Category: millennial

Identifying Your One Thing

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One-thing

Several years ago when I worked as a Youth Pastor I came across a book called The 1 Thing: What everyone craves – that your church can deliver.

It was a good, not great book, but the message was simple: build relationships. In the context of “church” it’s a crystal-clear way to set your mission.

Here’s how it applies to you: what do you do best? What is your 1 thing?

If you don’t know, keep reading…

As a huge supporter and user of the StrengthsFinder assessment, I believe everyone should live/function out of their strengths. This particular test reveals your Top 5 strengths and how to use them in your personal and professional life. It’s a great application tool towards becoming the best version of yourself, but I’d like to challenge you to take it a step further.

My Top 5 results from the StrengthsFinder are: Relator, Individualization, Maximizer, Arranger & Strategic. Don’t worry if you don’t understand the terminology, the reason I’m using this example is from these 5 themes, my most marketable talent is: efficiency (Maximizer).

I’m obsessed with efficiency. I plan out everything (even though it rarely plays out the way I envision it). I care about “flow,” punctuality and running ahead of schedule. I apply this strength to the one thing I do best: lead Millennials (that’s why my blog is called Maximizing the Millennial).

The point of my example isn’t to bring attention to myself. It’s to show you narrowing your brand down to one thing is powerful.

People do contact me about career coaching, but I don’t proactively market it. I have other skill sets and interests that excite me, but I don’t focus on them. Customers want to know the one thing you do and how you do it the best. That’s why they hire you.

Job descriptions desire generalists, but within those multitude of tasks they still want to know your speciality. Not only will identifying your 1 thing help you answer the dreaded interview question, “what are your strengths?” It defines your brand.

You can’t be anything you want to be, you can only be the best version of you (2.0). So what’s your 1 thing?

Taking A Bite Out Of SEO

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Rachel-Howe

Rachel Howe is someone I know through the social media platform Brazen. Back then it was a virtual place to meet other Young Professionals. Recently I had a client who asked me for a SEO recommendation so I scoured through LinkedIn and contacted Rachel to gauge her interest. Long story short, my client hired Rachel and everyone is happy. Since SEO can be an intimidating subject, I’ve asked Rachel to share her thoughts in the following interview:

1) Tell us a little bit about how you got started in SEO.

Well, what can I say? I don’t think anyone can say that they grew up wanting to be a search engine optimizer when they were a kid. Especially since the internet is less than half a century old! I did what I think most people who entered the profession ended up doing, I kind of fell into it. When I was a kid I used to want to be an artist or a veterinarian. I quickly realized that I was no good at science and biology. And, while I enjoy art and have taken a few college art classes, I knew that it wasn’t something I was passionate enough about to do day in and day out (not to mention when you’re putting yourself through college, being a starving artist just won’t cut it.). So, I studied marketing. I could see myself as a businesswoman and marketing combined my interest in using my creativity and business interest. I had no idea what I wanted to do though. When I graduated, I ended up working in the corporate setting for a couple of years. I knew that I couldn’t keep that up. It was just too draining. So I did things I liked like writing and marketing. I set up my own blog and started blogging about internet marketing. Soon after I got my first agency job at a small agency here in Milwaukee. And the rest is history ☺

2) What are some misconceptions about SEO that you’d like to clear up?

I think the SEO industry is interesting because there are people out there that give it a bad rap. There are “black hat” SEOs that try to game the system and make a quick buck, which are the biggest culprits. But there are also people that just think that you slap a few title tags on a site, stuff some keywords on the page and voila! The site is SEOed. While that would be great, it also does the profession a disservice. It is a profession for a reason. People make their livelihoods out of it and a lot of work goes into doing great SEO. It’s a large combination of things including understanding algorithms, code, marketing principles, PR and having good business sense. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, so my hope is that by bringing transparency in combination with education, we’ll shed more light into this up and coming, complex industry.

3) On your site, you talk about creating meaningful connections vs. solely driving sales and leads – why is that important?

A lot of people will tell you they can make you a ton of money with SEO and get you to the top of Google for “xyz” terms. The chances of them delivering on that is low. Yes, it is definitely possible, but there really are no guarantees with search engines. Things change all the time and you can only really estimate and put your best foot forward. Even if they could get you to the top and let’s say they convert here and there. Are they repeat purchasers, or just a bunch of one-timer purchasers or visitors? Because if all you get is one time purchasers or visits, you’d really be missing out on a valuable segment of your market, which is repeat purchasers. And going after that is a better use of your marketing dollars and time.

If you think about how search engines like Google evaluate websites, it’s really almost like evaluating a business as if it were the brick and mortar itself. You have to be a good, credible business in the real world and that translates on the internet. Which is largely due to the relationships you build and how you run your shop. So, it’s really important to think about the broader perspective when you get into marketing your business online, or anywhere for that matter.

4) If you had to sum up what you do in one word, what would it be? Why?

Marketing. At the end of the day, great SEO is more than just getting higher rankings. It’s helping people market their products and services.

5) Describe to my readers what it’s like working with you & why they should hire you!

I like to think that I’m easy to get along with and at the end of the day, I want to help people with marketing and growing their business. I think big picture, but I’m also practical. I don’t tell people what they want to hear, I tell them what they need to hear so we can focus on getting results. If you want to work with someone who’s honest, hard-working and cares about getting you results over a paycheck, then here I am! (of course, I want a paycheck, but you get the point 😉

3 Reasons Why Millennials Love Snapchat

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how-to-market-on-snapchat

When it comes to social media, it boils down to personal preference. I gave Snapchat a try, but quickly deleted my account because I didn’t care for the user interface.

I’ve witnessed multiple brands that market to Millennials jump on the Snapchat bandwagon and recently did some research about why. Here’s 3 things I learned:

1) Visual Storytelling – All ages love stories, but Millennials love to be visually entertained. It started with You Tube and movies, but got more personal with Snapchat. Look how celebrities use it to connect with fans. Gary Vaynerchuk recently launched VaynerSports, a full-service athlete representation agency that guide players through their professional career. His advice to his client, All-Star Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors, is to post more on Snapchat. He suggested filming everyday tasks because people want to see your everyday life. There’s a human element to this app which makes it high-touch.

2) Transparency – “Snaps” are a peek into your life. Although you can doctor it up, the amateur feel of Snapchat makes it feel authentic. Millennials can smell a fake miles away. Brands competing for the attention of Millennials must be careful not to script a message or forever be deemed as phony. Most videos/photos aren’t spectacular, but its much easier to see who you are visually versus written or auditory. The simplicity makes it attractive.

3) Communication – Sharing is the new communication for Millennials. Although brands and celebrities use it, most of the time snaps are sent to/from friends. Think of it as texting, but with video/images. You can just as easily send messages via iPhone, but Snapchat’s reputation amongst Millennials is the go-to source for frequent communication. What Facebook was to Millennials 5-10 years ago has been replaced by Snapchat. Whether a public or private story, Snapchat is the platform to stay in touch without saying a word.

After reading this don’t go and download it if you’re not already using it. If it’s for you, you’d probably already be on it. But if you want know how to effectively communicate with Millennials remember why they love Snapchat and use that to your advantage.

Corporate Survival Guide For Your Twenties

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kayla-buell

Kayla is someone I first encountered through a LinkedIn Group I manage and her posts were very insightful. I’ve witnessed her blossom from a blogger into an author and thought her advice would be helpful to my readers. I haven’t had the pleasure to meet her in person yet (because we live on opposite coasts), but we do follow each other on Twitter and Instagram. Here’s my interview with her:

1) Tell us a little bit about your journey to becoming an author

I’ve always wanted to write a book. It’s always been on my bucket list, but if I’m being honest, I never thought it’d actually happen. A couple years ago I got inspired one day and I wrote down a whole bunch of thoughts and ideas for this book I wanted to write. I wrote it down on colored construction paper and threw it into my computer bag, the place where all my scribbles and post-it notes go to die. But one day last summer, I received an e-mail from a publishing company and I took the time to read it. They had found my blog, and they asked me if I was interested in putting together a book proposal. The first thing I did was Google the heck out of them to make sure they were a legit company, and after I verified that yes, they were very real, I retrieved that page of colored construction paper and I started working on my proposal. A year later, here I am, officially an author. How cool is that?!

2) In the past year you got married, bought a house and published a book: how did you manage it all?

Oh, you mean, you don’t want to hear the stories about me in the fetal position having full-blown panic attacks? LOL!  Manage it all? Somehow I did it, although I was an absolute crazy person this past year. I really learned to use my time wisely, so I would spend my lunch breaks writing little sections of my book and I would continue writing when I got home from work. I would write on the weekends and pretty much any free time I had would be spent with my computer on my lap. Thankfully I have a super-supportive husband who dealt with me ignoring him from to time so I could get my writing done. But the turnaround time for my book was insane! I was offered my book deal in August and my draft was due in November. Hence the panic attacks. I was literally writing my book until the day before my wedding. I got married on a Saturday, and Friday, Joe was greeting our out of town guests while I was up in our room writing. Definitely intense, but so worth it.

3) As someone who graduated from college early and jumped into the corporate world immediately, what do you wish you knew then that would have helped you?

That’s a good question. I wish I had known that it was totally okay for me to explore other career options. I feel like I got into a career as a young professional and I thought, “this has to be it…this is what I studied,” even though I wasn’t passionate about it. I wish I had been a little less harsh on myself, allowing myself to explore more of my passions and interests, even if that meant job hopping a bit more during the first few years out of college.   

4) You refer to Millennials as being more “lost” than any other generation before, can you elaborate more on that?

Millennials are for the most part overachievers. I think a lot of us have big goals and dreams for ourselves and we want to make an impact. But when it comes to figuring out HOW to do that, I think that’s where we struggle sometimes. We have multiple passions and interests and with technology making so many things accessible to us, I think we often struggle to figure out which direction we want to go in. But I think that’s just what happens when we’re young and trying to figure out who we are and what we want to do, so I think the key to success here is to embrace that feeling of being lost and not thinking of it as such a bad thing. 

5) Give us a preview of your book and how it can help 20 somethings navigate the business world!

Corporate Survival Guide for Your Twenties is a down-to-earth, no BS guide to navigating those first few years at work. I mean, it’s not going to matter that we got our dream jobs if we don’t know how to behave in the workplace and get fired in three days, right? So the book’s designed to give readers some advice regarding things like starting off on the right foot, getting people to like you, earning your boss’ respect, and dealing with people you want to punch in the face. It’s got humor to it, because the last thing I wanted to do was write a book that was like a textbook or some lame HR manual, so it’s a fun read with practical advice and it’s something that I think even more seasoned employees would benefit from.

If You Don’t Know, Now You Know…

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Millennials-info

Back in the 80’s one of the most popular cartoons was G.I. Joe.

It wasn’t a show I watched much, but there was a line I still remember hearing over and over again: “And knowing is half the battle…”

When it comes to Millennials ignorance is not bliss. As a manager/executive you may not agree with Millennials’ personal/professional habits, but the reality is they are the working majority.

That doesn’t mean you lay down and grant every request they complain about. Be proactive by understand their motivations/wants/values and create programs to maximize their talents.

Maybe you’re frustrated or at your wit’s end, if so come join this workshop series where you’ll network with other managers in a similar boat. If you can’t make it let me know and I’ll customize a program based on your company’s needs.

Anyone can complain, but leaders do something about it.

An Invitation To The Freelance Party

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freelancers

Freelancers, also known as the gig economy, are rapidly becoming the norm.

Millennials are leading the charge and companies such as Uber, Postmates and Google Express are thriving.

The benefits of freelancing are: flexibility, control and convenience.

The cons are: lack of a steady paycheck, no benefits and minor predictability.

Some call it a side hustle, but with pensions/retirement disappearing faster than Google+, the reality is everyone should freelance at something.

Freelancing is essentially selling yourself. News flash: college/degrees don’t prepare you for the real world, so figure out your strengths and start getting paid for them.

Millionaires typically have 7 streams of income. If that isn’t motivation to get started, I can’t help you. It proves the theory of not putting all your eggs in one basket. Think of it in money management terms: diversify your portfolio.

Job hopping was made famous by Millennials, but you can’t blame them. No one will build your security net for you. My advice is: if you’re not looking for the next best role, you’re susceptible. You don’t have to start a new company, but you should be strategizing how to monetize your skills/hobbies.

Freelancing isn’t the next best thing. It’s a party you should be at and you don’t need an invitation to attend.

Retaining Millennials Is Expensive

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millennials_leaving

How much? 150% – 250% of someone annual salary.

That means the ROI in providing workshops, training & coaching completely outweighs firing someone.

Sounds good, but you don’t have the time, energy (or desire) to deal with it?

Get some ideas here or bring this program to your company!

The University of Networking

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Caerleon-Lawn-21

When I look back on my college career it was a waste of time and money.

This doesn’t mean college isn’t valuable (although that’s debatable), but it comes down to personal expectations.

Will college prepare me for my first job?

Will it provide me with the real world skills I need to succeed?

Does it give me an advantage over the competition?  

Answer: none of the above.

College is what you make of it. Looking back I should have cared less about passing my classes and more about who I was talking to in them. I’m not saying a classmate could get me a job, but they may be able to connect me to someone who could.

It wasn’t until several years later I learned the value of networking. Success always comes back to who you know. The smartest people aren’t always the most successful, but the most connected ones are.

Don’t confuse networking with manipulation. True networking is building a relationship. First impressions matter, but trust and rapport happen over time.

All my business mentors and professionals I respect have tremendous support systems around them. The right connections open doors you can’t.

You and I crave connections, we just don’t think of it in business terms. For example, if you have a better idea than an existing one instead of studying the competition, connect with them. If your solution is that great, customers will come to you.

I make it a goal of mine to reach out to new and re-connect with existing contacts weekly. Not because it’s something to check off my to-do list, but because I value knowing more people.

Focus on quality over quantity and networking becomes more about fostering relationships than increasing your connection count. Technology has allowed us to connect with people we would never have access to before. Take advantage of that and follow up.

The Case of the Disappearing Perks

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poof

Poof. Free food, gym memberships and laundry service are disappearing from the startup culture. Why?

The bottom line: profitability rules. Pair that with a halt in venture funding and something has to give (or go in this case).

For a while, particularly in the Silicon Valley, VC’s and Angel Investors were investing left and right, but now the frequency has slowed down. It’s hard to speculate why because the reasons differ for each investor, but it’s the trend moving forward.

What effect will it have on the job market?

Retention. Expect an exodus of younger employees to larger companies, not so much because of the disappearing perks, but what “rewards” represent. In life, you don’t miss something until it’s gone. If you never had work perks, you don’t miss them. But if you have perks taken away from you, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Couple this with the average job tenure of Millennials being 3 years (in my opinion it’s much less than that) and the startup bubble begins to burst.

Yet the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (ever turn grass over?). With a decline in entrepreneurship for young professionals it signals a smarter worker. Millennials want to have their cake and eat it too (who doesn’t?). Corporate jobs aren’t so bad as long as they don’t completely eliminate your personal life.

In an earlier post, I mentioned lifestyle is the new passion, which means work is a means to an end. Perks help, but ultimately things like: purpose, career advancement and a pay raise matter more.

This isn’t to say perks don’t help retain workers, they do. But on the bright side, companies with a strong mission/vision don’t need them as badly to keep talent around. Admit it, luxury items such as perks come and go through cycles, but stripped down to the core: meaningful work matters most.

How To Effectively Manage Millennials: A 6 Week Workshop

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generational-conflict

Starting Mid-June I’ll be hosting a 6-week workshop on: How to Effectively Manage Millennials.

Prior to that I plan to host a couple of free webinars with more information on the topics I’ll be covering, so stay tuned.

The workshops will be held in Santa Monica and geared towards anyone who manages Millennials.

The beauty of the in-person workshops will include the rich local network and collaboration of other professionals in the area. When it comes to leading effectively, there’s strength in numbers.