Travel Observations to Ponder for Business - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Travel Observations to Ponder for Business - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A long awaited two-day outing, away from the computer, finally arrived. I had the opportunity to observe life in New York in its many forms. 1. Your personal brand remains with you for the long-term All of your unique traits including how you serve others defines you and your personal brand. The question is how do you wish people to speak of you today and remember you tomorrow? As we walked toward Times Square, we were entertained on the street.   Elmo, Mickey Mouse and Mr. Peanut greeted those walking by.   But admittedly, the most intriguing, given the cold weather, was seeing the “Naked Cowboy” with guitar.   He was wearing briefs and boots but that was it.   A few yards away were women painted to represent the American Flag directly onto their skin; you get where I’m going with this… The conclusion being there is entertainment for every age, and a personal brand of many types, on the streets of New York. 2. Strategically Plan Your Day Drawn in by friends along with overhearing strangers talk about the play, Kinky Boots, had us prepared to purchase tickets. The very long wait for discounted tickets at the Time Square box office had us research online for a similar outlet in another part of town. To our delight, here was only one person ahead of us. We quickly purchased tickets allowing for the remainder of the day to be enjoyed. An historic neighborhood was in the vicinity. The exteriors of the buildings are preserved while the interiors are being updated to become a very trendy neighborhood, and near to Wall Street. Some of the placards on the buildings date back to over 250 years. For a former Californian, that’s history! 3. Plan B Is Often A Blessing In Disguise Upon researching how to obtain tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty museum we learned that reservations are needed a month ahead. Time was instead spent walking over to see the new World Trade Center Tower, and the memorial built to remember those we lost in 9/11. It was a moving experience. The Tower itself is exquisite and an architectural masterpiece. Later that night, the news revealed there was a bomb scare at the Statue of Liberty earlier that day. 4. The Joy of Kinky Boots To my surprise, not knowing much about it, the theme was centered on a business that has gone out of favor. Not wanting to ruin the surprise of seeing it, I’ll just add that there are so many wonderful business questions and answers presented in the script in addition to the joy-filled singing and dancing. The last number brought not one, but two standing ovations. Further Lessons for Business 1. Planning your day to maximize efficiencies is key for obtaining your goals. 2. Having a Plan B is always a good idea. 3. Business is built about delivering excellence.  Establishing good word of mouth based upon a thoughtful branding effort will bring larger followings and many types of audiences per the referrals for Kinky Boots. Correlating all we observe with business enables us to find the Smooth Sale!

Should You Staple a Resume?

Should You Staple a Resume?Staple a resume should you really be doing so? The question has been debated for many years. Some employers say that if you staple a resume the chances of a job offer will increase. Others say that you should be removing any staples and leaving the resume intact.I often ask my clients if they are going to staple their resume before they send it in. Many say no, and you can see why. It takes a long time to do this and they don't want to waste valuable time fixing anything that's wrong with the resume.However, there are those who say that in most cases, not all is lost. If you take the time to stapling a resume, you should be able to save your employer a lot of time when you go to interview. So, let's look at the pros and cons.One of the most obvious reasons to staple a resume is that you don't have to deal with a ton of staples in the mail. You can always send out a pre-stamped resume. However, this would take a few days. A batch of resumes sent out to all o f the employers can be many weeks in the future.Also, if you just plain mail the resume, you are at risk of a rejection or some other major setback. This will just make it more difficult for you to get an interview.But if you don't staple your resume, then you will be able to save yourself some time and have a chance to make your resume look good and get an interview. This will also give you a chance to send the resume in without any stapling needed.Keep in mind that your resume isn't sent from the company to the person. You still need to write a great cover letter and submit that as well.When you have all of the information together in one place, you should be able to have an interview almost immediately, without needing to waste your time with a formal interview. Using this method you will get your dream job in no time!

How to Do Your Own Mid-Year Review

How to Do Your Own Mid-Year Review Welcome to the start of the second half of the year. Do you know where you stand? Are you on track to accomplish what you want and need? Whether or not your company does a mid-year review of your progress, it makes sense to conduct one for yourself. That’s because your company sees things from their perspective. It’s valuable feedback and you want to embrace it. But it doesn't substitute for doing one of your own. Why your personal mid-year review matters The beauty of this time of year is that you’ve got the summer to take a step back and assess where you are, and still have time to make adjustments to ensure you stay on track. This is a golden time when it’s not too late. There’s still time to make changes and make this year fabulous, but only if you grab this opportunity right now and make the most of it. Unless you’re vigilant, everyday busy-ness can pull you off course. It’s like the undercurrent in the ocean that can cause you to drift further and further off course if you’re not paying attention. It’s up to you to make sure you’re still on course. No one else can do it because only you know what you want to accomplish. Only you have your very best interests at heart. Even the most well-meaning people around you will have their own biases on what they think you should do. And that puts you at risk of marching to someone else’s drumbeat. So, doing your own mid-year review is essential. How to do your own mid-year review The good news is that it’s simple to do. All you need is to carve out some time â€" even an hour or two will do â€" and ask yourself these three questions. 1. Where am I now? This is about taking stock of how far you’ve come. Start by listing out all your accomplishments for the year, personal and professional. No accomplishment is too small (or too big â€" this is your chance to brag and take credit). For example, my list includes changing my non-refundable flights to be able to watch my husband’s basketball team compete in and win the WBBL finals at the O2 Arena. And that sits alongside running a totally badass, first-time, flagship event for my business. Then write down all the things you’ve learned. Both the things that went poorly and the things that went well. From my experience, the things that don’t go as we wanted are ripe for lessons learned, and the best way to get those mistakes out of your head is to extract the lessons. It’s the single best way I’ve found to help myself move forward despite making errors. The best way to get mistakes out of your head is to extract the lessons and move forward. A great way to do this that’s energizing rather than a downer is to do what one of my mentors and coaches, Jeff Walker, calls “WWDD”. This stands for “working well, do differently”, and you ask yourself, “What’s working well, and what do I want to do differently?” 2. Where am I going? Next, take a look at your goals. The ones you set for the year and the goals you want to achieve in the longer term. This matters because goals can change. You’re always evolving and growing, so the goals you’ve set in the past may not be relevant anymore. Or at least they might need some adjustment. The more personal and professional growth you’ve experienced, the more careful you’ll want to be about whether the goals you set as your Old Self are still the ones you want to have as your New Self. Or maybe you’ve made so much progress that you need a new point on the horizon to strive for. Either way, you’ll appreciate getting clarity on your goals so you can set the right priorities and commit to actions that will get you there. Getting clarity on your goals helps you set the right priorities and commit to actions to achieve them. 3. What mid-course corrections do I want to make? Having reviewed your goals and assessed your current status, you’re ready to decide what mid-course adjustments you want to make. If you’re exactly on track, then it’s more a matter of making minor enhancements now that you’re another 6 months more experienced. For the rest of us, it may require a little more action. A good way to get this down to some actionable items is to list out the following. Decision-making: How are you making decisions about what to take on and what to say “no” to, and does this still serve you well? This is about adjusting your decision-making criteria so that your actions match your priorities. Key projects: What are the focal point projects you want to get done by the end of the year? How does this align with your priorities, and what do you need to move these forward? Looking ahead: What do you need to do this year to set yourself up for a great year next year? Action steps: What do you want to start doing, stop doing, and keep doing? You’ll always be triangulating between long-term goals and near-term actions. It’s like the concept of tacking in sailing â€" making lots of mid-course adjustments to reach the destination. Given the unpredictable elements of nature, sailors can’t just “set and forget” when it comes to the ocean. And the same is true of your career. In sailing, you have to make mid-course adjustments. The same is true of your career. My mid-year review For me, I had a busy first half. In fact it was downright full-on, and my team and I hardly had a moment to think. We held the popular Career Mastery Kickstart in January, launched a new course (Next Level Network) and a new product (Networking Toolkit), put on a live event, and ran a number of workshops for companies and organizations. Now that we finally have some blank space in the calendar to stop and breathe, the plan is to take a few weeks to reflect on our goals and the next steps to take. For me, it will focus on: Building a foundation for the future through more speaking engagements, articles, and webinars so we can reach a larger audience and help more people. Investing time to understand what people really want and need so we can provide that support and make a bigger difference. Planning ahead for 2018 so that we’re not so “last minute dot com” as we’ve been this year. This includes identifying and laying the groundwork for next year’s initiatives, like Career Mastery Kickstart 2018, a mastermind group, and a live event. Building relationships with others in my space so we can collaborate to provide more value to you. Benefits from the mid-year review If my experience is a guide, then you’ll feel great when you have clarity on what your plan is for the rest of the year. And if you have a team around you, it will help them immensely too. You’ll have everyone pulling in the same direction and you can hold each other accountable. That clarity leads to confidence that you can handle whatever comes up, and respond in a way that honors your goals and commitments. Clarity on your goals helps your team pull in the same direction. Here’s your challenge It’s time to carve out some time to reflect. Whether it’s an hour or two, or a day or two, go ahead and clear your mind, step back and assess the bigger picture. Ask yourself the three questions and chart your course for the rest of the year: Where am I now? Where am I going? What mid-course corrections do I want to make? So, what will you do at the start of this second half to make this a great year? Or to use a basketball analogy, what’s your half-time locker room huddle going to be about? Leave me a comment to let me know two things: What accomplishments in the last six months are you most proud of? Go ahead and brag a little (or a lot!) â€" I’d love to know. What mid-course corrections do you think you need to make so you can finish the rest of the year strong?

A Creative Way to Use Twitter Lists to Get Hired

A Creative Way to Use Twitter Lists to Get Hired 51 Flares 51 Flares There are many creative ways job seekers gain attention from recruiters and hiring managers on Twitter.  Weve seen seekers create catchy Twitter handles that clearly state their job search intentions.  Weve also seen folks with extremely nifty Twitter backgrounds that get the point across well.  Another popular route is joining Twitter chats like #JobHuntChat to engage with the hiring community.  All of these are great, but until last night, I havent seen anyone find a way to use Twitter lists creatively. Last night after #JobHuntChat, I checked the lists that @CornOnTheJob was recently added onto.  I smiled as I caught notice of a new list from @oliviaccheung that featured me and some others.  The list name is hire-me. So simple, yet so effective. Olivias list description is good, but it may need some work.   I need a job, it says.  Ill add in my recommendations towards the bottom. Olivia then added several recruiters and bloggers that shes found helpful.  Then being that shes from San Francisco, she tossed some SF career resources on there as well.  I have some improvements for this section as well, which Ill talk about shortly. Kudos to Olivia for the brilliant idea, but I do have some thoughts for her and others thinking of doing something similar. Be Specific Dont just say, I need a job, in their description.  State exactly what you want.  I need a job in Accounting in San Francisco, would be perfect Create a Big List A big list will grab the attention of many.  Right now Olivias list just has 7 Twitter handles attached to it.  Scope out tons of recruiters in the San Francisco area that can be helpful to you.  Then target career bloggers and career coachs that may or may not be in your geographic location.  Lastly, find the Twitter handle for the Careers/Recruiters of companies you want to work for.  An example would be @Unisys_Careers Their recruiters definitely pay attention to that handle. Connect/Engage This is the most important piece.  This is your money maker.  Shout out to the folks youve added.  Make sure they know youve added them, and see if they engage back with you.  Maybe theyll take notice and do this on their own, but maybe not.  Start the conversation and let the sparks fly! Thanks to Olivia Cheung for the inspiration.  Follow her lead, and create your own Twitter list.  Look for ways to make it your own, and employers will take notice! What else would you add in?  Have you seen any other creative ways to use Twitter lists?

Client Case Study Peg Hall - When I Grow Up

Client Case Study Peg Hall - When I Grow Up Um, do you know that I’ve coached hundreds of women since I started offering dream career guidance in 2008? And that these women are freakin’ rock stars, leaving soul-sucking jobs and traveling the world and launching creative, grown-up businesses and simply doing work that fits their lifestyle goals? Well ya do now â€" and you’ll hear their stories firsthand in my Client Case Studies series! Peg Hall is a powerhouse. Full of warmth, smarts, humor and drive, shes someone who sets a goal and then achieves it like whoa. When we started working together, she bravely faced the fact the she wanted to be a writer and then, after a few weeks, that she wanted to help fellow creatives in a different way, too. Read all about it below, and make sure you check out Breakthrough Besties! Why did you decide to work with a creative career coach? I had taken Michelles CreativeLive class about a year prior to reaching out to her. I had recently had a very good performance evaluation with my supervisor who was challenging me to write my dream job description. I was really struggling with the whats next? question. For some reason, Michelle popped in my mind from the CreativeLive class. On a whim, I sent an email to her from her website. After our first meeting, my gut just told me that this was the next best step and I just told myself to trust the process. Since I was busy working on a dream job description for my work, I thought that was the path that I was going down. However, that was too obvious. Michelle pushed me to continue to struggle with the bigger career questions. It was through that process that I started writing again (which is one of my biggest joys). And as our work winded down, I came up with the idea of Breakthrough Besties. I knew that as much as I like to write, I also needed a peer who would help me stay on track. Michelle really helped me think through this idea and pull from my communications and training background. She really helped me discover a strategy that would support helping other creatives while keeping me focused on inviting more writing in my life. Im so grateful to have found Michelle! What were you doing work-wise when we started our sessions? Work-wise, I was working as an internal communications and web specialist for local government when I met Michelle. It is not glamorous, however, I love my boss. She is one of those dream bosses who encourages personal development, gives solid feedback, and encourages you to look at your career as a whole. In fact, she recently gave me a girl boss mug right as I started my development with Michelle. It was the perfect gift and a symbol in the the confidence that she places in me. What was your biggest takeaway from our work together? My biggest take away was just start. Besides writing, my other big joy is being a mom.I currently have a four-year old. Right after contacting Michelle, I found out I was pregnant. (It took a few months from our initial conversation to our first coaching session due to logistics and scheduling.) I was nervous about staring coaching four/five months into my pregnancy. I didnt know if I could handle exploring career ideas and dealing with ups and downs of pregnancy. However, from Michelle, I learned that just starting is the most important step, regardless of where you are in your life. If we keep waiting, theres never going to be the perfect moment. Was there anything else you tried to do as a career between the time we stopped our sessions and what you do for work now? If so, how did it inform your current career? (Not really I am going to continue to work with Michelle because the Breakthrough Bestie idea was a result of the end of our work together. Im just entering another phase of work with Michelle.) What would you tell someone now that was in your shoes when we first started working together? Whats your best tip to allow them to make a grown-up living doing what they love? For me, I think you have trust the process. On the surface, It looks like I added things to my plate. However, through working with Michelle, I started to see how to find the time for things that really matter to me. So, even though I am still working for my same company, I now have a writing habit (and that will take time to see the results of that labor. Im just celebrating making progress on a story that Ive always wanted to write.) Im also starting to launch the Breakthrough Bestie site. Im super excited to launch a program that helps other women use peer coaching to make progress towards a creative goal. I know that having a peer coach is vital to my writing. I hope that I can pass along what Ive learned in my past life as a learning professional, and what Ive learned from having an accountability partner to help other creatives make progress towards their goal. (And let me just say that Michelle is one of those people who truly gets that your success is her success. She is always has your back and thats probably one of the best things that someone could know about working with Michelle.) If you have your own biz, whats on the horizon for your business? Wed love to hear about any upcoming offerings or goals! Im excited to launch Breakthrough Besties. Since folks are 85% more likely to be successful when their goals are shared and supported, I thought matching people with an accountability buddy was a fun solution. I like to think of myself as a creative matchmaker. By using tools that I gained as a training professional, I love the notion that I can help creatives connect to an allay, a work wing (wo)man. The pair can each other overcome creative hurdles and personal barriers. Basically,  Breakthrough Besties is the online, peer  coaching program where you are matched  with an accountability partner. Together, the pair will  create momentum towards creative  dreams faster than they could on their own. Applications to work with me one-on-one open publicly tomorrow, but are already available to those on my waitlist. Check out the details  and sign on up if youre interested! Theres no obligation, and 1 of my 4 spots is already gone. Go get you some personalized clarity, support, and accountability STAT!

How To Use The Services Of A Resume Writer

How To Use The Services Of A Resume WriterResume writing services in Surrey are the latest addition to the careers market in BC. Recruiters are checking them out due to the growing number of graduates who are looking for their employment as well as to the increase in the business turnover rate that it entails. Resume writing services is a means to get jobs you never thought possible. With all the resume mills offering so many degrees, you have the choice of choosing which ones are legitimate and offer what you are looking for.Resume writing services in Surrey include the use of other's information; this is very common nowadays as these people are looking up to. You will also need to be self confident to submit your own resume without the help of others. There are numerous hiring managers who would consider the services offered by resume writers to the companies that they are trying to hire from.The other reason for people to use other resumes is because these people have an edge over the rest in many cases, particularly if the person is very skilled in writing. With so many resumes on the market, the last thing any hiring manager wants to do is waste time and money on job applicants that are out of their league.So these resumes can be used in a variety of ways to achieve one's goal. If you already have specific skills or expertise, the resume you submit with the services may be picked over by some and this is where resume writing services in Surrey come in. Your professional skills are then seen in a good light, since other companies seek such people when hiring.If you are new to the industry, you may want to learn more about resumes before you make your move. There are several books available on resume writing that you can choose from, but make sure you are very clear on what you are signing up for.Although there are a lot of choices out there, you should make sure you don't compromise your professionalism. Jobs are a dime a dozen, but how you present yourself to them can make all the difference. A resume that is honest, prepared and is searchable will surely get you that promotion you have been searching for.So don't forget to make your resume a professional one; this will leave a good impression of you when you talk to recruiters and HR personnel. Let these services help you get what you want out of your resume.

What to Expect From Objective Resume Writing?

What to Expect From Objective Resume Writing? You ought to be able to make an attention-grabbing objective statement that will grasp and keep the interest of prospective employers, leading to employment in the business or company which you would desire. Ensure that your resume is small but considering all the info provided. When re-entering the workforce, it can be difficult to understand what information to include, but you can want to keep off detailed information concerning the reason behind the gap in your work history, especially if it is a lengthy gap. The info within the aim statement may want to get customized based on your industry too. Writing objectives isn't the simplest job on the planet, but with our tips you will make a convincing objective statement for resume in virtually no time. Stating an objective on your resume is a means to convince employers that you understand what you want in work, though a profile explains what you need to supply the employer and can help sell your candidacy. You will receive your answers. The solution is it depends. The right placement for a resume objective is beneath the header. One of the absolute most productive means of learning how exactly to compose your career objective is seeing a minumum of one example of objective in resume. An objective is a brief statement that clarifies your goals about the kind of employment desired and the way in which your skills make you a nice fit. The target of the resume highlights the strengths of the applicant together with their career objectives. Objective Resume Writing: the Ultimate Convenience! Make certain you compose a career objective that you're have applied. As a result, while your resume objective should incorporate information on the career you want, you also wish to spell out why you are the perfect candidate for the job. The very best career objective is to make certain you know what job you can do. Writing a winning college student career object ive is a fairly effortless approach to bolster your application for this internship or job you've got in sight. You might not know where to start in regards to writing a resume objective. When creating a resume, it is important to investigate the objective statement, as it often makes it possible for the employer to earn a judgment on the capability of the prospective employee before even reading the remainder of the resume. To guarantee success, a lot of people have tailored the statement of the resume to incorporate the requirements that were being sought by every possible employer. Who Else Wants to Learn About Objective Resume Writing? A simple resume template is going to be your very best bet. As a guideline, you don't need to use each and every bit of the formula for your resume objective. Should you choose to use the objective, then be certain to explain the kind of work you desire. Although a resume objective is a well-known method to commence a winning resume, it i sn't the only means to introduce yourself to the employer. The Secret to Objective Resume Writing My purpose is to find the job. If your Objective says you're searching for a full-time job and you're asking for a part-time internship, you will probably be disqualified immediately. Entry-level objectives can be particularly hard to write since you likely don't have loads of work experience, but you do want to solidify how you know the kind of career you're searching for. The absolute most efficient objective is one which is tailored to the job you're applying for.