Tips For Handling On The Job Setbacks

If you've chosen a business career, you will inevitably experience some type of setback. And whether your pet project is canceled, your performance review is a bust, you get turned down for a promotion, or you're asked to leave the company, setbacks hurt big time. Nevertheless, if you start thinking of yourself as a victim or allow yourself to lapse into prolonged negativity, you won't be hurting anyone except yourself. Worrying until you get sick, abusing drugs or denying that you've reached an impasse won't help either. The best strategy for making a comeback is to recognize the reality of the situation, acknowledge your feelings and find a way to cope productively. Here are some other tips you might find helpful:

* Remind yourself that in a month, this will be a memory. When setbacks happen, the tendency is to feel like your bad luck will last forever. By keeping in mind that the situation is temporary, you'll be strong enough emotionally to take the necessary steps to overcome your misfortune.

* Recognize that a setback does not make you a total failure. Treat your setback as the isolated incident that it is. Regardless of what happened, chances are it's not going to significantly affect your life one way or the other. And I don't know any successful people who've learned the right way to do things without trying several wrong ones first.

* Care for your self-esteem. Your identity and self-worth are too precious to leave in the hands of the volatile business world. Your job does not define who you are. You existed before it and will exist after. In the meantime, rather than focusing on your own inadequacies, remind yourself that you are doing the best you can under the circumstances.

* Reach out to your support systems. During a crisis, it always helps to know you are not alone and that you are justified in feeling the way you do. Instead of withdrawing from the people you care about, make an effort to connect with them and lean on them for support. Your network of friends and family is most critical, but you can also receive comfort and insight from spiritual support systems and prayer as well.

* Look for humor in the situation. Having a good laugh can counteract the effects of stress and restore your sense of perspective and your ability to think clearly. It's been proven that when one is happy, the body recovers more quickly from the biological arousal of upsetting emotions. Use whatever humor floats your boat – corny, silly, dry or satirical – as long as it makes you crack a smile.

* Be good to your body. As we've talked about, regular exercise and relaxation techniques like stretching, meditating or doing yoga are great ways to reduce negativity and get back on track. Eating reasonable portions of healthy foods can also increase your overall well being while you are recovering from the setback.

* Commit yourself to a new project. New goals and projects provide fresh perspective and a sorely needed dose of enthusiasm. You'll be motivated to work harder and will probably be too busy to think much about the setback.

About The Author

Alexandra Levit worked for a Fortune 500 software company and an international public relations firm before starting Inspiration @Work, an independent marketing communications business. She's the author of They Don't Teach Corporate in College: A Twenty-Something's Guide to the Business World (Career Press 2004; http://www.corporateincollege.com). This excerpt was reprinted, with permission of the publisher, from THEY DON'T TEACH CORPORATE IN COLLEGE © 2004 Alexandra Levit. Published by Career Press, Franklin Lakes, NJ. All rights reserved.

[tags]job,job setback,career,business,employment[/tags]

Seven Tips For Developing A Solid Networking Strategy; From The Book - Cracking The Networking CODE

Let's start with a quick reminder:

Networking is NOT forcing yourself or your products on someone.

Networking IS getting to know people, their lives, and their needs.

Networking is NOT selling your products and services at every moment.

Networking IS being progress for the people you connect with.

Networking is nothing new. Most of our relationships began through networking and referrals. Heck, Paul McCartney met John Lennon through networking.

One of the steps in effective networking is to Open Face-to-Face Relationships. This involves creating and sticking to a networking strategy.

Here are seven tips to consider:

1. Proactively seek the right new contacts.

Develop your plan of action and get started without delay. Identify who you want to meet, where you are likely to meet them, and how you will follow up. Invest quality time thinking about the people who can best offer you the right information, contacts, and opportunities. Build relationships with these people by understanding what you have to offer them.

Start by asking yourself: Where are the best places to make face-to-face contact with them? Answering this question will help you decide which organizations you should belong to and which events you should attend. Important point: The organizations that are the best fit will change over time as your business grows and your career develops.

2. Go with realistic expectations.

You are (probably) not going to land a big account or forge an automatic strong link from a five-minute encounter. Networking takes patience! Networking takes persistence! Come to terms with the fact that it is probably going to take more than one meeting for folks to come to the conclusion that you are amazingly with -it and that you offer progress for their lives.

In fact, it has been proven that it takes most people six to eight progress-based impressions to remember and begin to trust a new person.

Keep firmly in your mind that networking may not provide immediate benefits. It may take years to see the results of your networking efforts, or you could open your e-mail in the morning and have a cool opportunity from someone you connected with the day before.

3. Start with people you know and trust.

Shy? Nervous? That's understandable. Start with people you know and trust. Share your desire to be introduced to quality individuals who would be good for you to know. Get connected to the people your contacts know.

4. Vary your activities.

Grow your list of contacts each week. Start now and do not stop. If you're planning to hit several networking events in a single day, make sure you take time out to recharge. Plan your schedule so that you have periods of solitude. Also... guard against scheduling a full day of networking activities if you plan to network at an evening event. You're after quality, not quantity.

5. Successfully let go.

As you and your network grow, you will need to make some changes. Let go of organizations and associations you can no longer maintain properly, or that are no longer relevant. Without forgetting where you came from, allow your network to evolve with you.

6. Have a goal for each event.

Decide what you hope to gain before you go. Write it down. Then get there and work toward it. Commit to staying until you have met and connected with your predetermined number or selection of people. Think about it. Set a target and push yourself. This will keep you from walking aimlessly around the room.

7. Keep a log.

For a month, keep a log of everyone you meet. Then classify and analyze them. Which contacts are most valuable? Where did you meet them? Who are the takers and who are the givers? Any time-wasters? Hey, your time is valuable too.

Crack the Networking CODE.

Be Progress (TM).

Recognized as a 'Sales-and-networking guru' by the Dallas Business Journal, Dean Lindsay is the founder of The Progress Agents LLC (http://www.ProgressAgents.com) – a seminar company dedicated to empowering progress in sales, service, and workplace performance.

Dean's best selling book Cracking the Networking CODE: 4 Steps to Priceless Business Relationships has been endorsed by a who's who of business leaders and performance experts including Ken Blanchard - author of The One Minute Manager, Brian Tracy and Frank Bracken, the President and COO of Haggar Clothing Co.

Jay Conrad Levinson - the author of Guerrilla Marketing, thought so much of Cracking the Networking CODE that he wrote the book's foreword.

A cum laude graduate of the University of North Texas, Dean presently serves on the Executive Advisory Board for UNT's Department of Marketing and Logistics. The Dallas Business Journal selected Mr. Lindsay as one of D-FW's Rising Stars Under Forty in The Business World Today in their yearly Forty Under 40 list.

More info at: http://www.ProgressAgents.com or 1-877-479-5323

[tags]networking, sales, success, tips, career, relationship, business, branding, money, employment, agent[/tags]

When Bad Interviews Happen To Good Candidates

Going through the motions of a bad interview is like peeling back the layers of an onion. Sally learned this lesson the hard way, hands-on during an interview that should have been a piece of cake. Sally applied for a position that fit her qualifications perfectly. When she received an invitation to interview, Sally believed she was a shoo-in for the job. Feeling confident, she approached the interview in a lax manner. She didn't prepare and prematurely celebrated an offer she was convinced would be extended.

The day of the interview, Sally was surprised by the level of anxiety she felt. Her apprehension began to build and she began to prepare for the interview at the last minute. By the time she arrived at the interview, she was visibly shaken.

Lesson learned: The time to collect your thoughts is prior to an interview, not on your way to one. If you arrive to an interview bewildered, the recruiter will take notice and you run a high risk that you will be not get the offer.

The interviewer entered the waiting area and introduced himself. To ease the tension, he asked a common icebreaker question, "Did you have trouble finding us?" Sally has never been a smooth small talker and she answered the question candidly. She confided that she doesn't have a good sense of direction and coupled with the fact that she was anxious, she passed the building entrance quite a few times. The interviewer smiled politely and proceeded to walk towards the interview room. Realizing she goofed, Sally hesitantly followed the interviewer.

Lesson learned: Everything you say and do during an interview is scrutinized; from the instant you walk in, to the moment you walk out. An innocent question doesn't exist during an interview and a careless misstep is seldom forgotten. Choose your responses carefully.

When Sally was escorted to the interview room, she was surprised to see a panel of interviewers. She was only familiar with the "it's just you and me, kid" type of the interview – the one-on-one. At the start of the interview, she quickly realized that it was going to be a challenge to manage that interview.

Lesson learned: Interviews are unpredictable. One never knows the broad range of topics that will be covered and the type of formats that may be presented. Familiarize yourself with all interview settings.

Because she was not ready for the series of questions, Sally tripped over her answers. She focused on issues that weren't relevant and provided little information on what was pertinent. She began to ramble and appeared under-qualified for the position.

Sensing that she was interviewing poorly, Sally began to lose patience with the process. She failed to maintain eye contact and began to fidget. The enthusiasm she felt for the position and the company slowly diminished as she witnessed the blank looks on the faces of the panelists. She withdrew mentally from the interview, and as a result, appeared disinterested.

Lesson learned: Most interviewers expect candidates to be nervous during an interview, and they rarely will forgive you if you fail to demonstrate a sincere interest in working for them. Most hiring decisions are based on whether the interviewer feels a connection to you. The failure to establish a bond immediately is usually beyond repair.

After the interview Sally realized that the questions she had been asked were not difficult. She had been overwhelmed by nervousness and that had clouded her ability to communicate clearly and to the point effectively.

Lesson learned: Even if you have the "right stuff," nothing is guaranteed. Don't get caught off guard; prepare for interviews; do your homework.

About The Author

Recognized as a career expert, Linda Matias brings a wealth of experience to the career services field. She has been sought out for her knowledge of the employment market, outplacement, job search strategies, interview preparation, and resume writing, quoted a number of times in The Wall Street Journal, New York Newsday, Newsweek, and HR-esource.com. She is President of CareerStrides and the National Resume Writers' Association. Visit her website at www.careerstrides.com or email her at linda@careerstrides.com

[tags]jobs,job interview,interviewing,career[/tags]

The Truth About A Marketing Job

The marketing job is on of the job titles that really explain what you are doing with the job you are getting. The marketing job will give you the opportunity to sell and advertise a product that a company is trying to sell to the consumer today. One thing with the marketing jobs that are out there is that you are going to be able to express your skills in what you are saying about a product and even how you are doing the presentation on the product that you are trying to sell for a company.

You are able to go to school to get a marketing degree so that everyone will see that you are qualified in what you are trying to do for a company's product. With the marketing degree, you are going to have the skills to work for a small and large company that is in the field of selling products or even selling their services.

No matter what the company is doing if they are in the need of someone that is able to make their product or service sound, great to potential clients they are going to want to get a hold of a marketing specialist. Then they are going to know that the product or service is going to be described right and is even going to be irresistible to the buyer.

The marketing job will be a little hard when you are first in the job market. That is because of all the experience that the other people may have that is also trying to get the same job as you. If you see that this is happening you are going to want to put your marketing experience to the test and pretty much sell yourself to the companies that are looking for someone that is able to do marketing.

If you see that the company is not buying your pitch for you to be hired then you are going to want to work on your presentation a little more. That is one way that you are going to be able to work on your marketing skills that you did learn while you were in school. You know for yourself that if you are able to sell your self to a company then you are going to be able to sell any item or service that the company is trying to sell to potential buyer and clients.

If you are very ambitious and very energetic you are going to want to check into a marketing career because it is going to take a lot of energy and time to work in some of the marketing field that are out there. Plus if you are very ambitious you are going to be able to accomplish anything if you put your mind to it.

Get FREE information and job listing of your ideal marketing jobs at Jobs Portal Online

[tags]marketing, job, career[/tags]

If You Can't Schmooze, You Loose

What's networking all about? You have been to events with important people you wanted to meet.

Yet when the event was over you realized you never had a chance for face time and you came away nothing. It gave you the general feeling that the event was a waste of time. Don't let that happen again.

You need to have a plan of attack before the event. Spend a few minutes asking yourself why you are attending the event and then strategize to achieve that goal. A few extra minutes advance planning will make the event worth your time.

Inside tips on get the most out of your networking:

Plan to arrive early. Registered guests will have name badges. Look at the badges on the table. They are usually alphabetical order. Peruse the badges to determine who is coming and whom you want to meet.

Pay special attention to the guest, speaker or VIP whose name tags will generally be separated and have ribbons or some identifying marks. Badges may be segregated by vendors vs. users too. So don't forget to look for that identification.

Make a short list of people you want to meet. It is helpful to ask the chairperson in advance to mention that you would like to meet some of the special guests. If that isn't possible, write a note on the back of your business card and leave it on the person's name tag asking for a few minutes of time.

If you're hoping to meet one person in particular, and you know what the person looks like, wait outside or close to the door. This will put you at an advantage to capture a few minutes attention before the event gets in full swing.

Don't monopolize the person's time. Ask for a later meeting if possible.

Smile at every one and look as if you are enjoying yourself. You don't want to appear ill at ease or desperate for someone to talk too.

When greeting someone ask a few icebreaker questions before getting down to the nitty gritty. Encourage other people to talk about themselves or their business.

If it's appropriate, offer to get somebody a drink. In most cases, it will be a cash bar so be sure to carry plenty of money.

Introduce people as though they were the most important people in the world.

Never stand between a potential contact and the bar.

Try to position yourself under lights where you are more visible.

Best bet: stand near the food because people are relaxed when eating.

Present your business card at the end of the conversation. Practice small talk, get interesting sound bytes from the news that will engage people in initial conversation, break the ice then launch into your pitch.

Remember the golden words "what in it for me." (That would be the person you are talking to. not yourself). Keep these tips in mind as you schmooze your way into a successful relationship.

JoAnn Hines' specialty is PACKAGING PEOPLE. Whether you want to be paid more, you just lost your job, or you want to progress in the one you have, Ms. Hines advice and expertise can help you transform your personal brand. She can show you how to package yourself and make your brand a hot commodity. It's easy once you know the ropes and begin to utilize her insider's secrets. She shows you step by step how to increase your visibility, credibility and marketability with easy to use tutorials and templates.

Other articles on similar topics are in the "Packaging Yourself Workbook." The "Packaging Yourself Workbook" is $29.95 plus shipping and handling. Place your order @ http://packaginguniversity.com/pkgustorefront.htm

Topics include: How to prepare an Elevator Pitch, How to Make the Most of those First 30 Seconds, How to Speak your way to Fame and Fortune, How To Promote Yourself and Your Company, How to Become an Expert in Your Field.

Order now @ http://packaginguniversity.com/pkgustorefront.htm or email me @pkgcoach@aol.com for more details.

[tags]networking,business,self-promotion,marketing,visibility,credibility,personal branding,careers,[/tags]

Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths

You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.

Some have, but more often they haven't and the answer usually involves lots of head-scratching, umms and arrhs and then quite often a monologue on what they're NOT good at!!

Your answer to this should be your key strengths statement which we talked about in personal marketing on my website - let me remind you.

A "Key Strengths" statement is a summary of your most powerful skills and attributes.

The Key Strengths statement

• Highlights your most important skills and abilities
• Differentiates you from others
• Avoids generalisations
• Provides examples of your achievements
• Spoken naturally should take no more than two minutes

Of course at interview, the question may take many different forms:

"What are your main strengths?"

"why should we hire you?"

"what do you think makes you the best candidate?"

"convince me you're the right person for us"

"how do your skills match our particular needs?"

As with all your Presentation Statements it should be so well rehearsed that it sounds completely spontaneous.

This example I've given you here should get you thinking so give your Key Strengths statement some thought now.

"I have very good communication skills; I work well either leading or being part of a team and I am self-motivated and capable of working on several tasks at once.

As a leader of small teams I involve people in the decisions so that they feel involved and ensure they have the opportunity to contribute to tasks facing the team. I manage the information, plan and organise and make the decisions as required.

With my strong communication skills, I have been able to motivate the staff to higher standards of performance meaning we have also helped our profits figures through increased sales and tighter cost-control.

Alongside this I have encouraged innovation and my team has produced several very good ideas for new products, services and markets. As an example the new widget has taken off in Eastern Europe and is contributing 7% of profits in less than 18 months.

Most importantly I actively seek to develop members of my team for their own careers sake but also for the future of the business itself. This means I also look for personal development opportunities to ensure my skills are kept up to date."

If you refer to the sample CVs and resumes page on my website, sample resume #1 is for a Chief Engineer. The Key Strengths statement from him might go like this:

"I have very good communication skills and work across all departments to ensure that issues are identified and practical solutions are prepared. Coupled with my project management skills and my hands-on leadership style I am able to consistently deliver and commission projects on time and to budget.

I am focused on internal and external customer's needs, rather than purely functional needs and I apply specialist skills in continuous improvement and world class manufacturing to increase efficiency, reduce waste and losses due to downtime.

As Chief Engineer I have initiated and managed strategic change programmes and implemented effective quality improvement programs all the way through to successful local level implementation. This has led to savings of £750k per annum and helps to maintain the position and financial strength of my employer".

These key strengths statements naturally answer many of the interviewers questions whilst being reassuring in content. You will find though, that they will create new questions for the interviewer, so be aware that you must be able to substantiate everything you claim.

Try working on your own statement using your own words and skills, blending them together to create a strong "key strengths" statement to meet your needs.

You'll be surprised how often you use this one!!

With over 25 years running businesses; as a Career Coach and Consultant in many sectors; Peter Fisher is well placed to guide job seekers through the steps needed in order to achieve that all important new position.

He has personally coached thousands of individuals to career success.

His distillation of these years of experience with all the essential facts and actions you must complete in order to achieve your own success is outstanding. He is very clear that you shouldn't be misled into thinking of "acing interviews" or "finessing" your way into a business; the most sustainable and fulfilling roles are gained through understanding your own specific needs and creating your strategy accordingly. For specific guidance on how you might produce your own Key Strengths statement go to http://www.your-career-change.com/key-strengths.html

You can learn more about his dynamic and comprehensive approach to career change, with every page dedicated to helping serious career changers if you go to http://www.your-career-change.com/index.html

[tags]Key Strengths, Self describing skills, interview, interview questions, career change, jobsearch[/tags]

Intuition The Secret To Your Career Success

For far too long, we moderns have relied on our analytical/logical brain to make important life decisions. It is my belief that our imaginative/creative brain holds the key to better, smarter and more soulful decisions. This is because the right side of the brain, which loves creativity---taps into your intuitive nature. Take your career for instance. How could following your intuition make you more successful? Because you will be following your true internal compass---one that leads you to the best career and a more fulfilled life.

The word intuition means "in to you" in Latin. Florence Scovel, a theologian, once said, "Intuition is the spiritual faculty that doesn't explain; it seemingly points the way." It's also been said that intuition is your divine Spirit talking to you. If we stop for a moment and acknowledge this, we realize the incredible perspective we have.

Unfortunately, this is a perspective we often choose to ignore because it is an undeveloped skill. Using your intuition when making important decisions allows you to move along your career path easily and effortlessly. You don't have to struggle and worry, because things fall naturally into place when you follow your inner nature. Developing your intuitive guidance (your inner voice) is essential to smart decision-making and career choices, and includes balancing your cognitive (thinking) abilities with your affective (feeling) abilities.

Synthesize information from your head and your heart, and bring them into your consciousness. You only have to learn how to develop these powers and I promise that it will become second nature to you. The first step is obviously to become aware that you contain this amazing power. But you must consciously choose to use it!

Next, you have to realize that when dealing with matters of work, there can be some discrepancies between what the mind thinks and what the heart feels. When we think about work, we focus on what we should do so that we can pay the bills, etc., which only takes into account the practical side. When we feel about work, we focus on what we want to do and consider the impractical, such as moving to a foreign country. We very rarely take the time to see how the two sides can meet and form a whole new possibility. When making a major life decision, such as, "What should I do as my life's work?" it is pretty safe to say that our equilibrium is all out of whack. And we tend to do one of two things: We either throw out all rational behavior altogether or block any and all emotions from our consciousness. We need to learn to align these two extremes, balance them, and make decisions from a true state of knowing, which is our intuition. You can learn to take these two seemingly opposing faculties and fuse them to have singleness of purpose and direction.

The best way to do this is to be clear on what you are looking for from your career, so that you can then allow your intuitive nature to take over. The key is to believe that your higher self sees what is best for you. Indeed, Spirit is trying to send you messages, but you must learn to open up and receive the information in order for it to make a difference in your life. Once you have learned to have faith in this process, your heart and mind will function together for greater harmony than you ever dreamed possible.

By following your intuition, you become empowered. When you are empowered, you trust that you know the right thing to do—despite what other people might say. You look within yourself for direction.

Dis-empowered people look for answers outside of themselves. They turn to others to find the answers to their life, and thus become confused and often misguided. Confused people are easy to spot---they tend to change their minds almost on a daily basis. It stands to reason that if you are dis-empowered and confused, you will not be making decisions with clarity and focus.

If you are like most people, you prefer one faculty (thinking or feeling) over the other. People tend to use the one they are most comfortable with, but sometimes it is necessary to look at the situation through your "weaker" one.

You are Head Strong if you typically:

· Over-analyze people, things, and situations
· Consider the practical side of the issue
· Rationalize your behavior to yourself and to others
· Consider yourself first in situations
· Prefer thinking over feeling
· Ignore feelings contrary to your thinking when making decisions
· Hide your emotions
· Like to plan ahead
· Like to be in control
· Use the word NO a lot

You are Heart Strong if you typically:

· Are sensitive and emotional
· Consider the impractical side of the issue
· Feel things in the pit of your stomach
· Consider others first in situations
· Prefer feeling over thinking
· Ignore thoughts contrary to your feelings when making decisions
· Show your emotions
· Like to go with the flow
· Like to make others feel good
· Use the word YES a lot

Both are ways of "sensing," but in order to be a more effective decision-maker, you need to use them in conjunction. On occasion, it may be more appropriate to listen with your heart, as it will provide the direction that you need to go. Other times, you may find that tapping into your head can save you from making "miss-takes" in your career. The key is to pick up on coincidences, signs, and other external messages by filtering them through both faculties to get the most accurate "reading." The real secret to intuitive guidance is to let your inner soul be your guide.

Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed. is a whole life coach, speaker, and author. She has written three self-help books and a dozen workbooks on life empowerment topics. Her coaching practice is Brightlight Coaching. She helps people come up with bright ideas for their life and empowers them to freely shine their bright light to the world.

Contact her for a complimentary coaching session: coach@brightlightcoach.com

Visit virtually: http://www.getsmartseries.com or http://www.brightlightcoach.com

Sign up for her free monthly ezine, Get Smart! Live Smart by sending an email to: Getsmarter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

[tags]career, job, transition, self improvement[/tags]