Always Carry A Business Card

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“It’s tomorrow at 10:00; will you take me?” said the voice on the phone.  Ugh.  It’s not that I didn’t want to help Mom. It’s just that my schedule was already tight, with a big project deadline and a to-do list a mile long.  The last thing I wanted was to attend a funeral.

To add to the conundrum, I learned the service was for a former neighbor and the mother of a childhood friend. Didn’t matter that I had lost touch with my friend. I remember when Dad died, how good it made me feel to have people attend his service.  Now I felt guilty – that I had to attend.  I felt like I should go whether mom was involved or not.

Oh, that Catholic guilt!  And I’m not even Catholic.

So I worked like crazy, getting as much done as possible that would allow me to take a couple hours for the service.

Once at the service I knew I had done the right thing.  Not only for mom, but for myself as well.

I know you think I’m going to say something like, “It was a good reminder to slow down” or “The family appreciated my presence” or even, “It felt good to help mom”.

Yes, it was all of those things.  But actually – truthfully – it was a great reminder to always carry a business card.

You see, it turns out that a funeral is also a good networking opportunity.

I know, I know.  That sounds awful.  Part of me hates that I even typed that sentence.

This was not planned; it just happened, as networking so often does.  We were at the reception following the service, seated at a table with mom’s friends.  I struck up a conversation with a man at the next table, asking how he was related to the family.  We began talking and I discovered he’s a commercial photographer.  Wouldn’t you know, I was looking for a commercial photographer for a client project!

Small world, huh?  Turns out I couldn’t use him on this project since he’s based in another city a few hours away.  I asked for his business card for future projects.   He looked at me and his face fell.  “I didn’t bring any”.

That, my friends, was unfortunate.

I know it sounds harsh, given he was at his grandmother’s funeral.  My point is that it just goes to show that you never know when or where you are going to meet someone who might be a business contact.  Business cards should be just like a driver’s license: with you at all times.

Luckily for him I had business cards with me, so he’s got my information to connect on LinkedIn as well as my email address.

And the story gets better.  We continued talking and I mentioned a PR contact I had in his city that might be a good business contact for him.  Super small world: turns out he just finished a project for her!

Talk about six degrees of separation.

What did I learn from this day, aside from the fact that people really appreciate your attendance at life-changing events?

–          Always carry a business card

–          Pay it forward. I gave mom a ride; good karma gave me a business connection. Thanks mom, for not being confident enough to drive across town!

–          Funerals can be a good networking opportunity

Can I get an “Amen”?

Carrying a Business Card While Wearing a Bikini

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IMG_3505There’s a strategic reason Hubby and I vacation in the desert every summer.

First the phrase “It’s a dry heat” really does mean something to us.  Compared to the hot, humid temperatures at home, the arid heat of the desert is lovely. We can step outside without sweating and misters actually do their job of cooling a person off.

The main reasons are the silence and the savings. The luxury resort we visit is almost vacant and summer rates plummet to the point where it’s too good to pass up.  With so few guests, the staff to guest ratio is about five-to-one and we are treated like royalty.  Hubby and I pretend the hotel is our “estate” and the staff our employees, allowing them to wait on us hand and foot.

Isn’t that what vacation is all about? My philosophy is, if I can’t live this way year-round, at least I can live this way for seven glorious days.

So it was bound to happen.

The resort was quiet; we had the giant pool to ourselves.  In-between romance novels and fruity drinks I floated in my “private” pool on a giant inflatable pink donut I had purchased specifically for this occasion.

Suddenly there was splashing and commotion and loud talking and a flurry of staff activity. I raised my head, peering through my Ray-Bans.

Millennials! At least a dozen or more were descending on the pool area – my pool – totally disrupting the peace and quiet.

Sigh.

It was late in the day so I decided to just “float with it” and let them have fun.  As I did, one of them called out to me.

My giant pink donut and I floated over to see what they wanted; probably to borrow the donut and inquire about the fruity drinks.

I totally underestimated my new friends. They were attending a sales conference and one of them noticed the visor I wore with my school logo emblazoned across the front. That’s sure to start a conversation.

Suddenly we were networking, right there in the swimming pool. Let me tell you, it’s hard to be professional when you’re floating in a giant strawberry pink donut.

Discussion came to a critical point when we realized we needed to connect beyond the pool. “Let me get my business cards,” I said.

A thought crossed my mind. “Where does one carry a business card when wearing a bikini?”

As a former Girl Scout I knew to be prepared and had some in my bag along with my sunscreen and romance novels. My new friends were not as lucky.

They stuttered and stammered, saying they did have business cards but they were elsewhere.

I tell my clients, “Always, always, always carry a business card.”  You never know when you might have an opportunity to connect with someone.

Floating on a giant pink strawberry donut is highly unusual. As is networking while doing so.  But my new friends will remember me.

And they each have a sunscreen-stained business card with my information.

 

Got First of the Year Energy? Jump Start Your Job Search With These 10 Tactics

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gym-room-1180016_1280Everyone seems to have lots of energy this time of year, and nowhere is that more prevalent that at the gym.

Just a few weeks ago, the gym was almost a ghost town and I had my choice of treadmills.

Now I have to fight little old ladies, gum-smacking teens, and even the gym staff to get thirty minutes on such a machine.

 

The good news is, my energy level peaks this time of year. I am ready to tackle almost anything: house projects, personal projects, and health goals.

I will outlast these workout wannabes, most of whom will be gone by Valentine’s Day.

I’ve also got excessive energy for all things career-related.

Now is my time to brainstorm new business ideas, organize my office, and jump in with both feet.

The bad news is, once I hit about June, my energy level for all types of projects – including career projects – slows way down.

If you’re anything like me, it’s best to accomplish as much as possible during this energy phase.  And I work best with a list of tactics to accomplish.

Jump Start Your Job Search With These 10 Tactics

  1. Determine your goal, with strategy and tactics for achievement. Set your intention. What is it you want to achieve, professionally? A promotion? A new job? Do you want to stay in the same industry or try something new? Once you have your end goal, add the tactics for achieving that goal and start executing.
  2. Refresh Your Resume. A resume is a living document and should be updated periodically. If you haven’t already done these:
    • Add your latest achievements from this year’s review.
    • Remove experience older than 10 years.
    • Use a professional statement instead of an objective.
    • Use key-words associated with your industry.
    • Most Important: Highlight your quantitative wins vs. job responsibilities.
    • Note: if it’s been ages since you’ve updated your resume and/or you’re struggling with the wording, you may want to consider hiring a professional Career Coach to help you.
  3. Maximize LinkedIn. LinkedIn is an amazing resource for job seekers – as long as your profile is up to date and maximized – meaning completely filled out. Use information from your updated resume to complete your profile.  Take a more personal tone with your professional summary versus that of your resume, telling prospective recruiters why they should do hire you.
  4. Check Your Look in the Mirror. First impressions are made within seconds of meeting a person, and yes, they are visual.  When was the last time you updated your hairstyle? Make-up? Personal style in general?  If it’s been a while, it may be time for a change. Especially if you are searching for a new job, it’s important to stay relevant. Besides, new hair/make-up/clothing can make anyone feel good. And when you feel good, you look good and present yourself well.
  5. Get a New Headshot. In general, a new head shot should be taken once every couple of years. If your company doesn’t do it, then it’s up to you.  Either hire a professional or ask a friend with a steady hand to snap a photo.
    • Background should be solid; a close-up shot from the shoulders up.
    • Wear professional clothing.
    • No one else in the photo, please.
    • Good lighting without shadows.
    • It’s that easy!
  6. Print New Business Cards. Make sure you have plenty, and always carry them with you! You never know when you’re going to need one.
  7. Get Your Story Straight. You find yourself on the elevator traveling 40 floors with the new CEO. She asks your name and what you do for the company. You’ve got less than 90 seconds to tell her about yourself, in a nutshell. What do you say?  It’s that kind of succinct story telling you need to develop in order to sell yourself to others, either within your company, at networking events or to potential hiring managers.  Write your long story, then edit and edit and edit until you have it down to 2 sentences. And practice saying it with confidence.
  8. Increase Your Visibility at Work. A fancy way to say, Toot Your Own Horn. Make sure people outside your department know your value. Don’t rely on your boss, or hope that your good work will stand on its own. Do some internal networking to get promoted to the position you deserve.
  9. Meet New People. This requires getting involved, and the first step is making time for it. Add the meetings to your calendar, make the commitment and GO!  Pick one or two to start with; more than that is unrealistic.  The easiest to join from a social standpoint is usually the college alumni groups, as you have a common interest.  Be sure to carry plenty of business cards!
  10. Reconnect. Make it a point to reconnect to 5 people a week. Send a quick email stating, “Hey! Long time; was remembering our days at X company. Hope you are doing well. Would love to hear from you. Let’s get together this year. I work downtown; how about you?” You may not hear from everyone, but you will hear from some.  Be sure to follow up on the coffee/happy hour meetings.

Ten tactics to get you started towards a new job, or maybe a promotion. Many you can start on –and accomplish – in one week.

What are you waiting for?

Interview Musts

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There are certain things that are considered “musts” when it comes to interviews.  An early arrival, manners and basic hygiene top the list, followed closely by breath mints.

To me these are all part of SOP – standard operating procedure.

It’s been brought to my attention that the younger crowd is not up on all of the SOP’s.  They may get the manners and hygiene, but I’ve noticed that many fail to bring copies of their resume to interviews.

I guess they think hiring managers are mind readers.

Since college students are in full interview mode right now, for either internships or full-time jobs, here is a brief list of Interview Musts:

  • Bring plenty of copies of your resume. Never assume that everyone you meet will have received a copy. In fact, some managers may have only been given five minutes’ notice that they will conduct an interview.  So make it easy for them and present a copy of your resume.  They will appreciate it.
  • Bring your business cards. This is a nice addition to your resume.  Also helps if you meet so many people that you run out of resumes.
  • Dress for success. Even if the firm is casual, you should be dressed for business.  Shoes should be clean and polished. Clothes ironed. Ladies, don’t carry too many bags.  If you carry a tote, then have a small handbag.  No need to look like you’re moving in with so much luggage.
  • Be prepared! Have your quick “About Me” speech with a memorable story ready to go so that it rolls off your tongue in a conversational manner.
  • Show them how you are the best candidate for the job and that you can solve their problems.  If you could only tell the hiring manager three things about yourself, what would they be?  Avoid things like, “I’m dedicated, hard-working, passionate and I’ve always wanted to work here”.  Use succinct stories that show examples of who you are instead of fluffy words.
  • Always be “on”. From the time you walk in the building to the time you get back to your car, be in “interview mode”.  Everyone you meet is judging you as a potential candidate.  If they take you to lunch, they are interviewing you whether it seems like it or not. They will watch to see if you speak about relevant topics, if you are too quiet or talk too much, if you talk with your mouth full, etc.  I’m not kidding.
  • Thank Them.  Thank each person after each interview.  And follow up with hand-written thank-you notes mailed either the same night or the following morning at the latest.

This list of “interview musts”, while not all-encompassing, is a great reminder for all of us to be prepared for interviews. Now go get ‘em!

Have You Cracked the Networking Code?

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When I was first starting out, I had no idea what it meant to network.  This is the stuff they talked about in business school yet failed to teach.

Don’t laugh but I honestly thought that networking was akin to sales cold-calling.  Since my only experience meeting new people was during our weekly after-work happy hours, I assumed that networking was similar.

Networking to me meant surveying the bar to find a friendly-looking person, grab my business card and go introduce myself.

We were already dressed in our business professional attire. We had business cards with us. This HAD to be what they were talking about, right?

Yeah, it was awkward.

And I wondered why I never got any dates.  Or made any business connections.

Luckily for me I was already networking; I just didn’t know it.

Every year I sent Christmas cards to a huge list that included relatives, friends from high school, college and business school, as well as friends of my parents that I had known since childhood.  That list expanded to include work colleagues and business associates.

Periodically I would call or email someone I hadn’t seen in a while to say hello; that would lead to lunch or dinner to catch-up in person.

As I worked my way up the corporate ladder and made business connections with suppliers, I kept their names and phone numbers in my Filofax long before we had smart phones.

I employed the same techniques with business colleagues as I did with my friends, periodically emailing or calling them or having lunch with them, even long after I had moved on to other jobs.  And I continued this relationship-building everywhere I worked.

After many years of doing this, a colleague heard me mention that Hubby and I send out hundreds of Christmas cards.  My colleague said, “You are so well-connected!”

That was the first time I ever thought that I might have cracked the networking code.

There it is; the secret of networking.  I’ve laid it out for you.

What; it’s still not clear?  Let me say it a different way:  Communicate with people you know and meet; do this regularly.

Networking, at a basic level, is keeping up with the people you know and meet.  To take it to the next level, you build a relationship with those people through work or friendships or however it is you know them.

The key is staying connected. I’m not gonna lie; it takes work to keep these relationships going.  But that’s what networking is about; building a relationship; one that is strong enough so when you need a favor like, “Will you recommend me for a job?” your network is willing and able to help.

Think you don’t have a network?  I bet you do.

Sit down and start listing all of your close friends and relatives. Then branch out to other friends; your sisters’ friends; your parents’ friends. Then everyone you know at your current job; everyone at your last job and the job before that, and so on.  List as many people as you can remember from college; your classmates, sorority or fraternity pals; friends from any clubs you belonged to, sports teams you played on, etc.  List people you know at your church, any volunteer organizations you work with, etc.

How does your list look now?  Do you have some connections?  I know you do.

And you know what?  Your connections have connections.  That’s how this starts.  Your connections can introduce you to more connections.

Remember to carry business cards with you at all times, even to a funeral (I wrote a post about this; check it out here).  You never know where or when you might meet someone.

Look at you; you’ve just cracked the networking code.  I knew you could do it.

Chance Meetings Can Play A Part In Finding Your Next Job Opportunity

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Elton John tix

Chance meetings can be amazing.  Most are coincidental, but some are truly life-changing.  I like to think that such meetings are fate, karma or spiritually ordained – driven by a force far greater than myself.

Hubby and I were introduced by a “chance” meeting.  Sweet, conservative guy that he is, he’ll tell you we met at church.  He’s partially right, as we developed a friendship which led to romance when we were both part of a church singles’ group.

The real story is much more fun; definitely a chance meeting.  A friend and I had tickets to see Elton John in concert.  Close to the concert date, she told me the singles group from her church was also attending the concert and suggested we go with them.  Sounded like a plan to me.

It was a huge group of people and aside from my friend I knew no one. We all met at one person’s apartment, divided into cars and headed out. That’s when the chance meeting occurred.  My friend was driving the car, another person was riding shotgun, and I, along with some guy who was a stranger to me at the time, rode in the backseat.

I remember that this guy was friendly enough.  When we got stuck in traffic he carried on a nice conversation to pass the time.  I also remember thinking that he was really cute and I mentally chastised myself for daydreaming that he might ask me out.

I mean, come on, what was I thinking? We had just met. 

Weeks later, when I decided to join the church group, Hubby was a familiar face in the sea of singles. We became friends and the rest is history.

So technically, Hubby and I met in the backseat of my friends’ car on the way to an Elton John concert.

I told you it was more interesting than “met at church”.

Chance meetings can play a part in finding your next job opportunity too, and when it does, it’s awesome.

Some things to consider about chance meetings as they pertain to job opportunities:

  • Remember that every person you meet is a potential networking opportunity.  That’s not to say that you immediately launch into your “30-second elevator speech” – talk about socially awkward.  But keep in mind that you want to be upbeat and interesting.  Don’t over-share or complain about work with new people you meet.  And DO carry business cards so you are prepared when the opportunity is right.

 

  • We should not rely solely on chance meetings to find our next opportunity.  Problem with that approach is, well, it’s taking a chance. And that’s a huge risk.   A better idea is to develop a strategy with tactics for finding the next opportunity and work systematically toward the goal.

 

  • Chance meetings don’t happen at home.  This is a shocker for some people: you have to get out of the house in order to have a chance meeting in the first place.  Attend workshops, industry meetings or alumni events.  Work your network and set up coffee dates.  Volunteer or even take a part-time job, especially if you’re unemployed.  Trust me, this works. Both Hubby and I experienced the benefits of part time work when unemployed, with both of us finding job opportunities as a result.

I know, I know.  It seems like I’ve taken the “chance” out of a chance meeting. 

Not really.  Chance meetings will always happen; it’s just that we may not be aware of the significance of the meeting at the time.  That’s why we always have to be prepared, including being open to the possibility.

Look at me.  Who knew that I would meet the love of my life in the back seat of a car on the way to an Elton John concert?  Okay; at church.  Sheesh, Hubby, I know you want it told your way.

Just remember to be prepared. Chance meetings have a way of surprising us when we least expect them.