10GM – Career Advice

Randy Brandoff reflects upon some common misconceptions that young professionals have about the interview process, employer expectations, and general career topics. To download this podcast, click hereRandy offers his perspective on some common myths in the workplace. The first is that a student’s GPA is a prospective employer’s top priority. Randy believes that while your GPA matters, extracurricular activities are also extremely important because employers are looking for well-rounded candidates. The second belief that many students have is that the undergraduate major in college dictates what job and career they will pursue. However, Randy discusses that while there are some industries where this might be the case (architecture and engineering for example), generally he doesn’t agree. For example, there are countless liberal arts majors excelling on Wall Street. What you study in undergrad does not limit you to a specific direction; and the same applies to internships. Commonly, internships help people understand what they want and don’t want to do through gaining real life experience. The third perception is that the success in an interview comes down to whether the interviewer asks the right questions that allow you to showcase your strengths. Randy completely disagrees with this statement – a successful interview, he believes, comes down to the preparation you did, practicing before the interview, and having confidence during it. The next myth is that in an interview, the candidate needs to show how the company fits into his or her career goals. While Randy appreciates hearing how an employment opportunity fits into an applicant’s personal goals and life story, he finds it more compelling when the candidate discusses what they will bring to the company. The final general assumption is that a company will train a new employee and start them out slowly. According to Randy, this is very unique to the situation. There are some businesses that have long, formal training programs but the vast majority of companies cannot afford them. Instead new hires are quickly trained and expected to add value immediately. His final piece of advice to young professionals is to be yourself and to make who you are shine through during an interview. Randy Brandoff is the Executive Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for Marquis Jet. He joined Marquis Jet, the leader in private jet cards, as the Company’s founding employee and has been active in every aspect of start-up and growth phases. As CMO, Mr. Brandoff is the primary connection between Marquis Jet and its clients, focused on creating and managing profitable growth while engendering continued high customer retention. He is responsible for the successful development and implementation of Marquis Jet’s marketing and branding strategies and accountable for revenue, margin and market share performance. Prior to joining Marquis Jet, Mr. Brandoff was an Associate at The Argentum Group, a New York-based venture capital firm. Prior to joining Argentum, Mr. Brandoff was a Business Analyst with Deloitte Consulting LLC. Mr. Brandoff received his Bachelor of Science degree in Finance and Marketing (“AEM”) from Cornell University. He is on the board of Young at Heart, benefiting the Babies Heart Fund at Children’s Hospital at New York Presbyterian. He and his wife Dayna reside in New York City.You may contact him at: randy.brandoff@gmail.com Like this podcast, why not share it?

Lori Mousseau discusses the key components that recruiters are looking for in the initial 10 seconds that they take to review a resume. To download this podcast, click hereLori begins with some factors that catch a recruiter’s eye in the 10-12 seconds they take to look over a resume: GPA, education, grammatical and spelling errors, versatility, and short and concise information. The GPA is very important to include on resume, because recruiters will assume the worst if it is not. Cumulative and major GPAs should be included, as well as an expected graduation date if you are still in college. Lori also mentions that even if you are below the minimum requirements for GPA for a specific job, they will still look at your personal circumstance and your extracurricular activities. Versatility on the resume is very important, even for a 4.0 student. The various clubs or activities that you may be involved in and the roles and positions you may have in them demonstrate to the recruiter that you are multi-faceted, willing to go above and beyond what is expected, you have leadership and organizational skills, and that in the long run you will be successful in a company. Lori also stresses that is important to have others look over your and proofread your resume because typos can make the recruiter question your attention to detail and your writing ability. The resume should be one page, short and concise, and formatted correctly. Jobs should be listed in chronological order with the most recent job first, the first bullet point must be the most important information, and subjective comments should be left off. Lori ends the show with explaining that the importance of cover letters is that they can explain things that may be sticking out from your resume. For example, if there is a gap in employment on your resume, you should explain why in the cover letter. The recruiter will look at the cover letter when any questions arise while looking over a resume. Lori is the Campus Recruiting Manager with Ernst & Young and has been with the firm for six years. During her career with EY, she has recruited Experienced and Campus candidates for Advisory, Assurance and Tax. Currently, she focuses solely on campus recruiting from a variety of schools in Michigan and Northwest Ohio. In addition, Lori also serves on the advisory board at Michigan State University’s placement office. Prior to her current role, Lori served as the Advisory Campus Recruiting Leader for EY’s North Central Sub Area locations. She assisted in implementing and strategizing with leadership on the new Advisory transformation. Lori graduated from Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Science degree. Like this podcast, why not share it?

James Connolly discusses interview tips and career advice that help young professionals “look beyond the obvious” and leverage their existing skills and abilities. To download this podcast, click hereJames explains that many young professionals struggle to distinguish between obvious observations and the insights that those observations provide. For example, Nike observed many Chinese basketball players playing outside, and this is what James calls an obvious observation. But, outdoor courts are very different in the way a shoe interacts with hardwood floors in comparison to concrete, and so the insight that Nike came up with was that the Chinese players needed more durability in the outsole of their product. This insight has helped Nike establish itself as the top basketball brand within China. James then applies this idea of “looking beyond the obvious” to job searching and interviewing. For example, he suggests that students can utilize a class project for something more than just a grade. He recommends that students tailor the project to something that could be offered as business experience during an interview. He recommends that we move past the dejected feeling of not having enough work experience to utilizing all the things in our life and applying them to better ourselves in the job search process. We have to be willing to take an honest and critical look at ourselves and need people around us that will give valuable feedback. His suggestion is that these people must be a balance between people we like and people who will give us the advice that is hard to hear. James Connolly is a product line manager for Nike’s Global Men’s Athletic Training Apparel business. He is responsible for the product creation engine that creates essential training silhouettes for athletes in american football and baseball. In addition James’ oversees both the men’s and women’s LIVESTRONG apparel assortment. This assortment has helped create more than $80,000,000 in revenue for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and its fight against cancer. Prior to Athletic Training James worked as both a Product Line Manager and Associate Product Line Manager for Nike’s women’s training apparel business. His education includes a BS from Cornell University’s Department of Applied Economics and Management. While attending Cornell James was a member of the track and field program and continues to stay involved with the running community through youth coaching. Like this podcast, why not share it?

Jim Cassio describes what green careers are and walks listeners through some resources and opportunities. To download this podcast, click hereJim explains that green jobs refer to jobs that are good for the environment, but it is difficult to determine what exactly this constitutes. A green economy requires sustainability and a full understanding of what it takes to preserve and protect the environment. Green jobs can be even more competitive than others, and require significant education and training. One misconception is that green jobs are available to anyone who looks for them, but reality is that they are in fact very competitive. Another misconception is that green jobs exist in only one or two industries, when in fact they can be found in all industries. Green jobs are not significant yet but the number is growing and the variety is wide. Jim believes that it is important to understand that green jobs exist with any employer who is committed to being environmentally responsible, even non-green companies. A resource people should use is the nonprofit sector because it offers very important educational and networking opportunities for those interested in green careers. Working as a volunteer or unpaid intern and expanding your skill set, gaining experience, and up to date knowledge, can be very beneficial in getting a green job. Another resource is Jim’s free electronic publication, “The Green Careers Resource Guide”, which can be found on his website. Jim’s expresses that it is important to recognize that you can green your own career rather than having to switch to a different career to be green. Think about what you can do to make your current career and employer greener. Jim Cassio is a career information and workforce development consultant and author of the Green Careers Resource Guide and Green Careers: Choosing Work for a Sustainable Future (with co-author Alice Rush). Jim has been commissioned to conduct hundreds of labor market studies over the course of his career and has published numerous research reports, occupational resource books, and training directories.www.cassio.com Like this podcast, why not share it?

Steve Rushmore discusses the importance of a cover letter and how it can make a difference in the application process. To download this podcast, click hereSteve explains that cover letters are your introduction, and allow you to have a creative approach to quickly describe who you are and what you can do for the employer. Steve reads the first paragraph of every cover letter, but only about 5-10% of the cover letters interest him enough to finish. A bad cover letter focuses on what the company can do for the person rather than what the person can do for the company. Steve advises that it is also very important to know who to send the cover letter to; it must be addressed to a specific person. The cover letter should also have a specific goal such as a specific job offering within the company rather than just any position the company can offer. In addition, Steve urges that the applicant must have researched enough to know what the company does, where the company is positioned, and that they must have a burning desire to work with the company. He then wants to understand how the applicant’s skill level will fit into the company, with specific examples about the applicant’s background and how their skills will help the company achieve its goals. His last bit of advice is that the key to a great cover letter is to show that you are applying for a position to help the company achieve its goals. Steve also provides examples of good and bad cover letters to help listeners better understand their impact. Steve Rushmore is the president and founder of HVS, a global hospitality consulting organization with more than 25 offices around the globe. He directs the worldwide operation of this firm and has provided consultation services for more than 12,000 hotels throughout the world during his 40-year career. He was one of the creators of the Microtel concept and was instrumental in its IPO. Steve is a partner in HEI Hospitality, LLC, and a hotel investment fund, which makes him one of the few hospitality consultants that actually invest in and own hotels. HVS, which Steve founded in 1980, has provided consulting services for thousands of clients in all 50 states and more than 60 foreign countries. Steve has a BS degree from the Cornell Hotel School and an MBA from the University of Buffalo. He holds MAI and FRICS appraisal designations and is a CHA (certified hotel administrator). Like this podcast, why not share it?

Debbie Marquardt provides listeners with interviewing advice and discusses how to display yourself as a good fit for a potential employer. To download this podcast, click hereDebbie’s first pointer is that preparation is very important for success. You need to work before the interview to (1) identify what the company is looking for and who will be interviewing you, and (2) to search within yourself to know what you want to communicate about yourself to the interviewer. Think about what your strengths are and how you are you uniquely qualified for the job. There are also general characteristics that every company looks for such as leadership and perseverance, and it is important to get these across as well. A resume is just a page full of statistics so you need to bring it to life in an interview. The interviewer needs to get a better idea of whether you are the right fit for the company. To determine if you are the right fit for a company, ask employees within the company what the culture is like and search the internet for articles about that company. Both can be extremely informative about the company environment so that you can decide whether this is what you want and also to help the interviewer understand how you fit into the company’s environment. The more you can learn about the company and the company learns about you in advance, the better off you will be during the interview. Debbie’s recommends that during the interview you need to answer questions in a way that communicates the facets that are unique to yourself. It is important to have stories that display the skills you want to communicate so that not only do they see you have the qualifications for the job, but they also know more about you as a person. Her final point is to be sure that you ask for the job at the end of the interview and let the interviewer know how much you want it. Debbie Marquardt is the Global Franchise Marketing Director for Procter & Gamble Professional, the away-from-home division of Procter & Gamble that provides cleaning products and solutions for the Foodservice, Hospitality and Building Cleaning & Maintenance businesses. Debbie has worked at P&G for more than 15 years on a variety of marketing assignments on Crisco, Jif, Charmin, NA Marketing Innovation and P&G Professional. Debbie graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Education and then from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern with a Masters of Business Management in Marketing and Finance. Like this podcast, why not share it?

Kai Robertson discusses industry trends, interview tips, and general career advice in the non-profit world. To download this podcast, click here Kai Robertson has over 20 years of experience in the food industry and has spent the last eight specifically focused on promoting more sustainable business practices. This has included helping companies understand their environmental footprint, strengthening relationships with stakeholders, and speaking frequently to industry and executive audiences about why sustainability matters to the food industry. Most recently, Kai was Director, Business & Industry, Food and Agriculture Sector at World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Prior to joining WWF in 2006, Kai was at Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership in Business as Director of Food & Agriculture where she directed the day-to-day management of CI’s relationship with Wal-Mart and was heavily involved in shaping Wal-Mart’s environmental sustainability strategy. Before CI, Kai directed private sector initiatives at the Environmental Working Group (EWG), an organization dealing with pesticides and food safety, farm policy and other key issues related to public health and the environment. She also spent eight years at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), the leading supermarket trade association in the U.S. Kai began her career in investment banking and has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management.http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kai-robertson/0/339/2b0 Like this podcast, why not share it?

Dave Pelletier takes a very reflective and common sense approach to becoming an effective leader. To download this podcast, click hereDave gives his advice on how listeners can develop their own personal management and leadership style. First, you must reflect on the “why” of past experiences. He notes that it is amazing how much life experiences play a role in your career, and they after recognizing the “whats” of our past, we need to reflect on the “why”. For example, one of Dave’s “whats” is that he loved sports growing up, and upon reflection realized that this was the reason why he strives for a good team environment and harmony. Second, he stresses the importance of developing common sense. While it may sound basic, managers and leaders frequently rely on common sense to make decisions. Third, you must continue to learn if you want to grow, develop, and mature in role as a leader. Applying this knowledge gain to your career is where full potential and satisfaction is achieved. Finally, Dave urges that a critical aspect to becoming a better leader is understanding the concept of motivation, and creating an environment where people motivate themselves. The foundations of this are to (1) understand what you value, whether it be social relationships, money, work environment, or potential for promotion, (2) what do your people value, including superiors, peers, and subordinates, (3) and trust in your ability to provide the outcomes which are in your control. These bits of advice are very intangible, because there is no formula to becoming a better leader. Dave gives an example of the time when his controller found out out that her husband had Alzheimer’s. She told Dave that she was going to have to resign. Rather than letting her resign, he helped her work out a situation where she could stay with the company and work from home. Dave had to decide between hiring someone else, or using compassion to help better her life and provide continuity in the workplace. He ends with that often you need some common sense and compassion to reach the right decision. Mr. Pelletier became CEO of Annalee Dolls, Inc in October 2002, following two years of turnaround consulting with this company. Dave started his relationship with Annalee while he was a principal in the strategic and financial consulting firm of R.E. PINARD & CO. of Manchester, NH. While at the firm, Dave worked with a number of companies in the areas of strategic growth initiative development, company turnarounds and as an intermediary on the sell-side of M&A transactions. Prior to his return to New Hampshire, Dave was co-founder and President of an Ohio based start-up company providing specialized value added manufacturing services to the worldwide appliance industry. Dave received a B.S. from Cornell University in Marketing and an MBA from the University of Colorado in Organizational Development. He also attended Columbia University’s six-month Executive Development Program in Organizational Dynamics. Like this podcast, why not share it?

Ford Myers discusses how to evaluate multiple offers and turn down job offers that you are not excited about. To download this podcast, click here Ford R. Myers is President of Career Potential, LLC. Since 1992, he has been providing professional services in career consulting and executive coaching. After counseling thousands of individuals on their careers, Ford drew from his diverse experience to create Career Potential – a powerful new approach to career management. He is author of Get The Job You Want, Even When No One’s Hiring (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) and The Ultimate Career Guide, the only comprehensive manual for career management and job search. Articles and interviews have been featured in such publications as Inc. Magazine, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, CNN-Money, and he has also appeared as an industry expert on many television and radio programs. Ford’s education includes: a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications, and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Development.www.GetTheJobBook.com Like this podcast, why not share it?

Larry Robertson discusses what people can learn from successful entrepreneurs and how to apply it to their careers, which he discovered while interviewing many entrepreneurs for his book, “A Deliberate Pause”. To download this podcast, click hereLarry defines a deliberate pause as that conscious moment when we open our minds, wonder why things are the way they are, and question how life could be better. Many entrepreneurs, practice this to the extent that it infuses with their life choices. He also discusses how there is no formula to success. People are very used to approaching things with a predetermined process, but good ideas and the ability to evolve into something meaningful doesn’t come with a formula. Successful entrepreneurs, for example, create a career that is molded closer to who they are and don’t worry about following a formula. They have a very driven quality about them because they feel that failure is not an option. Entrepreneurs have a unique capacity to see patterns where others don’t. They then see opportunity to make a difference in the world, and also see that no one else is doing anything about it, and so they feel a strong need to do it themselves. There is a unique undertaking and commitment that anyone can practice in their own careers. Larry also urges that people must define their own metric of success and determine what success means to them in their own terms. If you use someone else’s metric for success, once you reach the goal, you may not feel accomplished or fulfilled. Larry ends with giving us three things about successful entrepreneurs that can be applied to any career: (1) entrepreneurs don’t look at money as the primary driver as to where to focus their energies; there is always something deeper that drives them, (2) entrepreneurs are constantly engaged in and personally connected to what they do, and (3) entrepreneurs have given themselves the freedom to think differently, to question, and to search for ways to create value. Larry Robertson has spent two decades in the entrepreneurial universe in roles ranging from advisor to investor and many in between. In 1992, he founded Lighthouse Consulting, which, appropriately, guides entrepreneurial ventures, their leaders, and those who invest in them. Larry frequently lectures on entrepreneurship at Georgetown and Cornell Universities and is a recognized expert on entrepreneurship in public, private, and academic forums. He has recently written “A deliberate pause: Entrepreneurship and its Moment in Human Progress” that reflects his views on the topics of entrepreneurship and human progress.http://web.me.com/adeliberatepause/A_Deliberate_Pause/The_Book.html Like this podcast, why not share it?

Rachel Doyle addresses the challenges associated with starting a non-profit as a career option. To download this podcast, click hereRachel, founder of the nonprofit GlamourGals, shares some basic issues to watch out for when starting a nonprofit. Per Rachel, fundraising is always an issue because of the resources needed to create an organization. Secondly, recruiting and retaining good people is a challenge. Rachel finds that offering flexible work schedules, not ruling by fear, and other non-monetary benefits are essential in getting the most out of people, especially volunteers. She urges creativity in your management and leadership style. Thirdly, excellent communication is essential and difficult in a world where people work virtually. Rachel also stresses differentiating yourself by being creative and unique in your ideas. For example, GamourGals has “Hot Pink Parties” which are knitting and crocheting parties with the elderly and teenagers. In the current economy, expensive dinners aren’t plausible so this is an affordable and relevant event that meets her non-profit’s mission. Rachel continues by discussing how to approach corporations, either as an interviewer or as a nonprofit looking for a partnership. Professionalism is imperative and having done your homework is essential; you must be well read, relevant, and well prepared. Also, it is important to evaluate to make sure that the company is in line with the nonprofit goals (or with what you want to do as a profession if you are interviewing). In addition, you need to find the right person to connect with. Rachel also expands on how it is important to bring a business sense to nonprofits because that structure is important. Finally, Rachel stresses the importance of writing a thank you note. It is very meaningful and very rare these days, and will really make an impact on the person. As a passionate, motivated teen looking to honor her own grandmother, Rachel Doyle started the first GlamourGals chapter when she was only 17 years old. Today, Rachel has the same enthusiasm and drive for the cause behind GlamourGals that she demonstrated in high school and her ability to continually streamline, evaluate and redefine aspects of the GlamourGals allows the program to grow along with its volunteers. When Rachel was still in high school, she was featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Since then, she has steadily gained national recognition in many media publications such as Montel Williams, The Christina Show, The New York Times, CBS’s The Early Show, Glamour Magazine, Cosmopolitan Magazine, and Newsday. Rachel has also won many awards for her work for GlamourGals. She was named the first ever “Cosmogirl of the Year” by Cosmogirl Magazine. She accepted the National Group Volunteer of the Year Award from the American Health Care Association. Rachel was featured in the American Eagle Outfitters Spring 2005 national ad campaign, and in 2006 she was named one of four Fun Fearless Females by Cosmopolitan Magazine, beating out thousands for the title. The GlamourGals program was also featured in two textbooks: a McGraw Hill 7th Grade Health Textbook and the 2007 Prentice Hall College Management textbook.http://www.glamourgals.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=156&Itemid=106 http://www.glamourgals.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=51 http://twitter.com/GlamourGals Like this podcast, why not share it?

Julie Bauke, a career strategist, gives listeners some tips on salary negotiation. To download this podcast, click hereJulie explains that it is important to negotiate you salary because HR expects you to and if you don’t negotiate, you are most likely leaving money on the table. Salary negotiation is very beneficial in the long run because it continues to pay dividends throughout your career as more raises add on to the original one. Her advice when negotiating is to be clear as to why you believe you deserve a raise. The reasons behind your ask must pertain to the industry, company, or your skills rather than personal need. Also, Julie believes that you really only have one opportunity to negotiate. You need to get everything you want across at once. She also expands on some factors that may affect your ability to negotiate, such as the economy and market demand for your skill set. While these are uncontrollable, certain factors are in your control. You should have researched industry and salary comparables. This research is also key to help you determine how much you are worth to a company. Your value might be higher than the industry norm because you graduated at the top of your class or because you have great internship or work experience. Some common mistakes many candidates make while negotiating are forcing the company to give you a salary they don’t feel good about, pitting companies against each other, and bringing up irrelevant things such as needing a raise to pay the bills. Julie is offering her book, “Stop Peeing on our Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes that Screw Up your Job Search”, for free to three people. Simply send her a story about your negotiating experience by Thanksgiving (2009) for a chance to win! Julie Bauke is a Career Strategist and President of Congruity Career Consulting. Her business focuses on educating and motivating individuals to take charge of their careers. She has over 12 years experience working with everyone from executives to professional athletes to college students. She is a dynamic speaker, trainer and coach and is the author of “Stop Peeing on our Shoes: Avoiding the 7 Mistakes that Screw Up your Job Search”. She believes that we all deserve to be “career happy”. As mentioned in the show, please email her via www.congruitycareer.com before Thanksgiving 2009 for a chance to get a free copy of her new book.www.linkedin.com/in/juliebauke www.facebook.com/CareerEnthusiast www.twitter.com/juliebauke Like this podcast, why not share it?

Jason walks us through sample case questions and scenarios to help listeners get a better understanding of how to approach this type of interview. To download this podcast, click hereJason explains that a case interview is unique and important because it puts a candidate in a real life situation. The interviewer can see how well candidates hold their poise, how well they listen to what they need to deliver in terms of the case, and how structured they are in their thinking. The first part of the case generally has some background of the case company and some financial data. The second part of the case generally provides a deeper element of information around a specific piece of operation. Here, he uses the example of a company’s call center. For example, the interviewer may provide information on how many employees work there, how many supervisors and how many people managed by the supervisor, how many new hires come into the call center, the breakdown of how employees spend their time, and some additional cost data. Next, the interviewer asks questions. The first question is open-ended to get the candidate talking so that the interviewer can evaluate his or her poise and listening skills. For example, “I’m the client and now you have information on the company. How do I reduce my costs in the call center?” A hidden term is “client”; the candidate needs to address the interviewer a certain way based on this subtle piece of information. A bad answer would be something along the lines of “I would reduce training costs and change the way employees spend their time.” This is not adequate as there is no context provided for why the candidate thinks such. The interviewer is looking for a context on how they define the problem, an answer that meets the problem statement, and a good set of facts that supports the answer. Jason continues to provide a very specific answer where he defines the problem for the client and provides specific answers based on specific facts. A great answer would also pull from the candidate’s own experience, whether that is from school, an old job, or an extracurricular activity. Jason also highly recommends that the candidate asks some question to provide a clearer answer for the client. He informs listeners that candidates can prepare for case interviews by having a clear mind and having a good feel for how they would structure a problem, structure the answer, and how to articulate that. Jason’s one recommendation for someone that is going to have a case interview is to read the book about structured thinking and communication, “The Minto Pyramid Principle” by Barbara Minto. Jason is a Senior Manager in Ernst & Young’s (EY) Advisory Services practice. He has over 7 years of advisory experience at EY and 3 years of experience at Arthur Andersen. Jason focuses on finance and accounting process, system and organizational improvement for companies in the Oil and Gas, Media and Entertainment, Private Equity and Consumer Product industries. Jason resides in Denver, Colorado. jason.snider@ey.com Like this podcast, why not share it?

Jane Chin makes a return appearance to discuss two specific strategies designed to help you become a high achiever: managing your boss and developing your personal brand. To download this podcast, click hereJane is working on a seminar series called “Overcoming Redundancy”, which targets high performance individuals and high achievers. Two of the key points from the seminar series are learning to manage your boss and creating your own personal brand. Jane urges listeners to think of they can manage their boss. One relevant question is “What is your boss’s definition of a job well done?” You need to know specifically what it is that you do that your boss views as important; it may not be what you thought. Another important question is “How does your boss view his or her own management style?” This view doesn’t have to match with how the other employees view him or her; it’s about what the boss thinks of him or herself. This is good to know because it will give you a lot of ideas on what to anticipate from your boss. Ask your boss questions like “how do you like to work with your employees”, “how do you like to communicate with them”, and “if we work together, how often do you need to hear from me?” The second key point from her seminar series, personal brand, is about how other people see you regardless of how you see yourself. You need to really think about your own strengths and how you contribute to the company. A good way to get an idea of your present personal brand is to think of what your boss or co-workers need when they call on you to do something. What situations or problems do people connect you as the solution to? The importance of having a personal brand is that in order to overcome redundancy, you want to make sure that your expertise is directly affecting at least five people in your organization. You also need to be proactive about creating your brand rather than reactive, because if you wait for feedback to come to you, it may already be too late. Dr. Jane Chin is a microbusiness entrepreneur/coach and career transition strategist. Dr. Chin applies strategic thinking techniques to help professionals and companies identify the core nucleus of a problem and where viable solutions may reside. She integrates professional development with personal mastery, and writes about fear of success, addiction to approval, backstabbing coworkers, answering the question “what should I do with my life”, and various Achilles heel of career professionals. Jane is currently writing a book to help career professionals achieve high performance. JaneChin.com LinkedIn Profile Twitter Like this podcast, why not share it?

In this podcast, Jeffrey Greene speaks about affinity groups and their value to listeners as it relates to networking and career opportunities. To download this podcast, click here Jeffrey explains that an affinity group is a group of individuals that share a common interest, such as ethnicity or a field of study. Common affinity groups relate to academia, where students get together to discuss about different issues and learn from one another. Joining an affinity group is not about landing a job at a particular company, it’s about what you learn while you are in it. An affinity group can help you develop organizational skills, problem solving skills, and leadership skills. Also, they can potentially help you get a job, but not because you are in it, but because of the role you play in it. In addition, affinity groups help you meet professionals in your field and help you get a better understanding of all the career possibilities within your field. Employers utilize affinity group by using them to identify diverse talent and key in on students that are exhibiting leadership and problem solving roles. Kraft as a company uses them to identify long term candidates, full time employees, and interns. Some affinity groups that Krafts associates with are MANARS (Minorities in Agriculture Natural Resources and Related Sciences), NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers), and is looking into others such as the Society of Women Engineers. Finally, Jeffrey discusses how affinity groups are a great networking tool because you can meet both professionals in a certain field of study and also other students who can share important bits of advice. The show ends with Jeffrey explaining how affinity groups have affected her in the past such as how the skills she displayed as the graduate V.P. of MANARS helped her land a job with Kraft. Jeffrey L. Greene is a Sensory Scientist at Kraft Foods R&D in Glenview, IL. She guides product development by providing a clear understanding of the impact of certain ingredients, technologies, and packaging. Jeffrey supports the Cultured, Cream cheese, and Canadian Peanut butter Business Units. Jeffrey obtained her B.S. in Biology from Xavier University of Louisiana. She has her M.S. in Food & Nutritional Sciences from Tuskegee University and her Ph.D. in Food Science from North Carolina State University (concentration in Sensory Analysis and Flavor Chemistry). Like this podcast, why not share it?