Careers – Page 15 – Career Life Institute

Committing To Your Business Success

Looking at yourself and your business is part of the New Year process. An honest assessment each year is essential—looking at what worked and was profitable and what didn't work, and getting clear about where you want to take your business during the next year.

Making a conscious commitment of time and energy to your business will determine your success in the new year. And having an updated goal plan for your business as well as a personal goal plan for yourself will enable you to focus your time and energy, allowing you to take action and to maximize all your resources.

Get "Savvy" with Technology

Acquire or upgrade whatever computer equipment and software you need to do your business more efficiently. Get e-mail and explore the Internet.

Improve Your Skills

Take a look at what strengths you have and what areas you are weak in, and take specific classes and workshops that will improve your skills and enhance your business.

Stay Focused on Your Business

Figure out what your core business is—your services and/or products—and put most of your time and energy on this.

Tap into All Your Resources

Seek out help when you need it. Look to all your community resources (SBDC, RREDC, AEDC, WEI, BC, etc.) and use outside consultants when appropriate.

Streamline Your Office

Eliminate the Clutter. Clean out old files and get better organized. Look into a 'contact database' that might help you with efficiency and follow-up.

Give More Attention to Current Customers

Give better service to your existing customers with timely follow-up contacts and offering services and products they may need.

Do More of What Worked Well

Do more of the marketing that brought you tangible business and positive exposure. Provide the services and products that got a great response.

Expect to Do Well

Set yourself up to succeed by having realistic, achievable goals that challenge and excite you, and expect to do well with your business. What you expect is usually what you get!

Interviews that Get the Job: Do Your Homework!!

Getting a job is really pretty simple. The one who's hired is usually the applicant who convinces the prospective employer that s/he can provide what the employer wants.

That's why it isn't always the person with the most or best experience, background, or references who gets the job. There are always other factors that enter into every hiring decision, too, including personality, salary issues, availability, budgets, etc. Notice, however, I said the successful candidate "convinces" the employer. The hiring manager needs to believe that YOU are the best candidate. And that's key to understanding how to approach any interview.

So what's the secret to being able to "convince" the interviewer? Certainly negotiation skills are useful, but first you have to get to an opening for the negotiation. So, the first step is being prepared – and that means understanding what the employer needs and also what s/he thinks s/he needs.

Research. . . Research. . . Research

The first step will always be to research the company and the industry. Most companies have some kind of literature they send to prospective customers, or a customer service section of their business. Starting there, you can find out about other publicly available documents (annual reports, etc.). You’ll also begin to get an idea of the "corporate culture" through your interaction with existing staff.

It's perfectly acceptable to call and talk with people who work for the company, just be respectful of their time and let them know why you're calling. In fact, one of the first things you should do when you're interested in a particular company or industry is to set up one or more "informational interviews" with key members of the company to find out more. Ideally this should happen long before they have an advertised opening.

By being proactive you'll be prepared when the opportunity arises. You’ll have already established a contact inside the company and you’ll know some things other applicants probably won’t know. Informational interviews allow you to gather an incredible amount of information in a non-threatening environment since they are usually conducted as research, and have nothing to do with prospective employment.

Let's say, however, you never got around to the informational interviews. Many people start their research after the announcement, and there are still many ways you can do that. In addition to information provided by the company, you can check at the local library and with the Chambers of Commerce in your area. This will give you some information about the public side of the business.

If you've been building your personal network, then you may have some contacts who have direct knowledge about the company, or who can put you in contact with someone who does. You might check with suppliers, competitors, or customers to find out what their experience has been.

Next, find out as much as you can about the advertised position. Why is there an opening? How long did the last person in the job work there? Why did s/he leave? What do other people in the department think about working there?

Create Solutions to Their Problems

As you do your research, be on the lookout for how your skills or experience give you an edge — did you successfully handle a similar project in a prior job? Do you have an idea that could make things work more easily? Do you recognize unique challenges facing the company or industry (and more importantly, do you know how to turn them into advantages)? Be sure to let your prospective employer know how you can provide value, make their jobs easier, solve their problems.

The more knowledgeable you are about the business, the more convincing you will be in the interview. You'll be able to ask intelligent questions and to tailor your answers to the specific issues the company may find challenging. Letting people know you've done your research tells them you're a self-starter who took time to find out about them. Have you ever noticed how much more attractive someone is when they take a genuine interest in you? The same principle works in an interview setting, too. The more interested you are in the company, the more appealing you will be to them.

And finally, while an interview is your opportunity to "toot your own horn", leave boasting out of the conversation. Be respectful of the knowledge and abilities of those who are interviewing you, offering support without appearing to be a know-it-all. After all, you do want to get to the negotiating stage, right?

Getting That Perfect Job

There are several initial steps that you will take to discover who you are and what you really want in a career. Once you have completed a Career/Life Plan®:, or in some other way have completed an indepth exploration of you, your talents, dreams, potential, you will be ready to bring those unique talents to the attention of potential employers.

You will want to take time to create a resume that clearly states the tangible results you have accomplished and lets the working world recognize the benefits of convincing you to work for them. Employment is always a two-way street, and in any hiring situation you are both trying to discover how well you may be able to work together.

So, once you have your resume and cover letter in place, how do you get in front of the right people?

Be very clear about what you want in a job – that doesn't just mean duties and salary. That also means corporate culture, working conditions, people environment, personal skills you want to showcase, etc. The more clear you are here, the better the fit will be.
Research the companies out there that meet your criteria. Follow up the intial research by "informational interview" where you actually go into the company and interview someone there to find out about what they do, what kinds of employees they hire, how they treat their employees and customers, what their structure is, etc. Informational interviews may include managers, executives, secretaries, etc., whoever is able to give you the information you need about the company. Because these are busy people, always schedule your interview ahead of time, and be respectful of their time constraints.
After you have completed this research and identified one, two, or three companies you are interested in, contact them again. Forget about the newspaper ads (although they can give you an idea of what the market is like), most jobs are not advertised. And those that are advertised will generally have heavy competition (when I was a training manager for a software company in Silicon Valley my ads, regardless of the position, would pull in 90 applicants – minimum).
Network, Network, Network. You should always be doing this whether on a fomal or informal basis. Formally, any trade association that matches your market is a good place to start, so is NAFE (National Association for Female Executives), even Rotary and Soroptimist. Informally, become involved in your community and you'll be surprised the connections that "suddenly" pop-up when someone has a need. Take the time to identify everyone you know, and who THEY know that could be a help to you. You may be amazed at how large your network really is. Networks are the best places to give and receive help. Remember, networking is a two-way street, so ethically you will need to give back to the network in whatever way your particular gifts allow – this is the basis and foundation for networking. And by the way, networking is the best way to find jobs.
Along the same lines, volunteer for some project or position in your community that holds interest for you, gives you more/better experience, and gives you an opportunity to meet others. It's okay if it puts you in the limelight, too. This way folks get a chance to find out who you are, what you do and how well you can do it. Plus you'll be doing the community a favor, so the community will be more inclined to help you out when the time is appropriate. We all prefer to do business with people we know, this gives the rest of the world the chance to know you.

Even for the seasoned veteran with lots of experience, it often takes 6 months of active searching to change jobs effectively. So give yourself permission to focus on what you really want and take the time to put your best foot forward.

Daily Planning

This time of year I feel a stronger urge to hibernate than any other, a desire to be still and enjoy these precious days when the sun arcs across the southern sky and fills my kitchen. I'm drawn to sit there, like a cat, or to work quietly in my journal.

But the days in which I work-for clients, employers, friends, myself–I revert to a time management tool I learned in a goal setting class many years ago, daily planning. Since learning it (and even teaching it in time management classes for a couple of years), I've found it to be the simplest "trick" for getting tasks prioritized and accomplished.

Start by gathering your calendars and "to-do" lists.
On your calendar pages for the next week, write down all the things you are already scheduled to do in the times they're scheduled-business appointment, dentist appointments, and driving the carpool. Don't forget preparation time for business appointments.
Next, block out time each day (preferably in the morning) that you would like to have a ten-minute daily planning session with yourself in which you'll do this exercise. Make sure it's at a time that you can work uninterrupted. Write it in the appropriate time on your calendar. Then commit yourself to keeping this appointment!
Now look at the rest of the list and think about your schedule for the next few days. Write tasks on the daily calendar only when you think you can realistically accomplish them. For instance, if you have several errands to run, write them together on the day when you anticipate having time for them.
If you have a big project to get ready for next week, include a small block of time each day to accomplish part of it.
Can any of your tasks be delegated to someone else?
Make sure each day contains some personal as well as professional tasks-time with your children, spouse, friends, yourself. Adding personal "appointment" it a good way to balance your calendar and your life. Be sure to put the family appointment on your calendar–kids'' plays, spouse's business dinners, movies.
Use your daily planner as a tickler file-when someone's birthday is coming up, write a note the week before to buy a birthday card.
Try to keep from moving unfinished tasks forward everyday. Instead, during your daily planning session, thoughtfully consider when you can really accomplish something. If you find you're moving a task forward every day, write the task on a post-it or on a bigger goals list-this may not be the season you really want to accomplish it!

This is the bare-bones list, and if you just do this daily planning exercise at the same time everyday, you'll be amazed at the "extra" time you seem to create for yourself.