Why an entry level sales job is a great way to kickoff your career

Why an entry level sales job is a great way to kickoff your career Most college students are absolutely petrified of those entry level sales jobs that require cold calling. Others feel they are “too smart” or that they just spent way too much money on their college degree to sit on the phone and cold call all day. While these points are valid, consider the following reasons to consider giving that first sales job a chance: You will learn how to overcome adversity early in your career. Get used to being uncomfortable, not getting everything you want, being at the bottom of the food chain, not getting constant feedback, and realizing that your good grades in college do not necessarily correlate to bringing in good paychecks in sales. These are harsh realities you must face and get over right away in order to be successful in your twenties. For Gen Y’ers who love instant gratification and come from homes with “helicopter parents,” this may be a bit of a shock. “We work hard and we play hard.” Although this phrase was actually slightly unattractive to me personally, and ended up being one of my pet peeves, this is a phrase I heard in almost every sales interview I went on. For many, transitioning from college life to working in a serious, quiet and boring environment with no people your own age sounds like hell. Many entry level sales jobs know that this is a tough transition and accommodate for it. Many sales teams are very young and offer group training, a fun environment, and plenty of happy hours and fun parties when making sales goals. If you are moving to a new city, this might be a great way to initially make new friends and expand your network. You will become living proof that attitude is everything. My first inspirational entry level sales job manager/boss in the real world always stressed this point. He had us put a sticky note on our computer which reminded us “If you are not getting the results you want, look at your attitude first.” Bitching, moaning and complaining will not help you get the results you want. Shut up, pick up the phone and put a smile on your face. Assume and believe that you will get that sale. Attract the results you want and know you are capable of achieving any goal you have. Once you start changing your attitude and seeing results from it, it is addictive and contagious to those around you. On top of it, your great attitude will cause others to see you as more capable and as a leader. Apply this to other areas of your life too. “Inch by Inch is a Synch”: corporate structure and goal setting. Your office consists of a sales team that must hit a monthly goal which will most likely feed into a district and then regional goal. In order for everyone to be happy, your sales manager will take the office’s monthly goal and assign each sales associate an individual goal. From there you will break that goal down into what you need to sell each week and each day to achieve that number. Then of course you will decide how many phone calls you will need to make on a daily and hourly basis to keep consistent in meeting your goals. Although this is a fairly simple concept, I don’t ever remember using this type of “inch by inch is a synch” strategy until my first sales job. Again, apply this to any goal you have in your personal life. You want to lose 10 pounds by spring break? Break it down to monthly, weekly and daily goals so that you can have mini victories rather than huge mountains to climb. These are just a few of my favorite lessons from my first entry level sales job that I take with me wherever I go in life.

Using A Resume Writing Template

Using A Resume Writing TemplateThere are many people who have difficulty writing a resume. It is very easy to get stuck in a rut when attempting to follow a resume writing template. Writing a resume can be done just as easily and painlessly as following a template but the one thing that stands out when following a template is how well the template has been constructed. Taking time to create a resume writing template can help you write a great resume that will not only showcase your worthiness for the job but also get you hired.The key to writing a resume is to first establish what you want to say about yourself. This should be presented in the resume introduction. In the introduction, you should state clearly your reason for wanting the job.Next, you should write the cover letter which states your interest in the position and why you would be an asset to the company. After your resume, you should send in a cover letter. This should be brief and to the point. You should also use words like 'Thank You' rather than 'Resume Accepted'.You should then summarize your resume. Keep in mind that a well-written resume can be completely different from a poorly written resume. Your resume summary should include information about education, experience, skills, certifications, and other accomplishments.After your resume summary, you should make two sections. The first section should be your contact information. This should be a personal contact number as well as an email address or web site address. The second section should be your objective statement.The objective section of the resume is what the hiring manager or hiring team looks at when considering whether to hire you or not. This should be short and simple. The objective of the job should be briefly described.The final section should contain information about your accomplishments. You should write something about your job title, supervisor, supervisors, and other people that you worked with. Having information about yo ur supervisors on your resume writing template is very important because people look for references of individuals who were in charge of them.Using a resume writing template will help you get your resume out on the market quickly. It can also save you a lot of time. A resume writing template can also be used by the employer to get an idea of the type of person that they are hiring for the position.

How To Stay Motivated When Working Alone - CareerMetis.com

How To Stay Motivated When Working Alone No matter what stage of your career you are in, the chances are high that you’ve been able to work from home at some point. To many, working from home seems like an amazing job perk.What’s better than working in your pajamas from the comfort of your own house?Though working from home has been shown to reduce stress and increase quality of life, it can be tricky to learn to maximize your productivity when you do it daily.evalThere are a number of factors that can make it hard to do your best work at home, such as trying to work in the same place you relax and not having a productive space set up to help you get in the zone.Learning to manage yourself when no one is around to micromanage you can be a challenge, but it’s an important skill to master if you want to be successful.No matter what you do, or where you are in your career, the sooner you can learn to self-manage, the better you’ll be at your work. While internal motivation is a huge factor in one’s ability to self-ma nage, it can also be helpful to understand the types of things that might hinder your productivity when you work from home.Being mindful of the distractions you may encounter will help you better prepare to avoid unnecessary interruptions.When you’re aware that you might be tempted to do laundry or turn on the television when you should be working, you are better able to put rules in place to keep yourself on track.There are also some tried and true tips for increasing productivity and happiness if you regularly work from home. Consider creating boundaries with your friends and family and letting them know that you are not able to engage with them during working hours.Dressing for success can also be a game changer if you regularly work from a home office. It’s been proven that your brain gets a message from the type of clothing you wear and this can affect your overall productivity and quality of work. This simple fact should be reason enough to change out of your pajamas and g et to work!evalWhen you are aware of the challenges that come with working from home, you are better able to create a work from home routine that works for you and your organization.Funderacreated a guidefull of no-fail self-management tips to use if you regularly work from home. Read on to learn best practices for thriving in a home office for the long term, no matter what your industry or job title is.Infographic Credit â€" Fundera.com

You Go Away So That You Can Come Back ... - Jane Jackson Career

You Go Away So That You Can Come Back ... - Jane Jackson Career Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors.This is one of my favourite quotes from the author, Terry Pratchett.A wonderful reminder that is it so important to take a step back, experience something new, learn from everything and everyone you encounter.   Bring back with you knowledge, inspiration and motivation that will make a difference in your life and those of others whether you are somewhere new or back where you started from.   We are given life so that we can experience it to the full!   As Terry Pratchett said, It is said that your life flashes before your eyes just before you die.   That is true, its called Life.Enjoy the New Year and all it will bring you!For help with your career or life directions, feel free to give me a call on 0403 810 756 or email me at jane@janejacksoncoach.com lets have a no obligation 15 minute confidential chat about your concerns.   It may make a huge difference in you r life! www.janejacksoncoach.com

How to Learn New Skills at Work Quickly

How to Learn New Skills at Work Quickly Learning a new skill is the best way to fast track your career to a big promotion, land a new position or amplify your productivity in your current role. Do you want to learn to code, create a spreadsheet or speak a second language conversationally? First, you must begin by defining your goals. Need a new skill for a department transfer? Talk with those in a similar role or with supervisors in that department about what skills youll need to acquire to transfer to the team. Be clear with your manager about your goals for climbing the corporate ladder, and work with him or her to outline your next steps. Now that you’ve established the goals, you want to learn the required skills quickly. Try these six ways to get those skills into your career toolbox stat: 1. Receive Mentorship According to one study, 86 percent of professionals believe mentorship is a key success factor for career development. Reach out with a courteous email to senior members of your organization working within your career development target, and ask for thirty minutes for an informational interview about growing into your goals. Say you’d like to discuss the possibility of a mentorship. You may meet at the office, for coffee or at their favorite restaurant â€" leave your options open and respect their time. Arrive at the meeting with a clear outline of what you hope to gather from the meeting. See if you can transform one of these meetings into a mentorship, and continue to check in once a month if the senior member agrees to the idea of a monthly follow-up. 2. Job Shadowing is Still in Style So, you want to transfer out from marketing to product management? How can you gain the right skillset if you’re 9-to-5-ing it already? Talk to your manager about your career growth goals, and see if he or she is open to sending you over to product management to listen in on a meeting or go to a networking event with the other team. Job shadowing is still in style, and you’ll learn about what being on the team is like along with what skills you’ll need to acquire. You could also discover the transition isn’t right for you, after all. Don’t forget to go above and beyond with your current duties. 3. Read to Feed Your Head Tired of reading reports? Take a break and read an article or a book chapter on the subject you’re learning. The beauty of reading allows you to take the full responsibility of learning into your hands and work within your schedule, not anyone else’s. Work at your own pace. Set reading goals by creating a to-be-read list, with book titles that begin with an overview of the skill you’re trying to enhance. By the time you reach the list’s end you’ll have a more refined skill set. Use sites like LibraryThing and Goodreads to read book reviews of titles you want to check out and build your reading list. Love an article by an expert? Check their bio to see if they’ve authored any books on the subject. Visit your local library to find more relevant topics on the subject. 4. Become a Student Studying at your own pace is rewarding, but sometimes you need help from a teacher. There are many routes to take as a student. Take professional development courses offered by your company. Consider a local university or community college for classes on personal enrichment and career development. You may not have time to be physically present anywhere but the office and your home. An alternative is to sign up for online classes offered by career network organizations â€" for journalists, that might be MediaBistro, for example. Consider online open education classes such as Udemy or Coursera â€" you can find many such classes on the Open Education Database, and some provide certificates of achievement for a small fee. 5. Ask for a New Project Tired of doing the same old work in your job description? If you can do your duties in your sleep, it’s time to request a new project to level up your skillset and test those skills you’ve been working on. There’s nothing like a new challenge to quickly acclimate you to the ins and outs of a new skill. Requesting a new project will also show your boss that you’re not afraid to take the initiative and work hard at something outside your general duties, increasing the chances of landing your dream job within the company. 6. Attend a Professional Conference Conferences aren’t reserved for those with an exhaustive list of accomplishments â€" they’re for professionals of all career levels. Conferences offer panels and workshops that provide the privilege of being surrounded by experts and newbies alike who are all eager to exchange information and resources. In many cases, it’s possible that your employer will help pay for part or all of the costs of attending the conference. Just ask. Outline how the conference will develop your skillset and how you will apply these skills to your role at the company. Let’s Get Learning! Consider the style of learning that works best for you. For some, that’s learning on their own through reading various books and taking the initiative on new projects. Others may prefer mentorship, job shadowing, taking a class or going to a conference. Your style may combine many of these methods, but the goal is the same: to quickly learn a new skill and climb the ladder. Learning a skill gives you newfound confidence and the ammunition to make the switch to a new role. It can also improve the way you work in your current role. Have you had to pick up a skill quickly? What did you learn? Comment below, share the wisdom and subscribe to Punched Clocks for more career advice on climbing the ladder to your dream job. Get everything you need to build a career you love by signing up for the newsletter.

What To Include In Your Audio Engineer Resume

What To Include In Your Audio Engineer ResumeAn audio engineer resume is essentially the job profile that all audio engineers will use. It's a job that are all about providing both technical and creative input, as well as interpreting the customer's needs, and then producing the output of that input to create a musical masterpiece that makes an entire set of people happy.To prepare an audio engineer resume, you'll want to first understand why you want to work in the industry, so that you can know what you'll be presenting in your resume. In fact, audio engineering, or more specifically, audio recording, is one of the most marketable industries out there today.But before you dive into this career path, you'll want to first make sure that you know what kind of qualifications you have to become an audio engineer. As an audio engineer, you'll want to know that you have the skills needed to interpret audio signals, while also possessing the technical skills needed to be able to record aud io signals. It's a very technical and theoretical job, as you'll be listening to music for the client.So with that in mind, you need to be prepared to articulate both the technical and creative side of your skills. You'll need to be able to present a variety of different sounds, ranging from pre-recorded dialogues to live performances. You'll want to be able to present your own style, which is often very difficult for those without artistic abilities, especially those who are trained in drawing or music composition.But the thing is, you don't just become a sound engineer overnight. There's a lot of hard work, as well as proper training that you need to go through, before you can turn out to be an audio engineer.One thing you'll want to include in your audio engineer resume is your college transcript, as well as any form of certification you may have received from the school. As a sound engineer, you'll have to possess technical and creative skills that are also combined with good li stening skills, which will make up your audio engineer resume.When it comes to preparing your resume, you can start by searching online for a professional resume service. From there, you'll be able to submit your resume to hundreds of audio engineer resume providers, who will be able to help you with formatting and placement into the company's database.

When Its Time to Leave Your First Job

When It's Time to Leave Your First Job Your first job out of college won’t be your last, but how will you know when it’s time to bow out? “If you ask 10 people that question you’ll have 10 different answers on that,” says Jeff Reep, director of career services at Cedarville University in Ohio. “It could mean three to five years, or if the situation warrants, even after a year.” About 33% of millennials surveyed recently by crowdsourced talent acquisition platform RecruitiFi said they planned to stay in their current jobs for three to five years, while 20% said they would leave after one to two years. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer for how long you should stay at your first job, but experts say there are a few key signs that signal it’s time to make a career move. It’s a bad fit As you work you might find you’re not a good fit for the company culture or you see little upward mobility in your future. However, experts say there’s a difference between a lack of opportunity in a position and a lack of your own moxie. “I hear a lot of young professionals tell me there’s not enough opportunity. I ask them, ‘What does opportunity look like to you?’ ” says Christine DiDonato, founder and president of Career Revolution Inc. in San Diego. Ask your boss for mentorship or guidance rather than waiting for it to be given to you, she adds. But working for a company that can’t support your career path? That’s a different story. “If you’ve asked your boss for opportunity, you’ve gone above and beyond and have taken on responsibility no one asked you to do and you feel in four or five months that you’re not challenged at all, then you’re in a place that doesn’t have the right opportunity for you,” DiDonato says. You’re in the wrong field Your first job is an opportunity to learn more about your chosen field and figure out how you might fit into it â€" if at all. “If you’re in a banking job and realize banking isn’t for you, then you might not want to stay and learn more about banking,” says David DeLong, author of “Graduate to a Great Job: Make Your College Degree Pay Off in Today’s Market.” If the field isn’t exactly what you hoped for, but the general skills you’re learning are helpful, then sticking it out for longer isn’t a bad idea, he adds. You’ve learned all that you can Before leaving a job, consider the skill set and experience you want to be able to present to a future employer. “Sometimes people have to step back and think about what is the career journey they want rather than just immediately think about the destination,” says Sridhar Balasubramanian, associate dean of the full-time and online MBA programs at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Balasubramanian suggests staying at a job that aligns with your existing skill set and experience to learn all you can from it. “Once you’ve established some street cred, then that might be the chance to move forward to the next job,” he says. Work long enough to show you have learned through accomplishments, says Randy Rosenberger, a professor of accounting, business and economics at Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. He adds, “Depending on the industry and the kind of work you’re doing, that could be a promotion or two to show that. It might mean completion of a project or two. It’s always better if you can show whoever might hire you next what you’ve done.” You have a sound opportunity elsewhere Your first job is probably not your dream job. If an ideal opportunity presents itself, then that could be your ticket out. Michael Berkowitz, a 2010 marketing graduate of Yeshiva University’s Sy Syms School of Business, knew it was time to leave his position at a commodities firm when he decided to pursue a more entrepreneurial venture. From there he worked at a hedge fund while starting up Norwegian Wool, an upscale fashion company that sells a line of coats for men. Now he’s heading Norwegian Wool full time. He didn’t make the decision to start a business lightly, Berkowitz says, and strongly credits his first positions for giving him skills that are still useful in his current venture. “You can switch the environment, but you’ll find out business is business and a lot of things carry over and [you’ll] learn. That’s very valuable,” he says. You’re in a toxic situation Not liking your boss might make it easier to leave, but it should not be the sole reason to jump ship. A truly toxic environment is a different story. “Toxic never means you’re working too hard or you don’t love the work. Toxic is working with people who are truly dysfunctional, mean, passive-aggressive or abusive in some way. It means emotionally toxic,” DeLong says. If you’re going to leave, then leave quickly, Balasubramanian suggests. “Ultimately, the toxic environment will grow on you and you’ll be jaded by the time you go to the next job,” he says. “If you were at a job for 15 days to a month, you could say it wasn’t a good fit. That’s an honest answer that could be well appreciated by someone.” Bonus advice for job-hoppers: Expect some resistance from future employers Employers can be wary about job-hoppers because they seem riskier. A bad hire is costly, both financially and in terms of productivity. Any job you’ve spent less than six months at should be left off of a resume, says Amanda Earle, career advising team leader at the University of Wisconsin School of Business. Any position you stay at beyond six months is an opportunity to demonstrate that you graduated and have been working, she says. Learn how to frame job hopping as a positive to a new employer. In your next interview focus on the skills and experiences you gained from your first job, rather than highlighting entry-level boredom or a temperamental manager. More from NerdWallet: 3 Apps to Take Your Job Search to the Next Level What to Wear to a Startup or Tech Job Interview Ask Brianna: Job and Money Tips for Recent Grads Figuring It Out