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Showing posts with label Careers planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Careers planning. Show all posts

How NOT to Write a Resume

You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.
Take resumes, for example.
I review about 200-300 a month, and most have at least 2-3 mistakes. Yet, all those hundreds of mistakes can be grouped into just a handful of categories, which you would do well to avoid.
Read on and learn how to write a better resume by avoiding the mistakes of others, some of them unintentionally hilarious ...
Mistake #1: "Golden Retriever Syndrome"
Never talk about yourself in terms that could also describe a hunting dog, like the following language, which appears in far too many resumes I see:
"Hard-working, self-motivated and dependable individual."
Tired phrases like that mean nothing to employers, because they could apply to almost anyone ... or almost anyone's dog.

Instead, dump the empty assertions and back up the claims in your resume with facts, like this:
"Proven sales skills. Ranked in top 3 among 78 reps for 5 straight years, exceeding sales quotas for 18 of 20 quarters."
See the difference?
Mistake #2: A Verbal Jungle
To improve your resume (or anything you write), read it out loud. Since writing is just words on paper, reading it aloud will help you write as you would speak.
Here's an example of language so dense, you'll need a machete to find any meaning:
"Directed assembly of elements from business units in engineering, development, program management, distribution, and legal to effect market research, proposal responses, and contract management into comprehensive, virtual, successful teams ..."
After reading that three times, I'm still baffled.
Worse, do you think employers have time to read a resume three times to figure it out? No. As a result, that job seeker is still looking for work, I'll wager.
Solution: read your resume out loud before sending it out.
If you find yourself gasping for breath halfway through a sentence, stick a period or dash in there and break it in two.
And if anything you write sounds less than 100% clear when you read it aloud, revise until it would make sense to your mother. Doing so will ensure that your resume resonates with readers at all levels, from HR managers to your future boss.

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How to Answer Questions About Underperforming Co-workers

Many interview guides will tell you to answer the very common "What's your greatest weakness?" question with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, "I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do," or "I'm a perfectionist."
That would be a mistake. Why? Because interviewers have heard these canned answers over and over again.
If you use one of them, it will likely backfire on you. They’l


  • You’re not being honest about your true weaknesses and are just regurgitating someone’s advice;




  • You feel that expecting others to work hard and striving for perfection (or whatever other disguised positive traits you use) are "weaknesses," which makes you look ignorant, naïve and/or lazy;




  • You don’t know how to do an honest self-assessment;




  • Or you’re delusional and think you don’t have any real weaknesses! So state a true weakness! No one is perfect, so don’t try to convince anyone (especially yourself) that you don’t have any weaknesses.
    However, I cannot overemphasize the importance of not listing a key element of the position as a weakness! If you do that, you might as well send yourself the rejection letter.
    Pick a neutral weakness about something that’s not critical to the job. Mention that. Then emphasize what you've done to overcome the weakness.
    This shows that you are honest, that you recognize areas in which you need to grow, and that you are actively seeking ways to improve yourself.
    Sample Answers:
    "I honestly can't think of any weakness that would prevent me from doing an outstanding job for you in THIS position. But in the past, I've had some trouble delegating duties to others. I felt I could do things better and faster myself. This sometimes backfired because I'd end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I've taken courses in time management and effective delegation, and I've managed to overcome this weakness." [NOTE: You would not want to use this example for a supervisory position]
    "I honestly can't think of any weakness that would prevent me from doing an outstanding job for you in THIS position. But I’m very weak in math and have to rely on a calculator even for basic computations. I always have one with me just in case a calculation is needed." [NOTE: You would not want to use this example for an accounting position or one that requires math skills!]
    This question really isn't so tricky, once you know what to expect and how to respond

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    Presentation

    Soon a presentation? Your thesis presentation / defense? Sweaty hands and knees? A presentation is often perceived as a stressful and nerve-racking task. Many people can greatly dread holding a presentation. Why? And why many people do not like to present? And how is a presentation a success? This article will present you can find answers to these questions. You can also find several tips for successful presentation.
    Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee
    Presentation
    During a presentation, you give an oral presentation on your research and the derived results. During the presentation you can use different attachments such as PowerPoint or overhead projector.Why do many people at present?
    When does a presentation for a group of people, then the attention you get during your presentation of the group, seem very uncomfortable. The silence during the presentation, the sound of your voice, all eyes are on you and you feel your body respond differently than normal. In short, you feel insecure, and furthermore, you're all alone. At least, that seems so. During a presentation to the audience exactly what you want to hear them say. Otherwise they were not present in your presentation. A presentation, you so nice and interesting to tell and nerves are hereby entirely unnecessary and also lead just wondering.
    Another reason for nerves during a presentation can be found in test anxiety. Some people feel insecure about their performance and will therefore present here in the face. Furthermore, a presentation usually seen as a test in which the speaker feels that everything depends on this single presentation. Fear of failure for a presentation you can fix. Often find by following a simple course quickly remedied.Presentation Preparation
    To be successful presenting is an essential preparation for your presentation. Just because you really can see from the presentations, the chances are that your presentation (and preparation) until the last minute delays. This is not a good presentation and it will certainly not benefit. Especially not when you have done your presentation, you will find that your nerves are more affected by it during your presentation. How do you prepare for a presentation? By carefully thinking about your topic. Make sure the subject well in your head. Do you remember enough about the subject you are about to present? Read Up. For example, no longer know how to research your thesis had just broken? Read this section is equally well. Once you know enough about the topic, you must ask yourself what your listeners want to tell your presentation. Try this out of your head and just write key words on this. The full launch of a presentation is certainly not a good idea. The main goal is to create a story where you make a chronological format. Make sure that the story in your head right and you can play the story in mind. This can thrive when you're in the shower or the dog walking. This way you learn the story you want to present in your head. Case is that you, the focus on the main hold. If you want eight cases treated during your presentation, make sure you have in mind these eight cases and that you can explain during your presentation. The exact details of this you do not have to scoop. But then you look for yourself the order of eight things to have in your head down. If you do a presentation in this manner are well in your head, your preparation for your successful presentation!The presentation
    There you are. For the group, the moment of silence falls and you will begin your presentation. Many sleepless nights might have preceded. And now it's come: you must be present. You have your presentation well prepared, so you have no fear. You start talking and you notice that everyone looks at you. You tell a funny story and you find that the public good pick. Your nerves are cut off. You come back to consciousness and let your nerves. How should you go? Here are some tips for each item that you hold in your presentation can keep.Eye contact during presentation
    The most important during your presentation is to maintain eye contact. Over the crowd watching is no longer an option. It can be intimidating, but eye contact during your presentation is a confirmation of your audience's attention. So go do not avoid eye contact. Try as much as possible from person to person about to jump and not too long someone right in his / her eyes to see during your presentation. When someone asks a question during your presentation, make eye contact with the person first and give him / her the floor. Take your time for. The idea is that you start answering the question correctly, so you should fully understand the question. Eye contact is important.Hands
    Hold objects, such as a pen or a piece of paper, during a presentation are not recommended. Avoid this as much as possible. If you're nervous, you give through your fumbling with a pen here demonstrate. Do not do it. During a presentation it is just that good to make gestures with your hands. To make the presentation more lively. Do this also in moderation. Beware, lest your hands the key role to play during your presentation.Visual aids to support your presentation
    During your presentation, it is advisable to use visual aids SUPPORT. Do not use too much text and be economical with pictures and figures. Be aware that not everyone jumping frog in your PowerPoint presentation just like it. Do you use visual aids during your presentation, make sure that people see your resources. In other words, do not stand for. It sounds very obvious, but it's a common mistake during the presentation. It is positive if during your presentation when you refer to your device, the audience asks if anyone can see it and whether it is legible.

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    Good habits for a successful career

    Name a few bad habits that people working in difficult times in your way?
    Weinstein: "That's quite a few, and in these challenging times are often compounded. At present people and organizations spend too much time on anxiety, about their careers, the economy, their leadership - everything. The fear-habit provides a constant negative focus that makes it impossible to think critically or acts that lead to a better future. It ensures that managers and impulsive emotional decisions, such as hasty cuts in IT infrastructure to be on the short term to save some money. Such cuts can cause an enterprise to slip off when it would normally everything had to be the leading company from the inevitable period of recovery to come forward.
    Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee
    How do you break such bad work habits?
    If you find yourself in a negative mood over, if you react impulsively, easily aroused, you're anxious, to manipulate or store on your stripes stand is that a restrictive practice that tries to control. That kind of breaking negative habits requires patience and a cognitive awareness. As I describe in my book there is no magic way to get 30 seconds into a bad habit to unlearn. You must be steadfast, patient and consciously doing.
    How often did you have your good intentions for the new year does not go up in smoke?
    New Year's resolutions come from inspiration, not discipline. Its purpose is sound: to change, break or just import a habit. The road to success for these intentions is dead hard against the walls of your limiting habits, even when inspired by your commitment and the clarity of your intentions.
    And that's just because inspiration does not lead to sustained action. Instead, discipline leads to inspiration. Think of a moment or a success that felt really good. Think of the inspiration of the moment! It was your discipline that led to that spirit and that's the beauty of the equation. The first step in breaking a bad habit is to determine what actions you take. Then, you use your discipline to practice those actions to plan and carry out - and get distracted by anything!
    What is the most important habit you should develop a fulfilling career if you want to continue?
    The custom-teamwork is the key to happiness and satisfaction. Every day you are part of teams, and in your personal relationships with colleagues, suppliers, customers and employees. Teamwork launches your ambitions and makes you faster performance and pleasant conditions were reached you desire. The basis of teamwork is trust, and that starts with trust that you know someone who capable, smart and effective, just like you. Recognize the strengths of others and recognize and ask for help for the things you insecure about yourself or bad at, but for most things you just could use a helping hand. If you know how to build good teams, you know the highest peaks reach, either individually or together with teammates.

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    Hot Tips for Projecting Professionalism at Your Next Job Interview

    By Sara Parent

    Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy


    A job interview can be a stressful experience if you don't know what to do, or if you aren't used to being in that situation. But there are some things you can do to help you interact with your interviewer more professionally. A successful interview has as much to do with how you present yourself as the skills you bring to a company.
    When meeting someone for the first time, there are some simple rules to remember. We went to Anne Sowden of Here's Looking At You, a Toronto-based image consulting firm, for some suggestions on how job seekers can project a professional image.
    She offers these tips for your next interview:
    • Stand up straight and keep your shoulders back. This makes a huge difference when making a first impression AND you'll feel better.
    • If you're not sure how to shake hands properly, get someone to help you. There's nothing worse than a bad handshake.
    • When shaking hands, stand up, make eye contact and smile. Smiling conveys an accepting attitude towards others.
    • Maintain eye contact with the interviewer but look away at regular intervals to make sure you aren't staring.
    • If you're concerned about clammy hands. Keep a tissue in your pocket and gently squeeze it before shaking hands.
    • When receiving someone's business card, leave it on the desk/table in front of you and look at it during the meeting. It's one way to make sure you get the person's name correct.
    • When sitting, don't slouch. This sends a message that you don't care about being with someone.
    • Be prepared. Whether it's an interview, meeting or networking. Have a plan of what you want to accomplish and do it.
    • Practice introducing yourself. Get a friend to help you.
    Remember that, for better or worse, first opinions are formed very quickly. Sowden says that the image you project can affect your ability to inspire trust and confidence. She adds that it also gives others information by which they judge our credibility and professionalism.
    Knowing how to act and presenting yourself professionally through your attire are critical image builders. Sowden offers these tips on dressing for business:
    • Buy the best you can afford in classic styles.
    • The more skin you show, the less professional you look.
    • Err on the side of caution-dress up rather than down; dress conservatively.
    • Research the dress code, the position you're interviewing for and the person you will be meeting.
    • To project expertise, wear a jacket.
    • Wear clothing that is comfortable and makes you feel good.
    • Focus on basics-jackets, skirts, slacks in a neutral colour. Black, navy and charcoal project power and authority.
    • Check skirt lengths. A skirt around knee length is flattering for most women and looks professional. It also doesn't expose too much leg when sitting down. If your skirt has a split, check how much leg you expose when sitting down.
    • Avoid plunging necklines, sheer fabrics, and clinging knits. Knits cling and find body fat even if you think you don't have any.
    • Keep jewellery simple. No clanging, dangling or jangling items.
    • Carry either a briefcase or a purse, not both. No knapsack.

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    Always Wanted to be a Police Officer?

    Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy


    You've decided this is the path you want to take. You've watched enough NYPD Blue and COPS to know this is the life for you. What do you do now?

    Dig In:
    Call your local police force or your local RCMP detachment. Ask to go on a ride-along. This will give you a better understanding of the job. What you don't see on NYPD Blue you might get to experience on your ride-along. 

    Talk To Those on the Job:
    Get to know your local police officers. Make some contacts at the station by telling them you're interested in the job and in pursuing a career in it. Ask them what they like about, what they dislike, what skills they needed, how they got into it, what skills they think you should have, and anything else you can come up with.

    Decide on Which Force to Join:
    If you are interested in local police in your town or municipality, check their websites or give them a call to see what qualifications you need to work as a police officer for your town or city. Ask them how many officers they have hired lately and how they see their needs in the future. Education requirements differ from city to city. Some will require you to have a policing course completed. Some hire you first and send you to a police college. As well, many colleges and universities offer preparatory courses to help you get into policing. Ask the force what they are looking for as this could save you a lot of time and money.
    If you are interested in joining the RCMP, they have a detailed requirement of what they need. First, you must attend a training session. They are held throughout the country. Contact your local detachment for information on the next available training session. Then you must write the RCMP Police Aptitude Test, do the Physical Abilities Requirement Evaluation (called PARE, which is used by most police agencies in Canada), then a series of tests, investigations, and evaluations are performed. If you are successful, you will be selected to enroll in the cadet training program at RCMP Depot in Regina, Saskatchewan. 

    Get Ready:
    The process to join a police force can be intense. You've got to be prepared to deal with physical fitness testing, personality and aptitude testing, background checks, and lots of paperwork.
    Policing can be a satifying and rewarding career. A little research now will help you prepare yourself and get you closer to fulfilling your goal.


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    Careers : Top 10 Hot Jobs Among All Internet Sources

    By Patty Inglish, MS




    In February 2010, 3,000,000 job listings were gathered by Indeed.com. Among them, these ten positions were most frequently listed on the job trending sites SImplyHired.com and Indeed.com.
    1. Physical Therapists
    2. Sales Associates and Sales Representatives
    3. Assistant Managers - Includes Retail and Restaurant.
    4. Store Managers - Retail, Finance, and Restaurant/Food Service.
    5. Family Practice and Internal Medicine Physicians
    6. Occupational Therapists
    7. Tax Preparers and Census Takers (tied)
    8. Sales Managers
    9. Registered Nurses (RNs)
    10. Project Managers - Domestic and International Business, private, government, and government contractor. 
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    Quirky Ways to Get Your Resume Read

    By Bruno Deshayes

    Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

    Unless you want a quirky job you probably don't want to go quirky about your job application. Do you want to be paid with real money or monopoly currency?
    The first pitfall to avoid is putting a photograph of yourself. Leave that to your facebook page if they want to check it out. Unless you are applying for a role as an actor or performing arts where a whole press-book is required a photo of yourself can be detrimental. People will hire you for your skills and your brains - not for your good looks. Remember more and more women sit on recruitment panels and your sex appeal might not cut it with them...
    Next pitfall are unsubstantiated claims. Trust, honesty and loyalty are in short supply in our confused world. What you say about yourself need to be corroborated by circumstantial evidence. Don't say you are the fastest, the tallest, the quickest, etc... simply state the challenge you faced, the action you took and the result it produced. That's all an employer is interested in and they just want to know if you can do it again for them - simple, huh?
    Next pitfall - going wild with fonts and colours. Your application might be passed around to various people on the recruitment committee, emailed to an iPhone, a Blackberry or an android smartphone. How mangled you will look through a not-so-perfect email program on those devices? If you want your layout and composition to remain unaffected then stick to the PDF format. Recruitment agencies hate it because their databases can't scan it for keywords.
    Next pitfall - confusing your resume for an essay or a monologue. Unless you apply for a role as a writer and are asked to submit samples of your prose, you should not bore your audience with your introverted view of the world since you became unemployed. Employers are not interested in your moods, your political or religious views - all they want to know is if you can be productive from day one without any need for training or induction.
    Next pitfall - ignoring your industry lingo. The best way to be rejected is to show a lack of grasp for your industry values. New lobby groups are forcing employers to comply with more and more regulations and standards. What is best practice in your field? Do you use due diligence? What about occupational health and safety? What about anti-discrimination laws?

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    Top 10 Super Job Interview Tips

    By Kathi MacNaughton



    It’s a tough job market out there today. And getting the job you want requires more than just a killer resume. In other words, you can’t just sell yourself on paper. You’ve also got to be able to do it in person--in a face-to-face job interview.

    Here are a few interview tips to help you make a great impression on the person who interviews you.

    1. Market your skills and related experience in the field that you are applying for. Be sure to do it in a way that is positive, but not cocky or aggressive.

    2. Research the company before your interview. It’s a great way to know where you would fit into the organization. It also lets the employer know that you really want to be a part of the company.

    3. Prepare answers to common interview questions ahead of time, and practice saying them, so you aren’t stumped during the interview.

    4. Dress for success, in the manner you would dress for the position you’re seeking.

    5. Bring a list of your own questions with you in a folder with the company’s name on it, so that you don’t forget them. You should keep your extra resumes in there too.

    6. Be a good listener and focus. Some job seekers talk too much during interviews.

    7. Be prepared to describe your weaknesses as strengths. For example, saying that you are overenthusiastic about performing at your best.

    8. Make eye contact with your interviewer.

    9. Don’t volunteer your personal opinions to your interviewer about any subjects unless you are asked.

    10. Try to establish a good rapport with your interviewer. Be casual but professional, and most importantly BE YOURSELF! Take the time to implement these interview tips before your next job hunt. It'll give you a leg up on your competition!



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    9 Job Search Tips for New Graduates

    By Kathy Kristof






    College graduation season is set to launch millions of youthful job seekers into an already depressed employment market. If you’re among the masses, realize that preparation is key. Here’s what you need to do to get hired.

    1. Edit your profile. Those drunken party photos might have impressed your Facebook friends, but now they could dissuade a prospective employer from hiring you, says Stephen Miles, vice chairman of executive search firm Heidrick & Struggles and co-author of Your Career Game. Recruiters do extensive web searches on people they intend to hire, including checking social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. If you’ve posted compromising photos or a stupid status update (i.e. Nice day. I think I’ll call in sick and go to the beach…) it could cost you a job. Get rid of it.

    2. Do your homework. Don’t just figure that you can post a resume on monster.com and find work, says Janice Bryant Howroyd, CEO of staffing company AppleOne. You ought to study all aspects of your chosen field and seek information about the companies doing business in that area. Go to the company web sites and see if they’re posting open positions, too. If you send a resume, tailor it specifically to the job you’re seeking, Howroyd suggests.

    3. Prepare to relocate. Live in a city where the job prospects are bleak? You can vastly increase your chance of getting work by seeking employment in other zip codes. The folks at job search site Indeed.com recently came up with a list of the best and worst cities to find work.

    4. Think small. Many graduates focus on big, brand-name companies, but it’s the smaller and mid-sized companies that are doing most of the hiring now, Howroyd says. Taking jobs that “no one wants” is often an opportunity that no one else sees, adds Nathan Bennett, professor of management at Georgia Tech and the other co-author of Your Career Game. A first job is an opportunity to get experience. The smaller the company, the thinner the staff, the more likely you are to learn a wide array of skills.

    5. Set targets. Set goals every day for either sending out a set number of resumes; filling out a set number of applications or finding a set number of new opportunities. Don’t hit the beach until you’ve hit your goal. You can’t change the job market, but you can determine how hard you try. Trying harder than your peers makes you the one most likely to get work.

    6. Be persistent. If you go to an interview and don’t hear from the employer, follow up with a phone call. If they gave the job to another person, don’t be angry — be interested. Politely ask the hiring manager if he or she can tell you whether there was something that the other person did that particularly impressed them or something that you did wrong. If your approach is respectful and aimed at learning (rather than second-guessing their actions), they’re likely to help you better position yourself for the next interview. And if they tell you that you were fine, the other person was just more qualified, don’t be shy about asking them to keep you in mind for the next opportunity. If you don’t have a job in three or four months, call again and see if anything has opened up.

    7. Work your network. Ask your friends, your parents, your parents’ friends, if they know of anything that would suit you. Check in with your college career office and attend their alumni functions. When there are hundreds of people applying for a given job, a personal referral can make your application stand out.

    8. Be a temp. Some companies may not be willing to hire permanent full-time staff, but need help. You can sign up with a temporary company, like AppleOne, that will send you out on a daily basis to these companies. The benefits: You earn money; you get to know employers and employers get to know you.

    9. Don’t despair. It’s a rotten job market, so it could take time to get work. And when you do get work, it may not be the ‘perfect job’ that you envisioned. Keep a good attitude and don’t let it get to you. Every job — even a nightmare job — is experience on your resume and a potential reference for a new employer. Do you best no matter where you end up working, and chances are good that you’ll get a better job in no time.




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    Nine Tips For Young People Starting Careers

    By getrichslowly org



    Careers , Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy




    I asked five managers I’ve known over the years and my favorite workplace expert what behaviors and attitudes in their eyes mark a new recruit as promising and promotion-worthy.
    The following attributes will help you succeed:
    • Be willing to ask for help, but be able to take charge. Employers like for employees to ask questions. It’s better to admit you need help than to fumble blindly. But once you’ve been pointed in the right direction, take charge. And if you know what you’re doing, be proactive. “One of the biggest mistakes new recruits can make…is to assume that when they have nothing to do that there is nothing to do.”
    • Know the boss. Understand what she needs. If you can learn what your boss values, what will help her be successful, then your success will follow. Know how she operates and use this to guide your actions.
    • Cultivate good relationships. You can be the best at what you do, but if you’re a jerk, you’re not going to get the promotions. Be easy-going. Be respectful. Be well-groomed. Don’t get involved in office politics.
    • Don’t watch the clock. “If you have to stay a little late to meet a deadline or pull some hours on a weekend without being asked, it shows your commitment.” If you go the extra mile, you’ll be noticed.
    • Know when to go. Most of the career advice I’ve read says the same thing: stay in a position until you’ve got as much from it as you can. Then make a shift to something new, either in the same company or with a new one. It’s important to continue to grow. When that’s no longer possible, it’s time to move on.
    I think this is excellent advice. But as an employer, I think there are additional attributes that can help you get ahead.
    • Don’t treat the job like a chore. Many young people in their first real jobs act as if they’re in an adversarial relationship with their employer. This is counterproductive. An “us vs. them” mentality helps nobody. Think “win-win”. If you’re in a shitty job where the corporate culture fosters adversity, then get out. That’s not a career. That’s a life in purgatory.
    • Think like your employer. If you were in his place, what would you value in an employee? An excellent way to do this is to skim material he may be reading. You might, for example, read a list of seven characteristics of highly effective employees written for managers looking to make hires, instead of this list of nine skills for employees looking to get hired!
    • Behave professionally. Don’t bad-mouth your company to clients. Don’t tell off-color stories. Don’t engage in behavior that’s embarrassing to the company. This is common-sense stuff, but you’d be surprised at how many young people damage their careers by behaving in an unprofessional manner.
    • Be flexible — adapt to the demands of the job. There’s nothing more frustrating than employee who grouses, “That’s not my job.” Especially in a small business, your job is whatever your boss asks you to do. Sometimes you’ll need to do tasks that fall outside your job description. Adapt to the situation. Be willing to think outside the box. Employers love this.
    Your career is one of your most valuable assets — it’s a regular, reliable source of money. Handle it with care.


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    Make Better Business Decisions

    by Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler





    According to leadership experts Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler, "Crucial Conversations" are those tough, day-to-day interactions in which the stakes are high, people have conflicting views, and emotions run strong. The surprising thing about these conversations is that they often occur when least expected whether in the boardroom or by the water cooler. Mastering them can transform businesses and careers, strengthen teams, increase productivity, and boost the bottom line.

    The two riskiest times in crucial conversations tend to be at the beginning and at the end. The beginning is risky because you have to find a way to create safety or else things go awry. The end is dicey because if you aren’t careful about how you clarify the conclusion and decisions, you can run into violated expectations later on.

    When you're considering how to make better business decisions, it helps to have a way of talking about the available options. There are four common ways of making decisions: command, consult, vote, and consensus. These four options represent increasing degrees of involvement. Increased involvement, of course, brings the benefit of increased commitment along with the curse of decreased decision-making efficiency.

    Command
    Let's start with decisions that are made with no involvement whatsoever. This happens in one of two ways. Either outside forces place demands on us (demands that leave us no wiggle room), or we turn decisions over to others and then follow their lead. We don't care enough to be involved -- let someone else do the work.

    In strong teams and great relationships, many decisions are made by turning the final choice over to someone we trust to make a good decision.

    Consult
    Consulting is a process whereby decision makers invite others to influence them before they make their choice. You can consult with experts, a representative population, or even everyone who wants to offer an opinion.

    Vote
    Voting is best suited to situations where efficiency is the highest value -- and you're selecting from a number of good options. Voting is a great time saver but should never be used when team members don't agree to support whatever decision is made. In these cases, consensus is required.

    Consensus
    This method can be both a great blessing and a frustrating curse. Consensus means you talk until everyone honestly agrees to one decision. This method can produce tremendous unity and high-quality decisions. It should only be used with (1) high-stakes and complex issues or (2) issues where everyone absolutely must support the final choice.

    When choosing among the four methods of decision making consider the following questions.
    1. Who cares? Determine who genuinely wants to be involved in the decision along with those who will be affected. These are your candidates for involvement. Don't involve people who don't care.

    2. Who knows? Identify who has the expertise you need to make the best decision. Encourage these people to take part. Try not to involve people who contribute no new information.

    3. Who must agree? Think of those whose cooperation you might need in the form of authority or influence in any decisions you might make. It's better to involve these people than to surprise them and then suffer their open resistance.

    4. How many people is it worth involving? Your goal should be to involve the fewest number of people while still considering the quality of the decision along with the support that people will give it. Ask: "Do we have enough people to make a good choice? Will others have to be involved to gain their commitment?"

    A crucial conversation about your decision-making practices can resolve many frustrating issues.




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    8 Things I Did to Improve My Current Job

    By Rolando Ruiz



    The economy is in a terrible state; a state of which we haven't seen the likes since the Great Depression. Employers are slashing jobs at a record pace and unemployment offices are overcrowded with people now forced to reconfigure their lives. During these tough times we all want to avoid being the one to get the proverbial "pink slip"... easier said than done when you are at the mercy of your employers. Hard work may no longer be enough; it's time to step up your game. You need to show that you are not only worth hanging on to, but that you are a contributing member of the team that will help the company survive. The question on everyone's mind--how?

    So what is the right mix, the right solution to stay above water during tough times? They say change is coming. I say change is here. It's time to wake up and cope with change.

    This has been my experience:
    I left a good job that had long given up on the promise of providing me opportunities for growth in my respective field of information security. I was looking for a challenge; the next stepping stone in my career. I worked as an Information Technology technician for nearly ten years. I had suddenly realized the company's technology strategy didn't fit with my understanding and aspirations around enhancing the discipline of Information Security. In 2007, I accepted an offer from IBM and over the course of the next year plus, I learned a great deal which provided me with broader knowledge and experience. Soon after, I accepted a job offer from a healthcare insurance provider which offered many challenges and a promising future. But it wasn't all as I thought it would be - not right away anyways.

    During my first year of employment my job felt like a waste of my time. I was not contributing, not because I didn't want to or couldn't, but because in my opinion things happened slowly and very little interest was given to my expertise and purpose. I tried my best to stay busy and contribute even when the rewards were small and few and far between. As work began to come our way and much was expected of us, we needed a plan, we needed a strategic plan to handle information security. However, a plan was never fully developed and a vision didn't immediately flourish. Work became an everyday frustration of "putting out fires" and we were never put in a position to show value and results. One of the toughest things to do in the industry of information security and assurance is show ROI and we simply didn't put ourselves in a position to do so. I saw this as a problem and raised the issue. I raised the issue again and again until it got me in trouble. I didn't get in trouble because I was pointing out the obvious, but perhaps because of complex politics and because I didn't fully understand how the organization worked. Despite all that, I felt it was my obligation to my employer to raise issues of concern since this is why I was hired. So I backed off and went into frustration and unmotivated mode. What a terrible way to work. Everyday I looked forward to being late to work and leaving early although I never acted on it. I remained strong to my commitment to my employer. My job became a burden on me however, and to top that off, the economy started to hit us, big time.
    For the first time in years this strong performing company was faced with the tough decision of lay offs. This scared me, or at least got me thinking. I asked myself: "If I was asked by an executive to describe my contributions to the company, what would I say? How can management justify my job?" Wow! Wake up call!

    1. I realized that I would, like everyone else, likely struggle to find work if I lost my job. Not because of my ability or marketability, but because there's a lot of competition out there and finding a better job would be really tough. So I decided to change my current attitude and focus to fit my style - the turning point.

    2. I wrote down what benefits my job offered. When I say benefits I mean what challenges, learning opportunities, chance to get involved, opportunities to develop my professional status and knowledge. I wrote down the things that I can find at work that would show results for my employer.

    3. I looked for areas or projects where my past experience could be of use in an effective manner to help others while helping myself establish a better reputation and improve my brand within the company. This was important to me because in every job I've ever held, I have always been involved in rewarding projects and activities and I wanted to maintain that.

    4. I developed plans on how I would contribute to these projects. I didn't want to only contribute, I wanted to stand out and be noticed. So I had to develop ways that I could be productive and be a leader. I thought out my ideas and put them on paper so that when I presented them, they would make sense and gain stakeholders' interest.

    5. I took charge. I became a marketing genius of my own work and myself. I sought out people that would be on my side and back my ideas. In many cases I gained people's input on my plans before I presented them. Input from people that have an established reputation in the company is an undervalued asset. If you can find allies, go get 'em.

    6. Positive attitude. My attitude changed drastically. I have always been a pretty optimistic and positive person but for a while my attitude was down the toilet. How did I remain positive you ask? Simple, I just stayed true to myself and to my strengths. I figured, if I get laid off, I didn't want to walk away thinking I could have done better. I'm at my best when I am true to myself and when I maximize my strengths and abilities. Find them, we all have them. That's why you were hired in the first place.

    7. Get noticed. There is nothing wrong with letting people know that you did something right. You're expected to own up to your mistakes so why not take credit for your good work? I began walking into my boss's office 3-4 times a day to let him know what I've accomplished thus far. I kept him informed of every detail of my work and how it was being received by other departments.

    8. Finally, I made my boss look good. When you do good work in cross-functional activities and teams, your ability will shine and everyone will know your worth. But it is your boss that holds your success and job status in his or her hands. If you make your boss look good, he or she will want to retain you because your work actually provides him with job security as well; you're part of his or her vision and helping achieve that. Eventually you will outgrow your job and possibly look to leave, unless you're content where you are and with the growth you've achieved, but while you're at your job, making your boss look good will get you more projects to work on, and more opportunities to shine and develop yourself professionally. Make your boss your ally.

    So after all that, where am I today? Today, I'm leading two of the company's most critical information security activities. I'm developing the company's Information Security Incident Management and I'm also heading the information security risk assessment for a high priority project. My boss and others, have shown great appreciation for my work and every day now my work has major rewards with those rewards coming more often. The money is the same, but my life is simpler and my job is a happier place. My positive attitude seems to be contagious as others look forward to working with me and participating in my meetings. I usually stand by the conference room door as people leave my meetings so that I can get feedback. Positive feedback is great food for self confidence.

    In all, I feel that I have further solidified my job status and most importantly, I have engaged myself in promising activities that will have great rewards in the future. Information Security has a promising future, so this will only enhance my chances to grow professionally.


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    5 Tips to Succeed and Create Wealth Online

    By Michael T. Anderson




    There is no one way to succeed and create wealth online. There are a number of divergent paths one can take to secure financial independence via the Internet. Here are 5 tips to help you on your way to success online no matter what path you choose:

    1. There are no markets that are too saturated to make money from - You will often see people advising beginners to steer clear of saturated markets like "lost weight" or "make money" when, in fact, these are some of the most profitable markets there are. Instead of attacking the big market, look for sub-niches that can be exploited to create wealth online.

    2. Promote something worthwhile - Pick a good product to promote and you'll find that you can not only sell that product but you can go on to sell more items to the same customer. Pick a poorly put together product and you'll never be able to make another sale to that person. You can't shine up a turd and sell it more than once.

    3. Get help if you need it - If you are floundering and can't figure it out, don't hesitate to ask for help on one of the many forums. If you don't get the help you need, it may be beneficial to hire a mentor that will walk you through the process. Once you've been through it once, it's a matter of rinse and repeat.

    4. Don't jump from method to method - In order to create wealth online, you need to learn one method inside and out. Choose a method and stick with it until you figure out how to make that method work for you. Once you've figured it out and are making money at it, scale it up and then look at other methods of making money. Trying to do too much all at once has killed off more than a few Internet marketers.

    5. Don't quit your regular job until you're making enough money - Quitting your job to focus on working online will put you under the gun. Now, instead of simply making a little extra cash, you HAVE to make money to put food on the table. Most people do not work well under this kind of stress and it can lead to you making unwise decisions. A desperate person is more likely to make a mistake that can cost a lot of money.

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    5 Crucial Steps To a Solid Internet Income

    By Tasso Pepi




    Do you still remember the time before the Internet actually existed? When we had to go to the local public library to borrow books for research, or send our overseas friends snail mail that they will receive in two weeks? It seemed so long ago, right? Before the 90s, one would have never imagined that we can connect with people virtually around the world. The Internet has evolved tremendously over the past couple of years, and what's even greater is that we can make fast money online!

    If you think internet income is easy, think again. It may seem simple at first, but it actually takes a considerable amount of time, planning and effort to be successful in this field. You need to be able to learn some basic concepts around internet income and marketing before you begin. It is definitely not a simple task, but it's not rocket science either; if you are successful, you can start to reap the rewards sooner than you expect.
    Still thinking about the kind of business that you want to get yourself into?

    Here are a couple of samples that have thrived online. You may want to try one or more of the following:

    1. Writing for the Web.
    This is probably one of the simplest and easiest ways to generate income without even leaving your house. Online content writing is quite popular and gives you the opportunity to earn extra even if you have a fulltime job. Sites like oDesk.com and Elance.com provide a lot of virtual jobs that cater to blog and article writing, translation and transcription.

    2. Trying On Traffic.
    You may invest on the latest technology for your website, but without a steady flow of traffic, all your efforts will be futile. Whether you have decided to make money as a direct internet marketer or an affiliate, you need to make sure that web traffic is one of your biggest priorities.

    3. Naming Your Niche.
    Niche marketing is also gaining increasing popularity these days due to the success of programs that used this concept. There is nothing wrong in selling broad and wide-ranged products, but due to the number of options an Internet user has, it gets more difficult to increase web traffic. Finding a niche market can also be a little tricky. Fortunately, there are several keyword niche tools available online that you can use.

    4. Salary From SEO.
    Search engine optimization or SEO is targeted towards improving a web site's visibility in major search engines. Feel free to read up on on-page and off-page optimization, since both these methods will help you expand your customer base exponentially and provide you a steady flow of web traffic.

    5. Marketing Methods.
    Affiliate marketing is one of the most popular methods of generating internet income, especially for entry-level or beginner marketers. This method takes away the pressure of manufacturing a product but instead focuses on promoting the product and making money in the process. Aside from being an affiliate, there are varieties of marketing methods to select from.


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    How to Get Started on Your Resume: A Five-Step Primer for Established Job-seekers and Career-Changers

    by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.




    As an established job-seeker, you probably have a resume. Thus, getting started on the resume that will take you to the next rung in your career ladder may be a simple matter of spiffing up your existing document using guidelines in this article and many other resume resources on Quintessential Careers.

    But some established job-seekers do have to start from square one. I sometimes hear from job-seekers that they have been recruited into most of their jobs or obtained them through networking and have not needed a resume. Or they have not needed one in such a long time that the resume they have is quite outdated.

    Most people find the idea of creating a resume overwhelming. Even the notion of revamping an existing resume can be daunting.

    This article takes you through the steps to getting started on your resume and provides a refresher if you have a resume that needs updating and polishing.

    Step 1: Consider whether you really want to tackle your resume on your own

    Consider hiring a professional resume writer. An investment in a professionally crafted resume can pay off big time. There's no shame in hiring a professional resume writer. You hire doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, and tax consultants when you lack the expertise in those areas, so why should resume-writing be different? Many employers and even more recruiters actually encourage the idea of professionally written resumes because hiring managers want to obtain your information in a reader-friendly form that clearly tells how you can benefit the organization.

    See our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?.

    Step 2: Review resume samples to get ideas for wording, layout, and current resume trends.

    If you decide to take on your resume without professional help, looking at sample resumes will give you ideas that you may want to apply to your own document. For content, you'll want to review resumes in your own and similar professions, but resumes for other occupations can offer ideas for resume organization and layout.

    By looking at samples, you'll get a sense for the sections that are typically included on a resume and how those sections are organized. You'll see how resume bullet points are worded. You'll get ideas for distinctive resume designs that will help you stand out.

    You can find samples in many resume books, all over the Internet, and of course, here at Quintessential Careers. See our resume samples here.

    Step 3: Prepare to craft your resume by brainstorming and gathering information.

    The resume-preparation step comprises several sub-steps:

    1. Determine the focus of your resume. What kind of job or jobs will you be targeting? Your resume must target your desired career goal with precision. Job-seekers tend to forget that employers review resumes extremely quickly -- often in just a few seconds. An employer taking such a quick glance should be able to immediately grasp what you want to do and have a sense of the value you can contribute to the organization. Your resume must focus on key strengths that position you to meet a specific need and target specific jobs/employers. In other words, employers give little consideration to one-size-fits-all resumes that aren't focused on a job's specific requirements.

    2. Decide whether you will need multiple versions of your resume in your quest to target different types of jobs. Since specifically targeted resumes are much more effective that "general" resumes, you may need more than one resume if you are open to more than one type of job. At the very least, you'll want to tweak and customize your boilerplate resume for each job you apply for. See our Cover Letter and Resume Customization Worksheet. You may also need more than one resume format. While chronological resumes are the strong preference of most hiring decision-makers, you may be in a situation in which a chrono-functional resume would be more effective -- or you may want to experiment with both formats. Read our article What Resume Format is Best for You?

    3. Identify the audience for your resume. Will it go primarily to recruiters? Directly to hiring managers? Will you use it mostly for networking and career fairs? Each audience will require small tweaks in your resume presentation. For example, you'll probably want to stick to one page for networking and career fairs. For recruiters, provide substantial information about each organization you worked for and your reporting relationships. Research the preferences of your target audience.

    4. Brainstorm your accomplishments and results. Your resume must -- with a future-oriented flavor -- emphasize results, outcomes, and career-defining performance indicators. Using numbers, context, and meaningful metrics (e.g., previous years' performance, competitors, counterparts, forecasts/projections/quotas, industry trends), the resume must paint a picture of you in action -- meeting needs/challenges, solving problems, impacting the company's big picture, growing the business, enhancing revenue, and driving profits. Concrete, measurable accomplishments are the points that really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. If you can achieve the important step of identifying your accomplishments, the rest will fall into place as you work through the remainder of this article. Read our article For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments and use our Job-Seeker Accomplishments Worksheet to help.

    5. Compile your employment data. For the experience section of your resume, you'll need the name of each employer, location (city and state), and dates of employment (starting and ending month and year). Resist the temptation to refer to employer-supplied job descriptions in composing your resume; job-description language is the antithesis of accomplishments-rich verbiage that makes a resume effective.

    6. Develop a branding message that you will execute not only in your resume, but also in all your other job-search communications. Today's resume communicates a brand relevant to targeted employers. The branding expressed in your resume captures your career identity, authenticity, passion, essence, and image. "Branding is... best defined as a promise," says my partner, Randall Hansen, founder of Quintessential Careers,"... a promise of the value of the product… a promise that the product is better than all the competing products… a promise that must be delivered to be successful. Branding is the combination of tangible and intangible characteristics that make a brand unique. Branding is developing an image -- with results to match." If you have not already developed a personal brand for your job search, do so as you prepare to craft your resume. See our article Branding Your Resume and our branding resources.

    Step 4: Just do it. Get words on paper.

    Sometimes the best way to get started on your resume is to just start writing in a Word or text document (Notepad or WordPad, for example). Just jot down your version of the typical components of a resume (that you've seen in the samples you've reviewed) and worry about formatting, fine-tuning, and polishing later.

    Also consider developing the components of your resume through our worksheets:

    * Keywords Worksheet -- use this worksheet to help identify keywords for use in your resume and cover letter. These keywords will likely vary according to job/type of job you are seeking.
    * Resume Components Worksheet -- a critical worksheet to help you develop every aspect of your resume. Whether you're starting your resume from scratch or just tweaking an existing document, use this worksheet to make your resume sparkle.
    * Resume Professional Profile/Qualifications Summary Worksheet -- use this worksheet to help you develop bullet points for this very important resume section. You may want to tweak the section slightly for each job/type of job you apply for. (Not aware of this section of a resume? Check out: Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume.)
    * Especially vital for career-changers is our Transferable Skills Worksheet -- use this worksheet to develop lists of skills and examples of how you've used them. Determine which skills are transferable and applicable to each job/type of job you plan to apply for, and plan how to portray those skills in your resume and cover letter.

    Now, put all the components together, using the organizational and layout models you've admired in the samples you've reviewed. As you'll note in most sample, the majority of items on a resume are presented as bullet points, and most of those bullet points kick off with powerful action verbs. See a list of sample verbs here and samples of action verbs in use here.

    Step 5: Edit, proofread, and polish your resume.

    Edit your resume to make sure the wording is the best it can be. Cut out all unnecessary words. Ensure that each bullet point packs a punch.

    Typos, misspellings, missing words, and weak grammar can kill all your good efforts in constructing your resume. Proofread, and then put your resume down for a while before proofing again. A good technique for catching errors you would not otherwise notice is to read your resume from the bottom up. Then ask friends or family to proof it for you.

    How does your resume look? Is it pleasing to the eye? Is the type size and font easily readable? Can the reader's eye easily follow the resume's organization? Are the margins wide enough? These are all aspects of polishing your resume.

    Polishing can also include getting the opinion of others. Enlist members of your network (especially those who share your profession) to read your resume with an eye toward answering the question, "If you were hiring for the type of job I seek, how would you respond to this resume?" You can also self-critique your resume using our Resume Critique Worksheet. Finally, consider having your resume critiqued by a professional resume writer. Resume critiques are usually quite inexpensive or even free because resume writers use them as tools to promote their resume-writing services.

    Finally, consider file formats (beyond the standard Word .doc) that you may need for your resume -- such as ASCII text, HTML, or PDF. See our article Your E-Resume's File Format Aligns with its Delivery Method.

    Final Thoughts
    Don't forget all the other components of your job search as you craft your resume.

    A resume is an important part of your job search, but it's far from the only component. Remember that you'll also need a cover letter for each job you apply for and a references sheet separate from your resume. You may want both a print and an online career portfolio. You'll also want to shore up your network and prepare for interviews.



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    How Teen Girls and Young Women Can Leverage Gender Trends in the Workplace

    by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.





    Our article, Women Are the New Men: Reviewing and Leveraging Women's Bold New World of Work listed five trends that are reshaping opportunities for women in the workplace. This companion article suggests ways that teen girls and young women can get an early start on making the most of these trends:

    Commit yourself to higher education. A college degree is the single most powerful tool young women can deploy to ensure a leg up in the world of work. With women enjoying a 60 percent to 40 percent majority over men in earning bachelor's degrees, women's career fortunes have reached a real turning point. As reported in Women Are the New Men, young women in major metropolitan areas are already out-earning men, and women's educational advantage is said to be the reason.

    Consider science, technology, and engineering. Sue Shellenberger reported in the Wall Street Journal: "Prospects for long-term job growth in these fields are relatively good, and many employers expect a talent shortage, partly because of high quit rates among experienced women."

    Participate in sports. Wharton business and public policy professor Betsey Stevenson researched the relationship between high-school sports participation and educational/employment opportunities, noting in her paper Beyond the Classroom: Using Title IX to Measure the Return to High School Sports, that working women who were high-school athletes earned 14 percent higher wages than those who weren't. As reported on Knowledge@Wharton, "the skills associated with athletic participation and success later in life 'may include the ability to communicate, the ability to work well with others, competitiveness, assertiveness and discipline,' and "sports participation may be especially helpful to girls because it gives them skills that they can use later in the business world." Stevenson also asserts that "a roughly four percentage point rise in female labor force participation is attributable to increased opportunities to participate in sports. In turn, this suggests that up to 40 percent of the overall rise in the employment of 25 to 34 year-old women is attributable to Title IX [a 1972 amendment to the Civil Rights Act that expanded athletic and educational opportunities for girls]."

    Pursue a career in a large metro area. As noted above, in New York City and several other major cities (such as Boston, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Dallas) women 21 to 30, working fulltime, are making more money than men. Thus, Gen Y women may find salary advantages in living in a large metropolitan area. Also consider some of the best-paying careers for women, such as the 25 reported on CareerBuilder's Work Buzz blog, even though men still earn more than women in almost all of these professions.

    Get a mentor, or better yet, a sponsor. Mentors have long been seen as a particular boon to women's career prospects (Learn more.), and now economist Sylvia Ann Hewlett takes the mentor concept a step further. Hewlett, founding president of the Center for Work-Life Policy, writes:

    To successfully make [the leap to the next professional level] requires something more specific: a sponsor. More than a mentor, this is someone in a senior position who's willing to advocate for and facilitate career moves, make introductions to the right people, translate and teach the secret language of success, and most important, 'use up chips' for their proteges. One woman describes a sponsor as someone who can 'directly intercede on your behalf to create a different reality for you.'

    Network. Networking is not only the most effective way to get a job, but one of the best ways to get noticed and promoted at a current job. It's also especially valuable for women. One of the best networking techniques for younger women is informational interviewing (because prospective interviewees are often more open to being interviewed by students and young people). Learn all about how to conduct informational interviews with our informational interviewing tutorial. Another highly effective technique is joining professional organizations, which often offer student or "young professional" memberships. Check out QuintCareers's Professional Organizations and Associations for Networking. And don't forget to network once you're on the job so your co-workers know what you hope to do next and are poised to give advice and referrals.

    Final Thoughts
    Teen girls and young women are in a prime position to take advantage of the current "turning point" era for women in the workplace because they can leverage opportunities that would be difficult or virtually impossible for more established career women to pursue. This is your time. Go for it!


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