How Following Industry News Can Boost Your Career

How Following Industry News Can Boost Your Career Following current events may seem like we’re time traveling back to elementary school. (Remember bringing news clips to class for discussion?) But seriously, following current and industry news can give you a huge career boost if you keep your focus. Sadly, many of the Americans don’t follow current trends, or even enjoy it for that matter. In fact, only 45 percent of Americans  reported  enjoying following the news a lot while 36 percent enjoy following the news a little. But here’s the really interesting statistic: More than a third of those employed full- or part-time say that keeping up with the news is important to their jobs. However, keeping up with the news should be important to  every  job! Here’s why: You never know what an interviewer might ask you. During your job hunt, current events may be important to your  interviewer. And who knows what they may ask. But if you haven’t been following industry news and trends, you might be unaware of a new federal policy, game-changing software, or latest trend. Being knowledgeable about the industry in which you work tells a lot about your dedication to your profession to an employer. Interest and dedication is part of your personal brand. Job seekers are told all the time to have a  professional social media presence and blog platform  to showcase work and impress employers. But if you’re not showing interest in your industry within these accounts, that speaks volumes to hiring managers. Show you’re on top of your game and actually interested too. You’ll spot business opportunities and trends faster. If you’re regularly following current events, you’ll start to realize when trends are emerging and pockets for opportunity have arisen. Further, you’ll be more in tune with your industry and client or customer needs, which will likely translate to making better, quicker decisions at work. You may become an industry expert. So you’re impressing hiring managers and employers, getting better jobs, becoming tuned to industry quirks, and making better business decisions. This may all soon lead to you becoming an industry expert if you choose. There are always at least a handful of professionals in an industry that we look to in trade publications, newsletters, and blogs to provide advice and thought-leadership. If you are present in the news you consume â€" such as participating and commenting in society forums or blogs and interacting with opinion leaders in your industry â€" you will start getting noticed. So if you’re on the current events bandwagon, there are easy ways to start following your industry’s current news, trends, and issues. Use the following resources to get started: Industry blogs, e-letters, and websites. Try putting these into an  RSS feed  for easy access in one place. Attend meetings with your professional organization, read their newsletters, or watch their webinars. On-the-go a lot? Try downloading some mobile apps to your mobile device. Most major news organizations have their own apps with handy news feeds. Follow thought leaders on social networks, LinkedIn recently added their 150 Thought Leaders to follow. Following current events can seem daunting and boring. But if you truly enjoy the industry in which you work, you are bound to find some interesting stuff every day to share with your colleagues. In the end, it will make you smarter and more aware of the events that impact your life and career. What’s another benefit to following current events in your industry? Related: Social Media: An Executive Decision Image: Shutterstock

How to answer When have you worked well in a team

How to answer When have you worked well in a team Many of you will now be settling down to fill in application forms for a range of graduate schemes. It’s a time consuming process and can be very depressing if you don’t find yourself progressing through the levels. There are resources on the blog with advice on how to answer a variety of questions, so how about this one? This is a competency based question and you’ll be looking to use the CAR or STAR model to answer this. Context (or Situation â€"Task) â€" Action â€" Result. You need to concentrate your answer on the action section. It’s easy to get caught out writing line after line about the context. Be really succinct. What was the team and what did you have to do? You don’t need to talk about the circumstances of the team being set up, the time of year or what the weather was like! You’re probably on a word count and you need to make sure that every word you write is relevant to the answer. We or I? This question catches lots of students out. You’re being asked to write about teamwork so it’s really easy to embark on an answer framed around “We”. “We had to do this”, so “We took this action”. This is not what the recruiter wants to see. You need to frame your answer around “I”. What did you personally do within the team? What action did you take to ensure that the team operated effectively? How were you proactive in identifying members of the team who needed some support and in providing that support? If you have thought of an example which involved you doing a set task efficiently and within the time available and nothing else, you probably haven’t identified the best answer to this question. So, how are you going to choose a good example? This might come back to how much you have engaged with university life and what jobs you have had. If you haven’t worked and have chosen to concentrate on your studies, rather than get involved with student life then you might find that you have to fall back on some group work youve done as part of your course. If youve taken part in a joint project then think about how tasks were allocated among the team. What did you personally contribute to the discussion on roles? Once you started work, how did you support other members of the team? Did someone struggle and did you step in to support? Were you the person who had taken on too much and did you find a way of asking other team members to help you? Keep writing about your own role. Remember that good team work can be accepting help, just as much as offering it! If youve worked, or been an active committee member of societies responsible for their organization, then youre going to have a wider choice of answers to this question. Think about the time when you had most personal impact on a team. This might be when you worked in a busy pub and had to serve drinks and food, chat to customers and deal with any complaints. Don’t feel that an employer would be more interested in hearing about your role in a negotiation exercise run by a graduate recruiter on campus. That wouldn’t be right! The times when you will have really demonstrated your team working skills are when you had to take personal responsibility for something. As a student that might well have been when you had a fairly menial paid role. Think about the difference between: “As one of the bar staff in a busy pub I had to be an active team player. I suggested that at the beginning of each shift we should agree areas of responsibility between us, so that we each understood where our primary responsibility lay. It  is impossible to predict precise workflows from day to day and as each shift progressed, it would become evident that some colleagues were much busier than others and under more pressure. I was always aware that if there were lapses in service customer complaints were more likely. I made sure that I kept a watch on what was going on so that I could identify which areas were busiest. I fulfilled the tasks assigned to me, but wherever possible stepped in proactively to support colleagues who were falling behind with their work. Of course, there were times when I was the person under most pressure. Then I asked for support from the member of the team who appeared to have most time available.” And “I attended a negotiation competition on campus run by (big graduate recruiter) there were two teams with different briefs and we had to work together to try to persuade the opposing team to agree with the brief we had been given. We worked out our strategy and planned who was going to speak when and at the end the recruiter declared that my team were winners.” The second example isn’t very good and when I check applications I see many answers like this. It doesn’t answer the question or identify a single step taken to work effectively in a team. The first answer talks about teamwork but sticks with “I” throughout. When you answer this question re-read what you have written. If the balance of your answer is “we”, it might be time to start the answer again!

Know thyself; Know thy Principles and Enjoy the Roller Coaster Ride.

Know thyself; Know thy Principles and Enjoy the Roller Coaster Ride. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? Life after college can be a haze. Sometimes it feels like you are just waking up, doing a bunch of “stuff”, and going back to sleep. Whether your life after college has been as steady as a rock or as uncertain as the weather in Chicago (which has been really nice lately), the feeling of existing but not of living can take over. Since my Life Emergency, to say my life has been as uncertain as the Chicago weather usually is would be an understatement. I will be revealing all in the upcoming because if I had to tell all, it would be a short novel. Today, however, I want to talk about reflecting. Do you take time once a day, a week, a month to reflect on who you are and who you want to be? I did a couple of days ago and I realized one of the reasons I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off, both literally and metaphorically, is taking time to reflect had been put on the back burner in my life.   Reflecting allows me to see things for what they are; it allows me to remember my values and the type of person I want to become. The truth is I have always had a strong sense of self â€" I know that I am competitive and commanding; a good talker and seldom afraid of confrontation. I know that I want to do something good and great and really make a difference. I know that I want to always be surrounded by people who are inspiring and make me feel like I can do anything. I also know that I can be terribly impatient, a poor listener and not always willing to let things slide (which sometimes is best). In my work and play, I want to make a difference to someone’s life. The best compliment I will ever receive is that somehow I changed someone’s life for the better.  For me the ideal is to be honest, classy and unforgettable. WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE? I think making a decision to be the kind of person you want to be is one of the most important decisions you will ever make. I also think few of us actually take the time to do this.   We allow the past or the community of life’s circumstances to dictate who we are, and although those things make their contribution, you and I have a choice to be who we want to be. Let me make this clear: You may have had little or no choice regarding your upbringing, the surplus or lack of finances your family had, the school you went to, etc. but you do have a choice about your character and how   you treat others. And when you’ve made that choice, you have to act. You have to make a concerted effort to not let the “stuff” of life preventing you from being that person. I let my worry over uncertainty in my work life, my worry of money, of my visa sponsorship and indeed even my nostalgia for college, get in my head and stay there. And as I worried, every little problem because grandiose. I forgot to remember the most important thing â€" who I am and who I want to be. My life after college has indeed been a roller coaster but I don’t think I’m the first one to experience this and I certainly don’t think I’m going to be the last. And it’s high time I start enjoying the ride because as terrifying as roller coasters can be, they are also exciting.   In fact, they’re so exciting that when we’re done with one, we usually we want to do it all over again or try a new one. Maybe your 20s are just one roller coaster after another and if you don’t endure how frightening the ride can be, you won’t enjoy the thrill of the ride either. This is why I love reflecting. It gives perspective; it allows you to stop, and think just soak up life. So, I say: know thyself, know thy principles and enjoy the roller-coaster ride that is your 20s. WHAT DO YOU SAY?

Take an inventory of your friends, and act on it

Take an inventory of your friends, and act on it Today people talk very loudly about how they want a job that lets them have a life outside of work. Thats smart, of course, because theres a long list of scientifically proven benefits to your health and happiness that friendship brings. And this includes the findings of Gallup pollster Tim Rath that you are almost guaranteed to like your job if you have a real friend at work. But part of the idea of having a full, well-rounded life, is that you have close friends who are not family or a significant other. Thats right. The family and signifcant others dont count when we talk about the benefits of friendship, even if you are really close to those people. But making close friends is hard. We are meeting more people online, and were meeting a lot of people through travel, but we are more frenetic than ever in how we live our lives. Time magazine reports (under the heading Loneliness) that, The number we count among our closest friends the ones with whom we discuss important matters shrank over the past 20 years, from three friends to two. At the same time, the number of Americans who have no one at all to confide in more than doubled, to 1 in 4. So lets agree on what friends are, because I have a feeling that a lot of people dont have them. Here is what I think is the minimum for a close friend is: 1. You have been friends with the person when you were not professionally involved with the person. 2. The person knows the part of yourself you dislike the most. 3. The person returns your calls in 48 hours. If you dont have friends, but you think you have a good job, you probably have one or all of these problems: 1. You have a job that doesnt allow you enough time to have friends. 2. You are mistaking work associates for friends. 3. You have no idea how to manage your time. If your wife or girlfriend picks all your friends, they are not your friends. They are hers and she lets you tag along. If you talk about your husbands job or your boyfriends dissertation with all your friends, you can bet that your so-called friends are not particularly interested in your life. Or youre not. Either way, such talk is a barrier to friendship. I use gender here loosely it could be reversed. Relationship incompetence is not gender specific. And one more thing, you cannot be true friends with someone who you have power or authority over. If you only hang around people who you have some sort of authority over then you have a problem relating to people as equals. Maybe you are saying to yourself that its a time issue. First of all. I dont believe you. Its a priority issue. Because you have time to watch TV. Time to work overtime. Time to hang out with people who are not friends. But, even if it is a time issue, there is very little you can do with two hours once a month that will have so much impact on your well being as talking to a friend. So what can you do to get a close friend? Here are three things: 1. Look at the friends you have. Concentrate less on developing new friends and more on improving the quality of the friendships you already have. This suggesetion is based on research by University of California psychologist Sonja Lyubomirsky, who says the quality of relationships has more to do with your happiness than anything else. 2. Go visit someone. Have a face-to-face meeting with one of those friends you IM all the time but have never met. Visiting them just once can increase the value of the friendship significantly. The nonverbal information you get about a person from talking with them face to face can make you feel much closer, after just one time, according to reaserach by psychologist Edward Hallowell. 3. Change your personal patterns. After a big life change, like graduating from college, getting a divorce or moving across country, how you make and grow friends will change. You can rely on the tried-and-true techniques of your old life, you need to figure out what will work now who to target, when to talk, what technology is appropriate. If you are having trouble making friends, try new ways of doing it. And that, actually, is a great way to solve most of your problems: Try a new way of doing it. Not suprisingly, its something thats easier to do with input from a friend.

Blogging in Executive Job Search What To Write About - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

Blogging in Executive Job Search What To Write About Blogging in Executive Job Search: What to Write About

8 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty

8 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty All customers are created equal; but some are more equal than others. Studies have shown that it can cost up to three times more to attract a new customer than to keep an existing client on the book. But of course, just because they’ve used your service once, that doesn’t mean you’ll always be in their good books. Below, we take a look at eight ways you can build customer loyalty. Cement your relationship with them, and they’ll always be coming back to give you more business. Don’t Take Them for Granted A company should never take their customers for granted, and especially when they’re regulars. Sometimes, standards can begin to slip when you get used to talking with them on the phone, or seeing them walk into your store, or talking with them on the phone, especially if you get to know them on a level that’s slightly deeper than surface pleasantries. When you’re in business mode, you should endeavor to give every customer the same great experience, whether it’s their second or hundredth time using your services.   Customer Only Deals There’s nothing more frustrating for customers who use a service to see great value deals only available to new customers. It just shows that the company only cares about making money, no matter what they might say about valuing their customers and so on. And really, can you blame them? Why should a person who has been using your service for two years be paying more than someone who has just signed up? Though you don’t have to do it all the time, consider offering special deals only to your existing customers. If you have a ‘monthly charge’ service, you could even consider rewarding their loyalty by say, waiving the fee during the month of their year-long anniversary with you. Throw in Freebies Everyone loves surprises. If you order something from a store, and your package arrives with someone else in the box that was included for free, don’t you automatically have a positive impression of that company? Sure you do. These small bonuses don’t have to cost much or be overly grand, either; they just have to be free and useful or enjoyable. You could order custom USB drives branded with your logo online, for example, or a smart toy (we’re thinking Rubiks cube). Your customer won’t be expecting it, so will be pleasantly surprised, and if the item has your logo on the side then your company will never be too far from your customer’s mind.   Human Connections A lot of businesses are beginning to integrate AI into their operations, and it’s true that there are some benefits to going down this route. However, it’s possible that relying too heavily on non-human service providers will bring a few problems, too. For starters, your customers might be less inclined to be loyal. Why? Because it’s hard to feel loyal when you’re not making any connections, and it’s hard to make connections with a robot. You shouldn’t underestimate the power of human connections! When it comes to your customer services department, for example, you can use automated systems to direct the call to the right department, but ultimately your customer should be speaking to a real, live human! Get Their Opinion Your company exists for the benefit of your customers, not the other way round. So it makes sense to give them what they want! One of the best ways to do is to get their opinion on, well, everything, and then tailor your operations to meet their needs. A customer who gives their opinion and then later sees that the company has not only listened to what they had to say, but also acted upon on, will naturally feel closer to that company. And of course, your business will improve as a result, too. Individual Accounts If your customers access your services via the web, then you have a terrific capacity to individualize their experience when they’re on your website. For example, let’s say you have an online store. By using cookies and login systems, you can ensure that the products they see when they visit your store are relevant to them. You’ll also be able to offer them products that are related to the products they’ve already bought, and all-around tailor their experience. They’ll feel much closer to your company if it feels like they’re landing on a website that was designed with them in mind, rather than for the masses. Host an Event It’s a wonder why more companies don’t hold events for their customers. They’re really effective, fun, and can also help bring new customers on board. So what type of event would be suitable for your business? Well, it depends on what type of company yours is. If you’re young and hip, then something young and hip let’s say, an outdoor BBQ with live music would be appropriate. If your target audience is older, then something a bit classier might work. You can also go down the ‘related them’ idea; so if you sell, say, outdoor gear, then you might host an event that teaches people how to camp in snowy weather, What’s the Incentive? Finally, you should ask yourself what incentive there is for your customer to be loyal. Why should they stick with you rather than go with a competitor? Going down this thought channel will help expose any weaknesses in your business, will show you where to focus your energies, and will drive you to create a better relationship with the clients who have made your business what it is. Final Thoughts In the age of hyper-competitiveness between customers, you need to do everything within your power to keep your customer’s on your side. By treating them well and making sure they know that they’re valued, you’ll be creating a mutually beneficial relationship that, with a bit of luck, will last many a year to come. Never forget that your loyal customers are the backbone of your business success!

Manufacturing Resume - Make a Fortune in Your Own Manufacturing Business

Manufacturing Resume - Make a Fortune in Your Own Manufacturing BusinessWhen you have a resume for your potential new job, then you might want to consider creating a manufacturing resume. With all the jobs that are going to be coming out of the manufacturing sector, a manufacturing resume is sure to be required. The things that you can include on the manufacturing resume are things like your past employment in the industry, your skill set and past jobs, the skills that you are capable of bringing to the job, and of course the education and training that you have had.Manufacturing resume is going to help you to showcase exactly what you have to offer for a job. This will give you an idea of the kind of work you are qualified for and the type of person that the employer would like to hire. The manufacturing resume will not be something that will be very long and drawn out and it will be very short and simple. It is only for the purpose of showing the employer that you have everything t hat they need.The manufacturing resume is going to be made to assist you to find a job and get it quickly, but also to get an interview with a potential employer. You are going to want to focus on what you are looking for when it comes to employment and how you would be able to get it. The manufacturing resume should focus on the resume that you would need to get the position.There are many jobs that will be coming out of the manufacturing sector in the near future and if you have a manufacturing resume that can point them in the right direction, you will stand a much better chance of getting the job. The first thing that you should do is contact an employer to see if you could meet them and speak with them about their opening. Your manufacturer resume will be something that will allow you to showcase the ability to work within their industry.The most important thing that you can do is to be prepared. With the manufacturing job market being what it is, you will have to be able to fi nd a job quickly and without a hitch. With so many companies needing people in the manufacturing industry, you should make sure that you are prepared with the resume and how you can show the employer that you can work within their company.Once you have found a manufacturing position, you will have to submit your resume and be ready to meet with the company. You will want to be prepared and show the employer what you can do and that you can get them what they need. If you have a manufacturing resume, you will be ready to go with the interview.There are many opportunities in the manufacturing sector and if you have a manufacturing resume, you are going to be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. There are many manufacturing positions and if you have a manufacturing resume, you will be able to start building the future of your own business. You will be prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there in the manufacturing industry. The manufa cturing resume will help you be ready for what is coming in the future.Manufacturing is booming and it is so easy to get into this type of job. It is so easy to just be an employee and work with a company to turn out products for them. If you have a manufacturing resume, you will be ready to take advantage of the opportunities that are available to you in the manufacturing industry.