Five Reasons to Plan a Professional Conference

I was recently named registration chair for a regional coaching conference to be held this summer, and I couldn't be more thrilled with this opportunity. See, I love attending conferences: networking with other professionals, engaging in informative education sessions, learning new skills, staying abreast with industry trends...they serve to "light my professional fire." But being on the planning team for a conference boosts this even further. Why should you consider helping to plan a professional conference?

In-depth networking: It's one thing to meet someone at a conference and have a series of nice conversations over lunch or during an educational program. But planning a conference enables you to get to know a set of professionals sooner, longer, and the quality of your interactions are more in-depth. They get a sense of you as a professional: your interests, your drive,  your passion, and your experience. The relationships you make can last you a lifetime, and those relationships can result in wonderful career opportunities for you and for them.

Solve new problems: In the workplace, the problems you solve can become too familiar after some time, with the same issues being tackled by the same individuals and groups. Planning a conference creates a "shock" to your system where the problems are newer, the environment fresh, and you are challenged in different ways.

Use different skills: Similar to the point above,  you become used to using a certain set of skills in your current occupation. When planning a conference, however, you employ new or different skills to tackle the new problems you are confronted with. In my role as registration chair, I see spreadsheets, technology-issues, and essential communication between myself and other conference attendees in my future. I look forward to doing something different and in a different context in service of my professional community.

Resume booster: Helping to plan a conference should most certainly go on your resume as a professional development activity. The initiative you conveyed, accomplishments you achieved, skills utilized, and problems solved help to show you in another professional lens, one that you want to profile to future employers.

Free or discounted registration: It isn't uncommon to receive free or discounted registration for a conference when on the planning committee. This is a nice perk, but don't let it be the primary driving factor of why you participate: you will be disappointed quickly because the time you put in to plan doesn't begin to cover the costs. Rather, see what you are doing in light of the first three points. You'll be happier for it, and the registration will simply be the cherry on top of the professional sundae you've created.

So what are you waiting for? Contact a professional organization in your field today, find out when their next conference is, and volunteer!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• 6 Steps for Rekindling Your Career in 2013: "Tis the season to begin thinking about New Year's resolutions. Get a jump start on your career and professional development by including some of these items to your list."


• 8 Tips for How to Ask for a Raise: "Don’t just go storming into your manager’s office and pound your fist on their desk asking for more pay.  Keep track of your performance as you go through the year.  Gather data and statistics that clearly demonstrate your contributions."


• 14 Ways to Stay Focused at Work Through the Holidays: "
  Avoid multitasking. Work on one project at a time ... 
  In addition, try to avoid working on personal and work-related tasks at the same time
  ."


• 6 Lessons From a Work-From-Home Mom and CEO: "There are countless studies that show working from home can be more productive than working in a traditional office setting with benefits such as fewer interruptions from colleagues, less office politics to deal with, a work environment that's in your control, etc. BUT, in order to benefit from these, you really need to be disciplined with your focus and time."


• How to Win New Contacts and Job-Search Allies at Holiday Parties: "Make sure you follow through with anything you said you'd do during your first conversation and don't squander potential opportunities by failing to keep in touch. When you do, you'll have a better chance of adding new allies to your job search efforts."

How to Turn Down a Job Offer

Throughout your interview process, you want to leave a positive impression, which can also be construed as being very interested in the position. However, you may come to the conclusion that the job is not right for you. Regardless of your reasons, declining a job offer can prove to be a very awkward situation.

According to Forbes.com, the following tips can be useful if you need to turn down a job offer.

Be sincere and show your appreciation:  Stay positive and let the employer know what interested you in the job and the company in the first place. Remember to thank the hiring manager for the opportunity.  Don’t have an attitude, and don’t burn any bridges. Be respectful of the company and what it has to offer.

Be prepared to give an explanation:  Make sure you have well-thought-out rationale for turning down the job. Be prepared to explain why it was not the right job for you, and cite some specific reasons.

Be timely:  If you decide to decline the opportunity, do so within the week it was offered. This is especially true if the company spent a lot of time and money on your interview and the hiring process. The rejection should be via phone, not email. Speak to the hiring manager, if possible. If the hiring manager is unavailable, promptly send a letter to all those whom you spoke with at the interview. 

A professional attitude can go a long way. You never know. Sometime in the future, you may be considering the same company again for a different position. Keep the door open by showing diplomacy and respect.

5 Strategies to Turn Your Temporary Holiday Job into Permanent Employment

I have seen more help wanted signs around in the last few weeks than ever before. For a job seeker, this is the perfect time to land a position, get your foot in the door, and attempt to turn that temp job into something more long-term. According to the American Staffing Association, as many as 18% of temp jobs annually are converted to permanent positions. Work hard, communicate assertively and be resourceful and you may just have this same success.

More companies than ever are using the "try before you buy" approach to hiring. They use staffing agencies to evaluate their workforce before offering them full-time, permanent positions. Take advantage of your first few days on the job to create positive impressions with your employer. Use this temporary opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge, competence and ability to be a productive member of the team. Here are some other key strategies you should employ.

• Make sure you are not another of the temporary employee masses. Establish clear expectations of your performance and know your priorities by meeting with your boss. Build rapport with your coworkers, try to fit into the team, learn their names and roles, and try to find some common ground with them. Learn as much as you can about the company culture.
• Don't think of yourself or act like "just a temp", treat this job the same way you would a permanent position. Find ways that you can contribute to the organization. Approach every task and assignment with a positive attitude. Find a way to exceed expectations and stand out from the crowd.
• If you finish your assigned tasks, ask what else you can do to help. Communicate your willingness and ability to take on extra responsibilities and ask to be cross-trained in other areas. Your goal is to make sure they can't stand the thought of losing you when your assignment is over. 
• Take time to understand why and how things are done. Ask questions, gain knowledge, and understand the organizations structure and policy. This way you can look for ways to add value and make suggestions that increase efficiency or cut costs.
• Clearly communicate your desire to become a permanent employee. Your employer may assume you are satisfied with being a temporary employee. Ensure your supervisors and the human resources team know your goals by conveying your wish to join their organization permanently.

Should You Negotiate Salary - Even in a Tough Job Search Market?

I admit that until just recently my answer to this question would have been a resounding "yes." I have always taught job seekers that if you don't negotiate salary when an offer is made then you are leaving money on the table. However, the job market has been challenging the last few years, to say the least, and my answer has changed from "always" to "most of the time."

For those of you that follow me on this blog, you know I have been in an interview process for a part-time teaching job recently. I received a job offer last week and was faced with this very question - to negotiate or not. Let's examine the reasons whether or not to negotiate that I considered when making this decision.

When to Negotiate
A recent article on www.salary.com suggested that around 80% of organizations expect salary negotiations to occur and they leave themselves some wiggle room in the initial offer. A counter-offer that is based in research and backed up with concrete facts and demonstrates the value you offer to the company is most always well-received. Here are some situations when you should take advantage of salary negotiations:

• If you have conducted your research into the going rates and the offer you received is well below the market standard, then you may have a case for asking for higher compensation. 
• If you can demonstrate measurable ways that you can benefit the company (i.e. increased sales, improved profits, or reduced safety violations) you can show why you deserve more salary.
• Companies often offer a salary range at which they are willing to hire you in the interview process. If you have more than 5 years of experience, but you are offered a position at the lower end of the scale, you should consider negotiating salary. Once again, discuss the experience and value you offer.
• Consider negotiating more than just salary. Think about education reimbursements, benefits, car or travel allowances, and additional paid vacation when negotiating.

When Not to Negotiate
I recently read an article where the hiring manager stated that she would rescind an offer if the person seemed to be negotiating salary without sufficient justification, proof of their value or worth, and with no evidence of how they could add value to her organization. In other words, don't just automatically negotiate salary; always conduct your research and see if you have a valid point.

If the company provides you with a range of salary in the interview, they usually ask you if that range is acceptable to you. If you say yes, and they offer you the high end of that range, it will be thought of negatively if you try to negotiate a higher salary. Once again, conducting research before you even begin the interview is very important. This way you are prepared to gauge whether or not the company's salary range is in line with industry standards and can raise the issue early in the process.

Reinventing Yourself in a New Position

In my last post, I gave tips on what to do when transitioning out of a position and into a new one. The big theme of that post was "preparation," namely to help the work unit you are leaving prepare for your departure through creating a transition plan with your supervisor, documenting procedures, and training your replacement. The Daily Leap is a fount of knowledge when it comes to transitioning into your new position, with great, timely tips here and here and here. There is one aspect of starting a new job, however, that is critical but understated: the potential for reinvention.

In your current role you are a part of a work culture, with certain norms and expectations. You develop practices that meet those characteristics and that fit your style of doing work. A new position provides a moment to reflect on what you are now and who you want to be regarding this new opportunity. In what areas would you like to improve or change? Do you want to develop new work practices, like saying thank you more? Before you start a new position, spend some time reflecting on these questions:

In what ways did I perform in my old position that reflected my core strengths? 

How did I let good and bad habits infiltrate my work in my old position?

If I start my old position over again, what would I change?

What challenges excite me about this new position?

What do I want others to say about me a month into my new position? A year?

What would initiative in my new position look like?

What key relationships do I need to develop to help me become successful in my new position?

The questions  are endless, and the endeavor important. View a new position as a way to create a new reputation for yourself professionally through changing those aspects of your professional character that need changing.

Have any better questions to share? Do so in the comments below!

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share these every weekend so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

© Bellemedia | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos

• Second Acts: Turning Your Passion Into a Paycheck: "For many who have spent their first half working for other people, the soul-searching often leads to entrepreneurship."


• The Skills Gap That's Slowing Down Your Career: If your speed bump is a lack of the right skills, it helps to first do a quick cost/benefit analysis to see if investing in an upgrade will be worth it."


• How to Build an Antifragile Career: "Most of you will fail, disrespected, impoverished, but we are grateful for the risks you are taking and the sacrifices you are making for the sake of the economic growth of the planet and pulling others out of poverty."


• Success Will Come and Go, But Integrity is Forever: "Building a reputation of integrity takes years, but it takes only a second to lose, so never allow yourself to ever do anything that would damage your integrity."


• A Better Way to Plan Your Career: "To prepare for whatever surprises lie ahead, try to make choices today that will maximize your options in the future. Gain transferable expertise — in the classroom or at work — and form close bonds with your peers and colleagues."