What most employees do not realise is that many executives who hire and fire are also basing their decisions on the individual's total package - presence, positivity, poise, perseverance and your professional style.
Possessing the right qualifications and talent are not important factors, but it's the way individuals present themselves that help them win instant appeal in the eyes of an employer. People who present themselves well are more certain to get noticed and will win the highly sought-after jobs.
So how would you rate in a Business Idol competition? Let the five Ps of packaging be the guiding light to your professional success.
Presence
People with outstanding presence show that they are committed to and enjoying the moment. They are energised from the inside and are intent on letting people know that they are approachable and "open for business". It is that unique factor that makes others turn their heads when these special people enter he room.
Professional style
Understanding your strengths and building on the good things you already possess. Start by asking yourself how you see yourself and how you would like to be perceived in your corporate environment. Are you the rare type who constantly projects a "can do" attitude? Does everyone know you as the person who fixes almost anything ? Or do you have a reputation for having a sloppy, almost laid-back work ethic?
Poise
Poise is more than just holding your head up high. It involves thinking about your actions and words before being swept away in the heat of the moment. Showing professional poise means taking time to think through your next move and using non-threatening, positive body language. This shows that you are in control, and it is particularly useful when your authority is being questioned.
Positivity
Being positive about your work and those around you can be tough to maintain day in and day out. The trick is to know that being positive is contagious. By behaving in an upbeat and confident way, you make others feel confident about you. Make a point of eliminating negative and antagonistic language from your vocabulary.
Perseverance
Confident people get knocked down but have enough fighting spirit to pick themselves up and battle it out another day. People who constantly persevere often realise that they have little control over circumstances. These people do not wait around to feel better. They take action to make things better.
By designing a sparkling professional package around these five Ps, you can rest assured that you are giving yourself the best possible opportunity for a perfect career score.
I know that times are hard and my company wants to keep costs down, but I feel I did very well for the company last year. How can I go about discussing a pay increment or even a promotion with my boss ?
The first step is to have a meeting with your boss to discuss your performance for last year. You may have performed very well but the company may have fallen short, which means you may not get the pay increment you expect.
Promotions and increments are not out of the question if company has opportunities to offer. But if you have not shown an interest in pursuing them, you may get overlooked.
Hence, it is essential to voice your desire to take on new challenges. However, it is equally important not to "demand" or "expect" to get those opportunities. Before the discussion, map out your discussion points by considering these questions:
Is there a specific career opportunity that you are looking at and, if so, can you articulate clearly why you deserve that opportunity over your peers ?
If there is no opportunity now, will it arise later?
Are there any gaps in your skills that will deter your boss from moving you into that role ?
Will your boss consider you in year's time for that role? What will the company do to get you there?
Sometimes, you merely need to have a conversation with your boss to know where you stand. Be sure to let him know you are eager to climb the career ladder.
On the salary issue, it might not be within our boss' authority to grant you an increment. What we are seeing in this economic climate is that companies are becoming very selective about who gets increments. But for those deemed critical to the organisation, they may get a small rise.
Are you wondering why people is not interested in your product ?Does your friend do a lot better than you, even though he is selling with a higher price than you ?
Time to stop whatever you are doing and start reviewing on your sales letter if your sales letter contains these 5 BAD WORDS introduced by top affiliate marketer, Jim Edwards !
Buy
Money will be the first word that pop out from my head when I read the word "Buy".
Most people search for free information from the net. So instead of using the word "Buy", try to use to "claim" or "invest". i.e; "Click here now to claim your copies" or "Click here now to invest in your website video secret" .
Learn
What does that mean? It means work!! It gives flashback to the 5th grade when they are trying to get away from their teachers, homework, and studies. Why not we try using the word "discover". It is a powerful word to be used in sales. Think about this, "Learn from our secret" and "Discover our ebook that sells like crazy". Which one do you prefer ?
Tell
You should not be using this word. "Let me tell you the secret to my success story!" It sounds a bit harsh in sales letter. How about we use the word "Reveal" "Let me reveal you the secret to my success story!" Does it sound better ? It actually attracts readers' curiosity on what they are about to discover.
Thing
This word shows that you don't really have any idea what you are selling. How about we change it to "Tips", "Tricks" or "Technique". It is a lot better than the word "Thing".
Stuff
Don't even thing about using this word. It is worse than "Thing". "Let me show you some stuff". It is so wrong!! Change the word to "Insider Secret". Everybody want to know secret. Let me tell you... if you know it, and they don't know it.... guess what is it.
You should never mention these 5 bad words in your headlines. Sale copy that sells contains headlines that really sell. When readers read your headlines, they will decide whether to read the whole contents or just skip it..
You found your first job and you feel a little anxious. You think to yourself – “How am I going to survive through all these?” With the right attitude and guidance, you will soon look forward to doing your best.
Like any other career enhancement tips, there are no guarantees for success. However, if you bring the right attitude and decide to take action then you are half way there. Nothing will stop a first jobber like you from shining at your workplace.
Self-discipline
The value of self-discipline in a first jobber is often underestimated. Now that you are in the working world you think to yourself, “Is self-discipline overrated?” I will tell you, no. It is not overrated. I have often found new staff with good self-discipline doing better than those who are poor in it.
Let me use a simple example to demonstrate this, assuming it’s a Friday and the rest of the department is planning to go out for a fun night. You have an important document to be completed for the coming Monday. What do you do?
Give the fun night a pass and complete the work? Or join the fun and hope that you will find time to finish it over the weekend thus leaving you little chance to perfect it before submission?
Part of self-discipline is also about sacrifice. When you have strong self-discipline, it is inevitable that you would need to sacrifice some fun time to focus on your goals.
If you are interested in advancing your career you may take some courses, or even read books to increase your knowledge. All these activities come with an opportunity cost. It could very well mean less time for leisure activities.
Success
You're probably thinking, “Success as part of these practical career enhancement tips is funny.” Let me assure you it is not. What I want to explain here is this – if you want to enhance your career, define what success is to you. Once you know what success is to you then you can plan towards that goal. Spend some time thinking what success is to you. Crystallize this in your mind.
Assuming you know what success is to you, the next step is to be single-minded in the pursuit of your goal. Being single-minded means to be focused on your goals. When you focus your energy on your goal, you get more out of your effort. You inch closer to your goals. When you are single-minded other things do not distract you. You know what you want and you power yourself towards it as best as you can so you can clearly see what you want.
Knowing your goal and your personal definition of success is an important element amongst these career enhancement tips for first jobbers. Equally important is to know your own strengths and your skills. If you want to enhance your career, play up on your strengths and improve on your skills required for your job. What are you good at? What are the skills sets you do not have that are required for the job? Build up on those skills.
The career enhancement tips in this sub-section basically means this – when you define what is success to you, you then pursue it single-mindedly knowing your strengths and the skills required to attain that success.
Sincerity
Sincerity in your career means a lot of things. For me, as a first jobber you should look at doing your work sincerely and joyfully. Meaning, do not treat your work as a drag. If you feel that your work is a drag, then start by asking yourself. Why is it so, before blaming anyone else – be it the company, your boss or your colleagues. So, be sincere with yourself. What is your core challenge in not being able to do your work sincerely?
Being sincere at your work means doing it with your level best. It means playing your part and taking personal responsibility for your work. It also means to share your learning and knowledge. When you share what you know about a certain task, you become an asset to your unit and this inevitably enhances your career. Many people think, the more they hoard what they know the more advantage they have. However, in my experience this is not true. I find that the more you share the more others are willing to share with you and the more you know.
In summary, the practical career enhancement tips you can start now is – developing self-discipline, learning to sacrifice, define what success means to you, be single-minded in pursuit of your goals by knowing your strengths and skills, and doing your work with sincerity and have sharing as a work value.