7 Tips to Career Success in 2012 January 16, 2012
Posted by in : Networking Tips, Personal Development , add a commentWith 15 years of corporate human resources experience, I’m often asked to share career development advice. Here are 7 ideas that will help you navigate your career to ultimately gain the satisfaction you’re looking for in 2012.
Share this information with your network, and feel free to share your comments below.
Don’t just play…WIN!
1. Decide where you want to go: Though most people know what they DON’T like about their careers, very few have identified and can articulate what they DO want. They are clear about how much they hate their current role, but they haven’t invested the time in identifying their career goals. However, until you’ve decided where – specifically- you want to go, it’s going to be hard getting there. Even in your networking, it’s impossible for others to help you navigate to your ideal when you are unable to articulate your desired destination.
2. Give me your number: I hate to be so black and white, but once you take away all the warm and fuzzy stuff, your value to a corporation can be measured one of two ways: how much revenue you produce and/or how much money you save. Either you’re a rainmaker and your efforts directly or indirectly bring money into the company or your efforts help the company save money because of your skills and efficiency. If you do either of those things better than others, you need to be able to quantify that value. Knowing that value and being able to communicate it can provide a competitive edge.
3. Explore something completely different – most people are in jobs that they MUST be in. few people are living their passion…and it shows. People who love what they do bring their whole selves to work every day, and consequently, they typically get better results. Even within your current organization, speak with your human resources professionals to explore other parts of the company that might be a better fit for your skills, experiences and passions.
4. Pick up a new skill – Jim Rohn, the personal development expert, said that to add value to the marketplace, you want to always be improving your skills. “Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” In other words, you must take care of the goose if you want to produce golden eggs in your career. Whether you go back to school to be certified in a new skill, or even get a degree, you add value to your career by increasing your base of skills and information.
5. Network , Network, Network. I know you feel like you just don’t have the time to attend these after-work and weekend events. However, networking events provide the arena to make the informal connections that can propel your career. Networking is difficult because you’re not always sure what to say. However, once you know specifically what you’re looking for, and what value you add to the marketplace, you become a bit more comfortable engaging in the small talk that often leads to big results.
6. Aim first. I’ve seen people spend hours, day after day, surfing the Internet looking for new opportunities. While many people have found their jobs online, the Internet should be just one component of an effective career search. The internet is an extremely powerful tool. It vast wealth of information can become a trap (black hole) and you can get lost clicking links on a path to nowhere if you are not clear about what you are looking for. Have a game plan. Know what companies, positions you are exploring and remained disciplined to research those roles/organizations without getting lost.
7. Water the grass beneath you. Sometimes the grass actually IS greener elsewhere, and in ideal conditions, you would be wise to make a career move. However, life’s circumstances may prevent you from making a career move at this time. When this happens, commit to making your current role more of what you are looking for. Try to add components of what you feel you’re missing to your current role – with your manager’s permission, of course. When you know what you need, adding those tasks to your current role can help increase your job satisfaction.
After the Final Whistle: Preparing for Life after Sport August 6, 2010
Posted by lrubin39 in : Networking Tips, Personal Development, Speaking Engagements , add a commentSummary
The transition from college to career can be difficult for even the most prepared individual. However, for student-athletes who are also ending their athletic careers, the shift can be even more challenging. Often, the time demands and focus on their sport prevents the student-athlete from adequately preparing themselves for life after their sport ends.
Despite possessing highly desired skills (i.e. teamwork, resilience, and a strong work ethic), many student-athletes simply don’t know how to best position themselves in this super-competitive job market.
Lee draws from his personal experience as a former student-athlete and his professional expertise to share insights, best practices, and step-by-step instructions to equip the student-athletes with tools to best transition into their new careers.
Here are the expected outcomes…
Student-Athletes will learn to:
- Identify their transferable and differentiating skills
- Appropriately “sell themselves”
- Make better use of the career development resources on campus
- Effectively leverage their networks
- Find a new passion (career)
About Lee Rubin:
Lee is an emerging voice. His unique ability to understand and articulate winning principles with tremendous clarity and practical application makes him a highly sought after speaker and teacher.
He holds a Bachelors Degree in Speech Communications, with a minor in Business from Penn State University. Lee received a full athletic scholarship to play football for the Nittany Lions under the leadership of legendary coach, Joe Paterno. Lee emerged as a three-year starting free safety, and was a team captain.
Following his tenure at Penn State, Lee began a successful career in corporate recruiting. For 15 years, Lee has helped identify new talent for Fortune 500 firms across a variety of industries. His experience as a student-athlete, combined with the insights and wisdom he has gained as a recruiting professional makes Lee uniquely qualified to assist student-athletes in their transition into “the real world”.
This program can be delivered as a keynote address (60 minutes), half-day seminar (up to 4 hours), or full-day workshop (up to 8 hours).
For more information, contact Lee at (732) 685-3708, or lee.rubin@leerubinspeaks.com
www.leerubinspeaks.com
Networking Tip: Establish Alternative Contact Information November 25, 2009
Posted by lrubin39 in : Networking Tips , 1 comment so farConsider this scenario…
About a year ago, you met someone at an industry association conference. The two of you discussed your backgrounds, interests and exchanged business cards at the conference. Recently, an opportunity at her company became available that is an exact match for your background and interests.
Unfortunately, four months ago, your company did some restructuring and your position was eliminated. As a result, the contact information on your business card is no longer valid.
The last thing you want is for someone in your network to be aware of a great opportunity, but be unable to contact you. Contacting you should be simple. It should not require detective work.
Clearly, this is a critical breakdown in your network!
In order to prevent situations like this, you must provide individuals in your network with contact information that remains constant, regardless of your employment situation. When networking, your business card cannot be the only contact information that you provide.
Unfortunately, some job changes occur suddenly, and involuntarily. Also, discussions regarding job opportunities with other companies may be inappropriate using your business email address.
Therefore, you must create and maintain an email address that you provide in addition to your business card.
Here are some best practices:
· Create an account using one of the free email account providers, such as Gmail, Hotmail, or Yahoo. These accounts can be accessed from nearly anywhere.
· Though it is a personal email address, don’t make the actual email address too personal. Avoid making any “statements” with your email address that could possibly offend individuals in your network, such as sweetjuicylips@hotmail.com, ihatenotredame@gmail.com, or republican4life@yahoo.com
· Check your account regularly, and respond to messages within 24 hours.
The information above is taken from my presentation on Corporate Networking. The presentation is available as a keynote or workshop.
