Archive for Confidence vs. Arrogance
Creating a brag book to boost your self esteem
Posted by: | CommentsIf your self esteem has lowered due to unfortunate circumstances I recommend taking some time to create a brag book and start adding to it. Go back as far as you can and collect all those achievements and clippings that represent who you are and your growth over the years and compile them into a portfolio for yourself to remind you of your accomplishments.
Creating a brag book will reinforce the positive achievements in your life. This task is rewarding in many ways as we have grown we often forget important activities that made us who we are today. Going back through these things may open doors to opportunities you may have not realized existed based on past achievements.
This book will also help you re-evaluate the possibilities for your career and give you more discussion points when selling yourself for a new position. You will also be able to discover areas which you previously had touched on and could further expand that would increase your desirability to a potential employer or opportunity.
Creating a brag book is a great way to tell your story and prepare documentation to support your background and achievements. Start with a great basic large binder and three hole punched plastic sheet covers and put your resume in the front of it then working in reverse chronological order. Do your best to include any proof of statements on your resume as well as any recommendations, certificates, news articles, transcripts etc.
A one stop shop brag book will do a lot to boost your self esteem and will also give you a tool to use when attending interviews and substantiating your story.
Do not take more than your share.
Posted by: | CommentsPeople who look at body language can often tell if you give too much or if you take too much by your posture. If your shoulders tend to be forward as well as your body in the giving position your probably an easier target to take from. On the other hand a person who has their shoulders back more upright may be a little harder to sell as they tend to be takers.
I believe it is important to be balanced you have to be as good of a giver as you are a receiver. The world tends to work things out when this balance is not in place, so if you have been taking/receiving most of your life often events will take back what you did not deserve. We often here of people with great wealth living on a roller coaster with great highs and lows of wealth not really learning this lesson. We have most recently seen this in the stock market, all of the great wealth generated for many corporations who convinced us that growth was there and traded many multiples times earnings have had to give back that wealth to posture them in-line with reality.
As you look into your balance today and moving forward try and get off the roller coaster ride with those who have yet to learn this lesson. Living with less highs and lows will give you more stability and freedoms. Make sure that you are giving back and keeping your commitments to what you say you can and will do and be open to receiving what you deserve and is rightfully yours and be thankful for what you give and get in your life.
Job Hunting? Who deserves you?
Posted by: | CommentsLooking for work make a list of who deserves you? Now that you have a list learn everything you can about the company, their employees and their mission and make sure you still believe they would make a mistake not hiring you. Once you have determined they do deserve you it is time to go after what you want.
Start with your family, friends and contact list including recruiters to see who may have a connection within the corporation your seeking employment and start campaigning. Once you have exhausted those efforts it doesn’t hurt to start cold calling. Make sure that your name is on the short list and in front of them at decision time. Don’t ease up on your efforts even if you have to take something else short-term to meet your immediate needs.
Be persistent without being a nuisance. This is best done by strategizing ahead of time. Develop a plan, talk it over with your mentor, coach or recruiter and stick with it until you have proven that your target companies deserve you and you will make a positive difference to their bottom line. Build a business plan for this dream job and even a job description if it doesn’t exist, don’t give away your entire hand but intrigue them enough to call you in to talk more about the ideas you sent over.
I often say that one of the most important persons in a company is the one answering the phone. In recent years the automated phone answering has driven people nuts. In fact there are websites that give phone numbers and extensions to help you get to a real person. The practicality of this may have been necessary but the impersonalness of it has been irritating. Getting a real person on the phone when you call a company, one who is friendly and helpful and knows exactly where to direct the call and is able to answer your questions is a missing element that has added to the disconnect in this digital society. We need to start connecting again.
So, when your answering your own phone answer it well and professionally at all times. If someone is irritating you with a solicitation say thank you, but no thank you – it just might be a bait to see how you act on the phone.
This is a numbers game so make sure you have some options. The more options you have (that you can manage) the better your chances. What is your conversion rate on interviews? Most my clients have a 100% conversion rate. If they land an interview they get hired. What is it that gives them the edge over others? Preparation, practice and confidence. They know before they go into the interview that the company they want to work for deserves them and they can easily convey that message because of the preparation work they have done. These well prepared clients captivate when they get in front of the goal and their confidence and homework empowers and imresses their audience and they score.
Now make a list, write the detailed description of your dream job and know you will land it!
Creative way to re-energize your Company
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the best ways to re-engage your leadership with your employees is to have a job swap week (or even a day) Put all the names of employees in a random drawing pool and for one week the name you pick is the job you do from the CEO to the receptionist to the janitor.
Re-energizing your base and getting everyone out of their comfort zone is sure to establish the respectability of all the individual roles in a company and bring your entire team back together. These are different times with different circumstances and ego’s have gotten in the way. There are many issues ahead for all of us, personally, professionally and with the companies we like to buy from. We need to come together and honor and respect each other and our positions and roles and this is a cost effective way to do an in-house team building when the old “hunting trip” is no longer responsible spending.
It is time to know the names of the people you work with, make a point to get to meet someone new at work and take an interest in what they do and who they are. If you work for a smaller company expand that to people who work nearby. If you don’t work at a company get to know a new neighbor or the grocery boy’s name. By connecting with your fellow employees and respecting their work you will have a stronger conviction for who your representing and what your selling.
We are going to have to pull together as a community and support each other at the companies that we run. Building appreciation for the responsibilites of those around you makes the entire organization stronger.
