The Career-Breaking Flaw That Is the Broken Promise

The Career-Breaking Flaw That Is the Broken Promise The Career-Breaking Flaw That Is the Broken Promise Theydiminish the value of your wordPeople want to count on you when you say you will do something. If you regularly drop the ball, people will rely on you less.They cause you to lose opportunitiesIf you regularly break your promises, people will not want to have you on their projects, teams, and/or committees.They lower yourself-esteemYou may not know why you dont come through on your commitments, but knowing that you arent holding up your end of a deal can make you question your own integrity.Do you writedown action items and then complete only some of them? Do you miss deadlines? Do you make commitments andinconsistently deliver? If you said yes to any of these questions, you are breaking promises, andthat means you are hurting your reputation and future career prospects.Here are four ways to start building a reputation for reliability, delivery, and contribution after youve br oken a promiseDont forget the things that you promise to doThe best way to do this is to keep a written record of your promises. When you take action items voluntarily or via assignation, put them on a list. This keeps the specifics of your responsibilities in an easily accessible physical place. Youmight otherwise forget them if you store them only in your mind.Clarify what is expected of youEnaya that you and those you work with are synchronized. Match what you believe you are supposed to be doing with the expectations other people have of you. Get confirmations in writing. An example of this might bewriting a summary of a meeting which identifies the action items you are to take and sharing it with others.Give people the opportunity to respond by saying something like, If there is something that you anticipate me doing that is not on this list, please reply and let me know right away so I can be sure to fulfill all of myresponsibilities.Take on lessThere will almost always be mor e things for you to do than you can possibly attend to. Do only those things that are of highest importance and be clear that you will not be doing the rest.Make sure others share your priorities.Use as promised in your communicationsWhen writing follow-up emails or talking to people, state specifically that you are delivering on your commitment. For example, say, We discussed the trigger list for creating your list of things to do. As promised, I am sending the list to you attached to this email.If you might miss a deadline or have to stop one project to give attention to another, renegotiateYou will need diplomacy and tact to deliver your message and receive understanding and acceptance that things have changed. However,you will also get credit for integrity and keeping your eye on the ball.

How to Turn Work Accomplishments into Stories for Your Job Interviews

How to Turn Work Accomplishments into Stories for Your Job InterviewsHow to Turn Work Accomplishments into Stories for Your Job Interviews16Youre in the middle of a job interview for a position that you really, really want. Youre nailing all of the interview questionsuntil your boss-to-be asks you, Tell me about a time when you helped your company. The question throws you off, and instead of delivering a polished answer, you stumble and stammer your way through a rocky response. How can you create good stories for your job interviews?Job seekers should always have a few stories that they can pull out of their pocket during their job search. You may need one to personalize a cover letter, for a blog deutsche bundespost on your LinkedIn profile, and yes, especially during job interviews. Turn your past triumphs into great stories that can help you land a job with these tips.How to Turn Work Accomplishments into Stories for Your Job InterviewsReview your work history.If you think that y ou dont have a story to tell, think again. During each of your jobs, there have been memorable moments. The moments may vary, but you definitely accomplished something that you- and only you- can claim credit for. It may have been something big (you found a way to save yourself and fellow staffers time by implementing a more modern program), or it may have been small (you found a small, but potentially embarrassing typo on your companys press release). So take the time to reflect on your work history to uncover your successes and write them down. When you have a few on paper, you can determine which are more important- and impressive- than others.Stick to the facts. Sure, you uncovered a mistake that helped save your company a lot of money. But it would be wrong to say that due to your keen observations and superior skills, you managed to keep your company afloat and prevent them from going bankrupt. So while you want to paint yourself in the best light possible when you give one of those tell me about the time answers, you also need to ensure that your storytelling skills dont stretch themselves out into outright lies. After all, a potential boss can confirm the validity of your story, and you dont want to lose a position based on a tall tale.Make your stories relatable. You never know what kinds of questions you might be asked during a job interview. So it makes sense that you should have at least 2-3 stories prepared for those just-in-case questions. For example, you should have a story that relates to overall work successes that youve had with previous employers. Youll also need a working well with others story, and an answer for the infamous tell me about yourself question. So be sure to listen very carefully to what the hiring manager is asking of you before you whip out of one your stories. And be sure to personalize it to the company youre interested in working for. Youll need to customize your story in order to find a way to make it relatable for your new employer.Practice, practice, practice.It might make you feel awkward to talk about your previous work accomplishments. You might feel like youre bragging. To get over your shyness, you should practice telling your story a few times. Not only will it help you keep the facts straight in your head, but hearing yourself can help you determine if your story is too long (or too short) or needs more details. And all that practice will pay off when you deliver your story more smoothly during your job interview.Turning your work accomplishments into stories you can tell during your job search is important for any job seeker. By taking the time to gather stories for your job interviews, youre ensuring future job search successReaders, do you have an arsenal of stories for your job interviews? Let us know in the comments section below

5 Best IT Security Jobs

5 Best IT Security Jobs5 Best IT Security JobsAs the role of technology grows in geschftlicher umganges around the world, it brings an urgent need to staff IT security jobs. The more digitalization spreads through the workplace, companies face higher risk of their online ordnungsprinzips - and the sensitive information on them - falling prey to hackers and data breaches. And employers are more aware of this than ever.In a survey, 54 percent of CIOs polled said they plan to add new personnel to combat increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks.If youre thinking about pursuing a career in this field, now is a great time. Job seekers with the right experience and certifications can find numerous employment opportunities, which include the chance to earn a lucrative IT security salary.Starting down the IT security career pathIts difficult to acquire an IT security job without prior experience, so this isnt a decision that can be made overnight. Obtaining some of these roles involves a sig nificant amount of planning and effort.To start, the vast majority of employers require a bachelors degree in a relevant discipline, such as IT, computer science or business. Those who have fulfilled that criteria can follow the career path mapped out by the National Institute for Cybersecurity Education (NICE), an independent group established to address the shortage of skilled workers needed to meet the demand for these positions. NICE recommends starting in one of the following feeder careers to later obtain the best rolesFinancial analysis and riskNetworkingSecurity intelligenceSoftware developmentSystems engineeringIf you already have experience in any of these areas, you still need to pursue the certifications relevant for the position you have in mind before applying.Here are five of the top IT security jobs that companies are looking to hire for - and what you need to land them. Plus, weve included their midpoint starting salaries, all based on data from the 2019 Technology Salary Guide.1. IT auditorThere are various echelons of this position, starting with the entry-level junior IT auditor, in which youre required to run tests and perform analysis of existing security measures. Mid-level IT auditors are responsible for identifying potential risks within an organizations infrastructure by performing extensive penetration testing. Experienced IT auditors are tasked with preparing reports and making recommendations to eliminate risks.Requirements To start down the IT auditor path, you need excellent problem-solving and communication skills, plus solid knowledge of system architecture. These roles are great for learning the ropes in the tech sphere - and can be a springboard to commanding a higher IT security salary.Credentials CompTIA Security+Midpoint salary $111,0002. Systems security administratorThis may be a blended role in small or midsize companies, involving systems administrator duties and the management of software and networking hardware. In larger organizations, youll focus entirely on security, including the installation and maintenance of firewalls, virus protection and other measures. In both scenarios, youll help define best practices, report to management and coordinate penetration testing in order to identify vulnerabilities.Requirements A background in networking is a plus when seeking a job as a systems security administrator. Youll also need excellent knowledge of TCP/IP, routing and switching, network protocols, firewalls and intrusion prevention.Credentials GIAC CertificationsMidpoint salary $112,2503. Network security engineerThese professionals are tasked with building an organizations security infrastructure. In some situations, this requires designing an infrastructure from scratch, but it can also involve modifying an existing network to respond to emerging threats. Youll manage regular penetration testing, and you may also work with automated testing tools. In addition, youll monitor detection and res ponse activities and conduct routine analyses of security events, alerts and notifications.Requirements A network security engineer must be proficient in security tech and very familiar with the nature of cybersecurity threats. You must also know how to create and document security policies.CredentialsCertified Ethical Hacker (CEH)Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), which requires a minimum of five years experience in IT security jobsCisco Certified Network Professional Security (CCNP Security)Midpoint salary $118,000GET THE SALARY GUIDE4. Information systems security manager (ISSM)As the ISSM, youll have ultimate accountability for an organizations security measures. This means overseeing the creation of a security infrastructure implementing policies and best practices managing testing and analysis and staying updated on trends, innovations and regulations. You may also be responsible for developing disaster recovery plans. Additionally, this job entails a great deal of general management responsibility, such as hiring, employee performance evaluation, running professional development programs and motivating team members.Requirements Most employers want someone with an extensive background in systems and network security - at least five years of previous experience. As this IT security job is a management position, strong leadership and interpersonal skills are also a must.CredentialsCISSPCompTIA Security+GIAC Management and Leadership CertificationsMidpoint salary $139,0005. Chief security officer (CSO)The pinnacle of IT security jobs, the CSO is a C-level position that focuses on information security and risk management. CSOs collaborate with fellow C-suite members to manage security on a strategic level, advising corporate leadership as to the potential cyber risks associated with business decisions, as well as compliance issues and disaster recovery. Most often, youll work directly with the chief operations officer and other rel evant executives, such as the chief technical officer, chief information officer and chief digital officer.Requirements To become a CSO, youll need at least 10 years experience, with a focus on information security, compliance and privacy. This role also necessitates business acumen and an aptitude for long-term strategic thinking, along with the ability to plan, create and maintain complex security systems.Credentials This will vary depending on your experience and the requirements of individual employers.Midpoint salary $181,750IT security jobs come with a lot of responsibility. Whether youre entry-level or sitting in the board room, youre tasked with keeping your companys data safe. If you have the nerve and the know-how to face such a challenge, this is an exciting and lucrative career path to follow.

Why Are Extroverts Linked to Career Success Because They Have Mentors

Why Are Extroverts Linked to Career Success Because They Have Mentors Why Are Extroverts Linked to Career Success Because They Have Mentors A recent study from the University of Missouri found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that extroverts and people who exhibit proactive behavior are more likely to find career success.But dont take this as condemnation to a life of low success, introverts. See, extroverts arent inherently successful in ant mysterious, ineffable way. Rather, they simply tend to engage in certain behaviors that lead to career success, a big one being that theypursue developmental relationships.Those who are extroverted and have a proactive personality are naturally more likely to develop mentor relationships, explains MU Trulaske College of Business Professor Daniel Turban in a press release.It makes sense Extroverts tend to be more outgoing therefore, theyre more likely to meet and forge connections with people who can become their mentors.Turban, the researcher behind t hese findings, says that the study doesnt so much prove extroverts are more successful as it does identify the mechanisms through which proactive behavior lead to career success.Weknow personality has an effect on outcomes of value in this case, career success, Turban says.What we wanted to do is understand the mechanisms through which that occurs, and we want to understand the mechanisms because, for people who maybe dont have the personality dispositions to naturally or intuitively tend toward these behaviors, they can still engage in those behaviors.For example, the research found that proactive people receive more mentoring because they tend to be more naturally outgoing. Introverts canachieve more mentoring, too. They just have to be more conscious about seeking out mentors and building other crucial developmental relationships.People that are extroverted tend to have more energy and seek out social relations, and people who are introverted may notlage be as natural in that, T urban says. But if you know that establishing social relations isimportant, you can then engage in behaviors todo that.Proactive People Have mora Knowledge But Not Because Theyre SmarterThe study also found that people with proactive personalities tended to have more knowledge than their less proactive counterparts, which in turn leads again to greater career success. Once more, this is not the result of any inherent difference in extroverts or other proactive people, but an extension of the behaviors proactive people tend to engage in.What I think happens is proactive people tend to seek out opportunities to engage in more behaviors and actions, Turban says. The more you do, the more opportunities you have to learn.If organizations want to encourage employees whether introvert, extrovert, or otherwise to learn, theyd do well to promote climates of psychological safety in which employees feel more comfortable taking risks.Learning involves risk. Innovation involves risk. If peopl e are fearful if there is not a climate of safety they are less likely to take risks and less likely to learn, Turban says. Learning sometimes involves learning what doesnt work. If people are fearful of making mistakes, its going to be more challenging for them to learn.While employers work to institute climates of psychological safety, employees can do a little internal work of their own by trying to become a little less self-conscious.Heres how I describe it to my students If Im totally self-conscious, its hard to learn. Im not going to put myself in the situation where Ill have the opportunity to learn, Turban says. If you can create that climate within yourself, youre going to learn more than a person who is limited either by their climate, their perception of their climate, or by being overly self-conscious.

The Upload Resume Chronicles

The Upload Resume Chronicles After youve written your CV, youre going to need to receive it in the hands of the folks doing the hiring Theres no doubt that a resume which is both cohesive and professional will have a much better likelihood of standing from the crowd even supposing its made utilizing a template. There are just a couple of sites you ought to be posting your resume to. The possibilities of actually landing work merely by posting your resume are slim. The New Fuss About Upload Resume A lot rides on the standard of the template that you select. Top resume builders arrive equipped with a range of features that makes resume writing binnenseem effortless. Its possible to also permit the feature for all files, particularly when seeking to attain the second effect. 1 cool feature about ZipRecruiter is you may observe how many folks have looked at your resume, along with other data. As soon as youve finished your edits, its time to pick the privacy alternatives for yo ur document. If youre going to provide both the resume and the program, you are going to be extra conscious to be sure the info in each matches. The very first step in the application procedure is going to be to make an account. You have the choice to see the document which you have uploaded. Free resume templates download is a favorite process which plenty of men and women follow to draft resumes for professional explanations. So as to keep an eye on unique uploads happening at precisely the same time, we must bring a variable to put away everything. You may post your resume online by making a totally free account along with a work alert. Employers want to visit a history of success demonstrated on your resume they also wish to observe your successes are related to them. Getting the most of a resource that wont only help save you time, but is demonstrated to elevate your opportunity of scoring a work simply is logical. Last, be absolutely certain to devote the opportunity to complete your profile so you that its visible and youre going to match with the most suitable search terms to raise your odds of being found. At the close of the day, the success rate might still be based on the standing of your university and the kind of employers coming to the university career center site to find candidates. The Upload Resume Cover Up Most likely, you are going to start looking for zwischenstaatlich job vacancies online or on the lookout for new work in hotel. After youve finished putting in information into the above mentioned window, click the blue FIND JOBS button. Actually you decide you wish to discover the jobs or allow the jobs find you. If youre seeking to customize professional, pre-formatted resumes, have a look at our absolutely free downloadable templates. Now, what if you want to know a bit more about one particularly intriguing position. A recruiter will review your application and abilities, and if a proper position is identified youll be contacted. Because so much of the work search method is online, you will need to be ready to design a resume which works for the internet, how to send resumes as emails and email attachments, and the way to upload your resume to different job search websites and company websites. If thats the case, dont be concerned about what it appears like, because its going to be consistent with the other resumes in the database. The web is such a useful tool for job-hunters. If you would like to add, delete or select distinctive positions once you have started the application please use the work search function in the application. When submitting an application for jobs on the website, you simply must click the saved resume you created on the website. When you have created a resume utilizing a work search engine resume builder, the website will enable you to share it together with employers on exactly the same job search engine.

The Benefits of Medical Writing Resume Samples

The Benefits of Medical Writing Resume Samples If you want to put in an application for a position of a dental assistant then it is possible to take advantage of dental assistant resume. If youre looking to hire a health assistant then a medical assistant job description can assist you in putting out an advert. If youre looking to apply to get a post of a health assistant then we can assist you in writing your resume. If youre attempting to obtain work in accounting or finance you require averystrong resume. Up in Arms About Medical Writing Resume Samples? For instance, if you need your healthcare resume to secure you considered for a managerial position, then youll want the proper sort of training together with experience for a shift coordinator. There are many different forms of healthcare assistants. They are in demand, but that doesnt mean it will be easy to land a job. They are an important parte of the healthcare industry as they provide much needed support within hea lthcare facilities. Moreover, employers do check resume facts, and theyre very likely to recognize any lies or inconsistencies. Understanding how to tailor your resume will obviously provide you an advantage. As an overall guideline, your resume does not have to expand upon each job or duty youve held. Although resume objectives are getting more obsolete in favor of career summaries, in some specific conditions, it is logical to incorporate an objective. All About Medical Writing Resume Samples Medical schools want to understand that youre a fantastic student in addition to being passionate and enthusiastic about your healthcare career. Presently, medical assistants do not need certification in the majority of states. Besides administrative duties, a Medical Assistant could be asked to do clerical and clinical work too. So as to compose a professional medical assistant resume, you should include all appropriate info about your skills, education and a brief description of your personality. Perhaps while trying to find examples you noticed poor samples all around the internet. Writing a strong application is a challenging procedure and we would like to make it simpler. You could also see Resume Examples.

Your companys job descriptions are driving women away

Your companys job descriptions are driving women awayYour companys job descriptions are driving women awayLet me guess Hiring keeps you up at night.Welcome to the club.Finding great people is a top concern for companies today, startup founders cited hiring as their 1 concern, beating out even revenue and customer growth.Yet for all the worrying about keeping a high-quality candidate pipeline, many of us are making the same mistake - were unwittingly writing job descriptions that turn off a large percentage of our candidate pool.We recently turned a critical eye to our descriptions at HubSpot. We wanted to put ourselves in our candidates shoes and see how we could improve their experience. What were our best descriptions doing differently? Who can (or cant) picture themselves working at HubSpot? How can we make our descriptions mora helpful and more human?Turns out, we have a lot of work to do. Here are four key themes we uncovered.Use caution with qualificationsWe tend to treat the qualifications section of a job description like a wish list everything that would be nice to have gets thrown in. Why bedrngnis? Setting a high bar for talent is good, right? Wont making it tough to qualify ensure we find the best candidates?WellnoSee, even though we know there is wiggle room on qualifications, thats not always how candidates interpret it, particularly women. While men apply for a job when they meet 60% of the qualifications, women tend to apply only when they meet 100%.Turns out, a long list of nice-to-haves will actually deter female candidates from moving forward. Ouch.Were starting to pay closer attention to this at HubSpot. For example, Fluent German is a required skill for HubSpots German Customer Support Specialist role. Theres no wiggle room here. But for skills and experience that will help a candidate stand-out, but arent truly required, were instead encouraging hiring managers to use language likefamiliarity with..bonus points forworking knowledge ofcomf ortable withif you have any combination of these skillsWeve also started watching out for the word expert. Some candidates will consider themselves experts, but many qualified, talented candidates wont identify with that descriptor, or might even be intimidated by it. Do we really require an inbound marketing expert or do we require someone who has the fhigkeit to become an inbound marketing expert?Check for genderedlanguageGender also plays a big role in how language is interpreted in job descriptions. Certain words and phrases resonate with men more than women, and vice versa.Last year, Courtney Seiter from Buffer wrote about why they removed the word hacker from engineering job titles. I was inspired by this so I sent a handful of HubSpots job descriptions to our employees to get their feedback. I asked them to comment on anything they had a reaction to, good and bad. Here is one great exampleWe tend to write the way we would talk, and normally thats a good thing, but not when it comes to job descriptions. Phrases and jargon like killer geschftlicher umgang instinct might feel fun and colorful, but they send subtle messages to the applicant about the kind of gruppe they are signing up for.Textio is a free tool that analyzes and improves job descriptions for effective language and format. Based on data from third-party job boards and company data, Textio can tell which words and phrases are more likely to attract male or female applicants. I signed up for a free trial of Textio to see how our descriptions stack up, here are a few additional pointers the service surfaced for usHighlight benefits for allagesFree beer and ping-pong might be a dream come true for a 20-something college grad, but when youre starting or growing a family, paternal leave and healthcare are probably a lot more important at work than whats on tap.At HubSpot, were passionate about creating a culture where people, at any stage in their career, can grow. Heres a screenshot from our jobs website that features our Free Books Program, tuition reimbursement, HealthyHubSpot programming, etc.But when I looked at our job descriptions, I found that a lot of them were totenstill highlighting shiny perks and missing the opportunity to connect with candidates who bring years of experience to the table, as well as recent grads.But its not just benefits language has a big impact on age diversity in the candidate funnel. The term digital native has been used in our job descriptions, regrettably. The sentiment is well-intentioned - were looking for someone who is passionate about technology, but a reader might interpret this as someone who is under 25. HubSpots co-founder and CTO, Dharmesh Shah, says thisI think the term digital citizen is much better (and more inclusive) than digital native. A native is somebody who was born there. A citizen is someone who may have immigrated in, but accepted the responsibility of citizenship. So, the contrast I like to use is Were looking for digital citizens, not digital tourists. Note I am not a digital native (wasnt born into this stuff), but I am a card-carrying, flag-waving, digitalcitizen.Watch out for corporate-speakInsider language is a quick way to make someone else feel like an outsider, but if youre not watching out for it, acronyms and company speak will inevitably creep into your job descriptions. Job seekers reading descriptions are usually still in research mode, so feeling like they dont speak the language of a company makes it easier for them to cross that company off the list.One instance I found of this at HubSpot was uncovering HEART in the requirements section of a job description. HEART is a core part of our Culture Code and captures the characteristics we want to see in every HubSpot employee. It stands for humble, effective, adaptable, remarkable transparent. Its important to us, but only confuses a candidates who isnt familiar with our culture.This unconscious bias can be a little more subtle tha n acronyms. Heres another great example we surfaced thanks to Matt, a software engineer at HubSpotWatch out for wording or references that assume your candidate has insider knowledge about your business. Maybe youre describing a responsibility of the role that assumes the candidate knows how another part of the business works. Or maybe the mission of a role assumes the candidate knows how many customers you have in Europe.When in doubt, assume the candidate doesnt know the ins-and-outs of your company.How were solving for this atHubSpotNow that we have a better grasp on how to improve our descriptions, there are a few things were doing internally to try and walk the walkWeve run How to Write Inclusive, Effective Job Descriptions workshops for our global recruiting teamsWe created an internal guide and template for recruiters and hiring managers to useWere embedding peer review into the job description writing processA remarkable, inclusive candidate experience doesnt happen overnigh t, and as we build out our inbound recruiting playbook, were constantly finding data points like this to improve and help us move the needle. Often times, that feedback comes directly from employees like Brittany and Matt. Sometimes it comes from our candidates taking the time to point out how we could be better. This input is invaluable.Take the time to read through your job descriptions with this new perspective. It might help you put yourself in the candidates shoes and help more people, regardless of gender or background, click Submit.This piece originally appeared on ThinkGrow.org.

Past President Bob Sims Joins Panel of Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass Instructors

Past President Bob Sims Joins Panel of Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass Instructors Past President Bob Sims Joins Panel of Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass Instructors Past President Bob Sims Joins Panel of Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass InstructorsJuly 8, 2016 J. Robert (Bob) Sims, former president of ASME, has joined ASME Training & Developments distinguished panel of ASME Code authorities and authors who will teach a series of ASME MasterClass courses on Pressure Vessels and Piping Systems. Sims will teach the new MasterClass Fracture Mechanics and Other Methods for Fatigue and Fracture Analysis of Pressure Equipment, which will launch this October during ASME Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass Training Week in Houston, Texas.ASME MasterClass courses are practical training sessions for experienced professionals that emphasize learning through the discussion of real-world case studies and practical applications. MasterClass i nstructors, considered to be elite in their fields of expertise, lead in-depth sessions that address current issues and best practices to inspire interactive discussions and group knowledge-sharing. J. Robert SimsSims, an ASME Fellow who served as ASME president in 2014-2015, is a world-renowned expert in risk-based technologies, high-pressure equipment, mechanical integrity evaluation and Fitness-For-Service analysis. Sims two-day MasterClass will focus on the fracture mechanics method of fatigue analysis of pressure equipment. The course, which will focus on practical applications instead of theory, is intended for engineers who work for pressure vessel manufacturers or firms that design, specify, procure or are responsible for the inspection, maintenance or repair of pressure equipment in cyclic service.With the new course, Sims joins a panel of peer experts who will be teaching courses during the ASME Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass Training Week event . These experts include David Osage, lead author for plan by Analysis Requirements in ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, Div. 2 Alternative Rules, who teaches a course of the same title Don Frikken, past chair of the ASME Process Piping Code Committee, who teaches Piping Failures Causes and Remedies Jim Meyer, current chair of the ASME Process Piping Code Committee, the instructor for Piping Flexibility Analysis and Tony Paulin, who teaches Static, Elastic Finite Element Analysis (FEA) Approaches to Address ASME Section VIII Div. 2, Part 5 Design Requirements. Other experts of equal caliber will be teaching courses at the Pressure Technology and Standards MasterClass program in Houston.In addition to the Houston event, ASME Training Development will also hold a similar program from Oct. 17 to 21 in Barcelona, Spain. For more information on these Training Weeks events, or to register, visit http//go.asme.org/pressuretechtraining or contact Jennifer Deld a, program/business manager, at deldajasme.org.

Strengthening Your Business Network Through Volunteering

Strengthening Your Business Network Through VolunteeringStrengthening Your Business Network Through VolunteeringNetworking remains a vital activity for accounting and finance leaders, one that appears to be returning to its mora traditional roots. Beyond a job search tool or way to tally connections, executives are using their outreach to stay up on the latest trends and grow their business.Robert Half Management Resources research found the popularity of reaching out via email is surging among chief financial officers, while the preference for social media is falling. No matter their favorite outreach vehicle, one way many executives build their business and careers through networking is volunteering.Making volunteering work for you and your companyHow can philanthropic work enable financial executives to help their companies and grow their careers? Here are just a few waysImprove recruiting and retentionMany job seekers include the charitable activities of a prospective employer a mong their priorities when making a decision on a job offer, says Robert Half community relations manager Lisa Montagna. As competition for talent heats up, volunteering can offer you and your company an edge.Echoing Montagnas insights, a survey by our companys OfficeTeam teilen found more than four in 10 workers said a companys participation in charitable activities influences their decision to work there. The appeal of philanthropic firms is particularly strong for the youngest generations in the workforce. The majority of respondents ages 18 to 34, including Millennials and Gen Z, are attracted to organizations involved with charitable outreach.Meet new customers and business contactsPeople want to buy from businesses they know and feel good about. Reaching out to your community will help you spread the word about your products or services and build affinity for your brand.Many of our managers have built their networks through volunteering, especially when they have transferred t o new states or cities, adds Montagna. Volunteering allows them to meet people immediately and start to network from day one. Several of our executives now sit on boards for groups like Boys Girls Clubs of America and Junior Achievement.Enhance your companys reputationPhilanthropy gives your company positive exposure in the communities where your employees live and work, Montagna says. You have the opportunity to build goodwill for your business, including among people who may not have been familiar with it previously.Boost your healthHelping the community also offers health benefits. Citing academic research, Dress for Success notedon its website that studies show volunteering can reduce the risk of death by 25 percent, improving both physical and mental well-being.Getting startedIf youre looking for a volunteer activity, below are a few recommendations from MontagnaStart with your passionFor example, if you like sports, offer to coach a Little League team. If you enjoy cooking, o nce a month you could make meals for a soup kitchen.The key,says Montagna, is to do something you enjoy because you will be motivated to stay involved.Know its OK to start smallIf youre not sure where to start or where youll fit, take comfort knowing everything you do no matter how large or small it may seem will help.If all you can offer is one hour a month or a quarter, dont think that wont make an impact, says Montagna.It is amazing what you can accomplish in an hourCheck out your companys activitiesMany organizations help facilitate volunteer work for employees. In addition to having all the information you need to get started available internally, you may even be able to make your outreach a group outing or team-building exercise.Consult your networkComing full circle, Montagna recommends talking to your contacts for their thoughts. Get advice from friends and colleagues who are already active volunteers. Talk to a variety of people involved with different causes and see whic h interest you most.A more personal approach to business networkingCFOs shift from social media to email as their preferred networking tool suggests they seek more personal outreach. And there are fewer things more personal than enriching the lives of others.How have your volunteer activities helped you build your business network? Please share your experiences in the comments section below.For more information on Robert Halfs philanthropic work, download our corporate citizenship report.Editors Note Boys Girls Clubs of America and Dress for Success are nonprofit partners of Robert Half.Related postsIs Corporate Citizenship a Priority at Your Business? If Not, Heres Why It Should BeHow CFOs Engage on Social Media 5 Key InsightsNetworking at the Top 7 Tips for Current and Aspiring CFOs3 Networking No-Nos for Finance Consultants