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May 17, 2012

Night of the Coaches

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On June 30, 2011, New York Women in Communications hosted its annual Night of the Coaches: High-Powered, Career-Enhancing Conversation, Tips and Networking. The popular event was back for a third year, but with an expanded focus. At this evening of small-group discussions featuring New York Women in Communications coaches and communications industry leaders, there were six roundtables of interest to communications professionals at all stages of their careers, plus six industry-focused roundtables aimed primarily at students and young professionals. Each participant selected two roundtable discussions and had the opportunity to network before and after. 

Following is a break down of the tables and a few highlights, compiled by Ginny Pulos, Linda Levi, Robbie McKeon, Alison Crisp Stockley and Zoe King. All videos by Stephanie Rushford.


Roundtables for All Members:

Branding Yourself for Success: 3 Steps for Taking Command of Your Brand with Diane Baranello, Principal, Coaching for Distinction
What is a personal brand and why does it matter? The discussion focused on the importance of recognizing yourself as a brand and the impact a personal brand can have on career success.Here are a few of Diane's tips:

  • Build your brand on your core strengths and values. Know what you stand for. 
  • Write a strong personal value statement. If you don’t know what you stand for, now one else will either. What are the words that describe your strengths? 
  • Define yourself around what makes you unique, what sets you apart. Develop a plan that differentiates you from the competition. Blending is not an option.
  • Communicate an authentic and consistent image in all you do and across all platforms. Build a marketing strategy around a core image including a powerful positioning statement, personal pitch, memorable brand statement, consistent message in social media and a confident image. It all counts!
  • If you work with a branding coach, he or she will help you discover what sets you apart and will help you develop a narrative around that.

 

 

 

Job Search Strategies for the Seasoned Professional wth Terry R. Yoffe, CPCC, PCC, TRY Coaching, LLC; and Wendy Best, Managing Director, Recruiting, HR Consulting Division, The Forum Group
Experienced communicators learned how to reposition themselves to stand out in today's competitive job market. The discussion centered on how to package individual strengths and experiences to create more opportunities. Here are a few of their tips:

  • Searching for a job, whether you are a seasoned professional, a new college graduate or anywhere in between, is more or less the same.   
  • Don’t neglect traditional networking. Have an agenda filled with specific goals and objectives; ten be assertive and consistent about execution. Call and meet with people who can potentially help you (and in turn who you may help) and be specific and direct about your needs. 
  • Always be networking with family, friends, professional colleagues, second and third-degree contacts, etc. Job hunting is a 24/7 job so never be “off duty” or give up.
  • It’s 2011! Take full advantage of social media networking and use all the tools available (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter). Fill out your profile completely. They are “online calling cards” that can lead you to connections that can reap rewards.
  • Know and package your strengths. Work to sell what makes you special and unique so you will stand out and be seen as someone who must be hired. 
  • Avoid negativity. Seek out positive, supportive people.
  • Find and follow your passion. Test new waters perhaps by volunteering or joining a committee. The effort could lead to a new job or even a new career. 
  • Be open to opportunities, be flexible, be confident — and fake it if you must.

 

 

 

Expanding and Using Your Network: Gaining New Skills to Produce Results with Belinda Plutz, Principal, Career Mentors, Inc.
People hire people, so knowing how to successfully grow and use your network enhances confidence and produces results in a job search or any new business venture. Here a few of Belinda's tips:

  • Networking is “not about contacts, it’s about contact.” The goal is to develop a mutually-beneficial professional relationship.
  • Network for information, not a job. Say that you are seeking “connections” or “advice” or “perspective.” These are more comfortable topics for conversation.  
  • It’s better to go in “warm” than “cold.” Use the name of a mutual acquaintance to get a warmer reception.
  • Be persistent — it usually takes five “touches” to reach someone. Keep following up, and “vary the touch” (e.g., e-mail, then phone).
  • Be other-involved, not self-involved. Don’t just ask for help — offer your help as well. And “a ‘thank you’ is huge.”
  • Network for life. It only takes two touches a year to maintain a professional relationship.

 

 

 

Getting What YOU Want: How to Negotiate for a Job, a Raise or a Promotion with Alexandra Duran, MSW, CSW, JD, Founder/CEO, Duran Consulting
Attendes learned how to negotiate effectively: Leave less money on the table, gain respect in the process and acquire the right negotiation skills to deliver the best results regardless of market conditions. Here are a few of Alexandra's tips:

  • Know your relationship to money, journal about it and dissect how your earliest memories about money are affecting your bottom line today. Discuss these beliefs with a good friend, and ask for their support.
  • If you don’t understand how your thoughts about money are running you, you’ll be negotiating against yourself.
  • Write it all down to become conscious, because we telegraph our issues with money to everyone we encounter. They easily figure us out and when they do, they can use that information to manipulate us in the workplace or out of it.
  • When you negotiate, recognize that you’ll be working with that person afterward, so keep the tone of the relationship in mind as well as your stated goal.
  • Don’t just negotiate a salary. Negotiate authority and resources to accomplish goals. You can have the first, but if you don’t have the other two, you’ll be gone in no time. Expand the parameter of the job and you’ll get more resources drawn to it. The more resources and authority — more value, hence more salary.
  • Be yourself. You’re always better being you in a situation rather than trying to be somebody else. 
  • To avoid becoming “the bitch,” say the tough stuff privately. Know your place and your value if you speak it publicly.
  • Ask: “Can we sweeten the pot?” (“because the figure I had in mind was . . . “)
  • RESEARCH the field, the company, the position, the turnover, the pay scale for the top person in that position. If the head of PR makes $200K, you’ll never make more than that.
  • If you can’t find the info, say, because it’s a privately held company, ask them to tell you about these things before you begin negotiating. Ask,“What’s in the bucket for that position? What have you set aside?”
  • If they ask for a salary number, say, “you’re hiring me for X, Y, Z and because you think I’m smart and you think I’m going to tell you my number????” And stick to it.
  • In online applications, never fill out the salary demand. Instead, find the person in the company you’d want to work for and send him or her your info and proposition directly.

 

 

 

 

The Power of Social Media: 10 Smart Ways to Use Social Media with Kendra Bracken-Ferguson, Co-Founder/Managing Director, Digital Brand Architects
The way we use social media sites can help or harm in our job search and career path. Attendees got tips for using social media wisely and tapping into various social media platforms. Here are a few of Kendra's tips:

  • Use the vast reach of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to network your way into a new job or career.
  • Take advantage: social media help you very quickly build your contact list and networking base.  
  • Don’t be timid or afraid to network online. Tell people you are job hunting.
  • Choose your privacy settings carefully so potential employers don’t see anything they shouldn’t.
  • Use LinkedIn and Twitter to research hiring managers and industries.
  • Hyperlink your resume and include your Twitter handle and LinkedIn URL.
  • Be strategic with Facebook lists.
  • Create the online connections you need to land your next job. 
  • Join industry groups online and then participate. Industry chats online will keep you up to date, showcase your expertise and help in networking. 
  • Seek out job advice online. Follow career experts on Twitter, link to their Facebook pages, etc.
  • Most important: Have a specific goal when using social media tools for your job search. If you are new to these tools, get over your fears, start small as it can appear overwhelming at first, and then grow usage over time. 

 

 

 

Charting a New Course: What to Think About When Changing Career Direction with Rory Kelly Connor, CEO/Founder/President, Can You Imagine Life Coaching™LLC.
Attendees learned how to get clarity on work values, skill sets, unique gifts and talents, preferred working environment and structure, helping them explore and navigate new career directions. Here a few of Rory's tips:

 

  • Get clarity about your work values, skills sets, unique talents, preferred working environment, priorities and needs, and the reason for wanting to change direction.
  • Develop S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-Limited) goals for changing direction.
  • Know your marketplace and explore all options for a career change. Attend networking events, reach out to experts in the field to conduct informational interviews, read industry publications and take a class to get your feet wet.
  • Create a strategic plan of action that includes long-term goals, short-term objectives and immediate next steps to transition from where you are to where you want to be.
  • Ask for help if you need guidance by hiring a coach with expertise in career transition. Seek out and connect with those that are doing the job that you want.

 

 
Roundtables for Students and Young Professionals:


Advertising with Sarah DaVanzo, The Kaplan Thaler Group
According to the Millward Brown report in Adweek, "there has been a 246% increase in Facebook's brand value since 2010."  Attendees explored the role of social media in advertising and learned how technology was also changing branding and how today's culture has influenced and changed advertising since the days of Mad Men.

Click here for more from Sarah DaVanzo 

 

Digital Marketing/Communications with Ivy Li, Social Media Producer at Scholastic Inc.
In the rapidly expanding world of communications, digital communications is becoming more and more important to professionals in our industry. How do you communicate in an ever-changing world, when new technology is replaced nearly daily? Attendees gained insight into this new industry and how to work in communications in the digital age. Here are a few of Ivy's tips:

 

 

 

 

Film & Television with Kafi Drexel, Health and Fitness reporter, NY1
The focus of this table was the ins and outs of this fascinating industry: From on-location shoots to early morning segments and the production behind a top-rated news program, attendees learned how to break into the fast-paced world of TV and Film. Here a few of Kafi's tips: 

 

 

 

Journalism — Magazines with Jennifer Goldstein, Health and Beauty Director at Prevention magazine
Attendees learned about the changes in magazines, and how editors are using social media in their publications to reach their target audiences. Here a few of Jennifer's tips:

  • Learn about your readers, and ultimately your customers, through social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter.
  • Media brands tend to have good relationships with customers because they provide a service. For example, Preventionis not only a magazine but a brand as well, selling products such as coupon books and $1.99 Ebooks.
  • Maintain integrity to foster a good relationship with your readers; readers tend to know when you put out sub-par material.
  • Develop a voice in your writing, even when producing freelance material.

 

 

 

 

Journalism — Newspaper with Patricia Kitchen, Newsday reporter
How is traditional newspaper journalism changing? Are new technologies influencing the conversation in politics, the media, as news consumers around the nation and globally seek the truth? Attendees heared the latest perspective on these issues, how to break into newspaper journalism and see their byline in print. Here are a few of Patricia's tips:

  • It is important to be competent with technological skills in this age of the “digital newsroom.”   
  • Journalists need to have the full package: journalists with a variety of skills in multimedia are much more valuable than those without.
  • Use good judgment when reporting.
  • You have to know people. Connect with people on places like LinkedIn; get noticed by the people that you want to eventually work for.
  • Use social media sites and blogs to create a “digital portfolio of your work.”
  • When you’re facing writer’s block, observe the outside world and “program” inspiration; “trust your ideas.”

 

Public Relations with Chiara Coletti, Director of Communications for the Council of School Supervisors and Administrators
How are social media, SEO and blogs being used to garner leads for business? Attendees explored the latest unique tactics and strategies being employed by highly talented PR agency professionals, how the rapidly changing world of public relations has changed and how to get into the field. Here are few of Chiara's tips:

 

 

Slideshow images ©maryannerussell.com. No usage without permission. View more photos here.