by Margot Carmichael Lester

"I was alone in the elevator with the hiring manager for a temp-to-perm job I really needed," recalls temp Ben Whittle. "I knew I should say something anything to make the case for picking me. But I was nervous. I didn't want to sound stupid, so I opted to say nothing. I missed a great opportunity and ended up not getting the job."
How many times have you been unable to find the right words in an impromptu situation like this? Selling yourself on command can be tough, particularly when you have to do it in a short time period. This is why you should develop an elevator speech, or a sound bite that details your professional story, before you need it. Follow these five pointers to craft it.
1. Focus on Why You Want the Job
Think about why you want this job, and write down all your reasons. Delete anything that could apply to most candidates, like "I need the money" or "I want to work in this industry." Look for personal, unique reasons why the position is right for you. If you like a company's corporate culture, be sure to mention it. If the position will enable you to achieve a professional goal, focus on that.
2. Consider How You Can Contribute
Again, steer clear of stock answers in favor of those that showcase your one-of-a-kind skills and attributes. Explain how you could benefit the bottom line or fill a skills gap.
To tailor your responses to individual situations, be observant. For example, "I was waiting for an interview at an accounting firm when I noticed the staff was having trouble communicating with the firm's Russian-speaking clients," says contractor Marta Damien. "So during my interview, I told a story about studying Russian in college. I got the assignment."
3. Be Honest
You want to sound good but not too good, cautions Catherine Conant, a professional storyteller and consultant. "Don't try to make yourself bigger, braver, richer, smarter or fancier than you are," she says. "People have an incredible ability to spot a phony. Only tell stories that contain the truth about what you know about yourself."


4. Keep It Short and Focused
Since you'll be delivering your pitch in a compressed time frame, include only the most interesting and relevant information. Think of the amount of time you spend in an elevator usually no longer than a minute.
"People are busy, and the last thing they want to do is listen to someone ramble on about getting a job or plum assignment," says former temp Sally Ross. "When I decided I wanted to work full-time at the law firm where I was temping, I spent some time figuring out what my bosses cared most about so I could do it quickly and effortlessly.

5. Practice
When you've figured out what you want to say, Conant suggests these tips to refine it:
• Say it out loud, and make some notes about what you want to improve or remove.
• Vary your tone of voice, and use natural gestures and body language. Remember, people gather much of what they know about each other from nonverbal cues.
• Rehearse so you're comfortable, but don't write it down and memorize it. This will make it sound forced, and if you forget something, you'll panic.
• Lastly, ask friends to critique your presentation. "That will help you discover what the listener needs to hear more of and what's too much information," Conant says. Your friends can also tell you if your gestures look natural. Proper preparation also increases your comfort level and helps calm your nerves.

(source: MonsterBoard)
>> read more

13 October 2011

Most of us rely on e-mail as one of our primary communication tools. And given the number of messages we send and receive, we do it with remarkable success.
But as with anything, the more e-mails we send, the more likely we are to screw one up. And simple e-mail mistakes can be disastrous. They can cost us a raise, promotion - even a job.
With a new year upon us, this is the perfect time to go through some of the worst e-mail mistakes employees make and how to avoid them..... Read more....

>> read more

14 February 2011

A growing number of companies are encouraging employees to snooze at work—and boost their productivity.

Article by Jascha Hoffman provided by Bloomberg Businessweek

From Thomas Edison and Winston Churchill to Bill Clinton and George Costanza, the nap has had many famous champions. And with good reason. Ever since sleep scientist David Dinges helped found the modern science of napping in the early '80s at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, short periods of sleep have been shown to improve alertness, memory, motor skills, decision-making, and mood. All while cutting down on stress, carelessness, and even heart disease...
Read more:
>> read more

31 August 2010

Five Resume Items That Can't Wait for the Interview
by Liz Ryan

Nearly every day, a job-seeker tells me, "I won't address my career gap (or sudden departure from a job, or relocation from Alaska to Tennessee) in my resume. I'll wait for the interview to tell that story”.
What people don't understand is this: if you don't explain your career moves in the resume itself, there won't be any interview.
The typical job opening fetches over 100 replies from job applicants. Why would a hiring manager interview a person whose resume raises troubling questions?
Here are five hot question-raising issues that you've got to put to rest right in your resume—or get ready to sit by the phone waiting for the interview invitation that never comes.

>> read more

4 July 2010

US News article by Liz Wolgemuth

The news earlier this year that prolonged sitting can be deadly seemed to confirm many office workers' sneaking suspicion that they weren't meant to spend all day in a desk chair. Or, more dramatically, that their jobs were slowly killing them. It isn't just the sitting. It's the stress, inflexible schedules, ever increasing pressure to perform, layoffs, and windowless cubicles. It's a recipe for high blood pressure, weight gain, bad posture, and general unhealthiness.
>> read more

5 June 2010

As the economy picks up, companies are starting to hire more. But managers often only get funds for a few key hires, so they have to recruit new employees wisely. That makes conducting a smart interview critical.
Provided by The Wall Street Journal

>> read more

3 May 2010

Do you empower the people you work and live with or do you enable and control them? If you want to increase productivity, happiness and time in the day to complete your own "to-do's", you must learn to let go of your fears and start empowering people. When you empower people, you develop their skills, abilities and confidence. When you control people, you enable them to become lazy and fearful. Empowerment helps reduce frustrations and stress levels moreover, it helps people grow, achieve more and live a great life.
>> read more

19 April 2010

Jay Goltz, owner of five small businesses in Chicago, states when you have the right people, business is much easier.

Provided by the New York Times, 11 March 2010

About 10 years ago I was having my annual holiday party, and my niece had come with her newly minted M.B.A. boyfriend. As he looked around the room, he noted that my employees seemed happy. I told him that I thought they were.
Then, figuring I would take his new degree for a test drive, I asked him how he thought I did that. "I'm sure you treat them well," he replied.
"That's half of it," I said. "Do you know what the other half is?"

He didn't have the answer, and neither have the many other people that I have told this story. So what is the answer? I fired the unhappy people. People usually laugh at this point. I wish I were kidding.
I'm not. I have learned the long, hard and frustrating way that as a manager you cannot make everyone happy. You can try, you can listen, you can solve some problems, you can try some more. Good management requires training, counselling and patience, but there comes a point when you are robbing the business of precious time and energy.
Don't get me wrong. This doesn't happen a lot. There's no joy in the act of firing someone. And it's not always the employee's fault — there are many bad bosses out there. Bad management can make a good employee dysfunctional. On the other hand, good management will not always make a dysfunctional employee good. And sometimes people who would be great employees somewhere else just don't fit your company, whether it is the type of business or the company culture.

In the worst cases, the problem of a bad fit can have a bigger impact than just one employee's performance. Being in charge does not necessarily mean you are in control, and being in control does not necessarily mean being in charge. Have you ever seen a company or department paralyzed by someone who is unhappy and wants to take hostages? It is remarkable how much damage one person can do. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you watch "The Caine Mutiny." Basically, one guy takes apart the ship. He was unhappy. It only takes one.
This is only my opinion. I don't have a Ph.D., an M.B.A., or even an economics degree. What I do have is a happy company. And that makes me happy. Now I know some people argue that business is about making money, and not everyone has to be happy. That is also an opinion. Everyone has a right to his or her opinion. When you own a company, you also have the right to surround yourself with the people you choose.
I have spent the last year and a half focusing on cutting costs, figuring out how the market has changed, and worrying about the economy. Things seem to be getting better, or perhaps I am just getting used to it.
Either way, I had a good day today. Not because I got a big order, great financial reports or even an employee stopping by to tell me what an awesome boss I am. (That generally doesn't happen. You have to tell yourself. It's a boss thing.) I had a great day because I spent most of it walking around the company and appreciating the fact that even after a year and a half of soft sales and cutbacks and furloughs, I have wonderful people working for me. They care. They are committed. They understand the whole customer–staff–company triangle, where all of the legs support each other.
If you read books on great companies, they usually leave out a dirty little secret. It doesn't make for good public relations — like talking about how you "empower people" or how your "greatest assets" are your people. Both of these well–worn clichés are true. What is also true is that it's hard to build a great company with the wrong people.
When you have the right people, business is much easier. I know because I have tried it both ways.
Jay Goltz owns five small businesses in Chicago

>> read more

March 2010