Do you find yourself floating aimlessly from one job to another that ahs no relation to the first? Maybe you just haven’t found your passion yet. This article from Care2 might be able to get you off to a good start in your explorations.
I’ve been looking for a good way to plug these for a couple of weeks now, but Curt Rosengren has written a pair of e-books to help you find your passion. I got to help edit one of them and as a long-time (read: biased) fan of Curt’s blog, I recommend checking out both books.
I’m one of the lucky ones who found what she’s passionate about. Lucky me, I figured it out early on and am experienced and knowledgable in the field I’m passionate about. Everyone comments on the way my eyes sparkle when I start talking about it. Unfortunately for me, that sparkle has yet to land me a job in my own field. I suspect it has something to do with the limited size of the field.
Posted by Rebecca as Changing careers at 9:49 AM EST
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Here’s a great article from Sitepoint’s Tribune newsletter on starting a new business.
Editor’s Perspective
The Perfect Product
You’re thinking of starting an online business. That’s nice. But what business will you be in? What will you sell?
From where I stand, there are 2 main ways to answer this all-important question:
1. Develop a business that’s related to something you’re passionate about, or are very, very interested in.
2. Look at what people are buying and sell that.
Hopefully, the things people buy are things that you’re passionate about, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
Want to see the start of something big? Check out the Yahoo Buzz Index. http://buzz.yahoo.com/
Want to know what people searched for in 2004? http://tools.search.yahoo.com/top2004/
Want to review the Overture numbers on searches? http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/
It’s no good developing a site that’s completely devoted to Rubik’s Cubes (just 1,952 searches a month according to Overture). ipods come in at a healthy 577,286 searches per month. Better to be selling ipod-related products than a Rubik’s Cube!
Top 5 Email Marketing Secrets
I’ve sent out over 200 email newsletters and offers, and I’ve experienced all the fun and games that come with email marketing. Here are hwat I feel are the 5 most valuable secrets to a successful campaign:
1. Plan it. Know exactly what you’ll send, when and to whom. As an example, we’ve trialed mailing on different days and at various times with hugely differing results. Sending your email at the right (or wrong!) time can impact on your bottom line like you wouldn’t believe.
2. Have response stations ready to go. Is the Website perfectly set to take orders? Is the call centre briefed and ready for calls? Are your office staff ready for overflow calls? Can your site handle the additional traffic that will come its way?
3. Run a final check. Make sure that all the links in the email work. Everything may seem fine, but trust me: keep checking, checking, checking.
Send a test email to yourself, then to co-workers. Next, send out the email to 10% of your list. Then, send to the final 90% of your list. That’s the way we do it now, so that, after my own review, co-workers can pick up any errors.
4. Review the data. Consider newsletter opens, click throughs, unsubscribes, bounces, sales and enquiries. Depending on the size of your campaign, you can keep adjusting the pages to which users click as required. For example, we’ve quickly adjusted sales copy when our sale conversion rate wasn’t up to expectations. This simple action resulted in a 10% increase in sales to subsequent visitors.
5. Reflect. Sit back and take a good look at how you’ve done. Document every action you took, and the results generated. Now you have something to benchmark against for your next campaign, as well as figures to try and beat.
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 7:26 AM EST
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After reading these great tips on how to sell on eBay, I’m really thinking about trying my hand at selling my jewelry on there again.
Found via Angie McKaig
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 7:38 AM EST
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One of the necessary parts to any successful business is the relationship built between the business and the client. This article from Sitepoint advises that you should analyze all of your client relationships to select the ones that will best help you succeed, and then includes steps for how you should approach establishing those relationships that benefit your business.
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 7:42 AM EST
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Any good customer service representative or businessman will tell you that courtesy can make things go so much more smoothly. If you’re polite, people will want to do business with you. If you are willing to admit when you’ve made a mistake and make attempts to repair the damage, then people will come to know you as a good, trustworthy soul.
Similarly, show a distinct lack of manners, and you could find yourself like the barber in this post.
It is important to remember what my entrepreneurial mother has often told me and any employee who made the mistake of being rude to her: If a person receives good customer service, they tell two people. If they receive bad customer service, they tell ten.
It’s just something to think about.
Posted by Rebecca as Skill building at 9:00 AM EST
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I am just finshing my first month as a recruiting coordinator for a rather large local company, and I must say how much the applicants amuse me. I work specfically with the college candidates, and they are great.
I have seen more than enough resumes based on the templates in Microsoft Word to wish that Microsoft would releaseimproved templates. These really are designs that lack much in the way of readability and usefulness.
I have also had many of the more popular Monster articles parroted back to me through email correspondence with these nervous souls.
It’s been completely amusing, and makes me wonder if these individuals are actually learning from their reading, or just doing what they feel is needed because it’s been fed to them.
I’ve often wondered as I’ve worked on each candidate’s interview how I would react to this if I was one of the people who had to evaluate the person’s potential. While the candidate has apparently made at least a token effort to get started on the right foot, I’m not sure they really understand what they’re doing or why they’re doing it.
Many of the job search websites and newsletters all seem to encourage this type of approach to finding one’s future career. Just follow their advice and you’ll land the perfect job in no time, even if you don’t understand what you’re doing or why.
What would happen if finding a career was made into an artform, where the one seeking understood what they were doing and why? How would it affect their choices and activities during the job search?
I don’t know, but I often wonder about this while I’m working.
Posted by Rebecca as Changing careers at 7:47 PM EST
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Sitepoint recently had some great advice on how to repair customer relations when you’ve made a mistake. This information is beneficial and true across many disciplines. It’s amazing how being willing to admit you’re not perfect can boost your professional image and credibility.
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 7:44 AM EST
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This is just a fabulous idea. If there had been something like this at my college, I would definitely have tried to live there.
A lot of us really don’t realize how many entrepreneurial ventures are started and currently running in college dorm rooms on the limited resources provided by the dorm housing. Something like this dorm would really aid the boom of college-aged entrepreneurs.
Posted by Rebecca as Entrepreneurship at 7:46 AM EST
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Get the scoop on new opportunities from the inside of a company, as you temp. Temp positions can help you get your foot in the door through a variety of ways including:
Demonstrating your expertise on the job
Networking with other departments to learn about new opportunities.
Looking for internal job postings.
Finding out who may be resigning that you can replace.
Does it work? Yes. One of my clients had relocated to the U.S. and temped for a major bank as a plant waterer. She was friendly, outgoing, and networked like crazy with all the departments. She also happened to have an MBA. By communicating her value and demonstrating her knowledge about banking, she was hired as a permanent employee and in two years, worked her way up to Vice President.
Found via The Career News
Posted by Rebecca as Skill building at 7:39 AM EST
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I found this recently in The Career News newsletter. It’s actually a great idea. Developing your commercial can help you focus on what it is you do and where you want to go.
Tell your story in 30-60 seconds
Pat Schuler, Business Development Coach
MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Have you ever been listening to someone and you feel like they’re droning on and on? You find yourself wondering when they’ll ever get to the point, to the punch line. Would it surprise you to know the same thing happens in networking and interviews? Are you one of those people?
Before your next networking or interview appointment, write down your major benefit (answer the question: Why would anyone want to tell their associates about me?). Now say it aloud, and time it. You may be surprised how long 60 seconds is, and how much you can cram into that amount of time. Speak at normal speed and with variation in your voice, not a monotone.
If you can’t deliver a compelling 60-second story of what you bring to the party, start over and practice until you can. Use emotional words and words that create a strong picture. Practice until it feels completely comfortable. Be prepared to expand on this theme. You’ll double your odds of a productive meeting.
Posted by Rebecca as Freelancing at 8:52 PM EST
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