Basic Business Networking Tips

Basic Business Networking TipsBasic Business Networking TipsSalespeople can and do succeed without ever building a business network, but these salespeople are probably working ten times harder to generate sales than their colleagues who do practice good networking. A solid network will bring you leads... help you set up meetings with otherwise unreachable people... and even give you a few shoulders to cry on when things arent going well. Networking is, at its core, relationship-building. You are making a mutually beneficial connection with someone, for business reasons. Sounds a lot like selling, doesnt it? A lot of the skills you need to build and maintain a network are the saatkorn skills you already use to sell your product or service. So in addition to networkings other benefits, its a great opportunity to polish your sales skills. Meet the Right People The first step is getting in touch with the right people. Your nearest chamber of commerce is a great distributions-mix to s tart these organizations are designed to promote networking between local businesses. There are also a number of sales organizations that will help you connect with other sales professionals. Such professionals can help out not only with leads, but with job opportunities and sales training as well. Industry conventions are a perfect place to meet and greet potential contacts. Every attendee who isnt a salesperson from a rival company is a potential customer. Even the other salespeople can be helpful contacts, as many will be from companies whose products complement yours, rather than directly competing with you. Social Networks The Internet offers tremendous opportunities to set up networks. LinkedIn is a business-centric networking site thats designed to make it easy for you to get in touch with potential resources. It also hosts training materials and mentoring groups. Other well-known social networking sites, like Facebook and Twitter, are also ideal places to look for new c onnections. Volunteering is a wonderful way to meet people and also do some good. You can volunteer for non-profit organizations, churches, mentoring programs, community outreach programs, industry-related groups, and dozens of other local and national organizations. Volunteer positions usually require a significant time commitment, but they will also allow you to meet people you might otherwise not be able to reach and provide an easy way to build rapport with those people. Whatever means you use to expand your network, youll need to keep everyones information organized. It does you no good to make five contacts in the insurance industry if you cant remember their names or phone numbers A business card abtaster can help you can scan a new contacts card and keep the information in digital format. Many scanners can automatically export their data into the CRM of your choice. But if you dont want to invest in specialized hardware, a basic spreadsheet or even that old standby, the Rol odex can work just fine. The trick is to pick a system that suits you and update it regularly as you collect contact information. Practice Patience Its tempting to try to sell your products to your networking contacts, especially when youre falling short of your goal for the month, but resist the urge. Making a sales pitch to a contact changes your status from business connection to annoying salesperson. Its fine to let your networkees know what you do and perhaps tell them a bit about your products and services, but always err on the side of caution. Once youve built a basis for your network, you cant just stop and rest on your laurels. Your contacts require the same kind of attention and give-and-take that you would provide in any relationship. If you only call your contacts when you need a favor, youll soon find yourself relegated to voice mail with no hope of a call back. On the other hand, people like to do favors for other people, as long as they dont feel that youre tak ing advantage of them. If you observe the basic social courtesies call or emaille regularly just to catch up, help your contacts out when they need it, and thank them promptly when they help you youll find that most of your contacts will be eager to help you.

2016 Salary Trends in Healthcare

2016 Salary Trends in Healthcare2016 Salary Trends in Healthcare2016 Salary Trends in Healthcare ConlanThe growth that healthcare employees have seen in their salaries is likely to continue in 2016, experts say. Its one of the most consistently growing occupational segments out there, says Jonas Johnson, senior researcher at Irvine, California-based Economic Research Institute.Growth varies widely by position, however. Johnson says his research has found that over the past 15 years, top-of-the-line specialized surgeons and lower-level physicians such as general practitioners have seen strong growth, while midlevel specialists, such as obstetrics and gynecology, have seen slower growth.Even with variations, healthcare salaries continue to be strong. Healthcare is similar to the technology industry weve been seeing pretty tremendous wage growth over the last few years, says Katie Bardaro, vice president of data analytics at PayScale.There are three factors driving this trend in health care salariesExpanded Health InsuranceThe Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (also known as the ACA or Obamacare) has provided health insurance to millions of people who previously werent covered. The increased availability of coverage has led to higher demand for healthcare, Bardaro says.The Health Resources and Services Administration estimated that the full scope of the ACA would account for 19 percent of the change in demand for health care services between 2010 and 2020.An Aging Population Needs mora HealthcareAn aging population tends to require more care, Bardaro says. Older people need more extensive care and often more interventions, increasing demand across the system.The aging population puts pressure on supply on the other side, as well More providers are retiring as they age out, says Dallas-based compensation consultant Dindy Robinson, particularly as they are faced with changing regulations or practices, such as the recent ICD-10 update.The Bureau of Labor Sta tistics expects more than a million job openings for nurses alone by 2022, for example. Workplace stress has also pushed some nurses out of their jobs prematurely, Robinson says.As for doctors, a 2015 study for the Association of American Medical Colleges said that by 2025 there will be a shortage of up to 90,000 physicians in primary and specialty care.The Healthcare Industry Immune to DownturnsDemand for healthcare services isnt as affected by a strong or weak economy as many other industries, since people tend to get healthcare out of need.It doesnt drop with the economic climate you may be sick or injured regardless of what the stock market is doing, Bardaro says. As a result, demand for services doesnt cycle with economic conditions.Other factors, such as geography, may affect healthcare salaries in specific areas. In addition, incentive-based models that employers use to reward key performance indicators such as average length of hospital stay or rate of patient complications can affect salaries in certain areas, Robinson says, adding that employees at independent practices generally tend to make less than their counterparts in larger organizations.

The Best Job Search Advice from Top CEOs at GM, 23andMe, Hilton More

The Best Job Search Advice from Top CEOs at GM, 23andMe, Hilton MoreThe Best Job Search Advice from Top CEOs at GM, 23andMe, Hilton More Theres no doubt about it the job search is tough. You have to spend time and energy revamping your resume , writing cover letters and practicing for interviews, and even then, youre bedrngnis guaranteed a position. The good news, though, is that you get a little bit savvier at every step. With each interview needed to get to the next level, you get better at marketing yourself, communicating confidently and reflecting on your experiences thus far. So by the time youre at the top of the company ladder, youre practically an expert at what it takes to get a job.With this in mind, we chatted with and researched the best job search advice from the Top CEOs of 2018 . If your job search strategy hasnt been working out so far, one of behauptung tips might just do the trick.Its a well-known fact that personal connections are one of the m ost effective ways to find a job. If you develop a strong relationship with an industry mentor, theyre often able to connect you to people, companies and opportunities that can advance your career. Even if they cant directly hook you up with a job, though, they can serve as a fantastic reference who can speak to your work ethic and personal character. But make sure you choose the right one, advises Mary Barra, CEO of General Motors .There are mentors in the workspace all around you - peers, the seasoned professional, your supervisor, the supervisor one desk over, Barra said in an interview with the WomenWork podcast. People often reach out to me saying, Will you be my mentor? And I say, Lets talk about that, because the better person to be your mentor in the organization is someone who sees you every day, someone who knows you at your best, and someone who can give you opportunities to improve. So I always redirect them Find mentors in the people around you who you respect.When youre just beginning your career, you might not know for sure what you want to do yet. And really, thats okay. You dont have to go looking for your dream job right away. In fact, trying out many different fields can be an asset, believes Anne Wojcicki, CEO of 23andMe . Not only does this make you more marketable in the future - the more skills you have, the more doors open for you - but youll also have a better chance of identifying what you really love doing.Enjoy the uncertainty and the adventure of figuring out the world and what you want to do. 20-year-olds can get away with adventure and exploration in a way 40+-year-olds can not. So enjoy asking all the questions and trying all the different jobs and realize that each new experience helps shape your views of the world and what you want to do in it, Wojcicki said in an interview with Glassdoor .If youre only applying to Fortune 500 companies or tech titans, dont get discouraged when you dont hear back. The name recognition and prestige of these companies lead to hundreds, thousands or even millions of candidates applying to them - Google, for example, sees about two million applicants each year - so your odds may be better if you explore more under-the-radar companies. Youll also gain exposure to multiple roles at smaller companies, helping you discover what you enjoy doing and increase your skill stack.My suggestion is to visit the websites of the top-tier venture capital firms and click through their portfolio companies, and apply to a few that seem especially interesting, Sanjit Biswelches, CEO of Samsara , told Glassdoor . High-growth tech companies are a great place to accelerate career growth - youll get to see decisions up close, and the short feedback loops are some of the best ways to learn what works and what doesnt.Its hard to think of any job nowadays that doesnt require some degree of teamwork, and because of this, companies expect candidates to be adept collaborators. Lean into th e opportunities you have to work with others at your current job, Hilton CEO Chris Nassetta advises.Make sure that you contribute in every way that you can, and really become a team player. Nothing gets done in todays world without a village, so to speak. While we all make individual contributions, ultimately its about how you as a component, particularly as youre getting started, work with other people, Nassetta shared with Glassdoor .Employers want to see ways where obviously youre contributing and youre creating significant value, but youre doing it as a member of a team and not just as an individual contributor.Learning to work well with others, and then drawing on these experiences in your cover letter or when answering behavioral interview questions like Tell me how you handled a difficult situation or What are some of your leadership experiences? can really make you stand out to recruiters.You may not end up in your ideal job right away, but when youre thinking of settli ng down at a job or company for the long haul, make sure that its one youre passionate about. For one, we spend about a third of our waking lives at work, so its worth spending that time doing something you enjoy. But for another reason, you simply tend to be better at what you do when you find a job youre passionate about.My 1 job tip is to look for a job that you want to do. We spend a lot of time at work, and its important that we enjoy what were doing. We only go around once, and weve got to keep that in perspective, said Bernard J. Tyson, Chairman and CEO of Kaiser Permanente , in an interview with Glassdoor . Nothing is promised to any of us at the end of the day. The key to that is to be in step with the culture of the organization where you work.Following your passion, though, doesnt always mean rigidly clinging onto one idea of The Perfect Job - there are often multiple ways to explore the fields youre most passionate about, Michael Mahoney, CEO of Boston Scientific , ex plained to Glassdoor .I knew from a young age that I wanted to get into healthcare. I was inspired by my grandpa who was a pediatric cardiac surgeon. I grew up admiring how he helped so many children. I remember sneaking into his library when I was a kid. Id sit in his chair surrounded by all his medical books and dream about being a doctor, Mahoney shared. After earning a solid C- in organic chemistry, I elected to change course and approach healthcare a little differently. It was a great lesson for me.Rather than pursuing a different field entirely, Mahoney chose to go into the business side of healthcare - and his decision paid off. Today, Mahoney oversees an organization of 29,000 that helps create lifesaving medical devices.Weve said it before and well say it again recruiters want informed candidates, the kind of people who look up a company beforehand and gather information on its culture, products, business model and more. Because by researching a company, you dont just show that youre knowledgeable about it - you also show that you care about and believe in it.Brian Halligan, CEO of HubSpot , mentioned in an interview with Glassdoor that his company specifically looks for candidates who have taken it upon themselves to learn about his company and its products.One tip Id give all applicants is to review HubSpots culture code before interviewing and to use the software - we give tons of it away for free, Halligan said.Whether youre on the fence about applying to a position youre slightly underqualified for or reaching out to a coworker you havent spoken with in years for an informational interview, dont let a fear of failure hold you back.The biggest risk is not taking any risk, said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a 2011 interview . In a world thats changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.Sure, theres no guarantee that any one particular risk will pay off - but if you keep swinging big, youre bo und to reap the rewards eventually.