Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Performance is a Cultural Variable

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Performance is a Cultural Variable co-founder and CEOMollie Lombardidescribed a culture of performance as a set of behaviors that are rewarded or discouraged by the people, processes, and systems within an organization. To create and foster a performance culture, Lombardi suggested focusing on the following conditions for success. Alignment According to new Aptitude research, alignment on culture is a major challenge: only 38 percent of organizations said that leaders and employees would describe their culture in the same way. On a related point, 53 percent of senior leaders said performance expectations are clearly communicated, but only 34 percent of employees said the same. Leaders are in denial, and it doesn’t help that while 60 percent of companies have executive level oversight of client experience, only 37 percent have an executive level role focused on workplace culture and employee engagement. Employee Experience Eighty-one percent of top performing companies said they measure the experience of candidates, employees, managers, and leaders. When an experience doesn’t resonate, it’s often because we are using a one-size-fits-all model. Lombardi advised that we must do a much better job tailoring messages, recognizing that employees have asingular experiencethroughout their day. And the only experience that matters is theirs. In addition to catering to the needs of the individual rather than the collective group, we can create a better experience by bridging the gap between employer and employee through more frequent and bidirectional communications, and creating an easier process for individuals to do their work, engage with others, and drive performance. The best employee communications are consistent in message but vary in format (depending on information consumption habits) and are supported by a strategic technology implementation. For more of Lombardis insights, check out the full post on the SilkRoad blog.

Bookkeeping Resume Tips

Bookkeeping Resume TipsBookkeeping resumes have become the latest trend in the job hunt. More bookkeepers, bookkeeping consultants and bookkeeping business owners are seeking to fill accounting jobs with a bookkeeping resume. The following are some common bookkeeping resume tips that will help you create a resume that will get you noticed.The first tip that will ensure that your resume is unique and tailored to a particular style of job search is to select a specific industry. When searching for a job, most people who are applying in the same industry as yourself may be skipped over. Many companies have two or three major industries. Therefore, when selecting your industry, you want to be specific about the position that you are applying for.If your company is looking for employees that know accounting, then you can offer to tell them the specific job description that you need filled. However, if your company is looking for people that are willing to work with spreadsheets, then you can simply say you want to fill the job as a financial specialist. Either way, it is important to tailor your bookkeeping resume to your specific industry and job opening.The next tip is to include as much pertinent information as possible on your resume. It is very important to make sure you use the most current financial statements from all of your companies. This will make it easier for potential employers to find you.Finally, be sure to include any relevant experience you have had with past employment. This is the section where you will highlight your skills and education. If you have had a previous job as a bookkeeper, that will also be highlighted.By including a current year on your resume, it will give potential employers the opportunity to find a more recent job. Another idea for your bookkeeping resume is to list all of your education. For example, if you are going back to school, include this information in your education section.A good bookkeeping resume is a mixture of c ontent and formatting. Therefore, it is important to have some samples of different types of bookkeeping resumes in order to get a feel for how to format your own. Taking notes during the interview process can help you remember some of the finer points of your resume.A successful bookkeeping resume will highlight your knowledge and experience that include previous jobs and education. It should be concise and easy to read. Remember, you will always need to be flexible with your resume, especially if you find the right job.

Can Your Brand Take the Heat Like LeBrons - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Can Your Brand Take the Heat Like LeBron’s - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career “What should I do? Should I admit that I’ve made mistakes? Should I remind you that I’ve done this before?” LeBron James says in this video. I don’t think so. His leaving his hometown team in a flash of anger and attitude are still too fresh for us to need reminding. Underneath it all, I don’t see a remorseful LeBron in this ad, but rather a defiant one, still endorsing products and still making a fortune. Brilliantly written ad copy softens his edges a little, but he still has a bad boy brand. Can you mess with your brand? Does this brand actually help him in some strange way? As long as you’re not running a ticket agency in Cleveland, it probably does. He creates news because of his talent and his attitude, and we seem to love to follow famous-disasters-in-the-making. Think Michael Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, etc. Can you afford to be casual with your brand, assuming that you can shoot off that angry email or tell your boss exactly what you’ve been thinking? Much more subtle, can you afford not to step forward for a key project at work or not take a leadership role with an influential outside group’s program? You already know the answer. You spend a long time building the trust that people need to believe in your brand, not to mention the content of what your brand actually means. To hope that you can retract a “bad boy” action or flip-flop your beliefs and that people will stick with you, regardless, is optimistic. Think consistency. Consistency, competency, and kindness are what mere mortals need to build brands for success. Which brings us to LeBron’s brand lesson #1: #1. Only rock stars and hyper-athletes can get away with bad boy behavior (sometimes). What if I want to change my brand? Changing where you work, for example leaving your team when you’re a free agent, is fine. Happens all of the time. Changing your brand is a little more complex. It’s based on more than where you work or even what you do. You, as an individual with values, goals, ethics and standards, are part of your brand. LeBron challenged this by not delivering on what he had promised Cleveland (they’d win a championship) and how he left his team and his town. “James chose to promote the drama of his decision in an hour-long television special instead of showing ‘common courtesy’ to notify Cleveland and other teams of his plans. Michael Jordan stated that he would not have contacted his rivals from other teams like Magic Johnson and Larry Bird to play on one team together, as ‘I wanted to defeat those guys.’” (per Wikipedia) Which brings us to LeBron’s brand lesson #2: #2. It’s not what he did. It’s how he did it. Your personal credibility is part of your brand. Is this a tempest in a teapot? It will be interesting to track how we’re feeling about LeBron James and his brand in a year or so. If he plays well and the Heat win some championships, will we forget about how he left Cleveland? Will we care? Refer back to lesson #1. Maybe his fame and uber-competence will cause this tempest to go away. After all, he was starting with a bad boy brand so doesn’t have to claw his way too far back up the ladder to reach the same level. Tiger Woods is going to have a tougher job. We do have a clear national example of someone who rehabbed his brand over time: Ted Kennedy. One could argue that it might not have happened without Victoria Kennedy, but when he died, several of the major tragedies during his life never surfaced. Judging by the number of people that turned out to pay their respects, he had quite a following. Which brings us to LeBron’s brand lesson #3: #3. The pain may fade with time. (Mere mortals can’t wait that long.) Regaining a credible brand takes a lot longer than keeping it from the get-go, so steady as we go. Modesty, credibility and consistency are all take-homes that LeBron has taught us with his anti-brand lessons. As LeBron himself said: You try to continue to be blessed and take pride in what you do, the game of basketball, the centerfold of everything, James said. Ill continue to get better. Ill continue to win. Someday, I hope to bring championships to this franchise. And off the court, I want to keep inspiring kids. I dont want them to be LeBron. I want them to be better than LeBron. As ball players, it’s going to be tough for kids to be better than LeBron. As future brand managers and caring adults, I’d say that they have a free throw. Guest Author: Pam Lassiter is author of the award winning The New Job Security and Principal of Lassiter Consulting, a career coaching firm doing outplacement or internal growth programs for companies or individuals.

Starting Out In the Business Of Insurance

Starting Out In the Business Of Insurance Nowadays, for near enough any product, you can buy insurance. Insurance covers a product or item against damage or theft. So, if the item is broken or stolen, it will be repaired or replaced. You pay for insurance, usually on a monthly or annual basis, but it works out cheaper than buying a whole new item. Insurance coverage is considered to be essential for certain products. And, for some things, like cars, it’s a legal requirement.  But, how do you start up a company in the business of insurance? Obviously, it’s a lucrative market, as companies thrive in it. So, it can’t be that hard. Well, if you’re willing to put in the time and dedication, you shouldn’t have a problem breaking into this market.  Start Up Funding First, you need some start up funding. You need a pool of cash before you can take on customers. Otherwise, you couldn’t payout claims. You need to be ready to make a payout on your first day of business, even if you’re not going to. So, this will require some work. Either, you can work hard and try to save enough money. Which, although it would leave you with ownership of the whole company, could also take a very long time to accomplish. Instead, it can be much better to look for funding elsewhere. If you create a business plan and do a lot of the work ahead of time, it shouldn’t be too hard to find an investor. Usually, it’s best to have your company ready to go, other than the funding, before you look for an investor.  Business Plan Once you’re ready to start building your company, you need a business plan. This plan will include your goals for the next ten years and have a general plan for how you will get there. This has to be based in realism. Otherwise, it will be hard to get funding. So, be practical and seek honest advice about your venture. As your plan develops, it will be time to start thinking about the processes you want your company to use. Outline policies and methods that allow you to standardise your work. Use online resources to help you find the industry standards that big companies use.  Next, you’ve got to start doing some research. Dealing with something like insurance claims comes with a whole heap of legal difficulties. To make this easier, companies have been setup that provide insurance claims administration. These services handle the compliance side of things, as well as a whole host of other areas. They will calculate claims and make sure that you’re not giving away too much money. The will give you extensive support when it comes to reports and trend tracking. This only scratches the surface of what these companies can do, so it’s worth doing some research for yourself. For a new insurance company, these companies are essential.  Marketing At this point, you’re ready to start thinking about your marketing. As an insurance company, there’s absolutely no need for you to have a physical shop. Instead, you only need a website and some social media accounts. Your website is incredibly important. As a web-based company, all of your business will be handled by the site. Of course, this means that your website needs to look professional. The best way to achieve this is through the use of a professional web developer. Website builders allow you to build a site, yes. But, the site you create won’t be anything like something made by a professional. With a website, your company can be almost entirely automated. Customers can buy their insurance, and make claims. So, you only have to be on the phone when something goes wrong. But, you can’t do this with a website builder.  Social Media You also need to think about your social media. Websites like Facebook and Twitter can be seen as hosts for free advertising. Your posts have the potential to be seen by thousands of users, and it doesn’t cost a bean. You do have to invest some time, though. Social media takes a surprising amount of time from the day. Making posts and replying to comments can soak up hours if you’re not careful. So, it’s worth either hiring a dedicated staff member or taking out a day each month, to deal with the work. Hopefully, this will inspire you to get out of the desk job and start controlling your own destiny. The law can be very strict, in certain places. So, it’s worth researching the rules before making any big decisions. But, once you have a working company, you’ll never be bored at work again. Image credit.  

Technical Writing Resume Format

Technical Writing Resume FormatTechnical writing, in contrast to creative writing, is characterized by the need to present information in a particular format. The purpose of this resume format is to ensure that an individual's information is presented properly, and it should also be accurate.Before you can apply for a job in your area of expertise, you need to know what is expected of you when it comes to your current employment. The resume format provides you with this information as well as a summary of your job history so that you can determine if this is the right opportunity for you.Paper resumes are one type of technical writing resume format. They are designed to be printed on paper. As such, they can be easily identified by their 'paper' content.Paper resumes may also include software and other electronic formats, but those types of formats are not required. They are also less common than the paper format. When an employer reads a paper resume, he or she must first be convinc ed that the individual applying for the position is qualified to do the job.Technical writing resumes are written for an employer to use in conjunction with their academic credentials and other important information. It is important that the resume be easy to read. If it is difficult to read, it will only serve to increase the risk of rejection.Technical writing resumes are available in many formats, including: Microsoft Word, Acrobat Reader, and Publisher. Technical writing professionals can also create design software programs to help the recipient of the resume put his or her education and career experience into an easy-to-read format.Technical writing can be used to present data to potential employers in a clear and concise manner. It can provide an important point of reference as well as provide a basis for any future discussion between the individual and the employer. An employer can look at the technical writing resume format before making a decision on whether to offer the j ob to the applicant.Technical writing resumes can be used in any situation, even when the application is online. Technical writing requires a certain level of creativity, skill, and research to meet the demands of job applications on the internet.

10 Tips to Keep Your Network Alive and Well

10 Tips to Keep Your Network Alive and Well Keep Your Network Alive and Well Building a network from scratch is hard work, but you don’t have to start over if you keep your network alive! Keep Your Network Alive and Well If there is one lesson youve learned from your job search, its that you should have done a better job keeping in touch with your past colleagues. Just follow these suggestions to maintain your connections so they will be there the next time you need them. 1. Recognize the Value of Your Network In order to feel motivated to stay in touch, you have to understand the why of networking. Wouldnt it be great to hear about a job while employed? This is always the best-case scenario, and it will only happen if your contacts remember you and what your expertise is. 2.  Schedule Time There’s the old saying: “That which gets scheduled gets done.”  Its easy to feel overwhelmed when you are  busy mastering your new job. Cut yourself some slack those first  few months, but get right back to networking. Put time on your schedule every month to reach out to your contacts or attend a professional association meeting. 3. Develop a  System for  Keeping In Touch If you develop a system for your outreach, it will be much easier to maintain. Perhaps start with the people you met while job searching, and make a point to call them or meet with them for coffee. Share your gratitude and updates on how your new job is going. LinkedIn makes it easy to stay in touch as well. 4.  Never Lose Touch with Recruiters If you developed a working relationship with a recruiter or two, definitely make sure to thank them for the work they did during your search. Let the recruiter know you have landed a new job, but don’t take your name off the list. Tell the recruiter you would still like to be contacted if there is an opening that fits your background. If nothing else, you may know of people who would be a good fit for the job if you aren’t, and recruiters appreciate referrals. 5.  Give Back You now have greater empathy for those who are hunting for a new job. Remember how difficult your search was? There were days you were down and days you were up. Offer to help current job seekers by sharing your experience and lessons learned. 6. Be an Inside Advocate Whether you do it for the money or the intrinsic value, take time to share openings in your company with your contacts. Remember: You don’t always have to know the person you are referring well. It is alright to say you don’t know his or her work firsthand and that you are just facilitating an introduction. 7. Join a Professional Association One of the lessons you may have learned during your search was that you need to stay up to date on trends in your occupation and industry. Joining a professional association may not have been in your budget while searching for a job. Now that you are employed, see if your employer will pick up your membership either in full or in part. 8. Choose Mentors for the Next Phase of Your Career A relationship with a mentor provides you with firsthand feedback and knowledge to refine your career. This mentor could be someone from your new company or from outside of your organization. Both have pros and cons, so you could choose one of each. The advantage to having more than one mentor is that you don’t feel like you are asking for too much from either one. One mentor may be able to help you navigate internal policies and politics. The other may be more helpful in helping you plot your career course. 9. Keep Your Bucket List of People To Meet Full Staying in touch with people you know is important. But there are still people you would like to get to know. Now that you have a job, you may feel more comfortable reaching out to someone and introducing yourself. And don’t forget to think about the key decision makers in your new company. Setting up a meeting with these key stakeholders could make a big difference in the support you get down the road. Always remember to state why meeting them is valuable to you and what you may be able to offer in return. 10. Don’t Wait Until the Next Crisis You’ve learned how time-consuming  it is to build your network. When you have existing relationships, it feels much easier to ask for help, advice or information. This is why it is so important to continue to nurture and grow your network for long-term career success. This post originally appeared on US News World Report On Careers

The Human Side

The Human Side I had an amazing week at the Career Directors International conference! It wasnt the knowledge and information that blew me away, but the opportunity to meet face to face with great people.   Many of the people I met I have known for years through blogging and Twitter.   I now can put a person with those Twitter handles and blog posts.   I also met others whom I hadnt been following and now will. The other thing that impressed me was the generosity and support I felt ooze from these wonderful people. Someone said recently, that attendance at college reunions is down and that Facebook might be the reason.   Someone else said there is an increase in Meetups and Tweetups because people want to put a person with a name.   Either way, social networks and social media are playing a role in our lives. Over 80% of hiring managers and employers prefer to hire a referral vs an unknown candidate. (Sources include ExecuNet and Jobvite.) Hiring Managers will lean towards the candidate who sends a Thank You message. So piecing this all together, the security of your career depends heavily on your relationships. Today, right now, start to leverage your relationships.   Reach out and call someone.   Send a personalized message and connect with an old colleague on LinkedIn. Do anything that connects and binds you with people.   You just never know where your next opportunity will come from.