Is the Job Seeker the FISH or the FISHERMAN

Is the Job Seeker the FISH or the FISHERMAN Last week I was in Maryland and Virginia speaking to about 300 job seekers.  It was a delightful trip.  In one presentation someone made an indepth analogy between the job search and bass fishing. I havent seriously fished for many years, and when I did, I was great at catching blue gill, but that was about it.  Bass and trout and catfish was what better anglers caught.  I say this because Im going to explain what was explained to me, but I might mess it up This job seeker explained that when you fish for bass, you need to get the lure/bait (HOOK) right in front of them.  If its on the side, or too far in front, or too far above the fish, they wont see it or get it. Okay, if this is wrong, dont tell me its wrong I dont really care how to catch bass, but the analogy is what we were going on This job seekers was explaining that we need to make it easy for recruiters to find us.  They are the fisherman, and if we arent easy to find, they wont put their hook in the right place. It was an interesting and neat analogy.  However, it didnt sit right with me. Within a few minutes I challenged the idea and asked if we are acting like the fish when indeed we were the fisherman??? That question/thought was a showstopper. Too often we focus on being found when in fact very few people are or will look for you. I think its time to get out of passive FIND ME! mode, and start to do proactive I found you lets chat! mode. What does that mean? Big stuff. Like, participating in the July Job Board Fast, and picking up the phone, and networking, and having conversations, etc. Hows that going, anyway? Is the Job Seeker the FISH or the FISHERMAN Last week I was in Maryland and Virginia speaking to about 300 job seekers.  It was a delightful trip.  In one presentation someone made an indepth analogy between the job search and bass fishing. I havent seriously fished for many years, and when I did, I was great at catching blue gill, but that was about it.  Bass and trout and catfish was what better anglers caught.  I say this because Im going to explain what was explained to me, but I might mess it up This job seeker explained that when you fish for bass, you need to get the lure/bait (HOOK) right in front of them.  If its on the side, or too far in front, or too far above the fish, they wont see it or get it. Okay, if this is wrong, dont tell me its wrong I dont really care how to catch bass, but the analogy is what we were going on This job seekers was explaining that we need to make it easy for recruiters to find us.  They are the fisherman, and if we arent easy to find, they wont put their hook in the right place. It was an interesting and neat analogy.  However, it didnt sit right with me. Within a few minutes I challenged the idea and asked if we are acting like the fish when indeed we were the fisherman??? That question/thought was a showstopper. Too often we focus on being found when in fact very few people are or will look for you. I think its time to get out of passive FIND ME! mode, and start to do proactive I found you lets chat! mode. What does that mean? Big stuff. Like, participating in the July Job Board Fast, and picking up the phone, and networking, and having conversations, etc. Hows that going, anyway?

Top 20 Resume Writing Mistakes

Top 20 Resume Writing MistakesDid you know that most of the top 20 resume writing mistakes are common. It is because hiring managers are looking for your experience. But there are a few mistakes that they can not overlook if you are on the same position.Be Patient - This is probably the number one tip that will help you in the top twenty resume writing mistakes that you need to avoid. When you apply for a job, it is because you want to get that dream job that you have always wanted. You should be prepared and should prepare yourself for rejection in order to be more patient.Do not waste your time - One of the top resume writing mistakes that most people do is writing their resume too quickly. No matter how great the skills that you have, if you try to put your skills on paper, you will have a hard time getting your resume noticed. By preparing a good resume that includes a resume cover letter and a body, you can make sure that you have everything in place so that you do not waste you r time or effort.Use too many keywords - Using too many keywords when writing your resume is the number one mistake that most people do. A person's resume and cover letter should only use one or two keywords. The next tip that you should consider is that your keywords should be relevant to the position that you are applying for.Make the wrong impression with your resume - The last tip that you need to know about is that you should make the best impression possible with your resume. Remember that most of the people who read a resume will remember it for a while. So, do not make the impression that you think is right for your career.Do not forget to proofread - You may think that you can not go back to check the information for errors after it is already on the computer, but this is a bad idea. Once you send off your resume, you should always double check the spelling and grammar of the information. You also need to review the spelling of your cover letter and resume cover.Include you r education and professional achievements - If you were to compare your resume to another, you would see that they include information about their education and professional achievements. A good resume should also include information about your skills and experience. Even though this is not a part of the traditional resume, but it is still included, especially for those who do not have the expertise in that particular area.This article covered the top resume writing mistakes that hiring managers should avoid. Make sure that you are prepared before you even take a job. Do not forget to practice on paper before you start submitting it to your potential employer.

What Does Self-Confidence Look Like - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What Does Self-Confidence Look Like - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The person with confidence is the person we turn to when problems of any kind arise. One of the chiefs I interviewed put it this way: “The CEO weapon of choice is a display of self-confidence.” In the business press, confident-appearing CEOs are written about with descriptions like these: “He spoke with such tremendous confidence and certainty, as if he’d seen, understood, and known everything from the beginning.” “She is an island of dignified calm; . . . . looks like suppressed power.” “He was a man with a made-up mind.” “She is extroverted without being self-aggrandizing; clearly comfortable in her own skin and intellect.” “He is confident, though not cocky; intelligent, but not conceited; . . . a calm, easy manner; . . . a leader for our age because he delivers outstanding results without seeking fame.” “He is a distinctly new creature: the CEO who is celebrated for being uncelebrated; . . . while he shuns self-promotion, he’s charismatic.” “He is a still person even in motion; . . . he walks as if he has all the time in the world yet still manages to cover ground quickly.” “He has a certain understanding of self and doesn’t try to put on airs. You can sit down and have a conversation with him, and he doesn’t try to impress you. He has a curiosity to learn and to explain and not think a lot about himself.” “He is not in it for his ego. He’s actually in it to do good.” Seems like a goal worth going for!

When Should You Accept a LinkedIn Invitation from a Recruiter

When Should You Accept a LinkedIn Invitation from a Recruiter Being on Linkedin with your full professional profile including previous employments, buzz and keywords means you are likely to be found by people looking your skills. When I say people, nine times out of ten it will be a recruiter. In order for them to contact you over Linkedin, they will have to either send an InMail or get introduced by a third person. InMails are limited/costly and introductions take time, therefore the recruiter may just try to connect with you direct. Sometimes you get a full introduction email stating why the person wants to link up with you. Sometimes you don’t at all, and you can only guess what the purpose is. Whatever the case may be, the big question is what to do with the invitation. Should you accept? The answer to this depends completely on your situation. If you are actively looking for a new position and everyone knows this, absolutely yes. If you are secretly looking for a new position and nobody knows about it, especially not your boss, the answer will be no. Does accepting mean I am looking for a job? Well, some people could interpret it that way. I would say it depends on the culture where you work. Some companies cultures are very open about people being headhunted, others are very secretive about it. If others are linking up to recruiters and get no grief for it, you will probably get away with it as well. Even if you are working for a business where being headhunted is a taboo, there can of course be several legitimate reasons to linking up with a recruiter. You might be involved in internal recruitment for your business. You might have changed jobs recently and it’s only natural to link up to the recruiter. If this isn’t the case however, you linking to a recruiter will raise a few eyebrows. You linking up to five recruiters in one week will send a few warning signals to your manager. But who will know? By adding the recruiter to your network, you are telling the world that you are now linked up as it will appear on both your and the recruiter’s home feeds. All your connections will be able to see it and they will draw their own conclusions. Can they now see my connections? That depends on your settings! Some recruiters will be very gentle about this and ask you for permission to speak to contacts of yours. Others will just go for it and call everyone up in an instant. By selecting not allowed, you stop anyone from browsing your connections. Be aware that they will still come up in searches, there is no stopping that. Trick o’ the trade Accept invitations in bundles. Let’s say you have received four invitations, by accepting them all at the same time they will come up on your feed together. You would hope that your manager and other folks are too busy to check up every person you link up to and therefore you might just get away with linking up to a recruiter. Another way of doing it is the old bad-news-on-Facebook method; do it when you assume nobody will be seeing it. This could be a Saturday or even a Sunday night; people will hopefully have better things to do than trawling Linkedin at these times in the week. Bottom line As with all things on Linkedin and social media, be aware of the consequences of your actions. You are sharing your activities with the world so if you link up to recruiters, be prepared to answer questions. Do you accept recruiter invitations? If you are a recruiter, do you send unsolicited invitations? Share your thoughts in the comments! Related: What If an Employer Requests My Facebook Password?

Tips on Writing a Resume

Tips on Writing a ResumeRules of writing a resume can be simple, direct and clear. Some rules are very specific, while others vary from person to person. It depends on the kind of employer, the purpose for applying for a job and the person's personal background. The most important rule is to obtain all the necessary information about the job before getting started.Employers usually make it a point to interview a candidate to determine the skills and the work experience required for the job. This is the most vital part of resume writing. To obtain information, a candidate needs to be prepared and be completely honest in telling the truth. Most candidates will share whatever they feel comfortable, but some will not be truthful, particularly about their bad experiences or the difficult stages of applying for a job.Employers have a wide variety of requirements for hiring people. Some have fixed criteria, while others have different guidelines for different jobs. The candidate who is well prepared for each job is usually well accepted. If a person cannot be totally honest and truthful about the details of their past experience, then the resume will be of no use to them. A well written resume should answer any question that an employer may ask.An applicant should first decide which section of the resume to include. This depends on the employer, or the organization that is looking for a person. Some employers are hiring for entry level positions, while others are looking for managers. Some companies may require a detailed job description, while others may accept generic answers.Employers usually want to know why you want to apply for the job, and what your main qualifications are. You should provide relevant information about your education, work experience and achievements in the previous employment. You should also mention any achievements, awards and degrees that you may have won. A section explaining the kind of company you are applying for and how you will be abl e to contribute to their business is also necessary.In general, common areas for resumes would include education, work experience, awards and achievements, hobbies and achievements. This list can be tailored according to the employer and the job. If a person has a well-written resume, then they are more likely to get the job.When a person is able to collect all the information required for a resume, they should first write down the essentials of the job. For instance, a candidate should write down the title of the job they want, and the location they are applying for. Then, they should write down the job responsibilities in order of importance. They should also write down the exact specifications for the position and the duties involved.Once the job description is ready, a candidate should go through the entire document and point out all the salient points of the resume. The spelling and grammar of the resume should be flawless. Finally, the resume should be professionally edited an d proofread for accuracy.

What to Look For in Your Next Boss

What to Look For in Your Next Boss Last week we talked about how to identify seven types of career limiting bosses, and four ways to deal with them. This week I want to talk about the positives. When you're searching for your next boss, what do you want to look for? For me, it boils down to three types of characteristics. Well Regarded First, look for somebody who is really well regarded in the organization. You care about this on a few levels. By Seniors:You want them to be well regarded by seniors, so that they're somebody who's going places. They're on the move. They're on the way up. The benefit of this is you can get pulled along with them, or at a minimum, have more headroom to grow. By Juniors:Check that they’re well regarded by juniors, because that says a lot about what it's going to be like to work for them. In fact, that's a great litmus test for whether they’re going to be a great boss, a career limiting boss, or something in between. And remember to check to see whether you’re like those juniors. Glowing reports from tough and hardy folks who don’t mind a boss that pushes them around may mean a nightmare boss for you if you’re more sensitive. By Colleagues:It’s also helpful if they are well regarded by colleagues. The more senior your boss, the more important it becomes that they can get along with peers who lead other parts of the organization. When there’s conflict or lack of respect, it’s much harder for you and the rest of the team to navigate the politics and get things done. Externally:Ideally, they would have a strong reputation with the external ecosystem (e.g., customers, clients, partners, suppliers, competitors). This is important so that you’re not only learning from the best, but also benefitting from their “halo” effect. For example, researchers have always wanted to work in my father’s lab because it helps their careers to be able to say they’ve worked under the highly respected Dr. Shu Chien (that’s my father). If your prospective boss hasn’t quite reached that august level of seniority and experience, at least make sure they don’t have a bad reputation in the marketplace. Well Adjusted The second set of characteristics to look for is the extent to which they are well adjusted. That means look for somebody who has enough confidence to give you autonomy and room to grow. In other words, look for someone who is comfortable in their own skin. When your boss feels confident and secure in his or her own role, they’re less likely to be a gatekeeper, or someone who hoards all of the client conversations and the senior management visibility for themselves. If you can’t find somebody well adjusted, then at least see if you can avoid a boss who's insecure or, heaven forbid, even neurotic. It takes more time and energy to work for someone you have to talk down from the ledge regularly before getting on with the strategy and tasks at hand. Good Chemistry Then the third set of characteristics revolves around looking for somebody who is going to have good chemistry with you and vice versa, and also with the rest of the team. When there is interpersonal or emotional strife, it’s hard to focus and produce the best results. This is really important because when you have a style that does not mesh with or complement that of your boss, then life can be really tough. It's the root of so many misunderstandings. You don’t need to have the same style as your boss, but you don’t want it to be a combination that clashes. And since the only person you can change is yourself, be prepared to be the one who makes the adjustment if an adjustment is needed. Look for somebody you're going to be able to get on with and have conversations with without it feeling like hard work. When there’s good chemistry, your boss is much more likely to be supportive of you (and the other people in the team). And it's much more likely to be a positive culture and environment for you to work in. All of this said, there are two caveats to keep in mind. It’s all relative First, it’s all relative, so what may be a great culture for me may not seem like a great culture or style for you. It's very personal. So when you're talking to other people that work for or with your prospective boss, put a filter on it just to see how similar or dissimilar you are to the person who is giving you the feedback. “Two out of three ain’t bad” Then, the second caveat is that I think that it's more realistic to adopt what I call the Meat Loaf (as in the singer) theory. Which is “two out of three ain't bad”. If you can just get two out of those three qualities in your next boss (i.e., well regarded, well adjusted, good chemistry), then you're probably in very good shape. It's hard to be a perfect boss. In fact, nobody is a perfect boss. The person just has to be a good enough boss for you, and that can be a very personal choice. It’s wishful to think that we can find the equivalent of Mary Poppins, who is “practically perfect in every way”, when we’re searching for our next boss. Instead, let's go with Meat Loaf and not Mary Poppins here. The Meat Loaf approach gives us a much better chance of finding a boss that's good, or even great, for our careers. What do you look for? Now, I'd love to hear from you. What do you look for when you're looking for a really great boss? Leave me a comment below and let me know what you think.

Kufunda, the learning village - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Kufunda, the learning village - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Yesterday Carsten Ohm invited people over for a friendly gathering and to meet Marianne Knuth who was back from Zimbabwe for a short while. Marianne has created Kufunda which is a learning initiative in Ruwa, Zimbabwe, aimed at the creation of locally rooted solutions to community self-reliance challenges, through the use of peoples own imagination, collaboration and resources. I was amazed and inspired by the vision and personal commitment of these people (particularly Marianne) to carry out a project like this in such an unstable region of the world. I invite you to check out their website and to consider how you might contribute! And as I wrote about in an earlier post, this is the way to help people: Passing on skills and tools, without creating a dependency on the helper. 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