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.