Your "big picture," the overall plan you create for you and your business is made up of many parts. They need to make sense for you and most importantly need to be working together.
Here are six key areas that should be reviewed in determining if in fact your big picture is working.
1. The current business environment.
Make sure you are up to date on everything that is going on in your industry, market and community. Now is not the time to be laying low or hanging back. Subscribe to some key newsletters, bookmark key websites and stay in touch with other people in your business in other parts of the country.
2. The relevance of your skills and how you deliver your business.
Do you need to brush up on word, PowerPoint or integrate a new software or program to make your business and communications more effective and streamlined? There are online and local resources to do just that and some of them are FREE or very low cost. Never put a price tag on investing in your professional or business success, just make sure it is what you need and you use trusted vendors.
3. The marketability and bank-ability of your product/service.
Is what you do and what you offer still as relevant now as it was a year ago? Make sure you ask your customers how you can best serve and deliver your products and services. There are numerous examples of very successful companies that hit a trend that played it’s course and didn’t proactively evolve or change to meet customers needs. Are all your products and services still profitable and making money?
4. Your sales strategy and approach.
"We’re all in sales" today from the first entry point to the last. Investing in some simple sales training is a very good skill to invest in especially today. Serving is the new selling has become a popular mantra for today’s business. How do you like to be sold? Transactionally or relationally? Check out the ZapposInsights.com site to learn more about how their core values create their company culture and they "wow" with their customer service and sales.
5. Your overall marketing plan.
How are you attracting people to you, finding your best targeted customers and developing deeper, stronger relationships? This is a very tall order today but essential for sustaining business success. It starts with your brand, branding, mission, message, website, blog. Make sure that all your marketing materials are current and saying exactly what you want them to be saying. Do people know what you do? Review, update, focus, change, adapt to the current conditions and see where the trends are pointing to. Go there, don’t wait. Get some business counseling or coaching. Freshen up your logo, slogan, business card, website, rack card.
6. Your online and offline networking.
If you are not out there, sharing your smart, fun, authentic self both online and in person you can become "bottom of mind" really fast. The new world of communication and work requires that you engage, connect, give, share. Get on or take your involvement on the social platforms to the next level and start using them more. We live work and play online and in person now. Ramp up on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, chambers, meet-ups, professional organizations, networking groups: all important and viable options to grow your brand reach and impact.
I write a lot about the "entrepreneurial mindset” and “success mindset” because developing and refining this coveted quality and skill can really set you apart and accelerate your success.
Deborah Shane is an insightful Career Branding Specialist and a creative Social Media Marketing Consultant, who guides and motivates people through their current career transitions and professional empowerment at DeborahShane.com.Read more » articles by this approved career expert | Click here » if you’re a career expert Big picture image from 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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