4 Simple Ways to Learn More about Your Employer Building Your Future Now

4 Simple Ways to Learn More about Your Employer Building Your Future Now Learning more about your employer is a great way to build key relationships, expanding your industry knowledge and learning about your companys corporate culture. Here are 4 ways simple ways to do that: 1.Events/Volunteering Make an effort to attend company events or volunteer for causes that your company supports. It gives you a chance to connect with many levels of your company including executives. It also allows you to learn more about your company by finding out the reason behind the creation of these events and charity sponsorships. 2.Corporate Blog Does your company have a blog attached to their corporate site? If they do, find out if you can write a blog entry. Even if there is someone who is hired in that role, it never hurts to offer. Also, if your company does not have an active blog volunteer to contribute to it. By doing thisit gives you a chance to learn more about your companys history and corporate culture by interviewing employees/executives and writing stories that expand your knowledge. It is also an amazing opportunity to build your portfolio! 3.Newsletter Your company may have an internal newsletter. Offer to write an article perhaps about your team or something that has happened at your company. Like the blogit gives you an opportunity to reach out to other team members and learn more about whata going on with your company. 4.Training If you have a moment see if you can connect with Human Resources and ask them if they have some modules or training that can help you better understand the company. In many instances there is great opportunity in acquiring resources to increase your knowledge. Image: Raw Pixel

Personal Branding and Dating Form a Relationship Get Ready for Valentines Day! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding and Dating Form a Relationship Get Ready for Valentines Day! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Recently, I spoke with dating expert and extraordinaire, Joe Tracy, about how personal branding ties in with dating and relationships. The timing was perfect for this because Valentines day is right around the corner.   Joe has over a decade of experience in the online and offline publishing industry. In 2003, Tracy oversaw the launch of Online Dating Magazine and now serves as the magazines publisher. Tracy is author of the highly acclaimed “Web Marketing Applied” book and upcoming book, “The Definitive Guide to Web Marketing and Search Engine Optimization.” He has been quoted on the subject of online dating in several national publications, including USA Today, NEWSWEEK, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. Tracy also makes regular radio and TV appearances, most recently appearing on MSNBCs The Situation with Tucker Carlson and Fox News Your World with Neil Cavuto. ___________ Me: What is your impression of the intersection of personal branding and online dating? Joe Tracy: When it comes to online dating, few people give thought to personal branding, even though personal branding can give you a vital edge over others looking for love online. My impression of personal branding and online dating is that the two naturally go hand in hand. When you date online, you are sending out messages about yourself in what you write, how you communicate with others, and the pictures you decide to publish. These messages are going to cause other people to form opinions of you, which in turn will determine how successful you are. I think it’s vital that people control their branding when it comes to online dating and that the branding they communicate is honest and not deceitful. Research shows that the majority of online daters lie about something in their profile. If you are concerned about your image, you don’t want to be like everyone else. Thus it’s important to be who you project. Me: Is the opposite sex interested in the way you dress, behave and present yourself? Joe Tracy: Without a doubt! Early on in my online dating experience, there was a particular date that I was running late for. In my rush out the door, I didn’t realize that I had white socks on with nice black pants. Had I taken the time to carefully go over how I looked, I would have caught the error. I was lucky to have a date that spoke her mind and she let me know she wasn’t impressed with the combination. When I noticed it, I wasn’t impressed either. It would have been better had I made a courtesy call to say I was running a few minutes late then prepared myself properly for the date. I would have caught my error, not been in a rush, and would have made a better impression overall. I never made that mistake again. The simple fact is that there are millions of people using online dating to find their life partner or a person to date. You have to set yourself apart from everyone else. And you must be impressive from the first communication through your first date and beyond. Me: What are the biggest turn ons/offs of someone who hasnt branded themselves properly? Joe Tracy: In the online dating arena, people who don’t brand themselves properly begin to look like everyone else. Their profile looks like everyone else, they don’t appear to know what they want, and they don’t appear confident. When you hear someone say, “all profiles read the same” when it comes to online dating, they are talking about people who don’t brand themselves. If you brand yourself properly then your profile will be unique, creative, confident, positive, and people will see that from the start. You are a unique person and you will do what it takes to present that uniqueness in a creative and positive manner. Remember, one of the biggest turn-ons to someone looking at your profile is that you appear confident and that you know what you want. This should also be reflected in your picture. Me: When someone has achieved a successful career path, do you think that happiness and confidence is seen in the game of dating and relationships? Joe Tracy: I would first hope that they weren’t treating dating or relationships like a game! But unfortunately many successful people do because when you’re successful, you get more of what you want. And more isn’t always better. I think you’ll find that most people who have achieved self success are very confident and as a result that does show in all aspects of their life. But that’s not always the case. Just watch an episode of The Millionaire Matchmaker and you’ll see that even successful people have trouble dating and need coaching. Part of branding yourself for relationship success is knowing how to act on a date. Many people don’t know how to act. For example, I know many women who went on a date with a successful and attractive guy only to say that the attraction was lost the minute he opened his mouth. Many successful men make their dates all about themselves and their success. That’s a vital error. A man should always make the date about the lady. He should ask questions and not volunteer information about himself unless asked. He should focus on what she says and then ask follow-up questions so that she knows he is listening. A woman is attracted to a guy who is genuinely interested in her. Talking only about you and your success is a good way to talk yourself out of never seeing that person again. Me: What are 5 tips you have for anyone who is going on their first date? How should they be branded? Joe Tracy: The five most important areas of branding (and you should make this a part of your daily routine, not just for a date) are: Confidence. By far both men and women are attracted to someone who is confident. This should be reflected on your date. Positive attitude. Keep the date positive. In general, people are attracted a lot more to positive people than to negative people. This is why it is suggested to avoid conversations about politics on a date. Conversation. Be prepared for a good conversation. This means taking the time to genuinely get to know the other person and ask questions about him/her. Once you make the conversation one-sided (“yeah, just got a new car last week and boy is she a beauty… have a big client next week that may add another million to my portfolio…”) you lose the other person. They want you to be more interested in them than you are in yourself! Looks. You always want to look your best not just on a date, but also in your daily life and interaction with others. This mean being well groomed, wearing clothes that look good, and learning what colors go together, etc. When people constantly tell you “you look great” or “you always dress so nice”, you are reinforcing that branding and image, making you more successful in life. Aura. You want your aura to be one that attracts people to you. This is in how you present yourself and talk to others while on the date. You hold the door open (for your date and anyone directly entering behind her), be courteous to the waiter/waitress, leave a generous tip, talk positive about others, etc. Your aura is key in defining how attracted others are to you.

Business Travel Trends Businesses Are Ditching Commercial Flight

Business Travel Trends Businesses Are Ditching Commercial Flight While the digital age has reduced the need for business travel, it hasn’t cut it out completely. There are many reasons you or your employees may find yourself having to catch a flight to another country. What’s interesting is that many companies and business travellers are choosing to ditch commercial flights, opting instead for a private jet experience. It’s not just the comfort that sets these private flights apart. Find out below why more businesses than ever before are choosing to fly privately. Saving you time and money Initially, it’s easy to think a private jet would cost substantially more than a commercial flight. The truth is, while the cost of booking a private flight is a lot higher, it can provide more long-term cost-saving benefits. For example, there’s no queues at the airport to worry about, you often won’t have to travel as far to get to the private airline and you’ll get to your chosen destination much faster. Recent statistics released by VistaJet International Limited, show entrepreneurs and high net worth individuals take private flights due to the amount of time it saves them. Travellers find they are more productive on private flights A study carried out back in 2009 by the National Business Aviation Association found that 20% of those surveyed claimed they were more productive when flying privately, able to get a lot more done due to the quieter atmosphere. So if you like to work while you travel, a private jet is definitely the way to go. A more comfortable, relaxing trip Of course, comfort is still a huge factor in deciding whether to take a commercial or private flight. Private jets are furnished to the very highest standard, offering luxury that you just don’t get on a commercial flight. It’s also a lot more relaxing to travel privately. Not only is it time consuming having to fight the queues at airports, it’s also incredibly stressful. The last thing you need when you’re heading out on a business trip is to arrive completely stressed. Overall it’s not hard to see why businesses are choosing to ditch commercial flights in favour of more luxurious private jets. If you can afford it, the benefits are fantastic. It’s also possible to build up a relationship with a private airline, enabling you to benefit from discounts and the ability to negotiate better deals for frequent travel. 2015 was VistaJet most successful year, with the trend only likely to increase in coming years. Image Source; Image Source; Image Source

Can a Recruiter Swap Sectors and Disciplines

Can a Recruiter Swap Sectors and Disciplines As a Rec2Rec, one of the most commonly talked about subjects is whether a recruiter can cross over from one sector or discipline into another. Having done this myself on three occasions (I started out in white collar perm engineering then moved into a new desk for advertising agencies, before setting up a R2R desk) I am naturally an advocate of recruiters having the potential to move across to a new sector if they so wish.  However this seems to be a topic which literally divides opinion more than anything else in my daily job! I want to explore both arguments and then ask you for your opinions as to which you believe is right for you/your business or just generally speaking. Recruitment consultants CAN move into a new sector: If you are a capable true “360” recruiter: (ie. you are accomplished at picking up the phone and actually creating new and developing business relationships yourself) then that skill can surely be applied to any environment if you have the essential behaviour of a “hunter”. If a successful recruiter wants to leave their current role:  sometimes it is because they are bored and want to develop their own skills further. So by moving into a new sector, this creates an exciting new challenge for them to replicate their success but in a new arena. The relationships that you gain during the span of a recruitment job in one sector can be leveraged in other ways: for example, if you have been placing sales staff into commerce but you want to move into HR recruitment, you can utilise the existing contacts you already have. If a recruiter is involved in a vertical market: and that sector begins to struggle, as we all know this CAN and does happen (look at retail, property, financial services in 2008/9!) then the previously successful recruiter can do little to change it, their skills are not the problem and they can surely return to those relationships when the market recovers- which it obviously has done. Recruitment Consultants CAN’T move from one sector to another: The added value component:  Without the existing relationships and networks within a sector, the recruiter comes with a price tag and regrettably may cost a recruitment company more if they have to effectively start from scratch with no proven track record in the new sector. A costly trainee? There is no guarantee that a recruiter who has been successful in one market will be in another: It can be “horses for courses” can’t it- a very technically focused recruiter, for example, one who places contract IT developers is not going to necessarily be as agile when it comes to headhunting for HR Managers or Sales Directors et al which are equally personality driven. Once bitten twice shy. If a previous hire has cost a recruitment company money because the recruiter couldn’t transfer over, it’s a case of “tarnished with the same brush” and how could any recruiter possibly make the successful move. Having done R2R for a long time (well, since 2003 and 2005 for myself…!) I can honestly say that on the whole, if the recruiter has the desire to move into a new sector and they are moving into a company that is supportive, has a collaborative culture over sharing information on clients, sector specifics (such as jargon and market drivers) and trends, then the move tends to be very successful. Where it isn’t a successful transfer is where the recruiter in question is left to fend for themselves, with no-one taking the mentoring role in relaying their sector wisdom to them. I don’t want to use the world “selfish”……… Ultimately (and I know this may be contentious), you can dress some recruitment sectors and jobs up in lots of fancy titles etc, but we ALL do the same role and so if the mechanics are the same, or at least similar, then SURELY it IS possible to move over?! Recruitment is not rocket science let’s face it- and as half the battle is desire and ability, then surely the easiest part to teach someone is the industry aspect. What do you think? Have you transferred from one sector to another? Perhaps you have built your own hiring model on taking recruiters from one background and moulding them into your niche market? I would love to hear your experiences and share them with everyone. Whatever happens, I always say, base any hiring decision on an individual basis and please don’t rule by the “one size fits all” mentality as we all know, it doesn’t!

The Death Of The Relationship Sales Career - Career Pivot

The Death Of The Relationship Sales Career - Career Pivot Relationship Sales Career The relationship sales career is not dead yet but it is on life support. This is not a career you would want to start if you are graduating from college today. I cannot tell you the number of relationship salespeople I have talked to in the last 5 years who are struggling. The world of business to business sales has fundamentally changed and it is not going back. No longer does a potential customer who has a problem call their account manager or relationship sales rep to discuss a problem they are having. No longer is a skilled relationship sales rep needed to explain how their product works and how it might solve the customer’s problem. All the customer has to do is research the various competitor’s products on the Internet. The Relationship Sales Career is nearly dead. Industry Examples Pharmaceutical The pharmaceutical industry has been eliminating relationship sales teams in droves. A doctor no longer has a choice of what they prescribe for any given condition as the choices of medications are driven by what the health insurance policies will cover. Pharmaceutical companies now spend more time dealing with web apps, email marketing and pay per click online campaigns than actually developing relationships with doctors and other medical professionals that can prescribe their products. Software Cloud computing and Software as a Service (SaaS) has changed everything. I spent much of the 1990s working in an IBM customer briefing center where we did confidential technical product disclosures. IBM’s largest customers would spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on hardware and software every year. Once a product was installed, it was difficult to change to competitors products. There were huge investments in hardware, software, and skills of technical people. Those days are largely gone. Most of these technologies now run in the cloud, where you essentially rent the hardware and software. The skilled technicians can be found when needed through a variety of service providers that could be anywhere in the world. Listen to the most recent episode The art of the sale has totally changed. When I worked for IBM there was the slogan: Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM. This was because choosing other than the tried and the true proven solution was very risky and expensive. Now you can rent a software environment and test it out for very little money. Little old Career Pivot rents lots of software including: Web hosting â€" WP-Engine and WordPress Email Marketing â€" Mailchimp Email â€" Google Video Conferencing â€" Zoom Video Hosting â€" Vimeo Calendar Scheduling â€" ScheduleOnce Podcast hosting â€" Libsyn and much more All of these providers have enterprise solutions that can be installed in minutes rather than days or months. Do I need a relationship salesperson for this? NO! IBM eliminated all of its customer briefing centers more than 5 years ago. The Automated Sales Funnel It is all about creating a sales funnel that starts with sale leads generated online. When you are online you are tracked using a variety of technologies. When you visit a companies product pages, you are tagged as to which product pages you viewed. Now targeted ads can be shown to you, and very targeted emails can be sent. You are now in the sales funnel! Sales activity both online and offline will be tracked in Customer Relations Management (CRM) systems like SalesForce.com. I was recently talking with a gentleman who has been a relationship salesperson for the last 30 years. Now he is a sales rep for a service provider in the oil and gas industry. The products he is selling are very specialized and technical but the entire sales process has been automated. His customer calls are scheduled for him via the CRM and sometimes he is given very short notice (less than an hour) usually by a chatbot. In the old days, this would be a relational sale where trust in the salesperson was critical. Today, it is totally transactional. He is not sure he can keep up the pace. The automated sales funnel has made sales of most products completely transactional. There is no need to build relationships and trust. It is all about tracking you through the sale funnel until you make a purchase. What to Do Instead? As I stated at the beginning of this post, I have talked to so many primarily B2B relationship salespeople who see their career going in steep decline. I often asked them how did they get into sales? The ones that are struggling often say: “I got into it for the money and the money has been good.” “Someone I trusted told me I would be good at it.” “I just landed in sales because it was the only opportunity at the time.” When I have put some of these people through my Career Pivot evaluation they often exhibit personality traits that are counter to what you would expect a good relationship salesperson to look like. Very early in their careers, they became actors. They learned to play the role of a relationship salesperson but when they hit their later years, usually in their 50s, staying in character became exhausting. Conclusion This is the time to do some serious soul searching, financial analysis and deep research on what is next. What to do next will not be an easy choice because the relationship sales career is nearly dead AND it likely was a poor choice to start with. The challenge I am seeing is we made career choices early in our careers. For some of us, which includes me, made career choices where we became highly successful but were counter to who we really are. Many of us run out of gas in our 50s and will have to make a pivot. There is no simple solution but staying in a relationship sales career is doomed to failure. Now is the time to get to work. Do you see yourself described in this post? If so, please comment below and tell us your story. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Where Are the Jobs Accessing the Hidden Job Market - Hire Imaging

Where Are the Jobs Accessing the Hidden Job Market - Hire Imaging The essence of the hidden job market. In my 30-plus years as a career coach, one of the mantras I’ve heard repeated is, “There are no jobs out there”. I’ve heard it in good and bad economies. In the days when you typed up your resume and snail mailed it. And today when much of job search is technology driven. Those who have heard of the hidden job market, often are not applying strategies to do a targeted search in this area. To understand the hidden job market, you need to understand the total job market, and how organizations fill positions. You have to abandon the notion of “job seeker” and adopt a more aerial view. The essence of the hidden job market. The hidden job market includes all the jobs that are filled before the organization needs to post the job. Organizations then avoid sifting through hundreds or thousands of applications. Those jobs don’t formally appear anywhere. When an employee goes back to school or to parent full time, she or he may well refer a friend for her position. The friend is qualified. Done! And the hidden job market is not just friends hiring friends! You don’t need to have any friends to succeed in in the hidden job market. Companies get applications all the time, in person and online. When a manager needs an employee, he or she often doesn’t have to post an opening; but only to talk to the latest applicant. If the custodian or the vice president of finance quits, the manager can just talk to the next custodian or finance professional to walk in the door. At least half of all jobs that transition go to someone who did not respond to a posted opening. Click To Tweet The hidden market also includes all the jobs filled by temporary or contract workers who come on board in permanent, full-time roles. The business analyst doing project work whose contributions influenced the boss to hire her as full-time staff. Organizations love to take on contingent workers, because they know what they’re getting. From the employer’s point of view, they want to keep resume banks full of information on folks. When they reach into their database, they are making a placement in the hidden market. You’ll never see that transition from outside the HR office. The hidden job market also includes posted and advertised jobs! Yes, they’re’ advertised; but the person who gets hired does not respond to (or even know about) that posting. Why? We’re back to thinking from the organization’s perspective â€" thinking like a hiring authority. You have 900 hundred applicants for a position, and you know that a good percentage of them are embellishing on their resumes. Someone walks into your office and says, “I know Jim from ABC Company. He’s really good!” Will you sift through 900 resumes, or talk to Jim? In a nutshell, the hidden job market is any job that you don’t see posted. It’s hidden to you, but it’s there. Here are the two things to remember: At least half of all jobs that transition go to someone who did not respond to a posted opening. Only about one-third of open jobs are every posted anywhere. The crux of the evident job market. Think of that sign in a window marked “Help Wanted” or classified ads that used to appear in newspapers and are now largely posted online. That’s the overt market , and unfortunately where most job seekers spend most of their time. You can hide behind your computer and apply to jobs. You can wrestle with reading instructions, copy and pasting resumes, sending attachments in specific formats, creating and registering user names and passwords, trying to remember if you applied to the same position last month. The truth is that some folks like to avoid actually going out in the real world and talking to people. They feel more comfortable following computerized instructions. But if that’s all that’s done, it’s simply statistically ineffective. It’s hard to stand out in a sea of thousands of resumes. You need to rise out of the sea. The gist of where jobs come from. Let’s dispel one misconception. HR doesn’t create jobs unless they are in HR. A manager decides he needs help. The company’s growth has exploded, and there’s new technology recently implemented. The staff is overworked. He tried to train some of his team in new skills, but those folks are not feeling the love or drive. He may plug the gap with temps and contract workers for a bit. Then he makes the final decision. Have to hire someone. The work is not getting done as it should. He intends to initiate the hiring process. But he too is overworked, so it’s delayed. In this phase, he asks around. He is responsive to networking queries or cold contacts he might have ignored otherwise. He’d be happy to talk to friends or acquaintances of existing employees if they have the right skill set. If none of these are right, he will initiate the formal staffing process. He finally calls HR to say he needs help yesterday. In a day or a week, HR sends someone over to analyze the work to be performed, and that person writes a job description. If HR doesn’t have the right resumes in their database, they’ll post the opening. It takes a few more weeks to collect new applications and review resumes, then phone screens, in-person interviews, call-backs, background and reference checks and finally, an offer and salary negotiation. If you look at it from an organization’s point of view, it’s no wonder most managers would do anything to speed up the process! That’s where new jobs come from. Remembering that half of new jobs are filled before they get all the way to the posting phase, why post a job and create needless delays and extra work? If you can inject yourself into this scenario before the job is posted, you can save everyone a lot of money, time and sweat! Not only do you open doors; you also shrink your competition by a vast percentage. If you contact that manager while he’s overworked and unhappy, your potential competition is his mind-set. He has not decided to solve this problem yet, but if you can convince him that you are a low-risk, high-performer, he may decide to hire you. Once HR is involved, the competition heats up dramatically. They will insert requirements in the job posting that you don’t have. They will look for purple squirrels. Get in the mix before the manager calls HR. What’s interesting is that intelligent folks get this. They realize that all the competition comes after a job is posted, and the best way to get hired is to approach people before the posting. And yet, they will sit at their computers and apply for posted openings in the middle of the night, with little else in terms of strategy. Why? They’re not sure how to insert themselves before the posting and at the business-unit level. This involves identifying what you want and raw leads to help you. Converting those raw leads into specific names. Transforming the name into a meeting. Selling in the meeting or interview. Staying robust through the hiring process. And closing the deal! It’s roll-up-your-sleeves work. But it’s very effective. What’s your experience with tapping the hidden market? I’d love to hear from you!

Mechanical Engineering Student Resume - Helps You to Write a Successful Mechanical Engineering Student Resume

Mechanical Engineering Student Resume - Helps You to Write a Successful Mechanical Engineering Student ResumeThe Mechanical Engineering student resume is one of the most important documents for a student when it comes to getting into college. However, the mechanical engineering resume is not necessarily easy to write. It is very important to be clear, concise and accurate when you are writing a resume.There are many aspects that need to be considered when writing a mechanical engineering resume. Many students are intimidated by the amount of time they will have to devote in the college application process, and the mechanical engineering student resume is not a top priority. However, the mechanical engineering student resume needs to show your ability to handle the materials that are involved with the mechanical engineering work. The mechanical engineering student resume must contain information about what type of student you are, which school you have attended, your GPA, extracurricu lar activities, recommendations, letters of recommendation, and experiences that might be useful to the engineering program.When it comes to writing a mechanical engineering student resume, it is important to remember that you should be able to answer the question, 'What are you good at?' This statement does not necessarily require you to say you are good at math or computer programs, however, it does require you to be able to explain your skills that are valuable to the mechanical engineering program. In addition, it is also important to demonstrate your capabilities in each of the categories of your Mechanical Engineering resume.The first category that needs to be filled on your mechanical engineering student resume is your unique skills that can be used in mechanical engineering work. You need to state these things in as specific detail as possible. This should include; types of courses you have taken, how many credits you have earned, and how many were in laboratories. It is als o important to provide your type of experience in the category of Experience.In addition to describing your experience, it is also important to provide information about your personality, attitude, goals, and personality to match the mechanical engineering program. Mechanical Engineering student resumes should also include any notable awards, and any other honors you may have received. All of this information must be documented in a way that will prove to your future employer that you are committed to making your mechanical engineering career as rewarding as possible.One of the greatest difficulties that students face when they are filling out their Mechanical Engineering student resume is writing for the future employer. Many students feel that it is impossible to understand what the employer needs, or how they expect to come across. Here are some suggestions that you can use to help you create your Mechanical Engineering student resume.The first thing you can do is to look at what your current employer says about you. For example, if your employer recently announced an employment opportunity at IBM, the company will often post an advertisement in the local newspaper stating they are hiring. If your employer has hired you previously for another job, you may be able to obtain a resume copy from the previous employer, or you may be able to get it from the former employer.You will also want to know exactly what the company needs, what they are looking for, and what they are expecting of you. Before you begin writing your Mechanical Engineering student resume, you should ask yourself, 'What kind of person does this job require?' This is the first step in helping you write your Mechanical Engineering student resume.