MOVING UP THE LADDER WITH WORDS

The need to develop marketable skills for the working world is imperative, and speech writing and public speaking is definitely a good one to look into. According to the Book of Lists, public speaking ranked as the number one biggest fear. Yup, it scored higher than death. Pretty serious, huh? So with so many people scared of public speaking, great speakers are pretty well esteemed.

Susan B. Anthony is a great example of the power of speech:

"Susan was very self-conscious of her looks and her speaking ability in her youth. She resisted public speaking, fearing she would not be eloquent enough. Despite these insecurities, she became a renowned and outspoken public presence." "…was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She traveled the United States and Europe, and gave 75 to 100 speeches per year on women's rights for 45 years."* Mind you, there were other women that supported woman suffrage, but it was Anthony's speaking ability that landed her a place in our history books.

So stop fearing it and embrace it, public speaking has many benefits that can help you zip up the ladder in your organization and career.

1. Broadens your abilities. When it comes to your career, you have to promote the product you have: you. And what makes your product so special? All the wonderful skills you have to offer, but with all the skills in the world, if the one skill you lack is to be able to tell people how wonderful you are, that's a big negative for you. Speaking eloquently helps to improve all communicative skills as well as gives you confidence.
2. Stand out. "Oh, pick him for the presentation, he speaks the best." It made sense at school and certainly makes sense in the workplace and it allows for opportunities for advancement down the road. Being able to speak eloquently and interestingly about something will certainly put you higher up than someone who stutters or fumbles their words during presentations. You'll be picked to give presentations, an activity that is reserved usually for management positions, and pretty soon management will notice. Plus, writing and even executing an impressive speech for your stage frightened CEO or boss, will definitely gain you respect throughout management and the workplace. A speech puts you in the public eye, the more you speak, they more people pay attention, not only to you but to your abilities.
3. Opportunities Galore. It expands your networking possibilities as you become more visible and exposed to persons of note and you'll meet a ton of more people than if you were only sitting in the audience. Speaking on a topic or issue brings not only to light the issue, but if you speak well you'll be linked as having an expertise in that realm, and there will always be plenty of speaking opportunities to continue your quest to the top.

So like Susan B. Anthony, stand up and speak up, and start making your way up...to the top.

Here's an example of really bad speaking abilities to give an idea of what you wouldn't want to sound like:

Miss South Carolina, Lauren Caitlin Upton, may not be that dumb after all, she was an honor student in high school, managed to get signed to a modeling contract, but thanks to her poor speaking abilities, she certainly won't ever land any kind of management job or a job that requires talking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUElcQoPToY

* Quoted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_B._Anthony

Related articles:

Benefits of Public Speaking

Public Speaking Benefits: How Public Speaking Skills can Help Your Career

Don't Sabotage Your Speaking Skills

I would love to hear your comments and feel free to subscribe to be kept posted on new articles.

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Leyda Hernandez

leyda.h.v@gmail.com

www.makingmovesincollege.blogspot.com

HOW TO JOB SEARCH IN A RECESSION

Elaborating from the article "Generation Y is not Ready for the Recession" a recession will affect job seekers when in comes to available job options, cuts in benefits, raises, and salaries. It's time to buckle down, prepare for impact and survive the recession by adapting your job search tactics to the occasion.

According to the Labor Department, we are in the midst of the highest unemployment rate since 1994 and the competition is fierce. I know that some people might have gone into shock after reading that first article but it was just intended to wake you up so that you may realize that it's time to change. Don't automatically get discouraged thinking you won't find a job, but rather use this extra obstacle to push yourself further to expand your career and stay positive. It's cliche but it works, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." You will survive this recession, it's not the end of the world but you shouldn't downplay the situation either. Realize the circumstances and act. Expect and act to succeed and you will.

Roberta Chinksy Matuson of Human Resource Solutions said it so well, "During a recession it is best to move forward with force, while your competition is moving slowly. It is easy to use the economy as an excuse. Successful job seekers know that even in tough economic times, there are opportunities. You just have to dig a bit deeper."

• Not everyone is going in a downwards spiral, some industries are expanding as some are not. Find information on the industries you should target and those that you should avoid.



• "I am looking for a job" simply isn't enough. Look for something specific, arming yourself with a job title and a detailed plan that identifies what you want will help you find a specific job in your specific job search.

• It is hard to find employment in regular seasons but with a recession it is much harder. Find the time and the effort to put your job search plan into effect.



• Realize that there will not be as many job options available as companies will be cutting down on training and recruiting costs. Unless you have better options, if there is a job available to you, even though it's not the job of your dreams, the pay isn't quite what you expected and it's only part-time instead of full, do it anyway. It will be better to have a job, than none at all. If you can't find a job, consider doing a paid internship that will give you experience and compensation.



• Network as much as possible, this is a key element as the best jobs (Fortune 500) are usually not advertised outside the company, which means knowing someone that is in, is key. Network, Network, Network... can never be said or done too many times.



• On your resume focus more on results than skills. For example, "Effective in group environments" says you work well in groups (which most people already do), while "active group involvement in a project that helped raise $3,000 in donations for abused families" says that you not only work effectively in groups but you have the results to prove it (which most people might not have). Find out what skills companies are looking for and customize to that, be exactly what they are looking for. Same thing goes for work samples and portfolio, you have the proof, so show them instead of just telling them what your abilities are.



• Make use of every available option for job searching and market yourself whenever and wherever possible.



• Distinguish yourself in the interview by being well prepared. Practice interview questions and ask questions yourself about something that you read about the company that maybe they didn't mention, they'll be impressed that you took the time to research. Be sure to follow up with phone calls and e-mails to let them know you are interested. The attention will pay off because even though you might not be the most qualified, they will want to hire you versus someone more fit for the position that never bothered to call once.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter, and if you found the article helpful, consider subscribing to be kept posted on new articles.

These are some other articles also dedicated to job searching in time of recession:

Recession-proof your job-search tactics

New and Recent Grads Will Be Hardest Hit by Looming Recession

Ten Tips To Finding A Job In The Recession

How to find a job during a recession

5 Job Search Tips to Survive the Recession


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Leyda Hernandez

leyda.h.v@gmail.com

www.makingmovesincollege.blogspot.com