How to Reach the World Series in Five Years

How to Reach the World Series in Five Years How to Reach the World Series in Five Years For longer than any of you currently reading this have been alive, this year’s World Series teams have been losers - sometimes lovable, legendarily cursed, often achingly close, but nonetheless, losers at the art of winning baseball’s top honor.This year the Cubs, who last won the World Series in 1908, and the Indians, whose last victory was 1948, reached the peak of their sport. What can you learn from their successes to reach the peak of yours?This terrific recap from Jarrett Seidler at Baseball Prospectus walks through Theo Epstein’s step-by-step transformation of the Cubs  from consecutive last-place cellar dwellers to today’s dominant franchise. In just five years, he and his new team reached the World Series.On the other side, the Cleveland Indians were largely pegged to be a mediocrity again this year - ESPN rated them 17th in their season preview.That these two teams are now the greatest in the game is part of the magic of sports. It’s renewal, it’s redemption, it’s failing to remember the setbacks of last year as you pursue the glory of this one.Perhaps that inspires us most about sports. It’s the constant reminder, amidst a tumult of statistics and trivia and rumor and egos, that we can overcome and we can emerge victorious, despite the odds.And that reminds you that you, too, can overcome.Whether you are charting your rocketship to the stars, or contemplating setbacks of your own, this year’s baseball drama is a reminder that five years can change everything. And the best way to change five years from now is to change this year. And the best way to change this year is to change today.For sports team, picking the goal is easy - win the championship, raise your arms in victory, lift the trophy high.For you, picking the goal is part of the freedom, and part of the curse, of having choice in your career.What is your goal, your choice, your desire?Is it getting to the next promotion? Or the promotion after that? Is it getting into a more lucrative, more rewarding, or more fulfilling role in life? Is it changing industries, changing fields, or changing cities? Or is it just change, whatever form it may take? Change that takes you away from the drudgery of today and gets you to a new place in your career?Whatever your goals, whatever your dreams, the best way to become the champion you want to be is to follow the same simple steps that transformed the Cubs and Indians:1. Set your goalWhat’s a thrilling place you’d like to be in five years? While the randomness of life means you probably can’t pick the title, the company, the place and the day - too much is out of your control - you can set simple goals. “Be a VP, Marketing” or “Manage a large team of software engineers” or “Progress my sales career to where I’m carrying a $10 mm book of business” all make sense as simple, easy-to-understand goals to aspire to.2. Make the planKeeping it simple, what are the steps to getting there? The Cubs didn’t do it all in one year and neither can you. Break down your goals into something you can actually achieve each year - getti ng the promotion, or improving your results, or out-performing your boss’ expectations.3. Go to practiceIt’s remarkably simple to be successful, but hard to do. As Silicon Valley star Keith Rabois  tweeted Saturday: “I have never met a single successful person who didn’t get there by outworking other (exempting VCs).”4. Play like a champion todayMixing sports inspiration, this Notre Dame football slogan captures the essence of being a winner. Every day, every meeting, every client call, every code review, every focus group, every industry conference, every slideshow, every day, you need to decide how much you want to be a champion.If the answer comes back “very, very badly”, then your results will predictably follow.So with the Cubs and the Indians in the World Series, Readers, it’s a sure thing that they can’t  both lose.But we can also say that they’ve both won already.And for you too, the choice is yours. I’ll look forward to seeing you hold your championshi p trophy high.I’m rooting for you!

The 1 painfully obvious reason nobody follows you on social media

The 1 painfully obvious reason nobody follows you on social media The 1 painfully obvious reason nobody follows you on social media The social media world  is in need of some serious tough love.I have been immersed in the world of “digital marketing” for a long time. I’ve run social media accounts for both big brands and small brands, as well as individuals and thought leaders. I have guest blogged. I have been a ghostwriter. And I have built a company focused around building industry experts into thought leaders- specifically on the internet.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!I have been doing this since I was a teenager. Back before Facebook popped, I was one of the most-read gaming bloggers on the internet. More recently, I hit 25,000,000 views on Quora. I have over 50,000 followers on Instagram. I have had articles published in every major digital publication: Time.com, Forbes.com, Fortune.com, The Huffington Post, Business Insider, and more. And I have worked on the growth strategies of several established YouTubers and  social-media influencers.Do you know what I’ve learned through all of this?You either do social media the right way or don’t do it at allIt is astounding to me how casually people say things like  â€œGuys, we need more Instagram followers,” or  â€œWe need to be on Snapchat. Everybody is on Snapchat.”Why? Why do you need to be on Snapchat?Is that where your customers are?Are you going to provide them any value?Do you have the resources to sustain that value for the long term?Let me explain, in plain language, how social media works:Social media is like a fanâ€"the thing you put in your room in the summer when it’s hot outside. The more you post, the more the fan whirs and spins and provides air. If you don’t post, the fan stops. And when the fan stops, it is no longer worthwhile, and you throw it away and go find a new fan.This is issue No. 1. People think of social media as a “campaign.” They think, “We will be really, really active for a while, and then we will eventually get to a point where we no longer need to do it so much.”Wrong.You stop, and your followers leave. And actually, the bigger you get, the harder you have to work to continue raising the bar for yourself.Issue No. 2  (and this is more important), is that what type of content you post determines whether your fan (we’re back to the fan metaphor now) fires out nice, cool, helpful air  or stuffy, annoying air that smells like the inside of an airplane.Think about how much material there is out on the internet to look at. I could go look at sports cars, or I could look at attractive models, or I could go see what Kanye West said on TV that caused some celebrity to freak out, or I could watch Justin Bieber fall on stage, or I could watch Donald Trump bloopers, or I could watch an amputee squat 200 pounds, or I could…. The list goes on and on.Do you really think, then, that anyone cares about your two sales reps standing in front of a poorly designed step-and-repeat event banner, in a photo that is so darkly lit you can’t tell if it’s a guy and a girl, or two girls, or whatâ€"although  it doesn’t even matterâ€"with copy that says  â€œSo proud of our team!”And internally, the company or brand (or agency working on its behalf) that posts this atrocious piece of content  is saying, “This is great. People love to see the people behind the brand.”You’re right, people do love to see the people behind the brand.Just not like that.I eagerly  await  the day the masses start to realize that creating really great content is not easy. And to say, “We need to create great content and post on our social media,” without allocating any budget or any talented resources to those efforts is pretty much the same as saying, “We need to all start playing guitar” without signing anyone up for lessons and expecting that the next day your Facebook page will ring out with high-quality videos of your entire team playing “Stairway to Heaven.”Do you want to know why nobody follows you on social media? Even if you post every day, do you want to know why you aren’t growing at all?Because you are not providing enough value to your followers. Not even close.Let’s take, for example, how to structure an amazing Instagram post:1. PhotographyFirst and foremost, unless the photo is breathtaking, don’t even bother. That needs to be your mentality. Now, will they all be breathtaking? Probably not. But that’s the standard you should hold for yourself and your brand. Every photo matters  and contributes to the larger portrait you are trying to paint. With every photo  you are competing against all the other millions and millions of photos out there. Stage it right. Craft it right. Edit it right. Do it right.2. First ParagraphPeople think Instagram  means short captions. Wrong.Provide. People. Value. Let’s say you’re a window manufacturer. Which is more helpful to a customer, a caption that says, “Another be autiful day!” or a caption that says, “The difference between double-pane and triple-pane windows is the fact that double-pane windows…” and off you go. Teach them something. Show them how to do it on their own. Give them a reason to stop, look at the photo, and actually take away a valuable piece of information.3. Second Paragraphâ€"Added ValueAre you done? No! After you’ve already taught them something valuable, encourage them to go somewhere else to learn even more. Maybe you just posted an amazing blog about how to install your own double-pane windows. Put that link in your Instagram bio  and let people know that if they need more help, they can click that link.4. PromotionAt the end of your post, in a very clean, professional, “signature” sort of way, give yourself and your business a little shameless promotion. Let people know about a sale that is going on  or where they can sign up to receive discounts in the future, etc. It’s best to do this every few posts, instead of every day.5. HashtagsAnd finally, include a handful of relevant hashtags  so that your page can gain a bit of visibility. But be classy about itâ€"there’s no need to go overboard. Just a few are all you need.Imagine this level of detail, every single day, twice a day, for one or two years straight.On one platform.That’s how you build an audience.The problem is that 99 percent of people don’t want to put in this much effort, or they hire agencies that promise “daily posting” but do little more than fulfill that measurable requirement. And yet 100 percent  of people want more followers, want more business, want more engagement, want more likes, want more blah blah blah.Facebook ads, in particular, have done a scary thing. They have led people to believe that all these things can be “bought.” And in a sense, they can.I am a firm believer that if you can’t see growth organically, without an ad spend, then what you  do  end up spending on ads is masking the rea l issue. It’s not your ad spend that’s the problemâ€"it’s your content. And content that performs well without an ad spend  is content that crushes it with an ad spend behind it.So, just like you wouldn’t take a flyer designed in 12 minutes by your half-cousin’s high school senior,  plop it in a magazine, then wonder  why your revenue for the month hasn’t skyrocketed, stop sitting there wondering why nobody is following you on social media without putting the necessary amount of effort into the equation.Social media is hard. I would knowâ€"I’ve been doing it for a long, long time.But in all honesty, social media is just a tool.The real challenge is understanding how to be heard in a noisy market.How do you do that?You provide more VALUE than anyone else.This article originally appeared in Inc Magazine and was republished by Minutes.    You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people

How You Can Use Empathy to Improve Your Workplace

How You Can Use Empathy to Improve Your Workplace How You Can Use Empathy to Improve Your Workplace What is empathy? Simply put, it’s the ability to understand the feelings and emotions of other people. Empathy in the workplace is just an application of general empathy. Some people are naturally good at this and can’t imagine any other way to be than empathetic. Other employees aren’t as keyed into the feelings of other people. It’s not a morality issue, so don’t worry if you don’t naturally perceive the emotions of those around you. But empathy is also taught, as evidenced by the fact that college students today are 40 percent less empathetic than college students 30 years ago. So, obviously, something has changed in society. Empathy in the Workplace A 2018 State of Workplace Empathy Study by Businessolver found that 96 percent of employees surveyed believed it was important for their employers to demonstrate empathy. On the other hand, 92 percent thought that empathy remains undervalued. And eight of 10 employees, HR professionals and CEOs agreed that an empathetic workplace has a positive impact on business performance, motivating workers and increasing productivity. Thus, using empathy in the workplace can make life better for everyone. First, here are four ways to develop empathy in yourself. 4 Ways to Build Empathy in Yourself to Improve Your Workplace   Psychologist Marcia Reynolds provides four ways to build empathy: Be quiet, inside and out.Fully watch as well as listen.Ask yourself what you are feeling.Test your instinct. You can also apply these four ways ?in your workplace. Here’s how to apply each one in your workplace. Be Quiet, Inside and Out If your brain is constantly going, going, going, it’s hard to stop and see and feel what is going on around you in the workplace. Often, when things get busy, and you get stressed, you can forget your own feelings, let alone the feelings of others. Most people will agree with the old adage that “no one says on their death bed that they wished they’d spent more time at work.” But, agreeing with the adage doesn’t stop people from working way too many hours. Why is that? Because being busy and having a “loud” brain can drown out your true feelings- that your families and friends and life outside of work are more important than your job. So every day, stop and breathe, or take a walk at lunch, just to clear your head. A bit of quiet helps you figure out what you are really thinking and feeling. (See step three.) Fully Watch as Well as Listen Listening isn’t just hearing words but seeking to understand. Watching is also critical to building your ability to empathize with other people. Body language can often tell you more about what people think and feel than their words can. To build empathy in the workplace, you need to see your coworkers, bosses and direct reports to help you understand their feelings. When you all work in the same place, that is easy. You can tell that Jane is going through a rough time because she’s walking around hunched over and keeping to herself, whereas she normally walks straight and says hi to everyone she passes. You can tell that Steve is on cloud nine because he’s practically skipping down the hall. But how do you build empathy in the workplace if you’re all working from home, or your team is spread out across several sites? This often happens in Human Resources. You may have one HR person per physical location, but you are each other’s coworkers and support system. You not only need empathy towards the people at your site but towards your fellow HR people. Using video conferencing instead of just teleconferencing can help you watch and listen to your colleagues. Some people resist the idea of video conferencing because they don’t feel comfortable on camera. That’s understandable, but that discomfort can help everyone understand each other better. Your tone of voice is also critical and speaking with one another instead of communicating almost exclusively by email, text, Slack, or other messaging services can help you build empathy. This is because you understand what your coworker thinks and feels. Or at least you understand their feelings a bit better. Ask Yourself What You Are Feeling Wait, wasn’t this about building empathy towards others?  Yes, but you need to understand your feelings if you want to understand the feelings of others. Dr. Reynolds recommends using an emotional inventory several times a day to analyze how you are feeling. When you stop and think, “How am I feeling right after I got a new, huge assignment?” and the answer is, “excited and overwhelmed,” then you can apply that to others around you. “Jane just got the new project that will take up every waking moment for the next six months. She must be feeling overwhelmed with all the work, and she might be feeling excited if she thinks this will help her towards a promotion.” When you know that you’ll feel overwhelmed by a new challenge; you can make a good guess that another person is feeling overwhelmed at the same thing. If you have a hard time evaluating your own feelings, using this emotional inventory can help increase your skill in this area. As you become more adept at understanding your own feelings, you’ll get better at understanding the feelings of the people around you. Not everyone experiences the same feelings at the same issues as you do, though, so act carefully, which leads to step four. Test Your Instinct to Become Empathetic There’s a reason this is step four and not step one. You don’t want to just walk up to people and say, “Hey, I bet you’re angry at your low raise.” That remark will not go over well. You need to take care by testing your instinct- but do start. Think back to the earlier example of Jane receiving a new, labor-intensive project. You’ve examined your feelings after getting a similar assignment, and you felt overwhelmed and excited about it. You want to test if Jane is feeling the same way. Consider the following: Why do you need to know how she is feeling? If it’s just nosiness, forget it. But, if you work near Jane or have insights into her project or are already good friends with her, checking with her will help you support her.What will you do with this knowledge? If it’s just a fist pump of “hey, I am totally nailing this empathy thing,” it’s silly. But if you want to do the right thing by Jane, knowing is important. If you’re wrong, finding out early can help you support her. After all, you may see this project as a stepping stone, but Jane may see it as a burden that is keeping her from accomplishing her real goals. With these two things in mind, you can approach Jane, “Wow, Jane, I just heard you got the new Acme project. That’s huge. I would feel overwhelmed by that but also excited about the growth opportunities. How are you feeling?” Note that you are not saying, “Wow. You must be simultaneously excited and overwhelmed!” You are telling her your feelings and waiting for her to tell you hers. She may or may not feel like sharing. She may or may not know exactly how she is feeling. Regardless of her answer, you are there to support your coworker. If she responds that she is excited and overwhelmed, congratulate her on her next step up the career ladder. Offer her any help that you can give. If she says, “Nah, I did a project almost exactly like this at my last job. This will be a piece of cake,” then say, “Wow, awesome. No wonder they gave it to you. You’ll be able to do it with your eyes closed.” If she bursts into tears and says this is the wrong direction for her career. It will take too much time away from her family. If she actually sees it as a punishment for her bad sales figures last quarter, you have to exhibit empathy and stick around to talk with her. You can’t push people to open up about their feelings and run when they do. That behavior makes for a less pleasant, empathetic workplace. Overall, when you use empathy in the workplace, you can understand your coworkers better. This means that you can function more as a team. And that’s great for any business. Suzanne Lucas is a freelance journalist specializing in Human Resources. Suzannes work has been featured on notes publications including Forbes, CBS, Business Insider and Yahoo.

Being Too Good at Your Job Can Be Bad - The Muse

Being Too Good at Your Job Can Be Bad - The Muse Being Too Good at Your Job Can Be Bad You know the term rock star is an annoying, overused hiring cliché. But, lets be real: That’s just the kind of employee you are. Your interviewer told you- on the spot- that you were the perfect candidate. You got the salary and perks you wanted, and your boss has yet to give you a project you couldn’t handle. And yet, you’ve recently started to notice some strange things happening. For example, you’re no longer the first choice to spearhead projects. Or, when you share brilliant ideas with your supervisor, he’s started pushing back that he’d really like things done a different way. When did he stop seeing your genius? There’s no easy way to say this, but it could be that your success has gone to your head- and you’re behaving as if you’re the best thing to ever happen to your company. And that’s one of the worst things for your career growth. Not only are you no longer learning (because you know everything), but you’re putting yourself in precarious waters with your boss. Concerned this might be you? Here’s how to diagnose if you’re on this path- and what you can do about it: Is This You? Everything’s a Negotiation You imagine a workflow where your boss assigns you a project, you share your ideas for moving forward, and- with no more than some minor tweaks- he tells you to go for it. But that couldn’t be further from reality. The assignments you do get don’t allow much room for interpretation. And when you share an idea, you have to fight for it every step of the way. Every email becomes a back-and-forth chain, and the more ardently you tell your boss you know what you’re doing, the more he pushes back that he’d really like you to follow his directions. Other Colleagues Aren’t Having the Same Problems Your boss is a hard-to-please nightmare, and you can’t wait for drinks with your work BFF, so you can swap stories about just how awful he is. Except, your co-worker’s experience is totally different. For the most part, she’s really vibing with your supervisor. In fact, it seems like you’re the only teammate in the doghouse. You’re always picked last and you’re routinely being passed over for projects you want. You’ve mentioned it, but nothing’s changing. You’re No Longer Getting Good Feedback- From Anyone Chatting with a few colleagues you trust is beneficial in more ways than one. Along with hearing if they too think your boss is on a rampage, you can get some feedback from a third party. Let’s say your manager never has anything nice to say about your ideas. What about your co-workers? Are they all over your latest suggestion, because, yes, it is life-changing, or are they politely thanking you for your input- and sticking to the original plan? If no one is praising your suggestions, odds are it’s not just your boss. No matter how smart you are, you’re kinda out of sync with the general direction of your department. What Now? OK, so you read the above and nodded nonstop. But, you’re not sure what to do next. It’s not your fault you’re good at your job (like really good). Unfortunately, believing you’re supremely talented can be an obstacle in the workplace (even if it’s true). Not only does it isolate you from the rest of your team, but it can also lead you to thinking- and acting on the idea- that you don’t need a boss. In fact, you may start to assume your current one’s just a figurehead, even a nuisance. You might think getting along with her is perfunctory- but it’s not. She’s (usually) in charge for a reason. And she’s typically not thrilled when someone starts reacting to her feedback like it’s just unnecessary suggestions. The scary news is: To stay relevant, you need to make a change. But the good news is: You can- starting today. Because you can alter how you interact with her and how you go about your day-to-day in the office. Let’s start with the constant back-and-forth. If your response is to keep hammering away at why you’re right, odds are you aren’t listening. Rather, you’re focused on winning the conversation. (Which, for the record, isn’t how conversations with your boss work.) So, treat the next few weeks like an experiment. Complete projects as they’re assigned without pushing back. Make a promise to yourself to only ask questions for clarification (not to prove a point). If you find the praise ramping back up again, take that as a sign that you’re back on the right path. And if she seems to have it in for you? Take a step back from the situation and know this: Making her suddenly see why her way sucks is going to be really hard- especially when her approach doesn’t seem to be bothering anyone else. Yes, you can decide she’s threatened by your brilliance and that this isn’t worth your time (along with a host of other excuses). Or, you can choose to go all in on demonstrating you want your job. Along with following your boss’ directions, seek out more feedback, not less (and not just from your supervisor, but also from your teammates). For example: When you turn projects in, ask what you can do to make them even better, and seek to incorporate those pointers in future work. And, when you’re tempted to push back- ask “Why?” instead. Not like a petulant child, but because you’re genuinely curious as to why something should be done a certain way. Either you’ll get some useful insight into your boss’ quirks and pet peeves, or better yet, you’ll learn that her way’s truly better for sound and valid reasons. If you’re worried that your once rising star is falling because of your boss, you’ll lose nothing by trying the strategies above. At worst, you’ll have learned a new approach to dealing with someone you don’t understand- a vital workplace skill. At best, you’ll see improvements to your workload and your relationship with your manager, which will help you feel more confident about your career path and your future at the company. Photo of winner courtesy of Shutterstock.

How to Prep Your References for HRs Potential Call

How to Prep Your References for HR's Potential Call How to Prep Your References for HR's Potential Call Prepping your references can make all the difference in whether you get the job you want - or not. A positive reference check, especially with a former manager or supervisor, is a priority in the hiring decisions of many employers. A reference check is their only opportunity to receive, hopefully frank, direct feedback about you and your history of job performance. This information is essential as your prospective Human Resources department makes the determination that your skills and experience will be a good fit for the job. They also need to know whether your professionalism and work style are a good fit for their company culture. Both of these pieces of information should be readily available to them if you have properly prepared your references for HRs call. How to Properly Prepare Your References Several steps can significantly help you prepare your potential references to truly reinforce your professionalism and competence when they are contacted by prospective HR departments or bosses. Make sure that you take these actions to ensure that you are selected when you find your dream job. To prepare your references properly, ask to make sure that the individual wants to serve as a reference for you. If the person agrees, tell them what areas of your strengths and contributions youd like them to emphasize when they are called by prospective employers. This will help them know what to say so that they can help you land your dream job.Ask your references what they will say about you when the call comes from HR. You will appreciate knowing what your reference believes positively about you. Their thoughts also tell you what the background checker will find. Do make sure that your references are prepared to respond favorably when the potential employer calls to do a reference check. Ask your references if theyd like a heads up from you when you expect HR will call them. Some will so that they feel adequately prepared; others are comfortable talking off the cuff when called to support your candidacy.  Most wont, but asking your potential references is smart. Your call to your references to discuss these three matters gives you the opportunity to emphasize how important their timely response is to your job search. It also gives you the opportunity to describe the job, why you want the job, and how they can help you obtain the job. Reference Checking Gone Awry A midwestern manufacturing company had eliminated the competition and settled upon two candidates for their open job. Both candidates were superficially well-qualified. However, reference checks and background checks are a critical component before making any job offer. They started with a reference check of their preferred candidate. She had the field to herself until it took the company three weeks to check her references. A second qualified candidate had also come to their attention during this extended reference check time period. What did the primary candidate do wrong? She included no reference phone numbers on her application nor on her resume. Her listed references were coworkers, not bosses, so HR had to dig for the numbers of her former supervisors. Indeed, HR had to dig for the phone numbers of her listed references. Several references never returned the companys phone calls for over two weeks. HR finally had to loop in the candidate to get her help to contact the references. She should have been on this before HR started calling to check the references, and her references should have known that they would receive calls. They should have been informed about how important their participation was in the decision about whether the candidate would receive a job offer. The reference checks and their preparation should have been a priority for the candidate. Instead, she let another candidate get her foot in the door and she lost her stated dream job. The primary candidate truly blew it. The second candidate, who was identified during the reference checking delay, was hired for the position. Final Thoughts on Prepping References In a nutshell, make sure your references know that you expect the potential employer will call them. According to Alison Doyle, Job Search Expert: According to a Society for Human Resource Management  (SHRM) survey more than eight of ten human resource professionals said that they regularly conduct reference checks for professional (89 percent), executive (85 percent), administrative (84 percent) and technical (81 percent) positions. Regular reference checks were less likely, but still probable, for skilled-labor, part-time, temporary and seasonal positions. Information routinely provided to references checkers by surveyed employers included dates of employment, eligibility for rehire, salary history, and employability. There are specific types of questions the potential employer will ask  when they call your references. Make sure that your references are ready to answer these questions in a timely, optimistic, positive, honest, open manner. Ask your references to please chat up your strengths, as they can make all of the difference in whether you are hired for your dream job.

How to Make a Successful Cold Call in a Job Search

How to Make a Successful Cold Call in a Job Search How to Make a Successful Cold Call in a Job Search Making an unsolicited call to an employer to schedule a meeting or job interview is challenging. It can be nerve-wracking to pick up the phone to call someone you don’t know and ask them about job openings, but it works. If you can get to the right person, you’ll have an opportunity to pitch your skills and start the process of being considered for a job. How to Use a Cold Call to Connect With Employers A careful approach and some persistence will enhance your chances of success.  Providing the employer with a preview of your qualifications prior to your call and referencing a referral can help you get access to company insiders.   Are you ready to give cold calling a try? Review these tips for connecting with employers by cold calling and give them a try. You have nothing to lose, and a lot to gain, by spending some time cold calling. 11 Tips for Making a Successful Job Search Cold Call 1. Send your resume and cover letter ahead of time and mention that you will call to explore opportunities. Your contact will be more likely to take your call if you have sparked some interest with your documents.  Also, if your call is screened by a gatekeeper, you will be able to say that you are calling to follow-up on a communication.  Here’s an example of a cold call cover letter you can edit to fit your own circumstances. 2. Cold calls will be more likely to get results when you connect with department managers than with human resources staff. Try to identify the person who would supervise the type of job you’re interested in and reach out to that person. 3. Offer to schedule a time to talk. Recognize whether your contact seems too busy to talk. If so, ask for a better time at a later date to discuss opportunities. If you can achieve this, you have converted a cold call into an appointment.   4. Reach out to your LinkedIn contacts, family, friends, college alumni, and other professional associates to identify contacts at your target organization. Ask for a referral to the hiring manager who you plan to call.  If you source a referral, then you can open your call with a statement like John Brown suggested I reach out to you. 5. Prepare a concise and compelling opening statement that summarizes your reason for calling. Emphasize your high level of interest in exploring options at the organization and how you can add value.  A brief elevator pitch will help you get the conversation started. 6. Share your qualifications. Be ready to support your case with examples of how you have successfully applied your skills in the past.   7. Be prepared for resistance. Anticipate objections like lack of experience or skills on your part and prepare counter points proving that you could excel if hired. 8. Ask for the next step. Close the conversation with a specific request such as an in-person meeting or referral to another individual involved in hiring. If the employer states that no jobs are available, ask about the possibility of an informational meeting to explore future opportunities.   9. Follow up with a communication thanking the individual for their time. Reaffirm your interest and briefly reiterate how you might make a contribution. Provide a link (such as your LinkedIn URL) to your portfolio and recommendations to provide further evidence of your viability as a candidate. Forward another copy of your resume in case they havent seen or saved your document.  Here is a list of thank you letter examples for a variety of circumstances. 10. Don’t give up if you can’t get through. Many calls will be routed to voicemail. Be ready to leave a short message highlighting the basis of your interest and the key assets that you would bring to the employer. Request a call back to explore options but also mention that you will reach out to them again, so you dont lose control of the initiative. There is a fine line between admirable persistence and pestering an employer. Wait a week between calls and limit yourself to three total calls in most cases.   11. Keep trying. Cold calling is a numbers game, so be prepared to make many unsuccessful calls before experiencing success. Try setting a goal of making ten calls a day to stay fresh and spread out the frustration. Do your best to keep it positive to maintain an enthusiastic tone for each call despite the tedium of repetition. After all, each call is a new opportunity to connect with a company you’d like to work for. Try Cold Calling Networking Contacts Too Reaching out to networking contacts who can help your job search is another effective use of cold calling. People who you can talk to on the phone, and perhaps meet in person, are more likely to help than those who receive a random email or message from a connection. Take the time to try a few networking cold calls, and if it works for you, add cold calling to your list of job hunting and career building strategies.

The most important element in creative work

The most important element in creative work The most important element in creative work Kate walks on the beach in front of me, her father to her right.I don’t know what, exactly, I am looking for. Something, anything, which shows they share a gene pool- a 6th toe maybe? A flair on the right pinky which had been passed down through generations of Thompson feet?Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!Flesh squished into sand as the ocean splashed up on our ankles.With each step, I became more and more disappointed. Their footprints looked the same.In fact,  all  of our footprints looked the same.In fact,  all  of our footprints looked the same.It is this upsetting same-ness which I have been fighting lately.I wake up and there is water and then there is walking the dog and then there is pulling the dog away from someone’s old food. I get back to the house and there is coffee and then some work and then Kate is awake and it’s time to make her tea. Inevitably we d o some chores for the day and work on a house which is somehow always in need of work and then probably do some laundry which is always in need of watching. Then there is food and then there is bed.Movies and books aren’t making it better.Protagonists are predictably tragic, then triumphant. Antagonists are evil until they are misunderstood. Monsters aren’t different or more scary, just bigger. Boy meets girl and then girl hates him and then later they fall in love. The faces and names and actors are interchangeable. And after studying how money works in the creative space, I am all too aware why producers are drawn to these safe projects.I was ready to begin writing about the death of art, prepared to proclaim how far our species has fallen.BUT THEN.I watched a movie. It was not a groundbreaking movie. It was not an original movie. It was not a special movie. It is not a movie I ever want to watch again.In the middle of this safe, studio produced, orange-and-teal colored Blockb uster - all the things I thought I hated - I found hope.The movie was Creed II.In the final scene, Creed is nearly knocked out cold. Swaying as he stands, the official asks him a question to make sure brain cells are still firing:“What is your name?”Creed looks right at the camera, a mountain of testosterone in the middle of the frame, and says:“Creed.”The referee - once more:“What is your name?” “CREED!”I get goosebumps just thinking about it now. All the buildup of these Rocky movies, including the ones with the original Creed, paid off in a single line. Without this line, Creed II is just a movie about boxing. The finale meaningless spectacle.I won’t talk about why that line specifically matters, I’ll just say this:Details matter most.It’s Eleven’s costume change in season 3 of Stranger Things. It’s the yellow towel hanging in the background of Annie. It’s a Dixie Chicks picture on the wall of a Taylor Swift video. It’s Christian Bale 150 pounds heavier than he should be, bowing his head to his chest in a scene where he is Dick Cheney pondering whether he should be Vice President.Zoom in closer, and you don’t see my wife’s sandy footprint. You see the history of her DNA, a maze of lines telling the story of her ancestry. Her father shares some of the same lines, as does her grandfather, and his father. Scan every face in our species and you will almos t always find two eyes, two ears, two nostrils, one mouth. And a footprint without details is identical to the one next to it. People are either brown or white or dark brown or bright white.Calling all of life the same is a cynic’s exit.Soak in the details instead.Much love as always ??- Todd BThis article first appeared on Medium.