There are five steps you need to take in order to reach the destination you are seeking.

Step One: Determine your Position

What’s the first thing that happens when we turn on our GPS device?  The first thing that happens is that device synchronizes with the satellite so that it knows exactly where you are.  In your career that is the first step for getting positioned for success.  I believe that this is the same thing that occurs in your life.  You choose your life direction and God is your satellite. Part of this first step includes getting in sync spiritually. We often get in such a hurry to get where we are going that we don’t take time to inventory where we are. 

Step Two: Determine your Destination

The next thing that happens with your device is you decide on your destination.   The neat thing about the GPS device is that it gives all kinds of ways to map out your route. You can’t know how to get somewhere without first establishing your destination.  This isn’t to say that the journey itself won’t sometimes shift or change the destination altogether, this is only to say that you need to have some idea of where you’re going to end up before starting out.

Step Three: Determine your Route

You have to map out a plan to get there complete with goals and action steps along the way. And just like when you travel, be prepared for roadblocks, detours, potholes and delays. It’s part of the journey. And, like the GPS unit, you may have to consider all the routes available, take alternate routes, and manage obstacles. Once you tell your GPS device where you want to go, it maps out a step by step route to your destination.  In your career, it has to be the same. 

Step Four: Determine your Obstacles

If you have traveled like I do, you know that very often it is not a smooth trip.  Along your journey you may encounter detours, delays and wrong turns.  

Step Five: Determine your Next Destination

Let’s say you’ve just moved into the opportunity you envisioned.  YOU HAVE ARRIVED.  You are there. You know that’s not the end, right?  It is a new beginning.  

Once you have reached your destination you need to start going through the steps again for your next goal.  You will use this internal GPS system all your life so the more you put it into practice the more it will become second nature and create a new paradigm for you.

So you have finally decided on the networking group(s) or individuals that work best for you. 

Networking is not just a get a job or promotion quick scheme.  Networking is about building relationships and finding out how you can help others and how they can help you.

I want to make sure you have the best experience and build your relationships the right way so I have some tips for you that I have learned over the years.

External Networking:

• Greet people.  Pretend it is a party you are the host of.  Go up to people, introduce yourself and ask about them.  People love to talk about themselves so make sure you give them that opportunity and they will ask the same of you.
• If you are really feeling a connection to someone and feel that either they can help you or vice versa then invite them for  coffee or lunch to talk further when there is more time.
• Don’t just tell people all about you and how you can help them.  Listen to others and see how they can help you or who you may be able to refer them to.  People love getting referrals and often will reciprocate the favor.
• Spend each meeting getting to know someone new.  Don’t always sit by the same people or talk in groups to the same people.  Try to meet one new person each meeting.

Internal Networking:

• Now that you have your internal networking list.  Make a call.  Schedule lunch or a short meeting with the person (20-30 minutes max).
• Make the meeting informal.  Let them know you want to learn more about your company and thought you would start with them.  People love to talk about themselves.  Find out about their career journey.  Ask about their department.  What have you always wanted to know?
• If you are really feeling a connection to someone ask if you can meet again from time to time? 
• Is there someone else they recommend you meet in the company?

Have fun!  Networking is a great and fun opportunity if you use it correctly.  By using these tips you should be building relationships and gaining new business because of it sooner than you realize!

Networking is the one thing most of my clients dread.  I encourage clients to network externally if you are looking for another opportunity and internally if you are looking to advance where you are and gain more exposure.  External Networking:  There are networking events, weekly groups, classes, online forums and more.  You get invited to something new all the time and choosing what to go to and what will work best for you can be hard at times.

Networking doesn’t have to be hard.  It should be fun and something you enjoy attending.  Networking is a great opportunity to meet new prospects, other colleagues and connections that can help you as well as you being able to help them.

Here are some networking tips for finding the right groups:

• Make sure that you are comfortable with the group and the people.  Some groups don’t require a membership.  They may charge a few dollars more for non-members.  Many groups will let you attend a couple live sessions complimentary so that you can see if it is a good fit before you pay the dues.  Be sure to do this.  If you don’t like the group you can save the cost of the dues and move on to something that will fit you better rather than lose money. (Online networking groups are all different.  Make sure that they have a refund policy or a monthly payment option that you can leave at any time if you decide the group isn’t for you.)
• Talk to people at the group when you attend the first couple ones.  You want to make sure that not only the group is a good fit for you but that the people in the group that attend are a good fit as well.  You get the most from a group when you make connections with the members.
• Do your research before you sign up.  Visit the group’s website.  Learn everything you can beforehand.  Are there dues at every meeting, is it an annual fee to join, are there fees if you don’t attend a meeting?  Things like this can be very important to know.  You don’t want to have to be paying out dues or fees if the meetings don’t fit your schedule.  See if the meetings are a set day/time and make sure that you will be able to easily attend them.

Internal Networking:  Just like external networking, internal networking can be fun and something to look forward to.  You will learn more about your organization and build an internal network of contacts and colleagues that will become invaluable to you.  People who advance internally are almost always well networked.

Here are some internal networking tips:

• Step out of youar comfort zone and learn more about your company.  When’s the last time your looked at your company’s website or read an article about your industry?
• Don’t be a creature of habit and do the same thing every lunch with the same people.  Pick one person from another department and have lunch/coffee with them at least once a month.  Learn about what they do. Stay in touch with them.
• Participate in cross-functional teams (process improvement or continuous improvement initiatives) or company leagues or volunteer opportunities.  Many companies offer everything from golf/tennis/bowling leagues to community volunteer service events.  It’s a wonderful way to network with those from other areas.  
• Look for someone to be a mentor for you.  I recommend a person who is a couple of levels above you.  It does not have to be formal.  Ask him/her if it’s okay for you to run career decisions by them because you value their opinion.

Networking has the potential to help you make career contacts for the future if done right.  Next time I will give you tips on how to best network once you have decided on the external groups  or internal people that fit for you.

What are some new habits that you would like to form?  Are you ready to grow personally and professionally?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Start networking more
• Spend quality time with friends
• Start a new hobby that you think you would enjoy
• Take a class in something that interests you
• Incorporate some “play” in your schedule

The funny thing is that by bringing more joy into your life personally you will also increase your professional life.  

Play is not just for kids.  Having fun makes you more creative.  Your best ideas may come when you are just enjoying yourself.  

Networking will make both new business connections for you and new friendships.   Those connections will also get you in front of even more people because those connections you make will be thinking of others that may need what you offer and will be passing your info along.

These new habits don’t have to cost a lot of money or be something that will have everyone around you in awe.  These are small things that you implement in your life to expand yourself.   Friends will give you new ideas, places you go will inspire you, learning a new craft will make your brain work in different ways.

It is time for you to start focusing on joy in your life and leave behind the things that are bringing you down.  Joy is what will lift you up and grow your business.  If you don’t enjoy what you are doing others will pick up on that.  Discover what picks you up and expands your growth and keep at it!

First you need to get rid of the old to make way for the new.  What is not serving you anymore?  What are you holding on to just because you think you should or you think you might need it someday?

Are you holding onto clients that you aren’t happy working with just because of the money?

Are you doing work that you don’t enjoy out of habit or because you think no one can do it like you?

It’s time to change all that.  Schedule an appointment with yourself and really think about your life.  We schedule everything else, right?  Schedule a “Me” Retreat and really give this some thought.  You can go to the park for a few hours.  Spend some time over coffee at a quiet coffee shop.  Find a spot that is quiet and where you won’t be interrupted.

Here are some questions to get you started:  What do you enjoy?  What do you love?  What’s working?  Write that down.  Now on the same paper write down all the things in your life right now that don’t make you leap for joy, that don’t make your heart sing.

Look at that list.  I bet there’s a lot of time on there that you could free up by passing the things you don’t enjoy to someone that does. Or perhaps it’s learning to add the word “No” to your vocabulary.  Things that don’t fall into the first two categories may require creating short and/or long term goals.

Now is the time to start spring cleaning and getting rid of the old to make space for the new.  Next time we’ll talk about the new!

Now that you have laid out clearly what you expect on your resume, your skills, accomplishments and schooling it is time to put it all in order on a professional resume.

Your resume is your first impression and you only have a few minutes to make that impression so that you don’t end up in the circular file.

You can use a template to do your resume.  If you type in a search on Google for resume templates you will find lots of different types and one of them is bound to fit what you are seeking.  They even have templates for particular industry’s so for instance if you are a writer there is a special template for that.

Be sure you have all your contact information clearly laid out on the top of the resume.  Also make sure to use a font that is easy to read such as Times New Roman so that there is no confusion over anything.

Make sure to cover all your tasks in past jobs and also your additional education or skill sets that you have in addition to those.  Prepare a reference list.  Have it ready if requested.  These are people that are in your court and ready to get you that dream job you want.  Make sure your references know you are looking and are prepared. 

When you put together a well crafted resume and a warm cover letter to go with it addressing the person that you are sending the resume to you will be a notch above the rest. 

If you plan to email or upload your resume I recommend you make your cover letter and resume into a pdf file.  That way your resume is uniform and will look the way you intend it to by the recipient.  So many offices have different versions of software.  I’ve opened a resume created in a version of Word different from mine.  When I opened it, the margins and tabs shifted.  I know this was not the document the sender intended for me to see.  Making your document a pdf eliminates that dilemma.  There are free pdf makers you can download.  A Google search will provide them.

Employers get a lot of resumes at one time when they have a position open so by crafting something professional and always following their instructions (fax the resume, email the resume, don’t call) you will be on the narrowed down list of people that they will contact for an interview. 

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Resumes are a hard thing to write.  First you have to think of everything you have done that you can put down in your skills.  You need to remember all the certifications, training, accomplishments and/or awards.  More importantly, you need to come up with what you want to do or are seeking.

Before you start on your resume, sit down and decide on your Mission statement.  Your mission statement is your “what”.  What you are about.  It will help you filter all the different decisions you need to make and help you know what to say yes to and what to say no to.  What are you seeking when you provide your resume to someone?   For instance are you seeking employment long term, short term, freelance jobs? How does this opportunity align with your personal mission statement?

List out on a piece of paper all the jobs you have held previously.  All of them.  Then write down what your position was and what skills you did for that position.  If you are still in good graces with another colleague or your past boss it would be a great idea to contact them and ask if you are missing any skills or if they can think of anything else to add. 

A lot of times people that have worked with you see the things that you don’t.  You may be surprised at some of the skills that can be added to your resume.

Think of creative ways to put these skills down also.  So for instance instead of babysitting it would be child care, or instead of filing it would be office organization.  These titles sound more professional and will take you further with the people reading your resume.

Be sure to list not only your schools but any relevant classes you have taken as well.  Maybe you took a writing class or an art class.  List them.  These may be skills that employers are looking for or that will make your resume stand out because they are advantages to the position.

Make sure you are clear on everything before you type up the resume.  It helps to be clear first on a separate piece of paper and then fine tune it for the professional look.

Now that we are into the first month of the year, I want to ask if you have made a plan for the year.

I like to plan things out so I have an outline of what I want to accomplish over the year and can work toward that.

This plan isn’t something that is irreversible or unchangeable.  It is an outline to follow so that I can continue to reach my goals at a steady pace and keep them top of mind so that I am always doing things that are going to help me to reach them.

A way to plan is to take a piece of paper and draw three columns on it.  The first column is personal goals, the second is business goals, and the third is financial goals.

Now list your goals that you have determined for each one and your action steps as well with your dates like I explained in the earlier blog this month. 

This will keep you on track because you are going into a bit more detail. 

You also want to have a calendar handy that you can write all your dates on and action steps.  This is a calendar that you will have hanging in front of you or on your desk that you look at every day. 

When you are reviewing your activities or planning activities,  I want you to ask yourself if this activity is something you will enjoy, something that will help you grow, or something that will help you reach your goals.  If it is not then you want to take it out of your plan. 

Make the plan for 2012 one that helps you to move forward and not one that helps you help everyone else move forward instead.

It’s a brand new year!  2012 is going to be wonderful and I know that because I plan on making it that way. 

Many people ask the age old question of “what resolution did you make this year?”  Well resolutions can be a bit deceiving.  Most times we choose the same thing year after year…lose weight, eat healthier, start exercising etc. and then little by little we drop those “resolutions” as they don’t fit into what we really want for ourselves or what we choose to do.

Goals on the other hand are attainable.  These are things that you are sitting down and really thinking about.  Goals are things that we really want to do for ourselves.  The things that we are choosing to do in order to make our lives what we want.

A tip on setting goals is to sit down and on a piece of paper list out all the things you want to accomplish this year.  Then look over the list and choose the things that you really believe you can do this year. 

Once you have that list narrowed down you want to write action steps and dates next to each thing.  That way you are breaking down the goals into manageable baby steps so you don’t get overwhelmed and you are holding yourself accountable with the date. 

If you don’t achieve what you had written down by the date it is ok to extend that date.  The date isn’t written in stone but rather is a date to work toward.  This will keep you moving forward in your goals and you will stay motivated by seeing the accomplishments you have made toward your goal already.

So for 2012 don’t make yet another resolution that you can’t or don’t want to keep. Instead make some goals that you can work toward steadily all year and end this year knowing that you have accomplished what you wanted and being proud of yourself!