Peak Pathway Magazine's Blog : career development forum

Congra tulations! You've been diligent about finding a new job, and you’ve finally landed an interview. What happens next? You’ve got to prepare—carefully. Because it’s not OK just to show up. One or two missteps can disqualify you as a candidate, even if you have the right experience and skills. If you really want to be considered for the position, to get hired, know what not to do, and, instead, what you should do, before and during the interview. 1. DON’T: Ask what the company does and how it’s organized. The message: You’re just looking for a paycheck and don’t care where it comes from. DO: Research the company. 2. DON’T: Assume the interviewers will likely have seen and memorized the résumé you sent. Because you’ll be wrong. And you’ll look like an amateur if you don’t have some freshly printed documents to hand out. DO: Print extra copies of your résumé. 3. DON’T: Treat the interview as a chance to express your unique, trendy style. Why should you cov...

1. Listen to your friend vent. Inviting a friend to coffee and letting them talk about themselves will not only score you major brownie points, but it will also give you a chance to learn from their experiences. Sometimes, it’s those closest to us who are dealing with the same things we are, and they can offer a new perspective. To be a good listener, Mark Goulston, an author and business psychiatrist, explains in the Harvard Business Review that you should ask specific questions to help direct your friend’s emotions. Try asking questions like, “What are you most angry/frustrated/etc. about?” “Don’t take issue with them or get into a debate,” Goulston explains. “Just know that they really need to get this off their chest—and if you listen without interrupting them, while also inviting them to say even more, they will.” 2. Talk to someone new. While bugging that person with their eyes closed and headphones in on the subway might not be the best idea, you never know what you...

1. Focus on what keeps coming back. Take notice of the interest that keeps coming back most often. For instance, if you’re really interested in painting and playing the guitar, but you find yourself reaching for the paintbrush more often, that might be a sign it’s your true calling. 2. Jump in. The only true way to know what passion you should pursue is to try them all. Pick one and go for it. If you end up not enjoying it, move on to the next. Or, if you find one you like, then do the others as a side hustle or hobby. In today’s world, there are plenty of opportunities to dabble in multiple activities. 3. Try month-long experiments. There is no need to find your “one true calling” if you enjoy learning about multiple topics. But if you really want to explore your passions, schedule a month of deep focus on one topic. Meet with people in the industry or role. Read every relevant newsletter and book. Wake up early and “work” on the topic. After 20 or 30 days of intense...

1. Begin with gratitude. Always start with thanksgiving; be thankful for what you already have and see the miracles that come from this one simple act. Next, you’ve got to challenge yourself to produce. Produce more ideas than you need for yourself so you can share and give your ideas away. That is called fruitfulness and abundance—it means working on producing more than you need for yourself so you can begin blessing others, blessing your nation and blessing your enterprise. Once abundance starts to come, once someone becomes incredibly productive, it’s amazing what the numbers turn out to be. 2. Dream it. Everything begins in the heart and mind. Every great achievement began in the mind of one person. They dared to dream, to believe that it was possible. Take some time to allow yourself to ask, What if? Think big. Don’t let negative thinking discourage you. You want to be a “dreamer.” Dream of the possibilities for yourself, your family and for others. If you had a dre...

1. Loving my whole self—mind, body and soul—is not selfish; it’s necessary for a healthy life. To be able to love others, we need to keep our cup full. 2. Perfection is pure fiction. I am grateful for all of my mistakes because they were real blessings in disguise that made me wiser. As John C. Maxwell says, “Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn. We never lose.” I stopped stressing myself out while trying to be perfect and I am always aiming for good enough. 3. I am not a victim. My past has nothing to do with my future and my old limitations do not define who I am today. Blaming others for taking my time, money or love is unfair because I always choose how much I give and to whom. No one can hurt me or upset me without my consent. I am in charge of my actions and my future is the result of my current choices. The day I stopped blaming my past or other people, I set myself free. 4. Worrying about what others think is a waste of time. I cannot please everyone, no m...

1. Disgust One does not usually equate the word “disgust” with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person’s life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, “I’ve had it!” That’s what I said after many humiliating experiences. At age 25, I said, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke. I’ve had it with being embarrassed, and I’ve had it with lying.” Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, “Enough is enough.” They’ve had it with mediocrity. They’ve had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. They decide they are not going to live like this anymore. Call it what you will, the “I’ve had it” day, the “never again” day, the “enough’s enough” day. Whatever you call it, it’s powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust! 2. Decision Most of us need to be pushed to the wall...

Turning a prospect into a loyal customer starts with the sales experience. It’s the salespeople who set the tone, and to make that first impression count, they must learn to work efficiently and communicate effectively. Successful salespeople know they have to hone specific skills to deliver a fan-worthy experience; here are five of the most important, and how you can get better at them to sell successfully, too: 1. Prioritizatio All salespeople are busy. So why do some seem stressed and disorganized while others manage to stay cool through anything? Because the latter group has learned to prioritize. Prioritization allows salespeople to separate what’s actually important from the tasks that would merely be nice to tackle. 2. Negotiation Whether selling enterprise software or used cars, salespeople need to know how to negotiate. Although successful negotiation requires you to understand the other party’s needs, negotiation training group SAB Negotiation Group also uses pers...

Priorities are things that are important—I know that, you know that. But a lot of us are guilty of the habit of reacting to the urgent things on—and off—our to-do list, rather than responding to the important ones. Think about this: Important activities should be of high priority because they are the things that contribute most significantly to our objectives. They have more long-term impact, and they should help us the most in reaching our goals. Urgent activities are usually more short-term in nature and may or may not relate to our big-picture objectives, and they do not usually make significant contributions. Instead, by pressuring us daily, they make endless demands on our time. 1. Create lists—a lot. Prioritized notes and lists help with focus and multitasking. 2. Set priorities during your daily planning. Eliminate or minimize unproductive to-do items from your daily list to make room for the productive ones. 3. Learn when your high-energy time is. Schedulin...

Learn to concentrate on these five abilities in your personal development quest. They will help you skillfully attack the marketplace. 1. ABSORB Develop the ability to absorb, the ability to soak in, take in, be like a sponge. Sitting in class or at the workplace, sometimes it’s easy to daydream, to be preoccupied, to be somewhere else. I read a good article once in Reader’s Digest. The title was, “Wherever You Are, Be There.” I thought that was excellent. Be there. Concentration. It’s also important in learning extra skills to really pay attention. Absorb, take in. Most people are trying to get through the day. I’ve got a better objective for you: Learn to get from the day. Not just get through it; get from it. Soak it up. Each day is a piece of the mosaic of your life. Don’t waste any. Treat it with care. See how much you can get from a day—how much advice, how much information, how much color, how much sight and sound to add to your worth and your wealth and your equi...

1. Good Ideas Ideas are the life seeds of enterprise. A better life comes by the search for good ideas. Never cease your quest for knowledge. Finding ideas can be life changing. Business ideas, social ideas, personal ideas—nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. Be a searcher of good ideas: timely ideas, political ideas, family ideas, healthy ideas. Then, do what I do: Keep a journal. Keep a log of good ideas. That’s for the serious students. I used to take notes on pieces of paper and found out I couldn’t go through them, couldn’t catalog them, and I missed a lot of good stuff. So I learned to keep good ideas in a journal. It’s an extension of your learning library. 2. Good Plans Be a student of good plans. Plans are important because they give birth to ideas. Plans take ideas to the marketplace. Plans well executed bring ideas into the better life. Ideas without plans forever hang like an artist’s rendering on the wall. They never become reality. They never...

1. Face your fear. Until you take a look at what’s really holding you back from tackling your money woes, even the best financial app won’t make much of a difference. Ask yourself: How would I rate my ability to manage money? Why? What am I afraid will happen because of my money habits? Once you’ve answered these questions, talk over your answers with someone you trust. Now’s your chance to prove yourself capable and confident in money matters. 2. Set aside regular time. When I first got serious about managing my money consistently, I knew I had to overcome my fear of just sitting down and looking at it. I started by opening my checking account online every day. I looked at each transaction, thought about what bills would be coming in that week, and then closed the browser window. I didn’t take any action—just looked. After three months, I finally got rid of my fear around looking at my money. Now, I do a monthly money session so I can check the budget, print reports, and ana...

1. Tap into your core values. What’s most important to you? Unlike with the next two exercises, you’re allowed to be a bit vague here. You might find yourself naming things like “beauty,” “health,” “community,” “family” or even something grander like “justice.” Faced with spending decisions, you might ask yourself whether a purchase supports your core values. Now, sometimes the answer is an obvious “no.” This new lip-gloss/headset/hamburger does not contribute to social justice. But, sometimes advertisers will attempt to target your core values in sneaky ways. For example, a fuel-efficient car seems like a truly environmental choice; however, it’s not as environmental as simply not buying something. In her book Loaded, behavioral economist Sarah Newcomb writes about these values in terms of “needs” and explains that the infamous “latte factor” can in fact be scratching the need for “social connection.” If you enjoy visiting your local coffee shop. If this is the case, then s...

First, get clear on your costs. The first step is to estimate the cost of your financial setback. For example, if you were evicted, you could calculate the cost of moving plus first and last month’s rent. The objective is to get clear on what financial resources you need to support you through your emergency. By doing some research and making some cost projections, you can start grinding your way back to financial health with tangible numbers and clear action steps rather than just crossing your fingers and hoping you’ll get through it. Cut the non-essentials. Financial emergencies can turn into runaway trains full of expenses. Remember to stay grounded in your necessities when considering your emergency costs. You can always move on to funding your priorities once you get fully back on track with your finances. Consider your financial options. Once you figure out how much money you need to manage your financial setback, the next question should be, “Can I afford it?” ...

1. Write down your goals. If you write down your financial goals, they stick in your brain and force you to comprehend and remember what you set out to achieve. If your goal is to save $1,000 by the end of the year, write it down and keep it somewhere you will constantly see it. 2. Aim to spend less than you make. Spend less than you make. Get yourself on a budget, and whether it’s through saving money on monthly bills or cutting back on entertainment or electronic upgrades, make sure that expenses never exceed revenues. That way, you’ll have no chance of falling into credit card debt. 3. Set a budget. It may seem like an obvious tip, but so many people fail to set a budget and stick to it. Having a budget will stop you from overspending, whether it’s in your personal life or in business, and it will also help you see exactly where your money is going. Don’t forget to add a spot for “savings” to your budget, too, because you should be putting aside money for that each mont...

What’s Courage Got to Do With It? There are things you should fear. Running away from an axe murderer is a winning strategy. But true danger is rare. You’re more likely afraid of garden-variety catastrophes like failing to make rent, or screwing up your kids. Some mornings it takes courage just to get out of bed. It takes courage to stand up to a bully, to talk to that beautiful guy at the bookstore, and to step into a pitch meeting. Courage allows us to “do it anyway.” But I don’t want to be proving my bravery every time I get on the phone with a client. I would much rather transcend my fears, and you know what? With many, I have. As a teenager, I was scared to death of talking to girls; now I get joy talking to anyone. Fears? We can beat them. Why We Fear What We Fear Jimmy was a bacterium who lived millions of years ago and who was smart enough to run away from bigger bacteria before becoming dinner. He was lucky enough to find a real sweet lady bacterium and passe...

1. PERSEVERANCE. Being an entrepreneur has a lot of ups and downs—maybe even more downs than ups. It’s a roller coaster. I try to remember that every hour presents a new opportunity to keep moving forward rather than dwelling on what happened in the previous hour. 2. A GROWTH MINDSET. Every day as an entrepreneur is different than the day before. You need to be OK with trying something new and learning something new. When my co-founder and I started the company in 2014, it was just the two of us and no customers. Now we have more than 500 customers worldwide and the journey to get here has made my role very different. 3. HUMILITY. Starting something of your own means you have to be not only the boss, but the safety net. No one wants it to succeed more than you. There are going to be nights when you get to do really fun things, but more often than not, you are going to have to miss them to clean the bar mats. Having a realistic view of one’s self makes those moments more rewar...

Tap into past wins. I’ve discovered over the years that when I’ve been on the brink of giving up, I then received an email, text, post or comment from someone who was impacted by my work. If you’re struggling with determination, remember a past win—how you succeeded or helped someone in the past—and use that to propel you forward. Play to your strengths. Having firm resolve requires a lot of energy, and you’ll keep your momentum high if you play to your strengths. What do you do really well, and what are your weaknesses? If you played two sports, and you had to choose which one to go pro in, would you choose the sport you’re naturally very talented in and build off of that? Or would you choose the sport that you’re OK at and that requires much more training? It’s a no-brainier. You’d choose the sport you’re naturally great at because you know you’ll get further, faster. The same is true in business. If you spend all of your time weakness-fixing, you’ll lose determination ...

1. Don’t be afraid to fail. Perseverance comes from failing and getting back up. Without failure, you cannot become resilient. So you have to change your relationship with failure to seeing it as a lesson, rather than a setback. You can learn so much from failure that changing your attitude toward it can have amazing implications for your life. 2. Be 1% better every day. Having a growth mindset is a great way to increase perseverance and motivation. Understand that these are skills like any other and try to improve upon them just 1% every day. Keeping this concept at the back of your head throughout the day is a great way to get better in all regards. 3. Begin to take risks. By learning to take risks, you raise the probability of facing more difficult situations. When in those difficult situations, if you can learn to adapt and understand what steps are necessary to keep the company moving in the right direction, you can grow as a leader. 4. Understand resistance. More...