No matter where you are at in your life, whether you are a college student looking to get a career started or a seasoned professional deep into a career, chances are, someone helped you along the way. This assistance could have come in many different forms and probably helped get you to where you are at now. If someone has helped you along the way, taking time to say thank you will help strengthen the relationship with that person and show kindness as well.
If someone has done you a favor or helped you along the way, saying thank you can help build and strengthen that relationship with that person. Taking a few moments to show your appreciation will prove to that person you cared about his or her time, you appreciated the assistance and you care enough to take a few moments to show gratitude. Not taking the time to say thank you could leave a bad impression with that person and make them wonder if he or she should help you again in the future.
Whenever you sit down to network with someone, taking a few moments to send a thank you e-mail or handwritten thank you note could be key to building that relationship and maintaining that contact. It shows the other person you appreciated his or her time, you are interested in the advice and will help you stand out from those who don't say thank you. This same technique can also be done with job interviews and sometimes that can be a deciding factor in whether or not someone will bring you in for another interview or even a job offer. A small thank you note can mean a lot to someone and could help keep your foot in the door for an opportunity.
On a personal level, there are probably people who have helped you along the way with matters outside of your job. This could come in the form of helping out with a personal relationship (or dating), helping with a job around the house, or being there in times of trouble or personal matters. Taking a few moments to say thank you to those people can help build these relationships as well.
In these instances, sending a thank you note can be done but you can also take it to another level if this person is a friend. Sometimes including a gift card to a favorite restaurant, movie tickets, or other gift card is a nice way to show appreciation as well. It serves as a pleasant surprise and really demonstrates to the other person that his or her help was appreciated.
Whether it's your professional or personal life, someone has probably helped you along the way and it's always best to give thanks. It will show the other person the kindness was appreciated, provide reason to continue and develop that relationship, and provide other opportunities down the line.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Taking Time To Know Others: A Key To Building Relationships
Throughout life, there will always be opportunities to meet new people but sometimes we only get one chance to make a good first impression. Making a solid good first impression can lead to developing a relationship with that person later on. Building that relationship from that first meeting starts with taking time to learn about the other person.
Whenever you meet someone new, it is easy to want to provide your own verbal autobiography or talk a lot about yourself. While this may interest the other person a bit, doing it too much may also be a turn off. The key to getting to know the other person is to ask questions about them and learn about his or her interests and passions.
When asking someone to talk about him or herself, the goal is not to make it a game of 20 questions; it's to slowly learn about that person without getting too personal or making the other person feel like he or she is being interrogated. Take it slow, find small tidbits about hobbies, interests or small pieces of information and go from there.
During certain events in which you meet new people such as networking events, it's not always easy to know who is going to be there beforehand. The key to these situations is listen to what the person says and ask about a couple of specific points.
For example, if someone says he or she does volunteer work on the side, you can ask if they volunteer with an organization, what they enjoy about it and how he or she started volunteering. That way, it develops a conversation, gets the other person to talk about his or her interests and gives you the opportunity to learn about someone else. It's an opportunity to learn about someone else's passion and provides them a reason to keep talking to you.
Even though it sounds easy, it does take a little practice but there are different ways you can practice. If you are a college student, you can try having a small conversation with the people who work in the local coffee shop, the people who take care of you at the bookstore, the library, etc. When you are at the checkout line, take a few minutes to ask the person at the counter how his or her day is going and you might be surprised as to what you can find out. It might not be often that someone takes a few minutes to get to know these people and will help you stand out.
Building relationships in life is key and the first step is to take time to know the other person. Take time to listen, understand his or her interests and learn about them so you can build trust and that relationship.
Whenever you meet someone new, it is easy to want to provide your own verbal autobiography or talk a lot about yourself. While this may interest the other person a bit, doing it too much may also be a turn off. The key to getting to know the other person is to ask questions about them and learn about his or her interests and passions.
When asking someone to talk about him or herself, the goal is not to make it a game of 20 questions; it's to slowly learn about that person without getting too personal or making the other person feel like he or she is being interrogated. Take it slow, find small tidbits about hobbies, interests or small pieces of information and go from there.
During certain events in which you meet new people such as networking events, it's not always easy to know who is going to be there beforehand. The key to these situations is listen to what the person says and ask about a couple of specific points.
For example, if someone says he or she does volunteer work on the side, you can ask if they volunteer with an organization, what they enjoy about it and how he or she started volunteering. That way, it develops a conversation, gets the other person to talk about his or her interests and gives you the opportunity to learn about someone else. It's an opportunity to learn about someone else's passion and provides them a reason to keep talking to you.
Even though it sounds easy, it does take a little practice but there are different ways you can practice. If you are a college student, you can try having a small conversation with the people who work in the local coffee shop, the people who take care of you at the bookstore, the library, etc. When you are at the checkout line, take a few minutes to ask the person at the counter how his or her day is going and you might be surprised as to what you can find out. It might not be often that someone takes a few minutes to get to know these people and will help you stand out.
Building relationships in life is key and the first step is to take time to know the other person. Take time to listen, understand his or her interests and learn about them so you can build trust and that relationship.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Take Time To Share Passions With Others....
Having your hobbies and your passions is what can fill the time and make life enjoyable outside work and school. Being able to enjoy a particular activity on a regular basis can help you relax during rough weeks and give you opportunities to look forward to. Being able to have a hobby to enjoy is fun but taking time to share the experience with someone else can create fun memories.
If you have a particular hobby or passion and notice a friend, relative or anyone else shows interest in it, take an opportunity to share that passion with that other person. You may never know what can come from taking time to share something that you enjoy doing with someone who might share the same interest.
For example, being a big hockey fan, I enjoy taking friends and relatives to Lake Erie Monsters games. I've been a hockey fan my entire life and it's enjoyable for me to share that passion with others. I enjoy going to the games myself but taking time to share the fun experience with those who showed an interest in going with me has created some lasting memories.
Another example that comes to mind is when I took my Great Uncle Andy (or Uncle Andy as we call him) to his first ever Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game. I was living in Columbus at the time and Uncle Andy would always e-mail me and call me to see how the team was doing. Forward Rick Nash was his favorite player and I could tell from his voice on the other end of the phone, he was itching to go to a game in Columbus. He always watches the team on television and after several messages back and forth, I decided to share my passion of going to Blue Jackets games with him.
On the night of the game, Uncle Andy could not have been any happier to finally see his Blue Jackets and his favorite player, Rick Nash, live in person. It warmed my heart to know I had made his night (and probably his year!) by taking time to share this passion of mine with him. He enjoyed being able to see his favorite team in person and that created a lasting memory not only for him but for me as well.
Having a passion or hobby is a great way to enjoy life, however, taking time to share that with others can make a positive impact on someone else's life too.
If you have a particular hobby or passion and notice a friend, relative or anyone else shows interest in it, take an opportunity to share that passion with that other person. You may never know what can come from taking time to share something that you enjoy doing with someone who might share the same interest.
For example, being a big hockey fan, I enjoy taking friends and relatives to Lake Erie Monsters games. I've been a hockey fan my entire life and it's enjoyable for me to share that passion with others. I enjoy going to the games myself but taking time to share the fun experience with those who showed an interest in going with me has created some lasting memories.
Another example that comes to mind is when I took my Great Uncle Andy (or Uncle Andy as we call him) to his first ever Columbus Blue Jackets hockey game. I was living in Columbus at the time and Uncle Andy would always e-mail me and call me to see how the team was doing. Forward Rick Nash was his favorite player and I could tell from his voice on the other end of the phone, he was itching to go to a game in Columbus. He always watches the team on television and after several messages back and forth, I decided to share my passion of going to Blue Jackets games with him.
On the night of the game, Uncle Andy could not have been any happier to finally see his Blue Jackets and his favorite player, Rick Nash, live in person. It warmed my heart to know I had made his night (and probably his year!) by taking time to share this passion of mine with him. He enjoyed being able to see his favorite team in person and that created a lasting memory not only for him but for me as well.
Having a passion or hobby is a great way to enjoy life, however, taking time to share that with others can make a positive impact on someone else's life too.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
College Students: Be Aware of Opportunities that Present Themselves!
During your college years, getting internship experience will be valuable for getting an entry level position when you graduate. Being able to get enough professional experience through your internships will help boost your resume and give employers a reason to bring you in for an interview.
Whenever you are interning for a company or even working part time, be aware of other opportunities to explore and take advantage of. These opportunities may be out of the ordinary for you, however, the experience can lead to more possibilities down the road. These experiences can help pave the path for more career options and give you more opportunities.
For example, during my senior year of college, one of the best opportunities I took advantage of happened when I was hired in as a part-time producer at a local radio station. My job description was to help run the shows the station aired on Saturday morning but another opportunity presented itself a week after I had been hired.
While doing some training in the main studio during my first week there, the sales manager walked in with a copy of my resume and asked to see me in his office afterwards. I'll admit I was a little baffled as to why this sales manager wanted to talk to someone whose job was to push the buttons on the board, screen phone calls, air the commercials and keep the station on the air. I couldn't quite see the fit at first but eventually found out.
When I went into his office, the sales manager brought out a copy of my resume and asked me about some of the other internships I had done. He saw that I had done a sales internship at another station and a marketing/promotions internship at another. The Program Director (who hired me as a part-time producer) had told him I was really personable during the interview and that caught his attention.
After a few minutes, the sales manager asked me a question I didn't quite expect:
"Jeff, have you ever thought about learning how to do sales?"
I mentioned I had briefly and agreed to come in an extra day or two a week to learn under his wing. This sales manager taught me how to cold call, handle objections, listen to the customer and several other skills that paid off later on. There was a bit of a learning curve involved with this transition but this experience eventually paved the way for my first job out of college and opened up more doors and opportunities after that.
Had I not taken advantage of this opportunity to learn sales, I would not have had more options available to me after college and beyond that. Taking a couple days a week from someone who was willing to teach me how to do sales helped open other career opportunities for me and find my career path. This experience helped open up more opportunities for me and it was worth taking extra time to learn.
If another opportunity presents itself, take to explore it and let it grow. You never know where it might take you in the end.
Whenever you are interning for a company or even working part time, be aware of other opportunities to explore and take advantage of. These opportunities may be out of the ordinary for you, however, the experience can lead to more possibilities down the road. These experiences can help pave the path for more career options and give you more opportunities.
For example, during my senior year of college, one of the best opportunities I took advantage of happened when I was hired in as a part-time producer at a local radio station. My job description was to help run the shows the station aired on Saturday morning but another opportunity presented itself a week after I had been hired.
While doing some training in the main studio during my first week there, the sales manager walked in with a copy of my resume and asked to see me in his office afterwards. I'll admit I was a little baffled as to why this sales manager wanted to talk to someone whose job was to push the buttons on the board, screen phone calls, air the commercials and keep the station on the air. I couldn't quite see the fit at first but eventually found out.
When I went into his office, the sales manager brought out a copy of my resume and asked me about some of the other internships I had done. He saw that I had done a sales internship at another station and a marketing/promotions internship at another. The Program Director (who hired me as a part-time producer) had told him I was really personable during the interview and that caught his attention.
After a few minutes, the sales manager asked me a question I didn't quite expect:
"Jeff, have you ever thought about learning how to do sales?"
I mentioned I had briefly and agreed to come in an extra day or two a week to learn under his wing. This sales manager taught me how to cold call, handle objections, listen to the customer and several other skills that paid off later on. There was a bit of a learning curve involved with this transition but this experience eventually paved the way for my first job out of college and opened up more doors and opportunities after that.
Had I not taken advantage of this opportunity to learn sales, I would not have had more options available to me after college and beyond that. Taking a couple days a week from someone who was willing to teach me how to do sales helped open other career opportunities for me and find my career path. This experience helped open up more opportunities for me and it was worth taking extra time to learn.
If another opportunity presents itself, take to explore it and let it grow. You never know where it might take you in the end.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year, New Beginnings
2011 officially rang in last night and the New Year has begun. With 2010 over, it's time to start looking ahead to 2011 and planning your goals for the upcoming year. An old year is behind you and it's time to start looking ahead to a fresh start.
Below are some tips on creating goals and sticking with them:
Below are some tips on creating goals and sticking with them:
- Ask yourself what you want to accomplish in the upcoming year both personally and professionally - Are you looking to get a promotion? Are you looking to develop more in your job? Are you looking to get more involved with your community? These are questions you should ask yourself to understand what you want to accomplish for the New Year and how you are going to reach those goals
- Develop a plan to help you reach your goals - We can all drive to the beach but we have to have the directions to help get us there. Develop a plan to reach your goals and understand the steps needed to get to where you want to be
- Find another hobby to get involved with or another way to meet new people- Having your old hobbies is good but take time to find something else in your life that you are passionate about and let it grow. This will give you something else to look forward to in life and help you grow as a person
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