Make the Most out of your Career by Improving Office Politics Skills

Make the Most out of your Career by Improving Office Politics Skills Make the Most out of your Career by Improving Office Politics Skills One of the primary realizations you must make when practicing good office politics is that its all about being nice. Not only must you be nice, you need to also understand your strengths and a high emotional intelligence. This will enable so you to mora easily work to understand the struggles other people are undergoing so that you can offer them help in your most skilled areas. Getting to know people is one thing, but you must also spend even more time doing work to help that person. This may require that you perform your own job very efficiently so that you have the time to be nice in the first place. The first step is to reassess your relationship with office politics, get a better attitude towards them, and start looking for ways to be nice.There is a growing amount of research showing that managers and coworkers alike value the social skills of colleagues even more than job skills. In other words, they want you to be more likable, even at the expense of your competence. As mentioned already, office politics is about being nice, and being nice makes you more likable. The more likable you are, the more competent you are perceived to be.Being bad at office politics is an entirely internal affair. It is notlage about the people you work with but how you choose to deal with those people. Being empathetic makes you want to understand people all people, not just those who are easiest to like. The challenge of becoming more empathetic and raising your emotional intelligence is teaching yourself how to get along with people you may not otherwise like, and understanding their motivations.Finally, in order to excel at office politics, you must first care about office politics. If you want to help people, learn about people, and figure out their strengths and weaknesses, you must genuinely want to do so. Otherwise you will come of f as fake, and at the end of the day, office politics is about authenticity and making real connections with everyone around you.

How to Use Skype for Video Job Interviews

How to Use Skype for Video Job InterviewsHow to Use Skype for Video Job InterviewsTo save on bewerbungsgesprching costs and to streamline thejob interview process, companies are turning to their computers instead of phones and offices to conduct interviews. Skype, an online phone and video service, has become the most popular way to conduct long-distance or even international video interviews. Sometimes companies use Skype for first-round interviews (similar to a phone interview). Other times, companies will use Skype for second-round, or even third-round, interviews. For job candidates, the convenience of interviewing from home is a major bonus. It can save you both travel time and money. If you prepare for a Skype interview in advance, it can also be less stressful than interviewing in person. 106 Watch Now 7 Tips for a Professional Skype Interview Tips for Preparing for a Skype Interview There are a few steps you need to take before your Skype interview in order to be prepar ed Download the software at least a few days in advance of the interview. While there are Skype platforms that cost money, it is generally free to video chat with other Skype users.Create a professional username. With Skype, people can search for you by your first and last name. Make sure you dont use any unprofessional nicknames in your Skype name.Do a test call or two with your friends or family. Make sure you can easily make and answer a call. Check to see that your microphone and camera work. Practice getting comfortable looking at the camera for long periods of time. Adjust the lighting.Be sure you have enough lighting to avoid any heavy shadows. However, make sure the lighting is not too bright either, because that can wash you out or even blind the interviewer. You can figure out lighting issues during your practice interview.Check the hintergrund. While you are the focus of the Skype video, remember that the interviewer will also see whatever is behind you. Before the interv iew, select your backdrop. Pick a bare wall to ensure there are no distractions or color clashes with your attire. If you need to be in a public space, find the quietest area and be sure to wear a headset to help block out background noises. If you live with other people (or pets) and are doing the interview in your home, tell everyone you live with not to interrupt you during the interview. Test everything again an hour or two before the interview. Make sure the microphone and camera work to ensure everything is in order.Prep in the traditional sense as well. Do the kind of preparation you would do for any interview. Review your resume and cover letter, practice answering common interview questions ahead of time, and research the company.Know who is contacting whom. Make sure that, before the interview, you know whether you are supposed to reach out to the interviewer or vice versa. If you are supposed to reach out, ask for their Skype name ahead of time. Before the interview, find the person on Skype, and add him or her to your list of contacts. This will make it easier to contact them if you are asked to. Tips for a Successful Skype Interview There are also things you can do during the Skype interview to make sure you look polished and professional Smile and focus. In many ways, a Skype interview is just like any other interview. For example, whether you are interviewing in person or via Skype, remember to smile Smiling will ensure that you look engaged and enthusiastic about the position you are interviewing for. Remember to focus your eyes on the camera not on the persons face to make it look like youre making direct eye contact. Scanning the room or looking away from the camera too much can make you appear untrustworthy or indifferent. The interviewer deserves your full attention, so stay focused and friendly. Smiling can also help you remain calm. Another way to focus is to exit out of any other applications on your computer. You dont want any po p-up windows distracting you during the interview. Dress to impress.Just because you are interviewing in a casual setting does not mean your attire should match your surroundings. Wear what you would wear to any in-person interview. This will help you feel mora confident as well. Dress in a way that reflects both your personality and the position for which you are interviewing. Just watch out for specific colors, like red and hot colors, which can be too bright for the camera. Crazy patterns may also clash with the camera. Stick with solids. Put your best face forward.Again, treat the Skype interview as any in-person interview when it comes to your appearance. For women, it is fine to wear a bit more makeup than you would in an in-person interview, as it doesnt show up as well on camera. Wear the amount that makes you feel confident. You can spot conceal, apply highlighter under your eyes, use a brown eyeliner and mascara to make your eyes pop, and/or put on a dab of pink lipstick. You can wear jewelry, but make sure it isnt too flashy or distracting (for example, avoid jangly, noisy earrings). For both men and women, make sure your hair is well groomed. Bring notes, paper, and a pen.It is useful to have a few brief bullet points in front of you about what you want to highlight during the interview. Sometimes, conversations can go in unexpected directions, and it can be easy to forget your talking points. This way, you can scan your notes without losing direct contact with the interviewer. However, make sure to practice answering interview questions in advance, so that you dont stare down at your paper. Remember that eye contact is important. Keep a blank paper and a pen handy to jot down anything youd like to comment on later in the conversation. You might also keep a glass of water handy in case your throat gets dry. However, dont keep it too close to your computer you dont want to spill and have a technical malfunction Dont panic if technology fails. With any technology, there is the chance for a glitch. When you start the interview, you might want to make sure the person can see and hear you. If anything goes wrong during the interview, dont panic. Remain calm and friendly. You might suggest hanging up and trying the video call again. Make sure you have the persons email address or phone number, so you can contact them in case you completely lose each other. The right body language is key.You do not want your interviewer assuming his or her screen froze at any point during the interview. Therefore, make sure your body language expresses that you are engaged. As the other party speaks, subtly nod your head to express your understanding or agreement. And as you speak, lean forward and use subtle hand gestures to add enthusiasm to what you are saying. But dont over-do it. To avoid looking blurry on screen, dont make any dramatic hand gestures or nod your head too quickly. Also be sure to sit up straight. This will not only make you lo ok more professional, but it will also help you to feel confident.

How Taylor Guitar Built Its Corporate Brand

How Taylor Guitar Built Its Corporate BrandHow Taylor Guitar Built Its Corporate BrandHow Taylor Guitar Built Its Corporate Brand Taylor, Co-founder and President, Taylor Guitars and author of Guitar Lessons A Lifes Jurney Turning Passion into Business.Question Who likes a guitar? Answer Everyone.When I made my first guitar as a kid I welches pretty proud of it. I was one of those kids you might not have noticed, because I was spending my time in woodshop rather than at dances.I wasnt popular rather, I was a total dork. However, I emerged from that woodshop class with a guitar that Id made and a desire to go forward with that as a career. There was nobody to guide me in the process. I was alone in that quest, but I jumped in anyway, starting a small shop with my partner, putting my hand to chisel, and soon began turning out a guitar every week or two.Question Who wants to buy a guitar from a company theyve never heard of? Answer Almost nobody.I would show people my guitars and theyd like them because everyone likes a guitar In fact, people were amazed when they saw my guitars. But for them to part with their money required a lot of confidence on their part. More often than not a person would admire ur work only to purchase something with a brand name instead.Building our Company BrandA lot has changed since those days of start-up obscurity and lack of know-how. Today, Taylor Guitars is in the lead-selling position of acoustic guitars in the United States we produce hundreds of guitars each day. ur company brandis well known beyond the borders of the guitar playing public, enjoying fans of all types. In fact, people know our company for many things our business practices, environmental work, employee relations, local presence, celebrity players, as well as our guitars.How does one go from start up to industry leader? In my experience is takes work on all levels. I like to think of it as a three-legged stool, which needs all three legs to be strong. Those legs co uld be thought of as Production, Sales, and Finance. But to strengthen each leg, you need to pay attention to more.Under the Production leg Employee Relations,Quality Control, Training and RD.Under the Sales leg Marketing Planning, Company Branding, Public Relations and Customer Service.Under theFinance leg Fiscal Responsibility, Customer Credit, Vendor Relationships, Employee Benefits and Community Service.At the start, these numerous details were not on the radar, but certainly the basic three were. Without our focusing on all three areas of sales, production, or finance, we failed. It took dedication to achieve success in each of these areas as we sword-fought our way through the first several years of our company. We scored sales wherever we could, one guitar at a time, and made them one at a time, counting each penny as we went.But with each year we strived to add detail to each of these areas to distinguish our corporate brandfrom other makers of guitars and to slowly build ou r brand.Our first order of attention has always been the guitars, which remains true even today. Without a great guitar, sales are nearly impossible to sustain. But without sales, great guitars are never owned by players, and without profit, the whole idea of being in business is meaningless.Differentiating Product and BrandAs Taylor Guitars matured with each year we began to indentify ways to differentiate our product and our brand from other players in our industry.Its important that you understand that your product and your brand play different roles. Your product is more narrowly focused its the hard thing you sell. Your brand is the soft part its what the company means to people. Its also what people buy in to, apart from the product, and it is equally valuable. In fact, many people would argue that your company brand is more valuable than the product. Even the Bible says in the book of Proverbs, A good name is more desirable than great riches.We started with the obvious, which for us was making guitars that played better and sounded different. I use the word different for sound, because sound quality is subjective. Soon, recording engineers and players began to use the word better when they described our guitars sound. We added electric pickups when it was unpopular to do on an acoustic guitar. Eventually the market came our direction, with nearly every guitar player demanding a guitar that played well and that could be amplified.Today, we are the leader in that market, and it has become the largest segment of the market.A few years after we learned to cover the basics, we began to build our company branding. We ran advertisements that were completely different than anyone else in the industry those ads spoke to the feeling that people derive from playing and loving guitars. Those people began to like our company as well as our guitars.We then extended that branding into our customers lives with our magazine, Wood Steel, and with dealer events, festival s and factory tours. Hospitality became our middle name. Soon the spouses of guitar players understood what their husband or wife loved about their Taylor guitar, because they felt included as well.From the food server at the restaurant who sees the name on our credit card, to the purchaser of a new guitar, from the wood-cutting families in India, to the printer of our magazine, from the customer to the retailer, to GE Capital who helps the retailer put more guitars in stock, we strive to serve and include everyone in our story and make it fun and rewarding for them. They love itWith everyone on your side, its easier to succeed.Author BioBob Taylor (El Cajon, CA) is the co-founder and President of the world-famous organization Taylor Guitarswhich is based in California and employs over 550 people and is author of the book, Guitar Lessons A Lifes Journey Turning Passion into Business(Wiley, 2011). He has pioneered or helped develop many of the newer technological innovations used in acoustic guitar production today. From the moment he made his first guitar during his junior year of high school, Taylor knew that he wanted guitars to be his career the passion that he exhibits for his products has largely contributed to his companys sustained success.