Caution! Professionals at work!

No matter what stage of your career you are at, there are always lessons to be learned in the art of being professional.  Those of you interested in following U.S. entertainment news or not, could not have missed the reports about Charlie Sheen and his latest sacking from show "Two and A Half Men", even when you are famous and have a hit TV show, the absence of professionalism can land you in hot water. Lesson learned.

So, here are our key tips to staying ahead of the professional curve:

1. Create a good impression - this is all about first impressions, lack of confidence (or in some cases over confidence!) may creep in but try to stay balanced and all of these components [below] should fall nicely into place...
2. Dress to impress - this will vary depending on your job, for example a graphic designer may not be needed to turn up to work in a suit and tie, but equally think about a professional version of your usual style.
3. Voice control - easier said than done but with the right approach and tone matched to the people you are talking to, you may gain respect quickly.
4. Body language - don't be too rigid, it's good to have personality, but also be careful of over flinging arms, especially if sat next to a colleague!
5. Be prepared for everything - especially for meetings, presentations, events.
6. Learn from other's - stay alert and keep your eyes peeled on the actions of colleagues, you will soon pick up what styles work well in your company culture, and what doesn't!

If you would like to read the full article on being professional, contact us for a FREE copy of the GradGuide.

Are you prepared for the buiness world?

This post has been re-produced with kind permission of Gini at SpinSucks. Gini is a communications professional within the PR and online marketing world, and since founding her business she has gone onto secure some great accolades. The team here at Right Managmement found this post recently and decided that it was too good not to share! Although written from a US perspective, her words ring true the world over...

During the summer I fell off the InsidePR bandwagon. Not in terms of recording, but in terms of talking about it here. But I’m baaack! And this week, Martin Waxman, Joe Thornley, and I discuss preparing students and young professionals for the business world.

We’ve talked here before about using the social web to find a job, but this discussion is a bit different. With school back in session, these tips are really for those who need to be figuring out how to begin looking for internships or for a full-time job by summer.

1. Remember your personal brand and that online doesn’t forget. The things you put on the web right now create the person that will follow you around for the rest of your life. You’ve likely already heard it’s a bad idea to not let your friends tag you in photos of you doing body shots, but also think about what you say and what others say about you. As employers, we look at everything about you online to determine what kind of employee you might be and whether or not you might fit our culture. Google sees everything so be cautious.

2. I guest lectured at DePaul a few weeks ago and part of the discussion we had there was about creating a blog. Create a blog! Share what you know professionally (either from internships or the job you’ve already begun) and what you’re learning in school. You don’t have to be an expert in your field to write. Becky Johns is a great example of that. She is a young professional, yet she does a great job writing about her experience working, about her interests in photography and (hopefully) skydiving, and about the influencers she meets. Check out I’m Working On It to see what I mean…we all read her blog and most of us have more experience than she does. So don’t be scared by not having experience.

3. This is the one I cannot stress enough. Engage, engage, engage! You have tools available to you that allow you access not only to the people who work at the companies where you think you might like to work, but to their executives. Use Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and blogs to build online relationships with these people. Comment on their blogs. You don’t alway have to agree. Give you opinion, throw in new information, and get them to pay attention to you. It’s funny what happens when someone feels like they know you because you’ve taken an interest in their work…if they can’t hire you, they’ll find someone who can!

4. One of the questions we ask when we interview is, “What was the last book you read?” If you can’t answer that or “what magazines, newspapers, or blogs do you subscribe to?” we’re likely not going to hire you. I have a friend who asked that question of a candidate just the other day and the person said, “Oh I don’t have time to read.” Guess what? No job offer for you! Read, read, read, and subscribe. Not only does a job offer depend on it, your job (once you get it) depends on it. Reading makes you smarter, more open-minded, and a better writer. Get in the habit now.

5. Don’t be negative. You would think this goes without saying, but you’d be amazed at how many people complain non-stop online. I am connected with people who complain daily about their jobs, about their bosses, about the fact that they can’t find a job, about everything. Trust me when I say, some of these people are really good friends, but I would never hire them nor recommend them to be hired because they’re so negative. Be a person people want to be around…online and off.

You can catch the podcast from InsidePR on their website if you want to hear more and see what the advice ius from the professionals.

Do you  have any commnets to make about this? Where are you at now? Are you a business leader with a new perspective? Join the Right Management debate by following us on Twitter or email uk.info@right.com for more information.

It's time to shine

Whether you have just graduated and are trying to make some headway applying for jobs; or you have an interview coming up; or you have just got your A-level results and you are going to use the summer to get some work experience... then this post is a must read for you!

Some of you may already be familiar with the SMART guide to creating yourselves objectives, this STAR approach helps you prepare your CV and ultimately for an interview. It's designed to get you to focus on your core competences.

It will not only give you structure, but will help avoid having to think on your feet!

Start by going through some basic questions which may come up:

• “Tell me about a recent example of when you needed to make an important decision.”
• “Have you ever had to deal with a difficult person?”
• “How do you like to work // what style of working do you fit into best?”
• “What strengths will you bring to our team?”

Think, STAR!

Situation / Task
Here you want to give recent examples of what you handled (and handled well!) along with the tasks you performed. Make your examples similar to that of the target job you applying for.
Tip: Recent = last 3 years.

Action
Write down four things you 'did', 'said' and the steps you took.

Results
Everyone appreciates a good end to a story! This is your chance to prove you can add value and make a difference. Make a note of the effect your actions had on the outcome and the situation. What impact//benefit did you have? What increased//decreased?
Tip: Make sure that these examples are measurable.

Lastly, make a note about how you felt about the situation... Were you proud? Satisfied? Did you enjoy the experience?
Tip: It is important here not to provide any negative feelings as the interviewer//potential employer will use this reaction to guage your 'fit' within their organisation.

We would suggest you try and come up with three examples (going through each of the STAR points above) and complete for each competency you have highlighted from the job spec//person specification.

Interviewers may even be using the same format to help ensure they have the full picture of your approach to situations and tasks and enable them to make an accurate evaluation of your suitability (or ‘fit’) and performance.

The main thing is... prepare, prepare, PREPARE!