Hi Win,
When I was in high school, and thought I should be a missionary in some far flung place. I don't think that anymore, but I think the wish to serve people in need (dire need) remains.
You are right--you can help people in many ways. Hopefully, I'll figure out how.
Ruth
Hi Ruth,
One way to think about it is where in the chain do you contribute the most value? If you do what comes naturally to you, you will be able to do more for anyone you are working for. It takes an amazing number of people with widely different talents to get a bowl of rice into the hands of a starving child. What do you do best?
Do you like developing relationships with the starving people?
Do you like cooking for the starving people?
Do you like organizing getting the food from point A to point B?
Do you like running an organization that gets food from point A to point B?
Do you want to work for an organization that teaches people how to grow food or governments how to get their people out of poverty?
For either of these organizations, do you want to run a support function for them? HR, Accounting, Operations?
Do you want to raise money for them? Organize parties for them to raise money?
Do you want to donate money to them?
Do you want to make a lot of money so you can donate more money to them?
What do you like to do? Whatever you like to do can be brought into service for what is important to you. That way you can feel good in two ways: You can be working to meet a need, to help a cause and you can be doing what you enjoy.
Win
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
More Press Coverage
Please click on the links below for more career tips:
From Forbes:
Ten Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Career
How To Craft A Job Search Elevator Pitch
How To Ace Your Interview
What To Reveal During Your Job Search
When They Don't Call To Offer You The Job
From Money Magazine:
Surviving a layoff
From Forbes:
Ten Tips for Spring Cleaning Your Career
How To Craft A Job Search Elevator Pitch
How To Ace Your Interview
What To Reveal During Your Job Search
When They Don't Call To Offer You The Job
From Money Magazine:
Surviving a layoff
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Searching from out of town
Hi Win,
Thank you for sharing your insights at the BU alumni event last night at the Princeton Club. I found your advice to be very helpful and wanted to touch base with you. I was in the audience and had a question, but didn't have a chance to ask.
Currently I live in Boston and am looking to relocate to New York City, but am finding it to be a challenge in the NY job search being a non-NY candidate. Do you have any advice in overcoming the disadvantage of being a non-local candidate? Some people have advised for me to use a NY address on my resume, but I'm not sure if I should do that. However, I know that this method has worked in some cases. I am applying to mostly positions in retail buying/apparel at an entry to mid level.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
Greta
Hi Greta,
Use the fact that you are in Boston to your advantage. Hone your presentation and your positioning with experts in Boston. You will be able to say honestly that you do not want to work for them and so they will not have to hold back. It is also not hard to believe that they will have contacts in New York. Keep your Boston address!
Win
Thank you for sharing your insights at the BU alumni event last night at the Princeton Club. I found your advice to be very helpful and wanted to touch base with you. I was in the audience and had a question, but didn't have a chance to ask.
Currently I live in Boston and am looking to relocate to New York City, but am finding it to be a challenge in the NY job search being a non-NY candidate. Do you have any advice in overcoming the disadvantage of being a non-local candidate? Some people have advised for me to use a NY address on my resume, but I'm not sure if I should do that. However, I know that this method has worked in some cases. I am applying to mostly positions in retail buying/apparel at an entry to mid level.
Thanks for your help.
Sincerely,
Greta
Hi Greta,
Use the fact that you are in Boston to your advantage. Hone your presentation and your positioning with experts in Boston. You will be able to say honestly that you do not want to work for them and so they will not have to hold back. It is also not hard to believe that they will have contacts in New York. Keep your Boston address!
Win
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
How do I get from "What does your day look like?" to "When can I start?”
Win,
I'm going to an event tomorrow where I will be meeting a lot of people who work in private wealth management. I may research that subject first so I have a few questions/comments ready. I am meeting Tom tomorrow. I will ask if he can put me in touch with the friend he mentioned to me.
I am getting a better idea now of the importance of understanding the day to day aspect of a person's job.
I think at first I was predominantly worried about how to talk about myself and how to approach people, and which people to even start approaching. I feel more confident about the first two now. Now I have to start unraveling problem number three. I must admit that I don't understand how to get from "What does your day look like" to "When can I start?” However, I do see that it will be easier to cross that bridge if I have some more information. It may so happen that I really don't like what people who work in private wealth management do or the people who do it, or maybe it will be great . . . I don't know.
The steps as I see them are:
1. Learning to talk about myself.
2. Learning to approach others for information
3. Identifying who to speak to
4. Approaching them
5.
6.
7.
8. Getting a job
I don't know how many steps there are between 4 and "getting a job" but I assume there are a few. I'll be working on it pretty steadily until we meet again.
Best,
Celia
Good thoughts, Celia! You are definitely headed in the right direction. How did you know that there were just three missing steps?
5. Learning about what you are interested in (as you allude to)
6. Developing the expertise so that you would be considered as a viable candidate competing against others who have direct experience
7. Unearthing and pursuing other opportunities like the ones you have found enticing and generally pursuing the areas you want to be employed in. This will involve some parts of gaining credibility through your discussions with people in the field so that you are increasingly referred to hire ups who are in a position to hire you, and some parts of approaching employers as a viable candidate through networking, ads, recruiters and letters.
Throughout this process, you may have offers of forwarding your resume or even employment. You will want to weigh the risks of taking a job about which you know little versus the security of having a job!
Win
Hi Win,
Thank you. I'll keep these things in mind. From your list, I see #6 as the next big challenge, immediately followed by the second to last sentence in your email. I find that very confusing but will cross that bridge when I come to it. It will take years to develop the expertise my competitors have so I find that part very discouraging. That is something I will want to clarify along the way.
I'll keep you posted.
Best,
Celia
Celia,
Don't confuse experience with ability to handle what comes at you. They need someone who CAN DO the job. Going for candidates who have done the job before is a good rule of thumb, no more.
Win
I'm going to an event tomorrow where I will be meeting a lot of people who work in private wealth management. I may research that subject first so I have a few questions/comments ready. I am meeting Tom tomorrow. I will ask if he can put me in touch with the friend he mentioned to me.
I am getting a better idea now of the importance of understanding the day to day aspect of a person's job.
I think at first I was predominantly worried about how to talk about myself and how to approach people, and which people to even start approaching. I feel more confident about the first two now. Now I have to start unraveling problem number three. I must admit that I don't understand how to get from "What does your day look like" to "When can I start?” However, I do see that it will be easier to cross that bridge if I have some more information. It may so happen that I really don't like what people who work in private wealth management do or the people who do it, or maybe it will be great . . . I don't know.
The steps as I see them are:
1. Learning to talk about myself.
2. Learning to approach others for information
3. Identifying who to speak to
4. Approaching them
5.
6.
7.
8. Getting a job
I don't know how many steps there are between 4 and "getting a job" but I assume there are a few. I'll be working on it pretty steadily until we meet again.
Best,
Celia
Good thoughts, Celia! You are definitely headed in the right direction. How did you know that there were just three missing steps?
5. Learning about what you are interested in (as you allude to)
6. Developing the expertise so that you would be considered as a viable candidate competing against others who have direct experience
7. Unearthing and pursuing other opportunities like the ones you have found enticing and generally pursuing the areas you want to be employed in. This will involve some parts of gaining credibility through your discussions with people in the field so that you are increasingly referred to hire ups who are in a position to hire you, and some parts of approaching employers as a viable candidate through networking, ads, recruiters and letters.
Throughout this process, you may have offers of forwarding your resume or even employment. You will want to weigh the risks of taking a job about which you know little versus the security of having a job!
Win
Hi Win,
Thank you. I'll keep these things in mind. From your list, I see #6 as the next big challenge, immediately followed by the second to last sentence in your email. I find that very confusing but will cross that bridge when I come to it. It will take years to develop the expertise my competitors have so I find that part very discouraging. That is something I will want to clarify along the way.
I'll keep you posted.
Best,
Celia
Celia,
Don't confuse experience with ability to handle what comes at you. They need someone who CAN DO the job. Going for candidates who have done the job before is a good rule of thumb, no more.
Win
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
How to position yourself for promotion
Hi Win,
Thought I'd share the latest with you. Earlier this week, I spoke to ****, and their hiring needs have changed. In tandem, I'm practically now officially part of Tom’'s team starting in 2010, which is great since it's better for me but not great since it's not really changing my salary or level (e.g., no promotion).
In the end, I think it's working out all right. It would have been great to have leverage, but it would have also been really weird since people are still congratulating me, etc. I think I need to be in the position for at least three months, and I feel a lot more primed to think about and prepare for my next position than when I got a little caught off guard when ****reached out to me.
Anyway, let's reconnect late Jan. I'm a little tired thinking about these things, and I really don't feel comfortable doing anything major while I'm so new in my position.
Sarah
I am glad you no longer have to choose, Sarah. And I agree that feeling like you are disloyal is not a good way to live your life. I would recommend keeping your eyes open and see what it takes to be promoted (types of work, consistency, navigating politics, making clients happy in a certain way, etc.). You may also ask, but it is good to have some ideas before you do, and see how you can get in a position to deliver those results.
Happy to talk when you are ready,
Win
Thought I'd share the latest with you. Earlier this week, I spoke to ****, and their hiring needs have changed. In tandem, I'm practically now officially part of Tom’'s team starting in 2010, which is great since it's better for me but not great since it's not really changing my salary or level (e.g., no promotion).
In the end, I think it's working out all right. It would have been great to have leverage, but it would have also been really weird since people are still congratulating me, etc. I think I need to be in the position for at least three months, and I feel a lot more primed to think about and prepare for my next position than when I got a little caught off guard when ****reached out to me.
Anyway, let's reconnect late Jan. I'm a little tired thinking about these things, and I really don't feel comfortable doing anything major while I'm so new in my position.
Sarah
I am glad you no longer have to choose, Sarah. And I agree that feeling like you are disloyal is not a good way to live your life. I would recommend keeping your eyes open and see what it takes to be promoted (types of work, consistency, navigating politics, making clients happy in a certain way, etc.). You may also ask, but it is good to have some ideas before you do, and see how you can get in a position to deliver those results.
Happy to talk when you are ready,
Win
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
