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  • Blog

Become a Relevant Expert – Better! Results Idea #10

Relevant

 It’s limiting to believe we have nothing unique and valuable to offer others through our work. Too many employees think, “Anyone could do this job.”

Agreed. Some job positions are easier to learn and execute than others. But all jobs in our complex business environment require a degree of expertise before mastery is attained. And mastery is the goal in any worthwhile work.

Here’s what we all must do: become an acknowledged expert on something relevant to our work.

Let me drill into that statement a little deeper.

Expert

Experts are not self-declared. They are known by others to be sources of knowledge, effective practices and better results. Experts are the folks we all look to in our work to teach us, show us and counsel us. Could be the person in the next cubicle or the owner of the locker three down from our own. Our job is to become “the one” others seek out as they look for the best.

Why and when do others look to you for knowledge or guidance? If an idea doesn’t immediately pop into your thoughts, time to get to work on developing an answer. Identify something about your job that you really enjoy – and get so good at it that others will know “You are the best!”

Relevant

To state what is most likely obvious: your expertise must be relevant to the organization where you work. Being an expert photographer or public speaker is great, but may not be relevant in the machine shop where you create precision components.

By the way, don’t tell others you’re the best. No one likes people who do that. Just be the best. Offer to help others, coach, give freely of your knowledge and your time. They’ll notice, and you’ll become so valuable to the organization that opportunity will flow your way.

Identify some aspect of your current job and become the expert in this area. Hopefully your annual performance appraisal will positively reflect your expert results.

Better still – become an expert in something relevant to the next job that you want. What better way to impress a potential supervisor or employer than demonstrating your legitimate existing expertise in

 

John J. Hall, CPA

John J. Hall, CPA

John J. Hall, CPA, is an author, speaker and results expert who presents around the world at conventions, corporate meetings and association events. Throughout his 38-year career as a business consultant, corporate executive and professional speaker, John has helped organizations and individuals achieve measurable results. He inspires audience members in corporations, not-for-profit organizations and professional associations to step up, take action and “do what you can.”

February 25, 2016 | John Hall | • • • • • • | Better! |
how to establish influence at a new job

How to Establish Influence at a New Job

So you’ve got a new job. Congrats! But now you face the challenge of adapting to your new workplace and building your reputation and influence within the organization. This can be a pretty daunting task to even the most seasoned supervisors and employees, but it’s important that you dive right in and start carving out your role and reputation without delay.

As you concentrate on mastering the tasks required during the first few weeks of your new position, it’s important that you also gain an understanding of how the organization works as whole and determine the cultural dynamics of the workforce. This will help you gain momentum quickly as you work to build legitimate influence and provide measurable value in your new position.

Here are some tips for doing just that:

1. Become the go-to person for whatever you do

When you introduce yourself to other people within your new organization, you should establish yourself as an authority in your position and offer to be of assistance. When you make the introduction, explain what your role and responsibilities are and why others should come to you when they need assistance with something in your realm of expertise. Once you’ve build yourself up as an authority in one particular area, people will start establish influence at a new jobseeking you out for assistance even in areas outside of your job description. The goal is to be in demand because of how good you are at whatever you do.

2. Make friends in high places

Seek out people who are well respected in your new organization This person could be your direct superior, a project manager or others who are well respected regardless of their position or length of service. Arrange time to chat, and let them know that you’d love to have their advice as you acclimate to your new position. Having an influential person in a mentorship or coaching role will help you to build your skills and influence. Start with your new boss; it’s always a good idea to find ways to help them meet or exceed their goals.

3. Really listen to coworkers

Get to know your coworkers and their goals, challenges, and responsibilities. Find ways to help them be successful. Go out of your way to help them when they need assistance. You can only build influence if you have the admiration and respect of the people that you work with. But remember: this isn’t about building paybacks due to you; it’s about being seen as an invaluable resource.

4. Invest constantly in your most important product – YOU

Work each day on improving your skills in these critical areas.

  • Core business, administrative and time management skills
  • Technical skills required of your current position and desired future positions
  • Interpersonal and communications skills

All three areas are critical to your success. Study, practice, ask for help, and improve every day. Let others will see how dedicated you are to mastering your number one product – YOU!

John J. Hall, CPA

John J. Hall, CPA

 

 

 

 

 

 

John J. Hall, CPA, is an author, speaker and results expert who presents around the world at conventions, corporate meetings and association events.

Throughout his 35-year career as a business consultant, corporate executive and professional speaker, John has helped organizations and individuals achieve measurable results. He inspires audience members in corporations, not-for-profit organizations and professional associations to step up, take action and “do what you can.”

September 12, 2014 | John Hall | • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • | Career • Personal Performance |
battle plan for auditors

How to Be Productive With Your Job Hunt

There’s no getting around it: hunting for jobs is a pain. It’s time consuming, stressful and occasionally disheartening. Worst of all, it’s easy to lose focus, potentially keeping you unemployed for even longer.

However, there are certain steps you can take to be more productive with your job hunt and avoid losing focus. You’ve probably heard this before, but just in case: when you’re unemployed and searching for a job, you need to think of your job search as your full-time job. Treating your search this way makes it much more likely to yield results.

Here are some tips that you should consider:

  • Plan out your days. Just as you would with an average work day, plan out what your days look like while on the job hunt. You might reserve certain days for networking sessions, or set aside blocks of hours looking job huntingfor jobs online. You should also reserve time to tweak your resume, fill out applications, write letters, etc. Stay organized with your planning so that you start to get yourself into a routine; that makes it much easier to stay focused.
  • Track everything. Keep a thorough spreadsheet of all your job seeking activities. Track the jobs that you’ve applied for, when you applied for them, who your contact person was and when you followed up. You should also track all of the networking contacts you’ve made and when you had correspondence with them. Update this spreadsheet regularly to make sure that you’re staying organized.
  • Take advantage of technology. Use social networking or job hunting sites to your advantage. Many of them even have email alert systems when jobs that match your searches or your qualifications show up. You can get alerts as soon as listings are posted, so you can have an inside track on applications.
  • Revise your resume and cover letter for each application. You won’t find great results if you use the same generic resume and cover letter for every position you pursue. Research the target organization and what they’re looking for in an applicant so you have a better understanding of how to frame your application materials.
  • Keep your schedule arranged like you would at work. Get up early, stay well groomed and dressed, take lunch breaks and call an end to your job hunting activities by a certain time of the day. This will make your transition into your eventual new job a lot easier, and also keep you more productive during your search.

Getting that important work position is critical. Take these and other steps that each increase the probability of a successful pursuit. Good hunting!

John J. Hall, CPA

John J. Hall, CPA

 

 

 

 

 

 

John J. Hall, CPA, is an author, speaker and results expert who presents around the world at conventions, corporate meetings and association events.

Throughout his 35-year career as a business consultant, corporate executive and professional speaker, John has helped organizations and individuals achieve measurable results. He inspires audience members in corporations, not-for-profit organizations and professional associations to step up, take action and “do what you can.”

August 19, 2014 | John Hall | • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • | Career |
How to Make the Most of a Bad Job Situation

How to Make the Most of a Bad Job Situation

Even with an improving economy, there’s still a lot of press about how hard it is to find a good, full-time job: a job that fulfills us and provides financial confidence for ourselves and our families. Too many good hard-working people are stuck having to deal with jobs they dislike and can barely bring themselves to do every single day.

There are no guarantees, but we can improve the probability that something Better! will come along with a few simple steps.

  • Focus on other people. If it’s the actual work at your job that you dislike, try to connect with other people at your company. Show them what a positive person you are. Be easy to be around. Good relationships with your colleagues and supervisors can often make bad situations Job Situationmuch more bearable. Be sure to look outside your department as well. Find a small group you can spend some time talking to. Not complaining, just talking.
  • Speak up. If you’ve built a positive relationship with your supervisor but often wind up with tasks that you just can’t stand doing, ask for some time to speak to your boss and let him or her know what you don’t like about the work you’re given. Be positive in your words and be prepared to offer specific solutions. Perhaps the two of you can work out a situation that allows you to avoid some of the work you dislike so much. And if you don’t have a positive relationship with your supervisor, why not start right there!
  • Keep it light. Find ways to try to squeeze some appropriate humor into your everyday routine. At least smile. This will help you to pass the time and will hopefully have a positive response within your office.
  • Enjoy yourself outside of work. As much as you can, try not to take your work home with you. Keep busy with positive outside activities. Enjoy your friends and family so that you don’t have to spend your time outside of work feeling down about your job. Balance is the key.
  • Keep your options open. Block the time to polish your resume, check for job openings and attend networking events. The search for something Better! will help give you a light at the end of the tunnel. Take positive action to move your career towards that potentially Better! place.

Teddy Roosevelt had this great advice for any life situation: “Do what you can, with what you’ve got, right where you are.”

Make the most of a bad job situation while working proactively towards something Better! NEVER give up the goal of having work that you enjoy.

John J. Hall, CPA

John J. Hall, CPA

 

 

 

 

 

 

John J. Hall, CPA, is an author, speaker and results expert who presents around the world at conventions, corporate meetings and association events.

Throughout his 35-year career as a business consultant, corporate executive and professional speaker, John has helped organizations and individuals achieve measurable results. He inspires audience members in corporations, not-for-profit organizations and professional associations to step up, take action and “do what you can.”

July 8, 2014 | John Hall | • • • • • | Career |

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