Crank Up Your Career

Networking: Holiday Party Alert!

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

Are holiday parties important to your business & your career?  

Experts say YES!  

Find out how to make the most of this holiday season by rocking your network ’round the Xmas tree (or at least the buffet line at all the holiday parties you’ve been invited to)!

My pal Ronnie Noize (the marketing coach) interviewed me (Wendy Terwelp…see my mug shot below if you’ve forgotten me so soon) in a recent teleseminar.

Wendy Terwelp She got me to totally spill my guts! I am a little embarassed to admit that I told her all my secrets for networking during the holidays. I even explained why holiday parties could be your BEST networking opportunities of the year!

What was I thinking?  Was it the eggnog?  Was it the dancing?  The hats?  Well, my moment of indiscretion is your holiday bonus, so go ahead, take advantage of my lapse in judgement…

Rock Your Network®: An Interview with Networking Expert Wendy Terwelp

HEY! If you missed the teleseminar and want to get the fantastic audio and the transcript, you’re in luck!  Just click the link below, and upon completion of your payment, you will be immediately redirected to the order page to get your own copy of the notes, transcript, and audio: http://www.veronikanoize.com/rock_your_network

Happy holidays! 

– Wendy 

Holiday Networking: Pass the Nuts and Your Resume, Please

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You never know what can happen at holiday parties, who’s going to attend, who works for what company, and what the employment scoop may be, so buck up. It could be a gift waiting to be opened by you, and that gift could be a job.

The Don’ts: Don’t over indulge. No whining about your current jobless situation. It’s a turnoff. No begging either. Oliver Twist’s “more food please” doesn’t work when job hunting.

What works? Listening. Listen for opportunities, problems, or situations in a guest’s conversation. It could be a golden opportunity for you. One of my clients, an electrical engineer, was visiting a friend during Thanksgiving. My client’s friend, who was just hired at a software company, invited him for a tour. Next thing my client knew, he met the owners during the tour and was interviewing for a job the day after Thanksgiving! The interviewers had time to spend with my client because of the standard holiday shut down. He landed the job. Good thing he went to that holiday party. You could be next.

Check out our upcoming teleclass on networking. See you there!

Fantasy Football in the Work Place

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Unless you’re Super Agent Arliss Michaels (of HBO’s Arli$$) or participating in an “approved” league at work, playing fantasy football on the job can get you ousted or jeapordize your employment. This article is courtesy of WisconsinJobs.com ezine:

WisconsinJobs.com Poll Results

Last month we asked our visitors: Do you play fantasy football? If so, how many hours/week do you spend managing your fantasy team at work?THE RESULTS ARE IN:45 percent said: NONE
26 percent said: 1-2 HOURS/WEEK
14 percent said: 2-5 HOURS/WEEK
12 percent said: MORE THAN 10 HOURS/WEEK
3 percent said: 5-10 HOURS/WEEK

That’s a total of 54 percent of employees that are using company time to manage their fantasy teams!

Because of its vast popularity, fantasy football is bound to cross over into players’ work lives and some businesses even have inter-office fantasy leagues. Some managers may argue that the camaraderie gained by playing fantasy football at work outweighs the 10 or 20 minutes of lost productivity that it causes each day. However, the 12 percent of poll respondents that admitted to spending more than 10 hours per week managing their fantasy teams while at work may be pushing the limits of their employers’ tolerance.

Cover Letter Typos can kill employment chances

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By Max Messmer in the Post Gazette Business News
When crafting your cover letter, you always want to paint yourself in a positive light by touting your strongest attributes. But before you place one finger on the keyboard, think about the message you want to send to a prospective employer. It should be focused, persuasive and, above all, enthusiastic.

Ask yourself the following questions to get you started: In which areas do I excel? What are my most noteworthy career accomplishments? How did I improve a job that I held in the past? The following candidate hurt his cause by emphasizing the negative:

COVER LETTER: “When I go to college, I will learn about and study a field I want to be a part of. This might help me quit my bad habit of slacking.”

A “relaxation studies” major.

Read on!

What’s on Your Voice Mail?

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

I just contacted a job seeker a few minutes ago. Her voice mail message said, “Hi this is ….. If this is Stacey, the answer is still no.” What the heck?

What if I’m an employer whose name is Stacey? Whether you’re looking for a job or not, your voice mail brands you. In this case, if I had an opening, would I reconnect with this person? NO.

On another voice mail I heard drinks clinking in the background and a message that said, “Hey, we’re not here right now, we’re out on the deck having margaritas.” How nice for you. Too bad you were having margaritas when you could be setting up a job interview.

Or how about the old machines? What do you hear? Beeeeeeep. Click. Guess there wasn’t any tape left or the digital chip went out. Now I can’t leave a message.

Or the very worst, and yes, two job seekers had this issue – no voice mail or answering machine! After several tries and finally connecting I asked what gives. One said he didn’t want to waste money. The other didn’t want the hassle. Hmmm. I guess they both got their wish. One’s not wasting money – but he’s not making more money either. The other won’t have to worry about being hassled — by potential employers. They more than likely won’t call back.

Challenge: Check your voice mail on your cell phone and your home phone. Is it professional? Can it be clearly understood?