Paul Eckert Development

A Career Management Primer For People Over 40

Paul Eckert Primer For People Over 40 By Tony Jacowski.

Actually, the age factor is now a myth. The advantages of being a worker over forty are many, including having stronger work ethics, higher productivity, more patience, and a higher level of willingness to learn.

In addition, older workers often have a better, more cooperative attitude than younger associates.

Dispelling the Age Myth

Primarily, the age aspect can be overcome by marketing yourself well. The richness of experience that you have is your greatest strength. Having had varied job positions contribute to your qualifications, as you have been exposed to a varied strata of people, situations and work settings.

All this helps in a number of ways – such as problem solving, making presentations, writing reports and meeting high work standards and expectations. With specialized industrial expertise, employee reliability and empowerment to gauge situational angles, this age group is viewed positively by many employers.

All in all, general life wisdom possessed by workers over 40 contributes to their ability to handle different, complex business situations.

Managing Your Career

An important point to remember is that if you are over 40, you are in the prime of your career, as long as you keep updating yourself with the latest skills and on the newest advances in technology.

With updated information, you will definitely be able to prove yourself an asset any company. Your experience and familiarity with varied responsibilities will bet the most important aspect of what you have to offer.

If you perceive that your age could be a problem with a particular company, makes sure that you understand what concerns the interviewer may have. Chances are that if you project a professional image and are positive and upbeat, they will see that you are the right person to handle that particular job with the efficiency that they expect.

Career Management for People Over 40

Simply put, career management is about regularly reviewing your skills, interests and financial needs and what you’d like to do over the next five years. Just as a business needs to plan its direction, finances and look at the big picture, so also is the case with each individual jobseeker.

Guidelines for Career Management

-Your aim should always be to look five years ahead.

-Your career path, in terms of direction, should be determined.

-Stepping stones or promotions are important to get you to your goal.

-Study, in combination with your regular job, will helps with developing a new career.

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It is Important to Network in this Business Climate

By Paul Eckert

As we look at the landscape of our industry, you will probably find that the average franchisor has limited resources to work with. That is why it is always prudent to look at just what resources we should allocate to any endeavor.  We are living in a very unique period of time, one that affects both our economy and the business environment as a whole.  As things get more challenging, we all tend to look even harder at just how we can be more efficient with both our time and our money. At times, we may feel that it’s time to cut our costs and slash all unnecessary spending. This is exactly what is happening all around the country in every organization, large and small.

In today’s economy, many business owners only want to evaluate activity with what directly and immediately affects their balance sheet. Discretionary spending is a term that we all use in our budget meetings, but the decisions that we make to balance our budget can deeply impact the growth of our business. So it is important to properly evaluate and identify just what items are important to the growth of your individual organization. All too often, in an effort to curb travel costs, the necessity to attend conferences and other industry functions are questioned.  To some, the expenses related to attending these functions and other opportunities to network are viewed as something not vital or essential to the operation of their business.  This shortsighted approach does not serve us well. There is an old saying “No man or woman is an island”.  We need to take full advantage of every opportunity to network with others.

Why is this so important?  Let me give you one example.  You may have had a certain predisposition toward a particular idea or area of operating your business for years. You feel that this path has worked for you and you’re going to stay the course. It’s the old “Dance with the one that brung ya” mentality. Often the people that work for you know how you think and they may shy away from challenging your tried and true positions on a variety of business issues. This can lead to trouble for you and your organization.  With this attitude, how can you ever open yourself up to new and exciting ideas and products that can enrich and grow your business?  You need to challenge yourself and you need to be challenged to think out of the box.   It probably will never happen in the comfortable confines of your office.

And that is why attending conferences such as the International Franchise Association’s yearly convention is so vital. Here you will find a large gathering of individuals who are facing the same challenges in the same industry as you are.  It is a unique opportunity to gain many different perspectives on a variety of issues facing you every day. The old adage that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results has never been more relevant to the time that we find ourselves in right now. The rules of the road have changed. The way we operate and grow our business has to change. We need to have open mind flexibility about how we make decisions. We need to understand that innovative and new approaches are the order of the day.

How do we best prepare our business and ourselves for the future?  We need to talk and share ideas with others.  We need to disagree, agree to disagree, but most importantly, we need to think. When we go to a large convention, we not only have a program that is designed to get us to look at the key issues of the day, such as what we have with the IFA, but we also get the benefit of sharing ideas with many who face the same challenges that we face every day.

How do you put a price tag on that?  It is as the TV commercial says “Priceless”. You never know when and where and from whom the next great idea you hear will come from. But there is a high probability that the process will begin by networking with your peers. And large groups can lead to great ideas that can lead to even greater results and all the benefits that come from that.

How can you get the most benefit from networking at an IFA convention?  You have to approach this opportunity with the right frame of mind and the right mindset.  It has to be more then just a chance to get away for a few days, with a main focus of catching up with old friends and acquaintances. That’s not maximizing your time or your effectiveness at networking.  That might be the reason some may put networking way down on the budgetary list.

Preparation is key!  You need to have a plan of action for every networking opportunity that presents itself.  Here are a few questions that you can ask yourself:  What problems have I encountered that I would like to get feedback on?  How are others addressing these same issues?  What key areas am I most interested in obtaining more information about – finance, operations, franchise relations, development, marketing, legal, new products, or new vendors?  Prioritize your time. You can’t talk to every single person about every issue, so distill your action plan to two or three main items.  Then determine whom you would like to discuss these items with.  Why not get involved and volunteer to be part of a committee?  Don’t be afraid to take the time to participate. Remember, the closer the connections you make with those in the industry, the better your understanding of current and future challenges will be.  Make your plan and work your plan.

Don’t think that these ideas are reserved just for large conferences. Take the networking mindset local. Reach out to the business community in your area. Many independent entrepreneurs can give you insight on how your franchisees might be feeling about things in general. You will get this in an unfiltered way that will enable you to be aware of things that you had not observed before.

The real danger for Franchisor’s doing business in these economic times is in thinking that everyone is still on the same page. With the issues of obtaining good lead flow and the difficulty in obtaining financing, it is imperative that you have a clear understanding of how you and your brand is viewed in the market place.   Work closely with the consultant networks if this is part of your development strategy.  Often they are on the front line and know what candidates are thinking.  In the current environment, it is vital to understand how your business model plays in this economy. You may need to set up a mini conference to exchange thoughts on how your brand is looked at by franchisee candidates and your customers as well.

I hear many business owners talk about scaling back, cutting their development budgets, pairing back on staff, etc. This may all be necessary and prudent in your particular situation. But before you make any decision, make sure that you are looking at more than just numbers. Make sure you take into account all of the facts. By expanding your efforts in networking, you can help round out your decision making process.  In most cases, the decisions you make now will have long lasting ramifications for the future. You have to get it right. Remember, none of us are an island. We need to talk, listen, exchange ideas, encourage, and yes sometimes even commiserate, with one another. Take the time and make the effort to network now more than ever.

Paul W. Eckert is CEO and founder of Family Financial Centers and Philly’s Own Soft Pretzel Bakery.  He is a member of the IFA’s Franchise Relations Committee.  He can be reached at 215-230-5508 or paul@familyfinancialcenters.com.

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Family Financial Centers  “The Franchise for our Time”

By Paul Eckert

With the current economic slide, many would-be entrepreneurs are unsure as to what business they should go into.  So many business models find themselves in a downward trend.  There is, however, one exception – Family Financial Centers.  We service the individual who lives paycheck to paycheck.  We provide a needed and vital service to this ever-growing segment of the population.

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LinkedIn and Your Career Development

Paul Eckert – Using LinkedIn By Peggy Murrah and Chris Muccio

LinkedIn is more than just another social networking site in the Internet. It can actually help you in your career development. There are around 20 million professionals connected by LinkedIn. With millions of professionals out there that you can connect with, you can make your career grow with the help of LinkedIn and other professionals.

Your LinkedIn profile maybe considered as your online resume. As a professional, your educational background, your organizational and company affiliations and other important professional information may be shown in your LinkedIn profile. This way, other professionals and employers can easily learn who you are and what you have to offer.

You can also increase your visibility by adding keywords that are related to your profession and to what you do best as a professional. If employers and people who are looking for a resource person related to your field will search for those keywords, you get a better chance of being the first person on the list.

Connect and grow your network. From your email address book, you can easily add friends to your LinkedIn network. You can also search friends who were employed by the same company you are connected with right now. There should be at least 50 people in your first degree connection in order for you to maximize your use of LinkedIn. Anything less than this would just make you another one of those less effective users of LinkedIn.

Use LinkedIn Answers to the Max. Just like Yahoo Answers!, LinkedIn has LinkedIn Answers that allows people to post questions to the network. If you have any concern in your career development or in the way you do your work, you can just use this feature and solicit answer from all sorts of professionals in your network. You can also answer the questions posted by other people in the network so that people can notice what you know and what you have to offer.

LinkedIn is one of the best features of Web 2.0. It connects people and gives them a chance to get together for professional and work-related reasons. With its 20 million users worldwide, it would be great to connect and promote your own professional expertise.

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Management Studies In Career Development – Reasons For Its Importance

Paul Eckert Management Studies By Abhishek Agarwal

If you answered YES to the above question, then you just might be the best person to offer sufficient and viable solutions by assisting these tired souls locate what they need, and you may as well be sure of making big success in this career development business. But one thing that you need to learn before plunging deep into the world of career development and planning business is management studies. The Function of management studies course in career development is mostly overlooked by people already in the business of career management. They tend to focus more on getting their clients any old job position they can disregard of the function of management studies in those careers. It’s to understand that people personalities differ greatly and some maybe best fit for management positions than they are as regular employees. If you understand the functions of management studies in career improvement good for you, because you will be better positioned to place your clients in right job positions that please them with your services.

The very first thing you should think about when it comes to the functions of management studies in career development are the core characteristics required for a job in management role. A good example is that fine and excellent managers are often good leaders. If you come into contact with a person at your career management establishment that says they posses fine leadership skills, then consider them fit for managerial position. Another characteristic of good managers is the ability to motivate others. If they are adept at making people feel competent about their jobs and also lead them to getting some good work done, then they are most likely to make excellent managers. You will discover that the function of management studies in career development is an essential one. Some personalities are better suited to certain business roles than other. If a person best fit for a management role is placed in a non-management career, they are apt to end feeling very underutilized and unfulfilled. Should this happen, then you would have done a very bad job, because you placed matched them with a wrong career.

Functions of management studies in career growth can be learnt from different places. Books are available on the subject in most libraries and bookshops. They are mostly located in the business, career development and management sections there. A wealth of information on the same can also be obtained from the internet. We have sites that have been specially designed to focus in the career development business.

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Career Management – Revealing Its Options And Opportunities

Revealing Paul Eckert Options And Opportunities By Abhishek Agarwal

One confusing and rather elusive business is career management, or more precisely called “career planning.” Anyone needs career management; however, only not many people employ or do it. Why? Because many just don’t know how important career management is. A lot of people think that they need not seek other people’s help for they can find suitable jobs for themselves. To find out if career planning would benefit you, you have to know the definition of career management. Actually, career management has more than one definition. The meaning is actually dependent on your purpose: are you planning for a new job or are you looking for ways to develop your present job? To find out what will be good for you, you should search for the meaning of career management. Then you will know if you need career planning or not, and if you do need it, what kind do you exactly need.

Are you contented with your present job? The likelihood is that you are not. Your happiness or contentment should be the first thing you consider. Many workers do not love their existing career for different reasons. Some may have the opinion that they are underpaid; a few may have problems with their colleagues; and others may not like the work in general. Regardless of whatever reason you may have for disliking your work, you can acquire assistance from experts in career management that give this kind of service or from career management centers. They can either find a better career that will fit you well, or they can help you move up the corporate ladder in your present company. That entirely relies on what you want. Once you know the meaning of career management, you will see that everything that occurs to you is rooted in the kind of employee you are, the kind of money you want to be making, and the things that interests you. Based on those things, a good career manager will assist you in searching for a career that contains all of those criteria. Once the career managers have worked everything out, you will feel a lot satisfied not only with your career but also with everything about yourself.

Seeing things through the usual definition of career management, anyone could gain advantage from this service. It is highly improbable that you are absolutely satisfied with your present job in all its aspects. Therefore, you should visit the career management centers near you.

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9 Keys to Job Search & Career Success

Paul Eckert Job Search & Career Success By: Michelle Dumas

n recent months, the job market has become increasingly competitive. But even as the economy slows, and there are increasing numbers of job seekers in the job market, there are many professionals who have been incredibly successful in conducting fast, effective job searches. What do they have in common? How are they doing it? Here are nine tips to speed your own job search and drive it to a fast, successful conclusion.

Know what you want and go after it. Starting a job search without knowing what you want will almost certainly end in frustration. Think about it: If you don’t know what you want and what your job target is, how will you know who to contact and how to conduct your search? If you are uncertain about your career goals, it is critical that you spend some time and energy now – before launching your search – on self-introspection and analysis. Knowing what YOU want, what YOU are passionate about, and what YOU bring to the table will provide you with a confidence that simply can’t and won’t be matched by many of your competitors in the job market. This is the crucial first step to any job search and is essential for long-term career success as well.

Know and sell your personal brand. When you think about your next career move, how would things be different for you if employers and recruiters actually sought you out? Personal branding (the process of clarifying and communicating what makes you and your unique value proposition different and special) allows you to make a name for yourself. It differentiates you from your peers and helps to position you as a leader in your field – as a specialist and an authority who knows how to do a job and fill a particular niche in the workplace better than anyone else. Once you are clear on your personal brand, you can use it to project a cohesive brand image and value proposition throughout all your job search activities, and do so in a way that addresses the specific concerns of your target audience. By knowing and promoting your brand, you achieve instant, precision-like focus that positions you as the ideal candidate for the specific type of opportunity that interests you. You gain immediate competitive advantage.

Be able to clearly articulate who you are and what you have to offer. While this may feel uncomfortable to you, the simple truth is that a job search is a sales and marketing campaign: a sales and marketing campaign in which YOU are the product. Through the process of personal branding, you must identify what differentiates you and paint a compelling portrait of your unique value proposition. But, don’t stop with just promoting this in your resume and then become tongue-tied when someone asks about you and your candidacy. You will hear the “what do you do?” or “tell me about yourself?” questions over and over, both during your job search and throughout your entire career. Don’t wing it! Preparation is the key to confidence and the key to making a lasting, positive, and memorable first impression. Be ready with a 30-60 second pitch that immediately and confidently conveys to the listener who you are as a professional and what it is that you offer.

Make their first impression your best impression. Take a hard look at your resume. Like it or not, your resume is your first introduction to most employers, and your only chance to make a good first impression. Effective resumes are highly focused marketing pieces that are strategically written and designed to sell YOU as THE best solution to a potential employer’s needs and problems. Your resume should be written to convey and illustrate your unique value proposition, with succinct “stories” that differentiate you from your competitors in the job market. Does your resume accomplish these goals? Is it focused effectively? Does it accurately present you in the way that you wish to be presented? If not, it is time to rewrite.

Network, network, network…and then network some more. At least 80% of all the jobs are found through the “hidden” job market, also known as the “unpublished” job market. These are jobs typically landed through word of mouth and referrals as opposed to answering ads, posting your resume to internet databases, or other techniques meant to target the remaining 20% of all jobs in the published market. It stands to reason that if the vast majority of the jobs are to be found in this hidden market, that you should spend the majority of your job search time working to crack it. There is no more effective job search technique than networking. So, even if it feels a little uncomfortable at first, just get out there and do it. Make networking a part of your daily routine and plan to spend the majority of your job search time on networking activities (approximately three-fourths of your time is a good estimate). The more you network, the faster your current job search will come to a successful conclusion and the faster and more successful any future job searches will be.

Plan and execute a multi-pronged job search campaign. Yes, networking is essential, but other job search techniques are also important. An effective job search campaign is a multi-pronged one that includes the strategic, planned, methodical use of a variety of job search approaches. Answering ads alone is almost never enough. Neither is working with headhunters, using internet job search sources, or researching and targeting specific employers. But, when you combine all these approaches with networking, carefully evaluate and prioritize the approaches based on relative effectiveness, and then launch an integrated, multi-pronged job search campaign, you will always come out ahead. The best job search is one in which the job seeker approaches it as if it was a job itself.

Build a support team. While your preparation will certainly ease the whole process, job searching can be a grueling and very stressful experience. So, I want to remind you that you don’t have to go through it alone. You should build a support team around you of people who can help you stay motivated and on track while giving you honest feedback and helping you stay accountable to the goals you set for yourself. Family and friends, past and present managers, your peers and colleagues, financial advisors, and professionals in the careers industry such as career counselors, coaches, and resume writers all make excellent people to add to your team. By assembling a good mix of people to support you, from a diversity of backgrounds and professions, you will receive a variety of different perspectives, ideas, and insights that can be very helpful. You should consider joining a job search support club or group – a local one if one is available or an online one. If you have been provided with outplacement services by your former employer, by all means take advantage of the office space and resources offered. The point is that you don’t have to and shouldn’t conduct your search in isolation. Surround yourself with a team that will help and support you. Above all, recognize when you need support and don’t be afraid to ask for assistance and guidance.

Always follow up. Following up on all of your contacts and your activities can do more to influence your success in achieving your job target than anything else. A hand-written thank you note or a more formal, typed thank you letter after speaking with a networking contact, attending an informational interview, or after attending an actual job interview can make a lasting positive impression that gives you a distinct competitive advantage. A follow-up phone call on every resume you send, whether it is a resume sent cold, in response to an ad, or based on a referral from one of your networking contacts can make all the difference in whether your resume is actually read and considered or not. A consistent method of follow up is key and you must make the time in your schedule to do so. Follow up will positively influence decision-makers, it will help key the process moving along, it will show your interest and your professionalism, and it will position you above the competition.

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10 Common Career Management Misconceptions

10 Paul Eckert Management Misconceptions By Tony Jacowski

Most people do not believe in career management, they only believe in career damage control – which means when something goes wrong they will fix it. Until then, most people don’t bother to manage their careers to prevent disasters from occurring in the first place.

Listed below are ten misconceptions with regard to career management:

1. Only the most qualified people get the job – This is simply not true. It does not matter how qualified you are for the job. What matters is the way you have presented yourself during the interview process. Qualifications are not the only criteria for getting good jobs, other things like dedication, confidence and attitude also matter.

2. No need to work at a career just because you have a job – This could be the biggest mistake you make – and quite possibly the most popular misconception. This way of thinking has potential for disaster. You never know when you may be downsized or laid off from your current job, and if you do not have a career plan then you are in serious trouble. Make sure that you spend some time on managing your career even if you have a job. Do small things like update your resume and network with your peers.

3. Professional education stopped after graduation – This cannot be further from the truth. You need to continuously work at your professional education to maintain a competitive edge. Read trade magazines, write articles for relevant magazines, attend seminars, and pursue certificate and training courses.

4. The most generous salary is always offered – This is not true. In fact most employers offer a low salary just to see your negotiation skills. This is an old trick of the trade, where the employers check to see whether the candidate has done sufficient research from every angle.

5. I have job Security if I perform well – This is not true, especially in an economy where downsizing, mergers and outsourcing seem to be the order of the day. No one has a secure job, no matter how well you do your job. You have to take a hands-on approach by managing your career properly to ensure security.

6. Only a resume is required – All job seekers need to have certain tools for job hunting and the resume is only one of these tools. Other tools include cover letters, references and so on.

7. Recruiters are sufficient for job searching – No, they are not. Yes, recruiters will help you and guide you in the best way possible, but you cannot leave it completely up to them to get you the best job. You have to be proactive and take charge in your job-hunting process.

8. Employers are responsible for defining career paths – No, employers aren’t responsible for anything except getting the job done. You are the only person who is responsible for getting your career on the right path and for defining the way you want your career to head.

9. No need to network – Networking is essential to every business and for every person. You as a career oriented person need to constantly network. It is one of the most important aspects of career management.

10. Jobs are easily identifiable – Most people think that jobs are posted on the Internet or advertised in newspapers. This also is not true. Only a small percentage of jobs are advertised in this manner. Most people identify jobs by networking.

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Successful Job Interviews

Successful Paul Eckert Job Interviews By: Pamela Watson

Within this article I will share an important secret behind successful job interviewing and career management. We all know that a well designed job search requires much more than revising your resume and learning a few job interview tips. Usually it’s good to get advice from the experts and career counselors or coaches. But, it is far more important to know yourself and to know where you want to end up. Do you have a picture in your mind of where you’ll be in 5 years…10 years? Have you written it down? With this picture or goal in mind, can you now plan for tomorrow’s career strategy? What can you do, tomorrow, that will lead to the better job or the promotion?

The most important secret to successful job interviewing is knowing your career vision – - where you want your career, and your life, to take you. Every step you take towards securing a new position, obtaining a highly desired promotion, reaching short-term career plans should be based upon a big picture – - your career vision. It is what provides the pathway for your personal success. It is what keeps you on track during disappointments and in the midst of organizational or personal changes. We have to know what it is that we’re seeking to be effective within our career moves.

Recently, I received an email from a business associate who wanted to share a promotion within a major corporation. I’ve known this professional for over ten years, have heard him speak of his career goals, and I recognized how valuable his stepping stones mean to him. His careful preparation, and planned risk-taking, was leading to career success that had personal value to him and his family. When necessary he had made adjustments and changed jobs, but he kept focused on achieving the big picture.

The steps to creating your vision are similar to the the way companies create their long-term plans or mission statements. Due to the size and functioning of corporations, it can take months – - sometimes years – - to complete a mission statement.

That’s not the case when you create your own personal one. The process doesn’t take as long, and there’s no need to get an entire management team together to complete it. What’s most important is that yours be based on your “reality” and your “dream.” Between these two areas is a “gap of compromise” that allows you to create a successful vision of your career. Whether you’re searching for a new job, a promotion, or career satisfaction, it’s important to have a vivid picture in your mind of where you’re heading.

Your career vision can be drawn directly from your personal values, family background, financial desires, geographical limitations, physical needs, etc. At least 25% of it should deal with your reality.

So, if you have an deeply embedded, vivid picture of your career goals, it makes life so much easier in your job search. You begin to fully use your network in a way that will get you better job leads. You are then able to clearly identify what company or position can further your career and synchronize with your goals. You can fully evaluate a company before, during, and after the interview. You begin to use a much more efficient job search strategy.

Many job seekers send their resumes to numerous job boards, recruiters with generic opening statements and introductions. You throw enough darts and sooner or later something’s going stick, rights? But will that new position lead you to your desired position? Or will you be looking for a new position 6 months after accepting the offer? The secret to successful job interviews centers on you knowing where you expect to end your journey. With this knowledge you can search for a new job with a clearer sense of what it is that you will accept, or not accept.

Job interviews are designed to review the results of your career-related actions, as well as to determine how well you will fit within the company. If you’ve done your homework (self evaluation and company research), then your vision should directly impact the short-term step of interviewing. By understanding where you’re heading, you’re more likely to successfully manage interview questions – - as well as decide if the position is one that will lead you closer to career success.

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Career Management – Do Your Friends Know What You Do?

Promote Your Paul Eckert Value Proposition Author: Dennis Abenanty

Most people can recall at least one time when they needed help with something and without hesitation a friend or relative offered a referral. Have a pain in your neck? See Dr. Weber. Need a math tutor? Call Mary Jones. Not sure how to report the gain on the sale of your home? Call my tax guy.

But as quick as they were to recommend a doctor, a tutor, or a tax preparer, do these same people know what you do? If they were in a similar conversation with someone about what you do for a living, would they even think of offering your name? If they tripped over the perfect job for you, would they know it? For most of us, the answer is, no.

It is your job to help people understand what you do. You need to create a marketing campaign about you, so that job opportunities will come to you without you even being present in the conversation.

Consider this conversation between a data security manager and a friend:

Data Security Manager: “If I don’t find someone quickly who knows about Extranet & Internet DMZs and network security, I’m going to have some serious problems on my hands. Just today we had another major problem with our PIX Firewalls and Split Managed VPN, and all our routers and switches went down.”

Friend: “I haven’t the slightest idea what that means, but I know a guy who does. Here’s his name and number; give him a call and maybe he can help.”

Whether you are in the market for a new job or not, this is how you want to be known. But before you start broadcasting to the world what you do, prepare a carefully thought out marketing pitch and try it on some trusted colleagues.

Avoid Expansive Labels

Telling people you are a banker, a consultant, or a sales person won’t even begin to educate them in what you do. Be more specific.

A lawyer can be a criminal lawyer, an intellectual property lawyer, an immigration lawyer, a securities lawyer, a real estate lawyer, a tax lawyer, an international lawyer, a family lawyer, and a multiplicity of other specialties.

Educate

Much like the lawyer paradigm, telling someone you are a programmer is not precise enough, but might also evoke a deer-in-the-headlights question, “So…what do you do, then…?”

Don’t assume the other person knows much about computers. Be prepared to define your specialty at varying levels of understanding, and be patient even if you have to explain Programming 101; “Computers follow instructions from programming languages that require a great deal of precision and completeness to enable the computer to produce the intended action. There are many different languages, but my specialty is helping companies design first class web pages using HTML programming.”

Promote Your Value Proposition – Not Yourself

Offering your job title does little to help people understand what you do and can also be perceived as condescending. Think in terms of a marketing brochure, not a resume.

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