Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Brian Solis on the Customer Experience

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Brian Solis on the Customer Experience To business futurist Brian Solis, capturing an audience’s heart, mind, and spirit is mandatory. I had the pleasure of speaking with Brian Solis, principal analyst at Altimeter, a Prophet company, who has written a book that’s not really a book. X: Where Business Meets Design looks more like a sexy app than a business how-do, but it still does a great job explaining why customer experience, more than any other business priority, defines a company’s brand and determines its outlook for the future. Here’s what Brian had to say during our recent phone conversation: Your definition of customer experience is a little different, and how does X provide a new experience from what business book readers may be used to? Brian: Depending on who you talk to, you’ll get a different interpretation of what customer experience means. It is sometimes thought of transactionally, and related to CRM, support, or journey mapping. In general, customer experience is misunderstood and underappreciated. My feeling is that customer experience is the sum of all engagements. It’s not about customer experience, but all experience. In this business world, we need to think more holistically because everything is connected. Of course, it would be ironic to tell people this in a traditional book format, and I think that authors who write about disruption should disrupt themselves. For X, I considered what a high school student would take delight in learning from. I wrote tweetable sentences with lots of visuals and white space, and the result was a cross between an app and a beautiful coffee table book. You say that having a great product is no longer enough. What happens to great products (and their companies) that don’t have creative marketing and stellar customer service behind them? It seems obvious to make a great product backed by great marketing and service, but without a conducive culture, it doesn’t always happen. Many incumbent businesses are built on 60-year-old models and are slow to change and in danger of being left behind. Startups are taking over because they get to reimagine everything. When culture, product, and service are aligned, the result is immersive and empowering. You’ll create a living community around your brand that becomes bigger than any one product. For the rest of Brians interview, visit Intuits Fast Track blog.

Why You Should Study Abroad in College

Why You Should Study Abroad in College By, Jessica Lawlor I recently returned home from a six week summer study abroad program in Rome, Italy where I took an art history class and a sketching class. During my time in Europe, I had the opportunity to travel to the Amalfi Coast, Florence, Venice, Paris, Barcelona, Athens and Santorini.Many students claim they cant study abroad for a number of reasons; it will prevent them from graduating on time, costs too much money, doesnt have anything to do with their majorthe list goes on. No matter how true these obstacles may be, STUDY ABROAD ANYWAY! The benefits of studying abroad to a students resume and future career far outweigh any potential obstacles. 1. Gain a new view and appreciation of the world. Studying in Italy opened my mind to a completely new world. Learning about the culture of another country and how that country operates is key to gaining a global understanding of how the world works. If you only live and work in America, thats all you will ever know. Becoming a worldly person also gives you another thing to talk about while networking back in the states. While its great to be an expert in your major or area of interest, its also important to be able to connect with an interviewer or potential connection on a different level. 2. Step out of your comfort zone. As I mentioned before, I took an art history and sketching class while abroad. As a PR major, I never imagined that I would set foot in a sketching class, but it was interesting to take a class outside of my comfort zone. Sketching was without a doubt one of the most difficult classes I have taken in my college career. As someone who is generally used to excelling in school, taking a class in an area I know nothing about was definitely scary, but worthwhile. I worked harder in sketching than I have in any other class. I knew that in order to get the grade I wanted, I would need to prove to my professor that I was really making an effort. Now that Ive taken this class, I have a new appreciation for art and artists. While I will probably never sketch again, it was an experience that shapes me as a person and makes me more knowledgeable on a subject I previously knew nothing about. 3. Make international connections. Think you might ever want to do business abroad? Make connections while your there! Since I was only in Rome for a short time (and traveling on the weekends) I didnt get to do as much networking as Id like, but there are definitely ways to network while abroad. Check into your schools programs; most universities provide internship opportunities for students abroad. Utilize your professors abroad! Keep in touch with them when you return home, because you never know when youll be back. Most professors are very well-versed in their field and know other professionals who may be able to help you. 4. Learn another language.   I studied Italian for two semesters before I went abroad and plan to continue studying the language until I graduate. While I was abroad, I had the opportunity to practice my Italian with locals. If you ever plan on doing international business, knowing a second (and maybe a third and a fourth) language is a must. Knowing a second language is just another skill to add to your resume! 5. Be a well-rounded person. Its been said over and over again, but generally, employers are looking for the entire package when hiring a person for a job. They want someone with the skills necessary to successfully complete the job, someone who is a good communicator and someone who understands how their field works. While all these things are important, I think employers are also looking for someone they can connect with, and more importantly, someone who others can connect with. The experience of studying abroad adds another experience to my life check-list that I believe makes me a well-rounded person. Students: Have you studied abroad? If not, do you plan on it? Employers: Does a student studying abroad give them an edge when you are hiring a new employee? Jessica Lawlor is a senior public relations student at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is currently serving as the president of Temple Universitys Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter. Last year, she served as the secretary of PRSSA and headed PRSSA’s newsletter committee. During her sophomore year, Jessica co-founded PRowl Public Relations, Temple Universitys first and only student-run PR firm. She served on PRowls Board of Directors as the Director of Public Relations. In this position, Jessica created and maintained a blog, utilized social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook and promoted the firm to the Temple University community, as well as the Philadelphia community. When Jessica graduates from Temple in the spring of 2010, she would like to work in health care PR or the travel and tourism sector of PR. In her free time, she enjoys writing and would like to one day publish a novel. During the summer of 2009, Jessica studied abroad in Rome, Italy.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How High Achievers Keep Things Running Smoothly

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese How High Achievers Keep Things Running Smoothly Every day millions of us search for our car keys, our smartphones and our sunglasses. We cant remember passwords for our online banking account and lose critical emails or other bits ofdata important for our work. While dealing with such stress and frustration, were being constantly bombarded with information from thousands of different sources. For example, in 2011, Americans took in five times as much information every day as they did in 1986, or the equivalent of 175 newspapers. Is it any wonder that we become paralyzed by the sheer volume of incoming data, causing us to have more and more brain blips? Daniel Levitin, a neuroscientist, psychologist and author of The Organized Mind: Thinking Straight in the Age of Information Overload, says that while were all faced with an unprecedented amount of information to remember, most of us are still trying to keep track of things using the systems that were put in place in a pre-computerized era. For example, one of the problems is that the computer has evolved into that big disorganized drawer everyone has in their kitchen. We have files we dont know about, others that appeared mysteriously by accident when we read an email, and multiple versions of the same document, making it difficult to determine what is the most recent, he explains. But he says that hes found examples of how high achievers manage to keep things running smoothly without getting bogged down by information overload. Their systems make a profound difference and enable them to have time for fun and relaxation, he says. Here are some ways Levitin using scientific research says that we can become better at beingmore focused, productive and less stressed. Just say no.Become your own enforcer of no email or Internet for certain periods so you can sustain your concentration. Dont check your email every time something arrives in your in-box, but insteadcheck your emailonly during certain periods. Prioritize your critical tasks for the day and then stick to the plan, learning to ignore that nagging voice thats trying to get you to do something else (like checking out funny goat videos on YouTube.) Reach for the reset.When the brain goes into brain wandering mode, it is serving as a neural reset button that gives you a refreshed perspective. A 15-minute nap can provide such a reset, as can reading, walking outside, looking at art or meditating. Do an information dump.If its supposed to snow tomorrow while youre at work, forget reminding yourself to bring your snow boots. Just get the boots and set them by the door. That way, he explains, the environment is going to remind you about taking the boots instead of forcing your brain to keep track of it and clutter your thoughts. If you find ways to rid your brain of so much responsibility, you can better focus your attention on what is in front of you. Buy some index cards.Putting a to-do list on a computer or smartphone may not be the best method for focusing on priorities. The problem is that you have to scroll through the whole list every time you consult it. But with index cards, youprioritize your taskswith the most important on top. (Its a technique used by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg). Control incoming messages.In a method used by executive assistants at the White House, correspondence is sometimes put into more than one category. Reports or letters might be filed by committeesandby projects, and is marked as it comes in with appropriate tags. If you have a phone conversation that you need to remember, (read more here)

Agency Recruiters and Sales Managers The Bad, The Uglier and The Ugliest

Agency Recruiters and Sales Managers The Bad, The Uglier and The Ugliest One of the major things I look for when interviewing candidates is past performance nothing is more indicative of what future performance will look like. In fact, when anyone is considered for a promotion or a raise, past performance is a key if not the key metric. Sadly (often because someone is exceptionally good at Task A), they get promoted to supervising people doing their former task sometimes they continue to do their former task while managing people who are also in the same role. In an agency environment, where commissions come into play, this is often a recipe for disaster. A bigger disaster is promoting a sales person or a recruiter to a people manager role, because they were a good recruiter/sales person there is a lot more to being a manager than that. The worst cases are very successful people who use their well-earned money and start their own firm, as if success in Part A will promise perfection in Part B. I once worked at a firm where the hierarchy went company owner, partner, line manager and then ‘lil ol’ me. This caused problems as everyone still thought they needed to be involved in everything down to the most minor detail, because they had been successful in the past. Not only had times changed, not only had the nature of recruiting and staffing changed, but the way people behaved in an office had changed. This guy still hadn’t caught on. So, some things he did: 1) Lunch: I was eating lunch and an urgent call came in that needed to be taken right away. As I stood up to go back to my desk, I did that thing where you’re moving back in your chair, a bit hunched over, not quite standing and not quite sitting and I grabbed one last bite. This guy grabbed my sandwich! “Newman, if I say move, you go!” He then threw my sandwich out of a 15th floor window into the street. 2) Exit Interview: Same guy. I finally resign after years of this. My exit interview was this: Thanks for the experience of working here, I learned a lot but it’s time for me to move on. Me I knew you were f*cking looking, I told XXXX (my direct manager) you were f*cking looking and to watch you. If you f*cking stole from me, I’ll f*cking hunt you the f*ck down and kill you! Guy Thanks for the experience of working here, I learned a lot but it’s time for me to move on. Me 3) Umbrellas: Did I mention he felt umbrellas being opened inside were a recruiting curse? I saw him break at least 3 or 4 umbrellas after he saw them being opened in an office. He’d just snap them in half. These are more egregious examples but my point is that success as a recruiter or as a sales person doesn’t mean you will be successful managing people. You don’t become an excellent manager because you were excellent at something else. I have seen it in staffing, I have seen it with technology people, and with support staff. I won’t even call it the Peter Principle as their incompetency wasn’t in their core skill set. It was being thrown into a job they weren’t qualified to do because it is totally different than where they had been successful. My favorite book and my personal philosophical guide to life is The Illuminati! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson. If you haven’t read it, well, it is heavy. One of the main characters, Hagbard Celine, is full of pithy quotes and wisdom. He has, what are known as “Celine’s Laws” of which this is the second: Accurate communication is possible only in a non-punishing situation. Wilson rephrases this himself many times as communication occurs only between equals. Celine calls this law a simple statement of the obvious and refers to the fact that everyone who labors under an authority figure tends to lie to and flatter that authority figure in order to protect themselves either from violence or from deprivation of security (such as losing ones job). In essence, it is usually more in the interests of any worker to tell his boss what he wants to hear, not what is true. In any hierarchy, every level below the highest carries a subtle burden to see the world in the way their superiors expect it to be seen and to provide feedback to their superiors that their superiors want to hear. In the end, any hierarchical organization supports what its leaders already think is true more than it challenges them to think differently. The levels below the leaders are more interested in keeping their jobs than telling the truth. How can someone say “No, sorry, Emails are now just as acceptable as phone calls for a first connection”, to someone who “made their bones” on a rotary phone? How can you say that a call log of how many calls made in a day is not a metric that holds value the way it used to? How can you tell someone who made their success by “Cold Calling” and “Breaking Down” a company that those days are over? That if I want to know all about you, the good and the bad, it is a google search away? When the person replies, “I am successful. I won the game. Now do as I say, as I know it works!” they aren’t wrong… about times that are dead and gone. However, when your job is on the line, you “smile and dial” and look for something else. Poor performance is not the only reason people move into recruiting roles faster than a lot of other businesses.

7 Money Rules You Should Break for Your Business CareerMetis.com

7 Money Rules You Should Break for Your Business The world has become so regulated. Do you have a feeling like you are tired of rules? The world promises to give generous returns to everyone who complies.Study well. Get a good degree. Pursue career growth. Get married and have children. The same relates to business and the money earned in that business. Don’t expect quick returns. Be reasonable while setting financial goals. Monitor your performance regularly. Get an external auditor to check your finances.evalThe list of rules is endless. However, the time has come to break some of them. It is better to do now than any time later. So, what are these rules?1) Always invest a share of your profits in a new project.evalIt has become a mantra of business growth. Rumors circulate that companies which continually expand are much better than companies who focus on other aspects of their activity such as quality improvement or product development.This time, you don’t have to follow the rule. Stop and think what your company needs toda y. Is it a new project or the retirement or health fund for your employees?Maybe, you want to organize a small party for your employees’ children or pay benefits for their hard work? You are the decision maker. You know best how to allocate your profits to achieve the best results.2) Get your own office or manufacturing premises instead of renting them. This is a matter of pride for many businesses when their workers treat the office as their second home. Of course, you don’t have to worry about anything if you work in a facility that you own. However, is the investment worth the target? It used to be a widespread belief among business owners that paying rent is unreasonable. It is wasting money.In most cases, it is buying a property that can become a real issue for a business. Just imagine how the property tax will increase the financial and taxation burden on the company. Besides, the excellent properties are not cheap. Therefore, it could be wiser to reinvest the money in a n ew project or leave it until better times. Who knows when the company may need extra money to survive?3) Hire only the most trained personnel because they will save your costs.Ideally, people should join the company, possessing all the skills and knowledge needed to fulfill their job. Many entrepreneurs imagine that the best worker is that who contributes to and improves the company the first day he or she joins it.evalThe reality is entirely different. Instead of looking for the most qualified workers, businesses in the 21st century should focus on training the existing and future staff.Training is not an issue if the worker is motivated and ready to learn to become more skillful at the job he is going to do. Businesses are likely to face massive costs due to increased turnover, low employee morale, and reduced employee performance.Qualified workers may come and go. They look for jobs that meet their ambitious expectations. The rule of thumb is getting the most dedicated people to the core of your business, providing them with opportunities to grow, improve, and thrive.4) Never, never use credit resources to expand your businessFor decades, banks and credit institutions maintained a negative stance, which discouraged individual customers and businesses from lending money from them. Some business owners would go through the dire straits of financial crises without even looking at banks. Times change, and it is time to break the rule.evalInstead of suffering, spend some time to find the most convenient credit plan for your business. The chances are high that you will quickly improve your situation and pay off your debts. Credit resources are not a taboo. Just use them reasonably. eval5) Always keep cash on handIt is still smart to have some liquid money readily available to cover for possible emergencies. However, keeping piles of cash around is probably the least smart choice a business can make. As you may know, there are two types of liquidity: short term an d long term. Many banks will regulate your higher-interest investments by punishing early withdrawal and making you lose on your investment.However, there are financial instruments which can be invested in for a short period. There are options and futures which allow building the most diversified strategies.For example, you as a business owner could invest some cash This proactive approach stimulates thinking and idea generation. As a business owner, send out a simple anonymous survey asking what you could do better or what are their raw ideas. You’d be surprised.SummaryAll in all, business is not rocket science. It’s much more complicated. But the good news is that if you do unto others as you would have others do unto you, you’ll be successful.This rule applies to everyone: your creditors, investors, employees, customers, coworkers, co-owners, passers-by on the street, etc. There is an idea of CRM (corporate social responsibility) built into everything today: office walls, e lectronic devices, plastic recycling, employee remuneration, sick leave, remote work options, equal maternity and paternity rights.This list is endless. But, if you listen to your stakeholders and improve the processes which are essential for them, you’re off to a good start. They will be more motivated and productive to invest in your business, both financially and cognitively.

7 Links for Your Job Search Journey - The Trip Always Seems Quicker on the way Home - CareerAlley

7 Links for Your Job Search Journey - The Trip Always Seems Quicker on the way Home - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Its not about where you started, its about the journey Joey Trebif I remember getting my first (very used) car not long after passing my drivers test. The first thing I did was, of course, to plan a trip. When you are 19 years old and ready to take on the world, a 1,200+ mile trip (each way) from NY to Miami with some of my friends seemed like a reasonable first trip. So we set out, thinking that when we are tired of driving (maybe halfway through), we can find a hotel and stop for the night. Full of energy (and lots of coffee), it is not until 1am that we decide we should find the next hotel. There were only small motels that we found and none of them would open the office for us to register, so we continued to drive through the night and next day. Needless to say, it was a long and tiring journey. When we were ready to go home, we planned out our trip and made reservations for our overnight in advance. The trip back seemed to fly by and we felt like we were home in no time (even though we drove just as many miles). So what does this have to do with job search? You will reach your destination (a new job) more quickly with a well planned job search journey. You will be better prepared in your approach to potential opportunities as well as interview and closing the deal (the journey home). So what do you need to create a great job search plan? Job Search Checklist: Start your planning with a job search checklist. It will include: Everything you need in terms of materials (resume, references, cover letters, skills, target companies, etc.) A Plan of Attack who to contact first in your network, how you will spend your time (spread across recruiters, company career sites, job search sites and research) Interview Preparation questions to ask, answers to questions you will be asked, how you will research companies and interviewers where you get asked to interview Job Search Checklist Focuses on planning and preparation with 10 or so points (understand the process, understand the jobs that interest you, creating your list and more). Checklists for Job Seekers A bunch of checklists for each part of your search. Overall Job Search Plan Your overall goals and approach to your search 6 Steps in Creating a Job Search Plan Careerrocketeer.com provides 6 steps to your job search plan in this article. Create a Job Search Plan A short article by Careeronestop.org provides 2 job hunting truths, namely that 1) job search takes time and 2) you need goals and a schedule. The blog provides some useful links (like a job hunting schedule, job web sites, finding potential employers and a few more (including resumes and networking). Search for Success Ensure you know the key factors that will drive a successful search and have incorporated them into your overall plan. What has worked for others?, how can you apply others success to your search?, what are the pitfalls you should avoid? 10 Characteristics Of A Successful Job Seeker Five Secrets Of A Successful Job Search 5 Typical Job Search Problems And How To Solve Them Find more laughs at http://academy.justjobs.com/cartoon-caption-contest Good luck in your search. Visit me on Facebook

Writing a Good Resume For an Internship

Writing a Good Resume For an InternshipWriting a good resume for an internship is important because it will help you land the job or internship you want. This is especially true for recent college graduates who are trying to build their resumes.To write a good resume, you need to make sure that your personal information and educational background are accurate. Whether you are a college graduate or someone with less experience, it is important to not omit any information that could be important.Before writing your personal information, you also need to research the internship or job that you want. A great way to do this is to Google 'internship'job'. This can save you a lot of time and frustration.Once you have done this, the next step is to create a well-structured resume. The best way to do this is to get a writing software program that can help you create a resume in just a few minutes. The advantage of using a program like this is that it will have templates that you can use.If yo u have already written a few resumes, you may find that you need to learn how to program the program to fit your individual resume. There are usually some tutorials included in the package.The third step is to write your cover letter. Again, this should include the proper formatting and all of the necessary information to start a new job or internship. If you follow the instructions that come with the writing software, you should have no problem writing a good cover letter.The last step is to write a short paragraph that explains why you are applying for the job. It is always important to point out that you are highly qualified for the position you are applying for. Leaving that out of your letter is just as bad as leaving it out of your resume.Writing a good resume for an internship is not difficult if you know how to go about it. Just follow the directions that come with the program that you purchased and you should be well on your way to landing a job or internship.