by Zoe Training staff

When Tara Powers isn’t busy running her own training and development organization, she is also managing her other venture, Mama Means Business, a resource that coaches and supports “mompreneur” businesses, providing already proven resources that help women launch successful businesses FAST. In this interview, Tara gives us some insight into her passions for her career and everyday life.

Why did you become a speaker/trainer?
I organically got into training 15 years ago when I was asked to train a bunch of managers on how to understand their budget. The jolt of energy and excitement I got when I was teaching someone was enough to make me go back to school and get my master’s degree in Organizational Management. This led me into the HR field for many years where I was able to grow and build a training department. My experience has helped me to understand that I have a real opportunity to change people’s lives for the better if I can help them identify how to make small behavioral shifts that can give them fast results and big impacts on their team and company. I believe that it’s up to each of us to ask what we want to be known for, get clear on our values and vision, and make decisions that are in alignment with who we are. This is what I try to get across when I am speaking or training.

What are your favorite groups of people to work with?
Emerging leaders and emerging teams. They are eager to learn how to do it right with less struggle, they come with open minds and always are great contributors to the learning process!

Three words that describe your presentation style:
Collaborative, Fun and Interactive

Do you have any pets? Kids? Unusual hobbies?
I have a Plott Hound named Guinness who will never rest until he catches a rabbit. I have two tireless little girls, Kyla, four years, and Fallon, two years. They get me up way too early, love my “mama” hugs way too little, and make my life more full of joyful moments than I could have ever imagined.

Do you have a favorite quote? What/why?
“YOU are the only one who creates your reality. For no one else can think for you. No one else can do it. It is only you. Every bit of it you.” – Ester Hicks

Standard Starbucks order:
Grande Soy Latte one pump sugar free vanilla. Can’t go wrong with this one.

Inquire about Tara Powers

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by Zoe Training staff

Zoe Training was recently featured in a Denver Business Journal article exploring whether employee training and development should be viewed an expense or an investment.

Although it’s easy in theory to say that employee development is an investment, as the report noted, “Despite some obvious advantages of training, some in the field say that in a tepid economy, employee development has been an easy line item to cross off.” According to Manpower’s 2010 Workforce Strategy Survey Global Key Findings (PDF), “Business leaders say they are focused on the professional development of their workforce yet this remains a weak spot for many organizations.  More than a third of employees say their organizations have not made training and development a priority.  A fifth say that training and development opportunity are inadequate for achieving the company’s business strategy–or are not provided at all.”

Ashley Andrus, President of Zoe Training, was quoted about the benefits of truly treating employee development in the same manner that your organization would view other capital expenditures and business performance strategies.  “The truth is, when you do it properly, it helps you align employee efforts with company initiatives, the same as you would build in marketing, sales, accounting, or product development.”

Thinking about training in the same way you categorize capital expenditure and new product development isn’t a traditional view–but the return on the investment for those efforts can be well worth the paradigm shift.  Not only can you increase performance and efficiency and serve your customers better, but you develop an internal culture that will help you grow your talent from the inside–and keep those star players as the economy continues to improve.  According to another 2010 survey by job-placement firm Manpower, 84 percent of employees plan to look for a new position in 2011.  If you were told that 84 percent of your physical plant or product stream was in jeopardy this year, you would be alarmed, and that same concern applies to your talent pool. As Andrus noted in the DBJ article, “training today relates directly to retaining those employees tomorrow.”

The bottom line is that right now there is a great opportunity for those organizations that work proactively to align their employee development strategies with their organizational performance objectives.  You can build employee skills and increase engagement at the same time, which is a win for you, your employees, and your customers.

by Zoe Training staff

With the employment situation in flux in recent years, Paul Unks’ career management expertise has come in handy for many people who need to regain their footing by either clarifying their career objectives or identifying new career options. And because career ups and downs can be the source of so much stress, Paul is also there to help individuals understand how stress impacts our daily lives and what we can do about it to alleviate the potential negative effects. In this interview, Paul talks about the joys of teaching his favorite topics and the mutual benefits that are gained by working together with participants.

What’s your favorite topic(s) to present on? Why?

1) Career Life Transition and Development, 2)Managing Stress and Wellness (“The Joy of Stress”) and 3) Communications and Team Building

I love teaching and facilitating workshops on these three topics.

I get a great deal of satisfaction from helping people to identify and then achieve the career position where they will be: fulfilled, very productive and successful, and in the right environment.  Career Life Development knowledge and skills are increasingly important and needed in our world today. Whether someone has been laid off through no fault of their own, if they are seeking a clearer direction and path to a more rewarding career, or if they want to further advance their career proactively in their current organization, they can benefit greatly from three key areas: 1) Assessment and Goal-Setting: Knowing how to do a clarifying self-assessment that accurately identifies their unique individual strengths and priorities (not artificially force fits them into one category that most traditional tests attempt to put people in). Then they need to know how to use the results of their assessment to see how their priorities best fit into the current job market segments in order to establish goals that are both desirable and viable. 2) Research and Confirmation of their top potential career goals; Knowing how to effectively research and conduct the early stages of networking so that they can be at peace with what they choose, as well as that which they choose not to do.

3) Setting up and Executing an effective Marketing strategy to attain the goal: Knowing how to prepare and deliver a clear and compelling message to their targeted market through networking, in their resume, letters and in some entrepreneurial cases, their website, as well as interviewing and negotiation. Being good at these aspects and knowing how to leverage key differentiators goes a long way to helping them gain an advantage in a very competitive market.

There are many aspects involved in each of the above areas, but it can all be more concisely boiled down to helping people address three questions:

1) Who am I? 2) Where am I going? and 3) How am I going to get there? It is by effectively addressing these questions that we can become more who we are.

I also love to help people better understand and manage their stress and wellness. I like to help people get a better handle on their most significant sources of stress, the major things, as well as the smaller seemingly less significant things they might otherwise overlook. And then it is important to understand how these different sources of stress impact on us both mentally and physically, how it can negatively effect our thought process, communication, performance and health. Once they have a good understanding of the progressive sequence, or chain, of mental and physical stress reactions, and where they are individually in that sequence, they are in a much better position to effectively manage their stress. We also take a look at the benefits and blessings of stress, and how to use the good kind of stress to combat and defeat the negative effects of distress. Finally we end on selecting from a long list of many things we can do to protect ourselves from the damaging effects of stress, prevent potential problems, or when required; how to get out of and reverse a downward unhealthy spiral someone might be in. Each person in the workshop leaves with an individualized assessment and action plan to protect themselves from their greatest risks and to proactively promote greater health and wellness for themselves. As a result, they have a much greater awareness and control over their unique stress situations and health, and are able to perform better as well.

Teaching and facilitating interpersonal communication and team building I find both rewarding and fun. I enjoy helping people gain greater insight to their own and others’ naturally preferred ways of working and communicating, and how these can present challenges, as well as be leveraged as advantages to the team so they can more effectively achieve shared goals.

I like to teach a simple and successful four-step team building model they can use to clearly see where they are strong and where they are vulnerable. They can also use the same four-step process to more effectively solve problems and mange projects as well. I like to include a key piece in this highly interactive workshop I call “The Power of Active Listening.” Very few people have ever had a class on listening skills. But it is one of, if not the most important communication skill of all. Yet it almost always gets short shrift in our education and training system. Once each person on the team has a better understanding of their own and each others’ main tendencies, what each finds easy and difficult, they are in a much better position leverage their strengths, and better accommodate each other. Where previously they might  have seen a certain team mate’s particular tendency as purposely being annoying, they now understand that he or she just comes by it naturally. There are many ways people can have fun in this workshop and become more enlightened in the process. One of the take aways I like participants to get out of the workshop is an enhanced sense of trust in each other and more enjoyment in working together.

Three words that describe your presentation style:

Dynamic, Engaging and Authentic

Do you have a favorite quote? What/why?

“Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

I also like, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” – Dr. George Draper, founder of physiological psychology in America. Therapist to Franklin Roosevelt and supreme court justice William O. Douglas. Both of these famous men credit Dr. Draper with helping them overcome their respective phobias and fears.

by Jeff Thredgold, CSP

It’s no secret that many economic and financial areas were severely impacted by what we now call the Great Recession, the worst since the Great Depression.  The changing nature of retirement would easily find a place on the list.

Millions of people who judiciously saved during their working years had visions of early retirement, with a view that diligent efforts to save money would help them meet income needs in their Golden Years.  Many people have been able to live their dream.

Unfortunately, millions of others saw their dreams either tarnished or shattered, with loss of employment, sharp declines in the value of retirement funds, and unexpected declines in home values.  Every age group, every generation, every part of the country was hurt by economic and financial developments of the past few years.

Yes…But

The nation’s official unemployment rate declined from 9.8% last November to 8.8% in March…the fastest four-month decline in 27 years…and clearly good news.  There is more to the story, however.

One reason the unemployment rate is lower is the fact that a smaller share of Americans are at work or counted as part of the labor force than at any time since 1983.  Just 45.4% of Americans (of all ages) were employed during 2010, down from a peak of 49.3% in 2000 (USA TODAY).

In terms of working age adults, the civilian labor force participation rate held at 64.2% in March, while the employment to population ratio was 58.5%, both down in recent years (Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS).  Only 66.8% of men held jobs last year—the lowest level on record—versus more than 80% of men who held jobs during the 1960s.  National unemployment rates would now be regularly quoted in the 10% to 12% range if the share of people counted as part of the labor force today matched that of just a few years ago.

Long-Term Trends

It’s no secret that working age men had been leaving the workforce for decades.  Others took an early retirement incentive from an employer, hoping to then find other gainful employment.

Still others with a specific skill set lost jobs and were unable to obtain similar employment, leading to an earlier retirement than previously planned.  The loss of millions of jobs in construction and manufacturing in recent years simply added to the exodus.

The rise of women holding jobs largely offset the loss of working men in recent decades.  The share of women holding jobs rose from 36% in 1960 to 57% in 1995, with the total soon leveling off.  The share of women employed was 56% in 2010 (USA TODAY).

Now Working Longer

Shattered dreams of early retirement, or less belief of just a routine retirement at 65, have led a greater share of older men to stay in, or return to, the labor force in recent years.  During the prior economic upswing lasting six years between November 2001 and November 2007, a net 10.4 million jobs were created.  Almost one in seven jobs was filled by workers age 55 or older (The Wall Street Journal).

Since the Great Recession began in late 2007, 7.4 million jobs have disappeared.  For over-55s however, a net 1.8 million jobs have been added.  This reflects more people putting off retirement for various reasons, as well as companies taking advantage of those workers with proven skills.

The labor force participation rate among those over age 55 bottomed out in the mid-1990s at 29%.  It has since risen by 11% to 40%.  For those over 65, the rate has gone from around 12% to 17% during the same time (The Wall Street Journal).

A higher labor force participation rate of older workers, in addition to the economic and financial factors noted above, also reflects the fact that people are living longer and are more interested in staying active with employment.  Too many of us have seen people retire early or at 65 with visions of travel and lots of golf, only to be bored to tears after the first year.

At age 65, most people can expect to live another 20 years or so.  Having a regular source of income besides Social Security and possibly a pension provides older workers with a greater sense of security, helping to boost overall consumer spending.

Suffer the Young

Greater numbers of older people staying in the labor force, combined with the loss of millions of jobs in recent years, has had a serious impact on youth employment.  The BLS notes that less than half of all 16-to-24 year olds had a job last summer, the worst on record.  Of those 16-19 years of age who are actively seeking employment, 24.5% were unemployed in March.

Savings

Too few people save adequately for retirement, with many starting a savings program too late in life to meet their retirement needs.  Too few couples have discussions about what their retirement dreams are and how they must prepare for them.

Too few workers of all ages take full advantage of 401(k) savings programs offered by employers, simply feeling they can’t afford the reduction to their cash flow.  Simply stated…there is no more powerful way to save than having an employer give you a 25% or 50% or 100% match of the funds you save in a 401(k).  The current tax deferment makes it even more valuable.

Many older people simply state that they will never retire.  I find myself saying this.  They will work well into their 60s, 70s, or even 80s, not recognizing that the body can break down.  Energy levels can diminish, while undreamed of physical and mental limitations emerge.

At the same time, however, the ongoing shift in the economy from goods producing to service providing jobs (typically less physically demanding) will help those wishing, or required, to work longer.

Jeff Thredgold, MS, is the only economist in the world to have earned the CSP designation, awarded by the International Federation for Professional Speakers and the National Speakers Association. He has spoken more than 1,000 times during the past 20 years, traveling more than 1 million miles in the process.

by Sarah Michel

Are you a victim of Network drive-bys?  Have you been assaulted by a business card bombardier who only wanted to sell you something?  Attended one of those “Grab & Gab” and “Tell & Sell” rubber chicken so-called networking events where you left feeling violated?  Well, if you’re like the hundreds of people I talk to every week who have had enough, today I bring good news;  there is a new movement out there shaking things up and redefining what real networking is all about -  The Moxie Exchange.

Networking with Moxie is all about approaching people with a focused determination to help them.  It’s when you have the courage and faith to believe that you can have anything you want in life, if you help others get what they need first.

I recently met the head “Moxette,” Maureen Berkner Boyt who is passionate about creating a forum where “business and the coolest women you know collide.”  Spend five minutes talking to her and you will be drinking the Kool-Aid, too!  She has really identified a pain point for business people who want to network with authentic and smart people seeking reciprocal relationships.  In order to join the movement, you must sign-off on their established a code of ethics which I think all of us should subscribe to every time you attend a networking opportunity.

Moxie Code of Ethics:

• Interact with Integrity
• Bring Your ‘A’ Game (A is for Audacity, Authenticity and Action)
• Ask, Listen, Collaborate and Initiate. No “Tell, Sell, Blab and Grab” Allowed!
• Be Helpful: You Are There to Inspire the People Around You to Mobilize Their Moxie!
• Share Your Ideas, Your Experiences and Your Moxie Moments with Others
• Be a Positive Influence. No Whining, Only Wowing!
• Always Respect the Confidentiality of the Moxie Membership (Your Network)

I was asked to share my Perfecting Connecting strategies and philosophy with the Moxie Movement.  Watch the webinar and see what happened…

Be a Moxie Networker and watch your netWORTH with your network grow!

Sarah Michel, CSP, is an international speaker who works with organizations and associations, creating behavioral changes by teaching people how to intentionally connect with anyone, anywhere, anytime through her Perfecting Connecting® keynote and training programs.

by Ashley Andrus

“Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.”
14th Century Proverb, Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

The Society for HR Management recently reported that expected hiring levels for May 2010 “could reach levels not seen since 2007″ and that this “spring fling” has led to increased difficulty in hiring qualified candidates.

In conjunction with the increased hiring many organizations will be implementing in coming months, we can also expect many current employees will take the opportunity to job hunt actively as the economy continues to improve and new opportunities open up.

And in the May 2010 Fast Company Magazine, Chip & Dan Heath argue that, “When you own the talent factory, you’ve created a permanent competitive advantage.”

Given these realities, now is a good time to examine the ways in which training and development directly impact YOUR organization’s employment life cycle and some high-return actions you can take to ensure you are positioned to take advantage of improving conditions.

The Employment Life Cycle Seasons

SPRING: Hiring & On-Boarding
At the beginning of the employment life cycle, training & development plays a crucial role in both identifying appropriate candidates and bringing them into the organization effectively. On the hiring front, you can help your supervisors and managers incorporate behavioral interviewing to ensure consistency, take the guesswork out of hiring, and increase your ROI by ensuring a better fit between your organization and new employees.

On the on-boarding side, there are a variety of tools you can use to get new employees up to speed quickly. In addition to the standard instructor-led orientation sessions, savvy organizations are also incorporating technology-based self-paced modules, peer mentoring programs, a flexible orientation curriculum that allows new hires to opt out of subjects in which they can demonstrate mastery, and similar innovations.

SUMMER: Needs Assessment & Skills Development
Ongoing skills development is the traditional province of training & development programs and remains a critical component to your organization’s success. Employees need product- and job-specific knowledge to perform their individual roles effectively; they also need to be able to function effectively as team members to improve organizational performance. Smart organizations conduct regular needs assessments to ensure they are providing development opportunities that meet the needs of both individuals and various teams/departments.

Summer is also an excellent time to identify the tangible skills and intangible knowledge each employee will need to succeed and advance within your organization—do your employees know what they need to know to be promoted? Do you?

FALL: Performance Management/Giving Feedback
Once you’ve identified the skills and knowledge your employees need to grow, the next step is to provide continuous, effective feedback. The Wall Street Journal recently shared a tongue-in-cheek quiz confirming that, “Yes, Everyone Really Does Hate Performance Reviews.” Since it’s unlikely that most organizations will banish annual reviews, at a minimum you must ensure that your organization’s review process is effective, efficient, and as painless as possible.

Even more important, however, is making certain that your employees know how to give constructive feedback on an ongoing basis. Supervisors and managers are of course your front line reinforcement team and need to know how to coach and mentor effectively; you can also implement peer feedback and mentoring as well.

WINTER: Succession Planning
Now that you’ve brought your new employee on-board, identified what skills s/he needs to succeed, and implemented a cycle of continuous feedback, the next stage is to ensure your organization’s succession planning process supports the ongoing cycle and the return to spring. Quick: can your managers identify their “A” players by name? Can they tell you exactly what their “B” players need to make the A-team? Have they identified their direct reports who would be appropriate for reassignment to another role or to be let go?

Effective succession planning doesn’t need to be complicated or involve giant spreadsheets and 100-page reports. It does require ongoing assessment of your employees and that continuous feedback discussed in the fall. It requires an understanding of where your organization is going and how each individual team/department will contribute to that destination. And it requires your leadership team to know their role in the process.

Ensuring you have the appropriate training opportunities at each stage will position your organization to hire rock-solid performers, retain key talent, develop your employees, function more effectively, and help all of your acorns grow into mighty oaks!

Ashley Andrus is President of Zoe Training & Consulting. Her passion is making HR folks and meeting planners look like *rock stars* by providing one-stop access to 90+ speakers, trainers, facilitators, coaches, and consultants.

by Ashley Andrus

I recently took 7 little boys to play laser tag for my son’s 8^th birthday.  As I was headed out the door my friend and team expert Nora Burns (who very politely declined an invitation to come along) said, “I suspect there will be some life lessons learned with this adventure…”  She was totally right.

It’s not so much that there are brand-new lessons to be learned, but the experience was a good, solid reminder of what you can accomplish with sheer, unstoppable energy and a “you’re goin’ DOWN, Mary!” attitude.  You don’t need a college degree.  You don’t need to have read all the latest business best-sellers.  You don’t even need a driver’s license.

Here are the 3.5 reminders I walked away with:

1. DON’T QUIT.

You’re going to get tagged.  So?  5 seconds penalty then you’re right back in it.  Your parents told you not to quit.  Your high school counselor.  Your coach. Your teachers. Your best manager.  They were right.  Never-say-die doesn’t solve all problems, but it’s a pretty effective strategy for lots of real world endeavors.

Take negotiation.  Remember how you used to negotiate when you were a kid?  The high-level G8 talks went something like this:

YOU: Can I have some ice cream?
MOM: No.
YOU: But dinner isn’t for an hour.
MOM: No.
YOU: Dad would let me.
MOM: No.
YOU: But it’s like 90 degrees out.
MOM: No.
YOU: Please?
MOM: No.
YOU: Please please?
MOM: No.
YOU: Mmmoooommmmmm.  Come on.
MOM: Ok but only because you are driving me insane and you have to eat it outside and you can’t have ice cream again for a week and if you ask me for anything else today you are grounded until you are 12 and I mean it.
YOU:  Deal!

When’s the last time you negotiated like that in real life?  When’s the last time you said, “Come on, life…hit me” then you took the hit, shook it off, and jumped right back in the deep end of the pool?

2. WORK AS A TEAM.

You’re little.  You’re less experienced.  Your target-to-body-mass ratio is way less favorable.  But when four of you stick together and stalk a larger target (say…I don’t know…a slow-moving adult in a strobe-lit black light laser tag maze), it’s easy to turn the tables.  Most likely, your prey will run away, making it easy for you to shoot her in the back.  Even if the prey chooses fight over flight, honestly, she can only hit one of you at a time, while the other three of you fire at will.  There’s something to be said for throwing a sheer mass of resources at a project.

And another thing: you don’t need to be best friends to work together as a team.  Heck, you don’t even need to KNOW the other team members.  Size up the situation: other kids you don’t know playing?  Well, of COURSE the kids are going to team up on the adults.  They don’t have to have been best friends since kindergarten to instinctively know how to work together.  Futurist and trends expert Warren Evans observes “a core competency of tomorrow’s workforce will be the ability to work with strangers.”   The world is changing.  You aren’t going to work with the same folks for the next 15 years.  You may not even work with the same folks for the next 15 weeks! The Shift Happens folks have a thought-provoking video entitled “Did You Know?” about the future of technology and tomorrow’s workforce that’s well worth the 5 minutes to watch.

3. FOCUS ON YOUR GOAL…

…but stay flexible enough to shift targets rapidly. During the laser tag games the kids utilized the patented Amoeba Attack Strategy.  Those of you who have seen young kids play soccer may know it as “swarmball.”  It goes something like this: Follow an adult.  Fire mercilessly. Hit the target, wait the 5 second penalty, shoot again, take him down again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Oops, adult escapes through the maze. Find new adult.  Return to step 1.

The main goal never changes: take down an adult.  But the specific target—the precise individual—changes.  That happens in business, too.  Your organization’s objective might be to deliver world-class service. To manufacture cutting-edge products. To find a cure for cancer.  The top-line goal and strategy don’t typically change very often.  The specific tactics and tools available to you do.  Make sure you remain flexible enough to shift from lane to lane, going 80 MPH, without running off the highway.

3.5 HAVE FUN.

Really, that’s the whole point, isn’t it?  When you’re little, you plan the theme of your birthday party. You know exactly where you want to have it and who you’re going to invite. You envision the whole experience, and it’s awesome.  You smear icing on your face and gorge on ice cream.  You make funny faces with your friends.  You blow out your candles and make a wish. You laugh. And then you grow up and you forget that you still have that control.  You get to choose your career. The people you hang out with.  The attitude you bring to the table.

And if those things aren’t making you happy?  It’s never too late to start a new game.

Ashley Andrus is President of Zoe Training & Consulting. Her passion is making HR folks and meeting planners look like *rock stars* by providing one-stop access to 90+ speakers, trainers, facilitators, coaches, and consultants.

By Ashley Andrus and Linda Anderson

An April 2009 New York Times article confirmed that unemployed baby boomers are facing some steep odds in the current depressed job market. They noted, “workers ages 45 and over form a disproportionate share (pdf) of the hard-luck recession category, the long-term unemployed — those who have been out of work for six months or longer, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.” On the bright side, some seasoned workers have avoided layoffs as employers utilize a “last hired, first fired” practice to ensure they are avoiding age discrimination.

A May 2009 TIME article discusses age-based stereotyping and its impact on performance, and confirms that impact on older workers is real. Again on the flip side, the effect is offset when a positive stereotype or example is presented at the same time. Experience counts!

Job search advice runs the gamut from the obvious (“spell-check your resume”) to the creative (“think like a gourmet chef“). If your efforts have yet to produce the results you want, why not try something different? We’ve found several resources on the web to make your job search quicker and easier, with the following tips:

• KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR: If you don’t know where you’re going, all roads will get you there…or none will. Many transitioning workers find this an ideal time to reassess their skills and employment objectives—maybe it’s time for a change. Resources like ONetCenter.org and CareerOneStop.org offer a mind-boggling array of career exploration tools, including self-assessments to determine your Ability Profile and Career Interest Profile, among others.
• THEY’RE FROM THE GOVERNMENT…AND THEY’RE HERE TO HELP: The Federal Government is getting into the act as well. CareerVoyages.Gov provides a run-down on “hot” industries and occupations. Opportunity.gov provides a wide variety of resources from the Department of Labor for displaced workers, including a portal that will allow you to research opportunities for transferring your skills between related occupations.
• KEEP YOUR SKILLS CURRENT: When you stop learning, you stop growing. What have you done lately to enhance both your resume and your mind? Public workshops abound on just about every topic you can imagine, and many classes are low- or no-cost. Find something you’ve always wanted to learn and jump in with both feet! You can see some workshops with Zoe instructors here, on everything from Project Management to Twitter, and opportunities abound at local community colleges, county workforce centers, and more.
• AVOID SCAMMERS & SPAMMERS: With unemployment on the rise, job-hunt scams have unfortunately been on the increase as well. See here for a rundown of “The Dirty Dozen Dangerous Online Job Search Assumptions” to help steer clear of the bad guys.

As the late Miles Kington summed it up: “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad.” You’ve got the knowledge and the wisdom—figure out what kind of salad you’re looking for!

Ashley Andrus is President of Zoe Training & Consulting. Linda Anderson has served with Zoe Training in various roles over the past 14 years, and is currently webmaster and web content developer.

by Ashley Andrus

If you’re like most people, you finished that saying with, “…it’s WHO you know.”

That was true for a long time…but in the age of online social networking, it’s more accurate to say, “It’s not who YOU know, it’s who THEY know.” More than ever before, the internet makes it easy to access the networks and circles of influence of the people you know.

As networking expert Sarah Michel explains the equation in today’s market: The value of others + the value you bring to others = your netWORTH (™) . In this economic climate of free-falling 401(k) values, your network has become quite literally your netWORTH (™) . Are you putting social networking tools—especially LinkedIn and Twitter—to work for you?

There’s a catch, though. Too many people forget about the second variable in that equation (the value you bring to others) and focus exclusively on the first (what’s in it for me?) REAL WORLD TIP: The people you’re reaching out to don’t care what’s in it for you—they care about what’s in it for THEM.

Some quick tips on maximizing your efforts so your equation is balanced: 

THE GOOD:

• Success in HR outlines “15 Amazing, Sneaky Little Ways To Use LinkedIn to Advance Your HR Career”. Their pointers don’t apply just to HR folks. Anyone hunting for a job (especially a professional services-type position) will benefit from following these strategies.
• For tips on getting your LinkedIn profile in tip-top shape, see this overview from Mike O’Neill at Integrated Alliances (IA), an expert in maximizing your LinkedIn presence. Need more help? IA has a full step-by-step guide you can purchase here.
• For Twitter, see this About.com overview of resources for job seekers within Twitter. Remember that Twitter is also an excellent place to establish your expertise on whatever it is you happen to be an expert on.
• Whether online or in person, do some research upfront, tap into your network, and find ways to bring value to whomever you’re reaching out to or interviewing with. Success story shared by the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce: A guy goes in to a job interview—and he brings a possible sales lead for that company. He wasn’t applying for a job in sales; however, he demonstrated that he can bring value from the first moment he walked in the door. He got the job.

THE BAD:

• “I” is one of the most common words in the English language, but fight that urge–remember not to be “all about me”. I met a woman in transition recently at a networking function. When I asked how I might be able to help, she asked me if I would send a blast to all of my LinkedIn contacts about her. Less than 5 minutes after meeting me. Hmmm….let me think….no.

THE UGLY:

• Remember that once you put something out onto the Internet, it’s there for posterity. Posterity is another word for “forever”. That offhand comment, rant, or slam could come back to haunt you later. See ResumeBear’s “30 Ways to Lose Your Job on Twitter” for some real-world cautionary tales. (Thanks to @noraburns for tweeting that link!)

Even if you aren’t looking for a job right now, these same principles apply for using LinkedIn and Twitter for sales, business networking, and other applications…including building up relationships for when you DO need your next job!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a workshop! Opportunities abound, and here are two resources:

• Nora Burns will be offering “Twitter 101” at the Denver Jobing offices on May 4th and June 19th. Details in the blog post here.
• For LinkedIn, see the list of upcoming webinars and workshops with Integrated Alliances here.

Web 2.0 isn’t going away. Google is here to stay. Jump on that bandwagon and put “the folks who THEY know” to work for you!

Ashley Andrus is President of Zoe Training & Consulting. Her passion is making HR folks and meeting planners look like *rock stars* by providing one-stop access to 90+ speakers, trainers, facilitators, coaches, and consultants.

by Ashley Andrus and Linda Anderson

Though the State of Colorado’s unemployment rate grew to 7.2 percent in February 2009, there are still industries in the state that are thriving and adding employees in a variety of job categories.

The energy sector remains strong with a diverse range of career opportunities. According to a release on Thursday March 26th by Gov. Ritter’s office, “This week alone, Colorado has seen three straight days of new job announcements, which will create more than 1,600 clean energy and water jobs over the coming years.” Growing companies in this sector include organizations like The Water Company in Pueblo, Ascent Solar in Thornton, and Vestas Wind Systems in Brighton.

Organizations in this sector will receive an additional boost as stimulus funds begin to be infused into renewable energy technology and efficiency programs. Colorado’s new energy leadership — with its strong presence of renewable energy companies positioned across the state – is widely expected to provide an edge in the competition for federal stimulus dollars to promote the enhancement and growth of this new energy sector. Part of these funds is to be set aside for state energy programs that will provide career training to fill the numerous jobs being created by the new growth.

The public sector remains another fairly recession-proof industry, with opportunities in defense and education, among others. At the local level, Denver Public Schools this week raised ~$150 million in bonds for construction of new projects which are accepting construction bids beginning in April. State government stimulus efforts include $415 million approved by Gov. Ritter for 80+ transportation and transit projects around the state. On the federal side, to name just one opportunity, the US Census Bureau has begun hiring for up to 8000 jobs in Colorado for assistance with the 2010 Census. See here for a list of current openings.

The health care sector remains robust with opportunities from nursing to construction of new projects. A new health care coalition, “We Work for Health in Colorado,” was recently announced to promote medical innovation in Colorado and to take advantage of the potential for job creation and economic growth. The coalition consists of a network of 28 partner organizations from local business, labor, government, academic, and health care groups, and seeks to create well-paying jobs in the biotech and bioscience industries within the state.

Finally, spots of bright news can be seen in every industry—for example, although home sales are down, homeowners are reinvesting to boost value by remodeling, building new decks and other outdoor structures, and enhancing their landscaping. As national mortgage rates hit an all-time low this week, refinancing activity has increased, and new home sales in February were higher than predicted. As organizations in all sectors continue to do more with less, demand for project management and business analyst skills are on the rise. Focus job search efforts on these growth sectors and mini-sectors for best results.

Ashley Andrus is President of Zoe Training & Consulting. Linda Anderson has served with Zoe Training in various roles over the past 14 years, and is currently webmaster and web content developer.