Ask Jason How To Advance In My Career to CTO or VP of Technology

Ask Jason How To Advance In My Career to CTO or VP of Technology I got a great set of questions from, lets say, Anonymous. Im going to edit the original wording a little, but not much. I am a frequent watcher of your pluralsight videos (Jason Albas Pluralsight courses here). I am looking to move to the next level of my career as a VP of Technology, VP of Software Development, or CTO. I am currently [one level below those titles]. I am looking to build a roadmap to get me to the next level. A few questions I have are: What do I need to master? If we were talking in person Id ask you a bunch of questions, most of which center around this role you want. My first CIO role was in a tiny company. I made up the title myself. I had CIO responsibilities, kind of, but there is no way I could have sat next to a CEO from a Fortune 1000 company and talked shop. I would have been clueless. I was after the title. It was a good job, and great for where I was in my career. But a few years later when I was looking for a job (and instead started JibberJobber because no one would hire me) I couldnt compete at the executive level. So Id like to know what kind of industries and companies you want to work in. Do you want to work in Fortune 500 or 1000, or in a startup? Do you want to work in a funded startup or a bootstrapped startup? Do you want to work in a bleeding edge industry or in more of the commodity space? Do you want to be in an environment where you have a staff of 500 people or 5 people? The skills you need to master will depend on the answers to those questions. I recommend having a pretty serious conversation with yourself about what kind of company, environment, and opportunities you want. As you do that you should get a shortlist of answers to the questions I asked and from that list you work backwards. If you have those titles at a really big company you might need to master more soft skills, like negotiation, leadership, communication, mentoring, strategy, etc. If you are the titles at a fairly small company you might need a fair amount of soft skills, but you might be in more technical meetings with your small team, making technical decisions, than in executive level strategy meetings. Im not going to say one is better than the other but what do you think youll enjoy more? I assume you have some serious technical chops. You have to, to be where you are today. Youll have to maintain a degree of those technical skills, but youll probably want to really beef up on all things strategy and communication. Any executive should consider my Management 101 course boring or at least, they should understand every single thing I talk about there. Master learning. Master curiosity. Master human relations. Master hiring well and leading an A team. If you can master those things you will be a great boss and a valuable contributor. What do I need to improve? It depends on what you are after, and where you are at right now. The answers to my questions above, and the results of an honest self-assessment should help you identify gaps in your skillset. Then, work consistently on those gaps. This is a marathon, so take it slow and dont burn out early. Perhaps read a book a month, or every two months, on things you need to improve on. Go one step further and write about what you are learning. Whether that is through a blog (so everyone can see and learn with you) or a journal (so no one can see), I dont think it much matters. But write. Critically think about what you are learning about. Practice. Teach. Mentor. Internalize personal growth. Ive talked about the best time to plant a tree. You will likely have opportunities come your way for the roles you aspire to. You might not be ready right now, but you can start preparing right now and in 5 months or 5 years or whenever, you will be on the right path of the right preparation. I am considering this my Plan B option. At first I took this line out of this post but then I thought I really want to highlight it. EVERYONE should have a Plan B option. And a Plan C. I think Im on Plan N or M because A and B and C didnt work out. In our careers we have to be agile. We have to adapt. Please have a Plan B, and let it be fluid! I would like to understand where do I start and where is the defining moment when I feel I am ready to take the leap. Honestly, you have already started. You started a long time ago, and your current title tells me you have done very well. Your defining moment will come at a time when you think who me? Yes, Id love to take that job, but I dont think Im the right person! But, if you are on the path I talked about, and you are learning, and curious, and writing, and you are excelling in developing your soft skills, you are as much the right person as most other people. Sure, there will be rock stars who are more qualified and better than you. But that doesnt mean you should turn down opportunities. In my last role I suffered from imposter syndrome for months. It was weird because I normally suffer from a big ego. But there came a day, months in, where I thought Oh my, I really do get why Im here. And Im just right for this job. I dont know it all yet, but Ill learn and Ill contribute. And I will be known as a great hire, even if I have to fake some of this stuff until I get it.   So maybe your defining moment will come a few months after you take the leap :p In a follow-up email Anonymous says: I am thinking about going to the local Technology Meetups, conferences, and networking events. But I dont know if these events are going to help. They will help you if you know why you are going, and once you go, you do the right things. When I started going to network meetings I was wasting my time. Or, honestly, I was learning. I went for me, and didnt know why I was there other than that is what people said I should do. Even though Im a speaker at these types of meetings I tell people to not go for the speaker. Maybe youll learn something, or get inspired, but go because of what happens before the speaker gets up, and what happens after the speaker sits down. Go for the other people in the room. You should get personal branding benefit from going to these meetings. You should develop and nurture networking relationships. You should find opportunities to give to others, to help, to make introductions, and even to volunteer your time to the organization. Any of those are excellent reasons to go to network meetings and conferences. I also go with a mindset of competitive intelligence research. That is, I want to know what topics are hot (look at the trends in topics what is always talked about? What is new?) I want to know who the players are, how good the speakers messages are, and I personally go to learn more and better presentation skills. But if you dont learn anything you should do some excellent networking at these meetings. Who knows maybe your next offers will come from people you meet at those meetings. What are your thoughts about using recruiters? I think recruiters can be great to help you land your next role. It is critical to understand, however, that unless a recruiter has an opening that is right for you, and you are right for their role, you are nothing to them. You arent even a number you are just in the way to them finding their next hire. Im not ragging on recruiters. They would tell you the same thing at least, if they were being honest they would. If you want to know how recruiters work, check out Nick at Ask the Headhunter. He has an excellent ebook on working with recruiters. There you go a little bit of this, a little bit of that. You have a fun future ahead of you. Continue in your preparation so when the opportunities come youll be prepared to jump! Ask Jason How To Advance In My Career to CTO or VP of Technology I got a great set of questions from, lets say, Anonymous. Im going to edit the original wording a little, but not much. I am a frequent watcher of your pluralsight videos (Jason Albas Pluralsight courses here). I am looking to move to the next level of my career as a VP of Technology, VP of Software Development, or CTO. I am currently [one level below those titles]. I am looking to build a roadmap to get me to the next level. A few questions I have are: What do I need to master? If we were talking in person Id ask you a bunch of questions, most of which center around this role you want. My first CIO role was in a tiny company. I made up the title myself. I had CIO responsibilities, kind of, but there is no way I could have sat next to a CEO from a Fortune 1000 company and talked shop. I would have been clueless. I was after the title. It was a good job, and great for where I was in my career. But a few years later when I was looking for a job (and instead started JibberJobber because no one would hire me) I couldnt compete at the executive level. So Id like to know what kind of industries and companies you want to work in. Do you want to work in Fortune 500 or 1000, or in a startup? Do you want to work in a funded startup or a bootstrapped startup? Do you want to work in a bleeding edge industry or in more of the commodity space? Do you want to be in an environment where you have a staff of 500 people or 5 people? The skills you need to master will depend on the answers to those questions. I recommend having a pretty serious conversation with yourself about what kind of company, environment, and opportunities you want. As you do that you should get a shortlist of answers to the questions I asked and from that list you work backwards. If you have those titles at a really big company you might need to master more soft skills, like negotiation, leadership, communication, mentoring, strategy, etc. If you are the titles at a fairly small company you might need a fair amount of soft skills, but you might be in more technical meetings with your small team, making technical decisions, than in executive level strategy meetings. Im not going to say one is better than the other but what do you think youll enjoy more? I assume you have some serious technical chops. You have to, to be where you are today. Youll have to maintain a degree of those technical skills, but youll probably want to really beef up on all things strategy and communication. Any executive should consider my Management 101 course boring or at least, they should understand every single thing I talk about there. Master learning. Master curiosity. Master human relations. Master hiring well and leading an A team. If you can master those things you will be a great boss and a valuable contributor. What do I need to improve? It depends on what you are after, and where you are at right now. The answers to my questions above, and the results of an honest self-assessment should help you identify gaps in your skillset. Then, work consistently on those gaps. This is a marathon, so take it slow and dont burn out early. Perhaps read a book a month, or every two months, on things you need to improve on. Go one step further and write about what you are learning. Whether that is through a blog (so everyone can see and learn with you) or a journal (so no one can see), I dont think it much matters. But write. Critically think about what you are learning about. Practice. Teach. Mentor. Internalize personal growth. Ive talked about the best time to plant a tree. You will likely have opportunities come your way for the roles you aspire to. You might not be ready right now, but you can start preparing right now and in 5 months or 5 years or whenever, you will be on the right path of the right preparation. I am considering this my Plan B option. At first I took this line out of this post but then I thought I really want to highlight it. EVERYONE should have a Plan B option. And a Plan C. I think Im on Plan N or M because A and B and C didnt work out. In our careers we have to be agile. We have to adapt. Please have a Plan B, and let it be fluid! I would like to understand where do I start and where is the defining moment when I feel I am ready to take the leap. Honestly, you have already started. You started a long time ago, and your current title tells me you have done very well. Your defining moment will come at a time when you think who me? Yes, Id love to take that job, but I dont think Im the right person! But, if you are on the path I talked about, and you are learning, and curious, and writing, and you are excelling in developing your soft skills, you are as much the right person as most other people. Sure, there will be rock stars who are more qualified and better than you. But that doesnt mean you should turn down opportunities. In my last role I suffered from imposter syndrome for months. It was weird because I normally suffer from a big ego. But there came a day, months in, where I thought Oh my, I really do get why Im here. And Im just right for this job. I dont know it all yet, but Ill learn and Ill contribute. And I will be known as a great hire, even if I have to fake some of this stuff until I get it.   So maybe your defining moment will come a few months after you take the leap :p In a follow-up email Anonymous says: I am thinking about going to the local Technology Meetups, conferences, and networking events. But I dont know if these events are going to help. They will help you if you know why you are going, and once you go, you do the right things. When I started going to network meetings I was wasting my time. Or, honestly, I was learning. I went for me, and didnt know why I was there other than that is what people said I should do. Even though Im a speaker at these types of meetings I tell people to not go for the speaker. Maybe youll learn something, or get inspired, but go because of what happens before the speaker gets up, and what happens after the speaker sits down. Go for the other people in the room. You should get personal branding benefit from going to these meetings. You should develop and nurture networking relationships. You should find opportunities to give to others, to help, to make introductions, and even to volunteer your time to the organization. Any of those are excellent reasons to go to network meetings and conferences. I also go with a mindset of competitive intelligence research. That is, I want to know what topics are hot (look at the trends in topics what is always talked about? What is new?) I want to know who the players are, how good the speakers messages are, and I personally go to learn more and better presentation skills. But if you dont learn anything you should do some excellent networking at these meetings. Who knows maybe your next offers will come from people you meet at those meetings. What are your thoughts about using recruiters? I think recruiters can be great to help you land your next role. It is critical to understand, however, that unless a recruiter has an opening that is right for you, and you are right for their role, you are nothing to them. You arent even a number you are just in the way to them finding their next hire. Im not ragging on recruiters. They would tell you the same thing at least, if they were being honest they would. If you want to know how recruiters work, check out Nick at Ask the Headhunter. He has an excellent ebook on working with recruiters. There you go a little bit of this, a little bit of that. You have a fun future ahead of you. Continue in your preparation so when the opportunities come youll be prepared to jump!

Effective Resume Writing for a Writing Job

Effective Resume Writing for a Writing JobWriting a resume is a necessary step in the process of getting a job as a professional writer. While it can be helpful to others, writing a resume is a skill that needs to be learned in order to be able to sell yourself as a professional writer. For this reason, there are some important things to keep in mind when writing your resume.The first thing to remember is that you need to start early and the right time. Start by writing a list of all the companies you would like to write for. It might be beneficial to obtain samples of previous work from these companies to give you an idea of what type of work you can expect to do. Research the field you are interested in working in and find out what type of writing job, you should consider getting.The next important thing to remember is to make sure that your resume is an accurate reflection of who you are. Accurate resumes are a form of marketing and advertisement to potential employers, so the job of a professional writer is to make sure that all information included on the resume is accurate. If it is not accurate, it will not be noticed and could have a negative effect on your career.It can also be helpful to take a look at your other resume and see if there are any similarities to this one. This will help you identify any areas where you may need to alter your resume to make it more professional.After you have finished your resume, make sure that it is ready for submission. You want to make sure that the information that you have included on it is accurate and that the information is relevant to the job you are applying for. You should be able to send it off with a short and easy online form. Make sure that you include contact information and any other relevant information that will help to get your resume noticed.You can also make your new resume a part of your cover letter. There are many different cover letters that you can use and make your own, or include it as a par t of the resume. The most important part of your cover letter is to state exactly why you are applying for the position and then how you are going to be able to contribute to the success of the company.Lastly, never forget to thank the employer for the chance to speak with them. This will ensure that you are taken seriously when you are trying to land a job in the future. Even if you cannot get a job right away, this is something that you should take into consideration when you start to build your resume.You will notice that all of the steps in writing a resume are very simple and they are often times similar to those of a student taking the test to get into a university. However, the truth is that you will not be able to be accepted into the program you are interested in without writing a strong resume. This is the only way to showcase your talent and know that you have used the skills that you have been given.

Kobe Bryant confessed to rape. Thats part of his story.

Kobe Bryant confessed to rape. Thats part of his story. As we sat down to dinner last night, my son said, Look. Kobe died. I looked at the phone screen. My first thought was: he was so young and oh my gosh his daughter. My next thought was: the rape. I have never stopped thinking about the night Kobe raped a 19-year-old woman while she was working at his hotel. There wasnt much public discourse about the rape back in 2003. A company could fire a woman for reporting rape. Date rape was a term to describe sort-of-ok sex. Anita Hill testified in Congress, and the men concluded she was asking for it. There was not a lot of discussion about rape because we didnt have adequate language. Maybe thats why the Wikipedia page quoting Kobes confession to rape is titled Kobe Bryant Sexual Assault Case. I was raped at work but I wasnt sure. I thought maybe the guy was just being mean and crazy so I didnt tell anyone. Which is why the most shocking thing to me about Kobes rape was that the victim told people. She got a rape kit. I was impressed. She let the police take pictures. She described the events in Kobes hotel room so clearly that they played over and over in my head. This is rape, I told myself. This is what it looks like, I told myself. Today the Washington Post fired a journalist for referencing the historical importance of Kobes rape case. The Chicago Tribune and Atlanta Journal-Constitution ignored that Kobe admitted the sex was not consensual. And LA Times wrote a fanboy fantasy retrial masquerading as an obituary. This onslaught of terrible journalism made me wonder if my son knew the truth. He said, Yeah. I know. Everyone knows. Do you care? Mom. I get it. Its really bad that he did it. But hes one of the greatest athletes of all time. Its not fair to write about rape now. The amount of good he did in the world is huge. He donated millions of dollars to charity. So if someone donates a lot of money then we should only talk about that and not the rape? Mom. This is not a hot take. Youre being a fucking asshole. Just dont write this. Did you see that there are burn marks on his daughter where he was hugging her as they died? I have to pause because that makes me so sad. And because I am so lucky to have my son here, alive. Also, I ask myself why I am arguing with him when I could be hugging him? I decide an argument is sort of like a hug. I say, So theres no #Metoo for good dads? My son says, Kobe led a life that inspired millions of people, and then my son walks out of the room. So I have to tell this to you: The judge in Brock Turners case used the same argument; he said Brocks life had been too important to be tarnished forever by rape. The woman Brock raped who we know now is Chanel Miller wrote that her life is important too, and Brock tarnished it forever. The result was that Brock Turners judge was recalled in a public election, and Millers book, Know My Name, was a bestseller. So the public has spoken. We believe that big success does not make rape go away for either the rapist or the victim. A person is the accumulation of all of their actions. So we need to remember that Kobe raped a 19-year-old. The criminal prosecutor put together the case against Kobe. Key points were that the victim had marks on her neck that police deemed consistent with large hands strangling her and holding her down. And that Kobe talked with the police that evening while wearing a T-shirt that was splattered with blood later found to contain the womans DNA. Kobes team launched an intense, multi-pronged defense. They called the woman crazy, suicidal and trying to get attention from her boyfriend. The defense argued that Kobe has the right to present the womans medical records to the jury to show she is a liar. The defense team said the T-shirt was inadmissible in court. And also that the blood was from her period. Finally, the team threatened to countersue for saying the sex with Kobe wasnt consensual. Kobes defense lost each of those arguments. So, right before the case began, Kobe cut a deal with the victim: If she does not show up to testify Kobe will make a statement amounting to a public admission of rape. The woman filed a civil case which settled with Kobe paying the woman an unknown sum of money. One of the reasons we should remember this case is it is a very public and clear example of why our criminal justice system does not work for sexual violence. There are huge personal risks and emotional risks for a victim to testify against her rapist, but research shows almost no emotional benefit to testifying. So the victims frequently recant which makes prosecutors reticent to press sexual violence charges. This is why very few sexual criminals go to prison. In a civil trial, on the other hand, the victim can win financial compensation for damages if she is can get through intense preparation and emotional trauma of the trial. But the ability of powerful rapists to pay off much less powerful victims is an extreme loophole in sexual violence law. You can see this secondary system of justice play out very clearly in the Kobe Bryant rape case. While we mourn the death of Kobe Bryant the great athlete, we need to remember that rape doesnt disappear just because we hate having to think about it. Kobes victim hates thinking about the rape too, but she will live the rest of her life with the memory of Kobe raping her. This is not 2003. Its 2020 and we have clear, accurate language to talk about the broad category that is sexual assault. Rape is the specific, term that describes Kobe Bryants case. So the first step toward journalistic honesty is to edit that watered-down face-saving Wikipedia page to say Kobe Bryants Rape Case. When the media rewrites Kobes story to make him innocent, the media rewrites women out of the story. Kobe doesnt need to be innocent to be loved. And his victim doesnt need to be perfect to be believed. Kobes death is an opportunity for journalists to report difficult truths to readers and for moms to have tough conversations with kids.

Do you know a great volunteer University of Manchester Careers Blog

Do you know a great volunteer University of Manchester Careers Blog Our University of Manchester Volunteer of the Year programme recognises staff, students and alumni who make a real difference with their volunteering activities. Volunteering can take place in Manchester or anywhere else in the world, and previous winners and commended volunteers have been undergrads, masters and doctoral researchers. You can nominate yourself, or you can nominate someone you know someone you admire for the energy and enthusiasm with which they volunteer. The nomination process just involves filling in an online survey form, and nominations must be in by Friday 8th March. If youve had a look at it before and been a bit put off by not knowing whats required, youll be pleased to know weve now got some instructions giving details of the information youll need to gather before you fill in the nomination: Contact details for the nominee; What School they are/were in, or their job within the University; Information on what their volunteering role is; Information on how their volunteering has benefitted others; Names and contact details for two referees who are familiar with the individuals volunteering. If you dont have all the contact details, just write Dont know. However please be aware that we will need at least an email address for the individual so that we can get in touch with them. So, if youd love to see your nominee get one of these: fill in that form before 8th March. All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate Volunteering

Resume Writing Services: How They Can Help Your Business

Resume Writing Services: How They Can Help Your BusinessBusiness people are always on the lookout for resume writing services that can ensure them of a high level of professionalism. This is because businesses often face problems when it comes to dealing with certain documents. It is not only important for companies to be professional, but they also need to be able to make connections with other people as well.Companies usually work with professionals who can offer them the services that they need in order to improve their business strategies. There are also companies that can help with creating the resumes that they need and give them an interview with the best professionals in the field. Even though a good company can help a company, there are some ways in which a business can go about choosing a reputable company.Companies that offer this service are usually a part of the larger industry. The bigger the company, the more likely it is that it will have enough staff in order to prov ide every client with the services that they need. Because of this, they will be able to respond to a customer's needs quicker than smaller companies.Companies that are able to use this kind of service will also have a more pleasant office atmosphere. They can keep things in order and also get things done quickly. Their office space should be clean and should always be organized.Since this service is an important part of the business, it will also have various tools in order to ensure that the job gets done well. Some tools include software and programs that allow the writing to be completed faster and at a higher quality. This can be a very important tool for businesses that are always on the go and need to stay ahead of the competition.Some of the most important aspects of a resume are the details that can affect the final score. For instance, one small detail that a client should not forget to include is their education and whether or not they went to college. As long as the educ ation is up to date, it will be easier for the employer to determine whether or not this person is a reliable employee.In Tampa, there are many companies that offer different types of services. It is up to the business owner to choose the company that will best meet their needs. Being professional in every aspect of a business will make a huge difference when it comes to the outcome of the project.Many people are in need of these types of services but they do not realize it. If they ask around, they will find many companies that offer them. Business owners can search online and find these types of companies as well as find out how they work and what they can do for them.

3 Personal Branding Tips for Baby Boomer Job Seekers - Career Pivot

3 Personal Branding Tips for Baby Boomer Job Seekers - Career Pivot Branding Tips The concept of a personal brand is relatively new. In 2009, when we were in the middle of the great recession and the ideas for Career Pivot were germinating in my head, I picked up Dan Schawbel’s Book, Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. This was my introduction to the term personal branding. The concept of a personal brand became clear when I read the following quote: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room” â€"Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon We all have a brand…whether we like it or not. Let me give you a few simple branding tips that come from my new book, Personal Branding for Baby Boomers â€" What It Is, How to Manage It, and Why It’s No Longer Optional. Branding Tip #1 â€" Your LinkedIn Photograph Your LinkedIn photo is absolutely critical. What does your current photograph say about you? If you are not sure, check out PhotoFeeler.com and get other people’s opinions about your current photograph. I want you to consider three things about your photo: Background â€" This is much more important than you think. Take a look at Jason Seiden’s article called, “What Profile Photo Works Best on LinkedIn: A Real-Life Experiment.” Cropping your photograph â€" Headshot photographs are rectangular. Social media photographs are mostly square. Your headshot needs to be cropped. When you crop the photograph, does the background still convey the appropriate message? Check out my headshot and LinkedIn photograph from the book. The color of your clothes â€" The color of your clothes has to be compatible with the background. If you are a guy, you may need to get help with this…like I did. Branding Tip #2 â€" Your Brand Story Your brand story tells the reader who you areâ€"not what you have done. This should be written in 1st person. It is your story. Who should write this story? NOT YOU! In the book, I give you three methods for writing the story, but the actual writing should be done by someone other than you. It could be someone you hire, a friend, or a relative. I have had the best luck with adult daughters. They will brag on Mom or Dad with an insight few others have. Listen to the most recent episode Your brand story should be placed in the summary section of your LinkedIn profile. The summary section is limited to 2,000 characters, therefore, this needs to be tightly edited and well written. Branding Tip #3 â€" Rich Media Links Each section of the LinkedIn profile allows you to upload content or link to content on the Internet. This is a great way to demonstrate what you know. This could include: YouTube videos Articles you’ve written Work product Product descriptions for items you’ve sold or serviced Spreadsheets PowerPoint presentations LinkedIn Publisher posts Links to personal websites You should include anything that shows that you know your stuff. If you are interested in more information on writing LinkedIn Publisher posts that work, read my recent Forbes article, Using LinkedIn Influencer To Build Your Personal Brand. I recently had a client who included links to product descriptions of the multitude of sophisticated manufacturing machines he had sold within the previous 10 years. It was quite impressive. This was a major factor in him getting an interview for the job he was subsequently hired for. If you follow these three branding tips, you will be on your way to creating a personal brand that people will remember. Please watch the recording of theFlexJobs Webinar: Leveraging LinkedIn to Get Noticed by Employers. This post originally appeared on Flexjobs.com Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Twitter Means Business

Twitter Means Business Over the weekend I read  Twitter Means Business: How Microblogging Can Help or Hurt Your Business  by Julio Ojeda-Zapata. The book explores how  Twitter  can help companies put a human face on their businesses, build a following, and deepen customer relationships. Julio also takes a look at how companies such as Jet Blue, Dell, HR Block, Comcast, Wholefoods, and Zappos have leveraged Twitter to turnaround or build their business. These companies have been successful on Twitter because they have used the tool to deliver a consistent message of trust and value. They have created a strong company brand.One of the reasons Im so fascinated with Twitter is that I believe that  job seekers can derive similar value from Twitter  by building relationship, trust, and a compelling statement of their value-add through their tweets. Many hiring authorities and recruiters are using Twitter to source thought leaders and superstars in a particular function or industry. And the superstars are not han ging around on the static job boards. They are participating in the conversations relevant to their industry and setting the directions and trends for the future.In addition to the books numerous Twitter success stories, Julio has also included a comprehensive guide to Twitter resources to learn how to optimize and organize your tweets and how to conduct searches to find relevant conversations.  If you would like to follow me on Twitter you will find me  here.  Hope to see you there! Happy tweeting!

Tim Russerts Lesson to Job Seekers -

Tim Russerts Lesson to Job Seekers - To some, it may seem like old news. Anyone who is plugged in knows that Tim Russert, host of NBCs Meet the Press and influential political commentator died suddenly of a heart attack while at work. The fact that he died so young (at 58), right before Fathers Day, leaving a son who just graduated college and his own father as well as his wife is so sadHaving lost my own mom right before Mothers Day two years ago, the timing of his death was especially poignant for me. All of this by way of saying that Ive thought a lot about Tim Russert and his family, considering that I dont know them personally. Since I try to only write about my niche job hunting topics with the occasional foray into general career issues, in the day or two after his death, I didnt immediately see a connection in this story that I wanted to share in my blog. Today, with some distance, I realized that there is a critical career related lesson Id like to mention. As I watched and read coverage of Tim Russerts death, everyone who worked with him pointed out his generosity of spirit and willingness to mentor colleagues. In fact, the quote on one of the memorial programs for Tim Russert reads, No exercise is better for the human heart than reaching down to lift up another person. I heard him described as someone who pulled others up and then held them there, nurturing and celebrating their successes. My sense from the tributes memorializing him is that this quality, along with Russerts reported love of family, work and life, may have contributed as much to his success as his tenatious questioning of political figures. Yesterday, I wrote about being a connector and what a great aspiration it is to become a networker who networks generously and links people for their advantage. Similarly, this is a great time to think about the value of a mentor. Being a mentor can raise your career aspirations. People who see your kindness and generousity of spirit will help lift YOU to higher career heights. How much easier will it be to find people to offer recommendations and references if you are a strong mentor? How much more will you enjoy your work life if you really care about the people who work with you? For young people entering the working world for the first time, the lesson is to seek a mentor and to someday aspire to be one. Get to know the people who work with you. Care about their lives, their children, their sports teams. Connect because you care and people will respond. Your career and your life will be the better for it! Keppie Careers hopes to encourage, enlighten and empower you for success.