Podcasts

Woman Around Town’s Editor Charlene Giannetti and writers for the website talk with the women and men making news in New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities around the world. Thanks to Ian Herman for his wonderful piano introduction.

In1Concepts

How to Start Your Own Business Even Though You Don’t Know How – Part 1

04/04/2017

Chapter One – Launching You, Inc.

Start your own business by stopping.

Stop stopping yourself.

If you have a great idea, or even if you don’t, you can start your own business.

It won’t be easy. But you can do it.

You say you don’t have the time? Stop.

You don’t have the money? Oh please.

Don’t have any big new ideas? Whatever.

Whatever it is you’ve been telling yourself stops here. Are there some exceptions to what I’m saying, are there some people who can’t start their own business? Absolutely – but you’re probably not one of them.

In this series, I will get you up over the hump.

For those of you that don’t know what you’re going to do, ask yourself the following two questions. (And for those of you out there already with an idea, follow along and see how it holds up to these two questions):

  • What do want to do well?
  • What needs to be done?

What do you want to do well?

Picking to do something you like is a high priority for many. However, I think that’s often a questionable move. “Liking” something doesn’t mean you want to do it when you DON’T want to do it – which is the definition of work. There are so many books on this topic already, and my take isn’t much different, save for one thing – I think you should pick something you want to do well.

What do you like doing, that you’d enjoy being better at, and learning more on – even working for free just to improve? As I will say many times, I have no science beyond common sense behind this method, but when you find an interest you want to do better at, and add to it a demand, you’ve found an income stream somewhere in there too.

Having a business means standing up against competition and if you are out there enjoying yourself, but really not all that interested in the quality of your output, there’s going to be a problem. Improving, even at the novice level, means you have knowledge others may want.

What needs to be done?

Find or think of 2-3 skill areas or endeavors in which you’d like to improve. Look around you and find things that people need done. Use your first question as a lens. Are you a great organizer? What isn’t being organized well enough in your area of interest? When people have needs they are likely to pay someone to meet them.

Next put the two together and see if there’s any obvious overlap. None? Then take it back a step and think of other skills you may like to learn. It doesn’t have to be a “Google” type idea, it can be small and maybe only for a small market to begin. Some may say those are the best ideas.

Make these two lists and continue to work on them for next time: when we begin to choose a path.

Jason Veduccio, author of The New American Dreamer: How to Land That Ideal Job in a Nightmare Economy is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

Top photo: Bigstock

The New American Dreamer—From Dreams to Reality

08/22/2016

You have done a great job at interviewing for a job and now you sit by the phone and wait for it to ring, right? Wrong.

After impressing everyone at the interview you came home and sent a thank you note not just to the person interviewing you, but also to anyone who attended and sat in on the actual interview. Make sure to spell names correctly; it would be a shame to blow it now by accidentally turning a “Mr.” into a Ms.”

Immediately after that you need to turn your head toward positions elsewhere, not allowing yourself to become complacent but rather to use the success of this interview to buoy you to another. Doing begets doing.

As you begin to look into other options you may even hear the telephone ring with an offer. At first they might simply be requesting a second interview. In many industries this is a necessary step and you might even be asked to come back a third time. Remember that the same principles apply to each interview: be impressive and be consistent.

Depending on your industry there may also be a background check and reference check. Best to contact references even if they know you are using their names, and alert them to any particulars from the previous interview so that they might be better ready to answer specific questions.

When the process is over and an offer is made, take a few deep breaths before answering even if you already know what you want. Don’t feel pressured to say yes on the spot. Tell the hiring manager how happy you are to hear from them and that you are certainly interested but would like a chance to discuss this offer with your family.

We know how easy it is to jump at the first offer when you need a job but look at the offer closely just to make sure you understand what the offer is and how it may suit you. Any business would rather you decline an offer that isn’t right than accept the position only to leave soon after so consider these aspects of the offer before your answer:

Money – Obviously this is one of the primary reasons for taking the job so make sure this job gives you enough to pay bills but also that the amount is enough to make you feel you are being paid what you’re worth. If not, you will only have resentment later.

Benefits – Take a long look at the benefits package if there is one. Find out what amounts you are being asked to contribute and see how entering into family plans affect the package. Also ask when the benefits kick in, which sometimes may be as long as ninety days. Other important considerations are vacation time and 401K contributions.

Travel – If it wasn’t specifically enunciated during the interview they might present how much travel the position will involve. Make sure it is in line with your capabilities.

Culture – What is the dress code? Are you expected to attend many social events? Are your religious holidays on their holiday calendar? Do some research before deciding how to respond to the offer.

Goals – Lastly take a look at how this position fits into your future career and life plans.

You may end up accepting or declining a job on the phone, but it also may be a good idea to follow up in writing to confirm the details. In this letter or email make certain to again thank them for the offer and state your decision clearly as well as the general terms of the agreement. Either way be brief and grateful.

Congratulations. It’s been a long hard road but you have done everything you can to put yourself in a position for success. Keep in mind this job is an opportunity to achieve your dreams and have an idea of how it fits into your overall life plan. Even if it isn’t the ideal position you should take the attitude that you can turn this position into something more than it was intended to be.

With your new position and new dreams in place you are now well on your way to becoming all that you can be. You did it. Dream on!

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer: At Last, The Interview

08/15/2016

The first alarm goes off and just as you are about to hit snooze, a second, louder alarm goes off and it might be then that you remember me saying what a good idea it was to set two alarms the day of your big interview.

Having laid your clothes out the night before and with at least three copies of your resume in a nice folder or briefcase along with those same two working pens from our past story, you’re ready to go. And of course you have the address and phone number of the interview location written down on a piece of paper, because the night before you went online and found directions to the company.

As you make your way to the interview, stay relaxed and avoid cramming last bits of information into your head. The time to get your game face on is before you leave the house not right before you enter the building. Be confident, smile at those you see along the way, and leave those voices of self-doubt at home.

Arrive early. I cannot say this too many times. If you are late you will reduce to nearly zero your chances of even being considered for the job. Being late for an interview is always unacceptable  – but it happens, so if it does, apologize to everyone once as you arrive and once as you leave. No more or less. After that you will need to blow them away with the interview itself, but don’t keep mentioning your tardiness.

When you walk through the door remember to feel confident that you are the right person for this job because you are. Make certain to look people in the eye when conversing and when seated be comfortable in the chair without slouching.

Now come those questions we rehearsed. Piece of cake, right? Be yourself when you answer but remember to be the best possible self you can be.  Allow yourself to be enthusiastic about the opportunity, but always be sincere. Hiring managers are pretty good at sniffing out insincerity.

Another important point that I mentioned in my story about phone interviews, is that your listening skills are a crucial component of what people think of you. Staying calm will help. This is why staying calm helps so much. It keeps you looking confident but it also prevents you from anticipating answers and interrupting.

When the interview is coming to a close, make sure you have that one question ready when they ask: “Do you have any questions for us?” If you have other questions you can add those too, but remember to know the difference between a question and a concern. Don’t bring up “concerns” yet such as pressing on issues dealing with pay, vacation time, or holidays because you can always deal with these when an offer is made as we will discuss next time. For now keep questions pertinent to the position and focus on getting the job. It’s much better if you can show your insight into a position by asking a truly pointed question about the workflow, strategy or process involved.

When the interview is over thank everyone – and I mean everyone, including receptionists and doormen. Smile and shake hands when necessary and as soon as you get home fill out that thank you and send it off. Mention something particular about the process that you appreciated in the thank you message, and remember to thank the interviewer for his or her time.

Now make sure your phone is on at all times and start daydreaming about being employed there. Remember when I last spoke about daydreaming? Seems like an age ago now doesn’t it?

Good work.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer: Dress & Rehearsal

08/08/2016

We have arrived. You got the call, you flew through the phone interview (see our previous story) and now they want to meet you. It’s time for the interview.

I want to make sure we emphasize the importance of this interview by taking two entries to cover it dividing this opportunity into the “pre-interview” phase and “the interview.” Ultimately the interview will decide whether you get the job because people hire people and not resumes, so take a lot of time to prepare for this meeting.

In the pre-interview phase we could say there are two main areas to address, the mental and the physical.

The physical aspects include not only your general appearance and outfit, but also your body language and eye contact. Research tells us that as much as 85 percent of communication is nonverbal. So make a task list and start with these tips:

  1. Plan out exactly what you will wear two days before (if possible) and when in doubt, go with something conservative unless you know otherwise.
  2. On colors—know the rules before you break them. Blue and navy are good choices, grays are also usually a good choice, and with a white shirt or blouse it always looks professional. Wear strong colors like black and red as accents to show your personality.
  3. For women wear closed toe shoes and plain hosiery. And for men, make sure your shoes are freshly shined.

This may sound ridiculous but if you can get a friend to help, ask them to interview you. Notice your body language and eye contact. Practice a few times until you can sit straight and look them in the eye in a natural, confident way.

The other part of your preparation is mental. This means preparing your mind to handle anything you might be asked about. Start by knowing answers to the basic questions always asked during an interview such as:

“Tell me a little bit about you.”

”Why do you want to work here?”

“Why did you leave your last job?”

“Do you have any questions for us?” (Street tip: Have one but keep it positive, extremely simple and related to a work aspect of the job – not a benefit.)

If you really want this job you must do research. On them and on you. Here is a checklist for further mental preparation:

  1. Know your resume by heart.
  2. Know all of your strengths and your ONE or TWO weaknesses.
  3. Know your life story.
  4. Know how to summarize your life story.
  5. Know how to summarize your life story using only the highlights.
  6. Know the history of the company you’re interviewing.
  7. Know what the company has interests in and what kind of image and marketing it does if any.
  8. Know what the company website and all of its social media tools look like.
  9. Know the job description.
  10. Know the person or people interviewing you.
  11. Prepare a basic thank you letter, note or email simply to have it ready to fill in with details and send the moment you get home.

I could make this list so much longer but I think it’s important for everyone to start here and then work out with a goal of gaining as much knowledge and practice at interviewing as possible.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer: Tell A Phone To Hire You

08/01/2016

As many as one in six job interviews now begins on the phone. Companies looking to save time and money choose to pre-screen applicants on the telephone rather than with a face-to-face meeting.

For some, this development is good news. Imagine sitting at home in sweatpants and flip-flops, drinking coffee from a favorite mug, and still interviewing for that dream job. Other applicants who do much better in an actual meeting may regard this trend as a lost opportunity.

No matter your point of view, the phone interview may be a necessary step in your job search. See it as your chance to shine so that even before the conversation is over, you will be assured of winning that in-person interview.

My advice? Prepare for that phone interview as you would were it an actual interview – because it is! The goal here is two-fold: to impress the interviewer with who you are, and to get that face-to-face interview. (We’ll discuss this next time).

Do your homework. Learn about the company, the people, and the position you are applying for. What strengths will you bring to the job and to the company? In the days of search engines like Google and Bing, employers think it insulting not to know the basics.

You won’t have to worry about what to wear or bring to the interview, but there are important ways to prepare:

  • If you can, always use a landline. If you don’t have access to one, then charge your cell phone or plug it in. Yes, it’s a bad thing if your phone drops the call.
  • If you are on a cell phone, find a quiet area to sit and make sure the connection is excellent. One more time – yes, it’s a bad thing if your phone drops the call.
  • Get some water ready. You don’t realize how dry you may get when you are talking for a length of time and your adrenaline is pumping.
  • Get your resume out, your cover letter, notes, and any correspondences along with blank pieces of paper and two pens. Yes, two pens, you know one always runs out.
  • Tell anyone in the house or location not to walk in or disturb you. Pets should be out of barking distance.

Now comes the hard part. Stay focused and listen. Listening is as important to an interviewer as speaking. If the person on the other end of the phone feels you are interrupting or not paying attention, you are less likely to make it to the next round.

Speak confidently and be yourself. It does help to be conversational even when talking about your accomplishments. Rehearse beforehand and go through a list of possible questions. Be positive. You may find that you actually enjoy speaking to the person on the other end of the line.

Before you hang up, make sure you have the interviewer’s contact information so that you can send a “thank you” as a followup. (See my previous story).

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer—Call Waiting

07/25/2016

All set for that job interview? Of course you are. Before that happens, you may have to manage correspondence, specifically emails, from potential employers. There will probably be some surprises along the way, so let’s get to work.

Why am I spending so much time talking about how to respond to an email? Because I want you to pause before you hit that “send” button. There’s a fine line between being smart about something and over-thinking it. Often your own instincts can separate you from the crowd.

Here’s what to know: There are two things happening in the hiring process these days that are relatively new or at least new to new job seekers. The first is the various ways a response may come from a potential employer. The second is the express lane version of HR, the proliferation of phone “pre-interviews.” But first things first—let’s talk about the ways to respond to a potential employer.

Assuming you’ve sent your cover email and resume to all of the great opportunities out there on the WAT Ultimate Job Board Resource List, you may see a day or even a few weeks go by before hearing from anyone. If they are interested, you will receive a response eventually and I applaud those with the persistence to call and inquire if they have not heard. On the other hand I would not suggest sending more than one follow up email. In some industries and at certain executive levels, the response to your job inquiry will prompt a phone call, while in other businesses, you will be contacted by email.

A word about email responses from employers would have to touch on the various scams out there. It’s part of the process unfortunately, and really no way to avoid being a target. There are times when your resume will trigger a computer-generated response that you should definitely not respond to. Here are the signs that something about a potential employer’s response is fishy:

If you see an unusually long response—sometimes as much as three or more paragraphs—that makes no reference to anything from your resume, it’s spam so don’t answer it.

If it tells you that there is a “main office in the UK or Europe” and this will be their attempt to “establish a location in the U.S.,” then beware this, always.

If it asks you to give them your name, address and social security number and…yes that’s right I said your SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. Click spam immediately and delete it from your computer. This type of spam won’t hurt your computer but never respond to it. As I said before, never give out your social security number in an online job application.

The legitimate email you should receive will ask you to clarify something from your resume or schedule a time for a phone interview. You’ve already impressed them so keep it simple, and try something like this:

Dear Ms. Cunningham,

Thank you for taking the time to review my resume.

I will be available to take your call today/tomorrow at any time between 1-5pm. You may reach me at 212-555-1234.

Thank you,

You

Hopefully, during that phone call, you will be asked to come in and meet someone from HR, but just as likely these days you may have to do a mini-interview over the phone first. Next week we will sharpen our phone interview skills just in case.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer: Head for Cover

07/18/2016

Of all the things you need to get a job, in many cases the most debatable and argued over piece may be the cover letter. I have talked to many hiring managers who tell me that they don’t even read them and yet on the other hand they tell me if there isn’t one attached, they might not even look at the resume. Sound a bit crazy? Don’t answer that – let’s just keep moving.

Writing a successful cover letter is perhaps the most difficult part of the application process, and the most valuable. It can and will represent you to that employer until you are able to do so in person because this is the part of the process where your attempts to impress are often clues to your candidacy.

Obviously we could talk at length on the best way to construct a cover letter but in our case let’s focus on a particular type: a short cover email that you use to apply to online jobs. There are many ways in which this differs from a hard copy format and so for the moment don’t try and adapt your cover letters to a cover email, start fresh.

Remember, these hiring managers are in some cases seeing literally hundreds of emails so rule number one is keep it short.

I suggest breaking it into three small parts: the introductory section, the “why you think you’re right” section and the “thank you and contact me section.” When I say “section” I mean one or two sentences tops.

Here is a VERY basic sample:

Dear Mrs. Smith, (Always try and get a name to address your emails or letters to – Street Tip! Try using www.Hoovers.com to find out to whom you are writing to!)

I am submitting my resume for consideration for the position of beekeeper.

My skills as a professional beekeeper have won me various awards from Ohio to Florida and I have never been stung.

My resume is attached along with samples of honey. Please contact me at this email or at 555-1234 to set up a meeting.

Sincerely,

You

OK so I wrote this with a hint of humor hoping that no one actually copies this for use, but instead sees this as an opportunity to be brief and informative. Lastly you want to slightly customize every single email cover to match the job posting. Say something specific that will separate you from the rest but keep it professional and pertinent to the job description.

If you are looking for certain jobs such as graphic designer, architect, copywriter or a job that specifically requests samples, then take your best work and make them into PDF’s as I showed you how to do in this story. If you have samples you probably know how best to create them for use but if needed look to peers or industry specific blogs for ways in which to put your samples in the best layout possible.

Now let’s get ready because it’s about that time. It’s time for you to reach out and impress someone.

Here’s your assignment for next week: pick out an interview outfit and visualize yourself sitting in a chair in that outfit impressing the heck out of someone who is looking for a great employee. Do this once a day until we meet again and you will be more ready than even you know.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

The New American Dreamer—Find Your Dream Job

07/11/2016

At this point we hopefully have a bird’s eye view of the current hiring landscape (see our previous story on job boards) where we see companies at every level utilizing the Internet to find many of their new hires. Understand that this means employers have more control over who sees these job postings simply by where they choose to post them.

Like true love, a great job can and usually does emerge instead of being discovered. Great jobs are not always so great until someone gets into the position and steers it to its potential. So keep this openness of mind when you hit the job boards online but to be safe, and this means minimizing spam to avoiding common scams, let’s touch on a few thoughts:

Take your mailing address off of your resume, save for the city and state. There is no need for the masses to have access to the address where you live, if someone is a serious employer they can call or ask and you can provide proof of residency but in general, why have it floating around unnecessarily? All that an employer needs is your name, phone number, email address, city and state. Do not forget these.

Always send a PDF or JPG never a WORD document to an employer, unless specified to do so. This won’t stop anyone from using your information but it is harder to copy and paste something from your resume or to change a PDF document at all, so they might be likely to move on to the next one. It’s kind of like having a loud barking dog in your house that does next to nothing – but it might send the bad guys elsewhere.

Never, ever give your social security number out to anyone you do not know and this would include all of your potential employers in an online application. If it asks, then leave it blank. If you’re applying for that dream job at the most prestigious firm ever then I would simply pick up the phone and verify that the site you are about to send your social security number to is actually their site. Point being – they shouldn’t even be asking until you meet face to face.

Here we go. Turn off the news reports and think positive. Here is a list of job boards to start. This list is a resource that you can return to every day you search. Some of these are major job boards that show as many jobs as possible, some are more targeted towards a niche and some are simply support systems for people looking. Next week we will discuss the lost practice of writing a good cover letter.

The Ultimate WAT Job Board Resource List

These are many of the top sites in order in terms of monthly traffic in 2012. Click on the name to go to the site:

Monster Very large, a good site to look at but many higher level position-seekers feel its time has passed.

Careerbuilder Similar to Monster – both are good places to set up and gather alerts on for those positions that match your skill set.

Indeed A good place to start. It’s easy and pulls from many sites on this list so it might be one of the best here.

SimplyHired This site is very similar to Indeed, but with half the monthly traffic.

AOL Believe it or not AOL is seen as something from “the olden days” to anyone 40 and under.

SnagAJob Primarily a niche site used by employers of hourly workforces.

USAJobs This site created by the Federal government is great for Veteran’s and boasts a nice resource center.

Job.com A site for general job seekers though I think it owes much of its success to owning a great domain name.

TheLadders When it launched it only listed jobs paying $100K or more but since 2011 has lowered that bar. Still it attracts higer level positions – and is one of the few that asks for payment from both employers and job seekers.

Dice This is a great site for technology professionals, but if you are one, you probably already knew this.

FindtheRightJob I’ve never been crazy about a site that makes you sign in just to see job postings.

JobBank USA Not a well made site but it does have lots of listings if you click “Muilti Database Listings”.

Jobster An up-and-comer with nice features, definitely worth a look.

Other great resources to start your journey. Click on the name to go to the site:

LinkUp Great site because it also crawls corporate sites for jobs.

LinkedIn As we know from a past column this site is helpful in many ways. Check out their job listings a well.

Vault Also from a past column this site is useful as a resource for all things work-related.

Riley Guide A lesser-known resource this is a site that divides job boards according to industry.

MediaBistro For media-related jobs this is it.

Mashable For tech and media-related jobs this is also it.

Craigslist Obviously not always a trusted source it can be incredibly helpful for people seeking entry-level positions.

NYTimes Worth a look though it’s probably redundant.

Idealist For those socially conscious job seekers try this site.

NY JobSource Here’s a local site that might have a tighter search result for some.

TweetMyJobs A new player on the scene this site and others like it will become more prominent as job seeking takes a social twist.

SmartBrief Industry-specific and highly informative resource.

Jason Veduccio is a hard-working entrepreneur following his dreams, and he wants you to dream, too. Drawing on his experiences working with companies on marketing, technology, hiring, and workplace issues, his regular column will demystify the job search process and identify strategies for moving up the corporate ladder. Founder of In1Concepts, Jason also knows the ins and outs of launching a new business. He welcomes your questions and can be reached at jason@in1concepts.com.

1 2 3