It’s definitely fall in Chicago (which I love). Crisp, cool mornings, football games, homemade soup, and fabulous clothes and shoes! Speaking of football, how about that great gift we got on Sunday against the Lions?! I really can’t believe they didn’t count that last catch as a touchdown. But it’s very Chicago – we win, even if it means we have to cheat to get it.
As you get ready for your weekend, following are the top five stories for the week ending Sept. 17, 2010. Happy reading/viewing!
5. How to ask questions during a job interview. It drives me absolutely batty when a candidate goes all the way through our process to interview with me last and for me to hear, “I asked all of my questions of everyone else. I don’t really have anything to ask you.” It happens. More often than not. And guess what? That person doesn’t get a job offer. That’s why I love this video from John Heaney about how to ask INSIGHTFUL questions during a job interview.
4. Are you customer-focused or customer-centric? Two of the smartest women I know are Beth Harte and Anna Barcelos, who host the integrated marketing communications chat on Twitter every week. This week, a conversation was fueled about customer-focused vs. customer-centric. There is a slight, but very important, difference. Read the blog post they wrote after the chat to explain both…and to figure out where it makes sense for your company to go.
3. Eight ways to get things done on the plane. I am a big fan of the work Craig Jarrow does through Time Management Ninja. ALL of us need his tips at least once a week. This week he wrote a great post about turning off the movie during a flight and getting some uninterrupted work accomplished. I am a big fan of this because, when I fly, I get enough work done to equal a week of sitting in my office. I’ve actually considered buying a round-trip ticket to the west coast just to have nine hours of uninterrupted work. Read his tips and see about implementing them the next time you get on a plane!
2. The next big movement: Natural conversations. I love technology more than most. I’m constantly connected either at my desk, on my iPad, or on my phone. I love, love, love it. But I hate it, I mean it hits me in the gut, when I’m in a meeting or out with friends and people spend all of their time on their phones. I think it’s rude and disrespectful of my time. If it’s that important to you, why don’t I go back to to the office or home and we’ll text one another instead. That’s why, when I read this Harvard Business Review article about going back to natural conversations, I issued an “AMEN!”
1. The not so secret tech investment guide. If you have ever had to go for funding or think you’ll have the need in the future, this chart on the Daily Lark is a must read, download, and post on your wall kind of thing. It is pretty specific to digital technology and includes what investors will consider in social media, real-time, location-based services, the urban entrepreneur, mobile, flash sales, and behaviors and transactions. Check it out!
Have a great weekend! Go Bears!