If you are making a major career change, get the information you need to make an informed decision. Here are a few things to think about:

At Rinker and Associates we help you jumpstart your career transition and keep you on course throughout your journey!

A common mistake among entrepreneurs is seeking partners too much like themselves. Its easy to understand why; if you have a strong sense of mission and vision, you naturally want a partner who will be fully in line with it. But, that doesn't mean finding a partner who is a mirror image of yourself.

Instead, look for complementary skills in the other person to balance the talents of your partnership.

Looking outside of your immediate professional circle is a good way to go about finding talents that balance your own. Focus on making quality contacts rather than going for quantity. Your goal is to identify and cultivate relationships that will serve as the gateway to the community you want to tap.

The next critical step to get over is the partnership agreement. Your partnership agreement should:

Utilize "what-if" scenarios to help figure out what can go right as well as what can go wrong. Spend as much time together as possible to get to know each other. Consider spending a day or two in a retreat-like setting; focus on the details of your work arrangement and the future to gage how the relationship will play out long-term.

At Rinker and Associates we believe planning is an invaluable part of the research process when considering a career transition.

If you are a solopro, your success is predicated on your ability to make marketing an operational priority. That means making sure you remain visible within your sphere of contacts so that you will be able to:

 

Tapping your network only when you need something from them is a sure fire way to get a reputation as a "taker". Effective networking (and plain good business etiquette) is a give-and-take proposition. It's better to stay connected and in touch with your professional network on a consistent basis.

Don't be known as someone who only checks in when you need something - - be some who gives rather than takes. Give your time and attention to others while expecting nothing in return - - always remember, what goes around comes around.

Rinker and Associates is ready to set your career or business development strategy in motion.

This town is packed with movers and shakers. If you're relatively new to Sacramento, you may have already discovered that just about everyone knows everyone else; and that while the rest of the world may operate on six-degrees of separation, Sacramento seems to operate on only two or three- degrees of separation.

So, how does a "newcomer" break into the inner circle around here? The answer is, networking.

If you've got your networking finesse tuned up and ready to go; you know you only have one shot, one chance to make that great first impression and make that connection count - - so don't blow it.

Here's what you do if you want to meet a high-profile mover and shaker in Sacramento or anywhere else:

And one more thing; a sure fire way to blow a meeting or interview is to be rude to the receptionist. So don't blow it!

At Rinker and Associates we know how to make (and keep) valuable connections!

Q: Tell me about a situation where you have had a diverse work group that was in conflict over a recommended solution, and how did you bring that group together?

You'll want to have a professionally sound and objective answer ready. Have several prepared stories of a challenge you worked through with a successful outcome or that became a learning experience. Never say anything negative.

Rinker and Associates will help you fine tune your interviewing skills. Contact us today to schedule your practice interview!

Top 10 of Fortune Magazine's 100 Fastest Growing:

 

1. Vaalco Energy - Houston
2. Hansen Natural - Corona, Ca
3. Armor Holdings - Jacksonville
4. Southern Copper - Phoenix
5. LCA Vision - Cincinnati
6. Palomar Medical Technologies - Burlington, Mass
7. Amedisys - Baton Rouge
8. Edge Petroleum - Houston
9. Maverick Tube - Chesterfield, Mo
10. Nucor - Charlotte

Top 10 of Sacramento Business Journal's 100 Fastest Growing Companies:

 

1. Commercial Building Specialists - Roseville
2. American Capital Financial Services - Elk Grove
3. Salu Inc. - Gold River
4. International Display Works, Inc. - Roseville
5. New Star Lasers Inc. - Roseville
6. Think Smart Inc - Gold River
7. Nutracea - El Dorado Hills
8. Valley Healthcare Systems Inc. - Gold River
9. Plumbing MD Inc. - Davis
10. Trofholz Technologies Inc. - Rocklin

If you've been keeping your eye on Boomer consumerism and marketing, then it's no surprise to you that a trend in the Fastest 100 shows that there's power in petroleum and vanity!

Last night, I watched an interview Bette Davis did with Dick Cavett back in 1971. I listened intently as she talked about lessons she had learned in her 30+ year film career. Although her comments were made 35 years ago, I felt they were worth sharing with you as they may also strike a chord with you today.

Bette explained that in her career, she always fought for better films, better parts, and better directors. Her career decisions were not based on money, but on the premise that if she had better films, parts and directors, then the money would come. Granted, fighting for such things got Bette into a lot of trouble. She was suspended numerous times without pay and eventually lost a court battle against the major studio that held her contract. But she regrets none of it having lived by her own values and principles.

If you know me, you know that I have made radical and critical decisions in my life that were based on staying true to my own values. Always trying to do the "right thing" with the big picture in mind. Even it that means swimming against the tide or being a "tempered radical". Some people may call it being willful, I call it being courageous. Seeing things through "Bette Davis Eyes" can be a good thing! :) LLR