Does Your Small Business Need a Coach - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Does Your Small Business Need a Coach - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Small business owners face many challenges. They wear multiple hats every day because they lack a complete, professional management team. They juggle long lists of action items that are important for the success of the business. They monitor their cash flow closely because most small businesses are underfunded and lack a proper line of credit for working capital. And, last but not least, they make many (if not all) critical business decisions without strategic input from other experienced owners. Most small business owners enjoy the freedom to make their own decisions when starting out. But, a few years down the line, many begin to recognize that they may not be making the best and most profitable decisions. That’s the point at which they begin to recognize that they could use outside input or guidance. One option for filling this need for input is a business coach. If you are a small business owner, consider the follow two recent situations I have encountered: When I met with Bob,  he spoke about being tight on cash. This led to a discussion regarding how he structures customer payments on his construction projects. I shared examples regarding how people do this in my industry, which is different from Bob’s. I explained how I decided to deviate from the typical practices in my industry and asked why he chose to structure his payment terms as he has traditionally done. By the end of the session, Bob made a decision to increase the initial payment amounts for future projects, the net effect of which will be an estimated improvement by 90 days of $100,000 of cash flow. He said at the end of our meeting that “I have been told in the past that I should change my terms to make them more favorable for me, but until you explained things in this way I never felt comfortable doing this.” In a recent meeting with Jim, he mentioned that he has difficulty keeping focused on critical actions. One of the main reasons for this was the sheer volume to changes taking place in his small business. We discussed a wide array of things that were going on in his business, including the acquisition of a small competitor and the need to integrate the new employees into his company’s work process, the need to focus more business development resources into the products portion of the business rather than the services portion, and deciding whether and how to bring an equity partner into the business. We talked through these and other issues. By the end of the session, he had selected the top three areas on which to focus. He agreed to place these three issues at the top of each day’s action items list and delegate more of his  lower level tasks to others so that he could complete   his top 3  within 30 days. These examples highlight common challenges faced every day by small business owners. With a coach, owners  don’t have to face such challenges along and make critical decisions in a vacuum. Coaches don’t consult. They ask thoughtful questions and challenge business owners to think deeper. They help them focus on what is important. They encourage them to set specific goals and dates by which they will be achieved. They act as a source of accountability to better insure the important things needing the owner’s attention get done rather than slide. If any of this sounds familiar, perhaps you should consider getting a coach. Most high performers have multiple coaches!

How to Write Competing Sales Letters Across a Range of Mediums

How to Write Competing Sales Letters Across a Range of MediumsA great way to boost your sales and profits is to write compelling copy across a range of mediums. But you have to be willing to do it yourself, as any good copywriter knows that the old adage of there being two kinds of people in the world still holds true.Creative - This is the first type of person who would benefit from this type of copywriting. They are people who love to have something new and different in their life and writing can bring a whole new dimension to the writing experience. The person will be able to get their point across in creative ways and they will also get better sales from their current customers.Sales - Nowadays there are many salespeople who will often struggle when writing sales copy. This means that they will not be selling as well as they could. The reason for this is that they cannot deal with the process of writing compelling copy across a range of mediums. They often feel stumped by what th ey are supposed to write and how to go about it.This article should give you some insight into how to get through the process of writing compelling copy across a range of mediums on a full-time job. You should learn to deal with the process of selling yourself and think creatively about how to sell to those people who will buy from you. You need to be prepared to deal with the process of writing so that you can write with passion and without losing track of your current clients.You will need to write in a way that is motivating and that has great passion in it. When you are feeling creative about your job, the next step is to focus on the material that you are going to write. For example, if you are going to write an introduction to your sales letter, then you will need to prepare for what comes next, namely, the body of the sales letter.You will need to work out what material goes in the body of the sales letter. You may be writing about the product itself, about your company or ab out its uses, but whatever you end up doing you need to make sure that you have your own unique personality behind it. Without that you are likely to alienate those people who are reading the sales letter.After you have written the body of the sales letter, you will need to set it apart from everything else. You will need to write a powerful sales letter that will not only attract the attention of your prospective buyers, but will also convince them to buy from you. To do this you will need to write an introduction and use your powerful sales letters to convert the prospects to customers.You will also need to make sure that the content of the sales letter is interesting and captivating enough to keep your readers reading through the entire letter. In conclusion, you need to understand the process of writing in order to make it work for you.

[Video] How to answer Tell me about yourself question - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

[Video] How to answer Tell me about yourself question In this quick video, I share how to answer a very common interview question So, tell me about yourself? In just 2 minutes, you  will find out how to separate yourself from competitors and be positively remembered: If you want some support with creating personalized answers to interview questions, please feel free to schedule a no-obligatory phone chat to see how I could help:  http://www.vcita.com/v/daba43a1   ______________________________________________________________________________________ Margaret Buj  is an  interview and career acceleration coach  who specializes in helping others to discover what their unique strengths are so that they feel confident about selling themselves with ease and confidence during job interviews. In the last 10 years she’s recruited thousands of people for major American corporations and since she started her own career coaching business 7 years ago, she’s coached hundreds using the unique knowledge gained on the other side of the desk. If you want to find out how recruiters read resumes, why you’re not getting hired, how to sell yourself successfully in a job interview and how to negotiate your best salary yet, you can download her ‘You’re HIRED!’ free video course at  http://www.Interview-Coach.co.uk

Kudos To Moms And Tips For Returning To The Workforce - Hire Imaging

Kudos To Moms And Tips For Returning To The Workforce - Hire Imaging At work, you think of the children you have left at home. At home, you think of the work you’ve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent. Golda Meir Sunday, May 9th is Mother’s Day, a day started nearly 150 years ago in the U.S., when Anna Jarvis, an Appalachian homemaker, organized a day called Mother’s Work Day to raise awareness of poor healthy conditions in her community, thinking mothers would be the best advocates. After her death in 1905, her daughter (also named Anna), began to lobby prominent businessmen and politicians to support her campaign to create a special day to honor mothers. In 1914, her hard work paid off when Woodrow Wilson signed a bill recognizing Mother’s Day as a national holiday. Today, it is celebrated in more than 46 countries around the world. At the time of its conception, women had little independence or power. They were expected to frame their lives around their husbands and family. In the U.S., they were not allowed to vote until 1915. It would be 1920 before this right became part of the United States Constitution. Today, women have the right to choose to enter the workforce, stay at home in full-time parenting roles, or to delegate their time to both. For some, the choice is made for them, as finances warrant the fast road back to work. For others, numerous factors emerge that contribute to the final decision. According to AARP (AARP Bulletin Today, February 10, 2010), women are on the brink of outnumbering men in the workforce. Economics points to both long-term changes in women’s roles in society, as well as massive job losses in many male-dominated industries as the root. As of January 2010, women held 49.9% of the nation’s jobs during the course of this current recession, excluding farm workers and the self-employed according to government data. According to Heather Boushey, editor of The Shriver Report, a partnership by Maria Shriver and the Center for American Progress that explores women and the workforce, “Women, particularly mothers, are breadwinners or co-breadwinners in 63% of families and 39.3% of mothers are actually their family’s breadwinner. They’re either a single working mom or a married mom who brings home as much or more than her husband.” If you are a mom preparing to return to the workforce, you may have concerns about addressing that time period on your résumé. Here are some tips on preparing a great résumé that will market your value and ROI to potential employers: Showcase relevant activities Community/Volunteer Involvement (Charities, Fundraisers, Outreach): Not having been paid for your experience does not lessen its value. Treat volunteer work like a paid position. If you held leadership roles or positively impacted organizations and their initiatives, highlight your success stories and key skills developed through these. You can include this under a heading like “Relevant Experience”. Listing volunteer with paid experience will fill any employment gaps. Professional Development and Continuing Education: Establish your commitment to the field by including membership in professional associations or participation in professional events. Demonstrate that you’ve maintained current skills through online learning, independent study or other coursework. Self-Employment, Freelance or Work-at-Home: If you did the books for your husband’s business, include it (give the name of the business; no references to whether it was your spouse). Perhaps you’ve done some consulting/freelance work relative to your job target, i.e. website design, interior decorating, taxes, etc. Sell it. Choose the best résumé format: Recruiters and hiring folks tend to prefer the chronological résumé which gives a historical timeline of your work experience, but this may be tricky if you have been away from the workforce for a time. You may wish to use a hybrid or combination format, which incorporates the best of both the chronological and functional formats. It typically starts off with a skills summary, followed by a section that highlights skill clusters and concludes with a chronological section at the bottom of the resume that includes specifics about education, places of employment, job titles and dates of employment. The skill clusters provide you with a structure that highlights your most relevant skills (ROI to employer), while de-emphasizing dates and gaps in your work history. An example of a possible lead-in… Career Focus: Association / Non-Profit Management Professional Summary 2007 â€" Present: Juggled multiple tasks as President of the school PTA and Chair of Rotary Club’s Membership Committee. Negotiated sponsorship with major local business facilitating Rotary Club’s membership increase from 32 to 94 within 6 months. Founded and led neighborhood’s first Watch group, contributing to a 12% crime decrease (cited by city’s police department). Managed books for local food shelf program; implemented an aggressive reorganization that increased cash flow by 28%. Completed coursework toward Master’s Degree in Public Administration. Prior background highlighted by 9-year career path in project/operational leadership with United Way, Catholic Charities and Garvin Housing Partnership. Core Competencies Advocacy, Fundraising, Budget Allocation Oversight, Foundation Management Corporate Giving, Membership Retention, Public Relations, Event Management Talent (Staff Volunteer Management), Public/Private Partnerships, Mission Planning Connect with professional associations: There is a well-known saying that everyone is connected to everyone else in the world by no more than six degrees of separation. Research professional and business associations of interest, sign up for their Internet newsletters, visit their websites, read their blogs, connect through LinkedIn or other social media sits. Contribute to discussion forums, and attend meetings where you can. Meet and network with those can help you. Stay current with your computer skills and education to remain marketable: Use the Internet and various software programs regularly. Stay current with what the educational and work requirements/certifications are for your field. You can often keep up with online courseworkâ€"one of the beauties of technology! Maintain your network/connections: If you have been out of the workforce for some time, it is very important to continue to cultivate relationships with those in the business world. Occasional lunch dates, passing on referrals and keeping in touch with cards, on LinkedIn, Facebook or other ways can help you stay connected. Create an elevator pitch about what you want to do, and give it to not only your former business contacts, but to everyone you meet, from parents at your kids’ schools to your hairstylist. Interview as a Professional: Do not focus on being a mom out of the workforce. You are now a job seeker in charge of your job search campaignâ€"a professional amongst professionals. In preparation for interviews, practice, practice practice! Know your success stories relative to your goals. Ask a friend or family member to role play. Video tape it to see how you present yourself and how you sound. Think about potential tough questions and proactive answers. For you moms going back into the workforce, kudos! You are embarking on a new life chapter. View it as a positive event, prepare yourself, and enjoy the adventure! All mothers are working mothers. Author Unknown

How to get a job when you work the night shift -

How to get a job when you work the night shift - Do you work two jobs or odd hours? Are you a  freelancer, but youd prefer a more traditional job? Perhaps youre sick and tired of your unconventional schedule and hours, but you cant figure out how to break out of your current work situation. Youve heard that networking is the key to landing a new job, but you dont have any time to attend events or hob nob with people who may be able to influence your job opportunities. Is there hope for you? There is, if youre willing to take a few key steps to manage your career. If you continue on your current path, you may eventually luck into a new opportunity. However, finding a new job that fits your best-case scenario isnt likely if you dont make a concerted effort. How can you find a new job when youre so busy keeping up with the odd hours or inconvenient oddities of the job you have? Make a plan Youre never going to get anywhere if you dont know where you are going. Having a general idea that youd like better hours or a different job is a first step, but its not specific enough to help you make a change. Write down exactly what type of job you want. Include target companies, hours youd like to work and what you want to do. Dont be afraid to be very specific. Once you specify your goals, it is much easier to reach them. Research people Even if you work odd hours, you can turn to Google or LinkedIn at any time of the day or night to research people who work in places where you want a job. If youre already using LinkedIn, see if the company has a page there and determine if you have any contacts that connect you to people who work there. Look in LinkedIns advanced search to find possible contacts, and investigate the Education section to see if you should connect with fellow alumni. Dont forget to check out Groups. This is a great place to meet new people, and your odd schedule doesnt prevent you from connecting with new people who may be able to refer you to job opportunities. Expand your network on your own time frame One thing a lot of people dont realize: even if you cant meet people in person, when you connect online and share information and resources, you can win friends who may open their networks to you and help connect you with opportunities. No matter what type of work you do, there is likely to be a community online of people who can help you along the way. For some professions, its most obvious to turn to  LinkedIns  groups to connect, but what if your profession doesnt have an obvious professional arena? Look for interest groups unrelated to work. Do you have a hobby or interests that could help you connect with people you dont know online? Search Facebook or Google+ for an interest group. Maybe you like to cook or are passionate about ultimate Frisbee. Even if you cant participate with in-person groups, you can still extend your network. Look on Twitter to see if there is a chat about something you like to do. Even if you cant attend a  Twitter chat  live, you can still connect with the people who participate and get to know them online. Network  everywhere The best networkers look for opportunities to meet new people wherever they go. In the grocery store at 2 a.m? You probably have something in common with the person in the line behind you. At the gym in the wee hours of the morning? Say hello to people working out beside you. You never know how a smile and a hello can influence your future. Dont ask for a job Even if your primary purpose for using social media may be to increase your network for job opportunities, avoid telling people youre looking for a job when you first meet them. Even though youve heard you should let everyone you meet know you are looking for work, its better to get to know people first and share your professional goals later. If you play your cards right, you could be  quitting that job  before you know it. Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.  

What You Should Know About Pharmaceutical Executive Resume Writing

What You Should Know About Pharmaceutical Executive Resume WritingPharmaceutical executive resume writing can be considered as one of the most important resumes when it comes to a career in the pharmaceutical industry. This is because this is one of the industries that people would really want to take care of, and hence, the need for them to have a good pharmaceutical executive resume that would clearly highlight the worth of their capabilities in a particular field.While it is true that not all of us will be awarded the same credentials or have the same level of education, there are certain things that you can do to make your pharmaceutical executive resume stand out among the rest. In this article, we would be discussing some of the ways to show off your skills and what traits you should not overlook.First of all, if you apply for a position that has less than the ideal qualifications, do not worry. The best way to get this type of situation to a close is to submit a written and we ll-articulated cover letter. It is one of the best techniques to capture the attention of the recruiters as well as to avoid being overlooked.When writing your pharmaceutical executive resume, do not simply use your word. There are certain words and phrases that would seem more impressive and would really impress the reader, but they actually do not give the impression that you are very knowledgeable about the career field that you are applying for. It is important that you have a complete picture in your mind as well as at least a cursory understanding of the field. These qualities will go a long way to show your professionalism, the true picture of the skills you can offer, and also how well you understand the kind of problems that the job could potentially pose.While it may sound like a very different career, it is important to know that you are not a chemical engineer, but in fact, you could possibly be an operating engineer. While this may seem difficult for many people to beli eve, most people have no idea about the difference between an operating engineer and a chemical engineer. Thus, you have to make sure that your knowledge about the field is all clear and that you have the knowledge on which to base your decision.If you want to show your chemistry skills, go ahead and use these words 'Chemistry'Chemical Engineer' to describe the job that you are applying for. However, it is recommended that you only do this if the company is hiring candidates for its professional positions. People tend to hire people with a degree or diploma, but the truth is that most of the positions are offered by the companies on a full-time basis.There are other things that you can do to help in your pharmaceutical executive resume writing. As mentioned earlier, do not just write about your capability or skills, but also about your interest in a certain field, as it is these that would make a difference on whether you get a job or not.

A Fools Guide to Cna Resume Samples

A Fool's Guide to Cna Resume Samples The Do's and Don'ts of Cna Resume Samples Our resume builder provides you with tips and examples on how best to compose your resume summary. So you must figure out how to create the best letter you could send to the business and offer good first effect about yourself. When you submit an application for work in person, you might be requested to complete a paper application. How to Get Started with Cna Resume Samples? Before you start the job of constructing your CNA resume objective, attempt to limit your specific skill collection. You are able to download and edit depending on your experience and techniques. You may wish to make sure you include all the information you have to have in your resume and don't shortchange yourself when it has to do with speaking of your accomplishments, wisdom and skills. Resumes have to be simple to acquire the reader to check out. The Hidden Truth on Cna Resume Samples If you consider sample resumes on line, you will observe dozens of unique formats and resume templates. An acting resume format may be your key to getting the role of an eternity. Learn which resume format you should utilize. The Pain of Cna Resume Samples It is very important to learn what exactly is necessary to be a certified nursing assistant from the state board of nursing in that certain state. Include hobbies associated with the job you're applying for. Also make sure you include your responsibilities in every single job you held. Whether you're searching for your very first job or your next one, you want a resume that shows employers that you're a skilled professional. Applying Microsoft phrase to generate a work application can be rather easy but in precisely the very same time just a small sophisticated if you don't learn to begin it. Your resume will end up in an ATS ultimately, even if you might have networked your way through personal contacts within the industry enterprise. Stay Updated You should have knowledge of all the most recent developments or advancements in the business of nursing. The Key to Successful Cna Resume Samples Proceed to the sample registered nurse resume Include an expert nursing cover letter with your work application. There are several free resources online that provide Fresh Cna Resume Samples. A great job description includes an extensive list that covers the majority of the responsibilities that a CNA can anticipate. To find out more on what it requires to be a CNA, have a look at our complete CNA Job Description. It's not sufficient to provide a monotonous, basic collection of CNA duties. To turn into a CNA you need to complete CNA training. Give us a moment and you will write the greatest CNA nurse resume out there. Cna Resume Samples Explained The place of a CNA is vital in the feeling they are predicted to do a pivotal role between registered nurses and patients. Based on the facility, a CNA might also be approved to draw a pa tient's blood for additional testing.