Michael S. Robinson's Blog, page 7
March 11, 2013
Join me…
…at my book-signing event on Thursday, March 14, at Barnes and Noble.
Filed under: Events, Media, Michael S Robinson, New York State, NY, small business, Videos
March 7, 2013
In the window at Barnes and Noble!
This is so exciting! Barnes and Noble is already promoting our March 14 book-signing event at 555 5th Avenue. We hope to see you there!
Filed under: News & Articles
March 6, 2013
February 27, 2013
Be a Job-Hunting Champion
Job hunting is a sport that few enjoy playing, but you can’t win when you’re sitting on the sidelines – you need to have skin in the game. Here are a few tips from my playbook to help you:
Be aggressive, but polished. Competition is stiff, and corporate hiring managers use high-tech sourcing tools that make it difficult for the faint-at-heart job-seeker with a weak resume to do battle with the proverbial “circular file.”
Stay competitive. Hone your skill-sets, and always keep expanding on your knowledge. Be fresh and imaginative.
Remember showmanship. Brush up your presentation skills, so that both your application and your interview shine. A concise, well-crafted cover letter is a gem.
Get your brand out there. Get noticed by creating a nifty blog.
Learn about the teams before tryouts. Do research of companies and businesses to learn what they are about and how your qualifications might be desirable to the hiring manager.
Review the game tapes. Evaluate your resume by using a service like Smarterer.
You can’t win your dream job unless you’re willing to compete, so get out there and play!
Special thanks to guest-blogger Cecilia Good.
Filed under: News & Articles
February 20, 2013
Reinventing Diversity is a Good Thing
There are over seven billion people on this planet right now, with the population expected to keep increasing. Each of those people has his own history, her own perspective.
Not one of them is exactly like you.
It is easy, even good, to think, “I like this. I am comfortable with that.” But you know your “this” and “that” aren’t everyone’s.
None of this is news. We’ve been taught this since childhood.
But look around your office. If everyone has similar opinions, no one is thinking differently. If everyone has the same background, you might be missing the perspective of potential clients.
I’m not just talking about race, although this Black History Month we should definitely celebrate that type of diversity in our workplaces. Everything from hometowns to hobbies makes us unique, and informs our opinions, values, and budgets. Where I spend the dollar in my pocket, where you spend yours, and where an unknown customer spends hers are likely to be different places – and that’s good.
But if you spend all day, every day surround by people who are a lot like you, you’re not very likely going to know about those different places, or the people spending their dollars there.
And the more varied perspectives you have in the room, the more innovative ideas you can develop. The person across the table who is nothing like you is probably coming up with ideas that are nothing like yours, and between the two of you, you can devise something the world has never seen.
And that’s just with two. Multiply that by the number of people in your workplace, and let the ideas fly!
Special thanks to guest-blogger Laura Grow-Nyberg.
Filed under: job creation, Michael S Robinson, minority-owned business, small business, women-owned business
Not landing that job?
Stay positive, stay likable, stay in touch, and watch our round-table discussion:
Filed under: Economy, Follow up, Job Interview, Job Market, Job Search, Michael S Robinson, Post Interview
February 19, 2013
ABC Interview
Michael S. Robinson was interviewed on Feb. 17, 2013 by Sandra Bookman of ABC’s Here on Now about his book, One Hundred Pennies.
Filed under: Economy, News & Articles, small business, Videos
February 14, 2013
8 Tips for Interviewing
You’ve landed the job interview and you’re so excited. You’ve taken out your appropriate interview attire, and have even done a few mock interviews in front of the mirror. The day has arrived and you’re sitting nervously in the waiting room awaiting the hiring manager. Now what?
Here are 8 quick tips to remember:
Brand yourself apart from other candidates
Show warmth and humor, and let your personality shine
Positive thoughts plus enthusiasm is an attractive combination
Be interested and interesting
Give examples to strengthen your point
Do not speak negatively of your previous employer
Ask for the job
Eye contact, good posture, firm handshake
Be a superstar and land that job!
Filed under: News & Articles
February 13, 2013
Are You Ready for the Next Metaphorical Storm?
I consider myself to be an insightful planner with the best strategies in place for any unexpected circumstances, but most recently, Superstorm Sandy proved me wrong. For example, our internal server is backed up to a secondary server in Connecticut, at a second facility designed provide the utmost protection. Both servers can be accessed from anywhere, depending on security level and user interface ID.
However, the storm arrived, and both servers were inoperable for six days.
In addition, communication among staff members was difficult for several days, as some people had no access to electricity, phones, or other communication devices.
It is crucial to be prepared for the next blizzard, hurricane, or fire. But it is just as important for your business to be prepared for economic downturns, political shakeups, and other, more metaphorical storms. This is what I’ve learned from my past experiences, and will share with you:
6 tips to protect your business through times of crisis:
1) Have a backup to your backup plan: Have a secondary site in place in the event of an emergency, but considering a third contingency in a geographically different location, as well, in the event that the first and second are inaccessible. A backup of your files to an offsite location is a neat idea, but how about a third intangible backup to an iCloud or similar storage facility? Plan B is extremely important, but never forget to have a Plan C, because it will keep your business moving, despite local disruptions.
2) Be flexible: After a storm, which trees are still standing? The ones that can bend in the wind and rain. Likewise, you need to be nimble. Smartphones and tablets are everywhere today, and with a little foresight, you’ll be able to use yours to work from home, the bus, the plane, or anywhere you can access the information cloud. We no longer need to be tied to our desks to get work done, so not being able to get to our desks – or losing our desks entirely – is no reason to bring business to a standstill. Plan C is a good contingency plan for businesses that are product-driven. Remember: keeping all of your eggs in one basket might not be the best business strategy.
3) Develop creative solutions: What “everyone knows” only goes so far in times of crisis. For example, how will your clients and employees know what to do when disaster strikes? Inform your clients, employees, and suppliers of your operating strategy in the event that tragedy strikes. Another option is to implement contingency voicemails and emails today so that, should something happen, you’ll be able to inform those who need it most with just a few keystrokes, or the push of a button.
4) Protect your investments: You need to have insurance on both your property and your goods. These things should be protected physically as well, of course, but should the physical protection fail, you’ll need to recoup, not lose, as many of your assets as possible.
5) Communicate effectively among your team: Everyone should be able to contact everyone else in case of an emergency, from the mailroom to IT to reception to the CEO. Creative uses of smartphone technology, like those discussed above, are perfect for this, but so is the old-fashioned phone tree. So, accessibility to an updated company-wide directory with email addresses and phone numbers should be number one on your list.
6) “Fire drill” your staff: Thanks to regular fire drills, your employees likely know what to do in the case of smoke or flames. But do they know what to do in the case of earthquakes, hackers, superstorms, or God knows what? Once your backup plans and communication chains are in place, be sure that your staff knows the contingency plans, so that in the event of an emergency, everyone will be on the same page. And your plans should be implemented like a fire drill, on a regular basis. It could save lives, protect your business, and keep your running with little downtime.
The key to disaster preparedness is to communicate, communicate, and communicate!!!
Filed under: News & Articles
February 1, 2013
In Memory of Mayor Edward I. Koch
I met former Mayor Koch several years ago at a fundraiser for Dan Donovan, Staten Island’s DA, who recently ran for the office of New York State Attorney General. One of the things that instantly surprised me about Mayor Koch was his willingness to be open regarding his convictions, and to cross party lines in support of a candidate whom he felt would be a credit to the people, which in my opinion is the hallmark of a true statesman.
We’ve had several chats since then, but I will always remember his mischievous smile, keen sense of humor and his tenacity to live a really big life, never being afraid to speak his mind, but always with respect and dignity. His presence among us will be missed.
Filed under: Michael S Robinson, News, News & Articles, NY
