Is Being a Good Employee Out of Style

Is Being a Good Employee Out of Style Is Being a Good Employee Out of Style I do. I remember the first time a manager gave me praise, my first killer performance review and the first time I nailed a project right on the nose.Being a great employee is notlage as valued as it once was. As unemployment wobbles back to pre-2008 figures, stspeciesups start poking up with more frequency, and jobs slowly morph into roles, the art of being a great employee can at times get lost in the headlines.But whether you consider your employer the client, the candidate, the hiring manager or some amalgamation of all of the above, the traits that make a fantastic employee are valuable in all aspects of business. Heres how you can become employee of the month, every month.Research conducted by Time magazine in 2010 indicated that less than half of American workers (45%) are satisfied with their jobs. This is the lowest percentage since 1987 and is an indication that U.S. employers have a lot of work ah ead of them to undo the effects of the economic downturn and deterioratingemployee attitudes.Keep it professional. No matter how close you are to colleagues and clients, keep your mouth shut about politics, religion, sex, money and personal habits. This is an easy rule to keep once you set up a framework and ensures that your co-workers are comfortable.Do your homework. You know that saying that there are no stupid questions? It is not true, particularly at the end of a long meeting or workday when you blurt out something pretty ridiculous. Asking a question just to contribute when it doesnt further the purpose makes others exasperated and makes you look kind of ridiculous. By all means, do this if you want people to immediately tune you out.Underpromise. Overdeliver. You hear this all the time but it never stops being true. Letting your clients, coworkers and yes, your boss know what they can expect from you is paramount but going that extra step almost never fails to delight every one involved.Learn to say I Dont Know. If you dont know, dont pretend that you do. Have trouble admitting you have no clue about something? Think of it this way, every minute you spend hemming and hawing keeps your team from moving forward with the right information. Become an expert at getting the info and be an asset to everyone around you.Negative Nellies Need leid Apply. Ugh. Are you that person? The one that says It cant be done and heres why or I see some serious issues in that? Dont get discouraged, its not an all-bad thing. No one needs another yes-man but playing devils advocate can quickly veer into The Valley of the Nos, really quick-like.Know how to handle sensitive topics. We all want employees to raise issues, but some problems are better handled one-on-one. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects because their performance allows greater freedom. The employee who comes to you after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue that if brough t up in a group setting would have set off a firestormdoes you and the business a favor.Wheels up Everyone knows that the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but in this case, being the squeaky wheel might get you a promotion in the short term, but long term is it really the best things for the company? Most likely it isnt. Complaining, over delegation and chatting up all your cube mates might make you popularbut it wont make you effective.In a world that is becoming increasingly more social and engaged learning how to interact with your team, your clients, your candidates and yes, your boss, is paramount. Not all interactions can be navigated online. Bring some pride back into your workplace and start becoming the employee of the month.

Tips for Using Social Media Marketing to Promote Your Book

Tips for Using Social Media Marketing to Promote Your BookTips for Using Social Media Marketing to Promote Your BookBook absatzwirtschaft campaigns certainly benefit from the effective use of online social networks. Below, book publicity and marketing coach and consultant, Sandra Beckwith, she shares herbei thoughts on how authors can do a better job of leveraging their online social networks to promote their books. Tell Readers What They Will Get From Your Book on Social Media Social media networks are certainly an important part of a book marketing campaign and, because theyre so accessible, thats what most authors tend to focus on. But one book promotion tip that will help you stand out across all your networks social media and otherwise is focus on what readers will get from your book. The fact that the book exists is not news enough. Your friends might buy your writing because they want to support your lifelong dream of writing a book or help you get further in your goal t o be an Amazon best-selling author- but how many friends do you have? Their friends want to be entertained, or are interested in the information they can learn from your book- its the content that will bring readers to your book. Thats what you need to make aya to share in your book marketing and publicity efforts. Change Your Book Marketing Message for Each Social Media Demographic In terms of rising above the noise, whats true for traditional media is also true for social media crafting your message is not a one-size-fits-all situation. The type and tone of information you share might vary from network to network. For example, say you wrote a professional book about your industry- your tweets would be short, pithy and informal, while your blog posts might be information-rich and full of useful links. Leverage Each Social Media Platform Differently to Market Your Book Facebook (Personal) Heres a good case for why content is important- in order for information to go viral, it needs to seem interesting or useful enough to pass along. How many of your Facebook friends (and their friends) might find something interesting enough about your book to share it with their networks? Send them a message with a link to the books purchase page at your favorite retailer, and ask them to share it on their walls.Facebook (Professional) Do you have a separate groupie page for your book or one of its characters? These pages encourage interaction, which, in turn, drives traffic. Ask people to participate, as well as share information about the book on their own pages. Blog You have more flexibility on your own blog so, if at all possible, create a page for your book and share why your book is important and how it will help educate, entertain, or inform readers. When your post updates, you can link back to that page. Ask your blog subscribers to consider sharing that information with their own networks and groups, and, of course, offer to do an interview or guest post re lated to your book on their blogs, too.Twitter Of course, youll tweet about your book to your followers, but be smart about it. Dont do it constantly, and be sure not to make it a hard sales pitch (Buy my book) But instead, share tidbits that help people understand your books value. These are the most likely to be re-Tweeted. Your Google Circle The Circles tool on Google is tailor-made for author networking. Create a Circle for those in your Google network who might be interested in your book and share interesting book-related information with them. Keep Your Social Media Pages Updated Be sure to keep all your online social networks updated on your virtual book tour stops, media interviews that appear online, and so on. You never know which one a potential reader will visit- you dont want to take the chance that someone interested in your book will miss information that might engage him or her. Also, its important to remember that social networks were developed to emulate our re al-world networks- to be social, to engage, to share, to learn- not merely to sell. Be active in your groups, participate in online forums. Share news of your book, but avoid any hard-sell messages. And be generous and reciprocal with those in your social media networks- do unto them as you would have them do to you. Post, tweet and share their news, as well. Of course, online social networks arent the only kind we all have. Utilize all your social networks in your book marketing campaign. Sandra Beckwith, a former award-winning publicist, now teaches authors how to become their own book publicists. For more book publicity and promotion tips, and to sign up for her free newsletter, visit buildbookbuzz.com.

How to Handle Requests for Favors or Your Time - The Muse

How to Handle Requests for Favors or Your Time - The MuseHow to Handle Requests for Favors or Your Time If you have a good job and have recently spent time with family or old friends, youre probably familiar with the situation You share a big accomplishment or project youve been working on and a relative says, You should talk to insert distant cousin or friend of a friend here about what you do. He needs to work this summer. You can get him an internshipOf course, its good to be helpful, and you dont want to be rude. On the other hand, youre cringing inside because you also know that networking, while important, can take up lots of your time.I experienced these awkward moments regularly during my days working at MTV and VH1. Despite telling people that I worked on the corporate side and was not involved in production, I was pitched so many new artists and demo tracks that I could have started my own record label. Putting in a good word for an internship or location was another common request that, as a junior manager at a company of 10,000 people, I never had enough influence to honor.Through trial and error, I learned a few tips for handling the request and keeping my time and energy in check. If youre in a similar boat, consider the followingAsk Questions to Qualify ReadinessSome requests can be handled on the spot before you expend too much effort. Treat your conversation like a screening before a job interview, and focus on SPF skill, potential, fit. (And yes, even in situations when parents are asking favors for their college-aged kids, you can assume that they have some basic knowledge about their childs career pursuits.)SkillWhat to Ask What are your strongest skills?What to Listen For While a resume should spell this out pretty clearly, everyone should be able to speak confidently about what theyre good at when asked. PotentialWhat to Ask What are your career goals?What to Listen For If her goals clearly align with what your company is looking for, cons ider what kind of arc she could have within your team in the short and long term. You definitely dont want to bend over backward to help someone who binnenseems unfocused or will jump ship at the sight of the next hot trend (R.I.P. Bitcoin).FitWhat to Ask Its awkward to ask Why would anyone want to sit next to you eight hours a day? but you can get an answer by being perceptive. What to Listen For You know what it takes to fit into your company and team, so read the persons character in your conversation. If you feel shes arrogant or unmotivated now, shes probably not going to change any time soon. SPF will help you know how ready someone is for an opportunity. If you find the person hasnt put much thought into his search, try referring him to resources that will help him learn more, such as your company website or industry blogs. If he or she passes your SPF screen, you can consider helping out- think mentioning your experience to the hiring manager, writing a LinkedIn recommendati on as an advisor or mentor, or setting up some time to talk more. On that note Understand the Time InvestmentYou should never feel forced into networking or doing a favor for someone (especially for someone you dont know well), so its important for you to set the rules for how you spend time on requests to zupflmmel your brain, sit down for informational interviews, or answer questions about your career. Know that you have several options available, includingAnswering Questions by Email One option is to ask the person to send you his or her top three questions over email. This approach is mutually beneficial because you can respond when you have the time and your recipient gets thoughtful answers instead of rushed ones. Just try not to let a week pass without a response unless you give specific, advance notice of how long it will take. Taking a Phone Call Even if someone wants to chat with you, you dont have to meet in person A 15-minute (or less) call is often the fruchtwein effici ent use of your time. Video chats are also good when phone isnt the best option (such as between countries), but do plan extra time for unexpected technical difficulties.Coffee Meetings While sometimes it sounds nice to be treated to an afternoon latte, coffee meetings are time burglars. Think of all the steps involved commuting to and from, ordering, finding seats, and then finally talking. Quick can turn into an hour of lost time before you know it, so be careful with whom you agree to sit down.Onsite Office Visits Especially if you work for a big-name company, people may be clamoring to stop by and see where you work. But these should be reserved for those who will see the most value from it. For example, if you work at a tech startup, hosting your adolescent cousin who is taking her first coding class could help her see web development as a future career option.Put Them to Work, or PuntLets say that your relative or acquaintance has done all his homework and you decide to offer a phone call. As a next step, ask him to do a follow-up task based on what you discussed and get back to you within 30 days about its results.For example, if you gave suggestions for resume improvements, ask to see it again when they are complete (rather than editing it yourself). If he follows directions and does it well- congrats He has earned your referral or introduction.In he has more work to do, or if you just dont have the time, you can punt the request a future date. Be firm, but fair, with this script Id love to find the best way to be helpful, but Im booked solid. Reach out to me in a few weeks and Ill be happy to connect. If he truly needs your advice, he will be in touch.Your time and reputation are two of your most important assets. Use them wisely