Increase Your Career Confidence

An article was published on July 4, 2011 by Ray Williams in Wired for Success titled: "Is Loyalty Dead?" summarizing that employer and employee loyalty was a thing of the past. This is a growing trend and a concern. It's more important than ever to increase your own personal career confidence so the loyalty scare doesn't keep you up at night.


In the world of marketing, loyalty is everything and satisfaction is meaningless. In the world of employee and employer relations, loyalty is becoming a thing of the past. Key players in organizations are leaving, or the organization is leaving them (the dreaded F word - fired). In truth, if you are looking for someone to make a mistake, they will. Whether the employer or the employee is the cause, the relationship is broken and both parties are left to pick up the pieces.

The employer will find someone to fill the position, the employee will find another job, and the cycle continues. The emotional void is hardest til fill. The employer has others to worry about, the employees co-workers are likely left wondering what went wrong, or they are concerned that they may be next or that they should also start looking. They may also question the solvency of the organization. For the employee, the relationship with the next employer is automatically strained because of the baggage brought to the table. These statements are both true, regardless of who made the decision to break the relationship.

A business relationship is similar in many ways to a dating relationship. There may be comments about the ex, concerns about future compatibility, and the urge to compare the new to the old and the old to the new. The key to overcoming these obstacles is confidence. Confidence is defined as the state of feeling certain about the truth of something. The confidence factor is important for all parties (previous employer, previous employee, current employer, current employee).

The previous employer needs to feel certain that they made the right decision for the right reasons. They cannot go back and change what happened, so second guessing themselves is a waste of time and energy. Similarly, the previous employee needs to feel certain that the decision was made with the best intention of the organization and they need to feel certain their skills and abilities will land them in a better position. The current employer needs to feel certain that their new employee is a good fit for their organization and they have to recognize that no two businesses are the same. They cannot blame the new employee for things that went wrong with their previous post. If they have any doubts, they should be left behind once the hiring decision has been made. There is the current employee who also needs to be confident. They cannot feel that they are a replacement for the previous person. They are not a stand in or a second runner up. They are simply, the best person for the position - no holes barred. The current employee needs to feel certain that they have the right skills and abilities to achieve the organizations expectations. They cannot question the decisions that were made in the past.

Some synonyms for confident are: brave, bold, sure, trusting, fearless, and positive. These are qualities that are sought after in today's job market. An job seeker is looking for a positive and trusting work environment. Employers are looking to hire brave and fearless leaders. All things equal, regardless of employer or employee loyalty, confidence will win out in the end. Increasing your career confidence will get you through the tough spots that are bound to arise in your career. Stop worrying about loyalty and concentrate on something you can control - your confidence!

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Thank You Cards - Creating Customer Loyalty

By Crystal J Casavant

We learned early on (likely before we could tie our shoes) that it is important to say thank you, and hopefully we have taken this basic courtesy into adulthood with us. If we have children, we likely taught them at a very young age to be gracious, humble, and appreciative. Most of us would say we do a great job showing appreciation and thanking people, right? We say thank you when someone holds the door for us, loads our groceries in the shopping cart, brings us our bill at a restaurant, etc... but I ask you, what happened to the thank you card (not to be confused with the thank you email, I am referring to the physical card received in the mail)?

In my personal life, I remember being forced to send a thank you card for each birthday present BEFORE I was allowed to play with the toy or wear the new outfit. Each thank you card was personal and specifically thanked the gift giver for the specific gift. ie: Dear Grandma, thank you for the lovely yellow fuzzy slippers. They were exactly what I wanted. Love, Crystal. Ten years ago when my grandma passed away, we found shoe boxes filled with these thank you cards, condolence cards, birthday cards, etc...the sentiments meant so much that she couldn't bear to part with the cards. My grandmother must have passed along a genetic predisposition, because I too have saved many cards throughout the years. There's a photo album dedicated to baby shower cards for my children, cards filled with loving sentiments from my fiance' tucked away in my jewelry box, and sympathy cards with inspirational quotes in the drawer of my nightstand. A card is something you can keep for a long while, look at often, and the wording is generally short and sweet yet very powerful.

In my professional life, I have cards on my desk, cards in my drawers, and some cards have even been framed to inspire and encourage on a daily basis. It is obvious that I value cards, specifically thank you cards, and yet when I want to thank someone, I send them an email instead of taking time to send a physical card. How incredibly short sighted of me and I promise you, this habit is going to change NOW. I am the proud recipient of physical thank you cards, and now I am going to become the proud sender/giver of physical thank you cards.

The residual effect of the physical thank you card is powerful. It sets you apart from others, but also creates a conversation piece for your friends and customers. Professionally, if you add your company logo or personalize the thank you card, you will be encouraging referrals with each card displayed by your customer. For example, the card on my desk right now shoes a mountain climber at sunset and includes the words: "Anything that is worth having is worth working for" and you would be drawn to the card if you were visiting my office. This gives me an opportunity to tell you about my friend and mentor and her successful business.

Sending a thank you card leaves a lasting impression and creates customer loyalty through appreciation as well as branding. A thank you email can be deleted, but every card kept can open the door for multiple referrals as well as multiple opportunities for the card recipient to be reminded about your business and the great customer service you provided when you showed your appreciation and gratitude to them. Aside from providing a great product or service at a fair price, a thank you card is a critical component of growing your business. Carry that into your personal life and see good relationships become great...priceless!

Are you looking for more ideas from Crystal?
You can find her blogging and building her Relax Consulting business -
To learn more, go to: http://www.relaxconsulting.com/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Crystal_J_Casavant