The Power of Networking!

Women In the Spotlight Goinglobal, Inc.

On August 27, 2011 -Women In the Spotlight Goinglobal, Inc., launched its on-line networking group to a packed audience of women at a brunch with life coach and keynote speaker Valorie Burton.  Women in the Spotlight Goinglobal is an online networking community of professional women from across the country that provides motivation, empowerment and entrepreneurial support.  Talk about the power of using social media to change and empower the lives of women!

Would You Hire Yourself?

Think about what you offer: if you’re a business owner, think about your product or service; if you’re in a career, think about what you do on the job.

• If you were a company that was looking to hire in your field, are you sure you’re the best candidate?
• If you were a manager that was deciding on bonuses and promotions, would you select yourself?
• If you were a customer in need of the product or service that you provide, would you buy from yourself?

Whether or not you can say a confident YES to any of these is something within your control. The volatile economy is outside your control. It might seem like competition is super tight and there are fewer opportunities, but even if that’s true, you can increase your competitiveness for the opportunities that remain. Rather than spending time feeling anxious or blaming difficult external circumstances, reframe your focus around what you can proactively do to help yourself: What can you contribute? It is not helpful to offer a laundry list of skills and ask a prospective employer or customer to figure out where you fit. That puts the work back on them. Instead, get to know the company you want towork for (or the client you want to land) and talk to them in their language about their problems and about your solutions. When you offer your marketing expertise to a prospective company/ client, know how they do marketing currently, where they are stumbling, and talk specifically about how your marketing could contribute to them. How will people know about you? In the above example, you’re talking firsthand about your contribution, which really is the best way to ensure that you are able to share everything you offer in the best light possible. This implies that you are meeting with decision-makers and having substantive conversations. If your job search or business marketing consists of sending out resumes or marketing pieces and hoping people will call you, then you are hoping people happen to get to know you. You need to be out and about and talking to people directly.
When people are ready for you, will they be able to find you? The best relationships develop over time. When you meet a decision-maker, they may value your contribution but the timing may not be right – maybe they are in the middle of trying a different solution, maybe they don’t have a budget or resources to shift gears. This could change in a month or several months later or in a year, but will they think of you then? You need to stay front of mind consistently over time, not just in fits and starts. For a business, this might mean sending out a regular newsletter or posting regular updates to social media. For a job seeker, this means contacting your network on a regular basis to stay on their radar.

I hear many people who say they want to work for Google, Amazon, Viacom, insert brand name company/ client here. But what are you doing to make yourself attractive to these places?
Caroline Ceniza-Levine helps people find fulfilling and financially-rewarding career paths, as the co-founder of SixFigureStart®, career coaching by former Fortune 500 recruiters.

This is a repost of a feature from www.forbes.com

Don't Settle

 

Dear Friend,

The very definition of faith requires that you "hope for" something. As I coach others, and in my own personal experience, I've noticed how often people downsize their dreams. And many do it for so long, that settling for less becomes a habit. Can you relate? When you stop hoping, you start settling. You begin to settle for a downsized version of your real dream. What have you stopped hoping for, out of fear that you won't get it? In what ways has "settling" crept in and buried a hope for something better?

As life brings disappointments or failures, it can be tempting to stop hoping for some of the things you truly want. If you're not hoping for anything, you don't need faith.

This week, I feel compelled to tell you, "Don't settle!". Ask yourself : 

What do I need to start hoping for again?

Perhaps it is for a relationship, or that you can lose the weight, balance your life, or take that leap of faith you've always wanted to take. Maybe you've stopped hoping for a better financial situation and started to settle for less than your best. Maybe you've given up on your dream of one day having a family or reconciling with a loved one. Whatever the case for you, I dare you to dream a bigger dream, and refuse to give up hope.

I'm not talking about setting up false expectations that set you up for heartache and disappointment. I'm talking about renewing the goals, desires and vision that speak to you deep within your spirit. Hope energizes. It inspires. It motivates. Sometimes we don't get what we hope for when we want it, but when we stop hoping altogether, we cease to do the things that will bring our dreams to life. The key is to balance your hope for the future with the decision to enjoy the present.

My challenge to you this week:  

Stop settling. Be true to yourself and your desires by giving yourself permission to hope for something more.

Journaling assignment: 

What have you stopped hoping for - for fear you will not get it? What is it time for you to start hoping for? Consider the five key areas of your life: Relationships, Finances, Work, Health and Spiritual Life. Then stretch your faith by resizing the dreams you've previously downsized!  

Until next time,  

This article is a re-post of a feature written by Valorie Burton.  For more information on Valorie Burton, please check out her website at www.valorieburton.com