Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Help - My Team Always Backburners My Priorities!

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Help - My Team Always Backburners My Priorities! When you work on a team that must collaborate on competing priorities and yours always seem to be the last to get added the “to do” list (or sprint if you’re doing Agile), how do you advocate/influence the team to give your work/tasks priority over their own? Do you just say, “OK guys, it’s been two months and I still haven’t gotten any support from team member X to finish the Acme project. Are you going to have some cycles next week?” What if they say, “Sorry, still working on the Jones project, maybe next month?” Along with several of my colleagues at the Intuit Fast Track blog, I weighed in on this issue: Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not all that surprised that your colleagues aren’t tripping over themselves to prioritize your projects. It sounds like you are approaching them with the attitude “I need you to help me with my projects,” and what exactly is motivating them to do that? Here’s a hard truth about the business world: other people don’t care what you want or need. Human beings are selfish creatures and want to know what’s in it for them. If you need your colleagues’ assistance, you have to make them want to help you. How do you do this? First, examine the situation from their point of view and determine their work priorities. What do they have to get done, and how are they being evaluated? Then, in your initial approach, talk about what they want and how your completed project can help them get it. Since I don’t know what your projects are, I can’t offer you specific wording, but here’s an example from my own career. Once upon a time, my colleague Alan knew that one of my job responsibilities was to find and publish the latest Internet marketing statistics on our team’s blog. He needed my help convincing our supervisor to buy us access to a new monitoring service. While this new service would benefit Alan and his team, he knew it would also benefit me. Here’s what he said: “Alex, I think this new service would help you research your stats in half the time. If you could mention this to Paula, that would be great.” I had no trouble supporting Alan’s cause because he had made clear that it was going to help me as well. It was a win for Alan because he got his service, a win for me because my research time decreased, and a win for the company because productivity went up! This approach does take a bit of extra time and consideration, but you’ll more than make up for it by cutting nagging time and more quickly harnessing your colleagues’ cooperation. For the rest of my colleagues answers, head over to Intuits Fast Track blog. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not all that surprised that your colleagues aren’t tripping over themselves to prioritize your projects. It sounds like you are approaching them with the attitude “I need you to help me with my projects,” and what exactly is motivating them to do that? Here’s a hard truth about the business world: other people don’t care what you want or need. Human beings are selfish creatures and want to know what’s in it for them. If you need your colleagues’ assistance, you have to make them want to help you. How do you do this? First, examine the situation from their point of view and determine their work priorities. What do they have to get done, and how are they being evaluated? Then, in your initial approach, talk about what they want and how your completed project can help them get it. Since I don’t know what your projects are, I can’t offer you specific wording, but here’s an example from my own career. Once upon a time, my colleague Alan knew that one of my job responsibilities was to find and publish the latest Internet marketing statistics on our team’s blog. He needed my help convincing our supervisor to buy us access to a new monitoring service. While this new service would benefit Alan and his team, he knew it would also benefit me. Here’s what he said: “Alex, I think this new service would help you research your stats in half the time. If you could mention this to Paula, that would be great.” I had no trouble supporting Alan’s cause because he had made clear that it was going to help me as well. It was a win for Alan because he got his service, a win for me because my research time decreased, and a win for the company because productivity went up! This approach does take a bit of extra time and consideration, but you’ll more than make up for it by cutting nagging time and more quickly harnessing your colleagues’ cooperation. - See more at: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2014/06/03/my-team-constantly-back-burners-my-priorities/#sthash.HrCUcat7.dpuf

Your Brand, Work Ethic or Luck - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Your Brand, Work Ethic or Luck - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I know a lot of people who work hard but who havent made it big yet.   It makes me wonder what truly breeds success: is it work ethic or is it luck? I listen to Gary Vaynerchuk religiously (@garyvee on Twitter).   He talks about hustle and how work ethic is what you need to be truly successful.   If you work hard enough, anything is possible. I then look at two of my close friends, Neil and Sean; they dont necessarily have the hardest work ethic, but they have become pretty successful in life so far. Sean came back from a Europe trip one summer with a European license plate.   He bought it oversees and decided that it was so cool, he had to get one for his car.   During the next couple of weeks, at least 12 people asked him where he had purchased the license plate.   After realizing that he had just referred 12 customers to the company that sold him the license plate, he decided to create his own website to sell them. It was as if the opportunity had been magically given to him Neil was a college student who had a previously failed business.   During his business, he had learned internet marketing in order to market his product.   During the online marketing presentation that he gave to his class, one of the students stood up and said that his uncles company needed some internet marketing consulting. Neil realized that companies desperately needed someone to teach them how to market their products online, and that he could be the guy to teach them. It was as if the opportunity had just sprung out of no where So what does this mean?   Is luck really all you need?   Are the rest of us screwed until we get lucky? From analyzing my friends experiences, I have realized great success is the result of a marriage between hard work and luck. Neil and Sean are not lazy people: Neil had worked extremely hard on several failed businesses before he got his lucky break; Sean had to learn how to build a complete website and how to market a product online before he could start selling license plates over the web. The qualities that separates the average people from the truly successful ones are the ability to see an opportunity when it slaps them in the face AND the guts to act upon it. Opportunity slaps all of us at least once in our lives, but most of us are too scared or too stupid to seize an opportunity when it spits right on our shoes. The people who work hard, who hustle every day of their lives are given the opportunity more than once.   But even then, hard work isnt enough.   You need the intelligence and vision to see that opportunity and take it to the next level. We all are lucky at least once in our lives. If you keep working hard, if you keep setting yourself up for the opportunity to be lucky, then one day opportunity will come knocking at your door. Will you have the guts to shake its hand? Author: Jun is the Founder and CMO of Future Delivery where he is the host of Awesome Bloggers, the show that interviews the best young bloggers.   His personal blog, Become a Young Successful Entrepreneur, gives a real, unfiltered view of the Startup Life so that current and aspiring entrepreneurs can learn from his successes and mistakes.

Book Announcement Guess Who is Writing the Foreword!

Book Announcement Guess Who is Writing the Foreword! There have been a lot of ups and downs in this book writing journey. Its taken a year to write my book and at times it has been grueling. I have written and re-written chapters five times.  My dad just sent them this quote which is so true, When you climb a high mountain, you really do it three times to acclimate. You write a book three times too. Once for you, twice for the editor. Yes, its been a journey and at times I have wanted to say whatever and just give up. But, today I am glad I pushed through because I am proud of my writing in this book. Today I see the light at the end of the tunnel. Today I see the final stage of my book that really will make it to your fingertips to read. Today I see my hard work pay off because this book really will help you. And it is time for a  book  annoncement! Update: You can but Annas book The Proffessional Womans Guide to Managing Men on Amazon!   A few weeks ago I dreamed big and asked an amazing woman that I have admired for a long time to write my foreword. It was one of those Why the heck not! moments. But I did it. I asked. I tell my clients always to reach out to people they admire because you never know what might happen. So I knew I had to do it myself. But, I was scared. And then she said yes and wrote the most amazing introduction to my book. I have read it over and over again and will probably read it again some more tonight because it is just perfect. So are you wondering who it is or what!!?? The one and only Ms. Emily Bennington from EmilyBennington.com,  author of Who Says Its a Mans World: The Girls Guide to Corporate Domination  and Founder of Awake Execâ„¢ Conscious Career Design will grace the first pages of my book, The Professional Womans Guide to Male Management, coming out this fall. I first met Emily when I reached out to her to interview her in the Get Ahead Club. You see, the Get Ahead Club is my secret weapon. I say it is to benefit you with the amazing interviews I do every other week. But really, it forces me to meet experts and authors and get over my fear of reaching out.  Because this year my goal was to become a best-selling author, I interviewed 15 other authors and tried to get to know as many authors as possible. The best way to become who you want to be is to surround yourself with the people that are already doing what you want to do.  And what a testimony that you should always be reaching out and networking. When I interviewed Emily in April, the foreword to my book was the very last thing on my mind. I was struggling to just write the third chapter of my book at that time. To be honest, I totally forgot I even needed to find someone to write a foreword until the publisher reminded me last month!:) Here are some snippets of what she wrote in the foreword: So let’s get honest. If you want to lead big, you have to know how to lead men â€" and that ain’t easy. Good thing you found this book. Because in these pages you will learn how to earn respect by focusing on what matters, leveraging your strengths, and being professional without being a robot in heels. You also have the benefit of a guide as sharp as Anna. Indeed, as we watch the number of women leaders slowly but steadily rise and stand on remarkable platforms of accomplishment in business, we owe a collective hat tip to women like her and books like this. I hope you soak in every page. I told you it was awesome. But waitthere is more! Not only is Emily an amazing writer and coach, but she is also a believer in paying it forward. When I spoke with Emily and she agreed to consider writing my foreword last month, she told me a story and made me promise her something. You see, around 2007, she met Harry Beckwith when he was keynoting a conference. He was the blockbuster author of Selling the Invisible (among others) and she was not yet an author and didnt know how she was even going to get a publisher. She told him she had started a book for new grads and asked if he would be willing to take a look and provide a testimonial. He graciously said yes. His yes was the reason she was able to get an agent, a publisher and eventually publish her first book. That book was published as Effective Immediately. So I made her a promise. Sometime in the future, I will do a similar favor for someone just starting out. And I very much look forward to it. Stay tuned for more updates to come and thanks for joining this crazy book-writing journey with me!

Best Tips to Land a Dream Job During the Holidays

Best Tips to Land a Dream Job During the Holidays Executive job seekers looking to find jobs during the holidays are often under the mistaken impression it’s fruitless to apply. The excuses run rampant as to why not to look including no one is hiring, and everyone is off work, but the truth is the opposite is true.   The holiday season is the perfect time to land great jobs. Between business positions needing to be filled and extra money in the company budget for the year, there are plenty of reasons companies are hiring new staff at this time. The key is to know how to use the season to your advantage.   These tips on doing a holiday season job search should help. Networking â€" Do It Right and Watch the Holiday Magic Happen  â€" The holiday season means you will more than likely be attending more events. And often times these are fun events that aren’t as formal as the business socials throughout the year. But it’s important to go with a goal in mind for best results. You want to be strategic and plan well. Always Do Your Homework and Determine If It Is In Your Best Interest to Attend   Time is precious, especially during the holidays, so choose wisely and don’t spread yourself too thin. Figure out who will be attending to evaluate how it can fulfill your personal or professional goals. Make sure attending serves a purpose for you. Gravitate Towards the Positive People  â€" It’s best to steer clear of those not sharing the holiday spirit. It is important to stay positive during the holidays and if you end up at the event with someone complaining about Aunt Jane’s Christmas Brunch and having no money for gifts, the cheer goes right out the door. Mingle with the winners and have some fun while doing so. Always Arrive at Your Events Early   The main reason is that it’s so much easier to start and keep in a conversation with the early crowd. It can be a challenge to enter conversations already started if you are late.   Plus, you will build connections with those you meet early on and they will be more forthcoming in introducing you to others, who might just be your next employer. Networking Personally is Great, But Also Use Your Phone  Each day call someone you haven’t talked to in a while and just see how things are going. Then let the conversation gravitate to what you are up to and often that is you are looking for a job. Follow Up After The Event   If you enjoyed meeting someone, email them saying so. Be sure to include something you discussed so they can remember who you are. Or you can call them asking to meet for coffee over the next few weeks. This is how positive relationships start. No Events on the Horizon â€" Then Start Your Own   Why not orchestrate your own event. As it’s your event you get to control how it runs, how long it is, and naturally what you hope to accomplish with it.   Just be sure to not go overboard and make it more of a stress-filled mistake. Consider Working with Third Party Recruiters   Third party recruiters often need to fill up remaining positions for their clients by December 31st  to get their commissions. That means they have a little extra motivation to get you in the door and get you hired as soon as possible. A win/win for sure. Think Outside of the U.S. Keep in mind that every culture may not celebrate a holiday during the holidays. If you are looking for an international job, then the holidays are a great time to continue looking. Update Your Brand â€"   Get new headshots, maybe a new Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn header, etc.   By updating now it might catch the attention of the perfect employer.   Plus you go into the New Year feeling more confident. In addition to these images, also update the wording in your profiles.   You might see just how out-of-date these are. Do not stop looking for work simply because you ‘heard’ it is slow. Capitalize on what the season offers job seekers. Make the most of the lower volumes of candidates applying and the increased amount of social opportunities the season provides. This guest post was authored by Lisa Rangel Lisa Rangel, Founder and Managing Director of Chameleon Resumes (a Forbes Top 100 Career Website), is a Certified Professional Resume Writer, Job Landing Consultant 13-year Recruiter. Lisa is also a paid moderator for LinkedIn’s Premium Career Group, which has 1,300,000+ members. Chameleon Resumes reviews the goals of each client to ensure career documents serve their goals while meeting the needs of the prospective employers. She has been featured in Fortune, Inc., CNN Business, Fast Company, Business Insider, Forbes, LinkedIn, CNBC, Time Money, BBC, Newsweek, Crains New York, Chicago Tribune, eFinancialCareers, CIO Magazine, Monster, US News World Report, Good Morning America, Fox Business News, New York Post, and other reputable media outlets. Rangel has authored 16 career resources including her recent Get Hired During the Holidays Booklet.

7 Ideas for New Freelancers To Get Their First Clients - CareerMetis.com

7 Ideas for New Freelancers To Get Their First Clients Starting your new career path as a freelancer can be at the same time quite exhilarating and scary.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics In order to help you out, here are a few easy tips that you can use to help you stand out from the crowd to get your first clients!1. Understand what you are sellingevalWhen you start out as a freelancer, the first thing to keep in mind is to know what you are selling. It is important to specialize yourself in an area that you excel in, rather than offer too many options which can be distracting for your initial clients.Often times, clients search for specific sets of skills. Once you have decided in what areas you specialize in, make sure that you set a reasonably fair price Once you have had a look at what goes on in the market, start by describing in clear and concise words what it is that you are offering by using words that normally come up in offers.However, don’t just say that you offer to write up an article for $30, state what the c lient is in for. For example if you are a content writer, explain that when writing up your content you understand the importance of SEO, quality and are a fast learner in understanding various different industry activities.When you give important advantages that you potential clients can expect from you, it will help gaining a few attention.evalPresenting your services and who you are can easily be done on freelancer platforms that will be detailed below, but equally on a personal website that is highly recommended to have.4. Choose your platformThere are a number of international platforms that are specifically designed to match freelancers with clients, which is a great way to start out on and get your visibility on but there are not many that actually allow you to find clients. The best platforms that have the most visibility and are global are:Upwork: Probably one of the most well-known freelancer website out there, this is an extremely dynamic platform where many offers are pu blished on a daily basis.You can find jobs in nearly every domain and there are a great number of functions that are available Freelancer is a great platform worth checking out and are mostly catered to clients that are small businesses. Offers posted are from every domain. All you have to do is browse through jobs that match your skills then apply for the work.The platform also allows you to compete with other freelancers in contest to prove your skills â€" a great way to give you some more visibility to attract clients.There are a number of other freelancer platforms which you can have a look over here. Overall, what is great about these websites is that you are able to create your own portfolio page where you can showcase what you have to offer, more about yourself, your skills and your background.Nevertheless, it is equally important to have a personal website to fully present yourself and what you can do.eval5. Importance of a personal websiteevalAlthough most of freelancer pla tforms allow you a considerable amount of space to show your potential why they should work with you, most of your clients may not be on freelance websites.It is therefore important to not solely rely on these platforms but to also create your own personal website, which is indispensable to have in today’s world. If you need more convincing on why it’s important to have a website, this article does it justice.Your website needs to be clean, clear and readable to prove that you are professional and know what you offering. Make sure that you carefully consider how you will present and structure your website and include the following information:Your background, experiences and specialitiesRecommendations from colleagues or past clients if you have worked for someYour skills in detail and how they can be useful for your future clientsShowcase your portfolio and past work that best highlights your potentialHaving a website is extremely useful as you can include all of your informati on on one platform and have it be shared across your networks. Moreover, once you have more clients and examples to show, you can easily share this across your network.If you do not know how to make a website and have zero web expertise, there are a number of great website builders out there that can help you out at very minimal costs. For instance, you can have a look at Heek, a little robot that guides you from A to Z to make an efficient freelancer website through chat.6. Share your profileTo get more visibility and opportunities to reach out to more clients, do not forget to share your profile and let people around you know that you are becoming a freelance. As mentioned before, not everyone will be on freelancer platforms.Starting with social media, let your friends and family know on Facebook, Twitter and so forth that you are a freelancer and if they hear of anyone interested in your services, to reach out to you. This is where it’s important to have a website so that your potential future clients know where to find you.Word of mouth is a very important communication channel that should not be neglected!Along with your personal social media profiles, make sure that you are on professional networks such as LinkedIn. It’s an excellent way to gain contacts and let the professional world know that you are a freelancer and to reach out to you if needed.7.NetworkBesides being present on platforms, start networking. You can for instance go on onto dedicated forums, blogs and specialized e-zines for freelancers. This will allow you to interact with other freelancers that are already experienced and even those that are on the same path as yourself which can give you an added boost and support.But not everything needs to be done online! There are plenty of events k that you can participate in to meet other people working in the same domain as you. It’s a great way to share insights and clients.You can browse through events on Facebook or on websites such as Meetup. If you want to take a break from working from home, go out to co-working spots or cafés to meet new people.So what are you waiting for? Get out there and start building your network to reach your first clients! Remember, like everything, it takes time and the most important thing that you can do is not get discouraged.

Motivation Monday Be Happy Then Succeed

Motivation Monday Be Happy Then Succeed Weve got it all wrong.   What I mean is, we think that if we are successful then well be happy.   It turns out, our logic is flawed. The great news is we can fix this! Let me ask you this.   Have you ever thought any of these things: If I just get a job, then Ill be happy. When I get that promotion, life will be great. I want a good paying job and then everything will be OK. I am miserable in my job and I need a new one. How our thoughts lead to happiness, productivity, etc Well, if you are like most people, I am wagering that these thoughts are pretty common.   But Ive got news for you.   Research and studies prove that these thoughts do not work in your favor.   Shawn Achor worked for over 10 years at Harvard and has conducted research on happiness and human potential.   He is working with organizations to help them re-program the thinking of their employees to make them more productive. Achor states in his TEDx Talk (video below) Only 25 percent of job successes are predicted by I.Q. 75 percent of job successes are predicted by your optimism levels, your social support and your ability to see stress as a challenge instead of as a threat. Here is Shawn in action at TEDx Bloomington.   He is funny, factual and a fast talker. This is a quick 12 minute video worth every minute of your time.   Please, watch it! Your Assignment Now that youve watched it, how will you behave differently this week and for the next 21 days? For the next 21 days Start today with your gratitude journal, as Achor recommends. Take 2 minutes every day to recount the positive things from the day prior! What you are doing is training your brain to think positively. Please, dont you owe it to yourself to be happy?   This is within your control!

Resume Writing With Line Breaks

Resume Writing With Line BreaksResume writing with line breaks can be hard to do if you have never had to write one before. While I understand that some people cannot remember how to put them in the right place, it is often easier than you think. Writing resumes should be easy for anyone, but this article will show you the correct way to use line breaks in resume writing to make it flow.So, why should you use line breaks in resume writing? Well, that is easy. In resume writing you are trying to tell the reader what the importance of your job is, how much experience you have, and what qualifications you have. Using line breaks can help to build a more professional and detailed resume.When writing your resume, you will find that there are many distractions that you are more likely to look at than what is on the page and what you want the readers to see is what will make them remember your name and what they are looking for: a good reference. By including your name at the top of the pag e in the first line of your resume you can pull your readers in with the line break and help them get through it and see your entire resume.Your name and where you live can be on each of the pages of your resume. A good rule of thumb is to only put your name on your cover page on one side of the resume, then one side for the name of your company, and then another page for a few lines where you can tell them your contact information. Then you can include your contact information again in the last line of your resume.Just like what I said before, line breaks can help to make your resume appear more professional. They are also a great way to inform the reader what information they should be looking for when they are reading your resume.The next time you are writing a resume you should be thinking about what to put on the first page of your resume. If you can avoid putting your name at the top of the resume, make sure to put your name at the top of the page, the company, and put in your contact information in the last line of your resume, this will help to keep your resume flowing and give the reader a good idea of how important the information you have included is.Once you get used to writing resumes with line breaks you will find that it will become more natural to write resume writing without line breaks and you will find yourself writing more professionally and finding it easier to create a good resume. When it comes to writing resumes, just make sure that the information that you have included is something that the reader should be able to easily find and understand.Don't be afraid to learn how to make your resume writing with line breaks easier for you. When you are doing resume writing with line breaks, you are making it easier for the reader to find and understand what you are trying to convey to them so that you can create a better resume for them to read.