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 expertBig picture image from Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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 expertBig picture image from Shutterstock
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