by cjxpadmin | Aug 1, 2013 | This Issue's FEATURE
By Sheena Williams
There comes a time in just about everyone’s life when it feels that it’s being put on hold. You’re stalled due to lack of money, job, or support. Then, there are those times when you don’t really have a good excuse for not succeeding. Everything is going well, but you just can’t get to that next level. Those are the times when you need to take a good look inside and see if you are self-sabotaging your success.
It may sound strange, but it happens quiet often. You can be afraid of succeeding, so you hold yourself back because, subconsciously, you are afraid of what comes next. And this is true. In some cases, when you reach the top, you find that there isn’t really a top; it’s just another milestone in the success that you are trying to achieve. Maybe you’re not an attention seeker. You want to succeed, but you don’t want the limelight that comes with the achievement. Then you have those who don’t feel that they deserve success for whatever wrong you feel you did in your past. Stop that!
Regardless of what your reason is, it is human nature to want to do well. It is in your genetic make-up to succeed. If you don’t want to succeed for yourself, then, look at it this way. There are people who look up to you. Family, friends, your kids, Sparky, your dog. All of them are on their own journeys to succeed. And when you reach your goals, you tell them, without saying a word, that it’s okay to let their own light shine.
So, in an effort to help your little light shine, we thought we’d give you a few things you could do to give yourself a boost!
Be Positive. Yes, every self-help guru in the world will tell you that you need to think happy thoughts. But negative thoughts keep your from moving forward. When you think positively, you are giving yourself permission to realize your potential. Positive thoughts will give you that extra push of courage you didn’t even know you needed to achieve greatness!
Achiever Tip: Take time to write down all of the things you have to be grateful for!
It’s All About the Big Picture. You are a cog in a very large wheel called Life. When you do something great, it pings the rest of world with a signal that tells others they can be great too. You don’t have to go out and feed 20 of the nation’s hungry or teach impoverished children in Tibet how to read. You can do something as simple as lending an ear to the people around you. Your positive vibe gives others reasons to be positive which will come back to you.
Achiever Tip: Volunteer for a day, or spend quality time with your loved ones just talking about your day.
Finding Yourself. With all of the things that you have taking up your day that you are trying to keep up with, it’s very easy to lose yourself in the problems of others and the daily grind of your responsibilities. But take time for yourself to find your voice. You can’t have a dream if you don’t remember what it is you are striving for. All of the things you do are supposed to be working to get you to a specific result. Take time to see where you are on that plan. If you’ve veered off, adjust and keep going.
Achiever Tip: Write down something that you would like to get done in the next 3 years. They don’t have to be important or even practical. Just write them down and see what steps you can take to get yourself there.
Create A Success Space. Everyone needs inspiration. Maybe, it’s a board with some of your favorite quotes on them. Maybe it’s a file filled with magazines with creative art, or a bookshelf with knick-knacks and reference material for your next goal. When you feel as if you’ve lost your way, go to your area and go through the things that you wanted to do. Look at the lists of things that you’re grateful for and the list of things that you want to do, and adjust, where needed.
Achiever Tip: Set up a corkboard you can take things to or a file on your computer where you can paste pictures. Find things that inspire you to get to where you want to go.
Learn. Practice makes perfect, and what better way to achieve your goal then to find someone or something who will teach you the best route to reach that goal? Take a class; pick up a book at the library and self-study. Whatever it takes, keep learning. It keeps your mind sharp and focused on your goals.
Achiever Tip: Find your local library and take a free class, pick up a free book, or talk to someone who is interested in the same things you are!
Balance is Key. It’s awesome that you are fast tracking your way to your goal. It’s great that you can see the finish line. But pump your breaks and check to see if those around you are at the finish line with you. Often times, while trying to reach a goal, we forget the reasons we are reaching that goal. Is it a better life for your family? That’s great, but if you don’t see your family, they aren’t going to appreciate your goal as much, which will hinder your progress because you’ll feel guilty. Are you neglecting other areas of your life trying to reach the intended goal? There is nothing wrong with being ambitious, but there does come a time when you can throw your life off balance.
Achiever Tip: Make a list of reasons that make this achievement worth it, and see if the reasons encompass all parts of your life, not just a few.
Believing You Deserve It. You worked hard to reach that goal. You put in the blood, sweat, and tears to make it. Don’t ever think that you don’t deserve to be where you are. Ignore naysayers who say you only got there because you were lucky. You made your own luck. You may have had help; we all do, but you got there through a lot of your own work as well. Maybe by achieving that goal, you can make whatever is keeping you from succeeding right. Maybe you need to forgive yourself before you move on. Whatever it is, all thoughts of your deserving success are not even a question and should never plague your thoughts.
Achiever Tip: Look at the list of what you want to accomplish and write down all of the positive things that you do that makes you worthy of achieving that goal.
The most important thing when achieving a goal is to make sure that it’s the goal that you want to achieve at the time. You may want to do something and find that you have outgrown that dream. Sometimes, a dream isn’t always plausible until later. No one is saying that your goal can’t be done; it just may need to take a back seat for a while. Whatever the case, just keep working on reaching your goals and never be afraid to succeed! △
by cjxpadmin | Aug 1, 2013 | This Issue's FEATURE
10 mistakes to avoid when job hunting
Don’t take your eyes off the competition, but do take a break. Here’s advice on mistakes to avoid when looking for work
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Simon Gray
the guardian.com, May 28 January 2013
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Don’t be afraid to blow your own trumpet Photograph: Terry Cryer/ Terry Cryer/CORBIS
Applying for jobs is often a difficult and demoralizing process, but it’s important to stay positive and learn from your mistakes. Here are ten common mistakes you should try to avoid:
1. Passing On Responsibility For Your Job Hunt
It’s important that you don’t try and blame others for your job hunting difficulties. Focus on positive action rather than negative thoughts. Brush pessimism to one side and look to the future. What’s happened has happened, but by taking control of the current situation and letting your personality shine through, you will overcome this.
2. Make Your Job Search Your Sole Focus in Life
Enjoy family time, eat well and exercise. Leave the house each day, volunteer, learn new skills, meet people and maintain a balance in your life. We all need interaction and variety: often the harder you chase something, the more it eludes you.
3. Take Rejection Personally
Unfortunately it’s rare to be offered the first job you apply for — it’s just not that easy. So, accept rejection as part of the process and always ask for, and even more importantly learn from, feedback. The job you don’t get helps you next time so always push for feedback and act on it.
4. Search in the Same Place As Others
Surfing the online job boards is an important first port of call in finding a job, but there are also lots of other places you can explore. For example, you could look at recommendations, referrals and professional networks as this market can be less competitive.
5. Fail To Deliver A Clear Message
Employers are interested in where you have added value, not everything you’ve ever done. Make sure they can see the wood from the trees. Think of yourself as a movie trailer and not the whole film – what is it about you that generates enough excitement and interest for an employer to buy a ticket to the main feature?
6. Hide It From the People in Your Life
Although searching for your next job is a personal experience, don’t try and do it all alone. Share the experience with your loved ones and you’ll be far stronger and more effective in your quest.
7. Apply For Every Job You Come Across
This makes you look desperate and you’ll lose focus. Try to take more time on fewer applications and don’t adopt the scatter gun approach. Throwing more mud at the wall won’t lead to more success, just more mess. Nothing puts an employer off more than you not knowing anything about their business or what the role entails and, if you have multiple applications out in the field, keeping track of them all becomes an impossible task.
8. Be Afraid To Push Yourself Forward
This is no time to lurk in the shadows. Don’t be afraid to shine, blow your own trumpet and tell people how good you are and what value you can bring to their business. Confidence, not arrogance, is the key here – don’t let your skills and experience be the best kept secret.
9. Forget That Times Change
If you’ve not been in the job market for a few years, you might have expectations that are unrealistic. It’s easy to think that it’s exactly the same as when you last looked for a position, but times have changed. Take a more enlightened approach and try to gain more understanding of the modern job market and how best to place yourself in it.
10. Take Your Eye Off the Competition
Make sure you differentiate yourself from other jobseekers. Instantly falling in line with what the competition is doing will put you at a distinct disadvantage.
Think not only about your skills and experience but also your key achievements. These should be things where you have made a difference and done something out of the ordinary. Your competition is likely to have similar responsibilities but achievements are unique to you. Think about a particular situation, what you did and quantify the outcome or result where possible. This way of thinking and presentation on your CV falls in line with the competency-based interview style of questioning and will help you make an even better impression once you get to interview. Knowledge is power and the more you know about yourself and what makes you different, the better placed you are to attack the job market and find your next position. △
Simon Gray is the director of Cherry Professional
by cjxpadmin | Aug 1, 2013 | This Issue's FEATURE
50 Proven Job Search Tips for Serious Job Seekers
by Wes Weiler
In Interviewing, Job Seekers, Resume, Social Media
It’s a tough job market out there.
It’s not uncommon for hundreds of resumes to flood a company for just one position. This means that it’s a buyer’s market for employers and you’ll need to bring your A-Game to stand out from the crowd.
Every day we work with employers and recruiters to find and hire serious job seekers. One advantage for you is that we’ve been able to compile the best tips from top companies and recruiters.
Here are 50 of the top job search tips and strategies that we’ve uncovered:
Preparation
1. Do Your Homework: Always research the organization prior to interviewing. Knowing some of the company’s successes and accolades, such as awards and charitable actions, shows that you have done your homework.
2. Have a Focused Plan: Create a list of companies that you will systematically contact. Prioritize companies that are a close match to your experience and skills.
3. Schedule Networking: Treat networking like a job. Fill your calendar with events and follow-up regularly.
4. Arrive 10 Minutes Before the Interview: Arriving early relieves the stress of possibly being late and demonstrates that you are responsible and dependable.
5. Professional Email: Don’t use your “party email” for follow-up. Get an email address that is simple and professional.
6. Get Business Cards: Make a point of asking for your contact’s business card. This will ensure that you have correct titles and spelling for follow-up.
7. Stay Updated: Set up Google Alerts for each of your top employment prospects. Review the latest news before your interview.
8. Practice Your Writing Skills: All professional positions require excellent writing skills. Take the time to upgrade yours.
Resume
9. Customize Your Resume: Take the extra step of customizing your resume to fit the industry. Simple, generic resumes fail to catch the eye of hiring managers.
10. Proofread 3x: Make sure that you do not have any grammatical errors on your resume.
11. Bring Copies of Your Resume: Don’t assume that everyone will have copies of your resume. Make sure you bring a few extra, “clean” copies with you.
12. Streamline Your List of Pertinent Experience: Older (seasoned) professionals should list approximately 15 years of relevant experience. This will streamline your resume and focus attention on your best experience.
13. Use Active Verbs: Strong active verb usage adds “punch and power” to your resume.
14. Be Careful with Acronyms and Jargon: Make sure that any acronyms are spelled out to avoid confusion. Try to eliminate jargon unless you are 100% sure your interviewer will understand the reference.
15. Send Your Resume in the Right File Format: Pay attention to the guidelines for sending in your resume. Failing to comply with file format standards can hurt your chances for an interview.
16. Make Your Resume More Reader-Friendly: Research shows that employers take from 2.5 to 20 seconds to scan a resume. Use bullet-points and bolded titles to make it easy for them to focus on the highlights.
17. Axe Weak “Responsibilities” Words from Your Resume: Delete phrases like “duties included,” “responsibilities included,” or “responsible for” from your resume. Your resume should communicate accomplishments, not your last job description.
Interviewing
18. Always Dress for Success: When in doubt, dress business conservative. Don’t take a chance “experimenting” with dress to show off your personality.
19. Make Eye Contact: Seek to make solid eye contact when answering questions. This simple gesture shows that you are confident and decisive.
20. Take Notes: This also shows preparation, organization, and respect for the interviewer. Always come prepared to take great notes.
21. Bring Questions to the Interview: Don’t be afraid to come in with a prepared list of questions.
22. Be Decisive: Know what you want and explain your expectations to your prospective employer.
23. Listen: The old proverb – you have 2 ears and one mouth – is dead on. Make sure you listen as much as you talk. You’ll be surprised by what you’ll learn by asking great questions and listening attentively.
24. Confront Your Weaknesses: Employers usually ask what your “weaknesses” are. Don’t be afraid to admit them and describe how you are working to improve.
25. Practice Makes Perfect: Ask a friend to play the role of an interviewer. Set-up a video to record how you answer questions. Review the video for ways to improve your body language and style.
26. Pronounce Your Interviewer’s Name Correctly: Before the interview, ask the receptionist/secretary to help you with difficult pronunciations. Correctly pronouncing your interviewer’s name will make you stand out from the crowd.
27. Show Interest in the Team: Include several questions about the team you will be joining. Get a clear picture of roles and ask if anyone internally is interviewing for the position.
28. Understand Why the Position Is Vacant: Politely probe why the last person left the position. This question demonstrates your thorough preparation and may uncover any red flags you should follow-up on.
29. Keep Standing: More people may be participating in your interview. Avoid awkward seat shuffling by waiting to be directed to your seat.
30. Ask About the Culture: Ask smart and probing questions about the culture and values of the company. This demonstrates that you care and desire to make a positive contribution.
After The Interview
31. Follow-up on Shaky Answers: Note questions that you didn’t have a good answer for in the interview. Follow-up with a clarified answer in your thank you note.
32. The Little Things Count: Always send a follow up email and handwritten note. You’ll be surprised by how many candidates overlook this step.
33. Thank You Notes: Thank you notes are a lost art. Pay extra attention to them and you’ll stand out from the crowd. Consider adding custom graphics to thank you emails or using personalized stationary for written notes.
34. Ask For the Job: Take the initiative. Remember that “fortune favors the bold.” If you feel that the interview went especially well, make it clear that you want to work there. You never know – you might get hired on the spot!
Attitude
35. Treat the Job Search Process Like a Job: Schedule your day, set goals and objectives, and make a focused effort every weekday. Remember that the most persistent get hired.
36. Personality Wins: Always make sure to inject a certain balance of humor into your job interview. Your personality is equally important.
37. Sell Yourself: Don’t be shy about your accomplishments and achievements.
38. Stay Positive and Smile: Employers want positive and upbeat team players. Put your attitude on display with a smile and an optimistic outlook.
39. Make a Memorable Impression on Everyone: Shake hands and say thank you to everyone you meet, from the hiring manager to the receptionist.
40. Firm Handshake: You can’t go wrong with delivering a solid handshake. Remember – firm, not bone-crushing.
41. Think Win/Win: Remember that you must solve a problem for the employer to get the position. Know how your unique experience and skills benefits the employer.
- Stay Patient and Optimistic: The job market is tough right now. The most persistent and optimistic candidates have the best chances of landing a position.
Using Social Media
43. Start a Blog: Blogs are an excellent way to demonstrate your writing skills. Also, use the blog to talk about your hobbies and interests.
44. Clean Up Your Social Media Profiles: If you use Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter profiles, make sure you review them to make sure they are professional and ready for employer scrutiny.
45. Make Your Resume Shareable: Online resumes are a great way to demonstrate your technical prowess. Go ahead and include a Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook button to make your resume easy to share.
46. Create a Professional List on Facebook: Set up a specific list of professional contacts to help keep your job search separate from your personal account profiles. This isn’t fool-proof but it will help.
47. Use LinkedIn Groups for Networking: Search LinkedIn for relevant professional groups. Get involved and contribute to the group before you start actively networking for job opportunities.
48. Be Proactive on Twitter: Follow the Twitter streams of prospective employers. Many companies also maintain career-specific accounts that could give you advance notice of great opportunities.
49. Create a Video Resume and Upload It to YouTube: A video resume is simply a 5-6 minute video of you discussing your past positions and accomplishments. This is an excellent way to stand out if you feel comfortable on camera.
- Focus on LinkedIn: LinkedIn is the #1 resource for job seekers and employers.
Spending time mastering this tool is well worth the investment. A simple search for “LinkedIn Tips” will deliver a wealth of excellent information. △
by cjxpadmin | Aug 1, 2013 | This Issue's FEATURE
AARP BULLETIN
AARP Home » Work & Retirement » Life at Work »Your Salary Information…
Your Salary Information May Be for Sale
You can check what personal data is being marketed about you
by Bill Hogan, AARP Bulletin, April 2013
Think your earnings are a matter between you, your employer and the IRS?
The Equifax credit reporting agency has collected 190 million employment and salary records on about one-third of U.S. adults and has sold some of the information. — Getty Images
Think again. That information may well be in the hands of Equifax, the credit-reporting giant. Its subsidiary, The Work Number, has amassed what may be the world’s largest private database of personal financial
information: 222 million
employment and salary records
from thousands of employers.
Companies pay The Work Number to verify information about potential employees and also give it access to their workers’ human resources data, which could include Social Security numbers and information on health care providers.
And it’s all for sale. The buyers include mortgage lenders, credit card companies and even debt collectors, according to a report by NBC News.
Equifax insists what they’re doing is legal, but some privacy experts worry that electronic warehousing of such data attracts hackers and identity thieves.
Elizabeth De Armond, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, says that data breaches occur regularly and that “Equifax is not in the business of keeping valuable data secret — quite the opposite.”
Equifax paid $393,000 last year to settle charges filed by the Federal Trade Commission that it improperly sold information about homeowners who were late on mortgage payments.
Federal law allows you to review and dispute information in The Work Number’s database: Go to theworknumber.com/employees, select “Help” and then choose “How to Get Your Employment Data Report.” △
