How to Politely End a Conversation at a Networking Event

How to Politely End a Conversation at a Networking Event You may think that  initiating a conversation at a network event is the difficult part, however ending a conversation can be equally as tough, as its easy to get stuck in a discussion with somebody, out of fear of appearing rude. They may in fact be very interesting, however the purpose of networking is to meet new people and the time often comes when you need to wrap it up and move onto the next person. A good rule to stick to is to for making the most of a networking event, is to talk with one person for 5-10 minutes and then move on to work the rest of the room. When the time comes to move on, it doesnt have to be awkward, and given the occasion Im sure the individual will understand, as long as you are polite and respectful. It  is best not to make any promises or arrangements that you dont intend on keeping, if you tell them that you will do something, do it. You want to give a good lasting impression, as you may have just made a very useful contact, so be sure to thank them and a compliment never hurts either. If youre at a loss about how to politely end conversations at a networking event, here are a few examples that you could try. Suggest that you connect later on: If youre genuinely interested in speaking with this person more, but need to  run off for some reason or another, suggest that you catch up later on at the event or even at another upcoming event. It was great speaking with you. If I don’t run into you later, I hope to see you at another event soon. Plan a follow-up: In the situation that you feel youve made a useful contact, but need to do some more networking, exchange details or business cards with each other and plan a future meeting, follow up call, etc. and then leave the conversation on that note. Ive got to head off now, but I would love to speak some more. Can I have your contact details and we can arrange a meeting? Shift focus elsewhere: An easy way to exit strategy  is to shift your focus elsewhere. Tell the person  that you need to say hello to someone else, or you can just be honest that you feel you need to work  the room some more, theyll understand as theyre there to network too after all. Its been great talking to you, but I really need to say hello to a few other people. Hope you enjoy the rest of the event. Introduce someone else to the conversation: By introducing a friend or contact to the conversation, you may actually be doing them a favour by creating a bit of an ice breaker. Once they are talking you can suggest that you  leave them to it and move on. Id love to introduce you to someone else I met tonight. Ill leave you to get acquainted. Wait for a natural break in conversation: If it comes to a point in the conversation where there is a natural pause, use the opportunity to tell them how nice it was to meet them and then leave politely. It was wonderful  to meet you, Im going to go mingle some more. Make it benefit them: If you make it sound like youre doing them a favour, it will come across less as though you are trying to get away from them. For example that you dont want to hold them up. I dont want to take up all your time, it was great chatting with you! Grab another drink/food: There are most usually refreshments at networking events, so if youre at a loss about how to end your conversation, you can always just tell them youre off to get a top up. Im going to grab another drink, but it was fantastic to meet you. Learning how to open and close professional conversations at a networking event is an essential skill for making useful contacts and hopefully with the help of a few of these pointers, your next networking event will be smooth sailing and free of awkward moments. Image: Shutterstock

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Bad Bosses Are No Laughing Matter

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Bad Bosses Are No Laughing Matter Anyone who has ever worked for a bad boss knows that, despite such lighthearted looks at these people through comics such as Dilbert and television shows such as The Office, it really is no laughing matter.Ive had two really bad bosses in my life, and I can tell you it is truly a painful experience, both physically and emotionally. At times I was depressed, at times angry and suffered from headaches and stomachaches, not to mention waking at 3 a.m. every night and re-running every horrible encounter through my head.Its probably little consolation to anyone going through this experience that there are plenty of people going through the same thing, but I think its important to show that these bad bosses are at least being exposed more and more to the sunlight. First, there are websites devoted to outing bad bosses and providing helpful advice to employees going through a rough time. Second, more press has been given to the fact that a lack of management training means were putting ill -prepared and poorly qualified people into these upper positions where they can become abusive. Third, rising healthcare costs mean that companies cannot afford to have employees sickened by bad bosses, plus face high employee turnover because bully bosses drive away the talent.One of the latest looks at the problems of butthead managers is a study by Florida State University study, which shows that 31 percent of 700 respondents said their supervisor had given them the silent treatment in the past year. (This was a favorite tactic of one of my bad bosses, lasting one time for six months.)Further, 37 percent of the respondents reported that their supervisor failed to give credit when it was due, and 39 percent noted that their supervisor failed to keep promises. And on the truly smarmy scale, 27 percent noted that their supervisor made negative comments about them to other employees or managers, while 23 percent said that their supervisor blamed others to cover up or to minimize thei r own embarrassment.At the same time, the abuse took its toll on employees in physical ways, such as increased exhaustion, job tension, nervousness, depression and mistrust.Wayne Hochwarter, the professor who did the study along with a couple of his doctoral students, offered some advice to suffering employees: Stay visible at work. While its common for the employee to blame himself or herself for the situation, hiding out can hurt a career because it can prevent others from noticing individual talent and contributions. And remember, bullies have often subjected others to this treatment, so their history is probably already known to others. Keep focused on the future. While it may seem that youll never break free of the boss, chances are good that you will eventually work for someone else, and you want to make sure your performance will impress others. You want the next boss to know what you can do for the company, Hochwarter says. Know when to draw the line. No one should take abus e that is physical or would be considered harassment or discrimination. Such complaints should be made through formal channels, such as internal grievance committees or law enforcement. Save This Page

Ramp Up Your Brand with Lead Strategies on LinkedIn - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Ramp Up Your Brand with Lead Strategies on LinkedIn - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In order to encourage more exposure for your personal brand it’s important to be actively communicating with your fans and followers. With the right strategies in place your business can attract leads to your products or services. LinkedIn is a premier networking resource for personal brands, and is now a great warm lead generator as well. More and more people are turning to this top social network for information and research. There are several things your brand can start today in order to attract the right leads for your business. 4 Steps to LinkedIn Success 1. Begin with InMail. LinkedIn, which is a network-oriented social network, has seen a lot of growth over the last two years, and as a result changes have been made to enhance the service. Use InMail to connect with other brands or individuals in your market, and choose to draft a personalized message tailored to your contacts rather than a generic one. 2. Stay in touch. It is essential to create another personalized InMail that can follow up on your initial message and answer any questions. What better way to connect with other influencers and potential customers for your brand. This is a prime opportunity to open up more about what your business has to offer. 3. Announce important events and updates. Use these milestones as a way to continue communication with your network, and keep them informed about the latest with your brand and any industry news. Find out what their needs might be through this process to show that your company is interested in them rather than self promotion. 4. Join the conversation. There is a large number of professional groups, published posts, and other information flowing through LinkedIn each day. Take the the time to focus on what best matches your niche, and which influencers your brand could be interacting with. Groups especially are a great way to establish relationships and interact with a whole new set of leads. LinkedIn is a perfect place where your personal brand can link up with professionals in your industry as well as new leads where you can show your interest in them as well as your knowledge and expertise. By being helpful, friendly, and consistently publishing content your network will grow and attract more loyal followers to your brand.

UN Virtual Careers Fair University of Manchester Careers Blog

UN Virtual Careers Fair University of Manchester Careers Blog Following on from the info on EU internships, weve just been told about a UN Virtual Careers Fair. I dont normally just reproduce info sent to us, but this ones too good to miss: The second Virtual Careers Fair will be held on 10 December 2013. The following international organizations will participate: The United Nations Secretariat (UN), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPs) and the European Personnel Selection Office (EU Careers). For 24 hours, you will be able to pose questions to knowledgeable staff in these organizations about different careers opportunities. You will also be able to watch videos describing the participating organizations as well as the application process, competitive examinations and competency-based interviews. To participate no registration is necessary. Please log on to http://careerfair.un.org on 10 December (ICT)/(CET)/(EST). Please note that no CVs or applications will be accepted as the Fair is for information purposes. If you want to know when that is, try this link to a time converter (handy website if you have to communicate across time zones). The link they give is only for the fair, so if you want to know more about careers with the UN, have a look at their very informative website, UN Careers, including info on the Young Professionals Programme, Internship Programme and Volunteer Programme, which are likely to be the ones to check out for any of you without extensive experience. All Postgrad-highlighted Postgraduate Careers fair international jobs Not for profit

#101 - Recruiting Expert Series - Liran Kotzer from Woo.io - CareerMetis.com

#101 - Recruiting Expert Series - Liran Kotzer from Woo.io The Career Insider Podcast Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSSForEpisode 101of The CareerMetis Podcast, we will be hearing from Liran Kotzer, Founder and CEO ofWoo.ioThis interview is part of the “Recruiting Expert Series“.evalGuest Introduction â€" Liran KotzerevalWoo.io is an artificial intelligence startup that connects experienced techies who are discreetly exploring new opportunities to companies with the right job for them.Liran Kotzer is the Founder CEO of Woo.io.Episode Summary1. Liran starts off the interview talking about his journey on starting the company, his past experiences, etc.2. Liran brings up the challenges that most job seekers face. First it is challenging and time-consuming. Second â€" the job boards are not efficient. The mission of the company 6. Woo.io reduces the challenges that candidates face when looking for new jobs. It helps them identify their market value, and also shows the candidates navigate the job ma rket. Everything a candidate wants to explore â€" Woo.io helps provide all the information. 7. Woo.io only shows the opportunities that that a candidate is qualified for, and also the companies that can match the compensation they are looking for. As of today, Woo.io has more than 50000 Engineers registered on San Francisco and New York.Quotes“We are thinking and wanting to do things to make our lives better, but most of the time we just don’t do it”“You have to give up your security to become a job seeker”eval“60% of the current employees, that have jobs, are ready to consider a better job for them”“The core problem is basically the inefficiency of the market”“It takes 27 hours of screening candidates in order to make 1 hire”“Candidates today don’t know their market value”“Never be comfortably numb”Links ResourcesTo learn more about Liran Kotzer, you can visit his company website. He can also be reached viaLinkedInorTwitter .Intro Music provided cou rtesy of Accelerated Ideas (www.accelerated-ideas.com). Soundtrack â€" Siren KickbackEnding Music provided courtesy of Accelerated Ideas (www.accelerated-ideas.com). Soundtrack â€" No Need to Rush

Motivation Monday Prime the Pump

Motivation Monday Prime the Pump You are likely familiar with this saying, prime the pump. So what does this have to do with your career? In the broadest terms, it means to encourage the growth or action of something. That something is your network. Prime the pump means to build it before you need it or give to get. The idea is to invest time nurturing mutually beneficial relationships throughout your career. All too often I speak with people who are networking adverse. I get it. It is hard to know what to talk to people about. Everyone finds it awkward to reach out to someone they havent spoken to in ages. Meeting new people is uncomfortable, especially for those with introverted tendencies. But, those are merely excuses. Now Is The Best Time To Prime the Pump For people who are struggling to find a new job- are you priming the pump? What are you giving? I suggest you go read Be The Conduit post I wrote that talks about how networking is just facilitating the flow of information and knowledge. Provide The Right Information I am not talking about blasting your resume all over. The resume, in 99% of the cases, does not accurately specify what you want to do next, why youll be good in that career or where you want to work. Networking Without A Resume is about how to change the old habit of using this document when you meet with people. The right information to share is your personal marketing plan. This clearly lays out your key skills, roles you are interested in and where you want to explore working. You can see examples of personal marketing plans much better suited for the task here, here, and here. Invest in Your Visibility This is a long-term investment, not just something you do during a job search. Your online presence is your new resume. Google yourself and see what comes up on the first page. That is all someone will take the time to see. Is this the best content about you? And does that search result to a LinkedIn profile link to YOUR LinkedIn profile or to a list of people on LinkedIn with your name (which one are you?) This presentation should help you understand why developing and maintaining the right digital dirt is important! Easy Steps To Build Your Online Presence from Hannah Morgan

What to Write About in a Good Resume

What to Write About in a Good ResumeIt is always good to hear from others what they think about writing a good resume. Everyone has been asked for their advice on what to write and what not to write. You can have a few different ideas on this topic, and it's up to you which ones you would like to try out.One good suggestion that I can give you is that it is okay to leave out some information if you have no intention of going back to school. You don't want to include information that will make you sound as though you are not really a hard-working individual and want to take time off just so you can go to school.You should also not put the same name on every page, because it will make it very easy for an employer to see if you have the same degree in order to see if you have a tough job for them to fill. It is best to do this with some names on a page, and the others to be listed on a separate sheet of paper.Writing a good resume is something that will be used by someone for many years to come. For this reason, you have to be as accurate as possible with all of the information.Writing something that is correct and concise is essential, and writing in a style that makes sense to those reading your resume is even more important. The point is not to keep information that is irrelevant to the person reading your resume, but rather to make sure you are keeping important pieces of information to help them find you.The most important part of writing a good resume is making sure the spelling and grammar is correct. If you use grammar-checking software to help you, you will be able to see where you need to get better at it. This will help you focus your efforts on other areas where you can make mistakes and become sloppy.Making sure you are getting everything right is essential, because it is the first impression that employers will get of you. You want your resume to be a good first impression, and you want to be ready to have a conversation with anyone who sees it. Writ ing a good resume takes practice, and writing a great one is what will earn you respect from the people you will be working with.