The Career You'll Love » brand

Visibility for your expertise

Carl — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:15:17 +0000

I had a wonderful opportunity last week to deliver a presentation to a bunch of software company CxOs who were gathered for a conference in Denver. It generated a whole lot of excitement and good interest in my coaching services.

The primary value was to show a lot of people in different companies what kind of expertise I have. The same concept can be applied to others as well.

There’s a good chance that you won’t be working for your current employer for the rest of your life, so it’s wise to start building visibility for what you can do. Sorry, a résumé or CV isn’t nearly as powerful as getting out there and showing people.

Of course, giving a presentation ALSO looks good on your CV, because people will expect that you’re more expert in your field when you’re able to go outside your current company.

I understand that a lot of people are terrified at the idea of giving presentations. So even though it can be quite powerful, perhaps it’s not quite within your grasp yet. Look into other opportunities:

Writing an article for an industry journal
Becoming a member of a small cross-company mastermind group
Mentoring others
Writing a book
Leading a discussion group at your church or kids’ school

It’s really only limited by your imagination.

I’m going to be presenting for an Entrepreneurship class at the local University – just an hour talking about my experience in setting up businesses, successful or not, and leading a discussion with the students. It’s a chance to contribute to the community and build my presence in general. Is it likely to bring in coaching clients for me? Not especially – although it certainly can’t hurt.

You have expertise that most others don’t. How can you start showing others outside your current employer how useful that might be?

P.S. If you’re interested in my presentation I gave last week on employee retention in the software industry, go check out my other blog.

Carl Dierschow is a Certified Small Fish Business Coach and author of the career management guide, Mondays Stink! 23 Secrets to Rediscover Delight and Fulfillment in Your Work. He is a career coach for those going through interesting transitions, and works with small business owners who need to create breakthroughs in achieving their business goals. Find out more at www.Dierschow.com and www.SmallFish.us.If you are interested in individual career coaching, group coaching, or other resources which might help you with difficult choices, please contact Carl at carl@dierschow.com.

Connect with Carl on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get timely updates and connections to a broader range of professionals.

Are you serious?

Carl — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 23:27:55 +0000

I’ve noticed something in the last couple of weeks that I find quite striking.I’m running into a lot of people – a LOT – who have started up their own business ventures. A lot of people have lost their jobs, and a number just got fed up and decided to strike out on their own. As a result, there’s a wide range of one-person businesses that have cropped up in the last year or two.

Perhaps it’s always been this vibrant – I’m not sure. The point is that I’m seeing a lot of them because I’m out there networking, promoting my own business.

In a matter of just a few minutes’ conversation, I tend to classify each person as serious about their business, or not so much.

I’m not talking about whether they’re GOOD at their business – we all make plenty of mistakes when we first start out. I’m noticing whether they’re DEDICATED to their venture.

Serious	Not Serious
Is making the outcome happen Is working at it full time Makes decisions Speeds up Self-energizes “I am doing, we are doing” Obstacles are a way to learn Sees positive signs, hopeful	Is wishing the outcome will happen Is working on it as convenient Waits for decisions Slows down Gets discouraged “They are (or aren’t) doing” Obstacles are a reason to stop Sees negative signs

There’s a particular franchise that’s become quite popular of late, and I’ve run across a bunch of people who have signed up as one-person franchisees. When I talk to the 10% who are serious, they:

Know their products very well
Are actively seeking customers every day who would like to work with them
Know exactly how their business is doing
Envision a future with the company, and are doing things to build it

The other 90% are less serious, it’s clear that they’re just dabbling and hoping for some income until a “real job” comes along. But they’re sabotaging their business success: Nobody but their current family and friends is ever going to become a customer.

Yes, I think the ratio is roughly 90/10. I’ve seen this pattern enough times now, and have tested my theory with others.

Why do you suppose that the most successful franchises have such high fees? A compelling reason is to weed out the 90%, so the 10% who are serious can join and build a robust business. And the 90% aren’t out there damaging the quality of the brand.

Perhaps you’re not out there starting up your next career. But the same logic applies to the rest of your life as well. Certainly you should dedicate your energies to having your best possible life – if you don’t, what’s the point?

Nobody else is going to be as impassioned about your life as you are. Stop waiting for them.

Connect with Carl on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to get timely updates and connections to a broader range of professionals.

How to Remove Competition for Your Next Job

Carl — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:59:51 +0000

There’s huge competition for almost every job opening. No doubt you’ve experienced this yourself, or have watched as others struggled in their job search over the last few years. If you now are back to work, congratulations.

Now it’s time to be planning your NEXT job, so you have a much better chance to reach your career goals.

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

How creative should I get with my résumé?

Carl — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 23:29:18 +0000

There’s a lot of advice out there about how to create a great résumé or CV. There are stories circulating about how people delivered theirs along with a pair of shoes, or dressed up as a clown.

People are desperate for jobs, and at some point you get so frustrated you’re ready to try just about anything. But here’s the question: Do you want people circulating stories about you, or do you want a job?

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

Should Facebook Show Your Professional Identity or Your Personal Life?

Carl — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 23:30:11 +0000

A lot of people I’ve talked to have puzzled over how to present themselves on Facebook. The problem is that you really should have only one “identity”, yet you don’t necessarily communicate the same kind of messages to friends, co-workers, future employers, or people in other social circles. This can be especially a concern for those born before, say, 1970, who didn’t have to deal with this before the Internet changed our lives.

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

Ten Things to Clean Up Your Résumé

Carl — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:06:28 +0000

There’s lots of people who give you conflicting advice about how to create the perfect résumé or CV. What I tell people is to get lots of ideas and opinions, but then come up with something that you think does the best job of representing you to your target employers.

That said, here are things that I talk about with clients when they want to improve their résumé:

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

The Ultimate, Perfect Résumé

Carl — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:03:09 +0000

I’ll give you the bottom line right now: The perfect résumé or CV doesn’t exist. Sorry about that.

Why would this be?

Because your résumé is the beginning of a conversation between you and another person.

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

I’m a Small Fish!

Carl — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 15:29:21 +0000

I have some big news!

I have just signed up with a coaching services firm, Small Fish Business Coaching, based in Australia. This is a huge leap forward for me and my business, because I’m moving away from working totally on my own, to being in partnership with a rapidly growing group that is intent on improving the plight of small business owners, one at a time.

It also means that I’ve tightened my focus from being all businesses – really much too broad – to be on small businesses. That would typically be smaller than 50 employees or $20M in revenue.

I completed my training, I’m getting my business cards printed later today, I’m now listed on the Small Fish websites in both Australia and the US, I took care of state registration and other logistics, and I’m cranking away on spreading the word.

There’s a lot to do, but I can already see progress. This is a new, exciting phase to my career!

There’s a couple of requests I’d like to make to you:

If you’re a small business owner in Northern Colorado, or know small business owners who really want to improve the state of their business, please let me know. I have a powerful process which can help a business owner improve profits, customer satisfaction, employee motivation, and personal balance.

If you’re a business coach, and you’re looking to team up with people who have a powerful process and great marketing, then you might want to check out Small Fish. They’re looking for great coaches in the US, especially. I’d be happy to provide you an introduction and answer any questions you might have about how I selected them.

And if you want to get a copy of the Small Fish e-mail newsletter, just let me know.

What makes you unique?

Carl — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 15:53:04 +0000

Part of the human journey is a constant struggle between wanting to fit in, and wanting to be valued because of our unique value.

I guess that’s one of the things that makes life interesting.

But what makes you unique? It can come from several places:

Read more on my Workbloom blog»

Becoming world class

Carl — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 17:33:03 +0000

In Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers: The Story of Success, he stated that to achieve mastery in an area, it generally takes about 10,000 hours of serious learning, practice, and skill development.

I think it’s a valid conclusion, but there’s more to the story.

If you want to be famous for something, to be at the forefront, you have to establish yourself as world class. You want to be one of the best violinists? 10,000 hours. You want to make a living as a pro golfer? 10,000 hours.

Read more on my Workbloom blog»