David has been employed by InXpo since the summer of 2004. He has been an Exhibitor Recruitment Expert, Account Executive, Virtual Event Strategist, and played various other roles. Currently, David is the Virtual Sales Director with responsibility to manage and expand InXpo's inside sales team. Ask him anything about Virtual Events, InXpo, or InXpoLive. Prior to InXpo, David spent 11 years as President and CEO of a cutting edge multimedia and software deveopment company call Echo 3 New Media.
Rich is one of the founders of InXpo and is responsible for Product Marketing, Development and Creative Products. Rich also works with Sales and Professional Services (Production and Consulting) on strategic accounts to assist in winning the business and building the go to market solutions for the clients.
CLASSROOM-BASED BEHAVIORAL THERAPISTS
\r\nPosition Numbers 08-112, 08-113, 08-114
\r\nJoin the Rappahnnock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families.
Additional information and application form available at: http://www.racsb.state.va.us. Interested candidates should forward completed applications, including position title and number to:
\r\nRappahnnock Area Community Services Board
\r\nOffice of Human Resources
\r\n600 Jackson Street
\r\nFredericksburg, VA 22401
\r\nFax: 540/371-3753
\r\n
CLASSROOM-BASED BEHAVIORAL THERAPISTS
\r\nPosition Numbers 08-112, 08-113, 08-114
\r\nJoin the Rappahnnock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) to make a difference in the lives of young children and their families.
Additional information and application form available at: http://www.racsb.state.va.us. Interested candidates should forward completed applications, including position title and number to:
\r\nRappahnnock Area Community Services Board
\r\nOffice of Human Resources
\r\n600 Jackson Street
\r\nFredericksburg, VA 22401
\r\nFax: 540/371-3753
\r\n
NOW HIRING
\r\nExperienced and Inexperienced Drivers and Owner-Operators
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\r\nPercent-of-Revenue Lease Option
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\r\nDedicated Retail Account
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\r\nschneiderjobs.com
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\r\nCall Bill at 866-928-2116
\r\n
\r\nEOE M/F/D/V
NOW HIRING
\r\nExperienced and Inexperienced Drivers and Owner-Operators
\r\n
\r\n$2,000 Sign-on Bonus for Experienced Drivers
\r\n$1,000 Sign-on Bonus for Inexperienced Drivers
\r\n
\r\nOver-the-Road and Dedicated Opportunities Available
\r\nPercent-of-Revenue Lease Option
\r\n
\r\nDedicated Retail Account
\r\nGets You Home Weekly
\r\n
\r\nSCHNEIDER NATIONAL
\r\n
\r\nschneiderjobs.com
\r\n
\r\nCall Bill at 866-928-2116
\r\n
\r\nEOE M/F/D/V
Rappahannock Area Community Services Board
\r\nMental Health, Mental Retardation & Substance Abuse Services
\r\nJoin a company where people helping people is a way of life! The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) is currently recruiting for the following positions.
FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITIES
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LOUISA Healthcare Center
\r\nNOW OFFERING A SIGN-ON BONUS!
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FT - $4,000
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Please submit resume or apply in person
\r\nLOUISA HEALTHCARE CENTER
\r\nEarline B. Collins
\r\n210 Elm Street
\r\nLouisa, VA 23093
\r\n540/967-2250
\r\nFax: 967-9771
\r\nVisit: www.mfa.net
\r\nEOE. EHO
\r\nDrug-free Workplace
INTUIT
\r\nSales Associates
\r\nSeasonal Tech Support Representatives
Intuit is hiring for seasonal technical support professionals and sales associates.
\r\nJoin an amazing team in delivering "WOW" results for our customers using Intuits's Professional Tax products.
\r\nApply at www.intuit.com/careers today. To search for:
\r\nSales Associates, reference Requisition # 66579. Classes Begin on October 4th.
\r\nSeasonal Tech and Support Representatives, reference Requisition #66603. Classes begin on October 6th.
From the makers for Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax.
\r\nIntuit chooses to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.
INTUIT
\r\nSales Associates
\r\nSeasonal Tech Support Representatives
Intuit is hiring for seasonal technical support professionals and sales associates.
\r\nJoin an amazing team in delivering "WOW" results for our customers using Intuits's Professional Tax products.
\r\nApply at www.intuit.com/careers today. To search for:
\r\nSales Associates, reference Requisition # 66579. Classes Begin on October 4th.
\r\nSeasonal Tech and Support Representatives, reference Requisition #66603. Classes begin on October 6th.
From the makers for Quicken, QuickBooks and TurboTax.
\r\nIntuit chooses to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.
A-T SOLUTIONS
\r\nseeks talent to join our Fredericksburg, Va. Team!
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n-Operation Liaison Officer
\r\n-JCREW-SR Project Analyst
\r\n-HUMINT Analyst
\r\n-MASINT Analyst
\r\n-Intel Analyst - Team Chief
\r\n-WMD and C-IED Instructors
\r\n
\r\nApply to: humanresources@a-tsolutions.com
\r\nvisit us at www.a-tsolutions.com for job details
\r\n
\r\nA-T SOLUTIONS, INC.
\r\n"Securing Your World"
\r\n11905 Bowman Drive
\r\nSuite 510
\r\nFredericksburg, VA 22408
\r\nEOE/M/F/H/V
Reynolds Solutions Specialist
\r\nReynolds and Reynolds is the #1 supplier of Dealership Computer Systems
\r\nReynolds Solution Specialist interact daily with our customers to increase operation efficiencies and dealer profits. You will analyze business processes, as well as software utilization. This is a business liaison position in which you are trained to consult on a full range of dealership activities, such as maximizing gross profits and minimizing expenses.
\r\n***Bachelor's degree required***
\r\nStrong written and verbal communication skills
\r\nOutgoing, energetic personality is a must
Call 1-800-798-6086
\r\nor submit resume with salary requirements to
\r\napply@reyrey.com
\r\nReynolds & Reynolds
\r\nwww.reyrey.com
\r\nEOE
Reynolds Solutions Specialist
\r\nReynolds and Reynolds is the #1 supplier of Dealership Computer Systems
\r\nReynolds Solution Specialist interact daily with our customers to increase operation efficiencies and dealer profits. You will analyze business processes, as well as software utilization. This is a business liaison position in which you are trained to consult on a full range of dealership activities, such as maximizing gross profits and minimizing expenses.
\r\n***Bachelor's degree required***
\r\nStrong written and verbal communication skills
\r\nOutgoing, energetic personality is a must
Call 1-800-798-6086
\r\nor submit resume with salary requirements to
\r\napply@reyrey.com
\r\nReynolds & Reynolds
\r\nwww.reyrey.com
\r\nEOE
Rappahannock Area Community Services Board
\r\nMental Health, Mental Retardation & Substance Abuse Services
\r\nJoin a company where people helping people is a way of life! The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) is currently recruiting for the following positions.
FULL-TIME OPPORTUNITIES
\r\n
LOUISA Healthcare Center
\r\nNOW OFFERING A SIGN-ON BONUS!
\r\n
\r\nOur New Full-time Nurse = $4,000
\r\nAPPLY TODAY!
FT - $4,000
\r\nPT - $2,000
Please submit resume or apply in person
\r\nLOUISA HEALTHCARE CENTER
\r\nEarline B. Collins
\r\n210 Elm Street
\r\nLouisa, VA 23093
\r\n540/967-2250
\r\nFax: 967-9771
\r\nVisit: www.mfa.net
\r\nEOE. EHO
\r\nDrug-free Workplace
A-T SOLUTIONS
\r\nseeks talent to join our Fredericksburg, Va. Team!
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n-Operation Liaison Officer
\r\n-JCREW-SR Project Analyst
\r\n-HUMINT Analyst
\r\n-MASINT Analyst
\r\n-Intel Analyst - Team Chief
\r\n-WMD and C-IED Instructors
\r\n
\r\nApply to: humanresources@a-tsolutions.com
\r\nvisit us at www.a-tsolutions.com for job details
\r\n
\r\nA-T SOLUTIONS, INC.
\r\n"Securing Your World"
\r\n11905 Bowman Drive
\r\nSuite 510
\r\nFredericksburg, VA 22408
\r\nEOE/M/F/H/V
I have this idea that I am going to start working from home. I tried to go into the office. But the only alone time I have in my day is the time I’m not with the kids, and if I spend my alone time with other people, then I don’t have alone time and I start to panic, and I do things like tell the guy in the cube next to me that he can’t talk to me.
1. Get a spot where you can concentrate.
So I tried working from home, but then I started feeling like I am the most alone person in the world. So I thought I’d change it up a little; I’d work from home, but the farmer’s home.
I call him to tell him I’m coming to his house early.
“How early?” he asks.
“Now.”
“Don’t you have to work today?”
“I’m not going to the office any more. I don’t want to talk to people.”
There is a beat of silence, and I think the farmer is going to say something. Or maybe the silence is long enough that he is thinking I am going to talk. He has asked me to not talk over him, but I have a hard time telling if it is his turn to talk or mine. I start to panic because the rhythm of conversation is getting irregular, so I say, “Okay. Bye.” And I hang up before he can say anything else. I note to myself that this is the fourth conversation in a row that I did not talk over him.
I stop at the gas station by his house. I have enough gas to get to his house, but not enough gas to get lost and get to his house, which shouldn’t happen, but if it did, it would be bad because I still do not have a winter coat. I am not sure why I don’t have a winter coat. I think it is because it’s so cold that I can’t stand being outside for more than five or ten seconds. So if I’m only going to be outside for a few seconds then I don’t need a coat. The farmer keeps telling me how dangerous it is to travel without a winter coat. I show him I’m paying attention to the dangers of the cold by being sure to not run out of gas on a remote country road.
2. Have close proximity to a coffee source.
I get to his house. I put my stuff down in the kitchen and I make coffee.
The farmer comes in. He kisses me hello. Then he wipes up where I spilled water by the coffee maker. At one point, we had an argument about his wiping up around me all the time.
“I never wipe the table at dinner where you spill,” I said.
“What?” he said. “Are you kidding? I never spill.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No, I don’t. You spill almost every time you do anything in the kitchen. That is not normal.”
“I spill more than other people?”
“Yes. Adults don’t spill.”
Once he told me this, I noticed that I actually spill something every meal. Sometimes two or three times. I never noticed that other people don’t do it until the farmer told me. So now, him wiping up the water on the counter feels intimate: he knows me so well.
3. Have good food, fast Internet, and a sofa for avoiding both.
He tells me that he is in the middle of moving pigs, and he’ll come back to the house for lunch.
I want to ask him if he's working on getting an Internet connection because if I'm going to work from home from his home, I need Internet. But he always feels like I’m pushing, and then he pushes back. So I tell decide to ask him while he’s eating lunch. He is easier to talk to if he’s walking or eating and it’s too cold to walk outside.
I lie on the farmer’s sofa and think. The fields are white and rolling, with bits of old corn stalks poking out. The cattle are far off, almost at the horizon: brown dots moving slowly to yellow dots of hay. I stare out the window long enough that the farmer drives by on the tractor. Stops at the barn. Pets the donkey. Comes in for lunch.
Since this is an impromptu visit, there is no food to eat except beef. That’s all he keeps in his house. Well, beef and Frosted Flakes and Dora the Explorer cookies, from the last time that I came here with my kids.
He cooks hamburgers for us.
He tells me he did not notch the pigs' ears in the last litter because he was so distracted dealing with me. He tells me he has never had a litter of pigs unnotched. Ever. Unnotched is not his word. It’s mine. I forget the word he uses.
4. Have a notebook for ideas that you save for when you’re with people.
Then he sits down to lunch and I try to not bring up difficult stuff to talk about because I can see that he is already unhinged that the pigs are unnotched.
But after three bites I cannot hold back: “I have a list of things we need to do so I can move into your house.”
He looks at me. Puts his fork down. Takes a deep breath. “Let’s see it.”
“I have to read it to you.”
He looks. It’s in shorthand. Not regular shorthand but the shorthand I invented to take notes at school because the way I got through school was by memorizing every lecture word for word and then regurgitating it to teachers on essay tests.
I find that my shorthand is also good for writing private notes to myself. Now I can have my list out, at the table, but the farmer cannot read it so I can tell him only the amount of things I think he can handle without going nuts over how hard it is for me to move to his house.
I tell him, “Well. The Internet. That’s an easy one.”
He picks up his fork. Takes a bite. “Okay. What else?”
“The heating has to work.”
“Okay. We have to talk about that. About what it means to you to be working.”
“Okay. Let’s talk about that now.”
“First, tell me what else is on the list.”
“Not that much.”
“What do you mean not that much? I see you have crazy writing down the whole page. That looks long.”
He’s right.
I tell him it’s a secret.
He shakes his head and laughs.
I tell myself I have to develop a shorthand sign for manure, because I need him to not put it so close to the house. I think it’s causing a problem with flies. Which I already have a shorthand sign for because I had a history professor who always used the phrase “flies in the face of . . . .”
5. Find balance: Calm/exciting, chatter/quiet, people/no people.
After lunch we sit on the sofa and talk about grazing. He is thinking of grazing pigs with cattle this summer. People don’t usually do it. He is not sure how he wants to manage it. He likes to have interesting projects on the farm. He is curious and likes the quirky edge of farm life. But he is always trying to figure out how to balance his curiosity with his need for stability.
He says, “Okay. I have to go back out now.”
I say, “Five more minutes.”
He says, “You’re having a hard time transitioning to work, aren’t you?”
He says, “Do you want me to lie on top of you?”
I nod yes.
So I lie on the sofa and he puts the cushions on top of me and then lies on top of the cushions, and the pressure from the cushions is like a big squeeze without the social input of feeling a person as well.
The farmer discovered this trick by reading Temple Grandin's technique for working with cattle. It works with me, too.
Then he leaves and starts sorting pigs, and I sit down at the table and start writing.
There is major trouble ensuing in the job market! The problem? No, it is not the lack of jobs, the competition, or the unpredictability of the jobs you can find! Oh no, the issue I’d like to bring to your attention is the haste in which job seekers are approaching the writing of their resume. In turn, sabotaging their job search and creating conflict in their career plans!
Whatever you think resume writing is, it is not a race! In order to overcome the challenges I mentioned above, you must mesmerize your new employer and hold their attention long enough to brew in them the desire to call you. So, before you put pen to paper, contemplate the following:
What do I want in a job?
How would I describe my ideal job?
What has my career progression (or lack of) been like?
What have I learned from my experiences?
Who am I at work and where/how do I best succeed?
What are my marketable skill sets?
Why are these skills marketable?
To which companies would I be an asset and why?
What do I need to sidestep?
[Ready for the most important question?] What benefits do I offer employers over other QUALIFIED candidates?
Enjoying this article? You could get the best career advice daily by subscribing to us via e-mail.
Please, before you rush into resume technique, layout, and race to the finish line of a completed resume?invest time in the resume prep and research process. Reflect on who you are, what you desire, and where you would like to navigate with this new resume.
Employers and recruiters will connect with the person behind the resume, if you can show them there is one! Boring, mundane, and hastily written resumes sound generic?but you are distinct! Become strategic in your job search. The result will be a targeted, well crafted, and amazing resume that attracts interview calls in a tough job market?and brings a smile to your face in the process (just an extra little benefit).
‘JT & Dale Talk Jobs’ is the largest nationally syndicated career advice column in the country and can be found at JTandDale.com.
Dear J.T. & Dale: I’ve had four interviews. I keep getting asked my “greatest strength” and then my “greatest weakness.” As for the latter, I answered truthfully. Once I said “not enough patience,” and once I said “communicating.” Is this wrong? — Ellis
Dale: Let’s not have any communication problems here, Ellis: Those are terrible answers. When the hiring manager translates those into boss-speak, they come back as “probable hothead” and “possibly sullen and distant.”
J.T.: I’d say your answers weren’t so much wrong as incomplete. The ideal answer involves pointing out that the weakness is really the result of the strength. For instance, “Lack of patience” is just your desire to see results and make progress, which means you can be hard on yourself and others.
Dale: Ah, yes. It’s the circularity you find in Zen philosophy — if you go far enough into a strength, it becomes a weakness. And that’s exactly how you answer the two questions, Ellis — by treating them as one. For instance, if you say your greatest strength is that you “love working with people and get along with everyone,” then the weakness would be: “Because I get along with everyone, co-workers come to me for advice or conversation, so I have to be careful to make sure it doesn’t interfere with getting my own work done.” Another example — my favorite — is giving your strength as being someone who “loves to work,” which means your “weakness” is being a “workaholic.” No one ever did NOT get hired because of being too well-liked or working too hard.
Jeanine “J.T.” Tanner O’Donnell is a professional development specialist and the founder of the consulting firm, jtodonnell.com, and of the blog, CAREEREALISM.com. Dale Dauten resolves employment and other business disputes as a mediator with AgreementHouse.com.
Please visit them at jtanddale.com, where you can send questions via e-mail, or write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10019.
© 2010 by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
I’m in the midst of dumping my happiness obsession for something else, but I wonder what is the key to a good life if I’m giving up on happiness? I thought maybe it was interestingness, but I am a little worried because I confess that I’d rather fall asleep in the farmer’s arms than solve the meaning of life. Or maybe I am doing them both at the same time? I don’t know. I just know that ideas overwhelm me sometimes, and until I go to a doctor to get medication to calm my head down, I’m not convinced I need more interestingness in my life than my already-spinning head.
Then I thought maybe I needed expertise: striving to be an expert would be my obsession. Which it might be. But I don’t think it replaces happiness. It sort of sits next to it. Like, obsessing about being an expert comes naturally to me, but I’m not sure why.
So I’m still looking for what can replace happiness as my what-am-I-doing-here thing. And I’m thinking that maybe it’s mindfulness. It kills me to even write the word, because for the last decade, while I was busy turning Ashtanga yoga into a competitive sport, my teachers kept talking about mindfulness. I kept thinking to myself, I wish they’d shut up and just rank us so I know if I’m best.
But I’m convinced that mindfulness is what gives us the self-discipline to do all the stuff the happiness researchers say will make us happy. And it makes sense, because my yoga teacher always told me mindful would make me happy, if I’d just try it.
So I get about ten zillion books in the mail because publishers ignore the fact that most book reviews on this blog simply say why I didn’t like the book. But. Whatever. So I get this book in the mail – The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World – and for some reason I find myself reading it during violin practice. This is very bad because we are in a Suzuki program, which means I’m the teacher.
I said to myself, this is crazy, I’m reading a book about slowing down my life as a way to multitask while I am teaching my child to love music. I forced myself to put the book down.
But I liked the book. And I asked the author, Christine Louise Hohlbaum, to write a guest post on my blog. Which is something I never do. Because I end up hating all guest posts and spending way too much time editing them.
The first thing I did when I saw her guest post is I said no. I said this cannot be a guest post. But I think it was okay because that’s her first piece of advice:
1. Learn to say no with panache.
So instead of spending way too much time going back and forth editing, I am just going to plumage through the guest post for stuff I like. I like no. She says, “One of the biggest time sucks in our lives is saying ‘yes’ to something we should have declined. Taking on that extra project at work, organizing the blood drive (again), or accepting yet another party invitation can eat up your time you could have spent doing something you truly love. We have been conditioned to believe ‘no’ is an evil word, when, in fact, it is a complete sentence.” This is how I know she won’t mind that I dumped her guest post but took her best material.
2. Watch your words.
This is the advice that initially hooked me: Hohlbaum says, “Busy is the new fine.” It’s true. Someone asks, “How are you?” and you say, “Busy.” Can you see how messed up that is? It’s a script, right? The person doesn’t really care how you are. The person wants to just hear that you’re fine and move on to the meat and potatoes of the conversation. So if you say busy, you are either saying you do not understand the social convention of opening niceties (very bad to say) or you are saying that busy is the new fine (also very bad to say). Busy is not fine. Busy is too much going on to be your best self. So stop talking about it and fix it.
3. Honor Set-Up Time.
You know the feeling. You return from a week’s vacation to a mountain of work that piled up in your absence. It takes you three days just to slog through it all, and you wonder why you even bothered to leave in the first place. We have the expectation that we should be able to jump right back into what we were doing at a rapid pace. Not so. Every project requires set-up time. Honor the time it takes to get started. It is not about procrastination. It is about wading into the task at hand. It is no wonder you get your best ideas in the shower. You are relaxed and stress-free. Set-up time allows you to tap into your deepest thinking. Make room for it in your life—it will contribute more to your success than pushing through with no stops.
4. Save the best for last.
“Procrastination is a huge time-killer. You spend most of your time worrying about what you haven’t started, pushing it into the recess of your mind. Instead, start saving the best for last. Tackle the hardest project earlier in the day. Reward yourself with your favorite project at the end.”
I love this advice in a book about slow, because it’s not just a way to get your stuff done. It’s a way to slow time down. If you are procrastinating, time goes so much faster than if you have your most important stuff done.
I am trying to figure out what mindful is. And I’m pretty sure it’s doing this stuff. It’s making little rules for yourself throughout the day that force you to check in to make sure you are living a conscious life, purposefully guided. These might not make me happy—that might be impossible—but they might make my head spin slower.
Today, I spoke to Frances Cole Jones, who is the author of The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World and and founder of Cole Media Management. In this interview, Frances goes over controlling your reputation, how to sell yourself in any given situation, how do communicate what you do, first impressions and more.
What I mean by “My Name is My Bond,” is that in this economy—where currencies around the world are fluctuating wildly—one of the things you do have control over is your reputation. No matter the size of your company, worldwide or you working in your kitchen, you make choices about the integrity, courtesy and punctuality with which you and your employees respond to the outside world. If you are someone who unfailingly follows through on your promises, you have the opportunity to dramatically increase your value in the eyes of the world—regardless of the size of your bank balance.
So, for example, if you were sitting down with a venture capital company that was known for their success in picking unlikely future tech companies, instead of saying, “Our product, X, is great and here’s why,” you would say, “We wanted to talk to YOU today BECAUSE you were the visionaries behind bringing x, y, z companies to the attention of the world, and I think our offering will add to your stellar track record.”
It’s critical to present how what you do has the potential to enhance the life, reputation, or bottom line of the person with whom you’re speaking. So rather than saying, “Yes, my company was the originator of X product, which has outperformed every other item in the sector,” you might say, “I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to use X product—have you? I bring it up because it’s one of our best sellers and I think it might be something that would work for you.”
First impressions are important because we all like to think of ourselves as intuitive, discerning, thoughtful people. If you make a poor first impression, it’s very difficult to amend that in your later encounters—those whom you failed to impress will 
always be waiting for the other shoe to drop. You can create a positive first impression by being punctual, being appropriately attired, being courteous to any receptionists/wait staff/assistants with whom you interact in addition to your interaction with the “principals,” by responding to requests in a timely fashion—even if it’s only to say you don’t yet have an answer to their question/request—by taking notes in meetings, and by following up with a thank you note within 24 hours of an interview, or pitch meeting—regardless of the outcome.
I worked as an editor for a long time before working in the media; this trained me to quickly assimilate people’s speech patterns and vocabulary. The result of this is that my clients don’t end up sounding like they’ve memorized a pre-packaged sound bite. They sound like themselves—themselves on their best day.
——
Frances Cole Jones is the author of The Wow Factor: The 33 Things You Must (and Must Not) Do to Guarantee Your Edge in Today’s Business World and founded Cole Media Management in 1997. From the beginning, the company’s focus has been on cultivating clients’ inherent strengths to develop the communication skills that will enhance their professional and personal performance. The scope of Jones’s work includes preparation for television and print interviews, IPO road shows, meetings with potential investors, and internal meetings with partners, sales staff, and in-house personnel. She also provides presentation skills seminars and speechwriting. The author of How to Wow, Frances Cole Jones lives in New York City. Prior to founding Cole Media Management, Frances worked at St. Martin’s Press, Viking Penguin, Doubleday, and Broadway Books as an editor of commercial nonfiction.
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Today, I spoke to Harrison Monarth, who is the New York Times bestselling co-author of The Confident Speaker, and his latest book is called Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO. In this interview, Harrison talks about the natural laws of perception, why professionals should care about social intelligence, highlights some core communication strategies and more.
While we all take the data and stimuli around us in through our five senses, rarely do two people bring the same set of criteria–tastes, biases, experiences, memories and preferences–to the process of filtering and interpreting the incoming information.
That’s why identical sets of information can result in very different perceptions among different recipients. Listening to Mozart can amount to torture for one listener while another is transported to a state of emotional bliss at the sounds of Eine kleine Nachtmusik. Similarly, watching the confident presentation style of your company’s star sales executive may inspire you to reach the same level of success for yourself, while the same presentation might have the more introverted colleague sitting next to you shudder at what he perceives as unjustified swagger and cockiness. Same sensory input, entirely different perceptions.
That’s why the more you know about your target audience and anyone you communicate with, the more you can apply your working knowledge of the perception process toward the generation of a favorable outcome for you.
“Social intelligence is really about how you are perceived by others, or better put, the management of what will be perceived by others.”
It is an understanding– and when you get it right, the mastery–of what elicits a response from other people, both in relationships and in casual encounters, and even in front of an audience full of strangers.
Why is it that some managers get people to line up behind them with staunch to-the-death loyalty, while others remain the butt of cruel water cooler banter and reluctant hierarchical deference masquerading as respect? The answer is social intelligence—the first manager has it, the second doesn’t. And if the second one has somehow risen to the position of “boss”–more and more unlikely in today’s business culture–then everyone has a problem.
Social intelligence can be as simple as knowing that a smile and the remembering of a name aligns with attraction and loyalty much more than a scowl and a limp handshake, regardless how well you execute the job description. Social intelligence is not just a buzz word; it’s an entire spectrum of survival skills that can make the difference in one’s career.
I would say, knowing the impact of how you come across is the most critical. Everything else is based on this. From ethically engineering buy-in and gaining compliance to learning how to change attitudes and behaviors to managing interpersonal conflict and always seeking to improve relationships. And of course the awareness that personal branding is not a choice anymore but a requisite for a successful career.
It’s also critical that we are constantly on the lookout for reputation busters, often self-inflicted through careless online communication and social media activities. Everyone needs to carefully manage their reputation in our world of search engines, 24/7 visibility and instant communication.
It’s critical that professionals understand how the media creates meaning in the minds of the viewing public and incorporate that knowledge into their own messages when they communicate through any particular media channel.
One of the keys in successfully promoting one’s personal brand through the media is knowing how to communicate in pithy sound-bites. Those are the compelling quotes and clear messages that cut through the noise and stand out.
Another is mastering the art of responding to difficult questions while enhancing your credibility. The media is not interested in promoting you. They’re interested in the back-story and the answers you’d rather not give. Therefore, anticipating and being prepared to answer difficult questions is critical to protect one’s reputation and credibility.
It’s important to remember that everything about us communicates a message to a watching, listening, judging public. And from our grooming and style to our content and delivery and of course our behavior, we tell the world who we really are, whether we like it or not. That’s why paying attention to all of the communication signals we’re sending is critical as we craft a powerful personal brand that is consistent and elicits positive emotions and valuations.
The concept behind GuruMaker was to help people become authentic and powerful communicators who get their message across with impact. We teach people from all professions and walks of life to craft messages that resonate with their audiences and then communicate those messages persuasively so the result is a change in thinking, a change in behavior or perhaps the reinforcing of lightly held attitudes that need strengthening. Whatever the intention of the communicator—be it an executive, politician or other professional—we help them communicate powerfully, persuasively and consistently to build and maintain a strong personal brand. We are to a large extent in control of the perceptions we create in others and that’s what my book, EXECUTIVE PRESENCE is about and what GuruMaker as a company teaches.
As for having been called the “Speakinator”, one of my clients felt that a presentation I gave to his company’s sales team resonated powerfully with all attendants and had them really fired up. Add my slight native German-Austrian accent to the mix and the comparison to the “Terminator” was born.
I’ve always been aware that everything I put out—from my writing, speaking and behavior to the reputation I create—will leave certain impressions that will either be reinforced or changed depending on what I do next. It’s no different for any brand. Powerful brands stand for something and elicit certain perceptions and emotions in people. We do the same as professionals, friends, peers, colleagues and leaders. I have made certain choices in my life of what I want to communicate and figured out ways to do this consistently in order to create the executive presence and the perceptions my public has and future constituencies will have of me.
Personal branding and the competencies that lead to executive presence is something everyone can learn and master in their quest to become successful. It is also something every professional should aspire to if they want to make a difference in their lives, the lives of others and their chosen professions.
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Harrison Monarth is the New York Times bestselling author of The Confident Speaker, with coauthor Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA. His new book Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO is packed with the high-impact information and research Harrison has gained through his extensive experience as founder and president of GuruMaker – School of Professional Speaking, a high-impact communications consulting firm that counts Fortune 500 executives, professionals and political candidates as clients. Harrison has personally coached senior corporate leaders from top companies such as Merrill Lynch, Hertz, Intel, Cisco Systems, as well as the American Heart Association and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. He also provides coaching and message development services to various members of the United States Congress. Harrison is also a frequent contributor to the media on the topic of effective communication and an international columnist, penning the monthly column Across the Pond for the British magazine Training Journal, the UK’s leading publication for learning and development professionals.
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Today, I spoke with Randall Jones, who is the founder of Worth Magazine and author of The Richest Man In Town. In this interview, Randall talks to us about what self-made rich individuals think of personal branding, the strategies they use, how he’s leveraged his brand to interview successful individuals, brand characteristics of the rich and if personal branding helps protect the rich. Read on to see this insight for unique angle from Mr. Jones.
Absolutely, whether consciously or unconsciously, the reason America’s greatest successes have gotten to the top of their towns is because they are trusted. Successful personal brands, just like winning consumer brands, are based on mutual trust.
The RMITs (Richest Man In Town) I interviewed have built successful companies and enjoyed the resultant wealth because of many factors:
notoriously reclusive rich?It was certainly difficult to get these wealthy individuals to sit down and actually be reflective on their lives, their success and their bank accounts. But this is where my personal brand had a powerful effect. Having written The Greatest Stock Picks of All Time and being the Founder of a major magazine for the wealthy which almost all of them read, I had near instant credibility. They knew I was a serious writer who would take a serious approach to the subject. But it also took some serious selling with many of the RMITs, so I underscored the reason I was writing the book: To enlighten a whole new generation of readers about the power of the American Dream, and to prove it was still possible to achieve.
I told them that this was an opportunity for them to mentor and motivate millions of young Americans who were seeking the secrets to success in modern America. In the end, they all agreed their participation was a service to others, but ironically it also became a benefit to them as well. Most had not slowed down long enough to think about their own success trajectory. My scheduled one hour interviews often went for four or more hours and they had actually had fun reflecting on their storied careers.
“To a person, all of my RMITs have found their “perfect pitch”—the thing that they are most personally gifted at doing and secondarily they have found a way to monetize their perfect pitches.”
RMITs believe that we do our kids a disservice when we tell them “you can be anything you want to be—anything you dream of being.” They believe you can’t be anything you want to be, but you can be so much more of what you are innately, genetically gifted at. Warren Buffet says, “I was wired to allocate capital.” He would have been a lousy fashion designer. Hartley Peavey of Peavey Electronics was wired to engineer amplifiers and musical equipment. He loved rock music, but he was a dreadful guitar player.
Your personal brand should be one in the same. Few are us are gifted enough actors to play multiple roles in life. It would require far too much vital energy to present dual or multiple personal brands to the world, energy that is best spent perfecting one’s perfect pitch. That’s not to say that our personal brands can’t be multi-faceted. RMITs for the most part, are addicted to ambition, but they are just as ambitious in their roles as parents, spouses, friends and benefactors.
Without a doubt. RMITs have personal brands built primarily on trust, honesty, local job creation and generous philanthropy. They are not remotely similar to the brand Bernie Madoff. There could be no starker contrast between these hard working, value creating American entrepreneurs and the financial engineering, no-value creating miscreants like Madoff. The richest men in town that I interviewed don’t have a single felony conviction among them. Instead they are the engines of American commerce. President Obama agrees that these and thousands of folks like them are the hard working, honest folks who will lead us out of this recession. That’s the personal brand: local hero.
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Randall Jones has spent 25 years in the magazine and media business. He is the founder of Worth Magazine, the financial lifestyle magazine for active wealthy investors, and is also the founder of The American Benefactor Magazine, the first magazine about philanthropy from the donor’s perspective. He is the author of the new book, The Richest Man In Town. He was recently honored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America as “Philanthropist of the Year.” He has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, CNBC and Fox.
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It is a well known fact using job boards exclusively as you conduct a job search will leave you confounded and frustrated. Sure you might be qualified for the positions for which you are applying – but posting your résumé online is like trying to find a needle in a haystack – a really, really big haystack.
So what exactly is this thing called ‘the hidden job market’? The hidden job market consists of openings not directly advertised. More and more companies are relying on their employees and specialized, niche sites to identify qualified candidates. What is the reason for this? With the big job boards, there are a lot of unqualified candidates positing résumés and applying for positions for which they are not qualified. In an effort to cut to the chase, as it were, employers are trying to create a system whereby they can identify a pool of qualified and viable candidates more quickly. It’s very time consuming to sort through hundreds of résumés to find one or two candidates that might be suitable for an opening.
According to recent data from the Labor Department, there are approximately 14 million people unemployed with over five job seekers per available position. The result is people applying for things that they are over qualified for, under qualified for, or not qualified for at all.
Here are some tips to help you tap into the hidden job market:
Networking should be an integral part of any job search. Also consider searching smaller job boards, including those that might be specific to a city or region. Look at sites supported by networking groups or associations. As I have mentioned in previous posts, LinkedIn is a great resource that will enable you to identify relevant connections and facilitate your job search. There are also associations on Facebook you can join that will give you additional access to people and positions.
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Writing to the Right Person: I know it can be difficult to obtain the name of a person responsible for hiring. You can begin by calling the company and asking for the name of the head of a particular department or the head of human resources. At least when you send your letter, it won’t be to “To whom it may concern.” Once you send your written correspondence, you can then call and ask for the person by name. You will be more likely to reach someone before 9:00am or after 5:00pm when other staff who might answer the phone is gone.
Recruiters: Recruiters can be a great source of information – especially now. Do some research regarding recruiters that specialize in your field. Establish and nurture those relationships. Recruiters have their fingers on the pulse of what is going on within the hiring community. Let them help you uncover the right opportunities.
Volunteer Your Time: Volunteering can do a couple of things for you. Aside from making you feel good by giving back to a good cause, volunteering will allow you access to new people. Those people know people too! You can create an entirely new network for yourself. You never know what you might uncover.
It boils down to your continued diligence; contact people, establish relationships, and knock on as many doors as you can to generate interest in your background. You never know where a conversation (online or otherwise) might lead!
I am switching up the blog a bit. It's time to take the Brazen Careerist part off of my blog. It's time for the blog to just be Penelope Trunk, and only my company should use the name Brazen Careerist.
We have been saying this in Brazen Careerist board meetings for about five months. The conversation goes something like this:
Board member: How is the blog redesign going?
Me: Um. I'm thinking.
Board member: That's what you said two months ago.
Me: Yeah. That's true. I'll get some bids.
Board member: It's important the we differentiate the Brazen Careerist brand of the company from the brand of you.
Me: Yeah. I get it.
Then we have a pause in the meeting while everyone is silently frustrated with my inability to make changes.
The truth is that I have always known that I'm going to separate myself from the name Brazen Careerist. I mean, I don't want to be the Brazen Careerist when I'm 70 years old. And anyway, the brand is better for a social network.
So, it's time to take it off my blog. But I'm slow. I'm so slow that I am doing incremental changes as a warm up. And, also, as a way to make the board think that I am not constipated.
So the first change is that I added a section on my blog sidebar titled: My life disguised as career advice. And the list in that section contains topics that make sense for my blog, if it is separate from Brazen Careerist.
I think I will keep rejiggering my sidebar categories. I'm sick of the categories I have had. What's up with time management being a separate category from productivity anyway? What was I thinking?
The other change is that I have agreed to do weekly, live video chats. I want to tell you they will happen at the same time every week, but my life is not so streamlined. Fortunately, Ed, our CEO, who is all over me to start doing these video chats, has come up with the idea that the banner ad on my blog, which surely none of you even notices because it never changes, will now announce the weekly topic and the weekly time.
Frankly, I'm more excited about changing my categories, but I'm also excited about making Ed happy. I have found in my career that the only time I have a good job is when the person who manages me is happy with me. So that's the topic of this week's video chat, Managing Up: How to make your boss love you.
You can sign up here.