How To Survive and Thrive in Your New Job [5 Useful Tactics]

How To Survive and Thrive in Your New Job [5 Useful Tactics] Drum roll, please! You have landed your first or new job. Congratulations! You are on your way to be career happy. But, wait, did you know that accepting an offer is only the tip of the iceberg? Recent research by Leadership IQ, a global leadership training and research company suggests that 46% new hires fail within the first 18 months while only 19% achieve success. Raise the bar as you grow and begin this exciting journey of your life. I am going to share simple, practical ideas you can use right away to build career happiness on your first job. Consider it my gift to you as you begin a remarkable career! Awesome Idea 1 â€" Be a savvy subordinate. Observe, observe and observe some more. Then, ask intelligent questions that help you understand what matters to your boss and colleagues. Your job is to make your boss successful. Offer your skills to give superior work EACH time and ask for projects. What are some “hot buttons” for your boss? FACT â€" 17% hires lack motivation to learn and excel. Brilliant Idea 2 â€" Be likeable and approachable. Image matters â€" dress sharply, learn unwritten rules of acceptable behaviors and build your career reputation with integrity and discipline. Approachable behaviors include being pleasant, managing emotions and taking the time to know your colleagues. Cheerfully accept unwelcome tasks. How do you handle disappointments? FACT â€" 23% hires are unable to manage their emotions. Grand Idea 3 â€" Be open to making mistakes. You will make mistakes. Mistakes help you show ownership, create solutions and build skills. So, accept feedback with grace, take responsibility to make changes and don’t make the same mistake again, again and again. Recognize direct and indirect signals that people are giving you about your competence, skills, character and commitment. What might help you handle mistakes? FACT â€" 26% hires can’t accept feedback. Splendid Idea 4 â€" Be self-aware. Continue to reflect on and assess your personal and work values as well as your interests and skills as it relates to the culture of the organization. If you suppress your personal values you can compromise who you are and what you can contribute to the organizationâ€"this will lead to career unhappiness.  What criteria can you use to know what is going well for you and what is not? FACT â€" 15% hires have the wrong temperament for the job. Impressive Idea 5 â€" Be a life-long learner. Build your knowledge and talent. Stay current with trends in your field. Be an early adopter of new technology, processes and skills. Share generously and build expertise. Invite new learning opportunities. Stretch your mind. Become involved in your professional organization. What kind of learner are you? FACT â€" 11% hires lack necessary technical skills. You are the person MOST invested in your future. Go ahead and own your career happiness â€" it is worth it! I wish you career abundance. Related: Top 7 Qualities Employers are Looking for in Candidates.

3 Things To Know When Changing Careers

3 Things To Know When Changing Careers “Accept the challenges so you may feel the exhilaration of victory.” â€" George S. Patton. Starting a new job or changing careers is monumental. Here are a few tips to keep in mind. First Impressions These are so important! We make snap judgments within the first 10 seconds of meeting someone. The night before the big day, try on your “first day of school” outfit. Practice your power pose  and confidently saying your name. Jot down names of people as you meet them so a few days later you can refer to your notes. Smile. Be yourself. Take a deep breath (or three). Check out my previous post for more tips! Multi-dimensional Preparation Let’s start with your mind. Are there online training courses you can take to learn more about your new field? What about phoning a friend who shares your new industry to talk insights over coffee/tea? Maybe in between or after reading your latest book club book you can pick up some reads that are relevant to your new endeavor. Next, prep your body. Schedule your exercise and plan  breakfast/snack/lunch. Also, gather a few framed photos of your tribe or your diploma to bring in a little “you” to the new space. Patience Whether you hit the ground sprinting or start out at a snails pace, remember to be patient. You are the expert in everything you have experienced in your career thus far. For example, planning a premier client event will feel natural for me because of my Sales and Catering background at The Drake Hotel. In addition, developing and implementing a  marketing strategy is second nature to me due to my 7 years of Chicago marketing experience. Whatever it is that you have done thus far, it will serve you in your new role. Everything else? New. Absorb and be patient. Do the best you can, with what you know, and acquire new intel to better yourself as you go.  Which smart actions did you take when changing careers?  Share @kellymc247 Columnist Archive Image 1  Image 2  Image 3

12 Steps to Conducting Client Meetings Like a Boss

12 Steps to Conducting Client Meetings Like a Boss Winning new business is bread and butter for recruitment consultants. Its competitive out there among agencies; there are hundreds of thousands of talented talent acquisition professionals all vying for  opportunities to work their magic and make their money. In an industry where consultants are forever at the mercy of elements outside of their control, being on a superb winning streak doesnt merit anyone resting on their laurels. Constantly seeking out new clients and arranging face-to-face meetings is the only way to get ahead. People buy people, so getting in front of your new targets is  an absolute must! For recruiters, it is the hiring manager  who is hot property in the overall  client portfolio. Together with HR, they are the gatekeepers to  new business and are the ones who will have major influence over which agencies they will partner with on external recruitment.  So, courtesy of your networking and diligence, youve managed dig out a few decision-maker  gems and lock them  down for a coffee.  Youve told them its a chance to discuss what they do, what you do and whether there is scope to work together. They havent signed their name on the dotted line or handed you all your hopes and dreams on a silver platter just yet, but youre close to having a couple of extra clients on your books. Why? Because something youve said has got them hooked. Simply put, any potential client who agrees to meet,  wants something from you in the same way you want something from them. Whether they are unhappy with their current recruitment partners, or in the midst of renegotiating their PSL and terms, its your job  to work out exactly where  there needs are and  how you can deliver.  Presuming you arent already recruiting for them (if you are, have a read of How to Take a Job Brief Like a Boss), this is your chance to win them over. Even though you might have sold it as a casual catchup, this opportunity is anything but casual and you need to impress! Here are the 12 steps to maintaining control over the  client meeting: 1. Research It goes without saying, but research is absolutely vital. If your clients have operated in the industry for some time as have you, it is likely you have some mutual connections or have unknowingly crossed paths at some stage. Checking their LinkedIn profile will highlight any crossovers within your respective networks. Likewise, even if youre new to recruiting in your industry, they are likely to have had some interaction with your director or other colleagues, so understanding your wider relationship  is important, seeing as familiarity can help your case if youre trying to win them over. Its also worth checking CRM system notes and asking around your company to check if anyone else has tried to work with them in the past they might have a horror story for you!  All information about them is worth knowing. 2. Prepare If you think you know what type of employees theyd love to hire, why not print off a couple of CVs and take them with you, to demonstrate how high-quality your network is? Be careful not to give hard copies away too quickly though as you may be breaking some back door rules. Its worth also taking a  notebook with pointers inside  names and discussion points. Always bring business cards along too! Its embarrassing when they ask you for one and you have to raise your hands. Its also a good idea to check the weather forecast if its going to rain, which in London it probably is, bring an umbrella! The wet dog look does little favours for your professional appearance.  On that note 2. Dress to impress These are almost givens, but dressing to impress is important.  Just like an interview or your first day in a new job, you want to put your best foot forward to create the best first impression possible! Always go over-dressed as opposed to under-dressed. 4. Location, location, location Choose a location that is relaxed but professional. Coffee shops are a great choice, as everyone loves a coffee, tea or hot chocolate, but make sure its not too loud in there! You dont want to be fighting against cutlery and kids cackling just to get a word in. Also make sure its not too dark (you need to be able to read your notes), and  also check that its not starkly bright and difficult to relax in. If theyve invited you to their offices, go with it great. If youve invited them to yours, make sure youve booked a meeting room, as keeping them waiting in your reception area while you sort something out is a massive time waster. Also check the room is clean and tidy before you go in this meeting is all about professionalism and first impressions. Offering them coffee or tea is a no-brainer! 5. Be punctual Whatever you do, do not be late. This is the first unofficial test of what it would be like for your potential client to work with you. Dont screw it up by falling victim to unreliable trains, planes and automobiles. Allow ample time for things to go wrong, and for you to get lost navigating down dodgy side streets. Being at the location first, ordering table water or reading a magazine at reception before watching them walk over to you is far more relaxing than rushing through the building to where they are patiently sat waiting. 6. Set an agenda Explain what you would like to cover in the meeting. This should cover a quick recap of how it came to be that you heard about them / where the introduction came from, as well as what youd like to know from them (in a nutshell) and an elevator pitch on how you think you can help them (not a hard sell here). 7. Lead listen Leading is important. There needs to be a sense of direction throughout the meeting, or one of two things will happen. One, youll both stare at each other and wonder what the hell youre both doing. Two, youll get along like a house on fire and go on off on a chin-wagging tangent that leads to no business.  Keep things on track by ticking boxes, either mentally or on your notepad. Move the conversation along by prompting them with the right questions, and take the lead in instigating the conversation. The key here is to get them talking; when I get nervous, I know I can talk too much, so I have to actively tell myself to pipe down. Dont try to prove your knowledge to them asking the right questions will show you understand the subject matter properly. During the meeting, you want to be personable and build rapport, so keep it friendly and show your personality. Having said that, dont underestimate the importance of speaking clearly, succinctly and confidently. You are showcasing your work ethic and credibility with every word that leaves your mouth. Volume is also important dont mumble! I will never forget the meeting I went on where the person I was meeting  spoke so softly I literally didnt know if he was speaking or breathing heavily. It was almost impossible to find where dead air finished and his words begun not very inspiring at all, and by the end of it my ears felt like they had run a marathon from all that straining. Likewise, dont speak too loudly, especially in public places. What you  are discussing mightnt feel sensitive to you, but your client will no doubt want to be discreet and  professional, without letting strangers in on what is being discussed. 8. Sell solve This is where you can bring to life your company, your services and your approach. Its always nice to contextualise yourself  providing a business overview and then honing into specifically how you  believe you can help. This is where you get to use all the information they have given you so far about their struggles and their gaps, and wow them with your solutions. 9. Adapt react It would be great if everything went to plan all the times, but sometimes your potential will throw an absolute curveball at you and all your planning will go out the window. Youll be forced to answer questions or consider proposals you never saw coming. The key is to be open and flexible, but to not over-promise or dive into something without properly thinking about it first. When youre caught off guard, take your time before promising the moon and stars. Tell them youll look into it in more detail and get back to them if you need to just dont sell false hope. The other common occurrence that can turn your client meeting on its head, is when your client tells you they are actually looking for a new job! Youll have to revert here to your companys policies on placing clients, but use this opportunity to give them a great overview and demonstrate your knowledge within the industry. Be careful not to seem to keen to place them elsewhere and help their job search, as only 2 minutes ago you were unofficially pitching for their business you cant always have your cake and eat it too, so think it through carefully. 10. Take notes Take notes. Just, take notes.  Try not to look like a hyperactive, super-nosy journalist writing  everything you hear, but taking notes of names, leads and important information will not only help you remember and act on what theyre telling you, but it also shows them you are serious about the discussion and what they are saying. 11. Whats next? The next steps really depend on what was discussed and how quickly you need to  progress this business relationship. Make sure at the end of the meeting you discuss what the action points are going to be, and where to now. Putting the next steps in your hands is a great way to maintain control over the relationship, and avoid putting yourself into a situation where you are waiting on them to follow through on something. If its you who is pushing for the business to flourish, keep hold of the reigns and tell them what you will do and when you will do it, come the conclusion of the meeting. 12. Follow up As soon as you get back to the office, type your notes into your CRM system and diary down a follow up. If you said youd follow up with an email, do it! If you said youd be in touch with some extra statistics or examples, set yourself a task to make sure it happens.  A thank you for your time email with a summary of what was discussed is also a great way to show you are thorough and human in your approach to building business. Image: Shutterstock

7 Career Perks of Having a Side Gig - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Career Perks of Having a Side Gig - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A recent study by Contently found that just over 1/5 of workers who freelance professionally do so in addition to a full-time job â€" and it’s not hard to see why. With the economy and job-market still shaky and salaries stubbornly refusing to budge, a growing number of workers are learning that the best way to advance their career may just be to take matters into their own hands. While there are serious challenges to what is, in effect, working two jobs, there are also a host of benefits, which helps to explain why the number of self-employed is expected to grow by 2020. Here are seven such perks of having a side-gig: Alternative Income With non-consumer spending on the rise, stagnant wages and inequality are an increasingly serious problem, and many expect it to become the dominant 2016 election-issue. As a result, job-security is now a thing of the past â€" but a side-gig may help to alleviate some of the accompanying financial uncertainty. When investing, the advice is always the same: diversify, diversify, diversify. Betting all your money on one horse is a surefire way to lose, but betting on many can help to distribute the risk. Why should your career be any different? A side-gig creates an alternate and additional source of revenue, which in turn can grant you increased peace-of-mind, and can reduce an unexpected firing from an end-of-the-world scenario to a mere setback. Meeting New People The importance of networking to long-term career-growth is something well-studied and documented. Growing your professional network leads to increased resources, better future prospects and more opportunities. By working a side-gig, you expose yourself to a wider and more diverse array of potential professional contacts. You double the pool of people you have to draw from to build your network, and even more so if your side-gig is in a different industry. The acquaintances you make on the side while working one job may just lead you to your next full-time one. Learn New Skills One of the best benefits of taking on additional work is how it enables you to learn new skills. In a job market which increasingly favors skills over credentials, the benefits of ongoing professional growth and continuing education are more pronounced than ever. More importantly, tackling work independently in a self-directed capacity doesn’t merely let you learn new skills: it lets you learn to learn better. It forces you to take your professional development into your own hands, by encouraging… Greater Confidence and Autonomy Working for yourself makes you a better worker. Studies have shown time and again that self-employed individuals are among the happiest and most satisfied with their jobs, and the ability to direct their own work is frequently cited as the biggest reason why. Branching out on your own lets you to assume responsibility for your work, budget your own time, prioritize your own tasks and monitor your own quality. You’ll grow more knowledgeable about your own work-processes, and you’ll grow more confident in asserting the value of your work to others, allowing you to… Grow Your Personal Brand Branching out and taking on side-work forces you to engage in useful introspection. It makes you ask yourself the tough questions. What do you like to do? What are you good at? What services can you offer, to create value for others? Asking yourself these kinds of questions, and then taking steps to implement the answers, is what personal branding is all about. By figuring out your own personal competencies, you can position yourself as an authority on the subject to those within your network, which lets you… Lay the Groundwork for a Career Change Quick: make a list of all the things employers hire for: things like experience, skills, credentials, personal referrals, hard work, self-motivation, time-management, emotional intelligence… …noticing a pattern? All of the above are qualities which are directly enhanced and cultivated by taking on self-directed work on the side. The beauty of a side-gig is that you can tailor it to help nudge you in the direction of your dream job. The security of your 9-to-5 grants you the flexibility to pick and choose work which meets your career-goals â€" and nothing boosts the effectiveness of a job-application like direct, hands-on experience doing that job on an independent basis. Or, if you’ve got a different end-game in mind, a side-gig can also help you… Prepare for a Switch to Self-Employment If you’re looking to launch out on your own, why wait? Take on some side-work in the industry you’re aiming for, and start making preparatory moves. Build a portfolio of sample work. Collect names and business cards. Start pursuing clients. Use your full-time job as a runway while your side-gig slowly taxis, takes off, and soars. A Side-Job is Hard, but Rewarding The fact is, working for yourself is hard. While self-employed workers and those who work on the side are generally more satisfied than standard 9-to-5ers, they also face a slew of unique challenges. They work longer hours, they have a blurrier work-life balance and they may be at an increased risk for burn-out and depression. But if you can manage to pull off the balancing act, the rewards are great: the side-gig of today may just lead to the career of tomorrow.

This is What Happens When You Dont Conform - CareerMetis.com

This is What Happens When You Don’t Conform Source- Pexels.comTo be an indispensable employee to an organization and have a successful career, there is one thing that you have been taught for most of your life you must reject.I’m pretty sure there are many of you who remember getting guidance â€" no, orders â€" from your parents that you should obey the teacher and not be THAT child that sticks out and disrupts everyone else.You were directed to keep your head down and follow the rules â€" stay out of trouble and avoid the dreaded walk to the principal’s office.1. Don’t be that kidevalevalThere was always a stigma attached to the kid that was noticed in class as being different than their classmates.It was somehow viewed as being inappropriate, unusual and unacceptable to be noticed for who you weren’t, not who you were â€" for how you didn’t conform.Unfortunately through this process many kids were tagged as “outcasts” as they succumbed to the pressures and expectations of those around them.Their natural talents to look at the world differently and to offer ideas that were out of bounds relative to traditional norms were stultified by the storm of criticism that was aimed at forcing them to be like everyone else and conform.These kids became victims of a society that wanted clones; we never got to witness and value the potential they had to contribute.They were “beaten down” to be the same as their well behaved peers and as a resultleft 50% of their potential on the table â€" it was our loss.2. Sameness killsCompliance, conformity and sameness breedmediocrity and comfort with the status quo; neither of which will serve us well in a chaotic world of technology disruption, economic variability and surging competition.evalWhat I learned in my 30+ year career is that sameness kills organizations and unfortunately the collateral damage are employees and the investors that support them.Just look at some of the retail companies currently in financial difficulty â€" Toys R Us, Nine West, Sears and Neiman Marcus are a few organizations struggling to make it.The source of their woes is irrelevance; they are becoming out of touch their customers in the face of new competition and new alternative ways of consumer buying. They are not changing fast enough to break the mould of what worked for them in the past.They are falling short of discovering how to become an organization capable of adapting to and thriving in the future amidst the new challenges imposed upon them.3. Forget what you’ve been taughtevalThis is an unbelievable challenge for leaders who must create a culture of innovation and creativity in their organizations to create a competitive advantage and survive.They must counteract what people have been taught; to dispel the notion that fitting in is what is needed to be successful.They must embrace the weirdo’s that for some bizarre reason had the strength to push back against the establishment and peer pressure to maintain their breakaway views.And to encourag e those who chose to fit in to now breakout and impose an edge on normality to cause change.As someone who is on the divergent side, your personal challenge to step away from the crowd is formidable.You have to:Reject the imprinting you have received for most of your life to “be a good boy or girl” and do what you’re told, andConvince those that control your career opportunities that organizations need to be different to win in tomorrow’s markets and that YOU are a key ingredient to make it happen.4. Advocate being differentIt’s not sufficient that you personally change; you must be a strong advocate of standing out from the herd to others.Compliance and conformance teachings aimed at keeping you in the crowd will hold you back, not get ahead.Try to forget what was drilled into your head during your school years. Complying to knowledge requirements is the table stakes to a successful career, but it won’t enable you to reach your lofty goals.Only being different will.

Grab Em, Hook, Line and Sinker

Grab Em, Hook, Line and Sinker Writing a cover letter isnt as simple as copying and pasting a new contact name into a template you use for every job you apply to. See What A CEO Recommends: A CEO wrote 5 tips to use when responding to a job posted for his company in Tips for applying to a job from Craigslist..This is great advice, not just for CraigsList job postings but for all!   Here is how the post begins: Dear prospective job hunters. Thank you for taking the time to look at our site, and thank you for being interested in working with us. Most applications I receive go straight to the deleted-items folder because of a few simple mistakes. Im beginning to feel bad, so if you are going to make the effort to apply for a job here, or anywhere else, Id like to offer you some advice. To successfully interest me in hiring you, you need understand what we as business owners face on the other side of the fence. Hiring is the most important task I face, but it is also 76th on my list of a hundred other things to do today. When we put a posting on Craigslist, we usually get around 100 responses within 48 hours. They flood into my inbox, and I have to push them aside until I have time to give them the attention they deserve. In the meantime, I have phones ringing, deadlines to meet, problems with our systems, employees with questions, and much more to compete for the limited capacity of my brain. But, dont let this put you off. It doesnt take much to distinguish yourself. Heres how : This   advice is from his perspective, true. However, much of what he addresses is the same for many hiring managers as well!   He is searching for a product manager, and his company seems to have a more laid back culture so this greatly influences the style of writing and approach he is looking for.   Please read the sample cover letter he recommends you dont use.   It is so 1980s, dated, or as he calls it blah, blah, blah. Know Your Audience Knowing the company you are applying to is critical.   You need to try and match their style.   Please, please, dont say yeah, but most jobs I apply to dont have any company information.   First, thats an easy excuse not to do the work and second, it makes me wonder about the jobs you are applying for.   I believe some jobs are blindly posted and for legitimate reasons.   This is why you need to do more than just apply for jobs on-line. Why Them? Another keen insight is to explain why you specifically want to work for that company and specifically state some relevant accomplishments. The reader wants to speak with someone they feel they know and who has a track record of success. Request for Salary Requirements/History On another note, what do you do when the posting asks for salary requirements or history?   You have two choices, divulge or withhold. If you are going to divulge what you made or how much you want, know that this information could quite likely get you eliminated if your named  figure is out of their range. DIVULGE My salary requirements are negotiable.   Based on the stated requirements of the job, I feel a fair range for this position with your company would range between X and Y. In my last few positions, my salary ranged from X to Y. WITHHOLD I would be happy discuss my salary requirements upon scheduling of an interview.   There are many factors to consider and I would appreciate the opportunity to learn more about your company and needs before stating a specific number. I have been compensated fairly for my performance within the last several positions.   I would be happy to provide more detail during the interview What the Future Holds My prediction has been, that in a few years, we probably wont be using a cover letter.   There may be something else but who knows what that will be.   It could be your LinkedIn profile, a video clip, something so that the  reviewer feels like they know you. Mix It Up Bottom line, try something different.   If you have been using the same cover letter template for months, ditch it and take a risk.

How to Write a Resume As a Leadership Team Member

How to Write a Resume As a Leadership Team MemberThere are numerous career opportunities available to those that have leadership skills. These careers are varied and can range from teaching to medical administration to working in the corporate arena. A resume is the first step towards finding employment. It should provide a clear view of what the candidate is able to offer to a particular company and the employer.People with leadership skills are some of the best at getting the right job done. They usually work with and/or around leaders. Because they have leadership skills, the job duties can be contracted out. In the case of an associate or high school teacher, their classroom tasks will be outsourced. In the case of a boss or manager, he or she will often have other duties that he or she must perform on a part-time basis.One thing you should keep in mind when writing a resume is that you don't want it to be too long. Remember, this is only for your future employer to read. So keep your resume to three to five pages.When you do write your candidate's resume, keep it simple. Think of the title of the document. If the title is a bit too long, this may be hard for the reader to get around. Also, if you use too many words, it can look too cluttered. It should flow and contain a theme or direction for the person applying for the position.Organization of the resume should reflect what organization's needs. This may also depend on the job duties that you hold. This is because a company that is looking for someone to fill an administrative role might not be looking for someone who has managerial experience.When you are writing your resume, don't just think of it as a formal written document. Think of it as an opportunity to inform yourself about the job you wish to achieve. The more you know about the job, the better you will be at it. This knowledge will help you when you apply for the job and more importantly when you start working there.Now that you know how to wr ite a resume as a leadership team member, what do you have to do? Read on and find out.