Chef Gordon Ramsay, of Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nighmares, and YOUR Career

Chef Gordon Ramsay, of Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nighmares, and YOUR Career Lately Ive watched a number of Kitchen Nighmares reruns on Hulu, and have been impressed with the process that Chef Gordon Ramsay goes through to turn a restaurant around, from brink-of-death to healthy-enough-to-survive (and even thrive).  Here are some things that Ive seen in most shows, and how they apply to your personal career management: Change the menu All menus get a makeover. Sometimes they are completely redone, going from a general restaurant to a steakhouse.  Sometimes the makeover is a reduction in menu items, as the restaurant has spread itself too thin, and the huge menu is affecting profits, operational complexity, and overall food quality. Career advice: Reevaluate your offering and consider changing it.  Are your skills current, focused, and appropriate for the next few years?  Are you spread too thin?  Are your skills commoditized, or are they differentiated? Change the environment A few days into each restaurant salvation Gordon Ramsays design team comes in and completely redoes the restaurant light fixtures, tables and chairs, colors, etc.  Even the outside gets a facelift, at the very least a new sign.  One owner said, kind of dejected, I could have done that myself I could have gone down to the sign guy and bartered, and gotten an awesome sign.  Yes, he could have, but he DIDNT.  What can YOU do but arent doing? Career advice: What does your image say about you?  Is it time to change something your dress, hair style, accessories or even your briefcase or laptop bag?  The first impression is so important, but so are ongoing impressions. Change the attitudes Amazingly, restaurant owners and chefs think Gordon is going to come in and tip-toe around their restaurant and food creations, and are very surprised when he starts cussing them out, yelling at them, and telling them they are running the business like it were a game they were not interested in.   Its painful to watch, but hes pulling some small grain of passion out of the abyss, a passion which has been hidden away for a long time.  Only when the owner and/or chef gets that passion again are they ready to listen and focus on getting serious about their business. Career advice: in this ever-flattening world, we need to be open to change, and not engrained in how things are, should be, or used to be.  Many times this means we humble ourselves so that we can at least hear and consider what experts say. Communication in every episode I saw there were serious communication problems.  The chef, under pressure, either doesnt communicate at all, or shouts and shouts and shouts.  Owners get into fights with staff, blame flies all over the place while no one is figuring out how to solve the problem, or get to the root problem. Panic and emergency feed combined with poor communication cause major grief. Career advice: communication is the key to so many things, and it is kind of easy, but do we really communicate well?  Do our writing skills (email, etc.) need help?  Can we communicate under pressure, or do we lose it?  This essential skill is something that merits an investment improve your communication and perhaps youll change the trajectory of your career path. The support team Im amazed as I watch the server staff and hosts support changes that the chef and owner think are crazy.  The support team knows whats going on, they can see the forest through the trees, they are not as hung up on pride, and they MEET WITH THE CUSTOMERS more than anyone else.  More amazing than supporting the changes?  Their loyalty. Career advice: You have loyal fans, and people who wish to support you.   Appreciate them for what they do, and for their loyalty to you.  Consult with them frequently to see how you are doing, and find out what they think you should be doing differently.  They might not always be right, but the different perspective will be invaluable.  Who are your loyal fans?  Rod Colon of the ETP Network says your Board of Directors include your spouse and kids. Focus on quality of food Gordon Ramsay slams almost every single dish he sees.  The presentation (one restaurant used a funnel to shape their salads into a cone-shape he burned the funnels with open flames!) doesnt work, or theres too much garlic, or too much salt, or any other thing.  Know what?  The resident chef always thinks their food is fine as does the owner.  And they are very offended that Gordon thinks their food is worse than dog food.  Heres one thing I love when Gordon Ramsay goes into the kitchen to teach the chef new recipes, they are always excited to learn from The Master.  The pride goes away for a while and they are like kids in a candy store. Career advice: Every chef thinks their food is the bomb, and many professionals think their competency is as good (or better) than the next guy.  But every chef had to step it up, and accept their final product was sub-par.  How is your quality?  You really, really, really should get outside assessments of this.  One way to do it is through Reachs 360 degree assessment tool. Focus on profit Gordon is not there to make the food better, or to make the ambiance nicer, or to fix personnel issues.  Gordon Ramsay walks in the door to fix financial problems, and help restaurants that should be healthy become healthy.  Whether its looking at inventory, making portion sizes smaller (even making plates smaller), or having the server staff sell more variety of the menu, its all about becoming profitable.  WITHOUT APOLOGIZING FOR IT.   Career advice: you may want to chase your passions instead of a paycheck, which is noble.  But passions dont pay the bills money does.  Make sure you understand the role of money in your current situation, and what youll need to retire, and make that a priority.  An added benefit?  Once the restaurants turned around financially, an immense amount of stress melted away.  Not that money will solve all of your problems, but it cant be neglected. Gimmicky things to get people aware of the restaurant whether its organizing a bikers ride, giving away hamburgers or meatballs, or having a town BBQ party, Gordon got the staff OUT of the restaurant and into the town, to let them know there was something new, something worth coming to the restaurant for.   Career advice: The restaurant people had to get outside their four walls and get into the community and let them know they are there, and what they do.  You have to do the same thing.  How?  Have a social marketing strategy.  Write white papers.  Speak at conferences.  Start a blogtalkradio show.  Volunteer in the community.  Initiate never eat alone lunches.  Help other people, without being asked.  Get proactive about this your community isnt going to come to your cubicle to find you you need to go where youll find them. Brand and Tagline Many restaurants go from one brand to another during the show.  A hokey restaurant which specializes in serving people from a retirement home becomes the towns premier steakhouse, an Italian restaurant on the brink of death becomes branded as serving the worlds best meatballs In a number of shows Gordon walks around the neighborhood to see what the competition looks like, and where the opportunities are.  Why go from retirement home restaurant to steakhouse?  Because there was NO steakhouse in the entire town! Career advice: Same as changing the menu, is it time to reconsider who and what you are?  There were some huge branding changes in the show, and sometimes the hardest part was to swallow pride and accept the change, with a certain amount of faith and trust.  Consider the idea that you might be branded completely wrong, and need help (and the guts) to change everything. ASK THE CUSTOMER the chef is usually in denial, and on many episodes they say no one ever complains about the food, leaving Gordon Ramsay with his mouth wide open in disbelief.  The look on his face says You serve crap, and are proud to do it just because no one is complaining???  Where is your professional pride?? Career advice: The more you assume, the less you ask, the more trouble youll be in down the road.  That 360 assessment is SO powerful because it allows you to see what other people think of you, and perception is reality.  DO NOT neglect asking your customer what they think about you, and trust what they say.  Even if you think they are not qualified to have a real opinion, they will certainly have their perception and they might even talk to other customers about you! The spouse knows the pain the restaurant is usually the dream of the owner, and the spouse knows how much blood, sweat and tears went into it.  They also know that things arent going so well, AND they are at risk of losing EVERYTHING (home, etc.).  Gordon meets with the spouse to determine if the husband is really ready to change.   Career advice: in my last job I frequently asked my teams spouses what they thought of the company.  Responses gave me an idea of what my team really thought.  What would your spouse say about your current career path?  They will know if you are passionate about what you are doing, or if you are settling and unhappy.  Take that spouse inventory, and you might learn something about yourself! Its been fun to watch Chef Gordon Ramsay, who tells it like it is, and says the hard things that most people dont want to hear (but they need to hear it). This post is sponsored by Susan Guarneri, the Career Assessment Goddess.  Susan recently coauthored Job Search Bloopers (a really fun book!) and speciliazes in Reachs 360 Assessment and personal branding.  Susan Guarneri is a JibberJobber Career Expert Partner, and blogs as the Career Goddess. Chef Gordon Ramsay, of Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nighmares, and YOUR Career Lately Ive watched a number of Kitchen Nighmares reruns on Hulu, and have been impressed with the process that Chef Gordon Ramsay goes through to turn a restaurant around, from brink-of-death to healthy-enough-to-survive (and even thrive).  Here are some things that Ive seen in most shows, and how they apply to your personal career management: Change the menu All menus get a makeover. Sometimes they are completely redone, going from a general restaurant to a steakhouse.  Sometimes the makeover is a reduction in menu items, as the restaurant has spread itself too thin, and the huge menu is affecting profits, operational complexity, and overall food quality. Career advice: Reevaluate your offering and consider changing it.  Are your skills current, focused, and appropriate for the next few years?  Are you spread too thin?  Are your skills commoditized, or are they differentiated? Change the environment A few days into each restaurant salvation Gordon Ramsays design team comes in and completely redoes the restaurant light fixtures, tables and chairs, colors, etc.  Even the outside gets a facelift, at the very least a new sign.  One owner said, kind of dejected, I could have done that myself I could have gone down to the sign guy and bartered, and gotten an awesome sign.  Yes, he could have, but he DIDNT.  What can YOU do but arent doing? Career advice: What does your image say about you?  Is it time to change something your dress, hair style, accessories or even your briefcase or laptop bag?  The first impression is so important, but so are ongoing impressions. Change the attitudes Amazingly, restaurant owners and chefs think Gordon is going to come in and tip-toe around their restaurant and food creations, and are very surprised when he starts cussing them out, yelling at them, and telling them they are running the business like it were a game they were not interested in.   Its painful to watch, but hes pulling some small grain of passion out of the abyss, a passion which has been hidden away for a long time.  Only when the owner and/or chef gets that passion again are they ready to listen and focus on getting serious about their business. Career advice: in this ever-flattening world, we need to be open to change, and not engrained in how things are, should be, or used to be.  Many times this means we humble ourselves so that we can at least hear and consider what experts say. Communication in every episode I saw there were serious communication problems.  The chef, under pressure, either doesnt communicate at all, or shouts and shouts and shouts.  Owners get into fights with staff, blame flies all over the place while no one is figuring out how to solve the problem, or get to the root problem. Panic and emergency feed combined with poor communication cause major grief. Career advice: communication is the key to so many things, and it is kind of easy, but do we really communicate well?  Do our writing skills (email, etc.) need help?  Can we communicate under pressure, or do we lose it?  This essential skill is something that merits an investment improve your communication and perhaps youll change the trajectory of your career path. The support team Im amazed as I watch the server staff and hosts support changes that the chef and owner think are crazy.  The support team knows whats going on, they can see the forest through the trees, they are not as hung up on pride, and they MEET WITH THE CUSTOMERS more than anyone else.  More amazing than supporting the changes?  Their loyalty. Career advice: You have loyal fans, and people who wish to support you.   Appreciate them for what they do, and for their loyalty to you.  Consult with them frequently to see how you are doing, and find out what they think you should be doing differently.  They might not always be right, but the different perspective will be invaluable.  Who are your loyal fans?  Rod Colon of the ETP Network says your Board of Directors include your spouse and kids. Focus on quality of food Gordon Ramsay slams almost every single dish he sees.  The presentation (one restaurant used a funnel to shape their salads into a cone-shape he burned the funnels with open flames!) doesnt work, or theres too much garlic, or too much salt, or any other thing.  Know what?  The resident chef always thinks their food is fine as does the owner.  And they are very offended that Gordon thinks their food is worse than dog food.  Heres one thing I love when Gordon Ramsay goes into the kitchen to teach the chef new recipes, they are always excited to learn from The Master.  The pride goes away for a while and they are like kids in a candy store. Career advice: Every chef thinks their food is the bomb, and many professionals think their competency is as good (or better) than the next guy.  But every chef had to step it up, and accept their final product was sub-par.  How is your quality?  You really, really, really should get outside assessments of this.  One way to do it is through Reachs 360 degree assessment tool. Focus on profit Gordon is not there to make the food better, or to make the ambiance nicer, or to fix personnel issues.  Gordon Ramsay walks in the door to fix financial problems, and help restaurants that should be healthy become healthy.  Whether its looking at inventory, making portion sizes smaller (even making plates smaller), or having the server staff sell more variety of the menu, its all about becoming profitable.  WITHOUT APOLOGIZING FOR IT.   Career advice: you may want to chase your passions instead of a paycheck, which is noble.  But passions dont pay the bills money does.  Make sure you understand the role of money in your current situation, and what youll need to retire, and make that a priority.  An added benefit?  Once the restaurants turned around financially, an immense amount of stress melted away.  Not that money will solve all of your problems, but it cant be neglected. Gimmicky things to get people aware of the restaurant whether its organizing a bikers ride, giving away hamburgers or meatballs, or having a town BBQ party, Gordon got the staff OUT of the restaurant and into the town, to let them know there was something new, something worth coming to the restaurant for.   Career advice: The restaurant people had to get outside their four walls and get into the community and let them know they are there, and what they do.  You have to do the same thing.  How?  Have a social marketing strategy.  Write white papers.  Speak at conferences.  Start a blogtalkradio show.  Volunteer in the community.  Initiate never eat alone lunches.  Help other people, without being asked.  Get proactive about this your community isnt going to come to your cubicle to find you you need to go where youll find them. Brand and Tagline Many restaurants go from one brand to another during the show.  A hokey restaurant which specializes in serving people from a retirement home becomes the towns premier steakhouse, an Italian restaurant on the brink of death becomes branded as serving the worlds best meatballs In a number of shows Gordon walks around the neighborhood to see what the competition looks like, and where the opportunities are.  Why go from retirement home restaurant to steakhouse?  Because there was NO steakhouse in the entire town! Career advice: Same as changing the menu, is it time to reconsider who and what you are?  There were some huge branding changes in the show, and sometimes the hardest part was to swallow pride and accept the change, with a certain amount of faith and trust.  Consider the idea that you might be branded completely wrong, and need help (and the guts) to change everything. ASK THE CUSTOMER the chef is usually in denial, and on many episodes they say no one ever complains about the food, leaving Gordon Ramsay with his mouth wide open in disbelief.  The look on his face says You serve crap, and are proud to do it just because no one is complaining???  Where is your professional pride?? Career advice: The more you assume, the less you ask, the more trouble youll be in down the road.  That 360 assessment is SO powerful because it allows you to see what other people think of you, and perception is reality.  DO NOT neglect asking your customer what they think about you, and trust what they say.  Even if you think they are not qualified to have a real opinion, they will certainly have their perception and they might even talk to other customers about you! The spouse knows the pain the restaurant is usually the dream of the owner, and the spouse knows how much blood, sweat and tears went into it.  They also know that things arent going so well, AND they are at risk of losing EVERYTHING (home, etc.).  Gordon meets with the spouse to determine if the husband is really ready to change.   Career advice: in my last job I frequently asked my teams spouses what they thought of the company.  Responses gave me an idea of what my team really thought.  What would your spouse say about your current career path?  They will know if you are passionate about what you are doing, or if you are settling and unhappy.  Take that spouse inventory, and you might learn something about yourself! Its been fun to watch Chef Gordon Ramsay, who tells it like it is, and says the hard things that most people dont want to hear (but they need to hear it). This post is sponsored by Susan Guarneri, the Career Assessment Goddess.  Susan recently coauthored Job Search Bloopers (a really fun book!) and speciliazes in Reachs 360 Assessment and personal branding.  Susan Guarneri is a JibberJobber Career Expert Partner, and blogs as the Career Goddess. Chef Gordon Ramsay, of Hells Kitchen and Kitchen Nighmares, and YOUR Career Lately Ive watched a number of Kitchen Nighmares reruns on Hulu, and have been impressed with the process that Chef Gordon Ramsay goes through to turn a restaurant around, from brink-of-death to healthy-enough-to-survive (and even thrive).  Here are some things that Ive seen in most shows, and how they apply to your personal career management: Change the menu All menus get a makeover. Sometimes they are completely redone, going from a general restaurant to a steakhouse.  Sometimes the makeover is a reduction in menu items, as the restaurant has spread itself too thin, and the huge menu is affecting profits, operational complexity, and overall food quality. Career advice: Reevaluate your offering and consider changing it.  Are your skills current, focused, and appropriate for the next few years?  Are you spread too thin?  Are your skills commoditized, or are they differentiated? Change the environment A few days into each restaurant salvation Gordon Ramsays design team comes in and completely redoes the restaurant light fixtures, tables and chairs, colors, etc.  Even the outside gets a facelift, at the very least a new sign.  One owner said, kind of dejected, I could have done that myself I could have gone down to the sign guy and bartered, and gotten an awesome sign.  Yes, he could have, but he DIDNT.  What can YOU do but arent doing? Career advice: What does your image say about you?  Is it time to change something your dress, hair style, accessories or even your briefcase or laptop bag?  The first impression is so important, but so are ongoing impressions. Change the attitudes Amazingly, restaurant owners and chefs think Gordon is going to come in and tip-toe around their restaurant and food creations, and are very surprised when he starts cussing them out, yelling at them, and telling them they are running the business like it were a game they were not interested in.   Its painful to watch, but hes pulling some small grain of passion out of the abyss, a passion which has been hidden away for a long time.  Only when the owner and/or chef gets that passion again are they ready to listen and focus on getting serious about their business. Career advice: in this ever-flattening world, we need to be open to change, and not engrained in how things are, should be, or used to be.  Many times this means we humble ourselves so that we can at least hear and consider what experts say. Communication in every episode I saw there were serious communication problems.  The chef, under pressure, either doesnt communicate at all, or shouts and shouts and shouts.  Owners get into fights with staff, blame flies all over the place while no one is figuring out how to solve the problem, or get to the root problem. Panic and emergency feed combined with poor communication cause major grief. Career advice: communication is the key to so many things, and it is kind of easy, but do we really communicate well?  Do our writing skills (email, etc.) need help?  Can we communicate under pressure, or do we lose it?  This essential skill is something that merits an investment improve your communication and perhaps youll change the trajectory of your career path. The support team Im amazed as I watch the server staff and hosts support changes that the chef and owner think are crazy.  The support team knows whats going on, they can see the forest through the trees, they are not as hung up on pride, and they MEET WITH THE CUSTOMERS more than anyone else.  More amazing than supporting the changes?  Their loyalty. Career advice: You have loyal fans, and people who wish to support you.   Appreciate them for what they do, and for their loyalty to you.  Consult with them frequently to see how you are doing, and find out what they think you should be doing differently.  They might not always be right, but the different perspective will be invaluable.  Who are your loyal fans?  Rod Colon of the ETP Network says your Board of Directors include your spouse and kids. Focus on quality of food Gordon Ramsay slams almost every single dish he sees.  The presentation (one restaurant used a funnel to shape their salads into a cone-shape he burned the funnels with open flames!) doesnt work, or theres too much garlic, or too much salt, or any other thing.  Know what?  The resident chef always thinks their food is fine as does the owner.  And they are very offended that Gordon thinks their food is worse than dog food.  Heres one thing I love when Gordon Ramsay goes into the kitchen to teach the chef new recipes, they are always excited to learn from The Master.  The pride goes away for a while and they are like kids in a candy store. Career advice: Every chef thinks their food is the bomb, and many professionals think their competency is as good (or better) than the next guy.  But every chef had to step it up, and accept their final product was sub-par.  How is your quality?  You really, really, really should get outside assessments of this.  One way to do it is through Reachs 360 degree assessment tool. Focus on profit Gordon is not there to make the food better, or to make the ambiance nicer, or to fix personnel issues.  Gordon Ramsay walks in the door to fix financial problems, and help restaurants that should be healthy become healthy.  Whether its looking at inventory, making portion sizes smaller (even making plates smaller), or having the server staff sell more variety of the menu, its all about becoming profitable.  WITHOUT APOLOGIZING FOR IT.   Career advice: you may want to chase your passions instead of a paycheck, which is noble.  But passions dont pay the bills money does.  Make sure you understand the role of money in your current situation, and what youll need to retire, and make that a priority.  An added benefit?  Once the restaurants turned around financially, an immense amount of stress melted away.  Not that money will solve all of your problems, but it cant be neglected. Gimmicky things to get people aware of the restaurant whether its organizing a bikers ride, giving away hamburgers or meatballs, or having a town BBQ party, Gordon got the staff OUT of the restaurant and into the town, to let them know there was something new, something worth coming to the restaurant for.   Career advice: The restaurant people had to get outside their four walls and get into the community and let them know they are there, and what they do.  You have to do the same thing.  How?  Have a social marketing strategy.  Write white papers.  Speak at conferences.  Start a blogtalkradio show.  Volunteer in the community.  Initiate never eat alone lunches.  Help other people, without being asked.  Get proactive about this your community isnt going to come to your cubicle to find you you need to go where youll find them. Brand and Tagline Many restaurants go from one brand to another during the show.  A hokey restaurant which specializes in serving people from a retirement home becomes the towns premier steakhouse, an Italian restaurant on the brink of death becomes branded as serving the worlds best meatballs In a number of shows Gordon walks around the neighborhood to see what the competition looks like, and where the opportunities are.  Why go from retirement home restaurant to steakhouse?  Because there was NO steakhouse in the entire town! Career advice: Same as changing the menu, is it time to reconsider who and what you are?  There were some huge branding changes in the show, and sometimes the hardest part was to swallow pride and accept the change, with a certain amount of faith and trust.  Consider the idea that you might be branded completely wrong, and need help (and the guts) to change everything. ASK THE CUSTOMER the chef is usually in denial, and on many episodes they say no one ever complains about the food, leaving Gordon Ramsay with his mouth wide open in disbelief.  The look on his face says You serve crap, and are proud to do it just because no one is complaining???  Where is your professional pride?? Career advice: The more you assume, the less you ask, the more trouble youll be in down the road.  That 360 assessment is SO powerful because it allows you to see what other people think of you, and perception is reality.  DO NOT neglect asking your customer what they think about you, and trust what they say.  Even if you think they are not qualified to have a real opinion, they will certainly have their perception and they might even talk to other customers about you! The spouse knows the pain the restaurant is usually the dream of the owner, and the spouse knows how much blood, sweat and tears went into it.  They also know that things arent going so well, AND they are at risk of losing EVERYTHING (home, etc.).  Gordon meets with the spouse to determine if the husband is really ready to change.   Career advice: in my last job I frequently asked my teams spouses what they thought of the company.  Responses gave me an idea of what my team really thought.  What would your spouse say about your current career path?  They will know if you are passionate about what you are doing, or if you are settling and unhappy.  Take that spouse inventory, and you might learn something about yourself! Its been fun to watch Chef Gordon Ramsay, who tells it like it is, and says the hard things that most people dont want to hear (but they need to hear it). This post is sponsored by Susan Guarneri, the Career Assessment Goddess.  Susan recently coauthored Job Search Bloopers (a really fun book!) and speciliazes in Reachs 360 Assessment and personal branding.  Susan Guarneri is a JibberJobber Career Expert Partner, and blogs as the Career Goddess.

Corporate Cultural Responsibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Corporate Cultural Responsibility - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The pillars on which you build the foundation of your brand are truly important. Another essential consideration regarding that fact is some pillars are more complex than others. Culture is one of those sophisticated systems of support successful businesses employs to remain sustainable. As a result, here is another aspect of business culture that can positively or negatively affect your brand’s bottom line. Often when discussing the company or corporate culture, people are mostly referring to the qualities and characteristics found inside of a company. My previous article proved that convenience, while beneficial, is not enough. However, there is one more detail inside of your company’s internal culture to consider: the way the people within think. Companies in which their employees share a similar mindset, perspective or thought process can have a decided advantage over those that don’t. It is in this type of system where collaboration, communication, and creativity can thrive. The reason for this is simple â€" when all members of a team are on the same proverbial page, it usually makes it easier for any type of work to get done. Nonetheless, in practice, what is found entirely too often is a homogeneous culture wherein the staff is mostly, if not all the same. Additionally, this monotony generated manifests itself into groupthink: the practice of thinking or making decisions as a group in a way that discourages creativity or individual responsibility. In an industry where your purpose is to sell products and services to diverse groups of consumers, this approach is not only counterproductive, it will likely stop your business from being able to scale and sustain. And this is the perfect time to introduce a concept directly connected to a recurring, hot-button issue in the advertising industry. Diversity and inclusion are topics that have been brought up for a very long time, and with so much of the conversation being led by the consumer, brands must be more active in fixing the problems they may have. With this subject being so top of mind, an assertion that diversity of thought is the most important element of any solution to the problem. The only answer this point of contention is simple: diversity of thought alone will never be enough because, by design, society provides different experiences to different people and, in turn, that helps create different perspectives. The better you can represent your consumer base completely, the better your chances are in crafting the messages that will resonate and convince them to give you their money. It is essential to cultivate the internal culture at and for your business. Yet and still, this is only half of the battle for every company with a goal of maximizing revenue. Complete corporate culture integrates the experiences and thoughts of their consumers. Now that you have the tools necessary for you to improve the culture inside of your business, when I return, I will introduce a means to incorporate the activities outside of your organization in a way that ultimately makes you money.

Strong Personal Mission Statement Works Like A Career GPS - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Strong Personal Mission Statement Works Like A Career GPS - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In order to bridge the gap from college to your first career you need to know yourself; what you bring to the table and what drives you, what you value and what you can do that adds value.   All of this should be succinctly crafted into a personal mission statement. Eric Hellweg who writes for the Harvard Business Review asserts, Most companies, regardless of their sectors, have a mission statement. And most are awash in jargon and marble-mouthed pronouncements. Worse still, these gobbledy-gook statements are often forgotten by, misremembered, or flatly ignored by frontline employees. You can’t anticipate every conflict of interest employees might encounter. But, you can increase the likeliness that employees act in the company’s best interest if you provide clear guidelines.  A well-crafted mission statement serves as a “true north” for all employees to follow and can do the same for individuals. Surprisingly, most students spend approximately 21 years in school and less than 30 minutes crafting their resume or personal mission statement. In fact, most of my clients have never written a mission statement at all. Individuals have a hard time defining their personal mission and making it authentic and memorable for perspective employers or admissions counselors. It’s no surprise that many people make costly, painful mistakes in their life and career decisions, as they don’t have a clear focus for their goals, summarized in a personal mission statement. To combat this in the corporate world, Kevin Starr, the executive director of the Mulago Foundation, insists that companies he funds can express their mission statement in under eight words. They also must follow this format: Verb, target, outcome. Some examples: Save endangered species from extinction and Improve African childrens health.  Please see bottom of page for other well-known companys corporate mission statements: I think Starr’s strategy also works well for students. Every student should write a personal mission statement that can serve as his/her GPS for future career and life choices. First, I suggest engaging in a mission statement brainstorming session, asking yourself the following questions in order to define your reason for existence and your vision:   When am I at my best? What do I really love to do at work and in my personal life? What are my natural gifts? If I had unlimited time and resources, and knew I could not fail, I would choose to do…?   What do I consider the most important future contribution to the most important people in my life?   What is the one quality or attribute I admire most in people I know from the past or present? What problem can I help fix?   Where can I become a part of a team that is working to help resolve a problem that intrigues me? Once you have answered these questions, hone your mission statement down to a verb, target and the outcome/impact. It should look just like a corporate mission statement but tailored to the actions you choose to pursue, whom you choose to help and the results you expect to achieve. This exercise will be useful when you begin to format your resume.   At that time, you will need to tailor your mission statement to fit the objectives and needs of each prospective employer. Your resume becomes your marketing brochure that highlights your qualifications and how you have added value to past and current groups/associations/companies. To distinguish your value in the marketplace you must have concrete examples of initiatives you’ve taken that succeeded in making a significant contribution and instances where you advanced a reputable cause or increased their bottom line. The activities you choose to participate in, the role you assume as a participant in these activities, the references you develop based on your contribution there, tell a lot about what makes you special, and why you have potential to fit in and add value to your next perspective employer. Following this approach for building the content for your resume is the first step in creating your personal brand! The content for your resume should not be merely a chronological list of your experiences. Jay Block, an internationally certified career coach and resume strategist frowns on strictly chronological resumes and cleverly equates them to an obituary. Your resume should ideally reflect your “brand” and should feature your core values, accomplishments and your positive character traits that are distinctive to help recruiters and hiring managers predict how successful a candidate you’ll be in the workforce. Start thinking about your positive character traits. Provide examples of how you’ve used them to further a respected cause. Also begin thinking about answers to questions that will define you as a person.  (See From Diploma to Dream Job: 5 Overlooked Steps to a Successful Career for an extensive list of graduate school questions to get a feel for what’s will be asked of you in the near future). This will help you begin the process of developing social intelligence that you w ill need for success in college and for launching your first career. All things being equal, having the social intelligence to know the traits that apply to your perspective employer’s needs and the ability to articulate how you can contribute to that institution will give YOU the competitive edge and help you get your foot in the door first. Be aware that hiring managers try to gauge an applicant’s competence as an individual who can function in a diverse group environment. Keep this in mind: Develop truthful anecdotes that portray your best character traits and demonstrate how you’ve overcome challenges and forged relationships with people from diverse backgrounds and who have varied skill-sets. The gatekeepers to your future career are aware of character traits that indicate success. The most savvy candidates do their research to discern which traits to highlight and which accomplishments to showcase in order to develop a picture of a promising candidate who can help solve that specific firm’s problems and can add the most value where the company needs support. You can get more insight about who the gatekeepers are and how to impress them in my book From Diploma to Dream Job: 5 Overlooked Steps to a Successful Career. To summarize: Developing your personal mission statement combined with showcasing your pursuits and accomplishments that reflect your mission are the critical first steps to establishing and reinforcing your personal brand.  Having a distinctive personal brand as a student will make you more memorable to employers. Your academic pursuits, volunteer work, internships, jobs and extra-curricular activities all afford you the opportunity to develop your reputation and a “personal marketing brochure” if you will that describes what you do best and defines what qualifies you to help fill the needs of that institution/organization. The best mission statements crystallize a person’s core values and identify what makes you special. Ultimately, your personal mission statement becomes your statement of purpose and will drive the choices you make for your career and where you’ll apply for a job. Writing a truthful, thoughtful and cogent mission statement will improve your chances for sel ecting the right career and for getting hired! Your next step will be discovering what it is that the (graduate school admissions officer or hiring manager is looking for and how you can fill the gap and apply your talents to help her/him accomplish her goals). Examples of Companys Mission Statements Facebook’s mission is to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. Google’s mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful. Microsoft’s mission is to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential. Skype’s mission is to be the fabric of real-time communication on the web. Yahoo!’s mission is to be the most essential global Internet service for consumers and businesses YouTube’s mission is to provide fast and easy video access and the ability to share videos frequently Beth’s personal mission statement: Verb: Improve Target:   Generation Y Outcome: Competitive Edge and quality of life Dramatically improve generation Y’s competitive edge and quality of life in today’s challenging marketplace Author: Beth Kuhel, M.B.A., C.E.I.P (Certified Employment Interview Professional) Beth is Founder and President of Get Hired, LLC.   She advises students on how to bridge the gap from school to career.   Beth is the co-author of From Diploma to Dream Job: Five Overlooked Steps to a Successful Career (available on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/14687082) Her coaching assists students to successfully match their needs, interests, passions, skills, and personal goals with the needs of a sustainable industry in a sustainable location.   She is also a resource for print and online media and offers workshops for University Career Service Departments, High School Guidance Counselors and College Alumni Associations. See website for more details about Beth’s services www.fromdiploma2dreamjob.com

Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch

Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'kgE_aCvaQkVZAqoCFRGpBg',sig:'AOlxZ_l0X3igczgpAMYC8BEbO__NaeZ0qF10JKH1Shk=',w:'507px',h:'338px',items:'164282917',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); (This is the third  post based on Primed to Perform by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor.) In Primed to Perform, Doshi and McGregor present a way to measure Total Motivation (TOMO) for an individual or a team. Positive motivation means increasing a worker’s sense of ply, purpose and potential. Negative motivation includes factors of emotional pressure, economic pressure, and inertia. Increase positive and decrease negative, they write, and motivation â€" and performance â€" go up. But why? Doshi and McGregor believe that motivated workers are more creative. They adapt more easily to a rapidly changing work environment, and in the 21st century, every work environment is rapidly changing. They use the military term VUCA to describe the uncertainty of a battle (or business.) Volatility Uncertainty Complexity Ambiguity The higher the VUCA factor in your environment, the more adaptive and creative your workers must be. Adaptive performance, Doshi and McGregor write, will lead to greater success than Tactical performance, which measures how well a worker can execute a plan. 19th-century military strategist Helmuth Von Moltke is often quoted as having said “No plan survives the first contact with the enemy.”  The best leaders understand that guiding principles are more effective than detailed plans.   (“Take the hill” rather than “Circle left and go up three miles, then move in from the north.”) Culture beats strategy every time, because culture can adapt to circumstances.   Tactical performance measure the ability to stick to a plan. Adaptive performance measure the ability to diverge from a plan. The script may work in 80% of the call center’s calls, but the 20% of calls where it doesn’t may be the difference between failure and success. Shawn Parr, CEO of  Bulldog Drummond, an innovation and design consultancy, writing for Fast Company, says: “Think about it like a nurturing habitat for success. Culture cannot be manufactured. It has to be genuinely nurtured by everyone from the CEO down. Ignoring the health of your culture is like letting aquarium water get dirty.” He cites organizations as diverse as online shoe retailer Zappos and the U.S. Marine Corps as examples of culture that lives in every single member. Members hold themselves accountable to a culture that is ingrained in them from their first day. Adaptive cultures are more likely to succeed because they focus on big picture goals; workers are engaged enough to adapt to changing customer or market needs. Tactical cultures stick to the plan and measure goals that may not be the right ones, right now. Tactical workers were probably the first historically to report (peevishly) “The operation was a success, but the patient died.”

Working With Resume Writing Business Sources

Working With Resume Writing Business SourcesIf you're a student looking to start a writing business, you might want to consider working with resume writing companies in your area. Resume writing is something you can do while still at school, so it can work for you while you're still in school. You'll be able to make money while you're learning.Are you having a hard time writing your own resume? Do you want to try a resume for the first time? If you are having a hard time coming up with good resume ideas, there are resume writing companies that can help you. These companies will be able to get you some great job offers as long as you fill out an application with their services.It can be hard for students to get their resumes accepted by employers, so they look for resume writing businesses that can get them accepted faster. These businesses will write a resume for students and give them a professional look. They will also be able to get the student some jobs as well.Remember that not all resume business sources are the same. Some companies will try to charge high prices for their services, while others will offer free resume writing services to students who have good grades. Many of these companies will offer different rates based on the quality of the resume that students will get.There are two types of resume writing that you can get from these companies. There are the quick turn around types of resume writing, where students can get one or two pages done in a day. This will give students a rough idea of what type of career they would like to go into, but does not go into detail about the education that the person has.The other resume writing will give information about the person, such as their education and their job skills. This will give the employer a more detailed profile on the student. They can then get in touch with the student when they are ready to hire them for the job.Students can find resume business sources to work with through various sites onl ine. There are many sites that allow students to submit resumes and get job offers from the resumes they submit. It can be a fun experience to submit your resume and see what kind of offers you get.Resume writing for students can work for both students who are new to the industry and those who are experienced in it. Many people start a career in the industry by using resume writing services. Not only do they get great resumes written for them, but they are able to get job offers at the same time.

8 Great Resources for Landing a Job - CareerAlley

8 Great Resources for Landing a Job - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. If you dont know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else! Yogi Berra The vast volume of job search information on the Internet is overwhelming. From countless job search sites, to endless blogs and company career sites you could spend years just looking at all of the data. Of course the real key to finding a job is actually spending time making contacts (including applying to advertisements or search site postings). There is a fine balance between spending the time to prepare (resumes, cover letters, researching companies, etc.) versus spending the time searching (applying for jobs, searching job search sites, networking, etc.). Schedule Your Time Of course it all depends whether you are looking for a job full time or if you are currently working and looking for a job in your spare time. You should set a schedule to ensure you balance your search. Doesnt matter whether you pick specific days to do specific tasks or limit your time each day to specific tasks, the key is to plan your time. 25 Hours Per Week Job-Search Schedule Great how toarticle from Practical Job Search Advice. Your Job Search Schedule Quick job search schedule article from Collegegrad.com. Make Your Target List Take the time to create a list of recruiters, job search sites, companies and your network. Its worth the effort to do your research up front rather than an unorganized hunt and peck approach. Creating a Target List of Companies Great article on creating your list of companies you want to work for from About.com. Targeted Job Hunting A list to start your targeted search from Careerflorida.com. Advertise, Advertise, Advertise If no one knows you are looking for a job they cant hire you, can they. There are many ways you can raise your profile, from LinkedIn to Job Search Sites to Company Career sites. The Best Ways to Use Social Media in Your Job Search Some good ideas to improve your job search profile. Ten Ways to Use LinkedIn in Your Job Search The best business social network, LinkedIn is a great resource for your job search. Search While You Sleep Leverage job alerts from a selected number of job search sites and company career sites. Done correctly, you will get email notices when jobs are posted that match your search criteria. 5 Ways to Use Google Alerts for Your Job Search Yes, even Google can help you look for a job. Take a look at this article on using Google alerts Checking Out the Best Corporate Careers Sites Great list of companies, sign up for their email alerts for job openings. Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Summary Sunday Job Search Tech

Summary Sunday Job Search Tech If you want to gain a better understanding of job search tech (and you should), then this is for you. The more you know about how recruiters use job search tech and how you can too,  the  easier it will be to secure a new job! This collection of articles will give you insight on how different ATS search and eliminate resumes, tips on cleaning up and posting on social media, as well as some cool tools and ideas about the technology you can use to organize and streamline your job search. APPLICANT TRACKING SYSTEMS (ATS) How Top ATS Systems Analyze Your Resume by Jon Shields | Job-Hunt.org What you dont know about ATS is hurting your job search. This gives you a good overview of some of the top ATS used by employers. Did you know: resumes are eliminated because they didnt use the one keyword a company needed, this is called a knockout. Or you might not have used the keyword often enough. Frequency is another way ATS eliminates resumes. Or your resume may not fall into the highest ranking match, hot match and therefore gets ignored. Learn what you can do to prevent your resume from being eliminated. SOCIAL MEDIA Prepping Your Social Media Profiles For a Job Hunt by Onward Search This article walks you through top tips for cleaning up what youve posted on social media. It also supplies tips on what to post on each channel to draw the right attention. JOB SEARCH From Spreadsheets to Sticky Notes: 7 Strategies for Managing Your Job Search by Sara Greesonbach | Glassdoor Managing all the moving parts of your job search can be overwhelming. Maybe one (or more) of these seven strategies will help. The Free Tool Thatll Make Staying on Top of Your Job Search So Much Easier by Kat Boogaard  | The Muse Have you heard about Trello? Its a simple tool to manage projects or organize things. Take a look at how you can use it to organize your job search. Say goodbye to boring spreadsheets! The Best IFTTT Recipes for Recruiting by  Jonathan Kidder | WizardSourcer I realize you arent a recruiter. But you do many of the  same things keeping track of new people, following up, sending emails. IFTTT recipes automate these common tasks. Check it out! MENTIONS Twitter vs LinkedIn for Executive Job Search Networking by Meg Guiseppi | Executive Career Brand Twitter, really? Learn why Twitter  may be the missing ingredient in your job search. This tool can give you access to new people, help you connect, and so much more! A huge thank you to Meg for summarizing our conversation! And by the way, Meg and I met on Twitter many years ago!