What It Means To Be CxO Of Your Career (And Job Search)

What It Means To Be CxO Of Your Career (And Job Search) Have you heard that you are CEO of Me, Inc.? Ive seen career pros talk about you also being Chief Marketing Officer. which means you (not someone else) needs to be in charge of your branding, messaging, etc. Well, lets take this fun concept out to other CxO positions, and talk about what that means in your job search! CEO (Chief Executive Officer): You are IN CHARGE. The buck stops with you. You are responsible for your career vision, strategy, and the results. You are in charge of understanding the landscape, competition, opportunities, trends (future), etc. The bottom line, though, is that you are responsible for the bottom line. If your career fails, it all falls back on you and your ability/inability to compete. CFO (Chief Financial Officer): You are in charge of the finances of your operation. How will you pay your bills? Will you borrow money, increase sales, find alternative/additional revenue streams? Should you negotiate and refinance with your vendors? Do you understand your income, expenses, cashflow, etc.? You must understand, and be able to do, each of these things. CMO (Chief Marketing Officer): You are in charge of your branding, messaging, and marketing strategy. You need to be intimately familiar with marketing concepts and models, and understand how you should position yourself. Do you understand your product (aka, you)? Do you know how your product compares with others, and how fit it is to compete today, and in the future? Have you been able to look over the horizon and develop a strategy so you are relevant in the future? CSO (Chief Sales Officer):  You are in charge of results. Vision and strategy from the CMO are great, but then you have to execute and get your numbers. What are your financial goals? Or, how much do you need to earn each month/year? Once you have your number, work towards it. Get on the phone, talk with people (yes, really!), and work with an intense focus to get what you need. Heck, if you get excited, exceed your quota CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer): Yes, you are in charge, but you dont have to go it alone!   As CHRO you need to understand who should be on your team and what roles you should hire for. You might be able to do a lot of this, but lets not kid ourselves: this is hard work. And, you need to focus on what you are good at, and consider outsourcing the rest. That might mean you hire a coach or resume writer, it might mean you work yourself into a job search team (a brilliant concept), or you enlist family and friends to help you get the word out and find people to have informational interviews. I know the job search feels very, very lonely, but make sure you dont neglect your role of CHRO to get help. CIO (Chief Information Officer): You are in charge of information understanding and managing it. This is really where JibberJobber comes in, to partner with you. You will have a ton of information and data come your way what are you going to do about it? How are you going to process it, make sense of it, understand it, leverage it, and capitalize on it? The information will be centered around reactions you get from people (is your marketing working?), the jobs you apply to, the target companies you are networking into, the networking you are doing, the conversations you have, and simply keeping track of which version of what resume you sent to who, and when do you need to follow-up with them. As CIO you need to crack that nut. Its a lot easier to do with JibberJobber, trust me! CTO (Chief Technology Officer):You are in charge of what technology you use. Smart phone, email system, tracking system (JibberJobber!), storage system, internet connection, auto-responders, computer/laptop, blog platform, password managers, etc. If you dont know where to start on this, tap into your CHRO and find the right trusted people who can point you in the right direction. Nothing wrong with asking others, even other job seekers, what technology they are using. Some will be too much, some will be overwhelming, but your job as CTO is to figure out what you really need with the right tools. COO (Chief Operating Officer):  You are in charge of getting things done. You take the strategies and visions and ensure they gets implemented and executed. This might mean you ensure that you are networking with X # of people every day or week, or you do Y # of informational interviews each week. You understand and support the vision and create a plan that is workable, with bite-size metrics that are achievable. And you make sure that daily goals (which you have created) are met (or adjusted). The above list, and responsibilities, looks an awful lot like what a solopreneur would do, also. Note that these roles should be filled for the rest of your career, not just during your job search. This is what we call career management! What It Means To Be CxO Of Your Career (And Job Search) Have you heard that you are CEO of Me, Inc.? Ive seen career pros talk about you also being Chief Marketing Officer. which means you (not someone else) needs to be in charge of your branding, messaging, etc. Well, lets take this fun concept out to other CxO positions, and talk about what that means in your job search! CEO (Chief Executive Officer): You are IN CHARGE. The buck stops with you. You are responsible for your career vision, strategy, and the results. You are in charge of understanding the landscape, competition, opportunities, trends (future), etc. The bottom line, though, is that you are responsible for the bottom line. If your career fails, it all falls back on you and your ability/inability to compete. CFO (Chief Financial Officer): You are in charge of the finances of your operation. How will you pay your bills? Will you borrow money, increase sales, find alternative/additional revenue streams? Should you negotiate and refinance with your vendors? Do you understand your income, expenses, cashflow, etc.? You must understand, and be able to do, each of these things. CMO (Chief Marketing Officer): You are in charge of your branding, messaging, and marketing strategy. You need to be intimately familiar with marketing concepts and models, and understand how you should position yourself. Do you understand your product (aka, you)? Do you know how your product compares with others, and how fit it is to compete today, and in the future? Have you been able to look over the horizon and develop a strategy so you are relevant in the future? CSO (Chief Sales Officer):  You are in charge of results. Vision and strategy from the CMO are great, but then you have to execute and get your numbers. What are your financial goals? Or, how much do you need to earn each month/year? Once you have your number, work towards it. Get on the phone, talk with people (yes, really!), and work with an intense focus to get what you need. Heck, if you get excited, exceed your quota CHRO (Chief Human Resources Officer): Yes, you are in charge, but you dont have to go it alone!   As CHRO you need to understand who should be on your team and what roles you should hire for. You might be able to do a lot of this, but lets not kid ourselves: this is hard work. And, you need to focus on what you are good at, and consider outsourcing the rest. That might mean you hire a coach or resume writer, it might mean you work yourself into a job search team (a brilliant concept), or you enlist family and friends to help you get the word out and find people to have informational interviews. I know the job search feels very, very lonely, but make sure you dont neglect your role of CHRO to get help. CIO (Chief Information Officer): You are in charge of information understanding and managing it. This is really where JibberJobber comes in, to partner with you. You will have a ton of information and data come your way what are you going to do about it? How are you going to process it, make sense of it, understand it, leverage it, and capitalize on it? The information will be centered around reactions you get from people (is your marketing working?), the jobs you apply to, the target companies you are networking into, the networking you are doing, the conversations you have, and simply keeping track of which version of what resume you sent to who, and when do you need to follow-up with them. As CIO you need to crack that nut. Its a lot easier to do with JibberJobber, trust me! CTO (Chief Technology Officer):You are in charge of what technology you use. Smart phone, email system, tracking system (JibberJobber!), storage system, internet connection, auto-responders, computer/laptop, blog platform, password managers, etc. If you dont know where to start on this, tap into your CHRO and find the right trusted people who can point you in the right direction. Nothing wrong with asking others, even other job seekers, what technology they are using. Some will be too much, some will be overwhelming, but your job as CTO is to figure out what you really need with the right tools. COO (Chief Operating Officer):  You are in charge of getting things done. You take the strategies and visions and ensure they gets implemented and executed. This might mean you ensure that you are networking with X # of people every day or week, or you do Y # of informational interviews each week. You understand and support the vision and create a plan that is workable, with bite-size metrics that are achievable. And you make sure that daily goals (which you have created) are met (or adjusted). The above list, and responsibilities, looks an awful lot like what a solopreneur would do, also. Note that these roles should be filled for the rest of your career, not just during your job search. This is what we call career management!

Assessment Centres 5 Lessons from the Bake Off Tent

Assessment Centres â€" 5 Lessons from the Bake Off Tent If you have got through to an assessment centre, well done! Give yourself credit for getting to this stage in the recruitment process. There are quite a number of parallels between a typical assessment centre and The Great British Bake Off (bear with me, read on) Selection, highs and lows, going away and meeting new people, friendly judges (well hopefully) who want you to put in a good performance but who ultimately may need to say goodbye to you. Even if you aren’t successful, you are going to leave a better baker/candidate than when you arrived and learn something from your experience. You may be nervous about what your assessment centre will entail. I’m sure that all the Bake Off  competitors had similar nerves. So here are five lessons we can learn from  GBBO  to help you succeed and avoid your very own Baked-Alaska gate or soggy bottom moments. 1) Preparation is key Many of the successful contestants on GBBO spent hours at home perfecting their bakes and bringing in lovingly-made, intricate and creative displays to showcase their bakes. They carefully considered what equipment or gadgets they would need in advance. Often recruiters will re-test you at assessment centres, to make sure you really did complete those tricky online tests and that your clever friend didn’t do them for you â€" so make sure you have your pencils, pens, rubber, calculator and wrist-watch (not a mobile phone!) to keep track of the time. 2) Read the instructions Not reading the instructions, even if Paul Hollywood has emphasised this very carefully, has been the downfall of many a Bake Off contestant. Fans will recall many bakers forgetting to add an essential ingredient or omitting a vital method. Whether tackling an individual or group exercise, take time to check you have understood what you are meant to be doing.  This will ensure you keep on track and don’t go off at a tangent. 3) Show team spirit and participate GBBO is designed as a competition but you can’t help but love the contestants who finish their bakes early and run over to lend a hand to those struggling to finish icing their bakes on time. Showing support for potential work colleagues is a quality which will score you brownie points (Yes, sorry that was a really bad one I can hear the groans!). If you are struggling to come up with a creative idea of your own in a group exercise, speak out and tell other group members that you like their ideas. If you fail to contribute anything to a group discussion (just as Iain Watters didn’t have anything to be judged on having tipped his melted Baked Alaska into the bin), the assessors won’t be able to score you. 4) Highlight your unique selling points/ ingredients If an individual interview forms part of your assessment centre, this is your chance to show your unique strengths and how they apply to the company. Just as the Bake Off competitors who added lavender or goldenberries to their bakes are memorable, think about what you want your special ingredient to be? What will make the recruiter look back and say, I really enjoyed meeting the candidate who told us all about setting up their own Cupcakes for Charity Society theyve got lots of get-up-and-go!. 5) Enjoy the process but don’t over-indulge Assessment centres are designed to simulate the work environment, it’s a two way process. So, ask yourself â€" are you enjoying the tasks? If not, this could mean you won’t like working for that organisation. Mel and Sue’s banter in BBC One’s version of GBBO  certainly helps the contestants to have fun and relax.  If there is a social element to your assessment centre you could be sat next to a future boss at a formal dinner, so dont relax too much and make sure you keep your conversation professional. Some contestants have added booze to their bakes with mixed success. I certainly remember Mary Berry’s reaction when she took a bite of drizzle cake with rather a lot of gin in it. Don’t be tempted by a free bar or alcohol at your assessment centre. A recruiter recently told Warwick careers staff that they had caught one cheeky candidate helping themselves to beverages in a fridge to take home with them! On a final note, if you are reading this and are about to attend an assessment centre, I hope that you rise to the occasion (look out for my stand up tour in the summer) and that you are rewarded in true Star Baker fashion with a job offer or proceed to the next stage in the process.

11 Tips for Negotiating a Contract Like a Pro - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

11 Tips for Negotiating a Contract Like a Pro - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Negotiations â€" you either love them or hate them. In either case, you will have to do it when you’re in the business world. For those who would rather not deal with them, it’s a necessary evil. The good news is that once you learn how to negotiate effectively, you won’t dislike it as much anymore. You may find it to be the most fun part of your work. For those of you who love negotiating, you know that knowledge is power. Consider using these tips when you’re back at the table. You may just get a little more of what you want, so you can walk away feeling like a winner. Tip #1: Negotiate Did you know that individuals who don’t negotiate their salaries stand to lose about half a million dollars by age 60? Do you really want to throw that away? No, of course you don’t. That’s why under no circumstances should you take a contract without negotiating. There will always be room for a higher salary â€" you just have to prove to them you deserve it. Tip #2: Know What You Can Base the Negotiations On You need to know all of the details. These details are bargaining chips. Before bringing your points to the table of why you want something, be sure to know what you’re willing to compromise on and what you’re not. When coming to a compromise on compensation, you should consider all of these factors: Will compensation increase every time the contract is renewed? What bonuses will there be for your good work? What types of equity grants are offered? Where is the job located? What are the hours? How much vacation and sick leave is offered? What benefits will you receive? What are the specifications of the benefits? As you can see, there are many details of the contract that can be discussed and compromised on to get the compensation and benefits packages you feel you deserve. Tip #3: Do Some Digging for Information on Previous Contracts If there’s a way to look up previous contracts, this can be used to your advantage. You can see what was offered and then use that to get the same. You can also bring up points of the outcome of that contract and how the details of it may have had something to do with those results. Tip #4: Back up Your Claims If you just talk about what you want without any fuel to back yourself up, you’ll lose. People need to be convinced and the best way to do that is to explain to them why you’re asking for what you want. Tip #5: Write Your Arguments Down on Paper Negotiating contracts can be stressful. You can look much more put together if you have the information you want to present in front of you. Go ahead and write it all down. You can bring it with you and refer to it as much as you need to. This ensures you don’t forget to make important points. Tip #6: Ask Questions to Clarify Sometimes, people get tangled in the arguments that they fail to see that the person they are negotiating with is actually giving them what they want. When you don’t understand what the person is referring to, ask questions. The more you know, the better you’ll be able to work with the situation. Tip #7: Know Who You’re at the Table With When negotiating a contract, know the company and the important players in it. This will help you feel as though you have the upper hand because most people don’t think their potential hires know much about the organization. Tip #8: Check Your Inhibitions at the Door Some people will back down when they feel as though the employer is becoming upset. Don’t do that. This is your chance to be happy in the place you work. If you don’t get what you really want in the beginning, it will be much harder to get it later, and then you can end up miserable. State your case and if the employer seems flustered, that’s on him or her. You are doing what is right for you, and the employer is just trying to do the same. Tip #9: Always Be Nice This is business. Keep it civil. Don’t raise your voice. Don’t walk out of the room. Keep calm by presenting your points and considering the response of the employer. Acknowledge what the employer responds with, and then come back nicely with your points of why you may not be able to accept that as part of the contract. Tip #10: Know Your Worth Did you know that in one study, women expected salaries that were 3 to 32 percent lower than what men expected? This lies in the worth that some women feel they have, and it can be a problem. If you’re a woman or a man who lacks self-worth, work on that. Seek a life coach, therapist or soul search to understand that you are valuable and you deserve to be compensated for it. You have a lot of knowledge that others don’t, and you shouldn’t give it away. You need to believe this deep down inside to conjure the confidence to negotiate like a pro. Tip #11: Set the Precedence of What You Can Do for Them This is your chance to show them what you can do for the organization when they are met with negotiating situations. When you can show that your bargaining skills are top-notch, you are basically engaging in personal branding. You are showing them that this is what you do and you do it well. This can be quite an impressive trait to have, and it may just end up propelling you into doing more for your employers than what was expected. Go Get Them Now you have the knowledge, so put it to good use. You can do great things and be happy when you put yourself first and present your case. Before you know it, you’ll walk away from the table feeling like a pro negotiator.

Personal Brands have a direct effect on corporate image - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Brands have a direct effect on corporate image - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The people you deal with through companies can either break or make your perception of the company as a whole. If you are unhappy with a specific service or product that a person is either selling you or supporting you with, then you blame the company. We see this mostly in retail stores, such as Best Buy, where you interact directly with employees at either the cash register or near specific products. These individuals have knowledge of a particular product and can help you understand features more than other employees on the store that are positioned differently. When you are greeted by one of these individuals, they are supposed to convey a sense of trust in their brand and that of the product they are explaining. Not only this, but they are supposed to help the customer by providing an exceptional experience from knowledge sharing till purchase. This also works similar with the sales people, as they are customer facing and can claim or lose the sale based on character, attitude, experience, technical competencies and the brand of their business. Best Buy needs to coach their employees on customer satisfaction It seems each time that I walk into a Best Buy store, I have a most unpleasant experience. Before I visit a store, I do research on the product Im interested in, so when I walk in, I can make a quick purchase without hesitation. The second Im about to purchase the product, the person at the register asks me about the product warranty, which tends to be a real waste of money. I always reject and then get harassed by the employee with phrases like what is wrong with you and but.you need this and of course facial expressions that could turn any customer away. From their angle, they are looking to make some sort of commission on this suckers bet. From mine, I just want the product, without paying extra fees. This clash, hurts both the customer and employee experience, as I think less of the overall Best Buy brand because of my experience with that individual. Every employee is an ambassador of the Best Buy brand, so if their brand is perceived as poor, the companies will have the same ef fect. After this type of encounter, the Best Buy employee becomes less focused, more frustrated and will have lower self-esteem for the next customer. What can be learned With enough customer complaints and surveys showing poor results, I think Best Buy should focus on giving employees other incentives, rather than push for these insignificant warrantys. They also should examine who they hire, as the attitudes of their employees are negative and give off a bad brand environment. It should be treated as an opportunity for improvement.

Myths about Freelancing A Factual Interpretation - CareerMetis.com

Myths about Freelancing A Factual Interpretation Freelancing, which was once looked down upon in the major part of the society, now contributes a massive amount of capital in the global economy.While freelancing is thriving across various countries as the most popular career option for the people, there are a number of myths surrounding the area of freelancing which need to be busted right away.Do you know that the USA has the most number of freelancers in the world?evalWell, the USA has 53 million active freelancers as of 2017.India is second in line in terms of freelancer population with 12 million active freelancers.Europe, on the other hand, has 9 million freelancers who are actively working in the field.Experts suggest the number is only going to go up from here.There is a popular myth about freelancing which says that freelancers have a dearth of work.Well, various reports suggest that 2 million companies worldwide depend on freelancers. Besides, there are several platforms where freelancers can register themself and get the necessary work. Some of the popular freelancing portals include Freelancer.com, Nerdyturtlez.com, Upwork.com, etc.A lot of people also believe that freelancers don’t get the remuneration on time.evalIn reality, freelancers often earn more money than a regular 9-5 office worker. The hourly charge of a freelance essay writerat Upwork.com ranges from $28 to $50. They are usually paid through Electronic Fund Transfer, Bonsai, Xero and Freshbooks.

Cover letter secret #1 Short sweet - Sterling Career Concepts

Cover letter secret #1 Short sweet Cover letter secret #1: Short sweet Youve completed your resume â€" Congratulations! Now on to the next part of your career package the all-important cover letter. Over the next couple of blog posts, we will share some tips and suggestions to help you effectively write your own cover letter. First and foremost, keep it short and to the point. Fill an entire page with text and you risk the reader skimming or worse yet, skipping over the entire letter. Keep your writing concise to keep your reader engaged. Three paragraphs is all you need the first introduces who you are and why you are writing, the second allows you to highlight your leading strengths or show why you are qualified for the position, and the third thanks the reader and sets the next step, usually that you will contact their office to follow up. Follow that template and youve got the start to a concise yet highly effective cover letter.

Writing a Resume on GEDs and Sharing the Information With Employers

Writing a Resume on GEDs and Sharing the Information With EmployersIf you are currently studying for a degree but are trying to find a job, then you may need to write a resume on GEDs and sharing the information with employers is very important. While it's not necessary to get a degree just for the purpose of getting a job, there are many benefits to getting an education.Many people who are in their 20's are taking online degrees to enhance their career possibilities. They are usually excited about the fact that they can work from home, go to school on their own time, and have flexible hours. However, this excitement can lead to frustration as you try to figure out how to share this information with employers.In most cases, your goal is to share your resume with someone who is looking for a job. However, you will find that many of the methods used to do this require you to submit your resume to a large number of companies at once. Some employers will request that you submit to a list of companies, while others will just want to see your resume.In order to make sure that you are getting a fair shake, you will need to first search for a list that contains the jobs that you would be qualified for. You will want to make sure that you compare this list with the lists for the job that you are applying for. If they are different, then you should think about creating your own list.Since many employers prefer that you first make an effort to locate other employment prospects, they may have created their own list and sent it to you in an email. If you think you have come across such a list, then you will want to contact the person who created the list and see if they would be willing to send you a copy of their list.Even if you don't find a list that includes all of the jobs you are interested in, you should still put your resume on your own personal website. When employers check out your resume, they will see it on your website, and this will help to raise your profile in the eyes of employers.Writing a resume on GEDs and sharing the information with employers is an important step in becoming more competitive. As long as you know the steps that you need to take, you will be well on your way to becoming a success.