When was the last time you received a job promotion?  You are doing a great job at work but everyone else seems to get the promotion you want.  You may even start making excuses as to why you are not getting the career promotions you deserve.  Well, I ask you the following question:

Did you ever tell your story?

The following career advice story will show you how to put your career on the fast track:

Recently, I was facilitating an oceanfront retreat for over two hundred employees of a university.  During this session, I had the participants think of something or somebody they appreciate.  I then asked for volunteers to share with the group whom or what they appreciate and why this is important to them.

Lonnie volunteered and stood up in front of the group to share his thoughts of appreciation.  Lonnie explained that in his job he helps children improve their lives.  He mentioned that whatever the lowest pay and title scale was, he was at that level.  However, he said that was all right because of the joy he received from helping the children.  You could hear and sense the passion in his words as he shared his experiences with the audience.

About a month later, Lonnie was in another workshop I was facilitating, and he asked to speak with me before the start of the session.  I could see the excitement in his eyes as he explained what had happened to him since the oceanfront retreat.  One week after sharing his story at the retreat, he received a call from the Office of Academic Affairs.  Someone of influence, who was impressed with Lonnie’s speech and the way he told his story that day, wanted Lonnie to come in for a job interview.  Lonnie went to the interview and received the job of Assistant to the Dean of Academic Affairs, with a substantial increase in pay and title.  That was a career quantum leap from just a couple of weeks earlier.

So what happened?

Lonnie told his story for career success.  Like so many of you, you are toiling away in your careers everyday and making a difference for your organization.  But if no one knows about your successes, your passions, and your ideas, you will not achieve job and career success.

The following are three secrets to putting you on the fast track to career and job advancement:

1. It’s Not What You Know… – I’m sure you have heard the old saying, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know,” when talking about getting ahead in life.  Well, in this new age of information and self responsibility, I am declaring that this saying is dead.  Instead, I always say the following:

“It’s not what you know.  It’s not who you know.  It’s who knows what you know that creates success for you.”

There are people doing a great job everyday.  There are people everyday that know people of influence.  Yet, unless these people of influence know what you know (your skills, your knowledge, your ideas), you won’t be put in a position for success.  Lonnie, during his two-minute presentation, let people of influence know that he was passionate about helping children at his job and he was willing to do it for little compensation.  That’s a powerful message.  It moved people to help him and make him a part of their team.

2. Prepare Yourself for Powerful Story Telling – When the opportunity comes to tell your story, will you be prepared?  Lonnie was prepared and made the most of his opportunity.  However, I have seen many opportunities vanish for a person to tell his/her story because of the fear of speaking in front of a group or in a meeting.  Whether it’s in a job interview, monthly meeting, or at a conference, have the confidence to tell your story.  You may never get another opportunity to do so.  Have the courage to work on your presentation skills.  There are various resources for improving your presentation skills.  You can take a class, join Toastmasters, or hire a presentation skills coach.

Also, outline what you will tell in your story.  Think of your successes and how you achieved those successes.  Thinks of the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.  Express the joy you felt while achieving your goals.   Relate how your activities helped you develop your skills, your creativity, and your determination.  Let your passion show in your story.

3. Create Opportunities to Tell Your Story – When Lonnie volunteered, he created an opportunity to tell his story.  How can you create opportunities to tell your story?  You can volunteer for job-related assignments and give reports during management briefings.  You can be active in workshops or seminars and tell your story among a variety of people that normally might not be exposed to your story.  Join various associations and groups and tell your story.  This is a great way to network among people who are active in their industries.  Contribute your story to your in-house publication, local newspaper, or magazine.  Create a blog or website and tell your story.  The more you tell your story to a wide variety of people, the greater the opportunity to increase your success.

Most of the times, the reason because of which one chooses a particular career is actually wrong. Things that were on priority while deciding for a career become extremely unimportant after a point of time. We, at Career Analysts, make sure to bring to your view the things that are actually important to you and are close to your heart. Your likes, dislikes, and your decisions are clouded by emotional pressures that seem too heavy at the moment. We do not claim to know you better than you do yourself, but we promise to give you a detached advice to bring things in to perspective and to give a better sense of direction.

We believe that everyone is born with a gift and is meant to make a career in a particular field -a career that is based on the strong foundation of extreme satisfaction. One is sure to do well in the field one loves. It is no more a job then. It is a hobby that pays.

Many of our clients say that we have changed their lives. The exceptional caliber of our consultants and the depth of our psychometric assessment produce a profound catalytic effect for individuals. Clients are invariably astonished at the accuracy, insight, and detail with which our consultants assimilate the career and personal issues they face. The whole process is a real confidence booster, as you get to unearth your dormant qualities and talents. All in all, it is an extremely positive process. It is all about getting to know yourself better.

How will you benefit?

1.    Career Analysts is one of the few career advice services in the UK that combines counseling by fully qualified psychologists.

2.    An extensive range of cutting edge profiling and assessment techniques.

3.    Essential interpretation of the assessment results by a qualified psychologist, unlike other firms that rely on restricted range of assessments without any interpretation as it is expensive.

I went to college to learn about the world. I wasn’t focused on any particular skills or expertise and I assume that’s why they call the degree I received “Liberal Arts”. Please know, I would not trade my education for anything and if I could do it all over again, I’d do it the same way. Although it was a great experience to learn about the world but there was one problem… I didn’t learn to earn! That sad reality hit me just before graduating. How was I going to make a living?

I met with my Guidance Counselor and asked how my degree in History could lead to a job. I was told I could be a Historian or a History teacher but neither of those appealed to me. But then, just as the meeting was about to end, the Counselor came up with one more suggestion… a career in professional sales. His career suggestion changed my life forever and served me well throughout my professional career. I now encourage others looking for an entry-level position in the business world to consider a career in professional sales. If you, or someone you know, are looking for an entry-level career opportunity, a career in sales should be on your radar. While I traditionally work with experienced salespeople interested in improving their selling skills, I also enjoy introducing people to a new career in sales.

Professional Sales Career

Upon graduating from college with a degree in History, I was ready to take on the world. Armed with a brand new suit and a trim haircut, I lined up my first job interview with a reputable company.

I was prepared to work hard by giving it my all, but most of all, I was prepared to make lots of money. After all, I had the energy, youth and optimism of a new graduate, so as far as I was concerned, the world was my oyster. But, I forgot one very important thing. I didn’t know anything about selling. In my naiveté, I thought all I had to do was get people to like me, and once they saw what a great guy I was, they wouldn’t be able to resist what I was selling. Obviously, I didn’t have a clue about professional selling, which takes into account every aspect of a prospective sale such as knowing what’s in your buyer’s mind, getting the results you want, preparing for a sales presentation and seeing it from the customer’s point of view. As I said, I knew absolutely nothing about sales.

Sales Skills

So, there I was at my first sales interview with an electronic cash register manufacturing company. Keep in mind that this interview was quite some time ago, so electronic cash registers were just becoming very popular. And even though the interview was many years ago, I can still remember it as if it were yesterday. I remember it, because it literally changed my life. While talking to the Sales Manager, who was conducting the interview, he looked me squarely in the eye and said: “So, you think you can sell?” He then handed me a ceramic turtle that was sitting on his desk and he said, “Sell this to me.” Once again in my innocence and lack of knowledge, I went on and on about how beautiful the turtle was and how the turtle was something he should buy. It was painfully clear that I knew nothing about the art of selling nor did I know anything about the sales process. I didn’t even know there was such a thing called sales training. Not surprisingly, I didn’t get the job, but I learned something very beneficial. I learned that there is something called salesmanship and if I was to become a good salesperson, I needed to master it. Because I genuinely wanted to be trained correctly, it was at that moment that I decided to become a true student of the sales process.

Studying the Sales Process

From that day forward, I started reading every book I could get my hands on about sales training. Initially, I made a lot of mistakes and often got very discouraged. However, I kept reading books, studying the sales process and observing successful salespeople. Thirty-five years later, I’m proud to say that I’ve accomplished a great deal in my sales career, as my own success has allowed me to work with and train thousands of salespeople from some of the largest companies in the nation. But, I actually attribute my success to that day I met a ceramic turtle and a wise sales manager. Instead of getting a job, I uncovered what I needed most: to develop a great sales career. I learned that I needed to become an expert in the sales process, which in my professional opinion is the difference between sales success and sales failure.

An Entry Level Position In Sales

In today’s competitive job market, it is difficult to get your foot in the door of a major corporation. It seems there is always someone with just a little more experience that gets the job. However, if you search the popular Internet job sites, you’ll discover the numerous openings for entry-level positions in sales. These companies are looking for bright individuals to represent their products or services. The sales department is a great place to launch a career that could, and should, lead to a six-figure income. Sales representatives also receive many additional benefits not offered to those in other departments.

Professional Selling

Professional salespeople are very important key employees because nothing happens until something is sold. Since salespeople are meeting with clients and prospects every day, salespeople know more about the markets a company serves than employees in other departments. For that reason, professional salespeople receive extraordinary benefits such as a car allowance, paid expenses and the freedom to set their own schedules for customer appointments. In addition, professional salespeople receive commissions and those commissions allow salespeople to achieve a six-figure income. If you are looking for career advancement, know that most Chief Executive Officers started their careers by becoming sales representatives.

In the process of my own sales career, I discovered that most people believe that selling has to do with having charisma or just an outgoing personality. But selling has nothing to do with either of those two characteristics. To be a good salesperson you must first become aware of and use sales skills. So, if you are interested in a career position in sales, here is the strategy you can use to avoid the mistakes I made the day I met that ceramic turtle.

Strategy For The Sales Interview

Interviewing for a sales position is different than interviewing for any other corporate position. Sales Managers receive a great amount of interview training so they are experts at uncovering strengths and weaknesses. During the interview, sales managers are busy determining if they would buy something from you. Sales managers want to know if you can sell yourself because if you can’t, you probably can’t sell a product. Also, the sales manager expects you to ask for the job to demonstrate you are capable of asking for an order.

Due to the factors just mentioned, I urge you to prepare for your interview by getting some strong training on how to interview for a position in sales. Training of that kind is available at many places including The National Sales Center.

Sales Training

Avoid making the mistakes I made the day I met that ceramic turtle. Besides some interview training, get some sales training. No one experts you to be a sales expert when you apply for an entry level sales position but some knowledge of the sales process will improve your chances of getting hired. An understanding of the sales process will also help you to sell yourself to the sales manager and it will also help you with the all important post interview follow up contact. Your follow up effort after the interview demonstrates you will follow up after a sales appointment.

Keys To Your First Sales Job

I urge you get some interview training and some sales training prior to your first sales interview. This type of preparation will greatly enhance your chances of getting hired. A career in sales is rewarding and exciting so the effort you put in to being prepared is well worth it. In fact, that preparation is the difference between success and failure. Also, your knowledge of the sales process will get you off and running the very first day of your new professional career.

Here are some career tips on how to be in the top 20.

Know where your job fits in the scheme of things and what is expected from you. If you and your boss haven’t agreed on a clear picture of your career path, ask for directions.

Monitor and document your on-the-job performance month-by-month. Gain strength and confidence from your achievements. Learn from your mistakes.

Make sure you are receiving regular performance appraisals, so you can make mid-course corrections on your career path, and your employer recognizes the results you are producing. Assure your boss you want to assume more responsibility. Seek additional training to improve your value to your current employer and increase your chances of landing a new job if the pink slip comes.

Work with a plan that sets career goals with specific actions and timelines.

Prepare a fallback plan covering actions you would take if you were to lose your job.

Find out what challenges your boss is facing. Make his job easier, not harder. Demonstrate you are helping him to reach his career goals.

Stay up to date on what’s happening with your company and the business sector in which you work.

Do more with less. Go above and beyond the call of duty.

Take the initiative; come up with new ideas. Come in early, stay late.

As added insurance, refresh and extend your contacts within and outside of the organization that employs you.

Solve problems, don’t create them. Don’t require special attention from your boss and your co-workers.

Be a team player. Share the workload, as well as the credit.

Recognize there are no shortcuts to career success.

Don’t Let Negative Nellies Block Your Career Path

There’ll always be Negative Nellies who will try to distract you from maintaining your top 20 position.  If you let them, they can throw you off your career path.

Here are five steps you can take to thwart the negativists who inhabit all organizations.

1. Distinguish between negativism and analytical questioning. The former is destructive; the latter is constructive.

2. Don’t waste time and energy arguing with those who are habitually negative. Overlook them. Avoid gossiping and spreading rumors.

3. Act quickly and decisively to examine and reject wanton negative doubts.

4. Take action to advance your career plans when the odds are reasonably in favor of success despite those who deal in negative thoughts.

5. Avoid the company of negative thinkers. Their attitudes are contagious. Don’t engage in I-told-you-so when the negative thinkers turn out to be wrong. That only invites more of the same from them.

“Think Again: Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions and How To Keep It From Happening To You”, a new book co-authored by Sydney Finkelstein, a professor at Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business, provides some keen insight on the issue.

Mr. Finkelstein and his co-authors studied research in neuroscience and psychology and concluded there are four reasons good managers make bad decisions.

1. They tend to rely on past experiences. Situations seldom are exactly like what’s happened in the past.

2. Decisions are driven by self-interest. That force is always at work even when it is not recognized.

3. Decisions are based on judgment made before all the facts are available and sticking with them even when later findings indicate a chance of course.

4. Decisions are strongly influenced by attachments to people, places or things that managers are reluctant to change or give up.

The reader of this book will be made aware of steps managers can take to avoid making bad decisions along their career path.

One is to be aware that there is no such thing as complete objectivity. Managers can shift in favor of making good decisions by recognizing biases and guarding against them.

Another step that will help assure good decisions is to avoid the trap of the yes man syndrome by encouraging open debate by people who have differences of opinion.

Other career coaches teach that bad decisions are made because the right questions are not asked in the process. Another obstacle is that more information is assembled than is needed. Fact gathering is confused with decision-making. This often occurs because no one wants to step up and make a decision.

A contributing factor to bad decisions is that the wrong mode has been employed in the process.

Decisions are usually made in one of three ways, each of which can lead to a sound conclusion if used in the proper context.

1. An immediate decision is required so the person in charge “commands”.

2. Time permits assimilating opinions and reaching a decision.

3. Arriving at a consensus so as to help assure support by those who participated in the decision.

The key is to make sure the correct mode is put to work.

Each decision carries with it some degree of risk as well as reward. Traveling a career path to success requires the courage and ability to make good decisions. To be a good manager one doesn’t have to be right all of the time, just most of the time to reach his career goals.

Here’s some astute alternative business career advice you won’t get from your boss.

Are you sitting at your desk dreamily imagining yourself on a South Seas vacation? Or maybe on a rollicking holiday with the family? Or maybe you would just prefer to stay home and watch some DVDs.

Wanting to take some time off should not make you feel guilty. In fact, in her new business career advice book, “Time Off for Good Behavior,” Mary Lou Quinlan writes that seven out of 10 people fantasize about leaving work for a few months.

What’s more, she has some good alternative business career advice that taking a break can help you feel less burned out. It can help you organize your life goals. Most people don’t realize that taking time off-guilt free-isn’t as difficult as it might seem.

So don’t feel like you’re condemned to remaining chained to your desk. Here are six alternative business career advice options you can check out:

1. Make a plan. Think about why you want time off. Do you just need a few days to relax? Or are you looking to completely re-assess your career?

2. Figure out how much time off you’ll need to come back fully refreshed.

3. Count your days off. Figure out how many vacation days you have. Add in any remaining sick or personal days.

4. Check out company policy. You may be eligible for a sabbatical with full or partial pay. Or you may have the option of re-entering the company after an unpaid leave.

5. Talk to your employer. If the company doesn’t have a policy or doesn’t spell out the details of flexible time off, now is the time to find out what the company can offer you.

6. Negotiate for what you need.

The point of this alternative business career advice is that you shouldn’t be afraid to take some needed time off. It may be just what you need to get your life back in focus and prioritize what really important.
Furthermore, if you are a valued employee, your boss expects you to come forward with recommendations that show how the company will benefit from your time off.

Taking the time to spell out your ideas in a way that shows both concern and awareness of your expectations can result in a mutually advantageous arrangement.

Do you find your job dissatisfying? There are aspects of each career you will have that you don’t like. It could be the manager you must deal with, the co- worker, the changing rules, or certain tasks you are asked to perform. There are literally hundreds of reasons you might find your career is in a rut. What you need to ask yourself is if the entire career is the problem or just certain aspects? Consider for a moment that your current career is very rewarding. You are a child psychologist, but there is paperwork that you must do after seeing your patients. This is just part of the job. It may seem like you are in a rut as nothing changes, but really you’ve just lost focus. A lot of individuals who want to change careers tend to find they love their job after visiting a workshop. Sometimes it just takes a different perspective.

If this is not the case then you need to find what you want to change to. You will probably want to take an aptitude test to find out what you like most. Do you like working with numbers, ideas, around people? What are your interests or hobbies? Can these interests become the career change you want?

The next part of the agenda is actually making a move. Fear often holds individuals back when it comes to changing careers. They are too afraid that they will not excel at the new position or that it will not be enough income, etc. There are hundreds of reasons for the fear.

Once you can find the confidence to change careers little will stop you. You will need to look at various areas for the new job. Is where you live going to provide you with the right career change? Do you have to move? Can you afford to move?

Whenever you change careers you need to have the required experience. This can be obtained through volunteering, going back to school, etc. By following some of the questions above you can determine if you are really ready for a career change or just a change of pace.

The fact is it is never too late to change your career. Even if you have a family and a steady life, if you are unhappy with your career you can still change it to find happiness again.