You Can Have a Career after Sales - Your Career Intel

You Can Have a Career after Sales - Your Career IntelSales can be a great job, but people change careers for many reasons. Burnout from the constant pressure of targets and quotas is common. Some people simply want to try something new. Still others desire more structure and a steadier income. Finding a career after sale is possible.Youre Leaving Sales, Now What?Transitioning from abverkauf can be psychologically difficult. You may feel that sales is the only thing you know. You might think you will need to take a pay cut. You may believe youre too old or too far along in sales to try a new direction. Some self-assessment can overcome your doubts.First, ask yourself some questionsWhat do I like about sales?What do I not like about sales?What inspires me?What would I do if I had to work in an unhappy job the rest of my life?As a child, what did I want to be when I grew up?As you think about looking for a new job, remember that no job is perfect. Each has pros and cons. Perhaps the mos t difficult aspect of looking to change careers is staying motivated. A job search is a difficult and intimidating undertaking. Draw on your experience as a sales rep to stay positive.A Skills AssessmentDuring your time in sales, you picked up a lot of skills, skills you may not even know you have. Sales calls teach you how to act in a competent and professional manner. To accomplish all your tasks, you need to be organized and self-guided. People skills such as negotiation, relationship building, persuasion and communication are all essential for successful sales. Many of those skills can be applied to other jobs or other industries. An outplacement firm or a career counselor can show you how your skills transfer to another job or industry.Best Careers after SalesWhen transitioning out of sales and into a new career, networking is key. Tell people about your new goals. Be open and honest about where you have been and where you want to go. Use your friends and colleagues to expand y our knowledge of companies and organizations. Read journals, newsletters, blogs and internet sites about industries that interest you. Ask those in your targeted industry for informational interviews.Here are some career paths that dovetail well with the skills of salespeopleMarketing Specialist or Research Analyst helps companies determine what sellsCorporate Strategist designs a path to growth and profitability for companiesConsultant assists organizations through advice, education or guidance in specific areasBusiness Owner runs a business in an area they loveRetail Salesperson sells in a retail outlet, which means more structure and no quotasSales Operations Manager supports and enables front line sales repsFinally, consider going back to school. A few classes at night or on weekends will allow you to focus on specific skills.

How 1 Woman Created Her Dream Job and is Tackling Tech Diversity

How 1 Woman Created zu sichbei Dream Job and is Tackling Tech Diversity Alexandra Legend Siegel knows what its like to walk into a room and see no one who looks like you. Beginning her career as a woman of color in tech startups, she walked into these rooms over and over. Her radical empathy for other underrepresented people in this situation and her desire to lift these people up lumineszenzdiode her to trailblaze her own role at Salesforce focused on creating content that resonates with the diverse communities Salesforce serves. Now, the Equality Narrative and Content Manager and Global President of BOLDforce, Salesforces Black employee resurce group, has made elevating diverse voices her mission.Salesforce is hiring Browse Opportunities.Siegel spoke to Fairygodboss about what inspired her to create a role at one of the fastest growing enterprise technology companies, the challenges she overcame while creating her role, and the support she got along the way at Salesforce that hel ped make this huge change possible. Then, she shared the best career advice shes ever gotten, shared a bit of wisdom for women who want to trailblaze their own path and follow their passions. Oh, and she shared what it welches like to bewerberinterview Stevie Wonder. Yes, you read that right.How long have you been in your current role, and what were you doing previously?Ive been in my current role for two years. Before that, I was a research writer and content marketer across our products at Salesforce. Previously, I worked in content marketing for startups, as well as in journalism.Youre the first Equality Narrative and Content Manager at Salesforce. Have there been any unexpected challenges or rewards associated with creating your own role?I feel very fortunate to have created my own role at the company. At the time, I was helping to lead our black employee resource group, BOLDforce, and was using my knowledge of storytelling, research, and reporting to help educate our company on racial equality, the business impact of diversity, and steps they could take to create a more inclusive workdistributions-mix. I saw a need for an initiative and role focused on creating content that resonates with the diverse communities we serve and that helps to elevate diverse voices in tech.One of the challenges of creating your own role is having to build your own roadmap. When you write your own job description, you decide what the priorities are, what tactics youll use, and how to measure success. Another challenge of creating your own role is the uncertainty. I essentially was asking the company and our leaders to take a chance on unchartered territory. Luckily, they were extremely supportive and saw the inherent value in having a role focused on inclusive content and empowering our employees to evangelize Equality. I remember the very first day I pitched the idea to our Chief Equality Officer, Tony Prophet, who at the time was less than a month into his job. Now, I help s hape his narrative and, in turn, our companys Equality platform in what I can now truly call my dream job. It is incredibly rewarding to be passionate about what I do, to continue to be excited to go into work everyday, and to see the tangible change we are making in peoples lives.What inspired you to create this role? What kind of impact have you seen it make, and what about it are you proudest of?As a woman of color, it is very apparent when I walk into spaces where there arent many other people who look or identify like me. And that causes me to empathize deeply with others who feel the same. It can be incredibly lonely at times. When I entered the tech industry, I noticed that I was in many spaces like this. When I began to dig deeper leveraging my passion for journalism and research I was struck by the systemic nature of the diversity challenges in tech. The lack of women and underrepresented minorities across the industry pointed to a much larger conversation and multi-dimen sional problem. I felt an actionable way to start solving this was through the power of data, elevating success stories from these communities, and giving leaders the language they needed to start having often difficult conversations about Equality.Ive found that an overwhelming majority of people want to do the right thing they just dont always know how or what to say or even what problems they should be paying attention to. I am fruchtwein proud of the moments where I saw our content create meaningful change the fruchtwein recent instance of this being our first-ever Racial Equality summit Representation Matters.We brought together 700 Black, Latinx, and Native tech employees along with their allies to see themselves reflected on stage, in the c-suite, and in media. One of our speakers proclaimed to the audience if anyone tells you there isnt diversity in tech, I say look around the room, to which the response was a deafening agreement.Through my work, I have also had the oppo rtunity to interview and learn from some incredible Equality heroes and help them to amplify their message and learnings to our industry. This includes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s speech writer and advisor Clarence Jones, Civil Rights Activist DeRay Mckesson, Humanitarian and Sports Icon Billie Jean King, and Multi-Grammy award winner and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Stevie Wonder. Their journeys and lessons help us to carry their work forward in our workplaces and in the world around us.How has Salesforce been particularly supportive?Salesforce is special in many ways. We celebrate those who we call Trailblazers people who think outside of the box to build their own paths and influence meaningful change. And part of that means creating an environment where employees are empowered to innovate and try something that has never been done before. When I was thinking of creating my own role, I talked to other mentors who had built their own programs within the company before me, including many amazing women who trailblazed their own careers. Ive never worked at a place that was so supportive of this non-conventional path.The other is our commitment to Equality. Equality is one of our four core values, and our company was founded on this idea that the business of business is to make the world a better place. I believe that this separates Salesforce from other companies. Equality is part of the fabric. At Salesforce, Ive been able to host conversations about todays most challenging societal issues, live my passion for driving change at work, build my leadership skills through our employee resource group program, and have been supported by so many incredible mentors along the way.What initially drew you to Salesforce? And whats one of the most amazing things about your workplace that you didnt learn until working there?I attended Dreamforce one year as a customer and sat in on a session with our CEO and Chairman, Marc Benioff, on Equal Pay. He was telling the story of how two women leaders Cindy Robbins and Leyla Seka came to him with the idea that there could be a pay discrepancy between men and women at the company. He empowered them to go get the data. And when it showed that there was in fact a gap, Salesforce spent $3 million that year to ensure equal pay for equal work, and continues to audit and adjust. I was so amazed by this story. I had never heard of a company or CEO admitting wrongdoing that way followed by such swift and innovative action. I felt that this was a company that stood up for me as a woman and that was also not afraid to stand up for whats right.What are three things you make sure to do each workday before you disconnect?Each workday I make sure to ask those around me how they are really doing it seems simple but its easy to get caught up in deadlines and day-to-day tasks and miss these human moments. I also write down any big ideas that came up during the day, and review my calendar for the next day so I can start planning ahead.Whats the most memorable piece of career advice youve received?I remember the day I met with one of my mentors, Meghan Gendelman, and I told her I was thinking about focusing on a career in diversity and equality, but that I was afraid. Maybe I should just stick to marketing, I said. Theres a clearer career path there.She said to me you are the best version of yourself when you are talking about these issues it lights up the entire room. Follow your passion, the rest will come. Dont be afraid, I will help you however I can.She taught me two valuable lessons about authentically following my passion and accepting help. After I spoke up about my interest, she was able to open doors for me that eventually led to my current role. Sometimes you just need to take a deep breath and trust those who believe in you.Whats your 1 piece of advice for women who are navigating uncharted territories at work?Do not ever dim your shine, and lift others as you rise. There are going to be times when you feel you need to conform or shrink to succeed in spaces where you might be one of few, but you begin to learn what makes you shine is your biggest asset. When you lean into this, thats when the real magic starts to happen in your career. No other person can replicate whats unique to you. Shine bright and be proud of your accomplishments and what your bring to the table but always be graceful and humble. At the same time look for other opportunities to help lift up other women or underrepresented people around you. I am grateful to all those who saw a spark in me, believed in me, and took a chance on me. I am committed to doing the same for others in any way that I can.--Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Salesforce. Find a job there today

How to Handle HR in a Telecommuting Office - Spark Hire

How to Handle HR in a Telecommuting Office - Spark HireWith more and more companies turning to occasional work from home days (or eliminating a traditional office altogether) its clear that the role of the human resources department has to change too. The HR function becomes much more difficult when employees arent in the office all the time, or at all. If your geschftsleben operates off of a telecommute model, here are some tips for managing HRRealize that there is no water cooler talkIn many companies, information about the business is spread through passing chatter as people are getting up to get a drink or to go to the bathroom. Even if a formal memo isnt distributed into everyones mailboxes, word spreads. This is gone when you lack a formal office or allow people to work from home. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, you have to realize that information will no longer just naturally spread. To compensate, you need to make time for your employees and make aya you are commu nicating thoroughly. Never assume that theyve heard information or are aware of changes in the company.Youll need to work harder to provide benefitsMany companies are able to use their size in order to get a better deal on health insurance policies for their employees, but when these team members are scattered around the country, this can become harder. It may prove challenging to find a company that is equipped to handle this (increasingly common) work setup.Your application process needs to be different than it would be in a traditional officeWhen youre hiring someone who may not be able to come into the office for an interview, your approach will need to change. Additionally, it takes a different kind of worker to fill a telecommute role successfully. Just because the person knows the necessary computer programs or has the required certifications, doesnt mean theyll thrive in a remote work environment. In fact, some of the best employees struggle when they arent going into an off ice every day. In addition to making sure that this individual is qualified for the position, you have to make sure that a remote work environment would suit them well.Put a plan in place for an employees departureMany times, companies that operate remotely have a large shared database, whether its on Dropbox or another similar system. While this works well and is an effective way of collaborating when youre not in the same room as your colleagues, it can become problematic when an employee leaves, especially if it happens suddenly. Regardless of how confident you feel in an employee, you need to have a plan in place in case they depart (or are asked to leave) quickly. How will you prevent them from taking files with them or potentially causing damage due to their access?Though a remote work environment presents a number of perks (reduced overhead, for example) its important to adjust the companys strategy and protocols accordingly.How have you tailored your own business to be condu cive to a remote working environment?

Barbara Bush commencement speech to Wellesleys Class of 90

Barbara Bush commencement speech to Wellesleys Class of 90Barbara Bush commencement speech to Wellesleys Class of 90Its graduation season, and we zu siche at Ladders have decided to take a look back and showcase some past commencement addresses that stand the test of time. Below is the full transcript of Barbara Bushs commencement address to Wellesley Colleges Class of1990Thank you President Keohane, Mrs. Gorbachev, Trustees, Faculty, Parents, Julia Porter, and certainly my new best friend, Christine Bicknell, and, of course, the Class of 1990. I am really thrilled to be here today, and very excited, as I know you all must be, that Mrs. Gorbachev could join us.These are exciting times. They are exciting in Washington, and I have really looked forward to coming to Wellesley. I thought it was going to be fun - I never dreamed it would be this much fun.More than ten years ago when I was invited here to talk about our experiences in the Peoples Republic of China, I was struck by both th e natural beauty of your campus and the spirit of this place.Wellesley, you see, is leid just a place but an idea an experiment in excellence in which diversity is not just tolerated, but is embraced.The essence of this spirit was captured in a moving speech about tolerance given last year by a student body president of one of your sister colleges. She related the story by Robert Fulghum about a young pastor, finding himself in charge of some very energetic children, hits upon a game called Giants, Wizards, and Dwarfs. You have to decide now, the pastor instructed the children, which you are a giant, a wizard or a dwarf? At that, a small girl tugging at his pants leg, asked, But where do the mermaids stand?The pastor tells her there are no mermaids. Oh yes there are, she said. I am a mermaid.Now this little girl knew what she was and she was not about to give up on either her identity or the game. She intended to take her place wherever mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Wh ere do mermaids fit into the scheme of things. Where do mermaids stand all of those who are different, those who do not fit the boxes and the pigeonholes? Answer that question, wrote Fulghum, and you can build a school, a nation, or a whole world.As that very wise young woman said. Diversity like anything worth having requires effort. Effort to learn about and respect difference, to be compassionate with one another, to cherish our own identity and to accept unconditionally the same in others.You should all be very proud that this is the Wellesley spirit. Now I know your first choice for today was Alice Walker (guess how I know), known for The Color Purple. Instead you got me - known for the color of my hair Alice Walkers book has a special resonance here. At Wellesley, each class is known by a special color and for four years the Class of 1990 has worn the color purple. Today you meet on Severance Green to say goodbye to all of that to begin a new and very personal journey a search for your own true colors.In the world that awaits you beyond the shores of Lake Waban, no one can say what your true colors will be. But this I do know You have a first-class education from a first-class school. And so you need not, probably cannot, live a paint-by-numbers life. Decisions are not irrevocable. Choices do come back. And as you set off from Wellesley, I hope that many of you will consider making three very special choices.The first is to believe in something larger than yourself to get involved in some of the big ideas of our time. I chose literacy because I honestly believe that if mora people could read, write and comprehend, we would be that much closer to solving so many of the problems that plague our nation and our society.Early on I made another choice which I hope you will make as well. Whether you are talking about education, career or service, you are talking about life and life really must have joy. Its supposed to be funOne of the reasons I made the most important decision of my life to marry George Bush is because he made me laugh. Its true, sometimes weve laughed through our tears but that shared laughter has been one of our strongest bonds. Find the joy in life, because as Ferris Bueller said on his day off Life moves pretty fast. Ya dont stop and look around once in a while, ya gonna miss it (I am not going to tell George you clapped more for Ferris than you did for George.)The third choice that must not be missed is to cherish your human connections your relationships with family and friends. For several years, youve had impressed upon you the importance to your career of dedication and hard work, and, of course, thats true. But as important as your obligations as a doctor, lawyer or business leader will be, you are a human being first and those human connections - with spouses, with children, with friends - are the most important investments you will ever make.At the end of your life, you will never regret not h aving passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent.We are in a transitional period right now fascinating and exhilarating times learning to adjust to the changes and the choices we men and women are facing. As an example, I remember what a friend said, on hearing her husband complain to his buddies that he had to babysit. Quickly setting him straight, my friend told her husband that when its your own kids, its not called babysittingMaybe we should adjust faster, maybe we should adjust slower. But whatever the era, whatever the times, one thing will never change Fathers and mothers, if you have children - they must come first.You must read to your children, hug your children, and you must love your children. Your success as a family our success as a society depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens inside your house.For over 50 years, it was said that the winner of Wellesleys annual hoop race would be the first to get married. Now they say the winner will be the first to become a C.E.O. Both of those stereotypes show too little tolerance for those who want to know where the mermaids stand. So I want to offer you today a new legend The winner of the hoop race will be the first to realize her dream not societys dreams her own personal dream. And who knows? Somewhere out in this audience may even be someone who will one day follow in my footsteps, and preside over the White House as the Presidents spouse.I wish him wellWell, the controversy ends here. But our conversation is only beginning. And a worthwhile conversation it has been. So as you leave Wellesley today, take with you deep thanks for the courtesy and the honor you have shared with Mrs. Gorbachev and with me. Thank you. God bless you. And may your future be worthy of your dreams.

How to manage up when you have a bad boss

How to manage up when you have a badeanstalt bossHow to manage up when you have a bad bossOne of the tests of being a leader is knowing how to navigate a boss who doesnt score highly as a leader him/herself.1. Whats the driver?All bad behavior is the result of an intrinsic motivator. If you were to strip away the outside faades of bullying, apathy, criticalness, sweety nice, indecision, micromanaging, etc. what is left? Put yourself in their shoes? What is he afraid of? What keeps her up at night? What does he really care about? What would she love more of? Less of? How does he measure success?Listen to cues that demonstrate what he doesnt want. How do you position your work and interactions to accommodate what she cares about? Preface strained interactions with a genuine, Because I know that we want the team to _____ statements that underscore his priorities.2. Have their backTrust is crucial especially for an insecure leader. Once they know your only motive is to help positio n their success, they will expect only good things from you and listen and react better.3. Manage yourselfIf you feed into the anger, insecurity or lack of skill of an underdeveloped leader you could allow your weaknesses to show instead of your strengths to shine. Who are you when under fire? How do you demonstrate grace and grit? If your work life were a movie who would play you and what would they do?When in doubt as to what to do, pause first. The sacred pause allows you to squeeze in between the moment you feel an emotion (frustration, anger, overwhelmed) and react to it (say something youll regret, get emotional, withdraw in defeat).

Trade Secrets 101

Trade Secrets 101 Trade Secrets 101 Trade Secrets 101The formula for Coke. The Colonels finger-lickin-good recipe. The stuff in WD-40 that fixes whatever sticks or squeaks.These are some of the best-kept secrets in the commercial marketplace. Competitors have gone to great lengths to expose and copy them, but to no avail. How have they endured?The answer lies in the power of trade secrets. Trade secrets protect intellectual property that even patents often cant. They can protect a wide range of intellectual property that engineers work with all the time compilations of data, equations, customer lists, and know-how developed and used in-house such as testing/inspection systems.Unlike patents or copyrights, trade secrets never expire nor do they require an idea to be unique or original. All you need to do to protect a trade secret is demonstrate that its valuable to your company, and that youve taken reasonable steps to keep the information secret.Finding the key Atari engineers decode d a chip so their company could make games that would play on Nintendos game system. It was perfectly legal.That said, trade secrets have their limitations, especially with technology-based products. Relying on their protection as an easier, cheaper alternative to a patent can be a costly mistake, becauseIts perfectly legal for your competitors to reverse-engineer your product in order to copy it. The minute an unpatented product is traktement in the marketplace, it is no longer considered a trade secret. Who says so? The U.S. Supreme Court.No trade secret is safe from reverse-engineering, no matter how well youve concealed it. When market share is at issue, businesses will sometimes go to great extremes to appropriate a competitors secrets. Hackers and pirates can almost always crack the code.By accident or konzept, external parties might compromise your secrets. Take every precaution to protect yourself, and to document that youve done so. For vendor confidentiality agreements, ma ke sure they thoroughly cover design and packaging issues. Explicitly state the confidential nature of any sensitive verbal or written communications to external parties.Protecting Your SecretsYou can protect your valuable information by following some basic guidelines1. Your company needs a formal trade secrets program explicit policies that are made clear to employees from their first day, and that apply to all visitors to your facility as well.2. Document and lock away trade secrets, and restrict access to this information to employees on a need-to-know basis.3. Require non-employees who share in company secrets to sign confidentiality agreements. Always limit the number of people made privy to sensitive information.4. Clearly mark all sensitive documents, whether electronic or hardcopy, as confidential or secret.5. Hire specialists to conduct regular audits to ensure your trade secrets are sufficiently defined and adequately protected.Keeping Your EdgeTrade secrets are especial ly useful when used in tandem with patent and copyright measures. Each has its own important role in safeguarding your market share.Before your product hits the market, just about everything can be considered a trade secret, including your business and marketing plans. After its released, things change.Your engineering drawings may still be secret, but remember that the product design remains vulnerable to reverse engineering. The products high-level functionality is in the open, but a patent could still protect you. Likewise, copyright and trade secret protection could still cover things like software source codes that run on microprocessors embedded in your product.Yes, there are limitations to trade secrets. But their proper use in concert with patents and copyrights can go a long way in protecting your companys competitive edge.Adapted from Trade Secrets 101, by Kirk Teska, Law Firm of Iandiorio Teska and Suffolk University Law School, for Mechanical Engineering, October 2008.U nlike patents or copyrights, trade secrets never expire nor do they require an idea to be unique or original.

Fewer than 10% of tech startups are owned by women, study says

Fewer than 10% of tech startups are owned by women, study saysFewer than 10% of tech startups are owned by women, study saysAccording to a 2017Harvard Business School paper, the American dream of starting your own businessis not equally shared by everyone.Surveying data between 1990 and 2016, Harvard researchers found that 6%of technology startups backed by venture capital are owned by women.When you break it down by race, the numbers get show even more divisions Latinosown only2% of all VC-backed startups, and African-Americans ownless than 1%.The reason?The problem, researchers suggested, is thatthe people in the room making decisions about women-owned startupspredominantly arent women. 91% of venture capitalists, the people who will fund dreams, are men.That makes a big difference. Through a process known as homophily, we holdinherent biases that favor people who look and act like us, researchers said. That bias locks women out of potentialnetworking and mentoring opportunities. O nly 19% of top executives are women and a Lean.org and McKinsey report said that mentorship prevents more women from joining their ranks.That means that the lack of women-owned businesses is not for lack of trying by women. There are many trained and skilled women studying innovation. More than 50% of people getting engineering and science bachelors degrees are women, according to the survey.Recognizing our secret biasesFew people set out to discriminate by gender, but biases can creep in even among the smartest and most capable people. If you feel ready to tackle yours, heres how to start. And remember bias against women has been shown to be perpetuated by men and women alike, so we could all use a look inside.1. How do you evaluate womens wertzuwachs?A separate study on Swedish venture capitalists looked into gendered decision-making in the room where it happens. In face-to-face discussions on final funding decisions, they found that the VCs questioned womens entrepreneurship abil ities- their credibility, knowledge and experience- more than they did for a male entrepreneur. What the study showed investors would describe a man as young and promising and a woman as young, but experienced.2. How deep is your bench?After researchers presented their findings to the Swedish government, it led to new structural-level strategies on how to better distribute government VC funds. On a management level, one obvious solution to closing the gender gap is to get women into the pipeline to bring up other women behind them. Female venture capitalists were more likely to invest their time and money into female entrepreneurs, the Harvard study found. 3. Cast a wide netAnd if youre a woman entrepreneur getting the door shut in your face, youll need to be proactive about seeking out role models, mentors, and networking opportunities for yourself. And that means casting a wide net beyond your personal circle and finding male and female mentors through social media, conferences, and coffee? emails. The founder of Care.com, Sheila Lirio Marcelo, told The New York Times, that thats what she did Closing the gender gap in business is often a conversation that women have with other womenWe absolutely need to provide a hilfeive community for each other, but if were truly going to level the playing field, men have to be part of the equation.Working Mother recommends not limiting yourself to just one mentor. Mentors cant fix and evaluate your career, and one may be better at advising you on negotiating deals than getting a promotion. The trick is to build a wide support network of people who can help you in any scenario. One study found that women who made it to the top of the corporate ladder had more long-term mentors than men.