The Professional’s Job Search Creed 4 of 10

The Professional’s Job Search Creed â€" 4 of 10 This is part of a series where Ill introduce 10 points of a creed, and comment on them. The series is summarized as we go (see bottom of post) and you can link back to the commentary on any of the 10 in that summary. This fourth point is obviously one of my favorites, and I am surprised that I dont see more blogs/websites on this topic (there are some links on the left to bloggers that cover this topic (here are some must reads), and I have a category for it on this blog): 4. I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. I love this topic of personal branding because I didnt have one, and see so many professionals who I think are water walkers but use only their resume to substantiate who they are. I tell people that developing and communicating your personal brand is basically trying to let others know what your breadth and depth is. If Im evaluating you for a job position, or to be a speaker at a conference, or a partner in a venture, Im going to want to know how much you know, and what your boundaries are. This breadth/depth thing can be used to quantify your experiences, passions, expertise etc. But I dont think that any would argue that a resume is the tool to quantify the breadth and depth, or at least give me a real big picture view of who you are, right? Defining your personal brand can be a little tricky. What I used to say was I have an MBA. Or, I am the General Manager. Or, I am a programmer. But the problem with these statement is that it allows others to stereotype you so fast that you might not have an opportunity to work yourself out of that stereotype. Yuck! For example, when I asked my then-employer if they would pay for my MBA the answer I got was the owner of the company feels that MBA stands for more bad answers.' I took that as a NO. But it got worse. After I got my MBA, when I was in board meetings or executive/strategy meetings, I would say something that would trigger a comment like Well, Jason here with his MBA-answers. So my personal brand was becoming associated with previous stereotypes that I had nothing to do with, and people werent listening to the message because they had already formed an opinion on who I was and what I had to offer. I think the other challenge of defining a personal brand is to not sound cliche. Ever here someone that is a strategic problem solver with the ability to get the job done on-time and under budget ? You have to figure out how to concisely define what your personal brand is without painting yourself into a corner, or sounding like more blah blah blah (which Im guessing interviewers hear all day long). So Jason, just how do you do that? Glad you asked ?? I dont want to sound myopic but I am a huge fan of blogs to help substantiate your personal brand. One of my favorite examples is last months monthly winner of the You Get It award, Kent Blumberg. Kent is a senior executive who could easily have a 3+ page resume full of all kinds of cool things. But if you go check out his blog, youll see a history of posts that continually exemplify his breadth and depth. He shows his breadth by blogging on a wide variety of topics, and he shows his depth by drilling down on those topics. Also, the book reviews he writes shows you where his interests are, and his ability to learn from and critique the experts works. If you want to begin to understand the full breadth and depth of Kent Blumberg, are you going to get it from his resume, or his blog? I know many of you have concerns about blogging I did too. And we all know the world doesnt need another bad blog (that was one reason why I didnt want to blog :)), but dont think of this as adding yet another blog you have to think of this as how can I use this technology to quantify my breadth and depth? If you have a better way to do it, let me know Id love to hear it. This is just my little myopic world I live in. One more thing and here is probably one of the main reasons that I love the idea of creating and communicating your personal brand YOU are bigger than YOUR JOB. Arent you going to change jobs in the next 5 10 years anyway? Your job will not last forever, but your personal brand will. And it is in your control to brand yourself why not take charge of it proactively? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, whether you begin to do it or not, you already have a personal brand! You might want to figure out what it is and change it, if it doesnt jive with what you want it to be Running List: I will get a job coach (not my spouse) to hold me accountable for my job search efforts. I will encourange him or her to be honest and indicate that feedback is the greatest gift that I could receive. I will ask for at least weekly contact. (read the post here) I will network for contacts, opportunities and more market knowledge; making at least 10 networking contacts each day and working towards at least 10 interviews each week; with at least five of those with decision makers. (read the post here) I will attend the Professional Career Workshop and attend at least one Professional Networking Group each week. (read the post here) I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) The Professional’s Job Search Creed â€" 4 of 10 This is part of a series where Ill introduce 10 points of a creed, and comment on them. The series is summarized as we go (see bottom of post) and you can link back to the commentary on any of the 10 in that summary. This fourth point is obviously one of my favorites, and I am surprised that I dont see more blogs/websites on this topic (there are some links on the left to bloggers that cover this topic (here are some must reads), and I have a category for it on this blog): 4. I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. I love this topic of personal branding because I didnt have one, and see so many professionals who I think are water walkers but use only their resume to substantiate who they are. I tell people that developing and communicating your personal brand is basically trying to let others know what your breadth and depth is. If Im evaluating you for a job position, or to be a speaker at a conference, or a partner in a venture, Im going to want to know how much you know, and what your boundaries are. This breadth/depth thing can be used to quantify your experiences, passions, expertise etc. But I dont think that any would argue that a resume is the tool to quantify the breadth and depth, or at least give me a real big picture view of who you are, right? Defining your personal brand can be a little tricky. What I used to say was I have an MBA. Or, I am the General Manager. Or, I am a programmer. But the problem with these statement is that it allows others to stereotype you so fast that you might not have an opportunity to work yourself out of that stereotype. Yuck! For example, when I asked my then-employer if they would pay for my MBA the answer I got was the owner of the company feels that MBA stands for more bad answers.' I took that as a NO. But it got worse. After I got my MBA, when I was in board meetings or executive/strategy meetings, I would say something that would trigger a comment like Well, Jason here with his MBA-answers. So my personal brand was becoming associated with previous stereotypes that I had nothing to do with, and people werent listening to the message because they had already formed an opinion on who I was and what I had to offer. I think the other challenge of defining a personal brand is to not sound cliche. Ever here someone that is a strategic problem solver with the ability to get the job done on-time and under budget ? You have to figure out how to concisely define what your personal brand is without painting yourself into a corner, or sounding like more blah blah blah (which Im guessing interviewers hear all day long). So Jason, just how do you do that? Glad you asked ?? I dont want to sound myopic but I am a huge fan of blogs to help substantiate your personal brand. One of my favorite examples is last months monthly winner of the You Get It award, Kent Blumberg. Kent is a senior executive who could easily have a 3+ page resume full of all kinds of cool things. But if you go check out his blog, youll see a history of posts that continually exemplify his breadth and depth. He shows his breadth by blogging on a wide variety of topics, and he shows his depth by drilling down on those topics. Also, the book reviews he writes shows you where his interests are, and his ability to learn from and critique the experts works. If you want to begin to understand the full breadth and depth of Kent Blumberg, are you going to get it from his resume, or his blog? I know many of you have concerns about blogging I did too. And we all know the world doesnt need another bad blog (that was one reason why I didnt want to blog :)), but dont think of this as adding yet another blog you have to think of this as how can I use this technology to quantify my breadth and depth? If you have a better way to do it, let me know Id love to hear it. This is just my little myopic world I live in. One more thing and here is probably one of the main reasons that I love the idea of creating and communicating your personal brand YOU are bigger than YOUR JOB. Arent you going to change jobs in the next 5 10 years anyway? Your job will not last forever, but your personal brand will. And it is in your control to brand yourself why not take charge of it proactively? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, whether you begin to do it or not, you already have a personal brand! You might want to figure out what it is and change it, if it doesnt jive with what you want it to be Running List: I will get a job coach (not my spouse) to hold me accountable for my job search efforts. I will encourange him or her to be honest and indicate that feedback is the greatest gift that I could receive. I will ask for at least weekly contact. (read the post here) I will network for contacts, opportunities and more market knowledge; making at least 10 networking contacts each day and working towards at least 10 interviews each week; with at least five of those with decision makers. (read the post here) I will attend the Professional Career Workshop and attend at least one Professional Networking Group each week. (read the post here) I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) The Professional’s Job Search Creed â€" 4 of 10 This is part of a series where Ill introduce 10 points of a creed, and comment on them. The series is summarized as we go (see bottom of post) and you can link back to the commentary on any of the 10 in that summary. This fourth point is obviously one of my favorites, and I am surprised that I dont see more blogs/websites on this topic (there are some links on the left to bloggers that cover this topic (here are some must reads), and I have a category for it on this blog): 4. I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. I love this topic of personal branding because I didnt have one, and see so many professionals who I think are water walkers but use only their resume to substantiate who they are. I tell people that developing and communicating your personal brand is basically trying to let others know what your breadth and depth is. If Im evaluating you for a job position, or to be a speaker at a conference, or a partner in a venture, Im going to want to know how much you know, and what your boundaries are. This breadth/depth thing can be used to quantify your experiences, passions, expertise etc. But I dont think that any would argue that a resume is the tool to quantify the breadth and depth, or at least give me a real big picture view of who you are, right? Defining your personal brand can be a little tricky. What I used to say was I have an MBA. Or, I am the General Manager. Or, I am a programmer. But the problem with these statement is that it allows others to stereotype you so fast that you might not have an opportunity to work yourself out of that stereotype. Yuck! For example, when I asked my then-employer if they would pay for my MBA the answer I got was the owner of the company feels that MBA stands for more bad answers.' I took that as a NO. But it got worse. After I got my MBA, when I was in board meetings or executive/strategy meetings, I would say something that would trigger a comment like Well, Jason here with his MBA-answers. So my personal brand was becoming associated with previous stereotypes that I had nothing to do with, and people werent listening to the message because they had already formed an opinion on who I was and what I had to offer. I think the other challenge of defining a personal brand is to not sound cliche. Ever here someone that is a strategic problem solver with the ability to get the job done on-time and under budget ? You have to figure out how to concisely define what your personal brand is without painting yourself into a corner, or sounding like more blah blah blah (which Im guessing interviewers hear all day long). So Jason, just how do you do that? Glad you asked ?? I dont want to sound myopic but I am a huge fan of blogs to help substantiate your personal brand. One of my favorite examples is last months monthly winner of the You Get It award, Kent Blumberg. Kent is a senior executive who could easily have a 3+ page resume full of all kinds of cool things. But if you go check out his blog, youll see a history of posts that continually exemplify his breadth and depth. He shows his breadth by blogging on a wide variety of topics, and he shows his depth by drilling down on those topics. Also, the book reviews he writes shows you where his interests are, and his ability to learn from and critique the experts works. If you want to begin to understand the full breadth and depth of Kent Blumberg, are you going to get it from his resume, or his blog? I know many of you have concerns about blogging I did too. And we all know the world doesnt need another bad blog (that was one reason why I didnt want to blog :)), but dont think of this as adding yet another blog you have to think of this as how can I use this technology to quantify my breadth and depth? If you have a better way to do it, let me know Id love to hear it. This is just my little myopic world I live in. One more thing and here is probably one of the main reasons that I love the idea of creating and communicating your personal brand YOU are bigger than YOUR JOB. Arent you going to change jobs in the next 5 10 years anyway? Your job will not last forever, but your personal brand will. And it is in your control to brand yourself why not take charge of it proactively? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, whether you begin to do it or not, you already have a personal brand! You might want to figure out what it is and change it, if it doesnt jive with what you want it to be Running List: I will get a job coach (not my spouse) to hold me accountable for my job search efforts. I will encourange him or her to be honest and indicate that feedback is the greatest gift that I could receive. I will ask for at least weekly contact. (read the post here) I will network for contacts, opportunities and more market knowledge; making at least 10 networking contacts each day and working towards at least 10 interviews each week; with at least five of those with decision makers. (read the post here) I will attend the Professional Career Workshop and attend at least one Professional Networking Group each week. (read the post here) I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) The Professional’s Job Search Creed â€" 4 of 10 This is part of a series where Ill introduce 10 points of a creed, and comment on them. The series is summarized as we go (see bottom of post) and you can link back to the commentary on any of the 10 in that summary. This fourth point is obviously one of my favorites, and I am surprised that I dont see more blogs/websites on this topic (there are some links on the left to bloggers that cover this topic (here are some must reads), and I have a category for it on this blog): 4. I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. I love this topic of personal branding because I didnt have one, and see so many professionals who I think are water walkers but use only their resume to substantiate who they are. I tell people that developing and communicating your personal brand is basically trying to let others know what your breadth and depth is. If Im evaluating you for a job position, or to be a speaker at a conference, or a partner in a venture, Im going to want to know how much you know, and what your boundaries are. This breadth/depth thing can be used to quantify your experiences, passions, expertise etc. But I dont think that any would argue that a resume is the tool to quantify the breadth and depth, or at least give me a real big picture view of who you are, right? Defining your personal brand can be a little tricky. What I used to say was I have an MBA. Or, I am the General Manager. Or, I am a programmer. But the problem with these statement is that it allows others to stereotype you so fast that you might not have an opportunity to work yourself out of that stereotype. Yuck! For example, when I asked my then-employer if they would pay for my MBA the answer I got was the owner of the company feels that MBA stands for more bad answers.' I took that as a NO. But it got worse. After I got my MBA, when I was in board meetings or executive/strategy meetings, I would say something that would trigger a comment like Well, Jason here with his MBA-answers. So my personal brand was becoming associated with previous stereotypes that I had nothing to do with, and people werent listening to the message because they had already formed an opinion on who I was and what I had to offer. I think the other challenge of defining a personal brand is to not sound cliche. Ever here someone that is a strategic problem solver with the ability to get the job done on-time and under budget ? You have to figure out how to concisely define what your personal brand is without painting yourself into a corner, or sounding like more blah blah blah (which Im guessing interviewers hear all day long). So Jason, just how do you do that? Glad you asked ?? I dont want to sound myopic but I am a huge fan of blogs to help substantiate your personal brand. One of my favorite examples is last months monthly winner of the You Get It award, Kent Blumberg. Kent is a senior executive who could easily have a 3+ page resume full of all kinds of cool things. But if you go check out his blog, youll see a history of posts that continually exemplify his breadth and depth. He shows his breadth by blogging on a wide variety of topics, and he shows his depth by drilling down on those topics. Also, the book reviews he writes shows you where his interests are, and his ability to learn from and critique the experts works. If you want to begin to understand the full breadth and depth of Kent Blumberg, are you going to get it from his resume, or his blog? I know many of you have concerns about blogging I did too. And we all know the world doesnt need another bad blog (that was one reason why I didnt want to blog :)), but dont think of this as adding yet another blog you have to think of this as how can I use this technology to quantify my breadth and depth? If you have a better way to do it, let me know Id love to hear it. This is just my little myopic world I live in. One more thing and here is probably one of the main reasons that I love the idea of creating and communicating your personal brand YOU are bigger than YOUR JOB. Arent you going to change jobs in the next 5 10 years anyway? Your job will not last forever, but your personal brand will. And it is in your control to brand yourself why not take charge of it proactively? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, whether you begin to do it or not, you already have a personal brand! You might want to figure out what it is and change it, if it doesnt jive with what you want it to be Running List: I will get a job coach (not my spouse) to hold me accountable for my job search efforts. I will encourange him or her to be honest and indicate that feedback is the greatest gift that I could receive. I will ask for at least weekly contact. (read the post here) I will network for contacts, opportunities and more market knowledge; making at least 10 networking contacts each day and working towards at least 10 interviews each week; with at least five of those with decision makers. (read the post here) I will attend the Professional Career Workshop and attend at least one Professional Networking Group each week. (read the post here) I will define and continually refine my professional brand and unique value-added proposition. (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet) (havent done yet)

The Human Motivation Equation - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Human Motivation Equation - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I was reading another article on PersonalBrandingBlog.com last week and was inspired by Sharmin Banu’s article on finding your own unique aspirations. It triggered me because one of the frequent questions I‘m asked by clients and prospects is about how they can motivate employees to perform better and take more initiative on the job. My answer always involves aspirations as part of the recipe. Human motivation can be a very complex concept. It is influenced by many factors. Yet, I believe  we get too caught up in that complexity and make it too complicated. There are four factors that drive motivation: inspiration, aspiration, purpose, and the pain/pleasure principle Let’s take that list from the bottom up. Human beings are hard wired to avoid pain and to seek to gain pleasure. Virtually every decision human beings make can be whittled down to that common phenomenon. I challenge you to assess all key decisions you’ve ever made and see how they were a combination of those two dichotomies. Secondly, purpose drives motivation. I know this because all you have to do is break down the word “motivation” to its derivative form, which is motive. A motive is reason or purpose for doing something. When you are clear on your motive and that motive is important enough, it will drive you to action. But, I believe the real juice in life comes when we combine the first two items on my list into my Human Motivation Equation, which looks like this Inspiration + Aspiration = Motivation Here’s how this worked for me. In 1998, in my 17th season working in professional baseball management I found my self bored to tears sitting around my baseball stadium waiting for our home game to end, just so I could go home. I knew it was time for a new career. I attended an Anthony Robbins weekend seminar and found my inspiration and my aspiration in the same place. This is unusual. I didn’t know what I wanted to do until I experienced Anthony Robbins in person at a live event. His story and personal growth strategies inspired me to aspire to become a business coach, consultant and professional speaker, my current profession, which I began in 2002. Sometimes, though, we have dormant aspirations. We sit around lamenting those aspirations, wishing and hoping for the right time, wishing and hoping the strategies to move toward those aspirations will come to us. It’s in those moments we need to search out inspiration. We need to find others who are doing what we aspire to and learn from them as to how they did it. Start by following their path and then make it your own. Amazingly, just a few weeks after my Tony Robbins experience, in another personal growth seminar, I found myself on a team of people with whom we were going to spend five days together. We were told at the first session to pick a partner to work with for the entire week. As I looked around our group my eyes were transfixed on a tall gentleman wearing a denim dress shirt that featured a logo on the left breast, “National Speakers Association.” I searched him out.  Fortunately, he peered in my direction and we have been friends and colleagues ever since. When you decide on your aspiration and you are inspired to search for a path to achieve it, the world will bring those related resources to your consciousness. Then, you just have to be courageous enough to go for it. Best wishes for an inspiring journey to fulfill your greatest aspirations! Author: Skip Weisman,  The Leadership Workplace Communication Expert, has worked with business leaders and their teams to transform both individual and organizational performance in industries from banks to plumbers since 2001. Skip’s experience helping his clients has shown that the biggest problems in workplaces today can be directly traced to interpersonal communication between people in the work environment. Having spent 20 years in professional baseball management, his first career in which he served as CEO for five different franchises, has given Skip tremendous insights and skills for build high-performing teams. Learn more about Skip at  www.WorkplaceCommunicationExpert.com  and  www.SkipWeismanSpeaks.com

Intern for a Start-up via Enternships

Intern for a Start-up via Enternships We all know about internships and most students and graduates are scrambling to find an internship with a top employer. But with Enternships, students and graduates are now getting a real world experience with start up companies. Essentially, Enternships.com connects dynamic and talented students and graduates with start-up companies. If you are a student or graduate looking for the boring unpaid internships, or going for the big names and have been rejected day-in day-out, maybe its time to take a break and have a look at Enternships. Enternships has had big name start-ups like Groupon, Just-Eat, zipcar etc., whilst still advertising for many of the lesser know names that can be found on the list of employers on enternships here. Now, do I like Enternships? Yes, I do! Have I always liked Enternships? No, I havent. So, what has changed? Enternships came to my notice round about a year ago: I had just got my job and was going to work for a decent Engineering company. But I didnt want to write about them, as I was put off by names like Wonga and PayPal being classed as Start-ups, and the whole idea of working for a start-up as an intern when most of it would be unpaid. For those of you who dont know yet, I am against unpaid internships. But then, with more research and insight into the market, I realised that the UK is growing on the start-up scene and many students and graduates would benefit if they actually worked for these SMEs or start-ups. And thats when I saw value in what Enternships does. A year later, I am writing about Enternships, after having spoken to David Goldman, Head of Sales, Enternships.com at the Youth Enterprise Live event in London. If you are a student still at uni, I would strongly recommend giving Enternships.com a look. Simply because a short internship with a start-up company can give you more core experience and satisfaction of having achieved something, rather than going for the big names and wearing posh suits. Enternships.com is filling a gap in the market by providing start-ups and SMEs with young entrepreneurial students, who might just want some real-life experience and the satisfaction of doing something valuable. If you are a self starter, you should head over to enternships.com now! 0

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese 5 Ways to Avoid Freaking Out About Networking

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese 5 Ways to Avoid Freaking Out About Networking Hear that? That growling noise? That's the sound of dozens of career experts venting their frustrations over how many job seekers still refuse to accept they must network if they want to find a job. Career bloggers are ranting about how the unemployed still spend most of their time looking at job boards instead of making contacts, and it's not getting any better. That's what prompted my interest in this story on networking -- the fact that so many job seekers seem to keep ignoring the advice. Here's the story I did for Gannett:If youre looking for work, it may be time to step away from the computer.Thats because like many job seekers, youre probably spending way too much time poring over job boards and sending resumes to cyber black holes that offer you little chance of finding a job.Instead, its time to get on the phone or go out to lunch. In other words, its time to network, still the best way to land a job.However, chances are good youre going to balk at the suggestion. Networkin g for many people has the appeal of doing taxes or having an especially painful medical procedure.I think part of the problem is because people dont feel at the top of their game when theyre looking for work. Theyre afraid of looking needy and helpless to other people. And, they feel like its begging especially if they havent been networking until now, says Liz Lynch, founder of the Center for Networking Excellence and author of Smart Networking.According to research by Upwardly Mobile Inc., an online career management service in Palo Alto, Calif., job seekers only talk, or e-mail, an average of eight people outside of their current organization on a monthly basis. Only 38 percent say they have asked for an introduction in the last month, and job seekers on average only have a network of 29 colleagues, which they define as peers theyve interacted with in the last 18-24 months.Such statistics, Lynch says, prove its time that those hunting for work must move past their doubts and i nhibitions about networking if they want to find a job. I think the first thing these people need to realize is that others really do want to help them, she says. The second thing they need to realize is that theyve got to be much more targeted and strategic about their networking.She suggests job seekers should: Attend events attended by others in your industry or field of interest. If you attend a networking event with random people, it wont help you. Then, youll just say that networking doesnt work and you wont do it again, Lynch says. Be prepared. Always dress professionally when networking, refine your pitch on your capabilities and be ready to ask pertinent questions. I think some people have this idea that theyre gong to network with someone and the person will say, Oh, my gosh! Ive been looking for you all my life! People dont really have a job in their back pocket, but they can give you information that will help you in your search, such as what the hot-button issues are in the industry, or who might be hiring in the future. Give back. It can be uncomfortable and awkward to just call and ask someone for a job lead, so instead ask a question like: Ive been thinking of going in this direction with my job search, and Id like to get your thoughts. Lynch says it also can help ease your discomfort by then offering something in return, such as saying, Is there anything I can do for you? To maintain the connection, send the person articles or information you think they might find of value. Avoid over-using social networking. Sites like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter are great for keeping tabs on your contacts, but nothing beats a face-to-face conversation for making strong connections. Use your social networks to do advance research when youre going to meet someone, but remember you can make a much better impression in person, she says. Keep the networking muscle in use. Its estimated college graduates will change jobs nearly a dozen times in their careers, and networks will remain critical. Often, your discomfort with networking goes away when youve got a job, so thats a great time to work on your connections, Lynch says. Take the time once a week or even once a month to ask someone from your company or another connection to go to lunch. By the end of the year, you will really have expanded your network.Social Bookmarking

Tips on Writing a Winning Resume

Tips on Writing a Winning ResumeIf you are in need of some tips on writing a winning resume, you might find that you have a lot of questions. Here are a few of the more common questions that you might encounter.You are probably wondering how to put together your work history. Even though there is no set format for this, generally, people include their employer's name first followed by their last name. Some job postings may also require you to mention an address.Another common question is how to give details on a job that you may have held in the past. This can be accomplished by listing each position that you worked. Also include a brief description of each position you held, including if you had any responsibilities.Another common question that you might encounter is the length of time you have been working for the company you are applying for and whether you can match the candidate's skill level. Some people do not like to talk about their career experience at all, but for most pro fessionals, employment can be an asset in any industry. It is best to list all of the positions you have held, but if you need to omit one, give a brief description.Questions about whether or not you would be a good fit for a job include the specifics on the skills and education you possess. This can be obtained from your most recent employment documents, which you should always bring with you when you are interviewing. Always mention your highest level of education that you have completed.It is very important to state your specific job titles and dates of employment if you have any. In addition, note the location where you performed your most recent job as well as what type of work you performed.The final tip on writing a winning resume is to make sure that you give an accurate description of your educational accomplishments and training. This should go without saying, but many people do not include this information on their applications.The most important thing that you should rem ember is that these tips on writing a winning resume will help you get an edge over your competition. Most people who have utilized them have reported higher success rates.

Use metaphors to help gain clarity around a career choice

Use metaphors to help gain clarity around a career choice Who would have thought that metaphors would have played such an integral place in my coaching? Not me. I enjoy a good metaphor, but didn’t always see their power. In the last year, I’ve been asking my clients to describe how they are feeling about a particular situation as a metaphor â€" an analogous visual to describe their feelings. Here are some examples of what I heard. I feel like I am suck in an elevator with a bunch of people. The elevator is stuck between floors and the alarm is going off. This individual is trying to make a decision on where his career is headed. However, when he thinks about it, he experiences this elevator scene. Can you imagine making a career decision in that moment? You are surrounded by a bunch of people, stuck between floors which makes it difficult for rescue, and the alarm is going off so you can’t even hear yourself think! There isn’t a way to make an intentional decision when you are feeling like this. With this client, we had to work on viewing the decision from a different perspective â€" a perspective that didn’t feel trapped, loud, and cramped. Another client did not feel connected to her career. Many of my clients present with this concern. There is a lot of variety in how disconnected we feel. When I asked her to describe her specific feeling of disconnection she said It feels like my career is a vacuum and the vacuum is attached to my soul and is on at full sucking power. What a powerful visual. A small tweak in her role or a move to a new department isnt going to work. A small move will not likely fulfill her. Something more powerful is going to need to happen to disconnect the vacuum from her soul. Another client had been in a job search for 3 months without traction. Heres how he described it Its like driving my car on empty with the orange fuel light on and no gas station in sight. Before talking more about the actions he should be taking with his job search, we needed to uncover how he could fill up his gas tank. Before he could take more actions, he needed to refuel. There was nothing left to spend on job search until the refueling happened. I encourage you to try this career counseling technique. If you are feeling stuck, or unfulfilled, or frustrated, I would encourage you to think of a metaphor that would give some visual definition to those feelings. The metaphor can help clarify the feeling. With that clarity, you can open your mind to new ideas and perspectives that can help you move forward.

Strategies Thatll Help Your Company To Expand

Strategies Thatll Help Your Company To Expand Picture Source Creating a successful business is a tremendous challenge. You might be an intelligent and aspirational entrepreneur, but you’re competing with intelligent and aspirational entrepreneurs in your industry. That won’t be enough to make you stand out. To help your business grow in the face of competition, you need a strong plan of action to reach your target market, gain customers, and build a name for your company in your industry. That’s how your brand will rise to the top of your marketplace. With that in mind, here are some strategies that’ll help your company to expand. Research your intended market of consumers. Market research will help your company to expand. Most importantly, it’ll help you to find your place in your industry. You need to talk to your current and potential customers. Get a feel for the things your target consumers want. You’re not just trying to find problems with your company; you’re trying to find problems with your industry as a whole. In turn, you’ll be able to find gaps in the market. That’ll help you to come up with unique solutions which distinguish your brand from competing brands. When you can do that, you’ll be able to turn heads in the industry, gain clients, and continually expand your business. Increase productivity levels. The importance of catering to consumers to gain customers was discussed above, but your business can also grow by focusing on your employees. In fact, your workforce plays a huge part in the growth of your company. You need to increase the productivity levels of your office, and that’ll help you to deliver more products and services to your clients. If you can achieve more on a daily basis, you’ll be able to deal with larger demand, so you’ll be giving your business the opportunity to grow in the future. For new employees, you should help them to integrate into the company and become productive members of your workforce. You might want to check out this ELMO onboarding software. It could help your new members of staff to understand the workings of your business. You also need to give your employees incentives to work hard. Bonuses and other perks should be rewards for the hardest workers. This will encourage every member of staff to put in as much effort as possible to receive recognition. You need to show your team that you value them. You need to give them a reason to do more than the work that is expected of them. The more productive your workplace, the faster your company will grow. It makes sense to push your employees to do as much as possible on a daily basis. Start a referral scheme. Starting a referral scheme is another great way to set your business apart from the crowd and expand your brand. This will help you to grow because you’ll be encouraging your customers to spread the word about your company. Even happy clients don’t always think to talk about their experiences. Sometimes, you have to give them a reason to spread the word. If they were to receive rewards, such as discounted prices on your products, for referring people to your business, then they’d be encouraged to start talking about your brand to others. You’d be able to expand your customer base and, as a result, your company.