There is Nothing Special about YOU

There is Nothing Special about YOU Thats right.  Nothing. Before you get upset, please read this post by Greg Savage: There is nothing special about France It is brilliant.  Of course, there are plenty of special things about France, and Greg says so at the beginning. And there are plenty of special things about YOU, and I hope I dont have tell you that. But when it comes down to it, there are certain strategies and tactics that are principle-based, and universal, and you cant get away from them. My comment to Gregs post: I LOVE this.  Makes me think about me as a job seeker, 6 years ago, I thought I was special and didnt have to network because my resume would carry me above and beyond the others I was competing against.  And about any client I ever had with special needs who really had the exact same needs as everyone else, but really just wanted to voice their position for 10 minutes so they could be assured I could  accommodate  their special needs. I love the end where you say Asking for the business is hard everywhere   Networking is always hard, not just for introverts. This concept can be applied to so many skills/tasks. Are you thinking you are so special that you can get away from the basics? If you think you are that special, we should probably talk. Read his post here.  Its brilliant. There is Nothing Special about YOU Thats right.  Nothing. Before you get upset, please read this post by Greg Savage: There is nothing special about France It is brilliant.  Of course, there are plenty of special things about France, and Greg says so at the beginning. And there are plenty of special things about YOU, and I hope I dont have tell you that. But when it comes down to it, there are certain strategies and tactics that are principle-based, and universal, and you cant get away from them. My comment to Gregs post: I LOVE this.  Makes me think about me as a job seeker, 6 years ago, I thought I was special and didnt have to network because my resume would carry me above and beyond the others I was competing against.  And about any client I ever had with special needs who really had the exact same needs as everyone else, but really just wanted to voice their position for 10 minutes so they could be assured I could  accommodate  their special needs. I love the end where you say Asking for the business is hard everywhere   Networking is always hard, not just for introverts. This concept can be applied to so many skills/tasks. Are you thinking you are so special that you can get away from the basics? If you think you are that special, we should probably talk. Read his post here.  Its brilliant.

Federal Resume and KSA Writing Service

Federal Resume and KSA Writing ServiceFederal resume and KSA writing service offers a great deal of services that will make your job easier. The internet is the best place to do the research needed to find the most reliable services in the field. If you want your resume to have a major impact on the company where you're applying for the position, then you need a professional resume. Your KSA is also one of the important things that you'll need to consider, so you need the right people to help you with that.Remember, no matter what type of resume you're looking for, they will be able to help you. There are many online sites that offer this kind of service and will be able to find just the right resume for you. The hardest part about finding these services is finding the right one to choose from.There are several services that can help you with your KSA. If you're looking for a federal resume service, then you'll want to do your research and figure out which one has the best credential s. You also want to make sure that you don't have to pay for their services as you'll be able to find free ones that can do just as good a job.If you're not comfortable doing your own research, then it may be a good idea to find a writing service that will help you find just the right thing for you. They will create a special resume for you that can give you an edge over all of the other applicants for the position. This will give you the edge in getting your resume noticed, which will lead to you being hired.When you hire a KSA writing service, you will be able to get the results you're looking for. They will help you with your resume and KSA so that you can be noticed by employers. You won't have to worry about having to re-write your resume each time it needs to be updated.This means that you can get the information you need without having to write the whole thing yourself. That means you can get the information you need about what companies need from you. All you have to do is t ype in the information you need and let the service does the rest.A resume and KSA writing service will also be able to help you with your qualifications and strengths, as well as your weakness. They will also know when you should use bullet points and how to create your cover letter and resume correctly. It's just another tool that they have available to them so that you can take advantage of their knowledge.A resume and KSA writing service is just one way that you can make sure that you're getting the information you need to be successful. Most of these services will allow you to edit your resume and KSA whenever you need to. You will have the information you need to show what you have to offer to a company, whether that's on a resume or on a KSA.

The 18 Best Remote Job Boards in 2020 - Career Sidekick

The 18 Best Remote Job Boards in 2020 - Career Sidekick The 18 Best Remote Job Boards in 2020 Remote Job Search / https://www.edenscott.com/blog Working remotely is incredible no dress code, no commute, and more freedom than you know what to do with.But how do you find remote jobs online to apply for? Which remote job search engines have the most listings? And which are not worth the effort?In this article, were going to look at the best remote job boards and job search engines to find full-time remote/telecommuting jobs in every industry.Make sure you read the description below each website on the list, because well also reveal which of these remote job search engines are best for various industries (like tech, sales marketing, customer support, data entry, accounting finance, and more).Lets get startedThe 18 Best Remote Job Boards Job Sites:We spent hours searching for the best job boards dedicated to finding fully remote jobs. Here are the absolute best that we found.Note that this list is primarily job boards to find full-time, permanent remote jobs. If youre looking for freelance gigs, we recommend Upwork.com, and possibly TopTal.(And if you do want to land gigs on Upwork, make sure to read our in-depth upwork proposal guide here).Now lets get started with the main list.Here are the best remote job boards for finding full-time remote jobs:1. Talent.Hubstaff.comHubstaff Talent is a great site that not everyone knows about for finding remote jobs.They offer full-time and part-time remote jobs, with different compensation packages (salary, hourly, etc.)They also offer advanced search features so you can quickly find jobs that fit what youre looking for, which saves time.Note that this site does offer some freelance remote jobs, so if you only want full-time/permanent remote work, make sure to filter for that. (Its easy and can be done in one click).2. WeWorkRemotely.comThis is another one of the biggest and longest-running remote job boards.The site looks mainly geared toward programming jobs when you first arrive, but dont judge too quickly their list of categorie s includes far more from design jobs, copywriting, product management, customer support, sales, marketing and more.If a category of job can be done remotely, you can find it on this site.3. VirtualVocations.comVirtual Vocations is another one of the biggest and best remote job websites.They have a huge variety of job types including customer service, account management, administrative, engineering, design, social media, sales and far more (see screenshot below).Also in the screenshot, youll notice that you can filter by Telecommute Level. So if you want a fully remote job, make sure you select that 100% Telecommute option.4. Remote.coRemote.co is another large remote job site covering a variety of fields, not just programming jobs.By browsing their remote jobs categories, you can find positions in accounting, editing, writing, QA, marketing, legal, and much more.Yes, they also have programming and web design jobs. So this remote job search engine is worth a look if youre in those fi elds, too.But this site is also a fantastic choice if youre coming from a background that isnt always shown much attention on other remote job boards (like legal, accounting, etc.)5. WorkingNomads.coThis remote job board features primarily full-time remote positions and has a great category/tag system to help you filter down the results and only see what youd be interested in.You can see the filters and tag system in the screenshot above. It makes it very easy to start finding jobs that interest you.6. JobsPresso.coThis is another medium-sized (but fast-growing) remote job website featuring the usual software-related categories like UI/UX, DevOps, engineering, etc., but also positions like sales, writing, editing and much more.The site is super easy to navigate with job categories coded by color.This makes it easy to skim through and see if any of their remote positions fit your skillset.7. Remotive.ioRemotive.io provides a list of remote jobs thats updated daily.The site is modern and easy/simple to use and has a good overall quality of jobs posted.Categories include software development, customer support, design, product, and marketing/sales. The emphasis seems to be on remote software development jobs, though.8. Jobs.Crossover.comCrossover features a really good assortment of high-paying remote jobs with a focus on long-term, full-time positions, which arent always the easiest to find when searching for remote jobs online.All of the positions show the approximate starting pay which is great, and they have everything from remote individual contributor roles up to Executive positions (VP of Product, etc).The interface is easy to navigate and you can see the starting pay for each job.Youll also notice the category in the screenshot- sales jobs. So this isnt just for programming jobs, etc. (Although they cover plenty of that, too)9. JustRemote.coJustRemote isnt as large as some of the job boards mentioned above, but they still have a good-sized listing of fully remote positions in programming, design, marketing, copywriting and more.They also have a category for manager/executive positions, which is interesting and not something weve seen on a lot of other remote job websites on this list.10. SkipTheDrive.comThis is going to be one of the best job board choices if youre in a field thats slightly outside of the normal remote job offering e.g. not a programmer, designer, etc.Sure, they have that, too. But the strength of this site really seems to be the variety of categories.They offer remote jobs in everything from case management, recruiting, HR, quality assurance, finance, editing, and more.11. Remoteok.ioThis remote job search website also has a nice system of tags to filter the search results.They offer remote jobs in marketing, design, programming and more and seem to have a few new jobs posted every day.(We saw 7 jobs posted within the past 24 hours when we checked).12. Outsourcely.comOutsourcely is not the best name for a remote jo b search engine (in our opinion), since we think of temporary/part-time jobs when we hear the word outsource.However, thats not the case with this job board. The majority of jobs we saw were full-time remote positions.Other things we like: The job descriptions are detailed, and the jobs seem high-quality overall. So this website is certainly worth a look if youre searching for remote jobs online.13. LetsWorkRemotely.comLetsWorkRemotely isnt as popular as some of the job boards mentioned above, but we love the simple, easy to use layout and the great search filtersYou can filter your search by results by category (like marketing, writing, SEO, social media, etc.)And they offer filters for full-time, part-time, and contract/freelance positions.So by spending a few seconds setting up good search filters, youll only see highly-relevant search results.Most of the remote jobs we found on this job board listed the starting pay, too, which is great. Nobody likes to apply without knowing wha t the job pays!14. RemoteCircle.comRemote Circle is a site that helps you find remote jobs for your specific time zone.Youll need to sign up to start viewing jobs, but after joining, you can view remote jobs and filter by category, keywords, and more.15. AuthenticJobs.comAuthentic Jobs brands itself as The leading job board for designers, developers, and creative pros.So thats who this job board will be most useful for.And while its not 100% focused on remote positions, the majority of positions we saw were remote.When searching, use the little blue “wifi” logo to have your searches show remote jobs only. 16. RemoteWorkHub.comRemote Work Hub is a popular remote job board and also a job search advice website with good articles and ideas to help you find fully remote jobs and get more job offers.Theyre definitely worth visiting to search for telecommute jobs and pick up a few job hunting tips at the same time.17. LinkedInLinkedIn now offers remote as a location option for job post ings and job searching. Its one of the best overall job boards we recommend because of its Easy Apply feature and high number of job listings. And its definitely one of the top remote job boards we recommend using now that they finally offer remote job listings.If youre not already active and regularly using LinkedIn, considering this yet another reason to use it.To get started with remote job search on LinkedIn, just type the word Remote into the job search bar, and enter the location you want to see jobs in. Or you can simply search Google for LinkedIn remote jobs.18. DynamiteJobs.coThis site offers great remote job search filters. You can immediately narrow down for timezone and area of focus like marketing, design, business development, technical support, software development and much more.While so many other remote job search engines seem geared toward tech workers only, we love how this site has plenty for creatives, administrative workers, and more.For further reading, you m ay also want to check out our list of the 20+ best job boards for IT/tech.Weve also published a list of the top 10 job search websites overall. (Not remote-specific).For general job search tips, keep reading. There are a few tactics you should know about for finding remote jobsBonus: 3 Tips for Using These Remote Job Search Engines to Find a Remote Position First, Ive had some people ask me, Arent remote jobs really competitive and hard to get?Yes, they often are.But it can be done. People get hired for fully remote jobs every day!Just make sure youre on top of your game with your resume, your interview preparation, and all of the other factors that are within your control in your job hunt.You cant cut corners in those areas and expect to get interviews and job offers for remote jobs; theres just too much competition. But getting a remote job is definitely doable.If you want more help getting interviews and turning them into job offers, we have 200+ articles on our site that can hel p you. Also, job boards arent always the best place to apply for jobs.Networking is better (getting introduced to the hiring manager by a current or former employee of the company, etc.)Companies are a lot more likely to interview you when someone they know and trust recommends you.Applying directly (via the company website, via email, etc.) is often better than using job boards, too.So dont conduct your job search 100% through job boards. Thats not a good idea in any job search, remote or not.But you can apply for a few jobs via these remote job websites to supplement the other efforts youre making. Thats the best way to use this list.AND you can use these remote job search engines to research the companies that hire remotely, and then apply directly via their websites. Thats a tactic that might help you get noticed.So keep this in mind as you use the list of remote job websites above. These sites can be an extremely useful tool, but dont rely on them too much in your job hunt! Th ey shouldnt replace networking, emailing hiring managers and employers directly, searching for positions on LinkedIn, etc.

Office politics encourages self-improvement

Office politics encourages self-improvement Office politics is good for you. That is, it makes your life better not just your work life, but your whole life. Office politics is a commitment to quality in your relationships and in your projects. So you need to see it as the glorious underpinning of a transparent workplace in which everyone helps one another. To that end, being good at office politics improves your ability to meet goals while also adhering to your core values. Here are five reasons why. 1. Office politics reward people who are genuinely kind. The people who think office politics is about kissing up are  the ones  who dont understand being nice. Being nice is taking the time to figure out whats important to someone and helping him or her get what they want. This requires empathy, compassion, and an intention to do good. Who can argue that this isnt positive stuff? People who try to do favors without taking the time to understand what others actually want are brownnosers. Its empty favors and vapid praise that give office politics a bad name. But theres justice in this world: People who attempt office politics without the empathy and compassion it requires actually do very poorly at them. 2. Office politics reward good time-managers. To be good at office politics, you need to take the time to understand other peoples work so you can give them help when you can (after getting your own work done first, of course). You shouldnt expect others to take time to teach you what they do. Part of doing a good deed is not requiring extra work from someone in order to perform the good deed for them. So only good time-managers succeed at office politics, because only the highly productive can feel comfortable enough with their own workload to take on tasks that require lots of mental energy but arent on their to-do list per se. That said, if you think you can be good at your job without making time for office politics, youre wrong. The hardest workers arent the  ones who get promoted. Its  the people who are most liked at the office who get promoted. 3. Office politics is the answer to burnout. Its very fashionable to complain about feeling burned-out at work. Fortunately, office politics is a way to solve the burnout problem. Burnout doesnt come from too much work it comes from  doing the wrong kind of work. So you can solve your burnout problems by figuring out who has the power to give you rewarding work. Figure out how you can help that person, and once youve made their life better ask them for help making your life better. People like to help  others whove helped them. You might argue that its better to do good deeds without expecting anything in return, and thats true. So go do some. But you can be both altruistic and political at the same time. Theyre not mutually exclusive doing both just requires more time and energy. 4. Office politics is a road to self-knowledge. Some people are easy to read. You see your boss weakness, say, and jump in to help overcome that weakness. Or you see when a co-worker is scared and offer support at just the right time. But some people are baffling. One or two will always misinterpret what you say, or always think youre annoying, or always exclude you from office activity. These are the people you can learn the most from, because you have to examine your own weaknesses to see why you cant connect with them. And you have to challenge yourself and stretch your strengths to meet them on their own terms. Dont tell me some people are too difficult being good at office politics means  being able to get along with anyone. Aim to be that kind of person and youll be more likable and more capable in work and life. 5. Office politics is about honesty. Why are you at work? To grow, to learn, to support yourself, and to have fun. How do you meet these goals? By carefully setting yourself up to get what you want from the people you spend your day with. Its absurd to think that you go to work only to meet company goals. Thats not enough, because you wont  stay with the company forever. Be loyal, sure, but be loyal to the idea of doing good work for whoever employs you. And be loyal to your own  goals   to the idea that you owe it to yourself to find paths to grow. Office politics is the process of meeting these goals for yourself and for the company you work for. Those who are most dedicated to productive, honest, and meaningful work are also most dedicated to the art of office politics.

Resume Writing Phrases - What Should They Be?

Resume Writing Phrases - What Should They Be?Writing a resume can be one of the most important parts of your job search. A poor resume or a well-written one will help you get a job quickly and with the information you need to land that job. But how do you come up with effective resume writing phrases?Of course, there are lots of places online where you can find resume writing tips. Some will be good for certain types of jobs, but not as useful for resumes for sales, marketing, and/or customer service positions. And other resume writing tips may work better than others. But the most effective method of resume writing is to apply your own unique style.As you read more about resume writing phrases, you will realize that many of them actually have very little or no rhyme or reason to them. That's why it's important to be innovative. Most resumes are written for a 'typical' person. What is that 'typical' person? A mom with two kids, who loves children, pets, and going on trips.The writer should never go into details about any family history or personality traits, or make any kind of hard sales pitch. What the writer should do is focus on what the applicant can do for the organization and the benefits that they can bring to their current position.After the qualifications and how good the candidate would be for the job, it's time to pull out the facts. Facts are the most powerful tool of all, when writing a resume. Never use assumptions or vague or half-baked language.When you have facts backed up by examples, it's much easier to make a good first impression with the employer. That first impression starts with a clean, clear resume.Also, be sure to include all the career and educational experience that you can provide, even if it means using your resume words incorrectly or leaving a statement out. Never leave out an entire experience; leave out the negative aspects, but keep all the positive ones.A resume is a letter from you, not your boss. Your resume writing phras es must be realistic, should help the employer to see what you are capable of, and should show how your experiences match up with the company's needs.

Why Choose a Career in Social Media Management - CareerMetis.com

Why Choose a Career in Social Media Management A career in social media management can be difficult, but it has some major perks and benefits.Social Media Management is a newly developed career path that you may have overlooked when thinking about your future career choice. As new social networks continue to rapidly sprout, Social Media Marketing has become a new branch within the marketing realm.It takes a lot of skill to develop valuable social media practices that will aid in growing a brands online presence. While it is hard work, there’s a huge payoff if you can masterly navigate the various channels of social media marketing.evalHere are the top five reasons why a social media management position is a career choice you may want to spend some time investigating when looking at potential career opportunities.1. The Landscape is Constantly EvolvingDon’t like the daily grind of doing the same thing every day?Social media management gives you a lot of unchartered territory to explore. Social media outlets such as Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, amongst others, are constantly changing and adding new features/updates to keep users on their toes.Along with these changes comes the ever-changing user response rates that you’ll have to constantly keep tabs on and adapt your various marketing techniques to reflect what’s trending.These new developments mean social media managers will have to explore how these new features can enhance their client’s branding strategy and expand. You can establish your brands voicein a number of ways through social media features.Who creates and manages that voice? Social media managers.evalAs social media changes, you can create and evolve your client’s voice and branding along with it in real-time. Managers can change their focus, try new things, and see what sticks without having to wait for months to pass to measure its success.2. You’re Always LearningWorking in social media management means you’re always learning how to do something bigger, better, and in a mor e valuable way. You’re a huge asset to the team understanding how to use social media to create, promote, and maintain brand awareness.Due to social media’s constant evolution of features, this also means you’re always learning and developing a new skill set, new ways to market a brand’s presence online, and learning how to do that successfully.Believe it or not, social media started way back in 1997, but arguably we can make the assessment that social media didn’t exactly blow up until outlets like MySpace and Facebook came to fruition.evalYes, remember MySpace? A brand’s presence on certain social media outlets may also adapt and change depending on what needs to be marketed and their target audience, that’s where social media managers come into play.Again, it’s a constant learning process and social media managers are kept on the tips of their toes because of this. Social media managers also need to understand how social media outlets such as Facebook, are doing s tatistically to see how their brand can succeed in marketing efforts or if other avenues need to be taken.For instance, Facebook’s traffic is down 50 million hours per day ever since Facebook CEO and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg demanded fewer viral videos.Ouch! Despite this fact, Facebook and YouTube still dominate the social media landscape in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center. That being said, the same survey reported that among young Americans According to Statista, in 2017, 81 percent of U.S. Americans had a social media profile, and worldwide, the number of social media users reached 1.96 billion and is expected to grow to an estimated 2.5 billion in 2018.That’s a lot of unlocked potential for social media managers.How’s that for job security? Social media has become a great way for people of all ages to connect. Even better, you will be working with measurable results.Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to confront your boss and convince him or her that you deserve a raise or to convince a client that they should move into a particular direction?You can’t argue with cold, hard data! Being able to collect insights and share that data is a great asset to have internally and externally to show off how hard you’re working. Your actions will make you the star of the show!5. Stay ConnectedRemember what social media in general does!evalIt allows you to constantly be in contact with people. You’re constantly connecting and socializing with all walks of life from all over the world. How cool is that?Being tapped into the social media world allows you to do your own research and collect your own data to further your marketing campaigns and to be more effective in your branding efforts. You have your finger on the pulse of whoever you are trying to connect with as a social media manager.Social media management is a big beast to reign in, but with all of the powerful tools involved, it’ll keep the job challenging, yet very re warding for the crowd who loves to stay connected.Want to further break down various job positions within the social media realm?Check out this article titled: 6 Career Paths for the Social Media Savvywritten by our friends over at Instasize.

9 Ways to Stand Out in the Interview - Hire Imaging

9 Ways to Stand Out in the Interview - Hire Imaging 1. Don’t rush your entrance. I encourage my clients and job seekers in general to be respectful of process; to not do or say something that will cause raised eyebrows or hiring minds to doubt you. However, my perpetual mindset is early influenced by Tevye, the lead character in the Broadway musical, Fiddler on the Roof. There’s always an “on the other hand”! If your conservative approach has not been working for you, there are nine strategies that I’ve seen to be very effective if used in a natural, unforced way. They can make a difference, simply because it’s very likely your competition will not be using them! 1. Don’t rush your entrance. When you walk into the room or office, deliberately take your time. Pause at the door, confirming that the interviewer is ready for you before you walk in. Take a few seconds to look around and acclimate yourself when you enter. After you and the interviewer greet one another and shake hands, take your time when settling yourself into the chair. By taking things a little slower, you appear more poised and professional. 2. Ask the first question. There’s no reason that you can’t take the initiative, even though typically the interviewer asks the first question. The question, “What has the response been to your new product line?” shows immediately that you know something about the company. It can be the impetus for getting the interviewer to reveal some trends, successes or concerns that you can capitalize on later in the interview. 3. Be your authentic self. Assuming that you don’t have any flagrant behavior liabilities that would kill your chances for most jobs, don’t be afraid to be yourself. If you have a quirky side to your personality, reveal it just a tad. Your love of a certain genre. Your fascination with a certain topic. Your commitment to serving a cause. Your unusual guttural laugh. Your tendency to use your hands a lot because your parents were deaf. Most interviewers like to come away from an interview with at least a general sense of who you really are. Ironically, you often do yourself more harm than good when you try too hard to play the part of the interviewee you think they wantâ€"the ideal candidate. 4. Balance charisma with sincerity. While it’s important to build rapport with the person interviewing you, don’t go overboard. Your main goal is to bring to light the skills, experience and talents you have to offer that are relevant to the job at hand. If you focus on this in an honest, open way, that rapport should be a natural result. If you try too hard, though, you’ll likely come across as annoying or transparently obvious. And while you certainly don’t want to bring to light any information that could cause doubt about your ability to do the job for which you’re being interviewed, steer clear of any reaction that could be construed as defensive. When asked that common “weakness” question, be aware of your weakness, admit it, and talk about how you’ve worked through it to be better â€" and of course your strengths that offset that weakness. Charisma goes a long way. 5. Stay brief and focused. Keep your answers as short and pithy; and as directly attentive to the question as possible. Tell your story relevant to the question. Don’t over-answer. Don’t feel compelled to fill in a silence that follows your answer with more information. Let that silence work in your favor, giving the interviewer time to absorb what you’ve just said. Notice visual clues â€" a shake of the head, for example. 6. Promote your case in writing. Even if your interviewer has seen your resume, there’s nothing wrong with â€" after you’ve done some due diligence on the job and the company â€" from compiling a short list that spells out the value that you bring to the table for this particular opening. What is the benefit of handing the interviewer that list at the beginning of the interview? If for some reasons, the interviewer hasn’t prepared a list of questions, the list can likely serve as the focal point of the interview. If the interviewer has his or her questions ready ahead of time, your list sends the message that you’re have done your homework, are prepared and confident, and that you want this job. After all, you’ve put forth extra effort. 7. Make them an offer. If you feel that things have gone smoothly in the interview and you really want the job, why not make the interviewer an offer? What kind of offer? Offer to do something â€" help solve a problem they’re facing, write a report they’re behind on, or troubleshoot a bug they’ve got in their technology. Propose to spend two or three days on the job for no pay. This shows the interviewer that you have the right stuff to do this job. You may get turned down, but the fact that you’ve offered often impresses the interviewer. 8. Ask about coming back. The usual interview scenario ends with the interviewer thanking you and telling you that he’ll be in touch after the company has interviewed the other candidates â€" your competition. Before that message is conveyed, what if you tell the interviewer (again with sincerity and no drama) that you’d really love to come back again and talk more about the position and how you can do it. Yes, again, the interviewer may well politely turn you down. That’s the worst that can happen. 9. Give them an appropriate leave-behind. Have something ready that you’ve prepared ahead of time (in addition to your resume) that might enhance your chances of being hired. It could be a sales campaign in PowerPoint graphs. It could be a strategic plan that you did for another company (make sure you don’t violate any confidentialities), or even a research paper from school. Anything that shows your work relevant to the value you could bring to the table. Yes, these nine strategies are bold and assertive. They may or may not get you the job. But if used respectfully and confidently, they can only help make your case and enhance your image with the interviewer. And isn’t that what it’s about? Photo: Liravega258

2012 By the Numbers (and whats changed from last year)

2012 By the Numbers (and whats changed from last year) Last year, I wrote this post, sharing my 2011 numbers in terms of where I spent my time and made my money. This year, I wanted to do the same because, well, so much has changed and its really helping me celebrate as well as shape my 2013 plans. Can you read it OK? As is my way, I made this as a card for my Box o Business Brilliance, and because I made it myself off of my 2012 Types of Income Report from Outright, its definitely handmade and possible a bit illegible. Here are the highlights: In 2011, about 85% of my income was from personalized coaching, and I freaked because I knew Id have to cut back on it.  In 2012, my personalized coaching made up for 54% of my income, and thats fab for me as I really wanna diversify my offerings and income streams. My Operations! (aka my group sessions) brought in the most money for me overall. I dont think I really grasped this as I was going through the numbers month-to-month, as this was really surprising for me. I have to admit I wasnt thrilled that my Operations! didnt sell out last time around, and I wasnt planning to run them again in 2013. I want to replace them with a different type of group coaching experience (its still percolating promise to let you know when its been fully cooked!), and while Im now nervous that Im not running my Biggest Seller of 2012, I know now what I wanna aim for money-wise with the new offering. I think it has potential to make what I made this year and then some, plus be able to work with more people at a lower price point. I think its gonna be a win-win all around, and a way to evolve professionally. Um, remember how I fought and fought  for my Little Clubhouse That Could? Im oh so glad I did, because it was my biggest non-coaching seller of 2012 and brought in 20% of my income for the year. Im so glad I stuck to my heart-guts on that one. You cant tell from the image above, but I made $110.09 less than I made last year. With the uncertainty of being an entrepreneur and the way my income flucuated month to month (especially the 7-ish weeks I spent barely coaching), it was a bit freaky to be so on the nose with how much I made last year. Freaky and reassuring. I have been keeping a handmade Box o Business Brilliance card that shows where I landed financially each month since Jan 2010, but its gotten super sloppy and a bit tough to read. So, I created a new spreadsheet in Google Docs and represented each monthly income by writing the year in the box that lined up with the amount I put on the left-hand side. Does that make sense? Basically, what you see above doesnt include the left hand column, which lists the actual money amount but I think you can get the gist regardless. All I can say that August was, again, my killer month. 3 years in a row. It makes me wonder if its a chicken-or-the-egg type thing, though. Is it my best month because I offer something everyone wants then? Or because people wanna spend money then? Thats definitely something Im gonna experiment with in 2013. Above youll see my Time Breakdown for 2012. I love how Freckle  does reports by project or tag or anything in between. I loved seeing how my majority of 2012 was spent in Business Building. I always like the time I spend there, and it shows me how much Im focused on growing and creating and working on When I Grow Up.  It was weird, though, to see my client work fall into 2nd and 4th place, although if you put Operations and Private Clients together it would be where I spent the most time. It also shows me that, um, I wanna be spending way less time than 221 hours over the course of the year on blogging and email. Oh hell no. Thats gotta stop. And ya know what I realized? Ive been aiming to just answer email for 45 minutes a day but 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year is 195 hours overall! Just on email! Im putting structures in place to cut that in half. Its so on. Overall, I worked 1,385 hours in 2012, which breaks down to 116 hours a month and then again to about 29 hours/week. I know with the year I had there were super heavy weeks where I worked lots and super light weeks where I barely had a couple hours, so this isnt super surprising. I wish I had all my time tracking data for 2011 (I started using Freckle in April 2011), but based on my average month in 2011 I worked 288 hours less than last year and made just $110 less. Thats reassuring to me in a ton of different ways. I feel like I should be wrapping up this post like I did last year, talking about where my clients and consultation call peeps come from, but I honestly dont have the time right now to go through the numbers. Its upsetting because its a direct correlation of my surgery I had to move clients and calls around that wouldve been during my delicious 2012 Review Week but Im over it and just doing my best to take care of me and give myself some space. If I end up running those numbers and anything is surprising or worth sharing, I promise to let you know! ________