I love to read. I love it so much that I wrote an article about the importance of reading and leadership. But I got something wrong in that article — I only wrote about why leaders must be readers. I didn’t mention that reading can actually be the tool that thrusts you into a leadership position.
RELATED: #1 Key To Becoming An Effective Leader
I’ve seen people within my company, Influence & Co., read (and work) their way to more responsibility and better results. Here’s how you can do it, too.
The Interview Phase: Read Everything You Possibly Can About ACompany
If you walk into an interview not having at least read the company’s website, then you’re toast — I talked about this a lot in my CAREEREALISM webinar on interview dos and don’ts. But beyond the website, you should read everything you can get your hands on about the company:
Facebook posts
Tweets
LinkedIn posts
Any articles written about the company in local or national media outlets
Any articles written by the company’s executives
Posts on the company blog
Any whitepapers or e-books available for download on the company’s site
I recently interviewed someone who mentioned something he’d read in two separate blog posts on our company blog and related the concepts in the posts to his qualifications for the position. It blew me away, and I knew he was worth talking to further.
Before Your First Day: Ask Your Direct Support And Co-Workers What You Should Read
Most likely, you’re not starting the same day you accept a new job. Use this time to prepare yourself for your role. You don’t want to jump in completely cold on day one when you have time to research. Ask your direct support and co-workers what books and blogs they would suggest you read to better prepare yourself for your first day. If they can’t think of specifics, narrow down your questions:
Ask for articles on trends in the industry.
Ask whether the company has any quarterly reports you can read that will let you know more about its recent activities.
Ask your direct support what the best business book or article he or she has ever read is.
Ask your supervisor if he or she has ever hosted company book clubs. If so, read the last few books discussed in book club.
Ask whether there’s an employee handbook or a culture book that you can read prior to your first day.
Just because you’ve been with a company for a while and seem to have perfected your position doesn’t mean you’re done reading or learning. This is your opportunity to show your direct support that you’re ready for more responsibility. Voice that you’d like to learn more about your industry, your role, or other areas of the company, and look for resources that can help you do so.
Read leadership books to help hone your management skills.
Read business books — regardless of your position in your company — so you have a better understanding of the objectives of the business as a whole.
Read books by experts in your industry.
Read fiction books that will spark creativity and make you address problems from a different angle.
Read articles that provide tangible tips for people in your industry.
Recently, one of the most senior people in our organization told me that she needed more support and education. She said that she felt she needed to learn more in order to sufficiently train her team on some of the new services we were providing. I’ve never been more proud of her.
We’re now working on a book list that she can start reading through, which we will discuss; we’re also looking for ways to further her education through workshops and conferences. Speaking up and indicating that you want to learn more doesn’t mean that you’re weak; it shows that you care enough to make yourself — and the company — better.
Whether you’re prepping for an interview or a promotion, reading can give you the edge you need. You’re obviously off to a great start because you’re here reading this — go see what else you can do. You might just be a leader in the making.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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