Taking Control of E-mail

Last week I had an experiment. Rather than subject myself to the constant bombardment of work e-mails I decided to check my it only twice per day. I never realized just how much distress receiving and replying to-e-mail caused and how much of a distraction it is during the workday until I practically removed it altogether.

Lately I have found that the constant e-mail alerts on my computer and phone were beginning to drive me crazy. Every time I felt my phone vibrate, saw desktop preview, or heard the e-mail alert I would sigh in frustration. Getting something done was nearly impossible. I couldn’t start a task without being interrupted with one request or another. I couldn’t have a peaceful night at home or out with friends unless I left my phone at home, but then would be concerned that I might miss an actual emergency. Between the constant notifications form AIM, Twitter, Facebook, personal e-mail, work e-mail, text messages, phone calls, Skype, etc., it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to be productive and/or focus on any one particular task for an extended period of time.

To remedy this situation, I removed my work e-mail from my cell phone. “Are you sure you wish to delete this account?” Yes! I then turned off my e-mail clients (I use Entourage for work) and only checked it twice: at 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Almost immediately I felt like a new person. I was much more productive and my stress level dropped tremendously. What happened when I opened my inbox? Other than receiving my unread e-mails, nothing. Nothing had fallen apart. I hadn’t missed anything crucial. I was able to increase both my effectiveness in the workplace and reduce stress by simply closing my e-mail.

Shout Out: Jessica Scheider

If you’re looking for some inspiration to work out, get outside, or be more active, check out my friend Jessica’s blog See Jess Run. She keeps a journal of her workouts, meals, etc. Reading her articles keep me from becoming lazy. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to run and train beside Jessica. She’s always been an inspiration. Keep up the good work “Ms. SCAC!”

Here’s an example of a post she puts up:

You know, if it’s going to be 94% humidity, it might as well go for the gold and be 100%.  It’s not like my sweat is evaporating anyway.  I could not believe how sweaty I was after I stopped.

Weather aside, I actually had a very good run this morning on National Running Day.  There were quite a few people out this morning and I wonder if they were celebrating too.  I had a tragically slow first mile because I didn’t powerwalk to warm-up beforehand and I didn’t have any fast mile splits, but overall I felt good.  Also, I made it a “long run” day.  8 miles this week, maybe 9 next week or two weeks from now.  As long as I continue to feel good, I will add a mile every 1-2 weeks. 

Lately I’ve been working out twice a day.  Granted, sometimes the second “workout” is walking two miles on the treadmill while reading a magazine, so that probably doesn’t count.  Still, it’s not like I’m trying to exercise twice a day, it’s just happening because so many of my clients are out on vacation, etc.  I have big gaps at work that need to be filled.  I think tonight I will do Pilates.  On one hand, I love that being “bored at work” means I get more exercise.  On the other hand, I don’t get paid unless I’m training clients.

For more, check out her blog here.

Michael Dyson on Leadership

If we delude ourselves into believing that our leaders, even our heroes, have not at times fallen, we deny ourselves the powerful lessons of their struggle for moral maturity. - Michael Dyson

Social Media For The Job Hunter 101 - Day 4: Final Tips

Introduction

 

At this point you have a basic command of the social media tools and how to use them to locate and find a job. Most of the material covered over the past couple of days will be relevant long after you find a job or make that career change. By maintaining a blog, increasing the power of your network, and becoming an expert in your field, you will increase the value of your personal brand. You’ll find that opportunities will begin to look for you, you’ll be able to demand more money, and you will have better control over your career. At this point, I would like to leave you with a few more tips that have worked for me. Hopefully they will work for you…

 

Personal Branding Kit

 

As I’ve mentioned before, and I’m sure you already know, the job market is extremely competitive right now. In order to receive any attention you must stand out. A year ago I applied to work for a local marketing firm. I don’t have a marketing degree, had little to no experience in marketing or advertising (as a profession), there was no position open at the company, and my experience up until then had been in finance. However, my passion is using marketing strategy to make positive changes, and I wouldn’t settle for a job where I wouldn’t be happy. This is what I did to stand out among the competition:

  • Found the name of the president of the company
  • Researched both the firm and the top personnel
  • Tailored my résumé to match the company mission and objectives
  • Asked a graphic designer friend to professionally layout my résumé
  • Included a list of references
  • Wrote a custom cover letter and addressed it to the president (including examples of how I could add value)
  • Printed copies of previous writing samples and case studies
  • Created a CD with a PDF portfolio including résumé, cover letter, writing samples, references, and a link to my website
  • Packaged everything in a FedEx package and shipped it overnight addressed to the president

My friends thought I was crazy for paying for overnight shipping for a set of documents that was going to travel fifteen or so miles. However, I shipped the materials Tuesday evening and received a call to schedule an interview Wednesday morning. That’s where I’m working today.

 

The Interview

 

My only advice for the interview is to be yourself. Some questions might be difficult to answer. However, if you go into the interview with a clear understanding of yourself, the company, and the position, you shouldn’t have any problem answering anything they ask. Please check out the company website and do some research on the industry before you go to the interview. If you can express that you have thorough knowledge of the industry and the company’s unique position within the industry, you’ll stand out. The main things the interviewer wants to know are that you are competent to do the job and the right fit for the company. Just in case you want some practice, here are some questions that might be thrown your way:

  • How would you describe yourself?
  • What do you know about his organization?
  • Where do you see yourself in ten years? Twenty years?
  • Why did you choose this organization?
  • What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses?
  • Why should we hire you over anybody else?
  • How would a close friend describe you?
  • Describe a situation where you found it difficult to work with somebody. How did you handle the situation? Looking back, would you have done differently?
  • Do you think we would get along? Why?
  • If you were an animal, what animal would you be? (Seriously, I was asked this question)

 

Final words on LinkedIn

 

I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post that one major strength of LinkedIn is the ability to provide and receive professional recommendations. It’s a good idea to ask people with whom you’ve had positive work experience to write a recommendation for you. Also, you should return the favor. Endorsements go a long way when a recruiter is checking out your profile. It shows that you have made a positive impact in your past and are likely to do so in your future, brining value to the company. Also, other people will highlight specific traits about you they observed that you might not be aware you had.

 

Stay relevant, but have a life

 

Stay relevant by staying at the top of your game. Take refresher courses, read books that cover current trends, subscribe to magazines, follow blogs that cover your topic, talk to others who know about your industry, write papers, analyze stuff - do whatever you have to do to stay at the cutting edge. I read at least three books per month, subscribe to a couple magazines, and stay up on trade publications. Not everything I read is related to marketing or entrepreneurship. I like to break it up and read for fun too. But you also need to make time for yourself to do things you enjoy outside of work. If you can adapt to changes, you have staying power. Respect comes with expertise, but remain approachable. Things change all the time. Embrace it and be ready for it. 

 

Be of service to those in your network

 

If you help somebody accomplish their goals, they are much more likely to help you accomplish yours. You don’t have to keep score. That’s not what it’s about. But if you are truly an asset to somebody, they will want to see you succeed. If they don’t want you to succeed, it might be time to reevaluate your network. Be open if somebody has a suggestion for you. They might be trying to make you better. Ask your network what you can do for them, but don’t overextend yourself. I keep a copy of my closest friends’ résumés in case I come across an opportunity in which they might have interest. Those same people help me out when I need it. Friends, colleagues, and potential employers want to be around people who bring them value. Be added value and you make yourself irreplaceable.

 

Conclusion

 

That’s all I have for you today. I honestly hope that using social media tools effectively will help you land that job you want, allow you to change or explore careers, or reach whatever goals you have at this point. If you have any success stories, please feel free to share. If you don’t, let me know what worked and what didn’t. How can we make this more useful to you? What other topics would you like to know about? Tomorrow we’ll finish up this 101 with an interview from a career counselor who will provide job searching insights outside my scope of knowledge. Again, if you found value here, please subscribe to the RSS feed, share with friends, StumbleUpon it, Digg it, or whatever you need to do. For additional reading on social media and personal branding I recommend the following books:

Me 2.0, Dan Schawbel. 2009

Social Media 101, Chris Brogan. 2010

Job Hunting Series