How To Email2Log and the Log End Line (to help organize your job search)

How To Email2Log and the Log End Line (to help organize your job search) This post is to document the power and importance of the Log End Line when using the Email2Log.  You dont *have to* use the Log End Line, but a few scenarios came up recently where I really understood how (1) powerful it is and how (2) important it is. This blog post is kind of long, but its a lot of pictures, and its meant to be comprehensive coverage of the Log End Line. Note that the Log End Line is optional (you dont have to use it), but I hope that after you go through this post youll know why you should use it (at least sometimes). What is the Log End Line and Where do I set it up? The Log End Line is one of the three fields you fill out in order to activate the Email2Log feature (remember, this is a premium feature).  Mouse over Logs, then click on Email2Log: Then, youll see the form, where the third field is for the Log End Line: You can put anything you want as the Log End Line.  I do not recommend putting anything that any normal human being might put in an email, like , ____________________, ==================, *****************, or other such characters.  Those might be normal separators that anyone could type in, and it would effectively mess up what you are trying to do with the Email2Log. Our example (see the red dotted line in the image above) is a series of characters that most people arent ever going to type its kind of hard to type that string.  Thats what Ive been using for years. You can simply copy and paste that into the Log End Line textbox, if you want. How and when do I use the Log End Line? I include my Log End Line in every email that I send.  My email signature looks like this:   Every email client I know of allows you to create an email signature.  This way you dont have to retype it every time you send an email. (As a side-note, Im really big on signatures and think they are powerful personal branding tools!) I never delete this, as it simply looks like a natural line separator between the body (which goes above) and the rest of the email signature.  So it doesnt detract or distract. The main idea behind, and most common use of, the Log End Line is that anything after the Log End Line IS NOT included in a Log Entry created when you use Email2Log.  To say it in a more technical way, the Log Entry created will be truncated after the Log End Line.  More on that in the next section. Tip: some advanced users will put the Log End Line under their email signature, and then change the font to white, so it isnt seen by email recipients. I dont do that, but I think its kind of clever What does the Log End Line do? (Part 1: Power) The power of the Log End Line is that it truncates your email so you arent creating long Log Entries with a bunch of unwanted text.  Use the Log End Line to smartly cut the Log Entry so that you only have what you want, and not all the superfluous stuff.  For example, in this image you can see I have NOT edited my Log End Line, which means that ONLY my reply will be in the Log Entry created by Email2Log. However, the original message is really something I want to include in my Log Entry (it gives my reply context, and it includes a phone number and location for this contact thats good stuff).  Therefore, with this email I would actually delete two characters (I do two simply because it keeps the Log End Line symmetric I could delete just one and it would have the same effect).  Heres what the new one looks like, less two characters.. note that this ENTIRE email is going to go into the Log Entry: Is it hard to see the difference between the two?  That subtlety is exactly what I want I dont want you to think oh, something is different WHY? Tip: If I want to include some stuff below my email signature, but not EVERYTHING below my email signature, I will copy the entire Log End Line and paste it where I want to truncate (for example, after your name or your email signature, in the case that there is stuff your email signature (like a disclosure, or more of the email thread), and then I will go to my original Log End Line, above my signature, and then delete two characters. This ability to truncate your Log Entry, simply by putting a string of characters (aka, the Log End Line) in your email, is POWERFUL! What does the Log End Line do? (Part 2: Importance) Did you know you could put some special lines into your email and multiple the power of your Email2Log Log Entry?  For example, with a few lines in the email I could make the Log Entry an Action Item, and I could associate it to other Contacts, Companies and Jobs.  This is really cool.  My email might include these special lines: Some important information about each of these lines (which are all optional): startdate: This creates an Action Item.  You can put in a date, like 12/12/2014 or you can put in something like + 1 week or + 3 months, etc.  Sometimes youll know the date for the Action Items, sometimes the date doesnt matter (ah, remind me in a few months). contacts: (or, contact:) You need to have at least one email address.  You can have more, separated by commas.  If you put in either of the examples below, it will (a) associate this Log Entry to an existing Contact with the same email address, or if it cant find that email address on any of your Contacts, it will create a new Contact record. The key is that it is looking for and matching based on an email address, not on a name.  Examples of what this line might look like: contacts:email@address.com   no FirstName or LastName required Im assuming this is an existing Contact in my system, and its only going to associate the Log Entry, not create a new Contact record.  If it doesnt find the record, though, it will create a new Contact record and the FirstName will be the email address (so put the name!) contacts:Jason Alba email@address.com this is FirstName LastName (no comma) contacts:Alba, Jason email@address.com   this is LastName, First Name (the comma makes all the difference!) contacts:Jason Alba email@address.com, john@doe.com   this has more than one contact, separated by comma (note, whether I put in one or multiple contacts, I always use contacts instead of contact just my habit) companies: (or, company) Separate Companies by commas (which means, if you have any commas in your Company records, you should remove them, or this feature gets mixed up).  Like Contacts, JibberJobber will try to find an existing Company record and associate the Log Entry to that record, but if it cant, it will create a new Company record. (yes, this is new, this week!  Before this week it would not create a new Company record.) jobs: (or, job) Like Contacts and Companies, JibberJobber will try to find an existing Job record and associate the Log Entry to that record. If it cant find a match, it will create a new Job record. This is also new, as of this week!  Before this week it would not create a new Job record.) Commas are powerful!  Just like companies:, you can add multiple jobs on this line (you rarely will, but you might), and separate them with commas.  If you have commas in your Job records, remove them or this feature gets mixed up). NOTE: if you have 10 jobs with the same name, the Log Entry will be associated with all of them.  This is a nut we need to crack, but for now I would recommend that you have different names for each job, if you want to use this feature.  You might do this: Project Manager 1, Project Manager 2, etc. or this: Project Manager ebay 1, Project Manager ebay 2, etc.  Sorry about this, and hopefully well figure out a more elegant solution. That is advanced Email2Log stuff what does it have to do with the Log End Line? If you put those special lines (to create an Action Item, or associate the Log Entry to Contacts, Companies or Jobs), you HAVE TO put it after the Log End Line. So, this isnt going to work, because there is no Log End Line: This will work, because there is a Log End Line: So, the Log End Line becomes important because it allows you to insert these other special commands in your email.  Essentially, when JibberJobber gets the email, it says everything before the Log End Line can become the Log Entry, and everything after the Log End Line (1) wont, but if there are any special lines (like you see in yellow, above), it WILL create an Action Item date, and associate the Log Entry to other Contacts, Companies and Jobs. When would you do this? Scenario 1: If I have a panel interview at my target company, Im going to send a follow-up email to the people on the panel, and use the Email2Log feature to log it.  Im not going to include my recruiter in the To or CC, but I might want to associate the Log Entry to her record so Ill put the contacts:____ with her email address.  Ill also put the Companies and Jobs lines in so that the Log Entry will also be associated to the target company, and the job I just interviewed at. Scenario 2: If I send an email to you, but then I forget to do the Email2Log, I can forward the sent email to JibberJobber, and put contacts:______ in the body, below the Log End Line.  For example, this will create a Log Entry, but it isnt going to be associated to anything (because the contacts line is NOT below a Log End Line): This one, however, WILL create the Log Entry and associate it to the right Contact because the contacts: line is after the Log End Line: Whew I know this is a long blog post, but I wanted to get this all documented in one place. Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Feel free to leave them in the Comments below, or use the Contact Us form or email us directly How To Email2Log and the Log End Line (to help organize your job search) This post is to document the power and importance of the Log End Line when using the Email2Log.  You dont *have to* use the Log End Line, but a few scenarios came up recently where I really understood how (1) powerful it is and how (2) important it is. This blog post is kind of long, but its a lot of pictures, and its meant to be comprehensive coverage of the Log End Line. Note that the Log End Line is optional (you dont have to use it), but I hope that after you go through this post youll know why you should use it (at least sometimes). What is the Log End Line and Where do I set it up? The Log End Line is one of the three fields you fill out in order to activate the Email2Log feature (remember, this is a premium feature).  Mouse over Logs, then click on Email2Log: Then, youll see the form, where the third field is for the Log End Line: You can put anything you want as the Log End Line.  I do not recommend putting anything that any normal human being might put in an email, like , ____________________, ==================, *****************, or other such characters.  Those might be normal separators that anyone could type in, and it would effectively mess up what you are trying to do with the Email2Log. Our example (see the red dotted line in the image above) is a series of characters that most people arent ever going to type its kind of hard to type that string.  Thats what Ive been using for years. You can simply copy and paste that into the Log End Line textbox, if you want. How and when do I use the Log End Line? I include my Log End Line in every email that I send.  My email signature looks like this:   Every email client I know of allows you to create an email signature.  This way you dont have to retype it every time you send an email. (As a side-note, Im really big on signatures and think they are powerful personal branding tools!) I never delete this, as it simply looks like a natural line separator between the body (which goes above) and the rest of the email signature.  So it doesnt detract or distract. The main idea behind, and most common use of, the Log End Line is that anything after the Log End Line IS NOT included in a Log Entry created when you use Email2Log.  To say it in a more technical way, the Log Entry created will be truncated after the Log End Line.  More on that in the next section. Tip: some advanced users will put the Log End Line under their email signature, and then change the font to white, so it isnt seen by email recipients. I dont do that, but I think its kind of clever What does the Log End Line do? (Part 1: Power) The power of the Log End Line is that it truncates your email so you arent creating long Log Entries with a bunch of unwanted text.  Use the Log End Line to smartly cut the Log Entry so that you only have what you want, and not all the superfluous stuff.  For example, in this image you can see I have NOT edited my Log End Line, which means that ONLY my reply will be in the Log Entry created by Email2Log. However, the original message is really something I want to include in my Log Entry (it gives my reply context, and it includes a phone number and location for this contact thats good stuff).  Therefore, with this email I would actually delete two characters (I do two simply because it keeps the Log End Line symmetric I could delete just one and it would have the same effect).  Heres what the new one looks like, less two characters.. note that this ENTIRE email is going to go into the Log Entry: Is it hard to see the difference between the two?  That subtlety is exactly what I want I dont want you to think oh, something is different WHY? Tip: If I want to include some stuff below my email signature, but not EVERYTHING below my email signature, I will copy the entire Log End Line and paste it where I want to truncate (for example, after your name or your email signature, in the case that there is stuff your email signature (like a disclosure, or more of the email thread), and then I will go to my original Log End Line, above my signature, and then delete two characters. This ability to truncate your Log Entry, simply by putting a string of characters (aka, the Log End Line) in your email, is POWERFUL! What does the Log End Line do? (Part 2: Importance) Did you know you could put some special lines into your email and multiple the power of your Email2Log Log Entry?  For example, with a few lines in the email I could make the Log Entry an Action Item, and I could associate it to other Contacts, Companies and Jobs.  This is really cool.  My email might include these special lines: Some important information about each of these lines (which are all optional): startdate: This creates an Action Item.  You can put in a date, like 12/12/2014 or you can put in something like + 1 week or + 3 months, etc.  Sometimes youll know the date for the Action Items, sometimes the date doesnt matter (ah, remind me in a few months). contacts: (or, contact:) You need to have at least one email address.  You can have more, separated by commas.  If you put in either of the examples below, it will (a) associate this Log Entry to an existing Contact with the same email address, or if it cant find that email address on any of your Contacts, it will create a new Contact record. The key is that it is looking for and matching based on an email address, not on a name.  Examples of what this line might look like: contacts:email@address.com   no FirstName or LastName required Im assuming this is an existing Contact in my system, and its only going to associate the Log Entry, not create a new Contact record.  If it doesnt find the record, though, it will create a new Contact record and the FirstName will be the email address (so put the name!) contacts:Jason Alba email@address.com this is FirstName LastName (no comma) contacts:Alba, Jason email@address.com   this is LastName, First Name (the comma makes all the difference!) contacts:Jason Alba email@address.com, john@doe.com   this has more than one contact, separated by comma (note, whether I put in one or multiple contacts, I always use contacts instead of contact just my habit) companies: (or, company) Separate Companies by commas (which means, if you have any commas in your Company records, you should remove them, or this feature gets mixed up).  Like Contacts, JibberJobber will try to find an existing Company record and associate the Log Entry to that record, but if it cant, it will create a new Company record. (yes, this is new, this week!  Before this week it would not create a new Company record.) jobs: (or, job) Like Contacts and Companies, JibberJobber will try to find an existing Job record and associate the Log Entry to that record. If it cant find a match, it will create a new Job record. This is also new, as of this week!  Before this week it would not create a new Job record.) Commas are powerful!  Just like companies:, you can add multiple jobs on this line (you rarely will, but you might), and separate them with commas.  If you have commas in your Job records, remove them or this feature gets mixed up). NOTE: if you have 10 jobs with the same name, the Log Entry will be associated with all of them.  This is a nut we need to crack, but for now I would recommend that you have different names for each job, if you want to use this feature.  You might do this: Project Manager 1, Project Manager 2, etc. or this: Project Manager ebay 1, Project Manager ebay 2, etc.  Sorry about this, and hopefully well figure out a more elegant solution. That is advanced Email2Log stuff what does it have to do with the Log End Line? If you put those special lines (to create an Action Item, or associate the Log Entry to Contacts, Companies or Jobs), you HAVE TO put it after the Log End Line. So, this isnt going to work, because there is no Log End Line: This will work, because there is a Log End Line: So, the Log End Line becomes important because it allows you to insert these other special commands in your email.  Essentially, when JibberJobber gets the email, it says everything before the Log End Line can become the Log Entry, and everything after the Log End Line (1) wont, but if there are any special lines (like you see in yellow, above), it WILL create an Action Item date, and associate the Log Entry to other Contacts, Companies and Jobs. When would you do this? Scenario 1: If I have a panel interview at my target company, Im going to send a follow-up email to the people on the panel, and use the Email2Log feature to log it.  Im not going to include my recruiter in the To or CC, but I might want to associate the Log Entry to her record so Ill put the contacts:____ with her email address.  Ill also put the Companies and Jobs lines in so that the Log Entry will also be associated to the target company, and the job I just interviewed at. Scenario 2: If I send an email to you, but then I forget to do the Email2Log, I can forward the sent email to JibberJobber, and put contacts:______ in the body, below the Log End Line.  For example, this will create a Log Entry, but it isnt going to be associated to anything (because the contacts line is NOT below a Log End Line): This one, however, WILL create the Log Entry and associate it to the right Contact because the contacts: line is after the Log End Line: Whew I know this is a long blog post, but I wanted to get this all documented in one place. Do you have any questions or suggestions?  Feel free to leave them in the Comments below, or use the Contact Us form or email us directly

Cheating is Cheating

Cheating is Cheating Almost all of us have an opinion on infidelity. Whether its a one night stand or an affair spanning years, cheating is cheating. Some people blame their partners for cheating and others hate the home-wrecker. When the home-wrecker isnt a person Cheating is cheating and financial infidelity is on the rise. In fact, 34 percent of couples say that theyve committed financial infidelity at some point in their relationships. Financial infidelity doesnt even have to be something as big as hiding money or getting a huge loan without telling your partner, it can even be one of the following: Pretending something is old when you actually just bought it Lying about debt Hiding shopping bags in the back of your closet Hiding a bank account Getting a big loan without telling your partner Hiding a bill or an account statement Lying to your partner about the cost of an item How to avoid or overcome financial infidelity 1) Communication Being able to openly talk to each other is the recipe for a happy relationships and this is especially true when it comes to money. Most couples dont even talk about money unless something is wrong or someones spending is out of control.   Sometimes expectations arent realistic, which is one reason people lie about money. Talking about money early in a committed relationship allows for a chance to set expectations. 2) Involvement Couples are essentially in a partnership and in any partnership, both should be involved in making financial decisions and goals. Theres always one person in a relationship who takes care of paying bills and daily transactions to keep expenses covered and thats fine. But giving your partner complete control without knowing anything about whats happening financially in a relationship can lead to disaster. Making financial goals together means that both agree on spending habits as well. 3) Transparency You may be thinking its only a dress, but small purchases add up and its more about the habit of being dishonest about money rather than that actual purchase. Being transparent doesnt mean that you have to get permission, but you being open about what youve bought or plan to buy gives your partner the chance to prepare. It sets the tone in a relationship as well and as long as youre both working towards your goal, theres no need to hide anything. Just like having an affair, couples can either be ruined by financial infidelity or manage to rebuild their trust and relationship afterwards. They key is to recognize that its a serious issue and find a way to create financial trust.  Have you ever lied about money in your relationship?

Strategic Networking Building Your Tribe - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Strategic Networking â€" Building Your Tribe - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do you have a tribe? What I mean by a tribe is the people in your network you can go to for a favor and actually expect it to be granted. How many relationships can you maintain? You may have 10K followers on Twitter or 5K connections on LinkedIn, but how many do you really know? The number of relationships you can maintain is also known as the Dunbar Number. Evolutionary psychologist Robin Dunbar began a study of the Christmas-card-sending habits of the English and found that they sent on average 153.5 cards each year. The number of 150 has come up over and over in society. The Amish break up communities when they reach 150. Chimpanzee families reach a maximum of 150…… Do you have 150 people in your network that you can go to for a favor? Last week  I wrote about the kinds of people you want in your network: Connectors Mentors Company or Industry Experts Peers Take a moment to locate the LinkedIn profile of everyone you know who could be part of your tribe. Tag each profile in LinkedIn with the category that they fall under. This may take you a week or more to think of every person and then categorize them. Do you have 150 in your tribe? If the answer is no then you have some work to do. Is there an area where you are weak or have too few? Time to strategically network to build your tribe Leverage your network to help you develop those strategic relationships! What is missing from your network? Too few connectors? Too few company or industry experts? Do you have one or more mentors? Do you need a mentor in a particular skill area? Develop a list of people who you would like to meet. Who in your network knows them well enough to make an introduction? I always want an introduction to a new connection. Think of this in sales terminology as a warm lead. Once you have an introduction, schedule either a face-to-face meeting over a cup of coffee or, if they are not local, on the phone. What will you ask for? You will ask for A-I-R â€" Advice, Insights and Recommendations. The magic word is advice! When you ask for advice, you will rarely be turned down. It is a compliment. Ask for their insights and then ask for their recommendations. Who else should I meet? Can you make an introduction? If you will make one outreach a week, you will find that your tribe will grow naturally and strategically. Do you know who is in your tribe? Do you need to grow your tribe? Marc Miller â€" Career Pivot Check out my book Repurpose Your Career â€" A Practical Guide for Baby Boomers Do not forget to follow me on Twitter or FaceBook

Why You Need to Include Soft Skills on Your Resume - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Why You Need to Include Soft Skills on Your Resume - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career International Talent Management Strategist Dorothy Dalton recently wrote a compelling blog post: “The Hard Truth About Soft Skills,” which absolutely nails the value of soft skills in a career story resume. Dalton describes how resumes that come to her attention often do so based on the “high incidence of hard skills in the text,” but goes on to assert that “… unless the resume or professional profile tells an engaging account, the chances of the phone being picked up are slim.” She continues to describe how articulating your success stories verbally is crucial to being able to continue through the hiring process, underscoring that “it is therefore imperative to bring clarity and show coherence around your career story as early as possible.” Don’t let your resume be ambushed by less important details So many resume writing blog posts focus on things like the demise of the Objective statement, formatting dos and don’ts, differences between the resume and your LinkedIn profile, whether or not to use color, charts or graphs and so on. The problem with these types of messages is that careerists get mired in those details to the extent it ambushes their thinking from the most foundational issue: how and why they do what they do and why that matters to the target company. This relates to the what’s-in-it-for-me message that hiring decision-makers seek, but it goes even deeper. It requires a yawning reach into your career story, examining chapter-by-chapter things like your relationships with and influence toward bosses, clients, vendors and all other stakeholders. Beware the ineffectiveness of random soft skills These soft skills often are omitted or, if included, thrown in randomly and ineffectively, resulting in an incoherent story. Incorporating soft skills articulately means describing how you helped tame heated meetings and how your ability to communicate orally or in writing helped forge alliances, influence solidarity and/or move projects so they steamed ahead and achieved bottom-line goals. In fact, your soft skills probably were most heavily relied upon when you first started your job. For each new position, you’ve either taken over after someone voluntarily left or was fired and therefore replaced an employee who was succeeding or who had failed. Perhaps even, you were recruited to pave the way for a new position. Whatever the case, you faced challenges to repair brokenness, expand on success, open new marketplace roadways â€" and so on. Soft skills drive hard results The common thread is that, unless you are a robot, you didn’t just bulldoze your way in and mechanically drive results. Instead, you began by applying softer skills in order to achieve more concrete outcomes. Those softer skills encompassed: Analysisâ€"assessing current situations Collaborationâ€"working to understand teammates’ or employees’ frustrations, areas of satisfaction and fears so you could more meaningfully contribute Composureâ€"proving that you are composed, despite an unfamiliar, new environment often wrought with jealous, distrusting employees who may see you as a threat Listeningâ€"showing, through responsive action that you heard and worked to understand what was requested; and the list goes on Bottom line: Peppering your resume with metrics and outcomes is great, but not at the sacrifice of the softer skills and initiatives that deftly pull the threads together to achieve those hard-hitting outcomes. It’s as much about the back-story, replete with the how and why you performed the way you did and the intricate relationship weaving, influencing, analyzing, listening, innovating, change driving, negotiating and global communications, as it is about the result. Differentiate yourself by doing the “Hard Yards” Why careerists do not prepare their story this way is multifold, but probably the primary reason is “lack of self-insights.” Says Dalton: “They simply don’t do the hard yards and take the time to look into their own careers. It’s a lot of work and probably the most significant career management exercise anyone will do. Ever.” However, people who get it and are willing to delve into introspection needed to write an effective resume story generally out-compete others in the market. Author: Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter is a Glassdoor career and workplace expert, chief career writer and partner with CareerTrend, and is one of only 28 Master Resume Writers (MRW) globally. An intuitive researcher, she helps professionals unearth compelling career story details to help best present their unique experience, skillset and interests in resumes and other career positioning documents as well as through social media profiles. In addition to being interviewed for television and radio stories, Jacqui has written for the Career Management Alliance Connection monthly newsletter and blog, ExecuNet’s Career Smart Advisor, The Kansas City Star, The Business Journal and The Wall Street Journal. In addition, she and her husband, “Sailor Rob,” host a lively careers-focused blog over at http://careertrend.net/blog. Jacqui also is a power Twitter user listed on several Best People to Follow” lists for job seekers.

How Do Resume Writing Services Work?

How Do Resume Writing Services Work?Palm Springs is a vacation destination known for its wonderful views, expansive warm sunshine and fresh air, and romantic events and activities. However, when you get started looking for a job, the resume writing services will help you in a huge way.The palm spring area of Los Angeles has always been a favorite among job seekers. Now, companies are now offering better accommodation options in order to attract more candidates to this location. The first thing that they want to impress upon their employees is that they should never stop searching for a suitable job opportunity. In fact, if a job seeker has a portfolio that shows his success in past jobs, he can be sure of a job, but if the resumes don't make an impact, the chances of a job still remain slim.Most companies are in need of highly qualified candidates with an extensive knowledge of the field and a lot of time to spare. Even though a huge number of qualified candidates have already shown interest in Palm Springs, some organizations prefer to do their own in-house search and choose a candidate. Although, they hire the best of the Palm Springs candidates for the resume writing services, the hiring managers still prefer to get the resumes of some of the most impressive candidates.It is quite difficult to persuade a few hundred prospective candidates to take a small pay cut for the same amount of money. To achieve this goal, the Palm Springs resume writing services come into play. The resume writers know how to include only the relevant information in a resume, including what exactly should be placed in it.Resume writing services in Palm Springs has a network of specialists who will ensure that your resume stands out and is presented in a way that is attractive and will impress employers. They will ensure that you receive an interview, which is indeed what you are looking for. The search for a suitable job usually takes several months, so if you keep postponing intervie ws and apply for multiple positions, you would end up wasting a lot of time.A resume writing service in Palm Springs ensures that your resume is presented as per the required format and all the required details are there. The potential candidates who get the resume templates usually undergo a very short test or work experience and sample job application. They would then be shortlisted and would be asked to fill out the job application form.Resume writing services in Palm Springs ensure that you get a format that does not require too much work and may seem a bit dull. The resume templates would include the basic information about the company, the duration of service and the name of the firm. The resume writing services will also place on the top of the resume a job description that will answer the question of what exactly is required in the job.Even if the resume template is presented in such a way that it would appear mediocre, it does not mean that it is not complete. This resume t emplate, however, provides a clear picture of the relevant information required for the job and is therefore a perfect candidate for a resume writing service.

Get Ready to Job Search in 5 Steps

Get Ready to Job Search in 5 Steps Get Ready to Job Search  in 5 Steps     For anyone getting started  with  the job search process,  getting started might be the hardest part. Learn  5 steps  you can start today that will help  get you energized and prepared  for  a productive and successful job search.     Find  Motivation   We  all learn differently,  and we all change our behaviors and our feelings  according to how we see the world.  One easily accessible way to  learn  is  by reading.  Whether you read books, articles,  or  websites, there is a lot of information  out there  that offers motivation.     A favorite book to read during the job search  is titled:  Change the Way You See Everything  by Kathryn D. Cramer and Hank Wasiak.  Its not only a gorgeous book  to look through, it offers advice on seeing  your job search  differently.  The book is practical  and talks about assetbased thinking versus deficitbased thinking.  For example, when you catch yourself saying: ‘Ill never make it. Thats impossible. Ill never get this done,’ change  your  self-talk to:  â€˜Im going to put one foot in front of the other and move.’ Learn how to  magnify  whats best and focus on whats next.  In terms of  your  job search,  set your sights on what you want  and  what you need, then  move past your fear.     Partner  Up   Another  tip for  starting your job search  is to  partner with a friend  or  find a job seeking  buddy.  Tap  any of your current  friends  who  could provide  support  such  as  proofing  your writing,  reviewing  your applications, offering  new ideas, and  celebrating  successes.  Sometimes  great partners  also  give you tough love by  providing a kick  in the pants  when you need motivation.  Additionally,  look for  Facebook, LinkedIn,  job search forums,  or  other online communities  of like-minded job seekers to share information.  Success doesnt happen alone.   Name Your Effort     It may sound silly but give your job search  effort  a name.  You can name it after yourself,  your dog, or your most desired company to work for.  Call it, ‘My Job Winning Project,’  â€˜Job Search Mission,’  â€˜Mission Microsoft,’ or  â€˜Project Fred.’  Name  the  initiative or  job search  effort and celebrate your effort when you win the job you’ve been wanting.         Talk  Positively     It is very important  to talk positively to and about yourselfâ€"this is true in life and in your job search.  Remind yourself:  â€˜This is my chance to  find the job I truly want and possibly make more money.’ ‘I am optimistic and excited to be in job-search mode, as I will learn and get better every day.’  Conversely,  avoid  talking negative about yourself  or others.  Don’t  berate or bash your last company  or prior bosses. Keep your eyes on the prize and talk about the future.       Get Professional Help     The final suggestion is to  consider getting  professional help. Many  job searchers  seek out therapists, counselors, or other professionals  who can help regain perspective, deal with past issues, or  simply  provide a sounding board.  Any residual negativity from past jobs or relationships could  impede  forward momentum  and stall your job search.  Attempt to clear it away with a professional.     Another form of professional help is to invest in a job search coach. Think of them (us) as private fitness trainers in the gym. You will be coached through a precise system with step-by-step tutoring, templates,  and  project management. With the right coach, you should speed up your job search with higher-than-anticipated compensation results.     Once you have  moved through  most,  or all,  of  these steps,  there are no more excuses and it’s time to get started on a job search process that may just lead to  winning the job  you’ve been  looking for.     Join Dana Manciagli’s  Job Search Master Class ®  now  and get the most comprehensive  online  job search system available!

How to Find a Sponsor

How to Find a Sponsor There were times when my career zoomed ahead, and other times when it went sideways or even downwards. And looking back, the single biggest determining factor for the speed and direction of my career progress was whether or not I had a sponsor at the time. What’s so special about a Sponsor? A sponsor is someone internal to your organization who's senior to you and has the power and clout to pluck you out and place you into a bigger, better career opportunity. They're the person who advocates for you behind closed doors when all the important decisions are made, like compensation, promotion, and who gets which opportunities. It really pays to have a sponsor. The question is, how do you find one? How do you find a Sponsor? The thing about sponsors is that they have to choose you, not the other way around. That’s because a sponsor puts their personal reputation and political capital at risk by advocating for you. They are vouching for you with other people and pushing hard to convince others to take a chance on you. If you don’t come through and deliver, it reduces their credibility. So, the best thing you can do is put yourself out there so that the right people can see you and be attracted to sponsor you. Put yourself out there so that the right people can see you and be attracted to sponsor you. Here are three steps you can take to attract a sponsor. 3 Strategies for Attracting a Sponsor 1. Identify 1-3 people who you think would be an ideal sponsor Here are some questions to help you create your short list. Who’s senior enough to be in the room when those important decisions are made? To what extent are they likely to have the inside scoop on what’s going on in the organization? How much of a natural link is there between their business interests and you and your business? 2. Get them to know who you are and to see you in action Getting potential sponsors to see you “in action” might occur naturally, like being in a client meeting together and having them see you being charming as well as authoritative. Or having them in the audience when you’re giving a speech. Or you may need to proactively reach out to them by setting up a time to go and see them. A great reason to have the meeting would be to get their advice on a business matter or give them a business update. 3. Give them a reason to sponsor you Once potential sponsors see you in action, then the third thing that's important is to give them a reason to choose to sponsor you. And here’s where you have a real opportunity to show your best self. Give potential sponsors a reason to choose to sponsor you. How to Attract Potential Sponsors Here are the three key steps for making sure you’re putting your best foot (or self!) forward. 1. Look the part You need to “look the part” for the role you want sponsors to support you for. That means observing how people are dressed for the one or even two levels above you. For example, if you aspire to be a top executive but no one in senior management joins in on “dress down Friday”, then wearing your jeans to work might not be the best idea. 2. Act the part Pay attention to how you behave around the office and make sure you're not treating the office too comfortably, as if it’s your home and only sprucing up your act when you're dealing with external people. The office is the setting where your potential sponsors observe you. Pay attention to the way you sit in a meeting, the way you speak, the things you choose to say or do, and even the way you're walking down the hall. For example, are you scurrying or are you striding? 3. Deliver results for the part At a minimum, you want to deliver the results that are expected from you at your current level. Then, ideally, you want to start delivering results at the next level that you aspire to. You want your future sponsor to see that you're capable of delivering results at the next level. Deliver results at the next level that you aspire to. Let your future sponsor see you're capable of delivering results at the next level. Which then brings me to the sponsorship killers. The Four Reasons Why Sponsors Won’t Choose You In addition to looking the part, acting the part, and delivering results for the part, make sure you don’t give potential sponsors a reason to not choose you. Here are four common mistakes that can kill your chances of attracting a sponsor. 1. You’re seen as lacking potential Remember, a sponsor backs you for what you can become. In that sense, it's almost more important to be seen as having potential for the next level than it is to be seen as doing a great job at your current level. That’s because high performers, who do an excellent job at what they currently do, aren’t always high potentials who are seen as capable of operating at the next level. You want to be seen as having potential. A sponsor backs you for what you can become. You want to be seen as having potential. 2. You’re seen as selectively motivated A “selectively motivated” person is someone who really revs up the engines and puts on the jets at the last minute or when they really like a project but who otherwise is lazy. This tendency is a warning signal to a potential sponsor that they can’t count on you to deliver once you get that next big opportunity. 3. You’re seen as lacking in confidence A person lacking in confidence might seem too risky for a potential sponsor to back. What if they get you a new opportunity and you don't have the confidence to execute? 4. You're seen as politically naive When you're politically naive, you’re apt to say the wrong thing at the wrong time to the wrong person. This is a big risk to somebody who's looking to support you. A potential sponsor can’t afford to look bad for having chosen to sponsor you. As an aside, asking somebody, Will you be my sponsor? is a sign that you may be politically naïve. It’s an awkward question that puts the person on the spot. Remember, you don't choose your sponsor. They have to choose you. Go Attract Your Sponsor A sponsor is critical to your career success. So go ahead and accelerate your career by finding your sponsor and attracting them to choose you. Think about what you can do to give potential sponsors reasons to choose you. Then, put yourself out there. And make sure you don’t give them reasons to not choose you! What's the next step you can take to attract your sponsor? Leave me a comment and let me know. I'd love to hear from you. And if you already have a sponsor, what can you do to nurture the relationship with the one you have? A great place to start is to know exactly what not to do or say to your sponsor.