Adrian Evans Blog

Blue Monday Follow Up – Achieving Your Goals

Adrian Evans — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:53:32 +0000

We hope that since reading our last blog post on goal setting you will have been inspired to set your own goals for the year. We have developed some pointers to help you to achieve your goals through taking a consistent approach to them, and also some ideas for broadening your outlook which may feed into future goals.

1. To ensure you keep inspired and on track with your goals, make a plan for each of them with dates attached, and decide on a set of achievable steps, however small, that is required to reach the desired end goal. Bite sized chunks make any task easier to tackle!

2. Visualise yourself having achieved your goal(s) – the power of the mind is an incredible thing. If you can’t picture yourself achieving the goal, chances are – you won’t.

3. Establish who will support you within your inner circle – this could be your partner, family, friends or colleagues, etc. How will they support you? You could also find Mentors who have achieved the goals you desire in your company, your industry and from totally outside your network. We will have a blog post on mentors, choosing them, their value and use of them shortly.

4. CONSIDER –

a. Success accelerators – What can you start/stop doing, or do more or less of to help you achieve your goals.

b. Obstacles – what could these be and how can you avoid/overcome them? Ensure you have contingency plans.

5. Expand your level of awareness and experience of life. Try something new every month – it could be big or small and will encourage you to open your mind to what is possible outside of your usual comfort zone.

Above all, be passionate about what you are striving to achieve, and persevere – the best rewards in life aren’t always the ones that are easiest to achieve!

The next step:

If you have found these insights useful, then you should look at a free video series that I have created to make this year the most transformational and successful in your career. In this free video series, I demonstrate:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

Let’s ignore Blue Monday and focus on making 2012 your best year yet!

Adrian Evans — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:38:30 +0000

So, what is Blue Monday I hear you ask?

It is said to be the most depressing day of the year…. so why should this particular date be so depressing? By the 3^rd Monday in January most people will have failed at their New Year’s resolutions, will be fed up by the dismal, cold January weather and all the credit cards which were used with great abandon before Christmas will be due for payment….

Doesn’t sound too inspiring does it?? So, let’s not use this as a self fulfilling prophecy and instead why not treat the day as an opportunity to take stock of what you achieved in 2011, and consider what would make 2012 your best year yet!

Many people make New Year’s resolutions, but these are often relatively casual ideas with little connection to what they really want in their lives. Why not craft some goals for 2012 that will allow you to achieve more than you ever thought possible? We are focussed mainly on career goals here, but the same concept can be adapted to other goals too. We have outlined below a step by step approach to help you define your goals – our next blog posting will give you the tools to keep on track with achieving your goals and monitoring your progress.

1. Firstly, take stock and consider what do you WANT in life, but don’t have? (try to think beyond superficial short term gains here and focus on what will really make you happy on a deeper level). This will help you work out what is missing in your life.

2. What do you HAVE in life, but don’t want (this might be things that take up your time without reward, make you stressed without a sense of achievement attached, or other things that interfere with your ability to find happiness in your career/life).

3. What are your top 3 priorities in your life?

4. Work through the above, and also consider if you did nothing else, what 3 things would make 2011 a success for you? Identify and set the top 3 goals that you naturally connect with and that carry a big ‘why bother?’ (Why do you want this goal? What are the Benefits to you?) This is the difference between broken New Year’s resolutions and living on purpose.

5. Also, although it seems like stating the obvious, outline how you will know when you have achieved your goals.

The above should get you in the right place to decide on the goals which will really make a difference to your life. In our next blog post we will provide additional tools to assist you with reaching your goals, and you will then be well on the way to building a more successful 2012!

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

How to earn more salary for the value you add.

Adrian Evans — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:48:56 +0000

How to earn more for the value you add…

I would like to share with you how to ensure that your always make the right career move and a rethink about the value you add to a business. You are a unique individual and you bring unique experience, value and a unique take on the field you are in. People who are highly paid in any industry have earned that right because they take on more responsibility, duties and added value. They have also learnt to influence and ‘position’ themselves effectively.

In my experience many people don’t realise the value they really add to organisations. When it comes to your career move always remember you have done a huge amount of work to even get to offer stage, you have earned the right to be appropriately rewarded for that particular job.

Set yourself up for success from day 1:

When you start at a new organisation in a new position with you want to know on day 1 that you are entering into a contract that ultimately you are going to be successful with. You are probably going to spend at least two to three years in the organisation; you might well spend more. Knowing in your mind that everything is a possibly teed up for you to be successful is absolutely critical. I have seen people go into roles where they have undersold themselves and this has caused misalignment and even resentment further down the line.

Ideally you want to continue to be motivated and also you want to send a signal to your future employer that this is a peer relationship, it is a win, win scenario for both of you. To set yourself up for success best to get the relationship off to an equal footing. Negotiation is an interactive process of give and take and the overriding objective must be to always keep lines of communication open and to avoid aggressive or threatening tactics, stay in rapport with the people you are actually doing

business with, always keep the conversations appropriate, friendly, professional and with a win win outcome in mind.

A key element to realise when using this model is to appreciate that any negotiation is a fine balancing act. If you have a skill set and mindset that is high demand and you find yourself in a place where you have 3 or 4 offers you can obviously play a smart win win game that is highly lucrative for yourself and maintain all the relationships. If you find you only have one offer and your know that the culture of the organisation you are joining would not appreciate a negotiated approach then be mindful of this when trying to secure the final contract and be careful in your messaging and communication.

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

Be an employee of high potential…

Adrian Evans — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 15:18:58 +0000

Having been responsible for many senior appointments. I have been able to observe at firsthand how recruitment decisions are made and how board level identify and distinguish the skills of high potential employees from those of good functional employees. One of those standout skills is influence.

Why is the skill of influence so highly sought after?

At the most basic level influence can be viewed as having the ear of decision makers, this ensured your message has a soft landing and has the appropriate platform to be listened to, evaluated and potentially added to the strategy of the organisation. Without this route of influence your ideas do not have the platform to fly and for you to shine.

What is influence:

Mastery of influence is the ability to understand the organisational culture, it key drivers and the core motivations of the key decisions makers. Key influencers are able to consistently build a collaborative consensus of agreed mindshare, overcome objections and energise their ideas for a greater purpose which allows these ideas to be implemented. The very best influencers are able to lead and pass on this skill.

An example:

A compelling example of positive influence occurred during 2006 when Bill Gates was able to influence Warren Buffett to donate $36 billion of his own money to the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. (This is the largest ever donation by one individual in the history of the human race).

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

Job success – Ask your way to…

Adrian Evans — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:00:48 +0000

In this video I share with you a successful formula of how to ask your way to career success, develop relationships with key mentors and open your mind up to new career possibilities.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHUurmQoG4Y

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

Effective Recruitment

Adrian Evans — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 10:29:09 +0000

I was recently asked to present at an IOD- Institute of Directors seminar on “How to Recruit Effectively”. Recruitment is a definite process which in order to be successful for both the company and the candidate must be carefully considered and have the correct and necessary time and personnel devoted to it, much like any other professional project.

“Invest in your people and that investment starts with the recruitment process not after it has been completed”

Below are series of points which I believe are crucial to the recruitment process being a sucess. in short the role needs to be clearly defined and the candidates need to be carefully considered for what they can already do and what they could potentially do. Once these two criteria are clear then the interview process should be conducted by someone who is engaged with and affected by the need to recruit.

Preparation and Process

Validate that you really understand your role and the commitment that you need to the process of recruitment
Be clear about your requirements and in particular what ‘success’ looks like to you in terms of the person fulfilling this role
Always take references on any agencies with whom you intend to work
Take the opportunity to involve your own staff in the recruitment process – use employee bounty schemes, and wherever possible allow your employees to meet with your preferred candidate (s) before making an offer
Don’t become desperate – it can lead to wrong decisions
Assess the time factor when deciding whether to engage a third party to assist you in the process – don’t underestimate what is involved

Identifying Candidates

Be aware that every interaction in the marketplace could help you to identify potential candidates for your business
When working with recruitment agencies – feedback is essential
Use Social Media to widen the potetnial pool of candidates
Use personal recommendations as a source of good candidates

Interviews

Consider phone interviews as a key part of your selection process: they enable you to be more effective with your time, but also give you insight into how the candidate behaves and handles this type of communication
Introduce an element of role play into the process – focus on experiencing the candidates ‘live’, don’t worry too much about the ‘right’ answer, your attention should be on their approach to the task
Work on being objective in the interview process – validate any ‘gut feel’ against clear job requirements and skill sets
Consider psychometric tests as part of your recruitment process, but don’t rely on them exclusively
Ideally develop a competency based approach to interviews and the recruitment process in general
Try to ensure that you establish at interview not only what the candidate can do, but also what they can’t do

Cultural Considerations

Ensure that the candidate and your organisation share the same value sets – this element of cultural fit can be fundamental to the success of the person in the role
Be sure to establish a positive ‘employer brand’ – every candidate should come out of the process wanting to work for you
Having the right ‘chemistry’ is equally as important for working with agencies as it is to the candidates that you are hiring

I trust this has made sense to you and either reinforced what you already knew or has given you some action points going forward that will bring greater clarity and success to your recruitment journeys.

Get Headhunted – 6 steps

Adrian Evans — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 08:00:22 +0000

Have you ever wondered how to get headhunted? That great feeling when you receive a call from out of the blue and you are offered a new career possibility -- it gives you a true sense of self worth.

The answer is to create of course to be excellent at your chosen field of expertise and then to amplify your message by becoming a ‘Brand’ in your own right. Brand YOU!

Why it is important to develop your own distinctive brand as a person, whether you are working for a company now or you are going to have a business in the future? Well really what ultimately all of us are trying to do is add more value to other people but actually be well rewarded for it. I have been there myself many times and just looked at why it is that certain people earn so much more than many others, and yes, results are one element but I think the overriding one (just like why do we pay more for an apple phone rather than any other smart phone) is perception. Perceived value is the most important thing and employers do exactly the same.

This blog is all about how do I get myself to have a higher perceived value. That to me is all about understanding yourself, your value set – we have looked at that in other terms. But ultimately it is about building the awareness.

I have had a number of people ask me what is it that makes a head-hunter want to go and headhunt somebody? However you look at it it is perception, that that candidate is a sought after person, they are valuable, what they have is scarce and they have a level of wisdom and track record that can add value to an employer.

How do you build your brand?

Your personal brand would include your visibility/awareness. Your attitude, your behaviour, your style and appearance as well as your voice and how you persuade and influence. Body language.

Step 1 Your on-line CV:

I think having a strong Linked In profile is very important in today’s market. I speak from experience when like many of today’s headhunters one of my first sources of candidates is Linked in. Having your Linked In profile up to date with a key focus on your areas of expertise, achievements and areas of responsibility makes you visible -- this is your marketing brochure. Ultimately it is very similar to your CV so it should be written in a very similar professional manner. A selective number of recommendations from people who are in a position to comment on the value you have added provides proof of your abilities and attitudes. Previous people you have reported to, peer groups, people, clients or customer are good sources, I would encourage you to have up to 10 key quality recommendations and you will enjoy the reflected light by being associated with high profile individuals.

From the offline perspective keep yourself and your CV up to date every six months whether you are actively looking to move or not. What this does is to remind you of your successes to date, but also it gets you ready if there is an opportunity. The flip side of that as well is what I would do is constantly think about where you can add value.

Step 2 Use social media:

I think one of the most important things is how to look at yourself and develop and effective presence within the online community, naturally Facebook and Twitter can be used exclusively for business and promoting you as an expert in your choosen field. Comment on and solve problem for people both within and outside your industry, become known as a person who gives and adds value.

Step 3 Having your own blog:

Having your blog, where you share your knowledge and key insights is a natural step to building your authority and credibility within any industry. I think first of all having your own website, and also having your own You Tube channel are certainly potential areas so you are seen and people can start to build trust with you. That can take a bit of time and that can take a bit of effort, but all of this is about crafting and creating you as the expert within your field.

Step 4 Join industry groups:

Collaboration works!! Join relevant groups within your industry, get involved in relevant discussion groups. There are a lot of groups that aren’t relevant, but focus on the ones that are really going to add value to your particular area and look out for those as well.

It is also a great source of looking for jobs, regularly look at the jobs. There are more and more employers pro actively looking to target this the ‘unadvertised candidate’ market. So it is a great place of actually sourcing jobs. The other thing it is great for is research. Who is recruiting, you can go onto the jobsite and they will tell you who the recruiting manager is and sometimes who the line manager is. You can then link with somebody who you know and hop from where you are to that individual to give yourself a warm introduction.

Nearly two decades ago business guru Tom Peters developed the concept of ‘Brand you’, where he committed to his belief that Branding is really about giving yourself every opportunity to succeed in your choose area to pro actively take charge of your career choices. During the video below he discusses the value of always investing in valuable reading and new knowledge to maintain your competitive edge:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aP9AaD4tgBY

Step 5: Develop a leaders mindset:

You can call it your “leaders mindset”, but if you can see your line manager or other people within your organisation with business problems etc, try and help them, even if it is in a small way because those things do come back. I can remember actually meeting somebody recently and I just gave a candidate some really simple advice on interviewing and this chap moved to another recruitment company then he called me the other day with a job that he was looking to fill. For me I think that is absolutely critical to try and do that and take it forward.

Step 6: Speaker at events it’s win win

An ideal way to build your profile and your brand is to speak at events, as soon walk on stage you are assumed to be an authority, naturally you need to deliver value to your audience. In my experience most people don’t take this step because they don’t believe they know enough and it’s only for gurus, my view is that you will have knowledge that will add value to people and by sharing it you help other people and raise your own profile.

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

Steve Jobs – How does the world’s best marketer present?

Adrian Evans — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 05:38:41 +0000

Steve Jobs ex CEO of Apple is widely regarded as the best communicator in business. He uses the annual Macworld event to spread the word to excite the Apple customers/’raving fans’ on the latest Apple product launches.During the video below Steve Jobs demonstrates how Apple reinvents the phone -- the iphone is born.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svo45oepsI0

So how does he achieve such excitement, interest and marketing success?

Steve Jobs uses:

1) Images and music to bring the demonstrations to life for the audience.

2) He tells great stories that take his audience on an engaging, fun and aspirational journey.

3) He uses uses a ‘WOW’ moment to leave a lastly positive impression on his audience.

How could you use these methods to make your next presentation for a career move, promotion, product/service launch?

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

How to change job – generate a flow of ideas

Adrian Evans — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 08:00:06 +0000

We live in the innovation economy where breakthroughs ideas are highly prized; one only has to think of the leading companies in the world like Apple, Google and Facebook who are constantly re-inventing themselves. Imagine if you were able to have a flow of ideas every day by tapping into a creative system already available to you.

In the video below Steven Johnson (who has studied the history of innovation over the last 500 years) discusses where good ideas come from. By applying these guidelines you can consistently develop ideas that make your business and life more innovative and come up with greater solutions in our ever changing world.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU

The next step:

How to access the ‘hidden job’ market to transform your career prospects…

How to be positioned as a Premium Priced Employee and be able to command an appropriate salary
What employers are really looking for from high performing employees (it’s not what you think)

Go to www.beajobmagnet.co.uk to get access to your free videos now.

Adrian Evans Blog

Top Tips for a winning LinkedIn profile

Blue Monday Follow Up – Achieving Your Goals

Let’s ignore Blue Monday and focus on making 2012 your best year yet!

How to earn more salary for the value you add.

Be an employee of high potential…

Job success – Ask your way to…

Effective Recruitment

Preparation and Process

Identifying Candidates

Interviews

Cultural Considerations

Get Headhunted – 6 steps

Steve Jobs – How does the world’s best marketer present?

How to change job – generate a flow of ideas