenty of people over the years who have the same concern.  Ive already started on Excel and I dont want to transition over, or something like that. I realize this can be a hard mental transition (although quite easy to implement). This reminds me a of a delightful book I just read titled Selling The Wheel.  This is a really fast read, with a story about the guy who supposedly invented the wheel, and was anxious to get rich by selling it.  Max, the inventor of the wheel, was sure that everyone who saw the wheel would want one (or more) but when he went out to actually sell the wheel, he learned that he had some serious competition. His competition was what people where already using to move things: camels, elephants, slaves, sledges.  Max didnt realize that, even though his wheel had significant advantages to current ways of doing things, it would be hard for people to switch from the old, comfortable, familiar way, to some newfangled technology. As I read this story, I totally thought about JibberJobber.  Theres a better way, but some people would rather use old and comfortable. In this post, I want to share why I was audacious enough to think that a web-based job search organizer (aka, JibberJobber) could really be better than old and comfortable (aka, your Excel job search spreadsheet). Here are three reasons I think people love Excel so much to track a job search: Excel is familiar and comfortable.  Everyone has used Excel for something, at work, school or home.  We all understand spreadsheets.  I would argue that most people use 5% of the functionality of a spreadsheet but that 5% is functional enough to track someones phone number and email, and when you talked to them last.  Thats pretty easy to do. With Excel, you can create anything you want you have complete control over the columns and rows.   Excel, as a blank slate, lets you set up whatever you want: more sheets, more columns, more rows, and do whatever you want with them.  This can be, though, a double edged sword. I have heard from coaches over the years that some of their job seeking clients can spend weeks really, weeks! tweaking their spreadsheet.  On the surface level, it looks like you are being productive since you are setting up your tools.  Go a little deeper and youll find that too often, people who spend days and weeks tweaking are really hiding from the job search.  Its a lot more comfortable tweaking a spreadsheet by yourself than picking up the phone and perhaps getting rejected. Excel is a temporary solution, and you wont need this information after you land your job.  I believed that once I landed my job I could go back to my cozy place and not think about the job search, which included networking. I heard that I would transition every two to five years, but I didnt want to think about it at all I knew that my spreadsheet was going in the virtual garbage can. Even if I did pull it up two to five years later it was turning into such a disorganized rats nest I was sure I wouldnt be able to make heads or tales of it after I landed my next gig. Transitioning from comfortable/familiar (spreadsheet) to JibberJobber can just seem like its too much.  But it isnt too much, and heres why: The transition doesnt mean you have to take all of your spreadsheet stuff and copy it into JibberJobber. Im guessing that you have a lot of data youve logged in your spreadsheet.  Some of it is active, some of it is just a placeholder. Not everyone or everything youve logged is going to come up again in your networking or job search. Personally, I would keep the spreadsheet, and refer to it if I had to, but going forward, from this minute on, I would start to use JibberJobber.  Meet someone new?  Put them in JibberJobber (not in the spreadsheet).  Network into someone new at one of your target companies (where the target company is in your spreadsheet)?  Quickly add you target company into JibberJobber (it takes all of 30 seconds, if that), and then put that new contact in.  You dont have to copy and paste, or transfer over from the spreadsheet just stop using the spreadsheet and start using JibberJobber, and youll find that the main contacts you are networking and communicating with end up in your JibberJobber account.  These are the ones that are on the top of your list, and need more of your attention. Every once in a while, go back into your spreadsheet to see if there are people who have slipped through the cracks, and reach out to them.  When you do, add them into JibberJobber and remove them from your spreadsheet.  Youll find that the names and information in your spreadsheet will be whittled away and your JibberJobber database will be rich with real, current information and relationships. Bonus, this is a lot easier than you might think.  With the Email2Log feature (which is premium, starting at $5/month and up to $9.95/month, depending on how many months you pay for at once), you can add contacts and companies simply by emailing your contacts (which you are already doing), or by forwarding emails to the JibberJobber server.  While we have import tools, the Email2Log is the easiest way to get relevant information into JibberJobber quickly, and with virtually no effort. Email2Log is the secret weapon to transitioning from your existing tracking system to JibberJobber. You can import existing files, or sync your Gmail Contacts, but the people you are emailing today, and tomorrow, and this month, are the people who you need most in JibberJobber at least today. You are probably already emailing them, so the next time you do, add the Email2Log address, and even their company, just by hitting send. Some people like to import all of their contacts from LinkedIn, but this isnt critical.  Sure, it gives you the impression that you have a lot of contacts, but are you communicating with any of them?  Or does having a big list of people who you think you should know just stress you out, since there is a huge list you are not quite ready to contact, but think you should? Imagine if you started your job search over today.  What would you do differently? I ask myself this question with my own business (which is more like being in a job search than I would have guessed).  Sometimes stopping what you have been doing and starting over new gives you a chance to make the changes that you should have made earlier, but just never got around to. Sure, starting a new system can be a bit daunting. But getting started now doesnt mean that what youve done for the last few months is all for naught.  It was really Phase I of your job search and learning experience.  Now it might be the right time for Phase II. But what are the BENEFITS of switching to JibberJobber? Okay, so transitioning isnt really a big deal but is it worth it?  Here are some benefits of JibberJobber over an Excel or paper tracking system: The more you get into it, JibberJobber will be as comfortable as Excel. I know at first it can be confusing.  For many,this is the first time youve ever seen what a CRM (customer relationship management) system looks like, and for many, this is the first time youre doing a very proactive strategic outbound networking campaign.  This whole experience is overwhelming but the more you do it, the comfortable it will get.  Add a few Contacts and a few Log Entries and youll realize how easy and intuitive it really is.  Especially with Email2Log. JibberJobber wont waste your time with design tweaks.  Remember the guys tweaking their spreadsheets for weeks (which I call hiding from your job search)?  You wont feel like you need to do this.  We designed JibberJobber for job seekers, and WE have been tweaking for the last 8+ years, so you dont have to.  Of course there is flexibility, withe Manage Columns on the List Panels, custom reports, user-defined fields, etc.  But those are simple, easy changes you can make when you want to this allows you to focus on what you need to do (call and meet with people!!), and not fiddle around with technology. JibberJobber helps you network for many years to come.  Lets say you use it, then land your job, then in three years you are in a job search again.  You can log into JibberJobber and find all of the information you put in, just as you left it.  It will be easy to understand what you did, when you did it. Whereas my spreadsheet was turning into a confusing rats nest, JibberJobber will be a place that is easy to come back to. I remember an early user landed his dream job, then came back two years later when he was in transition, and said Jason, its like coming home!  Weve been around long enough to experience this many times with our users.  Weve been here every time theyve been in transition. Those three benefits address the three reasons people like Excel that I listed at the top of this blog post.  Here are some other benefits: JibberJobber is your long-term networking tool.  Every job coach and resume writer will tell you to keep networking, even after youve landed your job.  Its a pain to do.  Even if we got into a networking groove when in job search, starting a new job can be consuming.  But we should network, even when we are not in transition.  Even if we are introverts.  Even if this is my dream job, and Im not going anywhere.  Networking is the new job security.  And JibberJobber is the tool to help you do it. JibberJobber is a follow-up, network nurturing, and relationship tool. Keith Ferrazzi says if you want to be better than 95% of your competition, all you have to do is follow-up.  As Ive traveled the United States, Ive talked about the importance and power of NURTURING relationships.  All of this follow-up, nurturing talk is really difficult, though, if you are relying on a stack of business cards, relying on your memory to remember who is who, and what, why and how to follow-up. Take a lesson from sales professionals and use a system (JibberJobber!) to help you follow-up and nurture relationships throughout the rest of your career! JibberJobber continually improves and adds new career management features.  We started out as a simple replacement to the job search spreadsheet and over the years it made sense to add other functionality.  Like the Job Journal, where you can record past accomplishments that become part of your stories, and the Interview Prep area, where you can wordsmith how you are going to respond to interview questions and networking situations. There is also a coaching interface, which brings more value to the relationship between you and your coach.  As we hear about really cool best-practices in career management, we wonder should this be built into JibberJobber? JibberJobber is the hub for your career and networking information, regardless of any networks that tend to come and go. Find a contact name and email on a job posting?  Or meet someone on LinkedIn, or Facebook, or Twitter? Did you  read about them on a press release?  Did someone make a face-to-face introduction to someone you want to follow-up with?  No matter where you get your information from, JibberJobber sits comfortably in the middle, as the hub and information gatherer.  Social networks come and go in popularity (refer to MySpace), but that shouldnt impact whether your relationships come and go, too.  Have one single hub (JibberJobber!) to store information from disparate sources of information. Were constantly thinking of how to make things easier for you. As web users, we continually find coolness on other websites and think we should do this on JibberJobber!  Even though we are ancient in Internet years, we are continually trying to improve the value we bring you, and your user experience.  I promise your Excel spreadsheet is not thinking about you the way we are ?? Were constantly working on getting data in.  Getting data into any system can be a pain. Sometimes there is no alternative to just typing a name and number in.  But we are continually thinking how can we take this from 7 clicks to 4 clicks, or could we import this data?  Some of our tweaks have been big (the Gmail synchronization) while some have been small and almost unnoticeable (changing the order of fields on the Add Contact page, so that the first three fields are the main three fields you should have on every Contact).  Were also thinking of the next phase of Email2Log, and some amazing functionality that we could do with emails you send to the system. Were constantly thinking of how to get data out.  This is not just a repository of data, but its a tool to help you with the right information, at the right time. This might mean getting Action Item alerts via email or SMS (a premium feature), or showing you what you have going on this week every time you log in, or showing you how many open Action Items you have this week and next week from any page you are on.  Perhaps it is the custom reporting tools and the export functionality that is at your fingertips whatever it is, we want you to (a) feel like this is YOUR DATA, and its not trapped in some system that you dont own, and (b) can get your data out in a way that is meaningful to you. The interface with your daily email system and processes makes this a very easy system to use. Email2Log is the killer app in JibberJobber.  The idea that you can send emails all day long, and have that create Log Entries, Action Items, Companies, Contacts, and more, is simply awesome. We want to give you peace of mind.  Recently I got an email from someone who had just started using JibberJobber. He said I actually slept all through the last night now that I am feeling organized.  This struck a chord with me and reminded me of the feelings of anxiety you have as a job seeker.  There are so many unknowns, and so many things that are out of your control.  Let us help you get the organizational thing under control, and empower you so that you can have your own peace of mind in this very tumultuous time. JibberJobber is as inexpensive as you want it to be.  About two years ago we moved most of the features to the free side.  We simply just gave away what others had paid for in the past.  You can upgrade for $9.95 a month, or if you upgrade for a year you get 50% off (so it comes out to $5/month) and most people do that for the Email2Log (and extra storage).  But if you dont have any money, then enjoy almost every feature of JibberJobber, including our customer support that we pride ourselves on, at no cost. JibberJobber makes you a smarter, and more valuable, professional.  A few years ago I was talking to a recruiter who said If I was hiring someone who needed CRM experience, I would totally want to interview JibberJobber users.  Did you realize that using JibberJobber was on-the-job training? You are kind of reprogramming your brain to think about relationships, both with people and with data, differently.  Using JibberJobber helps you understand different thinking, different software, different interfaces, and how to think about these complexities differently.  You didnt know using JibberJobber is actually something you could add to your resume, did you? There are more benefits, but I should stop before this post becomes so long it should have been a book. I hope this has been helpful to you, if you have been wondering about transitioning from your spreadsheet to JibberJobber.

Develop Leadership Capability by Taking Responsibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Develop Leadership Capability by Taking Responsibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Have you ever been in meetings where someone backs away by essentially saying ‘that’s not my job’ although it is? Taking responsibility for areas related to your job is essential for maintaining credibility. At the very least, offer to make an introduction to the person in charge. When you wish to advance your career or your business, owning up to responsibility and being inspired to learn is what separates the successful from the rest of the crowd. Negotiation is a large part of leading successful meetings. Receive everyone’s perspective to find a meeting of the minds. Although at first glance we may disagree with insight, upon further conversation and investigation, new appreciation along with an agreed upon conclusion for the better solution will arise. By encouraging the give and take of conversation, the better ideas emerge for implementing solutions. And out of all the competitive vendors out there, this approach will serve to build credibility that gives the leading edge. And as far as job interviews go, developing a give and take in the conversation with the hiring manager will see similar results as opposed to those who just sit and answer questions. In either case, you end the meeting with integrity and most often on the road to getting the sale. It’s possible at some point so much pressure was put on you to make a sale, that you transported the pressure to your prospective client. If this were the case once upon a time, consider the results. Most likely the ending wasn’t a happy one. Take time to review sales that were lost. Was the loss due to: * Were you pushing too hard to get the sale? * Did you try to gain perspectives of all the people involved in the decision? * Was an attempt made to try to get to know the people on a professionally personal level? Now think back to your better conversations that led to eventual sales. What were the elements that worked so well and how may it be duplicated time and again? Recall your favorite clients and what you may have in common. Are there clues you might seek out in the future for how to develop more inspiring conversations? By gaining an understanding of what motivates your prospective clients, they will become motivated to do business with you. Best of all they will be an admirer of your personal brand. Sales Tips Listen more than talk. Ask for insight into the reasoning used. Ask for clarification on anything you do not understand. Find out how the person chose their career path and what they hope to accomplish. Share why you are in your field and what you enjoy most. Exchange experiences as they relate to the conversation. Gain added insight for ideas that are new to you. Lead the conversation from the current problems faced and how solutions are seen. Add to the ideas for solving the issues. Celebrate Success!

Attention to problems matters more than solutions to problems

Attention to problems matters more than solutions to problems Fortune magazine has started reporting about family in corporate life. We all know corporate jobs are messed up. Fortune magazine is a monument to how messed up corporate life really is. In November, Fortune wrote that the company that Sheryl Sandberg, a working mom, runs, has employees “on lockdown” and their kids come to the office to say goodnight before bed. In December Fortune reported that to get his almost-top spot at GE, John Krenicki relocated his family 11 times while the kids were growing up. Working at GE requires the same type of sacrifice from a family that the US expects from military officers. In January, Fortune profiled Wei Hopeman, from Citigroup (pictured above). She has one of the coolest jobs in the world investing Citis money in startups in Asia. Heres how she describes her life: I have an apartment in San Francisco, but I usually stay in hotels in Palo Alto because Im generally in the office 12 hours a day; no matter where I am, Im almost never home. The workplace is in a war with family life right now. It’s not a question of balance or accommodation. If you want a big, serious job, you have to give up your family. I never really noticed this stuff when I did not have kids. But once I made the goal to have a fun, exciting career that also accommodated kids, I started paying attention to everything related to my goal. That key shift toward attention and focus pops up everywhere. Our instinct is to try to ignore whats going wrong so it doesnt bring us down all the time. But really, the key to improving what we dont like in our lives is to pay attention to it. By paying attention we cant help but make it better. Here are a few examples I’ve noticed: 1. Careers People who hire me for career coaching are invariably high performers. Even the people who got themselves stuck, or the people who have no idea what to do next, all have a common past: strong performances wherever they have been. I realize that this is because people who are strong performers at work get lots of advice for how to manage their career. 2. Love life At a point in my life when I had tons of disposable income but no boyfriend, I hired a feng shui consultant. My apartment had almost nothing in it, but I was curious. What would a feng shui expert advise? What differences could feng shui make? She made tons of suggestions. Like, put something purple in my money corner.   But I noticed that the suggestions I paid the most attention to were the bedroom suggestions, because that’s the part of my life I wanted to change. I threw out old pillows. I changed the lighting. I  added some pink. And that’s really just the tip of the iceberg for what I did. I am not sure that I believe that the feng shui got me my husband. But I do think my mental shift to paying attention to things that create a life of romance gave me the ability to find a guy. Feng shui, like career consulting, reflects a commitment to focusing on what matters most during that time of your life. 3. Finances My friend is investigating whether she should cancel a credit card to get a better one or if its not worth it because itll ding her credit score. The first thing I thought to myself when she said that was, “Oh god, I have to check my credit score.” This is why: People who know their credit score do better at managing their money. Not because you will somehow be a high earner if you know your score. It’s because people who pay attention to their money are better at handling their money. I know this first-hand because I’m actually terrible at managing my money. I get away with it because I’m great at earning money. When I met the Farmer, one of the first conversations we had was about money. He told me he  made $15,000 a year. I couldn’t believe it. “I make that from one speech,” I told him. “But you have no money,” he told me. It was true. I have lived with no savings for the last fifteen years. In my defense, nearly half of the US lives paycheck to paycheck,  and you’d be surprised how high the incomes go in the paycheck-to-paycheck world. Although surely I’m at the high end of it. I realized, from watching the Farmer in action, that people who have a grip on their money don’t necessarily earn a lot, but they focus on what they have. People who don’t have a grip on their money choose to focus away from their spending. I know this because I am acutely focused on earning. I am always hatching plans for new revenue streams. So my point is that you can learn about yourself by seeing what you focus on day to day. That’s what you’re going to do well in. And the stuff you hate thinking about? That’s the part that will never improve. I once interviewed Tiziana Casciaro, professor at  Harvard Business School. She does research on social skills in the workplace. Midway through the interview, I started to panic and I asked her how I could tell if I have terrible social skills. She told me that it’s nearly impossible to judge one’s own social skills. But there’s one good way: Measure the amount you care about your social skills. If you care, and think about ways to make them better on a daily basis, you probably have decent social skills. This is true for most things in life: It doesn’t matter so much exactly what action you choose in working toward improvement, it just matters that you’re trying, with genuine intention. The common problem is not wrong action so much as it is no focus.

CVs made simple steps to success. University of Manchester Careers Blog

CVs made simple steps to success. University of Manchester Careers Blog To make a good CV you need: A  good understanding of what skills, strengths and experience the job you are applying for requires. A clear and logical format that helps you present the most relevant points clearly. Evidence of your effectiveness in performing the tasks or skills the employer is  looking for. Sorry but Writing an effective CV  requires time,  research and reflection. It is unlikely you will get away with writing just one CV, they normally need adapting for every job you apply for. Step 1 Do your research. What jobs / roles / careers  are you interested in? What skills do they require and do you have them? Which employers are you interested in that offer these opportunities? Make a list. Step 2 Apply for one job at a time If there are several jobs / companies you want to apply for start with one. What does this employer want in terms of skills and attributes in an employee in that role. Make a list or get your highlighter pen out on the job description, advert or website.   Ill admit its not always obvious, but read between the lines and you can usually figure out what the essential skills or behaviours are.   If in doubt use the prospects website to help you http://www.prospects.ac.uk/types_of_jobs.htm   Find the job role that most closely matches what you are looking for.   Read the typical work activities section to get context and see if it is the same or different to the job you want to apply for. Then look at the entry requirements page for this section. Step  3 Provide evidence You have identified the skills now provide the evidence of your effectiveness. Remember: Context Action Result. Dont let your reader ask HOW?   Eg. Working  on  reception  I gained effective communication skills.   Maybe you did, but we have no idea what you communicated, what strategies you used and whether they were effective or not.   Working in a team of six on the busy hotel reception,  I organised monthly meetings to  plan  rotas and duties to help manage guest enquiries.   This resulted in improved satisfaction and team morale.     You can see how this actually covers several skills or competencies. Step 4 Is the information presented clearly and in a logical order? Is the font clear and easy to read Calibri  and  Arial are pretty good. Are you using bold, underlining and larger fonts for headings or emphasis if you are using all of these it may look too fussy. Are the dates clear and consistently displayed, can you spot any large gaps? Are tabs and margins consistent throughout. Are you making effective use of space? Frames, boxes and wide margins may take up unnecessary space. Is the order logical, what is most important your education or experience? Do you have relevant experience is this obvious? Before you send it off  spell grammar check.   Yeah yeah you say, obviously  I wouldnt send out a CV full of errors.   Well explain to me why most CVs have glaring errors in them. Poor spelling, incorrect use of words, repetition or words missing, some employers have a zero tolerance policy dont risk yours going in the bin! Step  5 Look at the next job you want to apply for.   Is the job description and person specification the same as the last one you applied for?   If not you will need to adapt your CV to reflect the employers requirements. Writing a CV is simple but its not quick! One size does not fit all, making the effort to tailor your CV is not a waste of time. Many applicants still dont bother with these steps and employers dont like it. Its not even just a UK phenomenon watch this report on US TV All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted applications Applications and interviews CV employability graduate schemes job hunting

6 Reasons Why A Career in IT is Worth It in 2017 CareerMetis.com

6 Reasons Why A Career in IT is Worth It in 2017 â€" CareerMetis.com Information Technology, more commonly known as I.T, is a very popular field of study and work nowadays. The speed with which technology is moving forward surely requires more talent to join in and contribute to its development.There are also so many success stories of people who chose this field to study or work and are now billionaires. On the other hand, there are people who believe the field wasn’t meant for them.evalHow does a person decide whether to choose IT as a career or not? Simple, by checking if this is the field you are truly passionate about.What is it that makes I.T such a lucrative profession for so many people all over the world?Here are some reasons why IT is the perfect field to pursue your career in. By the end of this article, you will be convinced about your decision.1) You can work as a team or as an individualOne of the best things about choosing IT as a career is the flexibility it provides. IT industries encourage freelance work and so many professionals c hoose to become experts, working remotely and providing good service from the comfort of their homes.When you are skilled in various branches of IT, chances are that an organization may agree to obtain your services as a freelancer and keep you on speed dial for future queries. On the other hand, this is also the most perfect field to work in as a team.Teamwork builds dream work in IT. Hundreds of companies that are global right now, started when a bunch of co-founders decided to invest in a great idea.However, if you think that IT work is completed on a solo basis, you are wrong. IT work is a collaborative effort. You may be working as a freelancer, but you’ll need direction and suggestions from other group mates to make the project a success.2) Your talent can become a careerevalIt’s true; you don’t always have to go to school to become an IT geek. Mark Zuckerberg dropped out of college to work on his idea of Facebook, and we all know where he is now. The wonderful thing abo ut this field is that you can work on your passion for technology to become an IT professional.Half of this problem is solved by distance learning on the internet. With Coursera and other online learning portals, you can take courses in your field that are offered by top universities of the world and become just as skilled.If you’ve been interested in computers ever since you were young, why hold back? You have a unique and precious talent which can turn you into a really great professional. Who knows, maybe you are going to build something which leaves Facebook behind?3) The paycheck isn’t too bad eitherLet’s keep it real â€" IT professionals have the potential to earn big bucks. Be it as a freelancer or as part of a team. You are valued wherever you work, and that value reflects on your paycheck. The US Bureau of Labor believes there’s more growth in the IT sector, compared to other fields. The statistics look convincing.Employment of computer and information technology oc cupations is projected to grow 12 percent from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average for all occupations.These occupations are expected to add about 488,500 new jobs, from about 3.9 million jobs to about 4.4 million jobs from 2014 to 2024, in part due to a greater emphasis on cloud computing, the collection and storage of big data, more everyday items becoming connected to the Internet in what is commonly referred to as the “Internet of things,” and the continued demand for mobile computing.The median annual wage for computer and information technology occupations was $82,860 in May 2016, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $37,040. â€"BLS4) Your work is importantevalIt sounds clichéd, but IT professionals have the power to create technology that can change lives. Look at all the development in machine learning, for example. We couldn’t have imagined a world where working was so easy and machines weren’t there to assist us. These professional s made life easier and more productive.If you are a person with analytical thinking who can solve puzzles, this field is for you. Very few industries have the potential to shift the way we live, and IT is one of them.5) Diverse career pathsWhen you are in a field that changes in shape and work, you enjoy your work even more. Technology is shifting at an increasingly high pace, and IT professionals have every opportunity to hop from one field of expertise to another.You can become a computer network architect, serve as a computer programmer, learn about cloud computing, help a friend as a network administrator, learn more about multimedia and graphic design; or you could choose to specialize in database development and even go ahead to teach in your area of expertise!6) Field of the millennialIt’s the field to work like a millennial, but that doesn’t limit IT to them only. It’s just that distance learning and short courses make it easier for youngsters to specialize in the fiel d of IT and study other subjects too.Chances are, this information will come handy professionally. We desperately need more IT professionals who have sound knowledge of how things currently work.“Change Is Inevitable … But Growth Is Optional.” â€"Key Erb.Aspiring individuals in this field must be able to adapt to changes quickly and learn to live with some projects backfiring. You have to stay on top of your game and keep learning as you spend more years working in IT.