Friday, May 29, 2020

When do you change your job search criteria

When do you change your job search criteria When I started my job search, about 6 years and three weeks ago, I knew what I wanted: More than I was making in my last job (I had forgone three years of raises and salaries, and really felt I was underpaid (long story)). A short commute from my house.  The commute I had just left was 30 minutes, which I didnt like. To stay in my house. I didnt want to uproot my family. Im sure I had other criteria, but those are the three that I am remembering right now.  As the weeks went by, and my job search got more pathetic, my criteria changed. I was okay to not have such a senior level title. I was okay to commute into the city (yuck I cringe as I write that!!). I was started to look at jobs that would require me to move.  And I figured if I would move outside of my town, I might as well look anywhere in the world. What would I entertain?  I was more excited about moving overseas and working in the high tech space.  For example, I would have loved to work at TomTom here is a link to some cool TomTom jobs.  Doesnt that look freaking awesome? Honestly, if I found a job a couple of hours away from my house, I might as well move 20 hours away, right?  A job at TomTom, working on that awesome technology, in another country, is exciting to me, even now What was on YOUR list of requirements when you first started your job search, and how has your list of requirements changed? When do you change your job search criteria When I started my job search, about 6 years and three weeks ago, I knew what I wanted: More than I was making in my last job (I had forgone three years of raises and salaries, and really felt I was underpaid (long story)). A short commute from my house.  The commute I had just left was 30 minutes, which I didnt like. To stay in my house. I didnt want to uproot my family. Im sure I had other criteria, but those are the three that I am remembering right now.  As the weeks went by, and my job search got more pathetic, my criteria changed. I was okay to not have such a senior level title. I was okay to commute into the city (yuck I cringe as I write that!!). I was started to look at jobs that would require me to move.  And I figured if I would move outside of my town, I might as well look anywhere in the world. What would I entertain?  I was more excited about moving overseas and working in the high tech space.  For example, I would have loved to work at TomTom here is a link to some cool TomTom jobs.  Doesnt that look freaking awesome? Honestly, if I found a job a couple of hours away from my house, I might as well move 20 hours away, right?  A job at TomTom, working on that awesome technology, in another country, is exciting to me, even now What was on YOUR list of requirements when you first started your job search, and how has your list of requirements changed?

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

How to Engage with LinkedIns 500 Million Members

How to Engage with LinkedIn’s 500 Million Members Last month, we announced that LinkedIn has surpassed half a billion global members, with more than 23 million members now signed up in the UK. That’s almost one-third of the UK population. This constitutes a huge pool of talent for recruiters. However, the vast majority aren’t actively looking for new jobs. They’re passive candidates. These are professionals who are looking to grow their networks, keep in contact with old colleagues, or advance their careers within their current organisation. When it comes to approaching these professionals about job roles, the usual tactics just won’t work. You simply can’t recruit passive candidates with a process that’s designed for active job seekers. But it’s a group that shouldn’t be ignored, not only does it account for 75% of the workforce, but they are often the highest performing and happiest in their roles. In fact, compared to active talent, passive talent has been shown to be 120% more likely to want to make an impact in a new organisation and 56% more likely to say yes to a role based on the company having a corporate culture that suits their own personality. On top of this, sourcing passive candidates is one of the biggest values that a recruiter can provide. While automation can increasingly identify and match active candidates with suitable opportunities according to skills and experience, it’s less useful when it comes to building a network of passive candidates who are interested in switching jobs for less tangible reasons. Recruiters need to be aware that these candidates approach the idea of a new job with a more hesitant attitude, and require a different approach to active candidates. Be a networker, not a cold caller So make sure your first contact with potential candidates isn’t always ‘I’ve got a job you’d be perfect for’. Start liking, commenting on and sharing content that will be interesting to the type of candidates you want to engage with. This helps open a discussion with passive candidates, who would flat-out decline if you just sent them the details of a potential job. Once you’ve built up an online rapport, you’re more likely to have a sense of what roles they would be interested in. You’re also far more likely to get a response when you do make direct contact. Sell the discussion, not the job With passive candidates, it’s far more productive to ask for an informal discussion about their career. Some of these candidates won’t even have thought about switching jobs, but you can bet that they’ve thought about the future of their career. So when you make contact, make sure you’re clear that it’s about figuring out where they’re at in their career, so you might be able to help them in future. You’re not trying to sell them a job right now. These conversations are invaluable, because you’ll get a real insight into someone’s career. You’ll also find that most passive candidates aren’t actually closed to the idea of switching roles at all, it just has to be the right role to make them want to move. Understand their pain   Every professional will have some issue with their job, something that’s impeding their progress. But the possibilities of what those issues are is endless, and the trick is pinpointing where that frustration lies â€" whether it’s an unsatisfactory relationship with their boss, a low salary or even a cultural mismatch with their current organisation. As part of your initial conversation with a candidate, you should be finding out what they like and dislike about their current job, as well as what the options for long-term progression are in their current organisation. Based on this, you’ll be able to figure out what roles will offer them the chance to stretch themselves, and how you could best approach them with a new role. A changing world Whether it’s Brexit or the upcoming election, the challenges facing recruiting teams over the next 12 months are significant; and it is vital that they respond to the changing world of work to stay competitive. Thinking outside of the box, especially when it comes to sourcing and attracting new candidates, is central to this. With more than 500 million global members, LinkedIn is part of the answer. And, by using the entire network including the wealth of passive candidates found here recruiters can get one step closer to finding their next star hire. Jon Addison  is the Head of Talent Solutions at LinkedIn UK.

Friday, May 22, 2020

7 Reasons Your Executive Level Resume Isnt Working

7 Reasons Your Executive Level Resume Isn't Working In this article, we are going to share seven easy to fix reasons your Executive Level Resume isn’t working.We define an executive resume as a resume used to apply for six-figure jobs. In most cases, this resume will be used for Director, VP, and C-Suite Careers. An executive level resume is very different from a traditional resume due to the expectations of your hiring manager.Typically, recruiters and hiring managers screen six-figure earners much harder than lower-income earners. This is why you need to bring your A-game.If you could care less why your resume isn't working, and just want someone to fix up your resume, take a look at the top 10 resume writing services for executives.1. Poor Resume FormattingWhen it comes to your resume format, there are a few rules of thumb that are important to follow.Excessive Font Use Two different fonts should be the absolute max. One for headers and one for the rest of the text. Sure, you can make some things bold or italicized, but try to av oid using more than two font types. OvercrowdingI can’t tell you how many executive-level resumes I see that are overcrowded. A resume with practically no margins and size eight font is going to be a pain to read. You should attempt to control where the reader’s attention is focused on by using clean spacing, bolded headings, and easy to scan content.Way Too Fancy As of August 2017, traditional resumes are still the best. I have noticed a lot of “new” executive level resumes lately. They tend to be very graphic, full of charts and visuals. While those might look appealing, they are hurting your chances of landing the job. Applicant Tracking Systems are not advanced enough to handle these types of resumes resulting in a swift rejection. Find the best executive level resume styles, headers, fonts, and themes. 2. Objective Instead of SummaryIf you haven’t already heard the news, objective statements are dead. They passed away many years ago and sadly, not everybody got the ne ws. Fortunately, summary statements came in to ease the pain.The main difference between an objective and a summary is that your objective will tell the reader what it is you are looking to get out of your next role. The summary will tell the reader what it is you have to offer for the role.Sadly, nobody cares what you want anymore. They want to know what you bring to the table. It’s just not the job seekers market like it used to be. Adapt, or be left behind. See all the details on how to write a great resume summary statement. 3. One-Size Fits All ResumeCustomize your resume to reflect the job description. As much as I wanted to avoid this section entirely, I wouldn’t be doing you any favors. While this is just about everybody’s least favorite part, it is truly one of the most important pieces that will set your executive level resume apart.Before you apply, read through the job description. Highlight the skills you have and the responsibilities you have experience with. Now , make those skills and responsibilities apparent on your resume. All you have to do is re-word the bullet point from the job description and use it on your resume including the main key words used in the job description.For more on resume keywords, check out this article. 4. No Quantifiable AchievementsAs an executive, you should have a huge selection of quantifiable achievements that you can display on your resume. The last thing anybody wants to see is a resume explaining the job duties of a “Job Title.”I can promise you that if you are applying for a VP, Marketing role, the hiring manager has a pretty good idea about what kind of work you have done in the past.Instead of listing out daily responsibilities that will be almost identical to your competition, list out achievements that will blow them out of the water.Increased sales 250% first-quarter 2017 Rewarded #1 Marketer and Presidents Club Winner 2016 Improved customer acquisition rates by 33% via successful email campaig n5. Typos and Grammatical ErrorsTypos and grammar errors are pretty self-explanatory. These are big no-no’s and do not reflective positively on your executive level resume.We won’t spend a lot of time on this section. Instead, I will provide you with one life-changing application that will improve your writing and correct your grammar automatically. Grammarly. 6. LengthThe length of your resume is also very important. There is a ton of discussion surrounding the web on how long your executive level resume should be.Some say five pages, some say one page. We believe that your resume should be somewhere in between.After surveying over 500 recruiters and hiring managers, we discovered that the average suggested page length for a six-figure earner is 2-3 pages. Here are some additional tips:List only relevant work experience. Avoid job duties. Instead, quantify achievements. Use bullet points that take up 1-2 lines max.7. Your Resume Alone is Not EnoughAt the end of the day, your ex ecutive level resume alone won’t cut it. You are going to need to put a lot more effort than simply applying to a few jobs with your new resume.Networking, referrals, and a ton of hard work paired with a high-quality executive resume is the recipe for success. If all this sounds a little overwhelming for you, don’t worry.There are amazing services out there such as Find My Profession who can take care of your resume, networking, referrals, and do the hard work for you while guaranteeing interviews.

Monday, May 18, 2020

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese The 10 Worst Email Habits

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese The 10 Worst Email Habits While you mayclaim to hate email, the truth is that you dont hate email. You are peeved by the people who send them. Were talking aboutthose email senderswho fire off messages that are inane, stupid, weird, incomprehensible, worthless, depressing and annoying. So its time to do an email intervention. Its time to save the email numbskulls who dont seem to understand that their bad messages make us believe they are also inane, stupid, weird, incomprehensible, worthless, depressing and annoying. We beg all bad email senders to stop: Making vague requests. If youre requesting a time to meet with someone, for example, dont say you need to meet by next week. Provide your available times and dates, so that the person can respond without theback-and-forth emailstrying to hammer out a time and place. If you need the person to provide specific documents of a certain length, say so. Letting threads run too long.Theres no reason to hit reply so many times the message thread is now as long as Shaquille ONeals right arm. Being lazy.You dont want to search through your own files, look on the Internet or make a phone call about an issue, so you send an email that sounds something like this: Hey Jeff! I cant remember when we signed that contract with XYZ. Do you remember? Also, do you happen to remember the contacts name and email? Thanks! Daryl. Colleagues see right through this, and resent being asked to interrupt their own work to be your personal assistant. Using too many abbreviations.You use so many abbreviations and buzzwords that the person cant tell if youre asking a question or delivering (read more here)

Friday, May 15, 2020

Important Resume and Cover Letter Help

Important Resume and Cover Letter HelpIf you are having problems in writing a resume or cover letter, it may be because you have an inferiority complex or you think that you are not intelligent enough to do the job. If this is so, you are not the only one. Most people have the same kind of problem.Resume and cover letter help are really valuable in business world. They are meant to persuade and remind your future employer to hire you. In order to make your resume and cover letter effective, you need to follow these tips.The first thing you need to do is to find the best possible area of expertise in your field. By specializing in one area, you will be more credible and can stand out from other applicants. You can also gain an advantage by sending a resume that shows how you are different from other candidates. A good idea would be to make your area of specialization very clear so that prospective employers will be able to tell what you are qualified to do. In order to do this, try to write down all your areas of specialization in your resume or cover letter and see if you can add them up.A good way to stand out from the rest of the crowd is to present a resume that shows you have the ability to learn fast and adapt to change. Besides, be aware that you will always have to be updated on current trends in your field. This means that your skills should be enough to keep up with the competition. It is always good to be ahead of the game so that you can come up with new ideas and methods that can be applicable to your career.Always put your best foot forward by presenting yourself in a professional appearance. Include your contact information in your resume or cover letter so that you can reach your potential employer quickly and easily. To do this, you can opt to use your email address or a personal telephone number.If you are required to send a resume to your potential employer, make sure you check for an error in the cover letter. It is important that the cover l etter makes your contact with the employer easy to understand and approachable. Make sure that the cover letter is formatted well and easy to read so that your prospective employer gets to read it immediately.Your resume or cover letter will be sent to your potential employer or reader either electronically or in hard copy. The editor's job is to make sure that the resume or cover letter is grammatically correct, that it clearly communicates the basics of your work experience, that it is comprehensive and that it makes an attempt to make the reader more curious about you. To get a chance to read your resume or cover letter, the editor should be sure that it is properly formatted and that there are no typos. The editor's job is to make sure that the editors' letter and resume are uniform.In conclusion, the editor should ensure that you have done all the things correctly to ensure that your resume or cover letter have all the necessary information necessary to get the job. The editor should be able to gauge the kind of applicant that will give you a good chance to make it as a good candidate.

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers - Nice to Have or Necessity

Emotional Intelligence for Project Managers - Nice to Have or Necessity Photo credit: big t 2000 (Tony Heussner) on Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND As project manager, youre responsible for successfully completing a project. You are the person who leads your team and is ultimately responsible for your projects success.    As a project manager you work on the scope, detailed requirements, project planning and completing the deliverables. You are responsible to the team and your client. But being a good project manager is not just about handling all the core project management details.   How you deal with the people involved is equally critical. Emotional intelligence,  the capability of individuals to recognize their own emotions and those of others, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve ones goal(s),   is a necessary quality in an effective project manager. This is because project management requires getting results through others and managing the emotions that go along with pushing team members (and vendors and clients) to deliver their work on or ahead of schedule to ensure a projects success. Emotional intelligence is all about how to manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. Through emotional intelligence, you as a project manager, can regulate your own emotions. And by doing this you can also calm down the emotions of the stakeholders. Emotional intelligence helps build effective teams and increases your chances of achieving a successful project result for a number of reasons. Boost Your Success Rate Successful projects require care and attention. And a positive result often lies in the hands of the project manager. A project manager is the one who understands the full nature of the project, and has the technical skills to manage the project. The intelligence of project manager plays a decisive role in completing the project on time and under budget. But emotional intelligence boosts the success rate, as emotional intelligence enables the manager to keep team members calm and focused as they do their work. Studies show a positive work environment just gets better results. Build Healthy Relationships With Your Team As a project manager, you guide your team and lead them through your directions. You also provide daily tasks to your team members. Although the success of your project is ultimately dependent on you, the project manager, your chances of success go up substantially when you have the cooperation of your other team members. Teams cooperate only if they view you as a reasonable manager. To achieve that positive relationship with your team, you need to be actively listening to your team members.   This will help you understand the problems each team member has and provide solutions. Helps to cope with negotiations Project manager not only deal with the team members but also clients. He has to negotiate with others much of the time and empathize with others points of view. Managing the budget is also the responsibility of the manager, and for this purpose, he may have to present to lenders, bankers, or internal finance and executive management. During those sessions, a project manager must present his whole project scope to them to demonstrate how the money will be allocated and how the project will generate a profit or stay on track if it is a mid-project evaluation. This will help reassure the financial managers and stakeholders that the money will be used properly and provide an appropriate return on investment in the desired timeframe. Most clients struggle to explain their requirements in front of the project manager and many times choose not to implement the managers suggestions. In such situations, a manager must grasp the systems limitations and boundaries this can only happen if he refuses to be drawn in to the drama and regulates his emotions. In this situation where emotional control is a key factor for success, emotional intelligence is mandatory. Improvement of communication skills Technical skills and soft skills are the essential to effective project management. Emotional intelligence provide the calmness necessary for the project manager to develop and hone his communication skills. Effective communication skills help a project manager progress through his career as these skills are highly valued in all areas of project management work and help him progress up an organization. This effective communication style also attracts like-minded people to join a company or team.   And because of that a company can grow. Where you go from here Emotional intelligence plays a positive role in the success of a company and should be a core skillset in every project manager. A project manager with a short temper will be ineffective. Where a solid project manager has the technical skills but is deficient in emotional intelligence, the project manager must improve his emotional intelligence to get better results. Author Bio: Jessica has been writing for websites and blogs for three years now. She has been writing in various niches with her main focus on business, finance, and social media, and technology. Currently, she is working with Aurion UAE who is providing assistance in ISO certification in Dubai. They are offering their services across all states of UAE.

Friday, May 8, 2020

3 things businesses can learn from facebooks controversial experiment - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

3 things businesses can learn from facebooks controversial experiment - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog You may have heard about facebooks controversial psychological experiment in which they altered?what some users saw in their facebook news feeds so that some users saw more positive posts than normal and others saw more negative posts. The?experiment is being slammed in the media and?I honestly think the criticism is?going too far, considering how tiny?the effect was on the subjects. But regardless of whether you like the experiments setup, the results are interesting and apply not only in social networks but potentially also in workplaces. Here are three?lessons workplaces should take to heart. 1: Written communication?is emotionally contagious ?- so watch your email tone The purpose of the experiment was to?examine?emotional contagion, a well-known psychological phenomenon that basically means that?we are affected by the emotions of people around us. Spending time with happy people makes you happier, spending time with sad people makes you sadder, etc. Many experiments have shown that we are affected by people we spend time with, but this is the first experiment to show that emotional contagion also happens through written words alone. This supports the idea that we should watch our language in emails?and other written communication at work, because the words we use can affect the recipients. 2: This?could potentially?snowball The experiment showed that the subjects who saw fewer negative?messages in their newsfeeds increased their own positive output AND reduced the number of negative messages slightly. This means?that increasing positivity in written communications could potentially?have a snowball effect, because people who received?fewer negative messages?would then write fewer negative messages themselves. Of course the opposite is true as well: Seeing more negative messages makes people write more negative and fewer positive messages themselves which has probably already caused a snowball effect in many workplaces. 3: Seeing?fewer emotional messages made people withdraw overall Interestingly, people who saw fewer messages with either positive or negative content shared less on facebook in the following days. Experimenters call it a withdrawal effect. This is?interesting because?many workplaces tend to?suppress?emotions of any kind, which could?theoretically lead to people withdrawing and?being even less likely to express emotions at work. The upshot I want to make this very clear: I am not?arguing for mindless positivity, of for outlawing?negative messages or negative emotions at work. What Im saying is that this experiment indicates that we affect peoples?emotions simply by the words we use and we can use this knowledge actively to?avoid having an unnecessarily negative effect. Your take What are emails in your workplace like? Noticed any patterns? If researchers were to run the same linguistic analysis they ran at facebook, what would they probably find? Have you noticed any effect on yourself? Related posts 9 reasons why workplaces can no longer afford to ignore how people feel Research shows happiness is highly contagious Why Motivation by Pizza doesnt work Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related