Welcome to the first in a series of three articles written to help you network smarter, not harder. This week’s topic: getting started with social media.
While face-to-face interactions remain the best form of networking, social networking sites can help you connect with other professionals easier than ever. And, in our increasingly hyper-connected world, it’s now essential to have an online presence you’re proud of.
Be it to peers or upper management, in-person or online, professional presentations can be scary. At least, they are for those who suffer from speech anxiety, including yours truly. However, I’ve found from experience that properly preparing for a presentation and avoiding the list below will help calm those speech-day jitters.
There are 130-plus employees in Leggett & Platt’s IT department and well over half of them manage either people or projects. As an entry-level IT employee, I get to work with all the management-style combinations you could imagine on a daily basis. It used to make my head spin, so I categorized managers (with the help of trainingmag.com terminology) into 3 main management styles. Then I analyzed the characteristics and came up with ways I could dazzle ‘em all.
The Directing Management StyleManagers who use this style tell employees what to do, how to do it, and when it needs to be done. They like to poke holes in your arguments, they like to be in full control, and—if we’re all being honest— they can be a little intimidating. They know what they want and they expect no less than their vision (which is often brilliant). Continue reading
June 2014 marks my 1-year anniversary as a working professional, a transition chapter in my life I call “the slingshot year.” College graduation lifted me from the soft pillow of the educational system and slung me into the concrete wall of Corporate America.
Ouch.
For me, June also marks my first year of 9-5 and no sleeping in on the weekday, my first year of trying to find cheap, professional clothes for a child-sized adult (a lot harder than it sounds), and my first year of actually learning things. That’s right: I’m implying you don’t learn much in college. At least, you don’t learn what you need to know to smoothly transition into the business world.
This is part two of a series offering practical tips to help you chart your career course with confidence – view the entire series
It’s no mystery there are fewer opportunities the higher you advance in an organization. Politics aside, the people who get those positions have usually been successful at growing their value over time. Whether you aspire to an executive position or have a more modest career target in mind, you’ll likely compete with others for those positions.
In this article, we’ll explore practical tips to help you build career capital. Invest in these four areas – reputation, connections, knowledge, and experience – and you will differentiate yourself from your peers, increase your capabilities, and position yourself well for a promotion.
Note: This is the first installment of a two-part series offering practical tips on how to chart your career course with confidence. Follow us for updates:
In a recent poll, we asked participants in a workshop entitled “Career Confidence” to identify their biggest obstacles to career growth. The number one response? Lack of opportunity.
Since my role in Talent Management gives me a chance to chat with employees about their career paths, I often hear about this obstacle. Certainly, higher level positions are scarcer than entry level positions, and it sure doesn’t hurt to be in the right place at the right time. But could some of the perceived lack of opportunity be caused by Cinderella thinking? You be the judge. Here are three examples of Cinderella thinking I’ve encountered:
You know in your heart of hearts that you’ve got the goods. You’re smart, you’re passionate, and doggone it, you have great ideas. Where is that fairy godmother to turn all this budding potential into stunning realization?