Friday, September 05, 2008
Five Tips to Bulletproof Your Job Today by Keith Ferrazzi
In a recent tip I gave advice to those facing the challenge of a job search in a down market. How about those who have a job but may be nervous about keeping it? People often tell me they know they're doing a great job, but they're not sure their bosses or other higher-ups do. Well then, it's time to show them with a little proactive PR! Remember, personal branding isn't about telling people how great you are. It's about reaching out to others in ways that show what you care about and believe in.
With that in mind, I turned to Stephen Viscusi's Bulletproof Your Job: 4 Simple Strategies to Ride Out the Rough Times and Come Out On Top at Work, an entire book on how to make your personal brand at work unassailable.
Here's my list of just a few favorites pulled directly from the book.
Five Tips to Bulletproof Your Job Today
1. Introduce Yourself: "You don't need to get your name on a billboard to make yourself known to a company bigwig. You just need three things: say your name, assert your connection to her, and share your personal pitch... Follow up with an e-mail or handwritten note, reminding him of your brief meeting and saying how much you enjoyed it."
2. Volunteer to Lead: "Offering to take the lead shows you have a stomach for risk, the capacity to learn, and the desire for accomplishment that others might not possess."
3. Be Positive: "In short, positive people are easy to work with and negative people are not. And smart positive people are among the most valuable in the workplace.... You can choose to be positive - and to set off the whole chain of positive influence - simply by indentifying your current worldview and habits and making conscious positive adjustments... All you have to do is smile."
4. Be A Mentor: "...step up and offer a bit of support that will help newbies feel a connection that will make them want to stay in the game and get with the program... It allows you to plant seeds of influence and support throughout your company and your industry that will grow and become more valuable to you over time... You just need to know the ropes of your workplace and have some experience that would be helpful to someone else... Keep things informal, meet regularly, keep it professional, and keep up the connection."
5. Improve Your Networking Skills: "Job survival and advancement are about always having a substantial list of professional acquaintances... The most influential and useful are usually those who work in and around your field, but it's not at all unusual for an outsider to be the most effective person in your network... For every person you collect into your network because she may be helpful to you, you should count on being called onto be a resource for her, too."
Warmest,
Keith
New to Canada?
The Job Application Process
There are several steps to applying for jobs in Canada.
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Research companies that hire staff with your technical training, knowledge and skills and identify those companies that have job postings.
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Carefully read the posting to make sure you meet the qualifications they are asking for, and that the job is at a location you can get to, or would move to.
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Review your resume to make sure it details information about yourself that includes the knowledge, skills and abilities relevant to that job. (See Targeting Your Resume tips)
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Write a cover letter that expresses your interest in this particular job. (See Cover Letters tips) Sometimes, employers will ask that you include your salary expectations in your cover letter. That means you need to do your research on what a reasonable salary range is for that job in that geographic area. (See Negotiating Your Salary tips)
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Sometimes, employers will ask for a transcript from students or recent graduates. You can request an unofficial transcript from the Registration Centre. (It takes about 10 days.) Sometimes companies will ask that your References be sent with your cover letter and resume. (See References tip) Once you have created your cover letter and resume, have at least 2 people proofread them before you forward them to the company. They need to be 100% error-free! They are viewed as examples of your work.
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If the company wants you to come in to their office for an interview, they will contact you by telephone or email, or by regular mail. They will offer you a date and time for your interview, and let you know the location. This is not usually negotiable. Interviews are set at the employer's convenience. (See Interviews tip)
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At an interview, you need to be able to talk about yourself, your knowledge, skills and abilities, including your education and work experience. 1 person, 2 people, or a panel of people may interview you. Some companies have 2 levels of interviewing, so you may be called back to a second interview.
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You can create a career Portfolio to keep all your career related information in. You can take a Portfolio to interviews and to job evaluation meetings. (See Portfolios tips)
