I just returned from a Chamber of Commerce Business Summit at the gorgeous Greenbrier Resort. Steve Forbes was the keynote speaker and more than 500 executives gathered to hobnob, catch up, and be seen. While attending these types of exclusive events has always been a privilege reserved for top brass and rising stars, rampant belt-tightening has made businesses even more selective about who gets to go.
Since having a presence at big corporate events is a key indicator of your “young gun” status, below are a few guaranteed ways to make the cut.
Be Polished – No, it’s not always fair, but companies make a habit of sending their “face” men and women to represent them in public. This doesn’t mean you have to be the most attractive person in your organization, but you do need to look the part of a leader. If your idea of Casual Friday extends to Tuesday, Wednesday, and beyond, you may be overlooked for these important opportunities.
Be Professional – When sending representatives “in the field,” employers want to know they are going to embody the highest levels of etiquette and professional courtesy. Think about it: Are you mature and responsible enough to play in the space of your company’s very best clients and prospects?
Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail.Be Personable – There’s no question business today involves copious networking receptions and dinner meetings. And if you’re known as the office introvert, you won’t be invited to many of them. Fortunately, being social is a learned skill. The key is simply to be approachable, to make other people feel comfortable and, when in doubt, ask open-ended questions like “Tell me about what you do.”
Be Productive – As a new professional, you probably aren’t a chief rainmaker yet. Therefore, your job at the meeting can be summed up in five words: Make your boss look good. For example, if your company has sponsored a breakout session, be willing to do the behind-the-scenes grunt work (signage, set-up, etc.) needed to be an indispensable resource in their eyes.
As you move up the ladder in your career, never underestimate the benefits of big corporate events. Not only are they significant opportunities to bond with colleagues and develop critical networking skills, but your attendance will be like a neon sign to others that your company is grooming you as someone to watch.
CAREEREALISM Expert, Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington.The photo for this article is provided by Shutterstock
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The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
- How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
- The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
- How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
- The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
- And, a lot more hacks for job search success!
Let us show you the secrets to getting a new, better-paying job you actually love. Sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp today.
Are you ready to land the job of your dreams (and leave the job of your nightmares)?
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