DIAMOND MINDS By Barry Farber
LANDING A JOB AND BUILDING A CAREER
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he majority of my work consists of connecting and meeting with key decision makers. My clients ask me to help them target specific companies that have a strong fit for their products and services and then get them in the door to meet with the right contact. Here are five keys I employ that can be applied to job seeking for college graduates.
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Make a target list of the top 5-10 companies you would like to work for and where you feel you would add value.
Do your homework. There is so much information online about most companies. Search for the CEO of a specific company and read recent interviews and articles on that person before making your calls. Start at the top and work your way down to the person in charge of a specific department or responsibility. Also, seek out people who work in businesses that are similar to your targets and ask questions.
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Network. Do what’s comfortable for you: use social media, speak with as many people as you can that have connections, join associations, and put yourself out there in a positive light. Go to www. barryfarber.com for specific articles on networking and getting appointments.
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Differentiate yourself. What makes you unique? How can you stand out from others? My daughter got strong written testimonials from her various summer jobs that she edited and put under each job description on her resume to stand out from other applicants.
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“No” makes me go. Most sales people give up after their first or second “no,” yet many executives agree that most sales happen after the seventh or eighth re-
jection. If you believe there is a strong fit and you can add value to their business, go back to your targets with additional information or find other ways to get introduced. This shows them your passion and tenacity, something many companies see as a valuable asset these days.
a quality product to you.” And then you have to work on actually doing that.
Once you get the job, here are four great tips from Irv Rothman, president and CEO of Hewlett-Packard Financial Services and author of “Out-Executing the Competition.” Barry Farber: What advice would you give college graduates about getting their foot in the door with employers and then building value so they stay there and grow? Irv Rothman: Getting in the door is about patience and the ability to handle rejection, but once you’re there I have four pieces of advice. Number one is never say no. BF: What do you mean by that? IR: If somebody asks you to do something you might not like or know how to do, or you’re afraid to fail, don’t say “no” or “I don’t know how to do that.” The correct answer is, “This isn’t something I’m familiar with but I will find out how to do it and I will deliver
Barry Farber
The second piece of advice is, always work for somebody you can learn something from, at any stage of your career. Even for me today, I’m still learning something new every day and that’s a very stimulating environment.
Third, take an assignment that nobody else wants. Demonstrate your commitment and that you can really add value, even if it means you have to move some place or out of your comfort zone. The forth piece of advice that I think is very important, especially in today’s extraordinarily complex world is that you really have to learn how to operate well within a team structure. Because the world is so complicated and things move at the speed of light, no one person can do it by themselves. Especially in the corporate world there are these interdependencies, and you’ve got to learn how to recognize them, and make the rest of the people around you better by being a functional team member. If you do these four things you’ll be in pretty good shape.
Barry Farber consults with corporations, professional athletes and entertainers helping them market their products and land more deals. He’s the best-selling author of 12 books translated into 25 foreign languages with over one million copies sold. His next book, Success Secrets of Sales Superstars will be released April 2013 by Entrepreneur Press. You can see him on QVC selling out unique and innovative inventions. He’s a featured guest on CNN, Fox, CNBC and hosted over 400 Radio and Television shows in New York City, Washington and on the Comcast Television Network. Visit him at: www.barryfarber.com or email him at: barry@barryfarber.com. Listen to the new show: www.blogtalkradio.com/barryfarber
Tune into Barry's recent shows with Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, Dr. Adam Riess as he discusses his findings on dark energy and what it means to us. Also Qi Gong Masters on the power of energy and breathing. 1
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