Career Savvy

The Importance of Setting and Exceeding Expectations

2013-05-24T13:49:41Z

We underestimate the importance of expectations. Whether you’re buying a car, a pair of sunglasses, or a cup of coffee you’re not so much buying a product, but investing in an expectation.

You don’t buy a Toyota because you believe it’s the fastest car in production, you buy it because you expect that it will still be running 15 years from now. You expect your morning coffee from Starbucks to be fresh, hot, and made to order. That’s why you go there. Think how you would feel if your Toyota broke down after 3 years or if your coffee was lukewarm?

Start Small and the 9 Other Laws of Productivity

2013-05-23T17:45:27Z

A lot of us wind up stumbling on a great idea at some point or another, but the process of actually making it work is usually a long and exhausting one. The 99% blog has a list of tenets that should make it easier to stay on track with an idea and make it work for you rather than the other way around.

1) Break the seal of hesitation – Take action sooner rather than later. It’s not just about avoiding procrastination, it’s about getting feedback as early as possible, so that you can move forward more confidently.

2) Start small – Big ideas can be hard to make actionable. Do what you can to scale the idea down into something you can reasonably expect to execute.

3) Prototype – Very rarely do we execute ideas perfectly on the first try. Creating multiple prototypes lets you get much more valuable feedback than you would simply conceptualizing. It’s a classic example of learning by doing rather than thinking. Things move along much more smoothly when you’re creating and evolving the actual product rather than just the idea.

4) Create simple objectives for projects, and revisit them regularly – Hammer out what your end goals are for a project before you start work on it. That way if you ever start to drift away from them, you’ll notice sooner.

How to Ask for a Pay Rise

2013-05-21T13:30:48Z

DON’T BE SCARED: if you don’t ask, you don’t get.
DO IT PROPERLY: book an official meeting with your boss.
DO YOUR RESEARCH: check the going rate for similar roles and assess what you’re worth.
TIME IT RIGHT: don’t choose a time when your boss is very busy or stressed.
ARE YOU WORTH IT? check that your performance/input has increased.

Week In Review: May 18, 2013

2013-05-18T14:54:38Z

Week In Review:

Toronto - Product Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Toronto - Marketing Specialist (Internet) Details / Apply
Toronto - Web & Graphics Designer (Internet) Details / Apply
Toronto - Account Manager (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Toronto - Manager, External Comms. (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Montreal - Analyst, Loyalty Sciences (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Montreal - Solution Developer / Integrator (Computer Software) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Manager, Employee Performance (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Social Media Product Specialist (Internet) Details / Apply
Ottawa - Product Manager - Checkout (Internet) Details / Apply

For the full rundown, log-in to Vestiigo.com

Some weekend reading
Career Savvy: 3 Things Successful Professionals Eventually Figure Out
Career Savvy: Why Success is a Catalyst for Failure
TED Talk: Wingham Rowan: A new kind of job market

3 Things Successful Professionals Eventually Figure Out

2013-05-17T13:31:38Z

In school, we learn in a controlled environment where things are linear and answers can be found in a textbook. Yet, the world of work couldn’t be any more different. In fact, it’s the opposite. Reid Hoffman, co-founder of Linkedin and Paypal, discusses three important traits we miss out on in school and will all eventually figure out - either the easy way or the hard way. Here’s the easy way:

Build a competitive advantage
We’re told we can do or be anything we want to be. What we’re not told though is that everyone else also wants to be those things and they’ll be competing with you for those opportunities. In order to stand out you need to have a competitive advantage. A competitive advantage comprises of three things: assets, aspirations, and market realities.

Your assets would include your resources, network, and intelligence while your aspirations are where you might like to go in the future. Finally, market realities are what the world of work is willing to pay you.

Why Success is a Catalyst for Failure

2013-05-15T14:40:24Z

We’re often amazed when companies or careers stumble when they seemed destined for continued success. For instance, of the 500 companies that appeared on Fortune’s initial list in 1955 only 71 still remain. Some of the most well-known names (at the time) on that list have long since disappeared from it, such as Scott Paper, Zenith, and Warner Lambert.

The study of how companies can go from the pinnacle of their industry to the bottom in such a short time has become a furious topic of study, particularly in management circles. Of all the theories discussed, the idea that success itself is at the root cause is one of the more interesting.

In his article, The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, Greg McKeown suggests that companies and careers can suffer what he calls the “clarity paradox” that consists of four phases:

Week In Review: May 11, 2013

2013-05-11T11:50:56Z

Week In Review:

Toronto - Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Toronto - Investor Relations Analyst (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Toronto - Senior Account Manager (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Toronto - Project Manager (Market Research) Details / Apply
Toronto - Sales Development Analyst (Computer Software) Details / Apply
Montreal - 360 Ad Team - Adidas (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Montreal - HR Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Sales Development Representative (Internet) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Marketing Localization Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Ottawa - Implementation Consultant (Computer Software) Details / Apply

For the full rundown, log-in to Vestiigo.com

Some weekend reading
Career Savvy: When It Comes To Your Career, The Details Make The Difference
Career Savvy: 5 Killer LinkedIn Profiles
TED Talk: Angela Lee Duckworth: The key to success? Grit

When It Comes To Your Career, The Details Make The Difference

2013-05-10T12:04:43Z

If the 20th century was dominated by the thinking and influence of large, bureaucratic organizations than the 21st century is being shaped by ‘lean’ thinking. This approach has been most famously popularized in Eric Ries’s book The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses and is a methodology that extends beyond simply startups.

The lean approach propounds a process of validated learning, scientific experimentation, and iterative product releases in order to shorten product development cycles, measure progress, and gain valuable customer feed with a view to launching new products or companies.

Essentially, ignore the details early on and focus on building small pieces that can be quickly tested and move on from there. In many ways it turns the traditional model on its head, whereby companies would spend months on complex prototypes only to find out nobody wanted them.

5 Killer LinkedIn Profiles

2013-05-06T15:01:01Z

There was much interest in last week’s article on creating a great Linkedin profile we thought we’d continue on this topic. So we went out in to the world of LinkedIn and found 10 great profiles which trump the many millions out there. Enjoy!

Wendy Brache
What makes it great: Her profile summary of herself is short, and concise in a personal yet professional manner which makes for an interesting read.

Her experience is laid out in the same manner making it easy to follow and understand the experience she has.

Week In Review: May 4, 2013

2013-05-04T15:10:25Z

Week In Review:

Toronto - Designer – Web & Digital Marketing (Internet) Details / Apply
Toronto - Engagement Manager (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Toronto - Content Coordinator (Internet) Details / Apply
Toronto - Head of Healthcare Innovation (Consumer Electronics) Details / Apply
Toronto - Mkt. Coordinator, Planning & Comms (Internet) Details / Apply
Montreal - Account Executive, Direct Antidote (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Montreal - Junior Market Anlayst (Computer Games) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Intermediate Business Analyst (Computer Software) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Project Manager / Business Analyst (Market Research) Details / Apply
Ottawa - Business Analyst (Internet) Details / Apply

For the full rundown, log-in to Vestiigo.com

Some weekend reading
Career Savvy: It’s Time To Fill The Education Gap
Career Savvy: How to Write a Cover Letter by Don Draper
TED Talk: Nilofer Merchant: Got a meeting? Take a walk

It’s Time To Fill The Education Gap

2013-05-01T18:27:13Z

According to The Economist, almost 300m 15- to 24-year-olds are not working - almost a quarter of the world’s youth. The late Margaret Thatcher famously quipped “Young people ought not to be idle. It is very bad for them.” She was right.

Societies that leave their young workers idle in their formative years is problematic: young workers are more likely to struggle later in their careers, with lower wages and less job security as a result. It’s also a stark omen for the future of any economy, given an aging population will eventually be reliant on the goods and services that generation produces.

It’s tempting to only look at this from the perspective of less developed countries. However, it’s a big problem here in North America as well as other so-called developed countries. According to the OECD, there are 26m young people in ‘rich countries’ they count as “NEETS”: not in employment, education, or training.

How to Write a Cover Letter by Don Draper

2013-05-01T12:47:00Z

Everybody’s cover letter looks the same, which is good news for you. Take this opportunity and break away from the tired old model of copy and paste, or worse just re-stating what’s on your resume.

If you’re looking for a way to stand-out, look no further than the advertising industry for inspiration. If there’s anyone who knows a lot about trying to stand out, it’s the advertising industry and their poster boy Don Draper. The same things that make that industry tick can help you improve your own pitch.

Your audience matters. Advertisers spend millions of dollars and thousands of hours trying to figure out how to target their message. Your job is infinitely easier because you already know who you’re selling to. What’s more, thanks to social media it’s possible for you to even dig up the hiring manager’s name, so don’t dare be tempted by that “Dear Sir or Madam” stuff. Once that’s done, don’t lose momentum.

Week In Review: April 27, 2013

2013-04-27T16:42:25Z

Week In Review:

Toronto - Consultant, Talent Development (Marketing & Advertising) Details / Apply
Toronto - Project Manager (Market Research) Details / Apply
Toronto - Social Media Specialist/Coordinator (Consumer Electronics) Details / Apply
Toronto - Sales Operations Manager - EMEA (Consumer Electronics) Details / Apply
Toronto - PR Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Montreal - HR Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Montreal - PHP Web Developer (Internet) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Product Manager (Internet) Details / Apply
Vancouver - Finance Manager: Client Services (Market Research) Details / Apply
Ottawa - Recruiter (Internet) Details / Apply

For the full rundown, log-in to Vestiigo.com

Some weekend reading
Career Savvy: How Creating A Manifesto Will Spark Your Career
Career Savvy: Simon Sinek: If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business
TED Talk: David Pogue: 10 top time-saving tech tips

How Creating A Manifesto Will Spark Your Career

2013-04-24T19:36:36Z

We deal with decisions every day - some far more complex than others. This is true of your personal life as well as your career. It’s also true of the company where you work. The true challenge is in assessing and weighing those decisions, because there’s always trade-offs between one path and another.

For instance, do you accept a promotion in a different group that’s less interesting than the group you currently work for? Do you make a career move based purely on financial considerations? As a company, do you put your customers or your shareholders first?

Each question has huge implications depending on how you answer them. An oft cited example from the corporate world provides a stark example. In 1982, seven people died in the Chicago-area after taking cyanide-laced capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol, the company’s best-selling product, during what became known as the “Tylenol Crisis”.

Simon Sinek: If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business

2013-04-22T12:19:44Z

Simon Sinek: If You Don’t Understand People, You Don’t Understand Business from 99% on Vimeo.