10 things you can to do make #meetings a little less painful

Meetings.  Any #workinggirl has a few words that come to mind upon hearing this term, many of which are not very positive.  Here are 10 things you can do to make meetings a little less painful.

1. Be prepared.  Sounds simple, right?  You wouldn't believe how many people turn up completely unprepared to speak to the topics at hand.  Don't waste everyone's time, come ready.
2. Know your objective.  What is the goal of the meeting?  If you don't have a goal, then you shouldn't be holding a meeting.  If it is a brainstorming session, then say so.  But if your aim is to make a decision, ensure you have presented all the items in order to do so.
3. Have an agenda.  Again, sounds pretty basic, but I cannot tell you how many meetings I have been to that have had no real structure.  The more people you have in the room, the more important the agenda becomes.  
4. Get the right people in the room.  If you can't make a decision without specific people or a department representative, ensure they are available to attend and actual plan on be present.  
5. Listen.  We all know that one person that loves the sound of their own voice.  Don't be that person.
6. Speak up.  There is nothing more infuriating when you can't get anyone to agree with you in the meeting only for someone to come up to you afterwards, saying they agree with you!  Thanks a lot, where were you when I needed you?!
7. Keep everyone on topic. This is a tough one.  If you are leading the meeting, it is your job to keep the discussion focused.  Rein it back in if the conversation starts to go off on a tangent.  
8. Start and finish on time.  Some companies are much better at this than others.  Remember when you were in school?  Your classes started and ended on time, with time to travel in between to your next class.  Meetings should work the same way, respect people's time.  
9. Ask the right questions.  This is so important.  Some of the most successful people in business know what questions need to be answered.  Remember to connect the dots.
10. Thank everyone for their time.  No matter how good (or bad) the outcome of the meeting was, always thank people for their time.  This often gets overlooked and it's important to remember that everyone's time is equally important.  

Meeting adjourned.

Cheryl Reynolds

College Girl to Working Girl

@CGirl2WGirl

5 ways to excel in a telephone #interview

Well #workinggirl , you've created a great eye candy resume, you found a fab job on indeed.com and submitted your application, keeping your fingers crossed that you hear back.

A few days pass and there it is. You've Got Mail.

Your future employer wants to set up a quick, informal "chat".  Congratulations sister!  You have managed to cut through the HR key word search and pass the recruiter quick screen.  However, don't be too overjoyed just yet.  This "chat" is far from informal so if you really want to excel, check out these 5 tips.

1. Be flexible.  Try to be as accommodating to your interviewer's schedule as possible and accept one of their suggested times to talk.  The last thing you want to do is appear to be difficult.  If you need to cancel that hair appoint to accommodate them, do it.  
2. Find a quiet environment where you can speak freely.   You don't want your interviewer to have to strain to hear you.   Avoid anywhere that has dogs barking, children playing, or general background noise.  Also ensure you can speak freely.  Don't take the call in the break room at work if there is a chance others will walk in.  You need to speak without hesitation and without the whole office knowing you are interviewing.  
3. Know your audience.  Exactly who will you be speaking with?  Is it the HR recruiter, the actual hiring manager, or a group of people?  The HR recruiter will ask basic questions about your work experience and education and will try and determine if you are worthy of passing on your resume.  The hiring manager is likely to ask you more specific questions related to the position to determine if you fit the skills needed.  Finally, if you are interviewing with a group on the phone, be prepared for a range of topics and stop talking when others speak.  It's rude.  
4. Do your research.  Although this is not a formal face to face interview, it doesn't mean you get a pass on preparing for your conversation.  Ensure you are familiar with what you put on your resume and have a copy of the job description in front of you.  Do some light LinkedIn stalking on those you'll be speaking with to identify some common interests and be familiar with their background.  Finally, make sure you know some basic facts about the company.
5. Let your personality shine.  Phone interviews can make it difficult to make a real connection to the interviewer.  You will have to work even harder to build a rapport than if you were face to face.  Avoid giving one word answers - short anecdotes often will show more depth.  It is important to NOT speak too much.  Allow yourself to pause at least every 30 seconds so the interviewer can interject, if necessary, so the conversation flows smoothly.  

Hopefully the conversation went well and you are talking next steps to arrange an in person interview.  Nice work girlfriend!

Cheryl Reynolds

College Girl to Working Girl

@CGirl2WGirl

#Motivation: The surprising truth of why we really get out of bed (or not)

Steve Jobs said he "wanted to put a ding in the universe".  That's the kinda goal that makes you spring out of bed in the morning.  Dan Pink and RSAnimate use the above video to present findings in various research examples on what really maximizes employee productivity and performance. 

The video is 10 minutes long (I know, a million light years in today's 140 character limited society) but completely worth the time investment.  Go on, watch, you'll be glad you did.  If you really can't spare the time to watch, here's what you missed.

People are not as endlessly manipulable and predictable as you would think.  The traditional theory has been if you reward something, you get more of the behavior you want and if you punish something you get less of the behavior you don't want.  A typical motivation scheme within an organization is the better the performance, the greater the reward. 

However, numerous studies have found that this is true as long as the tasks only involved mechanical skill.  If you do this, you get that.  But once the task called for rudimentary cognitive skill, a greater reward led to poorer performance.  Traditional incentives just do not work when you really need to think to be successful.  

So if traditional incentives don't work, what does? 

First, pay people enough to take the issue of money off the table so they are not thinking about money, but they are thinking about the work.  If you don't pay people enough, people won't be motivated.    

Once the question of money is settled, there are 3 factors that lead to better performance and personal satisfaction.

1. Autonomy - The desire to be self directed.  Management is great if you want compliance, but if you want engagement (which is where the real success lies), self direction is better.
2. Mastery - The urge to get better at stuff.  Why do people who have jobs with great skills do extra work, not for their employer, but for others, and for free?  The answer is to challenge, master, and to make a contribution.  
3. Purpose - When the profit motive gets detached from the purpose motive, bad things happen.  Bad service, greed. 

Once you get past the ideology of carrot and sticks and begin to look at the science, we can build better organizations and work lives, which makes us all better off and the world just that little bit cooler.  

What motivates me to write this blog?

If I'm honest, it's because I really would like to publish my book and I need to build a platform.  So here I am.  But why do I want to publish a book? To get rich?  Not really.  To be famous? No, that's not it either.  

I am the perfect example of being somebody motivated by non traditional means.  Money is not an issue, I have a job.  Writing gives me autonomy, I get to decide what I write about.  I am here to challenge myself and improve my writing skills (you should see this before it has been proofed), and putting my experience to  good use gives me purpose and self satisfaction.

Makes you wonder why most companies just won't let go of that stick.    

Cheryl Reynolds

College Girl to Working Girl

@CGirl2WGirl

I'd rather be a #hotmess than a bad leader

Last week, you may have heard about the NYU student whose cover letter to JP Morgan boasted about his relentless work ethic, exceptional GPA, ability to bench press double his body weight, and the completion of 35 pull ups all in the hopes of persuading his prospective employer to consider him for a summer internship.  Sounds like a total #hotmess, right?

Well, this letter has since gone viral and this student has all of Wall Street laughing at him, not with him.  The kid author may need a class or two about best practices in cover letter writing, but the actions of the receiving director are nothing short of appalling and he should seriously be investigated for gross misconduct for violating an applicant's privacy.

Since Thursday, February 2, when a Bank of America Merrill Lynch director forwarded the cover letter out to his entire team, offering drinks "to the first analyst to concisely summarize everything that is wrong with" the note, it has passed through more than a dozen firms. 

Already investment banking and accounting teams at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Nomura, Citi, Deutsche Bank, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, Wells Fargo, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Perella Weinberg Partners, and Barclays Capital have read the note, along with the student's relatively robust resume.

Three lessons we can all learn from this situation.


1.  Assume anything you write in an email will be forwarded or read by anyone and everyone.  This should not be news, but somehow we all seem to forget.


2.  This is EXACTLY how NOT to be a leader.  You don't motivate your team at the expense of putting down others.   Bad. Bad. Bad.


3.  As an applicant, beware if you are reaching out to hiring managers directly in addition to applying via the online HR process.  You run the risk of your email with your resume being forwarded onto others and your privacy cannot be guaranteed.  


Cheryl Reynolds
College Girl to Working Girl
@CGirl2WGirl

#DestinationFridays for the #avgeek: Maho Beach St. Maarten SXM

We worked hard this week!  On Monday we discussed how to use indeed.com to search for a great job, Tuesday was all about getting out of that hefty library fine, Wednesday we reviewed what makes a great resume, and Thursday was about maximizing our money and taking care of our personal finances.

So let's end the week with something fabulous with our new reoccurring posting series, #DestinationFridays.  Each Friday will post about a travel destination that appeals to the #WorkingGirl and makes the weekend feel that much closer.

Unfortunately as much as I try and separate my online #WorkingGirl life from my #avgeek life, it isn't always possible.  In December, I visited the island of St. Maarten with my husband and some friends for one purpose, Maho Beach.  You may have seen some of the amazing pictures of this lush tropical island, beautiful blue waters, pure white sand beaches, and most importantly, the incredible sight of wide body aircraft landing just over your head.

Maho Beach is located at the very end of the runway of Princess Juliana International Airport on the Dutch side of the island.  Here, crowds gather from midday through late afternoon as many of the large aircraft begin arriving from Europe.

Don't worry, there is still get plenty of time to enjoy the sun and sightseeing, but for this #avgeek and crew, spending two days on the beach was where the real party was at.  No trip to St. Maarten is complete without spending the afternoon at Maho Beach, add it to your bucket list #WorkingGirl.

Cheryl Reynolds

College Girl to Working Girl

@CGirl2WGIrl

#WorkingGirlProblems: Money, Money, Money

No matter if you are still a #CollegeGirl, a recent grad, or have been a #WorkingGirl for a few years now, money, or the lack of it, is always a challenge. Money is at the top of the list of all #WorkingGirlProblems but with a little sassy planning, you'll never lose a wink of sleep.

5 Money Mistakes

• I already have a lot of debt, so what's the difference? I might as well buy what I want.  Let me tell you, it matters.  I had this attitude throughout my college years and managed to leave school not only with student loan debt, but also several thousands of dollars in credit card debt.  Luckily, once I started working, I quickly curtailed my spending, but I wish I had made better decisions while in school.  Keep your spending under control, you'll be grateful later.
• Co-signing on a loan for ANYONE.  If you have ever watched an episode of Judge Judy or Suze Orman you would have heard many this said many times, "never co-sign a loan for anyone".  You are 100% responsible for the loan repayments.  Just don't do it.
• Not making your student loan payments.  Your student loan will NEVER go away as it cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.  So before you pay any other debt, credit card, personal loan, or other, pay your student loans FIRST.  If you don't the interest will continue to compound and the fees will pile up.  No one wants to be sixty and still paying for their student loans.
• Paying bank fees.  I always believe it is OK to spend money, it's not OK to WASTE money and paying bank fees, ATM, overdraft, or check fees is wasting money.  With just a little effort, these can be 100% avoided.  Don't be lazy.  
• Not getting a credit card.  Maybe you have seen others struggle with debt so you figure you will avoid the problem altogether by not getting a credit card.  #FAIL.  You need a credit card to begin building your credit, no credit is the same as bad credit.  So find a credit card with no annual fee, make a few small purchases each month and pay it off in full and you will be on the yellow brick road to success.  

5 Things You Can Do For Yourself Today

• Have a career plan.  The single most important thing you can do for yourself is to have a plan.  Where do you see your self work-wise in 5 years?  Does your income grow steadily or do you work in a profession where your income is likely to double several times over during your career?  Whichever it is, it is important to be realistic.
• Create balance with your money.  Money, like life, is all about balance.  You can't spend it all and you can't save it all.  So take a bite (just a bite) and find the right balance that allows you to enjoy a little of everything.
• Contribute to your 401k.  If I asked you if you wanted a free $500k, would you take it?  Of course you would, you would LAUGH hysterically at anyone who would turn it down.  Except instead of doing the laughing, you will be the one everyone is laughing at if you don't contribute to your 401k up to your company's match immediately.  There is no where else anywhere that you will have the chance at guaranteed free money.  The only catch is you have to contribute that same amount yourself and you can't touch it until you retire.  But so what? Free is still FREE.  
• Build an emergency fund.  They don't say "save for a rainy day" if it never rained.  Let's face it, it rains all the time.  Your car breaks down, your dog gets sick, or worse you lose your job.  Put some cash aside and you will never have a sleepless night.
• Review your balances.  It sounds simple, but keep an eye on your accounts.  You don't have to fret about balancing your checkbook like your parents, but it never hurts to log into your online banking account a few times a week to ensure everything is as it should be.  Don't forget your credit card accounts too.

Cheryl Reynolds

College Girl to Working Girl

@CGirl2WGirl

Building an Eye Candy Resume

In our post earlier in the week, we talked about some tips for searching for jobs online.  But before you can apply for a job, you need to build a resume (or for my readership outside the US, your CV).  There are various styles and layouts available, but I have found a lot of success using this College Girl to Working Girl Resume Template.

This template works because it has 5 key characteristics:

One pager and headline.   I have seen various experts argue for and against the one page resume.  But the truth in the matter is that we live in a fast pace world and unless you are applying to be CEO, one page is just fine.  Your name is your headline.  Always display this in bold and make it large.  Skip the objective, this is what a cover letter is for.

      

      List what you accomplished, not your tasks.  It’s not always possible in your pre-college work experience to only list your accomplishments, but do where ever possible.  “Exceed weekly sales targets by 10%” is much more impressive than “assisted customers with purchases”.

        

      Education.  Some list this above work experience, others below.  If your professional work experience is more robust than your education, list it first.  If your education is your spring board into your first post-college employment, then list it first.  In either case, if you graduated from college, no need to list your high school  information, it’s assumed you went.

      

      It all counts, list all of your experience, no matter how small.  Amy Astley from Teen Vogue told The New York Times earlier this week “Always be proud to put waitress on your resume…I love seeing someone who scooped ice cream or was a waitress. To me, it means they had to make some money and they had a job dealing with the public.”  This is so true.  Work ethic is important and any previous experience demonstrates your future potential. 
   

     Travel and Other Experience.  Working or traveling abroad is a valuable life experience and demonstrates you can work with people from different cultures.  Ensure you list it and if nothing else, it gives your potential interviewer additional topics for discussion.

      

      Always have a resume on file, you never know when you’ll need it at a moment’s notice!

Cheryl Reynolds
College Girl to Working Girl
@CGirl2WGirl