5 Solid Strategies for LinkedIn Networking

5 Solid Strategies for LinkedIn Networking5 Solid Strategies for LinkedIn NetworkingLinkedIn is a professional social network that boasts more than 500 million users. Imagine if you were to effectively tap into the resources and contacts available on LinkedIn and what that could do to further your career? You can But where should you begin with LinkedIn networking?Follow these tips to maximize your LinkedIn networking1. Complete your profile to 100%.According to LinkedIn, a profile that is 100% complete will engage with 40 times more connection opportunities. This means more engagement for your profile in the form of career advancement information and potential contacts.2. Access your LinkedIn inbox.Using your LinkedIn inbox is another way to increase your engagement on this business social network. Access the vorkaufsrecht to upload your online address book to connect with people you already know. Then, start branching out to other professionals that match your career goals and inte rests. This is an excellent approach to LinkedIn networking.3. Find LinkedIn Groups that align with your career interests.Go to LinkedIns Group Directory and browse the many groups available to join. Conveniently listed from A to Z, youll find groups from the American Law Society to the Z Analytics Group. Youre sure to find a group that will suit your career interests. For private groups, youll need to send a membership request and wait for approval to join. LinkedIn offers directions for getting started.4. Request informational interviews. One tip that LinkedIn advises is to request informational interviews from people in your network, from those in a professional group, or others youd like to make a connection with to discuss their field and garner any tips for career advancement. Informational interviews are an excellent way to make substantial LinkedIn connections. LinkedIn has an excellent LinkedIn Help page that will guide you with all networking questions.5. Update your infor mation and status frequently. LinkedIn says, Networking isnt just about who you know its about who knows you. By updating your profile and status on a regular basis, your network will receive updates about you, which keeps you fresh in their mind. Sharing quality information about your field is another important way to become a notable within your group.

How to Own Up to a Mistake With Your Client - The Muse

How to Own Up to a Mistake With Your Client - The MuseHow to Own Up to a Mistake With Your Client Gaining the love and respect of a client is the ultimate benchmark for measuring your success. While a fat paycheck and killer perks can make you feel like a rock star, deep down we all know, if our clients dont respect us, we just look good on paper.So, how do you achieve that coveted spot as the apple of your clients eye? There are scores of management programs and books out there that aspire to teach you everything you need to know to make your clients happy, but it doesnt have to be that complicated. In fact, theres one very simple rule that will get you pretty farOwn up to your mistakes.I know, it sounds a bit counterintuitive to approach client mistakes, given you want them to think youre a genius, but trust me They know nobody is perfect. In fact, your clients will probably get a bit suspicious if you never, ever, make a single mistake. Admitting when you do, however, shows them y oure confident (and humble) enough to face the music. In my experience, thats a trait fruchtwein people respect- especially a paying client.Consider this When your internet isnt working and you call customer service, and they tell you the issue is being addressed and should be resolved in the next 20 minutes, do you believe them? Probably notlage. Why? Because youve heard that story before, and it almost never works out the way they claim it will. Youve learned over time not to trust your internet service provider, and the same thing can happen between you and your clients. Without that trust, its nearly impossible to develop much of a relationship with them, let alone get any love.On the other hand, Ill never forget the first time I fessed up to a client after Id made a mistake. I welches working for a large bank, and my client was one of our largest and most important. Everyone was afraid of him to begin with, and when things didnt go his way, no one wanted to be the unlucky one t o call him up with the bad news.Exhausted by the usual efforts to sugar-coat the situation, I decided to bite the bullet and just be honest. I called him up and explained that Id made a mistake. Id missed a deadline, and his transaction didnt happen when it was supposed to. I apologized for the mistake, explained what I was doing to correct the issue, and offered to compensate him for the inconvenience.The line was silent for what felt like hours, until he finally spoke. He thanked me for my honesty and told me he appreciated me taking responsibility for the mistake. Were all human, and mistakes will sometimes happen, he said.Two things happened as a result of that conversation I never made that mistake again, and my client trusted me to handle his account with integrity. For my remaining years at the bank, he preferred to deal solely with me.How to Do ItOf course, breaking the news to your client should be approached with care and a lot of planning. Simply cold-calling a client to reveal youve messed up probably wont go over so well, and not being prepared for a difficult discussion wont pan out how you imagined, either. Also, sharing too much- or too little- detail about the chain of events can easily take a problem from bad to worse in a hurry. Deciding to own up to your mistake is the first step, but how you do it will play a crucial role in making the experience ultimately positive for your client- and you.Before you have the talk with your client, grab a pen and paper, and write out a brief outline of the events leading up to your mistake. Spend some time and really think about why things went wrong, and what youll do going forward to prevent it. When you confront your client with the information, try to summarize your explanation in one or two short sentences.Obviously, youll want to apologize for the mistake, identify what the mistake was, and share how youll fix it. None of these steps needs to be overly descriptive- in fact, the shorter the better. B ut, you should be prepared to give more detail if your client asks for it.Heres an exampleHi Bob, Im calling to follow up on the issue we had with your transaction yesterday. The issue was on our end, and was an oversight on my part. Ive pinpointed the gap in my process and have adjusted my procedures to avoid any future issues like this in the future. I apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you and have refunded the service fee on your account to help compensate for the error.Once youve given your schpeel, give your client the opportunity to ask questions, and be prepared to listen to him or her vent. Remember, youre taking the heat for this, so dont let yourself get defensive. You did make a mistake, after all, so its understandable your client may be upset.But, after the dust settles- if there is any- most of the time youll find your clients become far less frustrated when they realize youre taking responsibility for what happened. Most people understand, as my cli ent did, that were all human, and we all make mistakes. But, what everyone doesnt always do is own up to them.Admitting to your mistakes is an easy concept to understand, but a difficult one to put into practice. But, with patience and preparation, youll find that being straight with your clients will be the foundation for a beautiful professional relationship.

Student Teams Demonstrate Their Design Skills Next Month at Congress

Student Teams Demonstrate Their Design Skills Next Month at Congress Student Teams Demonstrate Their Design Skills Next Month at Congress Student Teams Demonstrate Their Design Skills Next Month at CongressThe student team from the University of San Diego and their inspection vehicle prototype took top honors at the District D regional ASME Student Design Competition last April. The team will be one of the 23 teams of ASME student members competing in the final round of the competition next month at the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition. In the aftermath of the Fukushima facility tragedy, the nuclear industry sent out a Request for Proposal to universities calling for prototypes of a small, remote-controlled inspection vehicle that could determine the level of radioactivity and damage in compromised nuclear plants, thereby protecting humans from radioactive contamination. Next month at the ASME Student Design Competition championship round in San Di ego, Calif., 23 student teams will demonstrate the prototype inspection vehicles they planed and built - and will compete for a $3,000 top prize.The Student Design Competition finals will take place on Sunday, Nov. 17, during the 2013 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition.This year, the teams of ASME student members were challenged to design and build inspection vehicles that could navigate around obstacles while traveling to inspection points and bringing sensors back to a designated return area. The devices then had to be able to return to their starting locations, ready for another run. In addition to the $3,000 first prize, the winning team will receive $1,000 for the universitys student section. The second-place team will receive $1,000, plus $500 for its student section, while the team finishing third will receive $500 and an additional $250 for the student section. Tom Zirmirski (left) and Jarius Amar will represent the New Jersey Institute of Technology at the Student Design Competition finals in San Diego, Calif. Two of the competing teams are from the same school, Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky. Other universities entered in the finals include Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, Mass. New York Institute of Technology, New York, N.Y. New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, N.J. Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada Grand Valley State University, Allendale, Mich. the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, Minn. the University of the Pacific, Stockton, Calif. the University of San Diego the University of Arkansas at Little jupe Instituto Tecnologico de Ciudad Jurez, Chihuahua, Mexico the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. and the North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.This year, nine teams will travel to the competition from outside North America Hong Kong Polytechnic University cole Nationale Suprieure de lAronautique et de lEspace (ISAE-SUPAERO), Toulouse, France zyegin U niversity, Istanbul, Turkey Universidad Nacional de Ingeniera, Lima, Peru Universidad de los Andes, Bogot, Colombia Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Notre Dame University, Zouk, Lebanon and the British University of Egypt and the Higher Technological Institute, both located in Cairo.For more information on the ASME Student Design Competition, including a description of the design challenge for next years contest, visit www.asme.org/events/competitions/student-design-competition.