Is your mindset sabotaging your career?
April 15, 2011
This video is from a Nightline segment on how to successfully conduct a job search. Most people who are working have no clue how the job market has changed. Years ago if you wanted a job you simply wrote a great resume, applied to a few job boards, contacted a few recruiters or executive search consultants and let the interviews flow.
Today, if you use that strategy to find a job you'll be out of work for a very long time. For over 25 years the job search business has run on referrals. Recruiters and search consultants call a few people in their database and if they're not interested or the right fit then they'll ask if you know of someone who might be interested in the position.
With the current job market flooded with good candidates staff recruiters and hiring managers are asking their employees, friends and colleagues if they can refer candidates. Most in-house recruiters will tell you "its an employers market" meaning employers are ..... Read More
When a Mistake Turns Into A Blessing
April 4, 2011
You know there are many situations that cause us to become anxious, freeze or avoid. As I thought about writing this post, I found myself both anxious and filled with anticipation and excitement. My original intent was to simply re-cap the key points for The Right Fit seminar and provide you with a way to get a copy of the PowerPoint presentation . But something wonderful happened.
Last week I was scheduled to present The Right Fit at ProNet Charlotte but I got the dates mixed up. Fortunately, when Tammy called I was able to quickly rearrange my calendar and drive to the ProNet offices. I arrived late, without the presentation, embarrassed, and very apologetic. I walked in wondering “how I was going to deliver the seminar without the PowerPoint presentation or my notes.”
As it turned out, I remembered most of the presentation and covered the main concepts.
· 3 Big ..... Read More
Who's in your network?
March 15, 2011
Your network has to have a few good professional recruiters in it. If you’re like me you know someone who’s had a bad experience with a recruiter or search consultant. In fact, most people don’t trust them until they need a job and that’s the wrong time to be trying to get their attention. It’s in your best interest – whether you’re looking for a job right now or just monitoring the job market, - to build good relationships with recruiters. It is one of the most important things you can do for your career and your job search campaign. The key is to establish a productive and mutually beneficial relationship so they'll be there for you when you need help? Here are 6 tips to do just that.
Know and understand the search business – This seems fairly obvious but it bears repeating. Search consultant/recruiters are in the business of filling the requests of their clients. Think of ..... Read More
First rule for achieving your goals
December 23, 2010
Work on goals regularly.
Networking is time consuming. Setting goals is hard. Being at work is hard work. Coming home to work on your goals is hard. Doing for yourself is easy to put off.
One of the biggest obstacles to achieving your goal is life getting in the way. You know life - all the other dreams, aspirations, chores, or things you want to do when you’re not at work. It’s kinda of strange how we spend so much time making sure we hit every goal at work but we’re pretty comfortable letting our personal goals sit on the side line. Often times they sit waiting to be completed “tomorrow”. (That non-existent day of the week?)
Seth Godin reminded me of Zig Ziglar advice yesterday. Make your schedule before you start. Don't allow setbacks, mental blocks or anxiety to push you to say, "Hey, maybe I should check my email for a while, or you know, I could use a nap." If you do that, the lizard ..... Read More
The Right Fit: Become the Obvious Choice
August 31, 2010
For the last couple of months, I’ve been speaking at ProNet Charlotte on the idea of “The Right Fit”. ProNet is a free career center for professionals located in Uptown Charlotte, NC. One day, AnnMarie Young, Chief Marketing Problem-Solver for ProNet, and I were talking about the dreaded phone call after an interview. You know the one where the recruiter calls saying, “You were an awesome candidate but we were looking for someone who’s a better fit.” Your response, “What the heck!”
Here’s the really interesting part. It the same kind of comment every business owner/salesperson hears when they don’t make the sale. So this question of “right fit” extends way past the job hunting situation. Accepting an offer, whether a job offer or buying a service or product, is based upon how we think it “fits with our need”. Acceptance hinges on believing it will make our life easier, better, more ..... Read More
Living Your Dreams - 8 Words To Success
July 27, 2010
Last week I spoke to a group of 6 th – 12 th graders. They were attending a one week college preparation course offered by the Charlotte Housing Authority called Raising The Bar . I speak to a lot of executives and leaders and there’s no harder crowd than 50 pre-teen and teenagers at 4:30 p.m. on a day where the temperature is hovering around 98 degrees. Talk about a tough crowd!
As a speaker, you don’t always know when you’ve done a good job. If you’re a parent with kids in this age group then you know just how hard it is to know whether they’re listening. Parenting, teaching and coaching are acts of faith. Every time you speak to someone you are taking a leap of faith that what you have to offer is just what they need. It’s like the song… “He may not come when you want but God is always on time.”
I started the speech saying, “you may not remember anything I have to ..... Read More
Declare Your Independence
June 27, 2010
On July 4, America will celebrate Independence Day. It's known as the day America told England we're taking our ball and bat and going away. And OBTW, we don't want to play by your rules anymore.
So as the week goes by what tyranny are you saying good bye to?
Here's my 5.
TV commercials, magazines and any other messages that say unless I’m a size 0 I’m not sexy or worthy of love.
Allowing others to define me. This week I don't want to hear anything about you're too upbeat, too straightforward, your personality is too big, or you're got the right stuff to make it but I'm not going to help you because you'll get it on your own. Oh this brings me to number 3.
I declare independence from back handed compliments. You know the veiled compliments that are really slaps. “You're so beautiful who would take you seriously in business?” Or “you’re so bold to let your natural gray show. Most ..... Read More
If Delivering Results Is the Goal… Why Are You Missing the Mark?
June 25, 2010
June is a great month. For many it’s a time of celebration. School’s out, vacations and family reunion season starts. But it is also a time when we are looking at our goals and our results over the first half of the year. Now I’m willing to bet if you’re reading you are either A) having a panic attack, B) thinking “I still have time – no worries or c) thinking “Goals: A painful exercise in futility”.
Achieving results or performance is a simple idea. But over the years, it has been complicated by frankly a lot of people selling products based on poor or bad science to a bunch of people who don’t know better. And that lack of knowledge on what works is costly. The Gallup Organization estimates businesses lose about $350 billion (yes BILLION) in productivity annually.
So what do the numbers mean to you? Well, according to Gallup’s survey of employee engagement about 54% ..... Read More
The Peter Principle Revisited
December 6, 2009
Do any of these comments sound familiar? Have you said them about someone? Have they been said about you?
“I’m working with a number of managers who just don’t have the right stuff to get the job done. With one of them, I’m trying to tell him how to manage his people and he just can’t get it. Ever heard of the Peter Principle? Well he’s the poster child for that concept.”
“They hired me to bring new skills and knowledge to this place. My boss doesn’t know anything about how to deliver on this project. She can’t teach me anything. So why doesn’t she just get out the way and let me do my job?”
“I got promoted because I am good. I know how to do this project but I can’t get my team to do what I want. We have meetings and I tell them what I want to have done until I’m blue in the face. They have a bunch of excuses as to why we ..... Read More
Is Sarah Palin A Poster Child for Success?
November 20, 2009
This week Sarah Palin’s books hit the market and talk about a fanfare! Whether you love her or hate her (and there are few who are in the middle) you have to admit she makes us all take a deep breath and ponder what does success means today .
On the one hand, she has a following in conservative groups because she says what they’re thinking and stands up to the “liberal media and liberal agenda”. Political movers and shakers in the Republican Party are all aghast that she just won’t go away quietly. And her book, which sounds like a tell all on the makings of a presidential candidate, is causing a firestorm of conversations.
So what are the lessons on success we can learn when you step out of the emotionalism surrounding her? Who really defines what is successful – the public, leaders in an organization or the person? After years of research we know success is defined by the individual. So…What ..... Read More
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