{"appState":{"pageLoadApiCallsStatus":true},"categoryState":{"relatedCategories":{"headers":{"timestamp":"2022-07-04T12:31:12+00:00"},"categoryId":34272,"data":{"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","image":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"parentCategory":{"categoryId":34256,"title":"Careers","slug":"careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"}},"childCategories":[],"description":"Are you looking for ways to improve your time management? 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As you jump into <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/management/is-working-virtually-right-for-you/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">working from home</a>, be sure to follow a few pieces of important advice, as well as some virtual meeting etiquette.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273005\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273005\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home.jpg\" alt=\"working from home\" width=\"556\" height=\"371\" /> © LightField Studios/Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"The secret is out: Working from home can be a sustainable, successful option for professionals in today’s global economy. 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","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/11352"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119748496&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7f4e2a7\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119748496&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7f4fd2e\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":0,"title":"","slug":null,"categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/"}}],"content":[{"title":"Advice to Consider Before You Work at Home","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you’re considering working from home, take into account several important considerations. Many of them require a shift in your mindset and habits, a focus on emotional and social intelligence, and strong communication skills. Be mindful about these areas if you truly want to have success in working from home:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Having the right environment:</strong> Ensuring you have the right work environment if you’re planning on working from home is extremely important. If your workspace isn’t set up for you to be successful, you’ll quickly become frustrated and potentially disconnected from your team.</li>\n<li><strong>Maintaining balance and focus:</strong> Working virtually takes a heavy dose of discipline and organization to balance work with the constant demands of life happening all around you when you’re working from home. If you struggle with self-discipline, working virtually may be an area of difficulty for you, so make sure you set up clear guidelines and expectations for yourself ahead of time.</li>\n<li><strong>Building community:</strong> When working from home, be prepared to build a sense of community by connecting with your team members and your manager regularly, both for work and to get to know each other personally. If working side-by-side with your coworkers in person is extremely fulfilling for you, then consider that working remotely 100 percent of the time may not be the best idea for you. You may want to consider a part-time telecommuting arrangement or perhaps a flex job where you work remotely a few days a week and a part-time job in an office a few days per week.</li>\n<li><strong>Connecting using collaborative technology:</strong> When you work from home, you generally lose face-to-face, in-person interaction, and people working remotely have different levels of comfort and acceptance using collaborative technology such as Zoom to personally connect. Many companies don’t require virtual teams to turn on video when communicating or having a meeting, which is a mistake. If you desire to work virtually, it’s up to you to build relationships and trust, which you rarely can achieve over the phone or via text. Turning on your camera so you can connect personally with your team members is an important part of building connection.</li>\n<li><strong>Appreciating team culture:</strong> Your virtual team can include people from other towns in your city, your country, or the world. Maybe your team members don’t have English as their first language, or maybe their culture and way of life is completely foreign to you. Make sure you consider who is going to be on your team and ideally meet team members as part of the interviewing process.</li>\n<li><strong>Practicing emotional intelligence:</strong> Working from home requires a willingness to go the extra mile to develop strong team relationships by being emotionally aware and tuned in to what’s happening with other team members. The key to emotional intelligence is recognizing what you and other team members are feeling and then knowing what to do to manage those emotions or reactions. Doing so requires attention, savviness, and vulnerability.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Virtual Meeting Etiquette: Minding Your Meeting Manners Even When You Work from Home","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Just because you work from home doesn’t mean you can slack on professionalism. You can easily fall into a too-casual trap when your commute is a short walk from your kitchen to your home office. Keep these videoconference etiquette tips in mind as you work from home:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Beware of your background.</strong> Your coworkers won’t take you seriously if you have a pile of dirty clothes or an unmade bed in the corner behind you. Make sure your background is professional, free of distractions, and work appropriate. Pay attention to the lighting, too.</li>\n<li><strong>Make sure you’re screen ready.</strong> One of the best things about working remotely is the freedom to wear anything to work. 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Your normal speaking volume should be fine.</li>\n<li><strong>Make eye contact.</strong> During your video call, your screen probably has the presentation open, a window in which you can type comments, and multiple video screens with your colleagues’ faces. When it’s your turn to speak, be sure to look into your camera, not at the multiple distractions on your computer screen. It takes a while to grasp this, but it looks more natural and connects to people much more effectively.</li>\n<li><strong>Don’t eat.</strong> Even if the meeting falls during your normal mealtime, don’t eat during your video call. Just because people can’t smell it doesn’t mean they can’t hear or see you chewing. No one wants to see you stuff your face while discussing important business matters.</li>\n<li><strong>Don’t multitask.</strong> According to a survey by Raindance Communications, 70 percent of people do unrelated work, 50 percent read or send emails, and 36 percent mute the call to talk to someone else while on a video call. All of these behaviors are no-no’s. Give the meeting your full attention. It’s more productive and more respectful.</li>\n<li><strong>Keep the mute button handy.</strong> Nothing is more frustrating than hearing that alien echo noise or high-pitch screech from conflicting microphones. If you’re working in a noisy cafe, an airport, or anywhere that has a lot of background noise, make sure to keep your mic muted when you’re not speaking. It gives everyone else the ability to chime in without distraction.</li>\n<li><strong>Be patient.</strong> If someone doesn’t respond immediately, give him a few seconds. The slow response may be an audio delay or people may be desperately trying to unmute themselves.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"One year","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-08T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":273004},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:46:47+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-04-07T16:26:35+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:37:34+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"Productivity For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"productivity for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"productivity-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Boost your productivity with some simple daily habits, a bit of positivity, and some well-reasoned planning.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Wouldn’t it be nice to boost your productivity and performance at work without having to put in extra hours or break your back in the meantime? 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She helps organisations get better results by establishing space for more creativity and innovation. She helps people get better results by adopting effective habits and focusing on the right stuff at the right time. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9021,"name":"Ciara Conlon","slug":"ciara-conlon","description":" <p><b>Ciara Conlon</b> is a productivity coach, keynote speaker and author. She helps organisations get better results by establishing space for more creativity and innovation. She helps people get better results by adopting effective habits and focusing on the right stuff at the right time. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9021"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119099529&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7ea45af\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119099529&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7ea4cfd\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":139297,"title":"Boosting Performance at Work","slug":"boosting-performance-at-work","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139297"}},{"articleId":139295,"title":"The Essential Kit for a Budding Productivity Geek","slug":"the-essential-kit-for-a-budding-productivity-geek","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139295"}},{"articleId":139296,"title":"Daily Habits for Powerful Productivity","slug":"daily-habits-for-powerful-productivity","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/139296"}}],"content":[{"title":"Boosting performance at work","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you want to be productive and boost your performance at work, take a look at these three simple things below that you can focus on. Paying attention to these three areas will have a big impact on your effectiveness in the workplace</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Focus on the goals.</b> Many people at work have trouble with prioritization. But the solution is pretty simple: Be clear about your goals, and your priorities will be evident. Plan your day according to your goals. Ask yourself which tasks will get you closer to your goals, and focus on them. When you spend your day working on these tasks, you’ll know you’ve been productive.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Take control of your inbox. </b>Email can take over your day if you allow it to. Start your day in your calendar with what you have planned for the day, not with what others want you to do for them. Take control of your workday by planning your day in advance. After you’ve looked at your calendar, you can either start work straightaway or open your inbox to see whether you have any urgent requests that will take priority over what you’ve already scheduled.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Stay positive at all times.</b> Having all the techniques and tools in place to be productive will only go so far if you don’t have the right attitude. Having a positive, can-do attitude is the most significant contributor to enhancing performance. If you’re positive, no task is too difficult and no problem can’t be overcome. With a positive attitude, you’ll develop better and stronger relationships with your team. Positive attitudes breed more positive attitudes, and if you can create a pleasant work environment that is optimistic and empowered, there is little you can’t achieve.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"The essential kit for a budding productivity geek","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If you’re serious about getting organized, you will need to invest in some basics tools for your productivity toolkit. Your productivity toolkit consists of all the things that you will use daily to keep your work space ordered, structured and clutter free.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A calendar:</b> Whether paper or electronic, you need a calendar to track your appointments and meetings and plan time for your work to do.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A task management app: </b>A task management app is great for storing all your tasks to do. Choose an app that allows you to categorise your tasks into different projects.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>An in-tray:</b> Use your in-tray to put all your unprocessed work. Anything that you haven’t defined exactly what needs to be done with should go in the in-tray.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A filing tray:</b> Use a filing tray(s) to separate paperwork that needs to be filed from actionable work.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Manila folders:</b> To keep your paperwork organized, you need a bunch of manila tabbed folders. Create a folder for each project.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A labeller:</b> A labeller helps keep your files looking pretty and also makes them easy to find.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A step file organizer:</b> A step file organizer is ideal for your work in progress. Use it to house your current files and paperwork on your desk. Add labelled manila folders, and you’ll always have the file you need at hand.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>A notebook:</b> You can’t beat pen and paper. Sometimes it’s best to pick up a pen and jot down your good ideas, your plans, or the things you don’t want to forget about.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Daily habits for powerful productivity","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You may think that the daily habits for powerful productivity are all about scheduling and to-do lists. You may be surprised to know that some of the things that will have the biggest impact on your performance and productivity are the things you do outside the office!</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Exercise:</b> Exercises gives you energy, improves your mood, and helps you to focus. There are so many benefits to exercise it’s a wonder TV was ever invented! If you introduce the habit of exercise to your daily life, you’ll get way more done.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Rising early:</b> The habit of rising early is a habit of most successful people. Rising early enables you to fit it all in. It’s a great time of the day to exercise, to write, or to meditate.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Meditation:</b> Meditation is no longer just for monks; it has become a widely accepted habit in the workplace. Many organizations have become aware of the many benefits of meditation and recommend it to their employees. Meditation provides a calmer mind, greater focus, and reduced stress.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Positivity:</b> Success begins with positivity. Having a positive attitude and a belief in yourself and your ideas are crucial for success. Believe in your ability to get things done and you will succeed. A positive attitude at work will improve your relationships and performance.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Scheduling:</b> What gets scheduled gets done. Planning your work in advance is a primary habit for productivity. It will help you beat procrastination and help you get it all done. Take some time each week to plan the week ahead. Schedule time for all the projects you need to get done.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-04-07T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207417},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2019-05-31T02:39:21+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-03-25T18:20:29+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:37:31+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"Success Habits For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"success habits for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"success-habits-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn about creating habits for success by starting with four basic steps. Also, learn how to avoid time-wasting activities.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Whether you want to know how to succeed in life or how to succeed in business, you need to create habits for success. Success, or excellence, is always created by establishing positive, repetitive habits. Unfortunately, almost anything we do repeatedly can lose its luster, passion, and energy. Without doing something repeatedly, you won’t establish it as a habit. When you focus on repeating the actions that lead to success, you create habits. So, repeating and success are like peas and carrots: They go together.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_261913\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-261913\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/success-habits.jpg\" alt=\"success habits\" width=\"535\" height=\"428\" /> © Millena / Shutterstock[/caption]","description":"Whether you want to know how to succeed in life or how to succeed in business, you need to create habits for success. Success, or excellence, is always created by establishing positive, repetitive habits. Unfortunately, almost anything we do repeatedly can lose its luster, passion, and energy. Without doing something repeatedly, you won’t establish it as a habit. When you focus on repeating the actions that lead to success, you create habits. So, repeating and success are like peas and carrots: They go together.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_261913\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"535\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-261913\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/success-habits.jpg\" alt=\"success habits\" width=\"535\" height=\"428\" /> © Millena / Shutterstock[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9228,"name":"Dirk Zeller","slug":"dirk-zeller","description":" <p><b>Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world&#39;s most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top&#45;selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p> ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9228"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34051,"title":"Willpower","slug":"willpower","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34051"}},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":262830,"title":"How to Guarantee Your Retirement Success with a Wealth Plan","slug":"how-to-guarantee-your-retirement-success-with-a-wealth-plan","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262830"}},{"articleId":262825,"title":"The First Step Toward Financial Success: Define Your Wealth Number","slug":"the-first-step-toward-financial-success-define-your-wealth-number","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262825"}},{"articleId":262820,"title":"How to Set Your Top 50 Life Goals","slug":"how-to-set-your-top-50-life-goals","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262820"}},{"articleId":262814,"title":"Goal Setting: Categorize and Prioritize Your Life Goals","slug":"goal-setting-categorize-and-prioritize-your-life-goals","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262814"}},{"articleId":262811,"title":"How to Build Customer and Client Relationships","slug":"how-to-build-customer-and-client-relationships","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262811"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273709,"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273709"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282617,"slug":"success-habits-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119508847","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119508843-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/success-habits-for-dummies-cover-9781119508847-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Success Habits For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9228\">Dirk Zeller</b> is recognized internationally as one of the premier speakers and coaches on sales, success, time management, and peak performance. Dirk's proven systems and strategies take ordinary performers and transforms them into extraordinary performers. Zeller's strategies on wealth and success enable anyone to achieve financial independence in their life. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9228,"name":"Dirk Zeller","slug":"dirk-zeller","description":" <p><b>Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world&#39;s most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top&#45;selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p> ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9228"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119508847&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7b815cb\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119508847&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7b81d18\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":261906,"title":"Daily Habits for Success","slug":"","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/261906"}},{"articleId":261909,"title":"Time-Wasting Behaviors That Lead You Away from Success","slug":"","categoryList":[],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/261909"}}],"content":[{"title":"Daily habits for success","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Success is created through consistency turned into repetition. A singular morning routine is not habit, nor is it repetition. A morning routine executed a single time is an act. An act by itself will not determine success or failure. It must be linked together in succession and consistency to create success.</p>\n<p>You can create new habits for success, have them take hold, and apply commitment to continue in a day or even a week. It takes weeks of repeating that act to establish and cement it as a habit in your routine of success.</p>\n<p>Here are a few basic things to do daily to increase your chances of being successful in whatever endeavors you choose to pursue in life.</p>\n<h2>Step 1: Get up early</h2>\n<p>Not all of us are morning people, but most early risers tend to compact more work and productivity in their day. If you get up one hour earlier than you’re doing presently, if you use it to make more sales calls or complete more reports, if you use that hour to work on self-improvement through reading and studying, then that one hour each work day equates to 30 extra full work days in a year. It’s like having 13 months in a year to achieve your goals. You won’t miss the hour of sleep.</p>\n<h2>Step 2: Invest at least an hour a day learning</h2>\n<p>Renowned investor Warren Buffett spends more than 80 percent of his day reading. He reads five newspapers per day, each day. You don’t have to read newspapers or books; you can listen to podcasts or attend classes or take online courses. And with audio books, you can even use your drive time in the car to educate yourself. Whatever knowledge has brought you to the level of success you are enjoying, it will not be enough knowledge to keep you there.</p>\n<h2>Step 3: Move your body each day</h2>\n<p>Don’t neglect the temple in which you live. There is a direct connection between physical health, mental health, and wealth. Becoming successful takes energy and stamina. It’s hard to take charge, go against the herd, “stand your ground,” and delay gratification of now when you’re tired and not physically ready. In the competitive world we live in, you need physical stamina and energy to build your business or brand to attract customers and client.</p>\n<h2>Step 4: Rest</h2>\n<p>High achievers are frequently poor at rest, but your body and mind requires downtime to operate well. You need fun, recreation, and friendships to be able to achieve a fulfilled life of success. And your body requires enough sleep nightly to be prepared for a new day of challenges and opportunities ahead.</p>\n"},{"title":"Time-wasting behaviors that lead you away from success","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>If creating habits for success is your goal, you probably need to figure out how to stop <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/human-resources/employee-relations/10-timeefficient-habits/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wasting time</a>. With all the things you have to accomplish in a given day, wouldn’t it be nice if the day were just a bit longer?</p>\n<p>Before you start thinking of ways to slow the rotation of the Earth, try to cut out some serious time-wasters — or at least reduce the amount of time you devote to them. It’ll seem like you’re gaining a few hours in your day to invest in activities and success habits that are important to you.</p>\n<p>What follows are some of the most voracious devourers of your precious time.</p>\n<h2>Avoid Being Sucked into Social Media</h2>\n<p>As a business tool, if you are trying to deepen your relationship with prospects, customers, and clients, there are many effective ways to monetize your relationships through Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. There are also opportunities to waste so much time through any social media platform that you may suddenly realize you&#8217;ve been on Facebook for the last few hours. Where did those few hours go? Here are some strategies to successfully protect you from having social media overtake your afternoon.</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Set specific times that you check your social media platforms. </strong>Don’t be checking every few minutes, but scheduled times.</li>\n<li><strong>Turn off notifications that pop up on the screen, chime or ding, or inform you of a post or comment.</strong> This applies to all social media platforms. If you are a regular contributor to the social media world, following tweets, or reading posts from a number of friends or even celebrities, your phone could be blowing up all day long. You are bound to be frequently distracted and less productive.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>If you want to really stand out from the other employees in the company you work for, put your phone in your backpack, purse, or locker until your break or lunch hour.</p>\n<h2>Limit Time Surfing the Web</h2>\n<p>Nothing is wrong with hanging ten on the Internet — as long as the <em>ten </em>isn’t ten hours. The Internet is incredibly valuable as a time-saving tool. Just think how much faster pulling data and tracking down information is than in the past. But the web is a storehouse of <em>useless </em>information as well. You can spend hours sifting through waves of data in search of what you really want to know.</p>\n<p>When using the Internet for research or information-gathering, it pays to stay focused on your mission: What are you in search of? The annual report from a company you’re pursuing as a client? The best bed-and-breakfasts available in St. Thomas in May? Don’t get sidetracked by related information that steers you off-course. Put specific phrases in quotation marks to get exact matches, or use the advanced search features to avoid certain words or limit your search to .org, .com, .gov, or .edu sites as needed. Bookmark sites you find especially useful or copy and paste important info into a separate document, along with the URL where you found it, for later reference.</p>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t Stay Glued to the Tube</h2>\n<p>According to the Nielsen Company, the average person in the United States watches more than 33 hours of TV per week. Think about it: If you could eliminate that much viewing time, it’d be like having an eight-day week. Just think of all you could do with 33 extra hours: read a good book, spend time with your family, take a class, start working out — and even get a good night’s sleep!</p>\n<p>If you’re a committed TV watcher, kicking the habit cold turkey probably isn’t realistic. Here are some ways to wean yourself off evenings and weekends glued to the couch:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Leave the TV off if you’re not watching it. </strong>Some folks like to have the tube on for company, but it’s too tempting to wander over and plop yourself down if the tribe is about to cast another member off the island.</li>\n<li><strong>Preplan your TV schedule. </strong>Decide what’s really important for you to watch. On Tuesday evening, if it’s the 9 p.m. crime investigation series, so be it. But don’t turn on the TV until it starts and turn it off immediately upon seeing the closing credits.</li>\n<li><strong>Schedule no-watch zones throughout your week. </strong>Maybe set aside a specific weeknight or weekend day when all household TVs remain off.</li>\n<li><strong>Reduce the number of TVs in your home. </strong>Keep the TV out of the kitchen and bedroom, especially. Just as diet experts advise weight watchers to eat only in certain places in their houses, limiting the number of TVs helps keep the habit under control.</li>\n<li><strong>Prerecord what you want to watch and view it on your own schedule. </strong>The added bonus? You get to skip over all the commercials, which reduces your viewing time by about one-third!</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t Fail to Stop and Think</h2>\n<p>When you spend too little time in preparation, you’re forced to spend too much time in execution. The time you invest in collecting, compiling, and organizing your thoughts before you begin a project pays off in time savings and in the quality of the outcome.</p>\n<p>Not only does planning ahead eliminate problems before you start, but it also helps you imagine how you’ll perform the task. When you address the situation in advance, you feed your subconscious with the tools and information it needs to work on the problems, often without your awareness. That’s kind of like sticking bread dough in a warm space and letting it rise overnight. Just consider your planning efforts to be the yeast that causes your projects to rise to their full potential.</p>\n<p>Preparation is valuable in efforts big and small. Even ten minutes at the end of a day to review your schedule and set out the materials you’ll need is sure to increase your productivity and effectiveness the next day.</p>\n<h2>Don&#8217;t Work without Breaks</h2>\n<p>There’s a point of diminishing return where your focus and concentration start to fall dramatically. Too many people grind through, skip breaks, and cross that threshold. They sit and read the same paragraph over and over again because they’re tired and out of focus. They review the same report again without realizing it until they’re halfway through it.</p>\n<p>Everyone needs breaks from routine and the tasks at hand. You should take frequent breaks but for very short durations. If you’re given two 15-minute breaks a day plus your lunch hour, ask your boss if it would be acceptable to instead take three 10-minute breaks or two 5-minute breaks and two 10-minute breaks for the day. That way, you&#8217;re using the same amount of allotted break time to more effectively regain your focus and energy.</p>\n<h2>Stop Believing in the Myth of Multitasking</h2>\n<p>The scientific evidence overwhelmingly suggests that <em>multitasking </em>— switching back and forth between two or more tasks — is an extremely ineffective way to get things done. Researchers say that when you multitask, you’re making your brain take time to switch to a different skill set and a different memory experience.</p>\n<p>For those projects and tasks that require your best effort, you’re better off to focus on one at a time. Here’s how to keep yourself focused on the task at hand:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Turn off your cellphone or forward your phone to go directly to voicemail. </strong>Even if you intend not to answer a call, the notification halts your attention and slows your progress.</li>\n<li><strong>If working on the computer or a tablet, set your e-mail program so you’re not notified every time you receive a new message. </strong>You may check your e-mail at certain time intervals or even arrange to check and respond to e-mail in your time-block schedule.</li>\n<li><strong>If you’re working on a report, article, or some project that demands a lot of concentration, set aside at least one hour of uninterrupted time</strong>. You may not be able to finish it in that hour, but you’ll get a good jump on it. An hour of focus is about all most people can do on an intense project without some type of break to get a cup of coffee or visit the restroom or just do a stretch.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Stop Demanding Perfection</h2>\n<p>If you’re expecting perfection out of yourself or others, you’re wasting your time. Letting imperfection keep you from pursuing recreational interests or your career goals can end up limiting your fulfillment in life.</p>\n<p>The amount of time, effort, energy, and emotion required to achieve perfection dramatically reduce production. You may invest as much time and energy to move from a 95 percent performance score to the 100-percent mark as you do to go from 0 to 95 percent. You’re much better off investing your energy in starting something new than focusing on perfection.</p>\n<h2>Avoid Spending Time with Negative People</h2>\n<p>Success takes hard work. When your desire is to be more successful, you will encounter people in life that don’t share your desire, your attitude of positivity and success. One way to bring down your energy level, reduce your enthusiasm, darken your outlook, slow your productivity, and drain your glass from half-full to almost-empty is to invest your time in negative people. The more you reduce the influence they have on your life, the happier and more productive you can be.</p>\n<p>Do your best to minimize the time you spend in the company of curmudgeons and contrarians. Not only do you take back valuable time to direct toward positive endeavors, but their absence also breaks the dark spell over your optimistic outlook.</p>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-03-25T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":261912},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T16:02:58+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-03-07T16:48:23+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:37:23+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"Personal Branding for Women: Highlighting Strengths","strippedTitle":"personal branding for women: highlighting strengths","slug":"personal-branding-for-women-highlighting-strengths","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Women can have distinct and unique characteristics that lead to a compelling personal brand. 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In general, some of the following characteristics may be more true for women as a group than for their male counterparts:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Collaborators</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Connectors</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Socially oriented</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Focused on community</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Natural multitaskers</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Awareness of visual identity</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Strong verbal communicators</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Empathetic and intuitive</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Engaged in stories</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Builders of deeper relationships</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhen a woman works on her personal brand, she needs to let go of the fear that these characteristics are bad things in the workplace (especially if she’s in a male-dominated work environment). Often, male coworkers don’t see these qualities as intellectual or as worthwhile as the characteristics of individuality, facts, and logic.\r\n\r\nThese are the complex subtleties that women face every day in the workplace. As you refine your brand, you continually need to be true to yourself and to know how to play the game in your particular workplace.\r\n\r\nIn rapidly changing work environments, the rules aren’t as clear for women about how to be who you are, what you should wear, and what qualities are acceptable. Building a female personal brand means focusing on your best self within the variables that you can control and not being afraid to be seen for your uniqueness.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Be confident in what you know</h2>\r\nThe story goes that there was a dinner with a group of partners in a professional services firm. The event was equally comprised of men and women. One of the men at the table was a senior leader in the firm. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and sharing of stories.\r\n\r\nOne of the women was telling a work story when the male senior leader said, “Do you know what is wrong with women?” The table gasped and all turned to him.\r\n\r\nHe continued with, “You are at least as smart as the men in the workplace, and probably smarter, but you wait until you know how to do something at least 80 percent before you say, ‘I can do that.’ Most men will say we can do something when we know it 25 percent. We are confident enough to know we will figure it out. If you want to get ahead in business, have the confidence to say that you know how to do something much sooner.”","description":"Women want to be given the same opportunities to succeed as men, but often they want to succeed in a different way. The generalization goes that women (more than men) tend to embrace the desire to want to live more authentically, and that translates into being more of who they are in the workplace.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Be your authentic self</h2>\r\nPersonal branding is about living your authentic self and building on natural talents and strengths. In general, some of the following characteristics may be more true for women as a group than for their male counterparts:\r\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Collaborators</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Connectors</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Socially oriented</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Focused on community</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Natural multitaskers</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Awareness of visual identity</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Strong verbal communicators</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Empathetic and intuitive</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Engaged in stories</p>\r\n</li>\r\n \t<li>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Builders of deeper relationships</p>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nWhen a woman works on her personal brand, she needs to let go of the fear that these characteristics are bad things in the workplace (especially if she’s in a male-dominated work environment). Often, male coworkers don’t see these qualities as intellectual or as worthwhile as the characteristics of individuality, facts, and logic.\r\n\r\nThese are the complex subtleties that women face every day in the workplace. As you refine your brand, you continually need to be true to yourself and to know how to play the game in your particular workplace.\r\n\r\nIn rapidly changing work environments, the rules aren’t as clear for women about how to be who you are, what you should wear, and what qualities are acceptable. Building a female personal brand means focusing on your best self within the variables that you can control and not being afraid to be seen for your uniqueness.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Be confident in what you know</h2>\r\nThe story goes that there was a dinner with a group of partners in a professional services firm. The event was equally comprised of men and women. One of the men at the table was a senior leader in the firm. 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Learn to make decisions quickly and ask time-saving questions here.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Making the most of your time at work means learning to make productive decisions quickly and asking effective time-saving questions at meetings. Save time on the road by keeping a list of your important travel details with you so you can get to them easily. Before you call it a day at work, take a few steps to prepare for tomorrow so you can start your day off on the right foot.","description":"Making the most of your time at work means learning to make productive decisions quickly and asking effective time-saving questions at meetings. Save time on the road by keeping a list of your important travel details with you so you can get to them easily. Before you call it a day at work, take a few steps to prepare for tomorrow so you can start your day off on the right foot.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9228,"name":"Dirk Zeller","slug":"dirk-zeller","description":" <p><b>Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world&#39;s most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top&#45;selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p> ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9228"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":144849,"title":"Organizing Trips for Peak Productivity","slug":"organizing-trips-for-peak-productivity","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144849"}},{"articleId":144846,"title":"Hire Out Your Yard Work","slug":"hire-out-your-yard-work","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144846"}},{"articleId":144847,"title":"Explore Shopping Alternatives","slug":"explore-shopping-alternatives","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144847"}},{"articleId":144848,"title":"Seek Out a Quiet Place","slug":"seek-out-a-quiet-place","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144848"}},{"articleId":144833,"title":"Tricks for Creating High Performance Each Day","slug":"tricks-for-creating-high-performance-each-day","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144833"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273709,"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273709"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282619,"slug":"successful-time-management-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9781118982662","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118982665/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118982665/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118982665-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118982665/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118982665/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/successful-time-management-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781118982662-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Successful Time Management For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9228\">Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world's most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top-selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9228,"name":"Dirk Zeller","slug":"dirk-zeller","description":" <p><b>Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world&#39;s most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top&#45;selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p> ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9228"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118982662&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f72cacf4\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118982662&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f72cb43f\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":144835,"title":"Keys to Evaluating How Well You Use Your Time","slug":"keys-to-evaluating-how-well-you-use-your-time","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144835"}},{"articleId":144832,"title":"Grow the Quality of Your Personal Relationships in Less Time","slug":"grow-the-quality-of-your-personal-relationships-in-less-time","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144832"}},{"articleId":144834,"title":"Seven Steps for Starting Tomorrow Right","slug":"seven-steps-for-starting-tomorrow-right","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144834"}},{"articleId":144833,"title":"Tricks for Creating High Performance Each Day","slug":"tricks-for-creating-high-performance-each-day","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/144833"}}],"content":[{"title":"Keys to evaluating how well you use your time","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Knowing how you used your time this week can affect your moods, productivity, and preparation for next week. People who evaluate time spent can learn to be more productive and effective.</p>\n<p><b>Key questions you must review:</b></p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What went well this week? What could you have done better?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How would you rate your week on a 1-to-10 scale?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Did you meet your goals at home?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Has what you’ve accomplished this week positioned you better to achieve your long-range goals?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What are the key improvement areas for you next week?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What’s diverting you from your schedule?</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>As you are reviewing your results, be careful to do so with an open, observant mind, not a judgmental one. Give yourself a couple of weeks before you resolve to change your schedule. Doing so helps you get through a long enough period of time to account for anomalies.</p>\n<p>Before you can do any sort of strategizing, you need to take a good, honest look at how you use your time. For people who struggle with time management, the problem, by and large, lies in the crucial steps of assessing and planning. Start your assessment with these steps:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Observe how you currently use your time.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What do you spend most of your day doing?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How far down the daily to-do list do you get each day?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Assess your personal productivity trends.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">During which segments of the day are your energy levels at the highest?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Which personal habits cause you to adjust your plans for the day?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Take a close look at the interruptions you face on a regular basis.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">During what segments of the day do you experience the most interruptions?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What sort of interruptions do you receive most frequently and from whom?</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"Grow the quality of your personal relationships in less time","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Outside of work, personal relationships should be your first priority, so always consider them first, before you even start thinking about chores. Evaluate your connections with each of the important people in your life — family and friends.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How can you invest your time with this person to create a better relationship?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What’s most important to this loved one, and how can you service and support these needs?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How can you invest your time to nurture your child’s or dependent&#8217;s developing interests?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How can you show that you value this person in a way that is meaningful to him or her?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What do you need to do each week to teach your child or dependent an important life skill?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What shared activities allow you to serve as a positive example?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What can you do to create a positive family memory?</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Seven steps to starting tomorrow right","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>There’s nothing like getting your day started on the right time-management foot! Too many times, you end one day without preparing for the next . . . cluttered desks, disorganized calendars, and no plan for tomorrow can lead to unfinished tasks. To start tomorrow off right, follow these seven simple steps:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Clear your desk.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Put everything back into a file drawer, even if you plan to take those items right back out in the morning. Eliminate items to be filed or thrown away.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Make tomorrow’s to-do list.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">List all the projects, tasks, telephone calls, meetings, and objectives you want to accomplish the following day.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Prioritize the tasks on your to-do list.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Be sure to complete the prioritizing completely from A-list activities (those with heavy penalties if they’re not completed) to lower-level tasks that can be delegated (D-list) or eliminated (E-list).</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Delegate all tasks, projects, and calls that someone else can do.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">If you can’t completely delegate the tasks because of their complexity or because a staff member is gone the next day, at least send a quick memo or e-mail letting the person know the assignment’s coming.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Determine what you need to accomplish to make tomorrow a great day.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">By determining a goal, you increase your intensity, focus, and urgency from the time you walk through the door.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Prepare your workspace for tomorrow’s A-1 priority task.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Assemble all the materials you’ll need and neatly stack and organize them on your credenza or desk.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Rate your day.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">To get better use of your time tomorrow, set aside time to reflect on today. Ask yourself the following questions:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-two\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What went well today? What didn’t go well?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Did you complete everything on your to-do list?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What did you learn today?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What would you have done differently?</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"Tricks for creating high performance each day","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Professional athletes work to be <i>in the zone</i>, a place where positive results seem to stick like a magnet. You can create that high performance zone each day.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How many hours can you work at a high level each day?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What’s your most productive time of the day?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How many weeks can you work at high intensity without a break?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">How long of a break do you need so you can come back focused and intense?</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-03-03T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207549},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-27T16:48:00+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-25T18:17:33+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:37:20+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"Personal Branding For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"personal branding for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"personal-branding-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn to create a successful brand and create a consistent, targeted impression that helps you achieve your personal and professional goals.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Personal branding is a marketing strategy focused on your most important product: <i>you.</i> Developing a personal brand requires figuring out who you really are (your skills, values, passions, and personality), who you want to serve (your target market or audience), and how you differ from the competition (your unique niche). A successful brand creates a consistent, targeted impression that helps you achieve your personal and professional goals. It also allows you to live authentically because a great brand is always honest; you can’t fake your way into a successful brand.","description":"Personal branding is a marketing strategy focused on your most important product: <i>you.</i> Developing a personal brand requires figuring out who you really are (your skills, values, passions, and personality), who you want to serve (your target market or audience), and how you differ from the competition (your unique niche). A successful brand creates a consistent, targeted impression that helps you achieve your personal and professional goals. It also allows you to live authentically because a great brand is always honest; you can’t fake your way into a successful brand.","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9407,"name":"Susan Chritton","slug":"susan-chritton","description":" <p><b>Susan Chritton</b> is a Master Personal Brand Strategist, Executive Career Coach, and Master Career Counselor. She guides professionals looking to engage their authentic self in the world through personal branding. Visit her website at www.susanchritton.com.</p>","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9407"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":172067,"title":"Personal Branding for Women: Highlighting Strengths","slug":"personal-branding-for-women-highlighting-strengths","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/172067"}},{"articleId":172012,"title":"Design Your Personal Logo","slug":"design-your-personal-logo","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/172012"}},{"articleId":152332,"title":"Building Your Personal Brand","slug":"building-your-personal-brand","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152332"}},{"articleId":152323,"title":"Reaching Your Target Market","slug":"reaching-your-target-market","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152323"}},{"articleId":152321,"title":"Your Unique Promise of Value and Personal Brand Statement","slug":"your-unique-promise-of-value-and-personal-brand-statement","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152321"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273709,"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273709"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282455,"slug":"personal-branding-for-dummies-2nd-edition","isbn":"9781118915554","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1118915550/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1118915550/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1118915550-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1118915550/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1118915550/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/personal-branding-for-dummies-2nd-edition-cover-9781118915554-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Personal Branding For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9407\">Susan Chritton</b> is a Master Personal Brand Strategist, Executive Career Coach, and Master Career Counselor. She guides professionals looking to engage their authentic self in the world through personal branding. Visit her website at www.susanchritton.com.</p>","authors":[{"authorId":9407,"name":"Susan Chritton","slug":"susan-chritton","description":" <p><b>Susan Chritton</b> is a Master Personal Brand Strategist, Executive Career Coach, and Master Career Counselor. She guides professionals looking to engage their authentic self in the world through personal branding. Visit her website at www.susanchritton.com.</p>","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9407"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118915554&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7069385\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781118915554&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f7069abc\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":152332,"title":"Building Your Personal Brand","slug":"building-your-personal-brand","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152332"}},{"articleId":152321,"title":"Your Unique Promise of Value and Personal Brand Statement","slug":"your-unique-promise-of-value-and-personal-brand-statement","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152321"}},{"articleId":152323,"title":"Reaching Your Target Market","slug":"reaching-your-target-market","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152323"}},{"articleId":152322,"title":"Taking Your Brand Online","slug":"taking-your-brand-online","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/152322"}}],"content":[{"title":"Building your personal brand","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>The first step in the personal branding process is to spend time figuring out who you really are and what you want from your life. Often, this self-analysis is the hardest part. Here are the building blocks of your brand that you need to identify:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Needs:</b> Maslow&#8217;s Hierarchy of Needs is a helpful tool that shows layers of needs from the most basic (physiological needs, such as food) all the way up to self-actualization — becoming everything that you are capable of becoming.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Values:</b> These are core principles that give meaning to your life — a set of standards that determine your attitudes, choices, and actions.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Interests/passions:</b> The things that intrigue and motivate you determine how you want to spend your time.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Mission:</b> Everyone should have a mission statement — an expression that clarifies what you are all about and what you want to do in life.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Vision:</b> Your ideal version of how you will use your mission is your vision.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Strengths:</b> Certain abilities and patterns of interest consistently produce a positive outcome in your life, and these are your strengths.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Freak factor:</b> This term refers to a unique quality that makes you different and unusual.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Personality attributes:</b> Describing the face that you show to the world helps you define your personality.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Education and work experience:</b> These attributes are easy to identify because they&#8217;re based on fact.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>360º feedback:</b> The people who know you best (such as friends and coworkers) can provide key information about your character.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Goals: </b>Getting specific about what you want to achieve greatly increases your chances of success.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Target market positioning statement:</b> This tool identifies how your brand will be positioned in your target market. It puts into words what makes your brand important and unique so that the people who need to know about you can clearly understand what you represent.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Your unique promise of value and personal brand statement","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Your unique promise of value and your personal brand statement are closely linked; the statement is an expression of the promise. Both of them focus on what your target audience expects from you; they create an expectation of what you can deliver. These are probably the most important pieces of your personal brand profile, so you want to get them right before you start to communicate with your target audience.</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Your unique promise of value: </b>This is the promise you make to your target market that your brand will fulfill. It clarifies and communicates what makes you special. You must be able to live up to this promise.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Your personal brand statement:</b> You use your unique promise of value to write the all-important personal brand statement. When you work on your statement, envision your best self. To begin your thought process on what your brand might include, answer the following questions:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-two\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What three or four keywords describe your essential qualities quickly and clearly?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What is your essence factor, the core of who you are? &#8220;I know I am in my element when __________.&#8221;</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What is your authority factor, the knowledge that you hold and the skills that you possess? &#8220;People recognize my expertise in _________.&#8221;</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">What is your superstar factor, the qualities that set you apart? (This factor is how you get things done or what you&#8217;re known for.) &#8220;People comment on my ability to ___________.&#8221;</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>To help you get started writing your statement, use this fill-in-the-blanks template. Don&#8217;t be constrained by this language; simply use it as a starting point.</p>\n<p><i>I use my ___________ and ___________ for ___________.</i></p>\n<p><i>Known for ___________, I ___________.</i></p>\n<p><i>Using ___________ (key trait), I ___________, by providing ___________.</i></p>\n<p><i>Through my </i><i>___________, </i><i>I </i><i>___________, </i><i>when I serve </i><i>___________.</i></p>\n"},{"title":"Reaching your target market","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>To reach the right target market, you need to identify who its members are. Visualize yourself working with your ideal client, company, service, or scenario. For example, here are possible characteristics of an ideal client:</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Appreciates the work that I do</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Pays me well and pays in advance</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Loves the service that I provide</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Trusts my expertise and lets me serve him or her using my best judgment</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Refers other dream clients to me</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Promotes my work to everyone he or she talks to</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Dreaming about the perfect situation gets you thinking about who would actually be the right target audience for you to put your time, energy, and effort into pursuing. You then conduct thorough research to locate the people you&#8217;ve envisioned.</p>\n<p>A <i>positioning statement</i> is a tool used in business to identify how a brand will be positioned in the market. It puts into words what makes a brand important and differentiated so that it is noticed by those who need to know about it.</p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s how to develop your own statement:</p>\n<ol class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Define your target audience.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Who do you want to serve?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Figure out your frame of reference.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">What is your point of view? What category do you want to participate in?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Identify points of difference.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">What distinctive benefits do you bring to your target audience? How do you stand out from the competition?</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Offer support.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Support is the evidence that your positioning statement is true. You need credible proof that you are what you say you are.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">State your promise or core benefit.</p>\n<p class=\"child-para\">Here, you pull the four previous pieces together to let your target audience know what the net benefit is to them.</p>\n</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"Taking your brand online","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>You don&#8217;t just communicate your personal brand in person; you should communicate your brand online as well. A profile hub can serve as a central point for all your online activity (your blog or website, Twitter account, photo gallery, and so on). Content for your profile may include</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">A brief bio about who you are</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Links to your social media sites (such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, and business fan pages)</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">The name, products, and/or services of your business</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">If appropriate, your key clients</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Your education</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Special features that enhance your personal brand, such as a favorite quote or testimonial</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Videos highlighting who you are and what you do</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Your photo</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\">Links to — or PDF versions of — articles you&#8217;ve written, slides, or other visuals you&#8217;ve produced</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Popular profile hubs include</p>\n<ul class=\"level-one\">\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>LinkedIn:</b> This site helps you build effective business relationships based on nurturing the &#8220;know, like, and trust&#8221; factor. If you are just beginning to think about using online tools to showcase your personal brand to your business and social networks, begin with LinkedIn.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Facebook:</b> Facebook helps you tell your story in ways that connect, inform, and entertain. This allows you to navigate the gentle balance of being social while also sharing enough of your personal brand to offer a satisfying taste of what others experience when they meet you in person. But, as your mother always told you, be careful who you hang out with! Your community of choice makes an impression.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>Google+:</b> This social media site integrates several social services such as Google Profiles and Google Buzz, as well as the services Circles, Hangouts, and Sparks.</p>\n</li>\n<li>\n<p class=\"first-para\"><b>About.me:</b> Create a personal home page that&#8217;s free and easy to set up. There&#8217;s no need to create a website when you can use About.me as your hub. Visitors can view your site without logging on, and you can use it as your central point of contact.</p>\n</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2022-02-25T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":207677},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2018-08-16T18:07:42+00:00","modifiedTime":"2022-02-25T17:45:08+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:37:20+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"Careers For Dummies Cheat Sheet","strippedTitle":"careers for dummies cheat sheet","slug":"careers-for-dummies-cheat-sheet","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"This handy guide offers practical advice for choosing a career, finding a job, and exceling as a beloved employee.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Choosing your career can be daunting, not to mention the training for it, landing a good job, and succeeding in your career. That’s darn hard and, okay, even overwhelming. This cheat sheet can make it easier.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_289135\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-289135 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_1704723019.jpg\" alt=\"Young man working in wood shop\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" /> © Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com[/caption]","description":"Choosing your career can be daunting, not to mention the training for it, landing a good job, and succeeding in your career. That’s darn hard and, okay, even overwhelming. This cheat sheet can make it easier.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_289135\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-289135 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/shutterstock_1704723019.jpg\" alt=\"Young man working in wood shop\" width=\"630\" height=\"420\" /> © Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com[/caption]","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":10187,"name":"Marty Nemko","slug":"marty-nemko","description":" <p><b>Marty Nemko, PhD,</b> has been career coach to 5,400 clients, enjoys a 96&#37; client&#45;satisfaction rate, and was named &#34;The Bay Area&#39;s Best Career Coach&#34; by the</b> <i>San Francisco Bay Guardian</i>. He has been interviewed in hundreds of major publications from the</b> <i>New York Times</i> to the<i>Los Angeles Times</i>, and has appeared on<i>The Today Show</i> and<i>The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</i>. He hosts<i>Work with Marty Nemko</i> on a National Public Radio station in San Francisco. His first job&#63; Piano player in a Bronx bar at age 13. His second&#63; Taxi driver. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10187"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":255814,"title":"How to Unearth Your Work Life’s Core Principles","slug":"how-to-unearth-your-work-lifes-core-principles","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255814"}},{"articleId":255808,"title":"10 Ultrafast Ways to Land a Job","slug":"10-ultrafast-ways-to-land-a-job","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255808"}},{"articleId":255083,"title":"Becoming a Beloved Employee","slug":"becoming-a-beloved-employee","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255083"}},{"articleId":255080,"title":"Getting Plucked: A New Way to Land a Good Job","slug":"getting-plucked-a-new-way-to-land-a-good-job","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255080"}},{"articleId":255077,"title":"Your Career Training","slug":"your-career-training","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255077"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273709,"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273709"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282058,"slug":"careers-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119482338","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/111948233X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/111948233X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/111948233X-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/111948233X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/111948233X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/careers-for-dummies-cover-9781119482338-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Careers For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"10187\">Marty Nemko, PhD,</b> has been career coach to 5,400 clients, enjoys a 96% client-satisfaction rate, and was named \"The Bay Area's Best Career Coach\" by the <i>San Francisco Bay Guardian</i>. He has been interviewed in hundreds of major publications from the <i>New York Times</i> to the<i>Los Angeles Times</i>, and has appeared on<i>The Today Show</i> and<i>The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</i>. He hosts<i>Work with Marty Nemko</i> on a National Public Radio station in San Francisco. His first job? Piano player in a Bronx bar at age 13. His second? Taxi driver. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":10187,"name":"Marty Nemko","slug":"marty-nemko","description":" <p><b>Marty Nemko, PhD,</b> has been career coach to 5,400 clients, enjoys a 96&#37; client&#45;satisfaction rate, and was named &#34;The Bay Area&#39;s Best Career Coach&#34; by the</b> <i>San Francisco Bay Guardian</i>. He has been interviewed in hundreds of major publications from the</b> <i>New York Times</i> to the<i>Los Angeles Times</i>, and has appeared on<i>The Today Show</i> and<i>The Daily Show with Jon Stewart</i>. He hosts<i>Work with Marty Nemko</i> on a National Public Radio station in San Francisco. His first job&#63; Piano player in a Bronx bar at age 13. His second&#63; Taxi driver. ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/10187"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119482338&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f703010d\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119482338&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f703087d\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Cheat Sheet","articleList":[{"articleId":255074,"title":"A Streamlined (But Good) Way to Choose a Career","slug":"a-streamlined-but-good-way-to-choose-a-career","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255074"}},{"articleId":255077,"title":"Your Career Training","slug":"your-career-training","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255077"}},{"articleId":255080,"title":"Getting Plucked: A New Way to Land a Good Job","slug":"getting-plucked-a-new-way-to-land-a-good-job","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255080"}},{"articleId":255083,"title":"Becoming a Beloved Employee","slug":"becoming-a-beloved-employee","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/255083"}}],"content":[{"title":"A streamlined (but good) way to choose a career","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>In finding a career, many people take career “tests,” struggle to get informational interviews, and even take career workshops. And despite all that, they end up far from sure they’ve made a wise choice of career. These steps can help you pick a career wisely:</p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>What career type are you?</strong><br />\nWhich one or two of these are you: a word person, people person, Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM) person, hands-on person, or entrepreneurial?</li>\n<li><strong>Scan the options.</strong><br />\nMost people consider only a small fraction of worthy careers. A fast way to broaden your options is to scan books that profile lots of careers. <em>Careers for Dummies</em> provides a <em>scoop</em> on 340 good careers plus self-employment ideas. Also, the federal government publishes the <em>Occupational Outlook Handbook</em>, which offers more detailed (if drier) introductions to 250 careers.</li>\n<li><strong>Embrace Google Search.</strong><br />\nBecause Google Search is free, it’s easy to underestimate its potency. But it’s a remarkable curator of incomprehensibly large amounts of information. So do use Google Search to find articles and video introductions to careers that pique your interest. Particularly look for those that focus on a day in the life. These articles and videos are often more valid than an informational interview or three because each article or video may distill the experiences of multiple people in the field.</li>\n<li><strong>Use a pros-and-cons list with a twist.</strong><br />\nMake pros-and-cons lists of two or three careers you’re now considering. Pick the one that feels best. How are you feeling about that? Now imagine that you picked the other career. Feeling better or worse?</li>\n<li><strong>Now pick.</strong><br />\nEven if your top-choice career doesn’t feel perfect, it’s usually wiser to start preparing for that career. Most people who end up happy in their career feel that way only after they’ve become competent at it and have tailored and accessorized it to fit their preferences and strengths. If you wait on the sidelines for the perfect career to hit you upside your head, you may be waiting a long time. It’s wiser to pick a career sooner than later and then tweak as you go.</li>\n</ol>\n"},{"title":"Your career training","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Most people can and do train for their career the traditional way: a college bachelor&#8217;s or graduate degree. But increasingly, people are getting some or even all of their training with a certificate program or individual courses ― in-person and online. These tips can help you get the most from them:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Curriculum matters.</strong> Curriculum is key to choosing a degree program that fits your career goal. For example, a psychology program could emphasize Freudian psychology or physiological psychology. A master&#8217;s in business administration (MBA) program could focus on entrepreneurship or on international business. Choosing a degree program with a curriculum that matches your career goal can make all the difference</li>\n<li><strong>Your advisor matters.</strong> In a degree program or even a certificate program, your advisor can be your mentor, help you choose the right courses and culminating project, and give you job leads and a reference that can open career doors. For each program you’re considering, check out the professors’ bios, which usually are on the institution’s website. Then, for one or two professors that are intriguing, phone or visit during office hours.</li>\n<li><strong>Choosing courses wisely.</strong> So many courses are available in-person and online. For example, prestigious universities offer courses that are open to anyone, often at low cost or even free. Thousands of such courses are aggregated on <a href=\"https://www.coursera.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Coursera.org</em></a> and <a href=\"https://www.edx.org/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>edX.org</em></a>. Additionally, many practical courses are offered through university extensions and on websites that aren’t affiliated with universities, such as <a href=\"https://www.udemy.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Udemy.com</a>, <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/learning/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn Learning</a> (formerly Lynda.com) and <a href=\"https://www.udacity.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Udacity.com</a>. It’s easier than ever to vet such courses because syllabi and student reviews are usually posted.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Getting plucked: A new way to land a good job","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Through the 1970s, most people landed their jobs by answering ads. Then, the dominant approach became networking: informational interviews, pitching friends, even cold-contacting target employers that were not advertising a job. But today, networking has a competitor: an online presence attractive enough that recruiters pluck you out and invite you to apply for jobs. Here are three keys to becoming <em>pluckable:</em></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>A compelling <a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn</a> profile. </strong>Your headline should contain keywords that recruiters search for, such as <em>fundraising infrastructure specialist</em>. Your employment history should also be rich with keywords. Make your photo head-and-shoulders, no shadows, yes smile. Have at least three stellar references. Everyone has good ones. See if you can get three great ones.</li>\n<li><strong>Impressive posts on groups. </strong>LinkedIn, Yahoo!, and perhaps your professional association probably have one or more forums on which you can post ideas, links to others’ articles or your own, and where you can answer group members’ questions. Recruiters often invite solid participants to apply to jobs.</li>\n<li><strong>Priming LinkedIn hirers.</strong> Many job seekers ask their LinkedIn connections for a job lead prematurely. That’s like asking someone to marry you before you know each other. When you’ve identified a recruiter or hiring manager whom you’d like to consider you for a possible job or refer you to someone, read their LinkedIn updates, make an intelligent and/or kind comment or question, and then write a personalized request to connect with them on LinkedIn. If accepted, write a personalized InMail or email that explains why you’d appreciate the opportunity to chat about a possible job or for some counsel.</li>\n</ul>\n"},{"title":"Becoming a beloved employee","thumb":null,"image":null,"content":"<p>Most people want to become an expert in their field and be appreciated for it, and for the human quality they bring to their work. Here are keys:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Make people feel good about themselves.</strong> Most people want to feel good about themselves and certainly not feel embarrassed or stupid. Of course, there are times when you&#8217;ll disagree with colleagues and maybe need to offer constructive criticism, but recognize that you pay a price with each negative statement. Err on the side of positivity: Give earned praise, ask for advice, and, at the risk of sounding like your parent, say thank you.</li>\n<li><strong>Get technical but be a good explainer. </strong>Ever more jobs require technical chops, but the beloved employee is able to explain the technical so clearly that even tech-averse people understand it. A mindset for doing that is to pretend you’re explaining it to a smart sixth-grader.</li>\n<li><strong>Take your work seriously but retain perspective. </strong>No one respects and few people like <em>slide-bys</em> ― people who do the least they can get away with. You needn’t work 12 hours a day but you might aim to be modestly more productive than your workplace’s average performer. Also, try to retain perspective — how important is that issue in the larger scheme of things? Hey, even Congress members discussing terrorism demonstrate concern but rarely fury.</li>\n</ul>\n"}],"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Two years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-10-26T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":255086},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2016-03-26T22:05:41+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-09-01T21:52:47+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:36:45+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"Tips for Making a Successful Career Change","strippedTitle":"tips for making a successful career change","slug":"tips-for-making-a-successful-career-change","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"If you've decided on a career change, give yourself plenty of time to plan ahead. Consider the following before making that jump.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Listen, we've all been there. Sometimes it feels as though your career path is simply not for you, not fulfilling or challenging you in all the right ways. You can try to work around these doubts but if you've already decided on a career change — whether by choice or necessity — give yourself plenty of time to plan ahead. Consider the following before making that jump.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_288047\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-288047 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/career-change.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"419\" /> @ Saulo Mohana / Unsplash.com[/caption]\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Connect with others in your intended field</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">When<i> </i>your change is voluntary, at least six months in advance of your leap, join a professional association of members in the career field or industry where you want to go. When your change is involuntary and you’re suddenly left high and dry, assemble a personal network of people who can guide you into your intended field. Find out who’s who and what’s happening with professionals who can connect you with employment. Ask what you should read and what workshops you should attend. Ask if you can visit a professional’s workplace as an observer.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Educate yourself</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Seek out short-term certificate programs and workshops offered during industry conferences, as well as those available locally. If you study online, get the scoop on the pluses and pitfalls of distance learning. Here's one valuable resource to get you started: <a href=\"http://www.geteducated.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GetEducated.com</a>.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Bone up on the industry</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Do some extensive research on your proposed destination. Those greener pastures sometimes bleach out when something about the work isn’t what one realistically expects or can do well. Also, learn to talk the talk. Study the lingo of prospective new colleagues and you’ll seem like one of them already.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Brace yourself for interview pitfalls</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">When you find yourself trapped in a behavior-based interview setting and you’re coming up short trying to answer a question about what you have done that’s relevant to the new career, answer quickly. And then reframe your response segueing from behavior-based interviewing (the past) to situational interviewing (the future), such as: \"That’s a good question. And here’s what I would do if we decide I’m the right person for this position. I would . . . .\"</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Make the experience connection</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">The bridge you use to join the old with the new must be rational and reasonable. Your qualifications have to come from somewhere — skills you already possess, volunteer work, part-time jobs, training, hobbies, and so forth. Strive to present a believable relationship between your qualifications and the career you’re targeting.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Accentuate the positive</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Don’t say you hope to change careers because there are no more jobs in your field. An exception might be when a condition is well known, such as real estate agents who got out during the recent downturn in home sales. Even then, add that you’d been thinking about making a change for a couple of years and have decided to redesign your life for a better fit with your priorities and goals.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Tell true stories</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Expect to be asked the same kinds of questions that new graduates often face, such as some version of “Why shouldn’t we hire someone more experienced in this line of work?” When you work out your answers, remember to tell your story — that is, back up your claims of superior qualities with true examples of achievement. Otherwise, what you claim will likely be blown off as hot air. You must be believable.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Inventory your core skills and knowledge</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Sort through to see which will crossover to a different industry or career field. Push them to the front of your memory where you can find and translate them as needed.</p>","description":"Listen, we've all been there. Sometimes it feels as though your career path is simply not for you, not fulfilling or challenging you in all the right ways. You can try to work around these doubts but if you've already decided on a career change — whether by choice or necessity — give yourself plenty of time to plan ahead. Consider the following before making that jump.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_288047\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]<img class=\"wp-image-288047 size-full\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/career-change.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"630\" height=\"419\" /> @ Saulo Mohana / Unsplash.com[/caption]\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Connect with others in your intended field</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">When<i> </i>your change is voluntary, at least six months in advance of your leap, join a professional association of members in the career field or industry where you want to go. When your change is involuntary and you’re suddenly left high and dry, assemble a personal network of people who can guide you into your intended field. Find out who’s who and what’s happening with professionals who can connect you with employment. Ask what you should read and what workshops you should attend. Ask if you can visit a professional’s workplace as an observer.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Educate yourself</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Seek out short-term certificate programs and workshops offered during industry conferences, as well as those available locally. If you study online, get the scoop on the pluses and pitfalls of distance learning. Here's one valuable resource to get you started: <a href=\"http://www.geteducated.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GetEducated.com</a>.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Bone up on the industry</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Do some extensive research on your proposed destination. Those greener pastures sometimes bleach out when something about the work isn’t what one realistically expects or can do well. Also, learn to talk the talk. Study the lingo of prospective new colleagues and you’ll seem like one of them already.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Brace yourself for interview pitfalls</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">When you find yourself trapped in a behavior-based interview setting and you’re coming up short trying to answer a question about what you have done that’s relevant to the new career, answer quickly. And then reframe your response segueing from behavior-based interviewing (the past) to situational interviewing (the future), such as: \"That’s a good question. And here’s what I would do if we decide I’m the right person for this position. I would . . . .\"</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Make the experience connection</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">The bridge you use to join the old with the new must be rational and reasonable. Your qualifications have to come from somewhere — skills you already possess, volunteer work, part-time jobs, training, hobbies, and so forth. Strive to present a believable relationship between your qualifications and the career you’re targeting.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Accentuate the positive</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Don’t say you hope to change careers because there are no more jobs in your field. An exception might be when a condition is well known, such as real estate agents who got out during the recent downturn in home sales. Even then, add that you’d been thinking about making a change for a couple of years and have decided to redesign your life for a better fit with your priorities and goals.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Tell true stories</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Expect to be asked the same kinds of questions that new graduates often face, such as some version of “Why shouldn’t we hire someone more experienced in this line of work?” When you work out your answers, remember to tell your story — that is, back up your claims of superior qualities with true examples of achievement. Otherwise, what you claim will likely be blown off as hot air. You must be believable.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 class=\"first-para\"><b>Inventory your core skills and knowledge</b></h2>\r\n<p class=\"first-para\">Sort through to see which will crossover to a different industry or career field. Push them to the front of your memory where you can find and translate them as needed.</p>","blurb":"","authors":[],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Connect with others in your intended field","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Educate yourself","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Bone up on the industry","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Brace yourself for interview pitfalls","target":"#tab4"},{"label":"Make the experience connection","target":"#tab5"},{"label":"Accentuate the positive","target":"#tab6"},{"label":"Tell true stories","target":"#tab7"},{"label":"Inventory your core skills and knowledge","target":"#tab8"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273709,"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273709"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":0,"slug":null,"isbn":null,"categoryList":null,"amazon":null,"image":null,"title":null,"testBankPinActivationLink":null,"bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":null,"authors":null,"_links":null},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f4d891ad\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[null]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f4d898d7\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":"Five years","lifeExpectancySetFrom":"2021-09-01T00:00:00+00:00","dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":196120},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2019-07-16T23:27:50+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-08-26T13:08:41+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:36:44+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"How to Build Customer and Client Relationships","strippedTitle":"how to build customer and client relationships","slug":"how-to-build-customer-and-client-relationships","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how the quality of service you deliver and the relationships you have with customers determines your business success, profitability, and longevity.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"After service and value, communication is where you truly build the customer relationship. Up until that customer service is fully rendered, a customer assumes that you are providing the service because you want to gain compensation. All the calls, texts, e-mails result in your service being delivered in exchange for funds. But after the exchange of service for funds, all service and value you deliver from that point onward shows that you care about your customers. That’s a powerful difference.\r\n\r\nBusinesses operate in a competitive environment, and that's true whether you are a professional, operate a restaurant, have a sales-based distribution business, manage a local dry cleaner, or own a large conglomerate. You have key competitors that are attempting to take your customers and clients away from you. To think, “Oh, that will never happen” is to be naive.\r\n\r\nThe quality of service you deliver and the depth of the relationship that you have with your customers will determine your success, profitability, and longevity in business.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">There are plenty of competitors that do an outstanding job in the moment that service is delivered to the customer. The key habit is to come up with after services — what you do after service is rendered. What do you do after customers have picked up their dry cleaning for the month? After they've bought hedge clippers at the hardware store? After they've bought a home from you and won’t buy for another one for five to ten more years?</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Solve problems and create value</h2>\r\nThe value of any product or service can be summed up in this equation:\r\n<blockquote>Value = Benefits – Cost</blockquote>\r\nWe as consumers feel like we received value from a service provider or business if the value exceeded the benefits we received, subtracted from the costs we paid.\r\n\r\nFor example, let's say you are having a wonderful meal at a restaurant. The food was delicious and ample in quantity. The waiter was prompt and attentive to your needs. The ambience was comfortable and enjoyable. Who you spent the evening with can also influence your perception of value. The received benefits of enjoyment, fun, well-being, satisfaction, wonderful tastes, and pleasant experiences are all there. If all those benefits you felt about the restaurant exceeded what you spent, you will likely be back and even tell your friends about what a good time and wonderful meal you had there. That’s the power of Value = Benefits – Cost.\r\n\r\nIn business, we deliver value to customers, but we also solve problems. The best products and services are designed to solve problems for people and other companies. Why do you go to the doctor? It’s to respond to a present health problem you are experiencing or to head off, through preventative medicine, a problem in the future. We might also learn how to enhance the quality and longevity of our life. Doctors ask a lot of questions because they want to solve problems for their patients. That’s a good model in business as well.\r\n\r\nAs a business owner or employee, you should be asking your best customers these questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What are the key challenges you are experiencing right now?</li>\r\n \t<li>How might we be of service to help you solve them?</li>\r\n \t<li>If we could improve our products or services for you, how could we do that?</li>\r\n \t<li>What are you not getting from us you wish you could?</li>\r\n \t<li>What other companies like ours are you receiving service from?</li>\r\n \t<li>What are you receiving from them?</li>\r\n \t<li>Why did you select them to receive _____?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThese types of questions give you insight into your customers and will help you improve service and solve more of their problems. This strategy of solving problems increases your value with each person, client, and company you do business with.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Under-promise and over-deliver</h2>\r\nWe have all heard this advice: “Do what you say you will do.” In the business world of today, I think that is expected at the bare minimum. And that bare minimum standard will not prevent your clients and customers from going to your competitors in the future.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">In business, we all need a way to “plus” our clients. A plussing strategy is a unique way that we can add value, which means under-promise and over-deliver.</p>\r\nDoubletree Hotels has a unique plussing strategy. When you check into a one of their hotels anywhere in the world, you receive a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. They have a warming drawer built into the front desk in every hotel. It’s their way to add value, make you feel welcome, and place you in a delightful chocolate-chip-sugar coma all at the same time. What’s your plussing strategy in your business?\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Connect in business integrity</h2>\r\nBusiness is about, first and foremost, trust — the trust between company and customer. Customers need to be able to trust that the company will perform as promised. Employees of the company must believe that the company will fulfill promises made by the company to the customer. What I'm talking about is essentially integrity among all parties in this relationship. People in leadership breed a culture and environment of trust. That foundation of trust creates a thriving business that benefits both customers and employees.\r\n\r\nEmployees have a key responsibility to their employer's of integrity. For example, significant productivity is often lost through employees being on their phone at work. Checking Facebook and Instagram accounts and answering texts outside of break time show a lack of integrity on the part of the employee. The arriving late, leaving early, or extending your lunch break is stealing from your employer. These habits are pervasive in the office environment of today.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">We need to put our phones down, leave them in our purse, desk drawer, or car. The businesses we work for will be significantly enhanced by this simple practice.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Establish long-term service relationships</h2>\r\nThe true value of a customer doesn't come from a one-time transactional sale. You want your business to become an indispensable part of their life so that you gain the honored and hallowed position of serving them for years, decades, or generations. I have some clients that I have been serving for close to 20 years. I consider it an honor to have established our relationship and helped them grow their business for almost two decades. Let me share a few tips to help:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Communicate frequently with value.</strong> Set up a video blog, e-mail newsletter, Facebook group, or some method to communicate regularly with your customers and clients. The communication should be valuable to them. If you are a doctor, focus on health, new medical discoveries, reminders of new immunizations available, eating and exercise tips, and so on.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Communicate personally by sending texts, making calls, or writing personal notes to key customers or clients.</strong> The <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/web-design-development/site-development/keep-online-business-communications-brief-for-best-impressions/\">mass communication of value through e-mail, social media, or blogs</a> is wonderful, but if you want to deepen personal relationships, it must be personal. All relationships are deepened through one-on-one connection. Most of us get busy and fail to make time. The habit of personal communication creates success, and it takes less time than you think. Set a reasonable standard so that you can establish the habit. Start with making one personal call per day, each workday, to a key client. Resolve to not leave for home until that’s completed. In a year, you will have 240 conversations with key clients. Can you think of a better way to establish long-term relationships with them?</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Recognize milestone moments.</strong> Milestone moments can recognize how long you've worked with a client or customer. Or you could commemorate personal events like weddings, anniversaries, births, promotions, or birthdays. When you recognize milestone moments, you deepen the customer relationship. Select one or two types of milestone moments that you will recognize in your best customers.</li>\r\n</ul>","description":"After service and value, communication is where you truly build the customer relationship. Up until that customer service is fully rendered, a customer assumes that you are providing the service because you want to gain compensation. All the calls, texts, e-mails result in your service being delivered in exchange for funds. But after the exchange of service for funds, all service and value you deliver from that point onward shows that you care about your customers. That’s a powerful difference.\r\n\r\nBusinesses operate in a competitive environment, and that's true whether you are a professional, operate a restaurant, have a sales-based distribution business, manage a local dry cleaner, or own a large conglomerate. You have key competitors that are attempting to take your customers and clients away from you. To think, “Oh, that will never happen” is to be naive.\r\n\r\nThe quality of service you deliver and the depth of the relationship that you have with your customers will determine your success, profitability, and longevity in business.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">There are plenty of competitors that do an outstanding job in the moment that service is delivered to the customer. The key habit is to come up with after services — what you do after service is rendered. What do you do after customers have picked up their dry cleaning for the month? After they've bought hedge clippers at the hardware store? After they've bought a home from you and won’t buy for another one for five to ten more years?</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" >Solve problems and create value</h2>\r\nThe value of any product or service can be summed up in this equation:\r\n<blockquote>Value = Benefits – Cost</blockquote>\r\nWe as consumers feel like we received value from a service provider or business if the value exceeded the benefits we received, subtracted from the costs we paid.\r\n\r\nFor example, let's say you are having a wonderful meal at a restaurant. The food was delicious and ample in quantity. The waiter was prompt and attentive to your needs. The ambience was comfortable and enjoyable. Who you spent the evening with can also influence your perception of value. The received benefits of enjoyment, fun, well-being, satisfaction, wonderful tastes, and pleasant experiences are all there. If all those benefits you felt about the restaurant exceeded what you spent, you will likely be back and even tell your friends about what a good time and wonderful meal you had there. That’s the power of Value = Benefits – Cost.\r\n\r\nIn business, we deliver value to customers, but we also solve problems. The best products and services are designed to solve problems for people and other companies. Why do you go to the doctor? It’s to respond to a present health problem you are experiencing or to head off, through preventative medicine, a problem in the future. We might also learn how to enhance the quality and longevity of our life. Doctors ask a lot of questions because they want to solve problems for their patients. That’s a good model in business as well.\r\n\r\nAs a business owner or employee, you should be asking your best customers these questions:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>What are the key challenges you are experiencing right now?</li>\r\n \t<li>How might we be of service to help you solve them?</li>\r\n \t<li>If we could improve our products or services for you, how could we do that?</li>\r\n \t<li>What are you not getting from us you wish you could?</li>\r\n \t<li>What other companies like ours are you receiving service from?</li>\r\n \t<li>What are you receiving from them?</li>\r\n \t<li>Why did you select them to receive _____?</li>\r\n</ul>\r\nThese types of questions give you insight into your customers and will help you improve service and solve more of their problems. This strategy of solving problems increases your value with each person, client, and company you do business with.\r\n<h2 id=\"tab2\" >Under-promise and over-deliver</h2>\r\nWe have all heard this advice: “Do what you say you will do.” In the business world of today, I think that is expected at the bare minimum. And that bare minimum standard will not prevent your clients and customers from going to your competitors in the future.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">In business, we all need a way to “plus” our clients. A plussing strategy is a unique way that we can add value, which means under-promise and over-deliver.</p>\r\nDoubletree Hotels has a unique plussing strategy. When you check into a one of their hotels anywhere in the world, you receive a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. They have a warming drawer built into the front desk in every hotel. It’s their way to add value, make you feel welcome, and place you in a delightful chocolate-chip-sugar coma all at the same time. What’s your plussing strategy in your business?\r\n<h2 id=\"tab3\" >Connect in business integrity</h2>\r\nBusiness is about, first and foremost, trust — the trust between company and customer. Customers need to be able to trust that the company will perform as promised. Employees of the company must believe that the company will fulfill promises made by the company to the customer. What I'm talking about is essentially integrity among all parties in this relationship. People in leadership breed a culture and environment of trust. That foundation of trust creates a thriving business that benefits both customers and employees.\r\n\r\nEmployees have a key responsibility to their employer's of integrity. For example, significant productivity is often lost through employees being on their phone at work. Checking Facebook and Instagram accounts and answering texts outside of break time show a lack of integrity on the part of the employee. The arriving late, leaving early, or extending your lunch break is stealing from your employer. These habits are pervasive in the office environment of today.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">We need to put our phones down, leave them in our purse, desk drawer, or car. The businesses we work for will be significantly enhanced by this simple practice.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab4\" >Establish long-term service relationships</h2>\r\nThe true value of a customer doesn't come from a one-time transactional sale. You want your business to become an indispensable part of their life so that you gain the honored and hallowed position of serving them for years, decades, or generations. I have some clients that I have been serving for close to 20 years. I consider it an honor to have established our relationship and helped them grow their business for almost two decades. Let me share a few tips to help:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>Communicate frequently with value.</strong> Set up a video blog, e-mail newsletter, Facebook group, or some method to communicate regularly with your customers and clients. The communication should be valuable to them. If you are a doctor, focus on health, new medical discoveries, reminders of new immunizations available, eating and exercise tips, and so on.</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Communicate personally by sending texts, making calls, or writing personal notes to key customers or clients.</strong> The <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/web-design-development/site-development/keep-online-business-communications-brief-for-best-impressions/\">mass communication of value through e-mail, social media, or blogs</a> is wonderful, but if you want to deepen personal relationships, it must be personal. All relationships are deepened through one-on-one connection. Most of us get busy and fail to make time. The habit of personal communication creates success, and it takes less time than you think. Set a reasonable standard so that you can establish the habit. Start with making one personal call per day, each workday, to a key client. Resolve to not leave for home until that’s completed. In a year, you will have 240 conversations with key clients. Can you think of a better way to establish long-term relationships with them?</li>\r\n \t<li><strong>Recognize milestone moments.</strong> Milestone moments can recognize how long you've worked with a client or customer. Or you could commemorate personal events like weddings, anniversaries, births, promotions, or birthdays. When you recognize milestone moments, you deepen the customer relationship. Select one or two types of milestone moments that you will recognize in your best customers.</li>\r\n</ul>","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":9228,"name":"Dirk Zeller","slug":"dirk-zeller","description":" <p><b>Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world&#39;s most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top&#45;selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p> ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9228"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Solve problems and create value","target":"#tab1"},{"label":"Under-promise and over-deliver","target":"#tab2"},{"label":"Connect in business integrity","target":"#tab3"},{"label":"Establish long-term service relationships","target":"#tab4"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":262830,"title":"How to Guarantee Your Retirement Success with a Wealth Plan","slug":"how-to-guarantee-your-retirement-success-with-a-wealth-plan","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262830"}},{"articleId":262825,"title":"The First Step Toward Financial Success: Define Your Wealth Number","slug":"the-first-step-toward-financial-success-define-your-wealth-number","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262825"}},{"articleId":262820,"title":"How to Set Your Top 50 Life Goals","slug":"how-to-set-your-top-50-life-goals","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262820"}},{"articleId":262814,"title":"Goal Setting: Categorize and Prioritize Your Life Goals","slug":"goal-setting-categorize-and-prioritize-your-life-goals","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262814"}},{"articleId":262806,"title":"How to Make Friends through Personal Connections","slug":"how-to-make-friends-through-personal-connections","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/262806"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273709,"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273709"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282617,"slug":"success-habits-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119508847","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119508843-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119508843/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/success-habits-for-dummies-cover-9781119508847-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Success Habits For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":false,"authorsInfo":"<p><b data-author-id=\"9228\">Dirk Zeller</b> is recognized internationally as one of the premier speakers and coaches on sales, success, time management, and peak performance. Dirk's proven systems and strategies take ordinary performers and transforms them into extraordinary performers. Zeller's strategies on wealth and success enable anyone to achieve financial independence in their life. </p>","authors":[{"authorId":9228,"name":"Dirk Zeller","slug":"dirk-zeller","description":" <p><b>Dirk Zeller</b> is one of the world&#39;s most published authors on success, time management, productivity, sales, and life balance. He is the author of ten top&#45;selling books, including Telephone Sales For Dummies and Success as a Real Estate Agent For Dummies.</p> ","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/9228"}}],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/books/"}},"collections":[],"articleAds":{"footerAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_adhesion_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119508847&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f4c27005\"></div></div>","rightAd":"<div class=\"du-ad-region row\" id=\"article_page_right_ad\"><div class=\"du-ad-unit col-md-12\" data-slot-id=\"article_page_right_ad\" data-refreshed=\"false\" \r\n data-target = \"[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;cat&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;business-careers-money&quot;,&quot;careers&quot;,&quot;general-careers&quot;]},{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;isbn&quot;,&quot;values&quot;:[&quot;9781119508847&quot;]}]\" id=\"du-slot-62b36f4c27766\"></div></div>"},"articleType":{"articleType":"Articles","articleList":null,"content":null,"videoInfo":{"videoId":null,"name":null,"accountId":null,"playerId":null,"thumbnailUrl":null,"description":null,"uploadDate":null}},"sponsorship":{"sponsorshipPage":false,"backgroundImage":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0},"brandingLine":"","brandingLink":"","brandingLogo":{"src":null,"width":0,"height":0}},"primaryLearningPath":"Advance","lifeExpectancy":null,"lifeExpectancySetFrom":null,"dummiesForKids":"no","sponsoredContent":"no","adInfo":"","adPairKey":[]},"status":"publish","visibility":"public","articleId":262811},{"headers":{"creationTime":"2020-10-02T20:08:14+00:00","modifiedTime":"2021-02-19T21:13:41+00:00","timestamp":"2022-06-22T19:36:08+00:00"},"data":{"breadcrumbs":[{"name":"Business, Careers, & Money","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34224"},"slug":"business-careers-money","categoryId":34224},{"name":"Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34256"},"slug":"careers","categoryId":34256},{"name":"General Careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"},"slug":"general-careers","categoryId":34272}],"title":"How to Create a New Zoom Account","strippedTitle":"how to create a new zoom account","slug":"how-to-create-a-new-zoom-account","canonicalUrl":"","seo":{"metaDescription":"Learn how to create an online Zoom account and install the Zoom desktop client to take advantage of the powerful features in Meetings & Chat.","noIndex":0,"noFollow":0},"content":"Like many apps and web-based services today, Zoom requires users to establish accounts online if they want to host meetings. If you're <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/working-from-home-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">working from home</a> as an independent contractor or freelancer, you need to create your online account.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Someone in your organization may have already created a Zoom account for you. That is, management may have already subscribed to one of Zoom’s premium plans and registered you. In this case, you don’t need to create a new account; you’ll just log in with your existing email address and password. If you’re not sure, just check with your employer’s IT department.</p>\r\nTo create a new Zoom account, follow these steps:\r\n\r\n<strong> 1. Go to the </strong><a href=\"http://www.zoom.us/\"><strong>Zoom web portal</strong></a><strong>.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 2. In the upper-right corner of the website, click the orange Sign Up, It’s Free button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">From here, Zoom provides you with three signup options via</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>An email address</li>\r\n \t<li>Google</li>\r\n \t<li>Facebook</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">If you select the second or third option, Zoom makes you authenticate your new account through that service. At a high level, you’re granting Zoom permission to access some of the data that you’ve provided to Facebook or Google.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tech\">Admittedly, this practice is quite common. For example, for years Spotify has allowed people to sign up for new accounts with Facebook. When they do, new users don’t need to provide Spotify with their names, dates of birth, email addresses, and the like. Facebook already stores this information about its users — and plenty more, depending on how much they share on the social network.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">If that thought terrifies you or you don’t use those popular services, simply select the first option and continue.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The following instructions assume that you’re signing up for Zoom with your email address, and not via Facebook or Google.</p>\r\n<strong> 3. Enter your email address and click the Sign-Up button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom informs you that an email confirmation is on its way.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273716\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273716\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-sign-up.jpg\" alt=\"The Zoom browser message.\" width=\"556\" height=\"257\" /> The Zoom browser message.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">To minimize spam and the impact of bad actors, Zoom blocks certain domains from registering new accounts. For example, Zoom rejected <em>[email protected]</em> because people often use that domain to create disposable email addresses.</p>\r\n<strong> 4. Check your inbox and open the Zoom authentication email.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The message resembles the following figure.</p>\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273715\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-authentication.jpg\" alt=\"Zoom account authentication\" width=\"556\" height=\"474\" />\r\n\r\nA Zoom email requesting account authentication. \r\n\r\n<strong> 5. Open the email and click the blue Activate Account button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom takes you to a new window or tab in your default web browser.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273714\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273714\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-account-complete.jpg\" alt=\"Completing your Zoom account.\" width=\"556\" height=\"248\" /> Completing your Zoom account.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 6. Complete your Zoom account by entering the required information.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom requires you to enter your first and last name. You’ll also need to create and confirm your password. When you click the password field, Zoom prompts you with guidelines about what your password can and cannot contain. For example, setting your password as <em>starwars</em> won’t fly. Try again, young Skywalker.</p>\r\n<strong> 7. Click the orange Continue button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Don’t Zoom Alone screen appears.</p>\r\n<strong> 8. (Optional) Invite your friends, family, and/or colleagues by entering their email addresses.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">You can skip this step by clicking the button in the lower-left corner of the page. Zoom ultimately directs you to a page that lists your personal Zoom web page or URL, such as the one shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273713\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273713\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-personal-meeting.jpg\" alt=\"Zoom personal meeting\" width=\"556\" height=\"271\" /> The Zoom page with a personal meeting URL.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 9. Check your inbox again.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom sends you an email confirming your account and listing the features of your current plan.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273711\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273711\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-confirmation.jpg\" alt=\"Zoom email confirmation\" width=\"556\" height=\"470\" /> A Zoom email confirming a new account.[/caption]\r\n\r\nCongratulations! Your Zoom account is now active.\r\n\r\nYou’re halfway home. To take advantage of the powerful features in Meetings & Chat, you’ll want to install the Zoom desktop client.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Just as with many services today, you can create Zoom different accounts with different email addresses. In fact, you may want to create a personal Zoom account independent of your work account to separate church and state.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" ><a name=\"_Toc42604264\"></a>Download and install the Zoom desktop client</h2>\r\nTo be sure, Zoom users and customers can participate in meetings no matter where they are as long as they can connect to the Internet. Again, Meetings & Chat runs on anything: smartphone, tablet, laptop, and desktop.\r\n\r\nStill, to take advantage of all of Zoom’s robust functionality, you’ll want to install the Zoom desktop client. Fortunately, if your computer runs macOS, Windows, or even Ubuntu/Linux, Zoom has you covered.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tech\">A <em>desktop client</em> is an application running on a desktop computer. Although purists will probably furrow their brows, the terms <em>desktop client</em> and <em>computer app</em> are used interchangeably. By the way, you can run that desktop client on your laptop.</p>\r\nTo install the Zoom desktop client on your computer, follow these steps:\r\n\r\n<strong> 1. In the </strong><a href=\"http://www.zoom.us/\"><strong>Zoom web portal</strong></a><strong>, hover over the word <em>Resources</em> in the upper-right corner.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">A drop-down list appears.</p>\r\n<strong> 2. Select Download Zoom Client from the drop-down list.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom takes you to its Download Center.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273710\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273710\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-download-center.jpg\" alt=\"The Zoom Download Center.\" width=\"556\" height=\"299\" /> The Zoom Download Center.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Click the Download button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Depending on your browser and how you’ve configured its settings, you may receive a warning that you’re about to download a file. If you do, proceed.</p>\r\n<strong> 4. Save this file to your computer.</strong>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">The specific location is generally a matter of personal preference, but it’s wise to follow these common conventions:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>For PC/Windows users: <em>C:\\Program Files</em></li>\r\n \t<li>For Mac users: <em>Hard-drive name\\Applications</em></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Remember where you save this file.</p>\r\n<strong> 5. When the download completes, locate the file.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The specific type of file hinges upon your computer’s operating system. As of this writing, here are the filenames and extensions:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>For PC/Windows users:</strong> An executable file with an .exe extension, named <em>exe</em></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>For Mac users:</strong> An installer package archive file with a .pkg extension, named <em>pkg</em>.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Remember where you saved this file. You’re going to need it for the next step.</p>\r\n<strong> 6. Double-click the file to launch Zoom’s installation wizard.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The exact steps that you follow depend upon your computer’s operating system. If you’ve ever installed a new program on your computer before, you’ll recognize the steps required.</p>\r\n<strong> 7. Complete the steps in the wizard.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you do, the Zoom desktop client is installed. You can easily host audioconferencing and videoconferencing calls with people on any device across the globe.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you want to access Zoom directly via your web browser of choice, you’re in luck. <a href=\"https://bit.ly/zoom-brows\">Download</a> and installthe extension for Chrome, Firefox, or another browser. Note, however, that using Zoom via a web browser means that you won’t be able to do everything that you can on the desktop client.</p>\r\n ","description":"Like many apps and web-based services today, Zoom requires users to establish accounts online if they want to host meetings. If you're <a href=\"https://www.dummies.com/business/working-from-home-for-dummies-cheat-sheet/\">working from home</a> as an independent contractor or freelancer, you need to create your online account.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Someone in your organization may have already created a Zoom account for you. That is, management may have already subscribed to one of Zoom’s premium plans and registered you. In this case, you don’t need to create a new account; you’ll just log in with your existing email address and password. If you’re not sure, just check with your employer’s IT department.</p>\r\nTo create a new Zoom account, follow these steps:\r\n\r\n<strong> 1. Go to the </strong><a href=\"http://www.zoom.us/\"><strong>Zoom web portal</strong></a><strong>.</strong>\r\n\r\n<strong> 2. In the upper-right corner of the website, click the orange Sign Up, It’s Free button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">From here, Zoom provides you with three signup options via</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>An email address</li>\r\n \t<li>Google</li>\r\n \t<li>Facebook</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">If you select the second or third option, Zoom makes you authenticate your new account through that service. At a high level, you’re granting Zoom permission to access some of the data that you’ve provided to Facebook or Google.</p>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tech\">Admittedly, this practice is quite common. For example, for years Spotify has allowed people to sign up for new accounts with Facebook. When they do, new users don’t need to provide Spotify with their names, dates of birth, email addresses, and the like. Facebook already stores this information about its users — and plenty more, depending on how much they share on the social network.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">If that thought terrifies you or you don’t use those popular services, simply select the first option and continue.</p>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The following instructions assume that you’re signing up for Zoom with your email address, and not via Facebook or Google.</p>\r\n<strong> 3. Enter your email address and click the Sign-Up button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom informs you that an email confirmation is on its way.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273716\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273716\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-sign-up.jpg\" alt=\"The Zoom browser message.\" width=\"556\" height=\"257\" /> The Zoom browser message.[/caption]\r\n<p class=\"article-tips warning\">To minimize spam and the impact of bad actors, Zoom blocks certain domains from registering new accounts. For example, Zoom rejected <em>[email protected]</em> because people often use that domain to create disposable email addresses.</p>\r\n<strong> 4. Check your inbox and open the Zoom authentication email.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The message resembles the following figure.</p>\r\n<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273715\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-authentication.jpg\" alt=\"Zoom account authentication\" width=\"556\" height=\"474\" />\r\n\r\nA Zoom email requesting account authentication. \r\n\r\n<strong> 5. Open the email and click the blue Activate Account button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom takes you to a new window or tab in your default web browser.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273714\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273714\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-account-complete.jpg\" alt=\"Completing your Zoom account.\" width=\"556\" height=\"248\" /> Completing your Zoom account.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 6. Complete your Zoom account by entering the required information.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom requires you to enter your first and last name. You’ll also need to create and confirm your password. When you click the password field, Zoom prompts you with guidelines about what your password can and cannot contain. For example, setting your password as <em>starwars</em> won’t fly. Try again, young Skywalker.</p>\r\n<strong> 7. Click the orange Continue button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The Don’t Zoom Alone screen appears.</p>\r\n<strong> 8. (Optional) Invite your friends, family, and/or colleagues by entering their email addresses.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">You can skip this step by clicking the button in the lower-left corner of the page. Zoom ultimately directs you to a page that lists your personal Zoom web page or URL, such as the one shown.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273713\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273713\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-personal-meeting.jpg\" alt=\"Zoom personal meeting\" width=\"556\" height=\"271\" /> The Zoom page with a personal meeting URL.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 9. Check your inbox again.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom sends you an email confirming your account and listing the features of your current plan.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273711\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273711\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-confirmation.jpg\" alt=\"Zoom email confirmation\" width=\"556\" height=\"470\" /> A Zoom email confirming a new account.[/caption]\r\n\r\nCongratulations! Your Zoom account is now active.\r\n\r\nYou’re halfway home. To take advantage of the powerful features in Meetings & Chat, you’ll want to install the Zoom desktop client.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips remember\">Just as with many services today, you can create Zoom different accounts with different email addresses. In fact, you may want to create a personal Zoom account independent of your work account to separate church and state.</p>\r\n\r\n<h2 id=\"tab1\" ><a name=\"_Toc42604264\"></a>Download and install the Zoom desktop client</h2>\r\nTo be sure, Zoom users and customers can participate in meetings no matter where they are as long as they can connect to the Internet. Again, Meetings & Chat runs on anything: smartphone, tablet, laptop, and desktop.\r\n\r\nStill, to take advantage of all of Zoom’s robust functionality, you’ll want to install the Zoom desktop client. Fortunately, if your computer runs macOS, Windows, or even Ubuntu/Linux, Zoom has you covered.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tech\">A <em>desktop client</em> is an application running on a desktop computer. Although purists will probably furrow their brows, the terms <em>desktop client</em> and <em>computer app</em> are used interchangeably. By the way, you can run that desktop client on your laptop.</p>\r\nTo install the Zoom desktop client on your computer, follow these steps:\r\n\r\n<strong> 1. In the </strong><a href=\"http://www.zoom.us/\"><strong>Zoom web portal</strong></a><strong>, hover over the word <em>Resources</em> in the upper-right corner.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">A drop-down list appears.</p>\r\n<strong> 2. Select Download Zoom Client from the drop-down list.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Zoom takes you to its Download Center.</p>\r\n\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_273710\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"556\"]<img class=\"size-full wp-image-273710\" src=\"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-home-zoom-download-center.jpg\" alt=\"The Zoom Download Center.\" width=\"556\" height=\"299\" /> The Zoom Download Center.[/caption]\r\n\r\n<strong> 3. Click the Download button.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Depending on your browser and how you’ve configured its settings, you may receive a warning that you’re about to download a file. If you do, proceed.</p>\r\n<strong> 4. Save this file to your computer.</strong>\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">The specific location is generally a matter of personal preference, but it’s wise to follow these common conventions:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>For PC/Windows users: <em>C:\\Program Files</em></li>\r\n \t<li>For Mac users: <em>Hard-drive name\\Applications</em></li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Remember where you save this file.</p>\r\n<strong> 5. When the download completes, locate the file.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The specific type of file hinges upon your computer’s operating system. As of this writing, here are the filenames and extensions:</p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li><strong>For PC/Windows users:</strong> An executable file with an .exe extension, named <em>exe</em></li>\r\n \t<li><strong>For Mac users:</strong> An installer package archive file with a .pkg extension, named <em>pkg</em>.</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n</li>\r\n</ul>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">Remember where you saved this file. You’re going to need it for the next step.</p>\r\n<strong> 6. Double-click the file to launch Zoom’s installation wizard.</strong>\r\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\">The exact steps that you follow depend upon your computer’s operating system. If you’ve ever installed a new program on your computer before, you’ll recognize the steps required.</p>\r\n<strong> 7. Complete the steps in the wizard.</strong>\r\n\r\nWhen you do, the Zoom desktop client is installed. You can easily host audioconferencing and videoconferencing calls with people on any device across the globe.\r\n<p class=\"article-tips tip\">If you want to access Zoom directly via your web browser of choice, you’re in luck. <a href=\"https://bit.ly/zoom-brows\">Download</a> and installthe extension for Chrome, Firefox, or another browser. Note, however, that using Zoom via a web browser means that you won’t be able to do everything that you can on the desktop client.</p>\r\n ","blurb":"","authors":[{"authorId":33363,"name":"Phil Simon","slug":"phil-simon","description":" <p><b>Phil Simon</b> is a frequent keynote speaker, dynamic trainer, recognized technology authority, and college professor-for-hire. He is the award-winning author of ten books, most recently <i>Slack For Dummies</i> and <i>Zoom For Dummies</i>. He consults organizations on matters related to communications, strategy, data, and technology. His contributions have appeared in <i>The Harvard Business Review</i>, <i>The New York Times</i>, and many other prominent media sites. He hosts the podcast Conversations About Collaboration.</p>","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/authors/33363"}}],"primaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":34272,"title":"General Careers","slug":"general-careers","_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/categories/34272"}},"secondaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"tertiaryCategoryTaxonomy":{"categoryId":0,"title":null,"slug":null,"_links":null},"trendingArticles":null,"inThisArticle":[{"label":"Download and install the Zoom desktop client","target":"#tab1"}],"relatedArticles":{"fromBook":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}},{"articleId":273682,"title":"Stretches You Can Do from a Desk","slug":"stretches-you-can-do-from-a-desk","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273682"}}],"fromCategory":[{"articleId":273721,"title":"How to Manage Virtual Teams","slug":"how-to-manage-virtual-teams","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273721"}},{"articleId":273704,"title":"Text-Only Communication in the Virtual Workplace","slug":"text-only-communication-in-the-virtual-workplace","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273704"}},{"articleId":273697,"title":"Working from Home: Setting Healthy Boundaries","slug":"working-from-home-setting-healthy-boundaries","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273697"}},{"articleId":273692,"title":"How to Build a Connection Culture When Working from Home","slug":"how-to-build-a-connection-culture-when-working-from-home","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273692"}},{"articleId":273682,"title":"Stretches You Can Do from a Desk","slug":"stretches-you-can-do-from-a-desk","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"_links":{"self":"https://dummies-api.dummies.com/v2/articles/273682"}}]},"hasRelatedBookFromSearch":false,"relatedBook":{"bookId":282677,"slug":"working-from-home-for-dummies","isbn":"9781119748496","categoryList":["business-careers-money","careers","general-careers"],"amazon":{"default":"https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1119748496/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","ca":"https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/1119748496/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","indigo_ca":"http://www.tkqlhce.com/click-9208661-13710633?url=https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/product/1119748496-item.html&cjsku=978111945484","gb":"https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1119748496/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20","de":"https://www.amazon.de/gp/product/1119748496/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=wiley01-20"},"image":{"src":"https://www.dummies.com/wp-content/uploads/working-from-home-for-dummies-cover-9781119748496-203x255.jpg","width":203,"height":255},"title":"Working From Home For Dummies","testBankPinActivationLink":"","bookOutOfPrint":true,"authorsInfo":"<p><p>A 20&#45;year talent development professional,<b><b data-author-id=\"11352\">Tara Powers</b></b> is an international best&#45;selling author, award&#45;winning leadership expert, and sought&#45;after keynote speaker. 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General Careers Articles

Are you looking for ways to improve your time management? How about ways to build a wall between your work life and home life? Our actionable advice will help you do just that.

Articles From General Careers

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General Careers Working From Home For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-08-2022

The secret is out: Working from home can be a sustainable, successful option for professionals in today’s global economy. As you jump into working from home, be sure to follow a few pieces of important advice, as well as some virtual meeting etiquette.

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General Careers Productivity For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-07-2022

Wouldn’t it be nice to boost your productivity and performance at work without having to put in extra hours or break your back in the meantime? Being effective at what you do takes a little bit of planning, some basic tools, and a lot of positivity.

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General Careers Success Habits For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-25-2022

Whether you want to know how to succeed in life or how to succeed in business, you need to create habits for success. Success, or excellence, is always created by establishing positive, repetitive habits. Unfortunately, almost anything we do repeatedly can lose its luster, passion, and energy. Without doing something repeatedly, you won’t establish it as a habit. When you focus on repeating the actions that lead to success, you create habits. So, repeating and success are like peas and carrots: They go together.

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General Careers Personal Branding for Women: Highlighting Strengths

Article / Updated 03-07-2022

Women want to be given the same opportunities to succeed as men, but often they want to succeed in a different way. The generalization goes that women (more than men) tend to embrace the desire to want to live more authentically, and that translates into being more of who they are in the workplace. Be your authentic self Personal branding is about living your authentic self and building on natural talents and strengths. In general, some of the following characteristics may be more true for women as a group than for their male counterparts: Collaborators Connectors Socially oriented Focused on community Natural multitaskers Awareness of visual identity Strong verbal communicators Empathetic and intuitive Engaged in stories Builders of deeper relationships When a woman works on her personal brand, she needs to let go of the fear that these characteristics are bad things in the workplace (especially if she’s in a male-dominated work environment). Often, male coworkers don’t see these qualities as intellectual or as worthwhile as the characteristics of individuality, facts, and logic. These are the complex subtleties that women face every day in the workplace. As you refine your brand, you continually need to be true to yourself and to know how to play the game in your particular workplace. In rapidly changing work environments, the rules aren’t as clear for women about how to be who you are, what you should wear, and what qualities are acceptable. Building a female personal brand means focusing on your best self within the variables that you can control and not being afraid to be seen for your uniqueness. Be confident in what you know The story goes that there was a dinner with a group of partners in a professional services firm. The event was equally comprised of men and women. One of the men at the table was a senior leader in the firm. There was a lot of talking, laughing, and sharing of stories. One of the women was telling a work story when the male senior leader said, “Do you know what is wrong with women?” The table gasped and all turned to him. He continued with, “You are at least as smart as the men in the workplace, and probably smarter, but you wait until you know how to do something at least 80 percent before you say, ‘I can do that.’ Most men will say we can do something when we know it 25 percent. We are confident enough to know we will figure it out. If you want to get ahead in business, have the confidence to say that you know how to do something much sooner.”

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General Careers Successful Time Management For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 03-03-2022

Making the most of your time at work means learning to make productive decisions quickly and asking effective time-saving questions at meetings. Save time on the road by keeping a list of your important travel details with you so you can get to them easily. Before you call it a day at work, take a few steps to prepare for tomorrow so you can start your day off on the right foot.

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General Careers Personal Branding For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Personal branding is a marketing strategy focused on your most important product: you. Developing a personal brand requires figuring out who you really are (your skills, values, passions, and personality), who you want to serve (your target market or audience), and how you differ from the competition (your unique niche). A successful brand creates a consistent, targeted impression that helps you achieve your personal and professional goals. It also allows you to live authentically because a great brand is always honest; you can’t fake your way into a successful brand.

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General Careers Careers For Dummies Cheat Sheet

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-25-2022

Choosing your career can be daunting, not to mention the training for it, landing a good job, and succeeding in your career. That’s darn hard and, okay, even overwhelming. This cheat sheet can make it easier.

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General Careers Tips for Making a Successful Career Change

Article / Updated 09-01-2021

Listen, we've all been there. Sometimes it feels as though your career path is simply not for you, not fulfilling or challenging you in all the right ways. You can try to work around these doubts but if you've already decided on a career change — whether by choice or necessity — give yourself plenty of time to plan ahead. Consider the following before making that jump. Connect with others in your intended field When your change is voluntary, at least six months in advance of your leap, join a professional association of members in the career field or industry where you want to go. When your change is involuntary and you’re suddenly left high and dry, assemble a personal network of people who can guide you into your intended field. Find out who’s who and what’s happening with professionals who can connect you with employment. Ask what you should read and what workshops you should attend. Ask if you can visit a professional’s workplace as an observer. Educate yourself Seek out short-term certificate programs and workshops offered during industry conferences, as well as those available locally. If you study online, get the scoop on the pluses and pitfalls of distance learning. Here's one valuable resource to get you started: GetEducated.com. Bone up on the industry Do some extensive research on your proposed destination. Those greener pastures sometimes bleach out when something about the work isn’t what one realistically expects or can do well. Also, learn to talk the talk. Study the lingo of prospective new colleagues and you’ll seem like one of them already. Brace yourself for interview pitfalls When you find yourself trapped in a behavior-based interview setting and you’re coming up short trying to answer a question about what you have done that’s relevant to the new career, answer quickly. And then reframe your response segueing from behavior-based interviewing (the past) to situational interviewing (the future), such as: "That’s a good question. And here’s what I would do if we decide I’m the right person for this position. I would . . . ." Make the experience connection The bridge you use to join the old with the new must be rational and reasonable. Your qualifications have to come from somewhere — skills you already possess, volunteer work, part-time jobs, training, hobbies, and so forth. Strive to present a believable relationship between your qualifications and the career you’re targeting. Accentuate the positive Don’t say you hope to change careers because there are no more jobs in your field. An exception might be when a condition is well known, such as real estate agents who got out during the recent downturn in home sales. Even then, add that you’d been thinking about making a change for a couple of years and have decided to redesign your life for a better fit with your priorities and goals. Tell true stories Expect to be asked the same kinds of questions that new graduates often face, such as some version of “Why shouldn’t we hire someone more experienced in this line of work?” When you work out your answers, remember to tell your story — that is, back up your claims of superior qualities with true examples of achievement. Otherwise, what you claim will likely be blown off as hot air. You must be believable. Inventory your core skills and knowledge Sort through to see which will crossover to a different industry or career field. Push them to the front of your memory where you can find and translate them as needed.

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General Careers How to Build Customer and Client Relationships

Article / Updated 08-26-2021

After service and value, communication is where you truly build the customer relationship. Up until that customer service is fully rendered, a customer assumes that you are providing the service because you want to gain compensation. All the calls, texts, e-mails result in your service being delivered in exchange for funds. But after the exchange of service for funds, all service and value you deliver from that point onward shows that you care about your customers. That’s a powerful difference. Businesses operate in a competitive environment, and that's true whether you are a professional, operate a restaurant, have a sales-based distribution business, manage a local dry cleaner, or own a large conglomerate. You have key competitors that are attempting to take your customers and clients away from you. To think, “Oh, that will never happen” is to be naive. The quality of service you deliver and the depth of the relationship that you have with your customers will determine your success, profitability, and longevity in business. There are plenty of competitors that do an outstanding job in the moment that service is delivered to the customer. The key habit is to come up with after services — what you do after service is rendered. What do you do after customers have picked up their dry cleaning for the month? After they've bought hedge clippers at the hardware store? After they've bought a home from you and won’t buy for another one for five to ten more years? Solve problems and create value The value of any product or service can be summed up in this equation: Value = Benefits – Cost We as consumers feel like we received value from a service provider or business if the value exceeded the benefits we received, subtracted from the costs we paid. For example, let's say you are having a wonderful meal at a restaurant. The food was delicious and ample in quantity. The waiter was prompt and attentive to your needs. The ambience was comfortable and enjoyable. Who you spent the evening with can also influence your perception of value. The received benefits of enjoyment, fun, well-being, satisfaction, wonderful tastes, and pleasant experiences are all there. If all those benefits you felt about the restaurant exceeded what you spent, you will likely be back and even tell your friends about what a good time and wonderful meal you had there. That’s the power of Value = Benefits – Cost. In business, we deliver value to customers, but we also solve problems. The best products and services are designed to solve problems for people and other companies. Why do you go to the doctor? It’s to respond to a present health problem you are experiencing or to head off, through preventative medicine, a problem in the future. We might also learn how to enhance the quality and longevity of our life. Doctors ask a lot of questions because they want to solve problems for their patients. That’s a good model in business as well. As a business owner or employee, you should be asking your best customers these questions: What are the key challenges you are experiencing right now? How might we be of service to help you solve them? If we could improve our products or services for you, how could we do that? What are you not getting from us you wish you could? What other companies like ours are you receiving service from? What are you receiving from them? Why did you select them to receive _____? These types of questions give you insight into your customers and will help you improve service and solve more of their problems. This strategy of solving problems increases your value with each person, client, and company you do business with. Under-promise and over-deliver We have all heard this advice: “Do what you say you will do.” In the business world of today, I think that is expected at the bare minimum. And that bare minimum standard will not prevent your clients and customers from going to your competitors in the future. In business, we all need a way to “plus” our clients. A plussing strategy is a unique way that we can add value, which means under-promise and over-deliver. Doubletree Hotels has a unique plussing strategy. When you check into a one of their hotels anywhere in the world, you receive a warm, freshly baked chocolate chip cookie. They have a warming drawer built into the front desk in every hotel. It’s their way to add value, make you feel welcome, and place you in a delightful chocolate-chip-sugar coma all at the same time. What’s your plussing strategy in your business? Connect in business integrity Business is about, first and foremost, trust — the trust between company and customer. Customers need to be able to trust that the company will perform as promised. Employees of the company must believe that the company will fulfill promises made by the company to the customer. What I'm talking about is essentially integrity among all parties in this relationship. People in leadership breed a culture and environment of trust. That foundation of trust creates a thriving business that benefits both customers and employees. Employees have a key responsibility to their employer's of integrity. For example, significant productivity is often lost through employees being on their phone at work. Checking Facebook and Instagram accounts and answering texts outside of break time show a lack of integrity on the part of the employee. The arriving late, leaving early, or extending your lunch break is stealing from your employer. These habits are pervasive in the office environment of today. We need to put our phones down, leave them in our purse, desk drawer, or car. The businesses we work for will be significantly enhanced by this simple practice. Establish long-term service relationships The true value of a customer doesn't come from a one-time transactional sale. You want your business to become an indispensable part of their life so that you gain the honored and hallowed position of serving them for years, decades, or generations. I have some clients that I have been serving for close to 20 years. I consider it an honor to have established our relationship and helped them grow their business for almost two decades. Let me share a few tips to help: Communicate frequently with value. Set up a video blog, e-mail newsletter, Facebook group, or some method to communicate regularly with your customers and clients. The communication should be valuable to them. If you are a doctor, focus on health, new medical discoveries, reminders of new immunizations available, eating and exercise tips, and so on. Communicate personally by sending texts, making calls, or writing personal notes to key customers or clients. The mass communication of value through e-mail, social media, or blogs is wonderful, but if you want to deepen personal relationships, it must be personal. All relationships are deepened through one-on-one connection. Most of us get busy and fail to make time. The habit of personal communication creates success, and it takes less time than you think. Set a reasonable standard so that you can establish the habit. Start with making one personal call per day, each workday, to a key client. Resolve to not leave for home until that’s completed. In a year, you will have 240 conversations with key clients. Can you think of a better way to establish long-term relationships with them? Recognize milestone moments. Milestone moments can recognize how long you've worked with a client or customer. Or you could commemorate personal events like weddings, anniversaries, births, promotions, or birthdays. When you recognize milestone moments, you deepen the customer relationship. Select one or two types of milestone moments that you will recognize in your best customers.

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General Careers How to Create a New Zoom Account

Article / Updated 02-19-2021

Like many apps and web-based services today, Zoom requires users to establish accounts online if they want to host meetings. If you're working from home as an independent contractor or freelancer, you need to create your online account. Someone in your organization may have already created a Zoom account for you. That is, management may have already subscribed to one of Zoom’s premium plans and registered you. In this case, you don’t need to create a new account; you’ll just log in with your existing email address and password. If you’re not sure, just check with your employer’s IT department. To create a new Zoom account, follow these steps: 1. Go to the Zoom web portal. 2. In the upper-right corner of the website, click the orange Sign Up, It’s Free button. From here, Zoom provides you with three signup options via An email address Google Facebook If you select the second or third option, Zoom makes you authenticate your new account through that service. At a high level, you’re granting Zoom permission to access some of the data that you’ve provided to Facebook or Google. Admittedly, this practice is quite common. For example, for years Spotify has allowed people to sign up for new accounts with Facebook. When they do, new users don’t need to provide Spotify with their names, dates of birth, email addresses, and the like. Facebook already stores this information about its users — and plenty more, depending on how much they share on the social network. If that thought terrifies you or you don’t use those popular services, simply select the first option and continue. The following instructions assume that you’re signing up for Zoom with your email address, and not via Facebook or Google. 3. Enter your email address and click the Sign-Up button. Zoom informs you that an email confirmation is on its way. To minimize spam and the impact of bad actors, Zoom blocks certain domains from registering new accounts. For example, Zoom rejected [email protected] because people often use that domain to create disposable email addresses. 4. Check your inbox and open the Zoom authentication email. The message resembles the following figure. A Zoom email requesting account authentication. 5. Open the email and click the blue Activate Account button. Zoom takes you to a new window or tab in your default web browser. 6. Complete your Zoom account by entering the required information. Zoom requires you to enter your first and last name. You’ll also need to create and confirm your password. When you click the password field, Zoom prompts you with guidelines about what your password can and cannot contain. For example, setting your password as starwars won’t fly. Try again, young Skywalker. 7. Click the orange Continue button. The Don’t Zoom Alone screen appears. 8. (Optional) Invite your friends, family, and/or colleagues by entering their email addresses. You can skip this step by clicking the button in the lower-left corner of the page. Zoom ultimately directs you to a page that lists your personal Zoom web page or URL, such as the one shown. 9. Check your inbox again. Zoom sends you an email confirming your account and listing the features of your current plan. Congratulations! Your Zoom account is now active. You’re halfway home. To take advantage of the powerful features in Meetings & Chat, you’ll want to install the Zoom desktop client. Just as with many services today, you can create Zoom different accounts with different email addresses. In fact, you may want to create a personal Zoom account independent of your work account to separate church and state. Download and install the Zoom desktop client To be sure, Zoom users and customers can participate in meetings no matter where they are as long as they can connect to the Internet. Again, Meetings & Chat runs on anything: smartphone, tablet, laptop, and desktop. Still, to take advantage of all of Zoom’s robust functionality, you’ll want to install the Zoom desktop client. Fortunately, if your computer runs macOS, Windows, or even Ubuntu/Linux, Zoom has you covered. A desktop client is an application running on a desktop computer. Although purists will probably furrow their brows, the terms desktop client and computer app are used interchangeably. By the way, you can run that desktop client on your laptop. To install the Zoom desktop client on your computer, follow these steps: 1. In the Zoom web portal, hover over the word Resources in the upper-right corner. A drop-down list appears. 2. Select Download Zoom Client from the drop-down list. Zoom takes you to its Download Center. 3. Click the Download button. Depending on your browser and how you’ve configured its settings, you may receive a warning that you’re about to download a file. If you do, proceed. 4. Save this file to your computer. The specific location is generally a matter of personal preference, but it’s wise to follow these common conventions: For PC/Windows users: C:\Program Files For Mac users: Hard-drive name\Applications Remember where you save this file. 5. When the download completes, locate the file. The specific type of file hinges upon your computer’s operating system. As of this writing, here are the filenames and extensions: For PC/Windows users: An executable file with an .exe extension, named exe For Mac users: An installer package archive file with a .pkg extension, named pkg. Remember where you saved this file. You’re going to need it for the next step. 6. Double-click the file to launch Zoom’s installation wizard. The exact steps that you follow depend upon your computer’s operating system. If you’ve ever installed a new program on your computer before, you’ll recognize the steps required. 7. Complete the steps in the wizard. When you do, the Zoom desktop client is installed. You can easily host audioconferencing and videoconferencing calls with people on any device across the globe. If you want to access Zoom directly via your web browser of choice, you’re in luck. Download and installthe extension for Chrome, Firefox, or another browser. Note, however, that using Zoom via a web browser means that you won’t be able to do everything that you can on the desktop client.

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