Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Three Steps To Success Anyone Can Duplicate

Success means different things to different people. Whatever your definition of success, this article will help you realize your goals.

If you define success in terms of a good job or a profitable self-owned business, then this article may become the turning point in your life. As you read, I will share some of my success secrets, which I have been able to execute in my own online business.

What It Means To Be A Leader

During my time in the U.S. Army as an Army Staff Sergeant, I learned valuable lessons about leading teams to the successful completion of projects. I learned that by following the direction of good leaders, one could build the confidence and skill set necessary to become a successful leader.

Good leaders quickly separate themselves from the masses of people who simply live day-by-day doing only the bare minimum to keep their job one more day. In other words, leaders stand out in a crowd of managers and workers.

While the Army tried hard to bring leadership qualities out in all of their people, the truth was that leaders are those who decide to go the extra mile and to create a brighter future for themselves and others around them.

A good leader is simply the person who "helps" you to become the best person you can become, by teaching you how you can "help" other people to become successful too.

One Decision Can Change Your Destiny

Are you waiting?

Are you waiting for "me" to tell "you" the secret to success?

It is time for "you" to make a decision, now.

You must decide to stop waiting for success to come to you. Success simply will not fall out of the sky into your open arms. It does not work that way.

You must "decide" to become successful. If you are waiting for success, then success will never come your way. But, once you understand that success is waiting for you, and you decide to go get it, no matter what, then you will have changed your destiny for the better.

Follow In The Footsteps Of People Whom You Wish To Emulate

While I was in the U.S. Army, I learned how to seek out leaders who were willing to share with me their secrets to success. I actively sought out people who could help me to become a better leader.

Even in my daily life outside of the Army, I found several opportunities to hook up with people who exuded leadership qualities, people who were willing to share with me their own secrets to success.

The truth is that there are people who may doubt their own abilities to have something to share, but if they doubt themselves, they are wrong. Everyone has something important to teach others, but it takes a gem of a person to understand that the role of a leader is to teach others, what "they" take for granted.

A Lifetime Of Learning Over Lunch

Just the other day, I had lunch with a fellow who is probably responsible for selling more cars in our area than anyone else. In our local metropolitan market, if someone asks about a great car dealer, his name will surely be mentioned.

My lunch partner knew that I have a successful website, and he also knew that I had an interest in learning more about what is required to be successful, from him.

To my surprise, his first words were, "Clinton, I don't know if I can offer anything to you that would help you. I sell cars, and that is what I do. You have some kind of online business, and I cannot even venture to guess how you make your money."

My lunch partner went on to say, "I appreciate the offer to share a lunch with you, but your business and my business are so different. I would not even know where to begin in giving advice to you."

Despite his initial hesitation, we went on to have a great meal, and I learned a lot! I could literally spin several articles just on the knowledge that he was able to impart to me over lunch.

If You Want To Be Rich, Listen To Rich People

Online and offline, I like to associate with people who have been successful in their fields. I learn so much about growing my business, by listening closely to people who have defined their industries.

Even online, there are key people whom I pay close attention. With every conversation, I hear some gem of information that I can apply to my own online business. These tidbits of information pieced together have helped me carry my website from one in millions to one that has served more than a million visitors.

Success In Three Simple Repeatable Steps

My car dealer friend finally put aside the idea that he could not help anyone outside his own industry, and we had great conversation.

When I asked him the secret to selling cars, he said he could sum it up in three steps:

* Talk to your customers. When you understand the needs of your customers, then you know how you will best be able to help them solve their problems and achieve their goals.

* Follow-Up. People rarely buy on their first visit, so it is important to follow-up with them. When buying big-ticket items, people tend to shop around a little bit more. When you follow-up, you are frequently creating a relationship with your customer. When all is said and done, if two products are substantially equal, it is often the relationship the customer has with the sales person that will "seal the deal."

* Be persistent. Persistence does not equate to being pushy. Persistence means that you follow-up, once, twice, three times, and more if necessary. If a salesperson is obviously "only" interested in satisfying his or her own interests, then persistence could be construed as pushy. But, when your goal is to be persistent with the goal of helping the customer solve his or her problems and satisfy his or her goals, then persistence is a quality to be appreciated.

Learning Anew Each Day

Bill Platt at The Phantom Writers taught me the same lesson last year. Bill always tells me that the secret to success online is "consistency." He says that we need to talk to our potential customers, and we need to keep the conversation going by consistently talking to potential customer base.

John Reese of Marketing Secrets taught me the same lesson. He emphasized that I need to develop a newsletter or an auto-responder series so that I could create and keep an ongoing conversation with my potential customers. Reese also taught me to track my results (follow-up) on everything that I do for my business.

Since I started my website in 2001, I have noticed that all of my mentors tend to teach me the same lessons over and again in their own terminology.

All of my mentors continue to tell me to talk to my customers, follow-up, and to be persistent in talking to my customers

With so many people who are successful in their own industries sharing with me the same sage advice, I tend to pay attention.

Final Thoughts

It does not matter whether you seek to use this information to help your career or to build an online business.

Make your decision today; decide to be successful. And then follow the golden rule of helping others to achieve what they want to achieve, follow-up, and be persistent in your efforts.

If you play your cards just right, in just a few years, you might be the mentor that we will all want to attentively listen to and appreciate.

Monday, May 14, 2007

Being fired could be an advantage

The best way to start your new job search is to create an effective search strategy. It is up to you to take care of yourself and to find your next position. Also, solicit the help of friends and family to help you. Don’t forget Centrelink and community-based support groups, and even a good recruitment agency. It is time to take advantage of all the help you can get.

The key to surviving during this time is to fall back on your network of acquaintances. Let the world know that you are free and looking for exciting opportunities. Send an email to all of your friends, former colleagues, and relatives. They can often be a helpful supportive network that will immediately swing into action to help you in a variety of ways.

Don’t be embarrassed to send a note about your situation, detailing what kind of work you are looking for. Attach your updated résumé so it can be easily forwarded. You may be surprised at just how fruitful this ‘cry for help’ can be. Online sites that I believe are really worthwhile visiting are careerone.com.au where you can search jobs across Victoria. OzFreeOnline.com has a great online service. Register, submit al your search criteria for a quick an easy online job search. You will find that they have thousands of jobs Australia-wide, so do yourself a favour and log on today.

Your former employer’s main competitor should be one of your first calls in your job search. While your résumé is making the rounds, consider picking up a part-time job, temporary work, freelancing and consulting, which are also good options and can open the door to opportunities.

Many companies don’t wish to hire full-time employees immediately and prefer to bring people on as contract workers for an initial period. Jobs such as these can often lead to full-time positions.

The most important thing during this chaotic period is to be patient and keep a positive attitude. Stay physically active; exercise is a great stress reliever. Surround yourself with friends and loved ones. Be kind to yourself. Even if it takes a little while, you will bounce back. You will find that in a few months time, you may just find yourself in a better position than you could have imagined at the beginning of all this trauma, and perhaps it shall be a ‘golden
opportunity’ after all.

Saturday, May 5, 2007

Interview Tips & Tricks - Its All About Marketing the Skills and Talents

Having the appropriate skill sets is not sufficient until and unless a person has the pre-interview preparation. IT is necessary to have an idea about the type of questions that may arise and the answer to the same should be a heart winning one and not merely blame or highlight a problem.

What is an interview?
From the job seeker’s perspective, an interview is all about marketing one’s skill and talents, thereby projecting oneself as the most suitable candidate for a given post.

From the Employer’s perspective, interview is a tool for judging the employability of candidates for a given post.

In an interview, the questions that are put before a candidate are specially formulated by the employer to draw out some insights into the candidates' personality traits.

There are a number of questions such as “why were you fired?” etc that are often enough to baffle a fresher and take the wits out of them. Paradoxical as this may sound, but the best answer is not always the right answer. The best answer is one that is objective and focuses on solutions and positive outcome rather than blaming and dead analysis.

Keep in Mind Always
• To remain calm when faced with tough interview questions.
• To remain objective and focus on the solution not the problem
• Not to bad mouth or blame any of your past colleagues or bosses
• To check and beware of body language during uncomfortable questions
• To practice every possible uncomfortable question regarding your past job before the interview
• To identify and beware of what regards uncomfortable reactions regarding your past job
• To have sufficient questions for the interview to ensure that the past job experience does not repeat here; the question should be subtle but which can give you the sufficient information to help you to decide whether you should or not take the job if offered.
• Never to tell lies – even if you are sorely tempted during a tough question
• Not to show frustration, anger or disappointment on circumstances of leaving the past job.
• To show that you have outgrown the past and gained out of the experience even if it was not a pleasant one.

ICA believes that pre-interview preparation is as important as acquiring the skill sets in communication, personality development & overall thorough knowledge in the Accounting field. Students are trained in such a way that they acquire practical knowledge in topics like Basics of computers, Financial Accounting packages, Advanced Accounts Training, Taxation, Excise & Service Tax, R.O.C., Payroll & Investment & Banking, which is actually required at work.

A group of highly competent faculties which include CA, CS, ICWA, MBA & highly qualified computer professionals nurturing each and every individual in a very affable way. The class studies include assignments with real projects on live data in order to enable them to reconcile theoretical knowledge with practical exposure.

Our ever-active Placement division with their technically strong recruitment perception has already placed 30000+ candidates successfully across the vertical. In the recent months a new feather has been added to this cap through the overseas placement of our candidates.

Friday, May 4, 2007

Finding Success in Career Assessment

Successful people generally work in a career that they love. By using a career assessment test, you can discover your strengths and skills and match them to an occupation and working environment most suited to you. Career assessments tools come in many forms but most career assessment tests focus on the following:• Personality assessments seek your values and determine your decision making style. Personality assessments evaluate how you convey information to others and your work style. They help match your personality to an occupation and working environment most compatible to you.• Skills and aptitudes assessments determine mathematical, analytical, artistic, and creative skills to name a few.• Interest assessment tests determine where your passions lie. These tests can help determine the best working environment for you (indoors or outdoors), or they can reveal if you'll succeed best working with other people or independently.Where to Find Career Assessment TestsMost colleges and universities have qualified career counselors that have access to career assessment tests. You can also go online and find Web sites with free career assessments. You might try taking a number of different assessments that specialize in personality type, skills and aptitudes, and interests. You may find that your assessment results lead to a career totally unknown to you.Career Assessment OptionsCareer and assessment tools are designed to help you learn more about yourself and to guide you to a rewarding career. As we grow and develop our interests change. So occasionally taking a career assessment test may be a great practice to understand your own growth. You may discover that your assessment confirms what you already know about yourself or it may lead you to a brand new career. Wherever your assessment guides you, it should be a good adventure and lead you to a much better understanding of yourself.

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Career Decisions – Charting Your Own Destiny

Being grown up and having the freedom to ‘decide’ is a goal that most of us have. However, once we have reached our early twenties, and we realize that we are actually getting a little freedom, it is not such an exciting prospect. Why? Because along with the freedom comes the need to make responsible decisions, ones that are likely to dictate the course that our lives will take.

Getting Closer To Graduation Day

As we get closer to graduation day, whether it is for our first or second degree, or continuing education courses, most people are faced with a bewildering question – “What do I want to do?” It is now time to be proactive and take life by the horns. The course of your life has already been decided by the courses you took and your experience – for better or for worse, they have narrowed down your choices.

The key to figuring out where you fit in professionally is to put your academic or previous working life on paper and send your resume to prospective employers. It is then that you will see how it measures up in the real world. When it comes to your employment-related skills, ask yourself - how do they compare with the jobs available on the market? Do I have what employers are looking for? If your answer is ‘no’, ‘maybe’, or if you answer your own question by the fact that you are not getting any calls for interviews - then it’s time to do some reassessment – and decide if you need to bolster your skills with additional training, courses or meaningful work experience.

Once your skills are solid, you should compile a list of employers that you could approach. Why? Because jobs don’t grow on trees – you have to go after them! ‘Proving your worth’ is the name of the game. Once you get a few interview calls, (and with any luck, a subsequent job offer), you need to decide if you are going to take the job or not. At this stage, it is imperative to make the right decision – weighing salary, potential for advancement and the type of company – to be sure that it is the right job for you. If you have to wait a while longer for a suitable job to come along, then do it – it will be better for your career progression in the long run.

It Is Wise To Seek Wise Counsel

Whatever stage of your career you are in, a sound piece of advice is to seek counsel from the ‘experts’, such as a career coach. Run your ideas and career options by them. A good career coach is likely to be well-informed about the current trends in the job market and is also likely to be able to tell you how a particular job choice will (or won’t) help you. A career coach works for you, so you will receive sound advice.

Whether you are changing careers or just starting out, this phase of your life is likely to be scary - but it needn’t be traumatic. By taking advantage of additional training, education and the right career guidance, you should be just fine.