Personal Branding Lessons From Sgt. Bergdahl - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Lessons From Sgt. Bergdahl - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Five years in captivity changes you. Whether Bergdahl walked away from his duty in Afghanistan into the arms of the Taliban or not, he was unable to return until his release was negotiated. He is now being held at a medical facility and won’t be reunited with his family for weeks. It takes a lot of support to be brought back into society as a functioning member. Perhaps you have been in college. Hanging out with friends. Living with your parents. Working a barista gig while writing a novel, playing in a band or otherwise trying your hand at the thing you thought you wanted to do. It will take a lot of support for you to be incorporated into the workplace. Recently, a freelancer emailed me to say: I want you to know I am disappointed. She feels disappointed with the work my company had paid her to do. And she wanted me to know? Really? Apparently, the work which she did poorly wasn’t what she had in mind for her time or talent or whatever vision she has of herself. This is a person who has been through three years of internships, and we are her first paying gig. What’s the first thing that should occur to you, if you aren’t hired by the company you interned for? Whats the first thing that should occur to you if theres good work to do, and youre not getting it? You were not good enough? You did something wrong? They didn’t like you? I don’t know. I was hired by the organization that brought me in as an intern. So I only know what it is like to be judged by my work, skills, attitude and the like, when the judgment is positive. Bergdahl made lots of mistakes, starting with his first deployment. If you read what he said and how he acted, it was clear that he was immature to say the least. According to reports, he was disappointed once he got to war and found out the role he was going to have to play. He did the wrong thing and walked away from duty. He will pay the price. The analogy may be too dramatic to compare to my freelancer, for sure. But it occurs to me that acting on how you FEEL and letting people know, is WRONG. Work calls on you to think. To do anything less than hold yourself responsible, is bad for your brand, your career and perhaps something greater than that.

Sales Errors to Avoid to be Successful - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Sales Errors to Avoid to be Successful - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In the early 1990’s it was assumed that saleswomen would not be successful in a sales career. Realizing this, any woman who wanted to succeed was able to take that demeaning thought and turn it into their advantage. Smart women would take the top male producer out to lunch and include alcohol to soften the communication between them (as in eliminate the antagonism). The savvy saleswoman would then proceed to boost the salesman’s ego about how their success was admired. This would then be followed by the question, “What are your secrets to success?” The answers came fast and notes were taken. 1. Never assume anything. In the case of the salesman, instead of letting ego take over, he should have wondered why he was being treated as royalty. And not for a second should he ever assume that the sweet woman across the table from him wouldn’t use the answers to her advantage. While on appointments, should a client use vocabulary you do not understand, own up to it. Politely ask if the word or sentence could be further clarified so that you have a better understanding. This promotes trust in you. 2. Quick hit selling turns into “Outs”. Most sales professionals try to make a quick hit sale in order to make their steep quota in time. They begin selling from the moment they step across the threshold. This rarely produces a good outcome. Instead, focus on building relationships first. Find out why you are there, what the need and desires are, and the client’s perspective on potential solutions. Although it is a slower process, it is sure, steady, builds relationships, and a willingness on the prospective client’s part to move forward. 3. Absence of punctuality. Many businesspeople believe that if they have a set appointment then the other party won’t mind waiting when a delay occurs. Wrong. Time management is essential for everyone to be successful. Lateness increases irritation and most likely, when you do show, you will be booted out. Upon recognizing ahead of time, that you will be a few minutes late, call or text ahead of time. Ask if it’s still okay to meet at the new time. Thank the person for their patience when you do meet. 4. Totem Pole Syndrome. The traditional totem pole reflects stature. Many businesspeople speak down to those employees not in executive positions. However, everyone at a company should be considered the CEO of their own job, or as equals. In this manner you insult no one. More importantly you distinguish yourself from everyone else. Your personal brand speaks loud and clear. This distinguishing mark is where the receptionist and anyone else you meet will report back to the CEO about you, and how nicely they were treated. This goes miles for making the sale. 5. Questionable budget. Fear of money conversations get in the way of a serious conversation. You need to know your prospective client’s budget in order to know which of your services will be a possible fit. By not asking, you waste everyone’s time. The easiest way to ask is upfront after the small talk. Present a general outline of everything you have to offer, ask if it’s of interest. Upon hearing Yes, ask where their interest lies and what is their budget. It’s their turn to supply the answer. Adhering to these five principles will lead you to the Smooth Sale!

Web 2.0 Has Made Sleep An Opportunity Cost - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Web 2.0 Has Made Sleep An Opportunity Cost - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nzxgj1X5xpc] Subscribe to my podcast series Before I get into this post, Id like to say that this post marks my 400th post since March 14th, 2007. I know what you must be thinking, Dan youve officially lost your mind. In the past two weeks, Ive really been thinking about sleep being an opportunity cost of connecting with more people online. Ive been preaching this nonstop to people in the web 2.0 space and they look at me funny at the beginning and then after I explain a few major points, they agree. Its very hard for me to go to sleep these days. I used to post once a day, Monday through Friday, but now I have doubled that, along with the book, video series, magazine and full-time job. Most people think that is rather unhealthy, yet I think its a requirement if youre passionate about your topic and understand the networking capacity on the web today. Passion Passion is a very interesting word. To me, passion means having an incredible feeling inside of yourself, which translates outside. Passion makes you go crazy! When you are passionate, you never quit, youre always excited and it has a great impact on everyone you are in contact with. When you have that energy flowing through you constantly, its hard to go to sleep, period. Heck a lot of people wonder why I dont drink coffee (Ive never had a sip in my life), yet work 13 or so hours a day. Passion blocks out negative thoughts and focuses on the good. Connectivity and accessibility I think you know that web 2.0 has made us all hyperconnected. Between the ability to access everything on your mobile phone to being able to send 140 characters to thousands of people at once, its obvious that we are connected and what we say counts. It is this connectivity that begs to have more hours in each day, yet we cant. We are humans and love to interact with one another. When this occurs online, it happens with more people in less time and can scale substantially. Since a percentage of our world has adopted these tools, it has, in effect, put everyone on the same ground. Famous people such as Alyssa Milano, Anna Kournikova, and John Mayer have blogs. They are accessible and want to be contacted. For instance, John Mayer promotes his email address (john@johnmayer.com) on his blog. Another example is MC Hammer, who lists my blog on his top 10 favorite blog list. Hammer uses Twitter and responds to your messages. None of this would happen in a web 1.0 world. It happens because celebrities are using the same tools we are and its a more open world now. Take my company, EMC, for example. We have an EVP on Facebook and a few VP bloggers that can easily be contacted, not just by their peers, but by YOU. Ill stop with examples because I know you get the point. Theory I strongly believe the fact that any new person you meet could change your life for the better. The accessibility and connectivity that web 2.0 creates allow you (yes, even you the marketing associate or you, the intern) a channel to meet some very successful people. We dream about starting businesses, climbing the corporate ladder and having a fulfilling life and now its right in front of us. Literally, these people are a few mouse clicks away. I cant sleep because I know who Ive already met and who Im bound to meet if I put the time in. Sleep is overrated (Im saying this with a possible cold) because its time you could be spending networking online. Its true and I promise you that if you sacrifice an hour more of sleep, you will become more successful. You snooze you lose! Competitively, while you are asleep, everyone else is making the connections that YOU need. Next time you curl up with your pillow, remember that and see if you can go back to bed ??

How to Write a Resume - Discover the Best Advice For Writing a Resume

How to Write a Resume - Discover the Best Advice For Writing a ResumeIf you want to know the best advice for writing a resume then read this article. You will find some useful tips that will help you write a better resume. Keep reading and you will discover how to make your resume stand out from the rest.First of all you should realize that a cover letter is an important step in the process of applying for a job. Therefore, when you read this article you should take all that you have learned from the resume section into account. Writing a cover letter is not a difficult task as long as you use a good method. Firstly, you must remember that you should state your qualifications in the introduction. The idea behind this is to provide the potential employer with some idea of what you can do for the company.Secondly, once you have shown that you are qualified to take on the position you are applying for, the next step is to turn the resume around. When you have finished writing a well tho ught out resume you need to put it on the table so that potential employers can see it. If you are applying for a position in the corporate sector then the most important part of the resume is the job description. It should explain the job title and describe the duties that the job entails.The most important part of a resume is the summary. The summary provides a quick overview of the most important information. It can be taken from one page to several pages depending on the nature of the job. This helps to keep the potential employer reading through the resume quickly and he or she can get more information by highlighting certain parts of the application. Therefore, the summary is the most important part of the resume.The last part of the resume is the concluding statement and a list of achievements. It should be brief but accurate. You can refer to the previous section to bring out any gaps in your qualifications. Most importantly, the concluding statement should be about the reas ons why you are qualified for the job. It is also very important to get a job interview.If you are not happy with your career path or you are seeking a suitable job then you should discuss your situation with the job recruiter. It is important to emphasize the points that the recruiter wants to highlight in the resume. In addition, you should also talk to your future employer about your performance in the job interview. This will help to identify problems that need to be addressed.Once you have written the information in the resume that the recruiter wants, it is important to make sure that you get the right question asked in the interview. The questions should be clear and you should be able to answer them with confidence. Make sure that you leave your interviewer feeling as if they were your friend.It is not easy to write a perfect resume. But if you make a conscious effort to improve the quality of your resume then you will find that it is not difficult to get a job.

How to Present Your Military Experience as a Civilian Asset - Hire Imaging

How to Present Your Military Experience as a Civilian Asset - Hire Imaging How do you crystalize your value?       Men and women leaving military service often hinder their transition into civilian employment by describing in their resumes and other communications, strong experience in military terms that many civilians do not understand. Conversely, they often underemphasize the value of their experience when looking for civilian employment. Here are two key points: There are few functions performed in military service that are not also performed in civilian employment. Most civilian employers can look to military standards and systems for direct guides on how to improve their own operations. In a nutshell, when well presented to the right employers, your military experience is a definite asset. How do you crystalize your value?       Analyzing your military experience to determine which aspects of it are most useful to civilian employers is the first step. As you go through this self-analysis, don’t let modesty stand in your way. Dig into your strongest abilities and experience, and then translate them into terms that civilians will understand. Some examples: Militarese: Commander, Commanding Officer, First Lieutenant, Petty Officer, NCO, etc. Civilianese: Senior line executive, operating executive, administrator, manager, supervisor, team leader, etc. Militarese: Civilians, officers, enlisted personnel, troops, etc. Civilianese: Staff, crew, team, technicians, task force, etc.   Militarese: Combat, combat-ready, fighting forces, war zones, etc. Civilianese: Highly hazardous conditions, highly trained personnel, etc.     Militarese: Military ranking or rating. Civilianese: Avoid using it except under circumstances where it’s a clear asset. Some more examples: Don’t scare civilians with the size of your fiscal accountability if that’s part of your qualifications. Tone it down to fit the size of the job you are aiming for. For example, if you were responsible for a $45 million annual budget and are targeting an operation happy to get by on $2 million a year, “Administered expenditures in excess of $2M annually.” Avoid putting monetary value on military equipment or real estate, such as “As a fighter pilot, managed $1.9M in equipment.” It may feel like it puffs up your resume; but it can create a gap between what you did and what you want to do. Think carefully about decorations. Civilian employers don’t typically “decorate” their people. They may give them a letter of praise, a promotion, or a bonus. Shy away from the names of citations that are more or less routinely awarded, like the Good Conduct Medal, etc. Conversely, do mention if you’ve been singled out for exceptional performance. Describe your accomplishment with something like, “Performance described by supervisor as …” (and quote a brief phrase from the citation). Nonroutine promotions are best handled by saying something like this, “Selected for special promotion four years ahead of normal date for …” and describe the accomplishment that produced it. Avoid overused terms as “advanced in rank ahead of peers” which falls short of your performance’s importance. There is a substantial difference between serving your country and serving a company. Your military service has been positioned in pursuit of national goals. In the future, your efforts may be oriented to chasing dollars. If you prepare appropriately for your job search, you’ll no doubt find that it is a stimulating and exciting challenge â€" a game of strategy designed to produce the fit you want. What do you think? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

7 Essential Interview Rules for Developers - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

7 Essential Interview Rules for Developers As a developer, you cannot ace an interview without preparing for it. As a developer, youll be part of a technical field, and companies are looking for professionals they can depend on. By preparing, youll be in a position to show that youre fast on your feet, and you can come up with suitable solutions in emergency situations. According to Forbes, preparedness is the key to a successful interview. Many expert developers have missed a job opportunity not because they were unqualified, but because they did not take it seriously. The first thing is to know the exact position the company is looking to fill. This will direct your preparation because you cant be ready for something you know nothing about. Also, make time to review your resume because details can get fuzzy over time. The last thing you want to happen is being unable to expound on the work experience you included in your resume. Even if it happened, it would appear like you made things up to appear qualified. Consider having a mock interview with a friend so that you can exercise your memory before the big day. Top it off with the right outfit because what you wear says a lot about the person you are. Here are seven essential rules for developers during an interview. 1.       Always be prepared to answer the questions Recruiters are different, and you can never really tell what questions youll get asked in an interview. Nonetheless, you have to be prepared to answer any question that comes your way. You must be wondering how this can be made possible, especially when it’s your first interview. Well, interviews are like an end of semester exam. The only difference is, in this case, you cannot turn to online writing help like Writer For My Paper. Do your homework to ensure you know enough about the company that’s hiring and what they’re looking for. If you’re informed, you’ll be confident enough to answer any question that comes your way. 2.       Know why you want the position Of course, you want a job because bills have to be paid, but this is not the answer the company is looking for. You need to have a legitimate reason why the company should consider you for the position. There are several other developers waiting in line, and theyre as qualified as you are. Pointing out a unique reason makes you a suitable choice for the position. Bringing something different to the table gives you a competitive advantage. 3.       Show that you can exceed expectations When companies are hiring, it’s like taking a leap of faith because they can not be really sure that you can deliver until they see you in action. Resumes are quite easy to forge these days, and people even use other developers portfolios to secure jobs. This is why a candidate who exceeds expectations puts the recruiter’s mind at ease. 4.       Be authentic To humans is err. Even if you want to appear as a suitable person for the position, don’t portray yourself as a perfect candidate. Be sure to talk about your weaknesses in a way that shows you’re self-aware. You want to sound authentic, not clumsy. 5.       Show that you’re a team player Many developers work in teams, especially if you’re part of a large corporation. You need to be flexible enough to accommodate other people’s ideas. Companies want a team of developers that can work together to make their business great. 6.       Be ambitious This means you should have the answer to the question, where do you see yourself in five years? or any other question in that line. 7.       Know your ABCs Go back to the basics because recruiters tend to test your knowledge in the field you specialized in. If this is your first interview after graduation, you might want to go back to your notes. Conclusion These rules ensure that you have an easy time during an interview. You want to ensure you secure that job position.

Use emotional intelligence to overcome job search hurdles during holidays -

Use emotional intelligence to overcome job search hurdles during holidays - I hope you have been following the recent blogging series with great advice from my colleagues in various sectors of the careers industry. (See the links at the end of this post.) Today, I have a contribution from Lisa Caldas Kappesser, author of The Smart New Way to Get Hired: Use Emotional Intelligence and Land the Right Job. I think emotional intelligence is one of the most overlooked factors in job seeking and have written about soft skills several times. (Follow THIS LINK to learn more about soft skills/emotional intelligence.) Lisas thoughts on the question of job searching during the holidays: The holidays are a joyous time for many people, but for those who are out of work and looking for a job, it may not feel like such a joyous time. Losing a job is one of the top five most stressful life events and it is filled with many emotions such as sadness, anger, frustration and worry.   Losing a job impacts family budgets and plans, and everyone in the family is affected by such an event. Being out of a job over the holidays adds to this stress.   Buying presents and food for meals and parties can be very draining on budgets.   Parents and children also have to cope with the reality of how it will affect their holiday spending and plans.   An airplane trip to visit grandma may be out of the picture this year. So how do you get through this tough time and stay productive in your job search? Well it begins with awareness of your emotions and managing them effectively. Emotional intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and others (Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, 1995).   It entails four skill areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and social skills that, when used together effectively, can bring about your desired impact or outcome. The good news is that everyone has these skills to some degree but they can be further developed to increase ones effectiveness in reaching goals. I see emotional intelligence as a tool that one can use to be more successful in their job search. Being aware of your feelings is the first step. Reflect on the bodily signs and label what you are feeling, for example, angry or worried.   Vent your feelings in healthy ways through talking, writing or exercising. These feelings are natural and normal. Next, reflect on your thoughts.   Thoughts drive emotions. Are you thinking negative or pessimistic thoughts? If so, this can lead to can lead to unproductive behavior. Being emotionally intelligent is about challenging and changing your negative thoughts and making them realistic and positive.   This will in turn drive positive behaviors and create energy.  Ã‚   If you are constantly worrying about getting a job because you are telling yourself there are not enough jobs to go around, or you dont have the education needed to get a job, you will feel increasingly worried, hopeless and sad.   Feeling this way can lead you to procrastinate, sleep more or avoid job search tasks which work against your ultimate goal of finding a job.   The reality is that it is a difficult time. However, there are jobs available. Turnover is a part of life.   The reality is that the job market is very competitive.   You should do all that you can to stay in the running for that position that you are interested in.   If you feel education is a factor, start taking a class or certification course. Keep a sense of humor.   Remember to keep things in perspective.   Embrace changes by expecting them and use your energy to problem solve and adapt rather than to fight or complain.   When faced with difficult situation, ask yourself three questions: 1. What do I have control over? 2. What dont I have control over? 3. What can I do? The answer always comes back to the fact that you have control over yourself and how you adapt and deal with the situation. You have no control over others or the economy.   You can influence others and organizations but you can not control or change them.   So use your energy and manage yourself. Influence what you can and you will feel better and in turn have more energy and motivation. Communicate with your families regarding the situation   as well as the plan. Remember, everyone may experience the situation a little differently.   Try to see things from others perspectives and be respectful and caring.   This will go a long way.   Working together as a team through the changes and tough times can bring families closer together. Lisa Kappesser is president of EQ Coaching Solutions. She develops and facilitates emotional intelligence programs for organizations to improve teamwork and enhance leadership. Be sure to take a look at all the great advice from my colleagues: Part 1 My suggestions and a free ebook offer Part 2 Walter Akana Take care of yourself Part 3 Anita Bruzzese Stay ahead of the crowd Part 4 Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter Unplug and embrace rest Part 5 Wendy Enelow Ideas for employed and unemployed job seekers Part 6 GL Hoffman Use time to research and prepare Part 7 Meghan M. Biro Use the holidays as a time for self assessment Part 8 Craig Fisher Recruiters dont ease up during the holidays neither should you Part 9 Ronnie Ann Take advantage of other peoples resolutions Part 10 Alison Doyle and Andrea Santiago Use parties and festive occassions to fuel your job search Part 11 Sharlyn Lauby Take your job search social Part 12 Karla Porter Be in it to win it I can help with every part of your job hunt! Need a great resume? Tips to use social networking? Interview coaching?   If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you! While youre at it, dont forget those social networks! Be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on FacebookId be thrilled to have you as part of the community! Since were on the subject of doing something newAre you on Twitter? Jump on and touch base with me @keppie_careers. photo by donsolo