How to Know If Career Coaching is a Bunch of Bunk or is Right For You | EmploymentDigest.net

As a Professional Career Coach, I’ve noticed that everyone has a ‘catalyst’ for calling me. There is usually one big thing – and perhaps a few supporting items – that initiate that first call to me. And – just as important – there are many reasons professionals never make the first call (even though a friend told them to call, they Googled me, and looked at my website, etc.).

So, what are the ‘typical’ reasons an employed professional may call a Career Coach? Overall, there is something that doesn’t feel ‘right’ about their career, job, and overall direction. In other words, something is amiss. More specifically, people reach out to me for reasons like this:

They’re tired of their annoying Manager and how much of a negative impact this person has on his/her life They’re overworked, burned out, and wondering who they’re doing it all for They’re underpaid for the contribution they give They feel the company isn’t recognizing them in formal or informal ways for their accomplishments and contributions They feel bored in their career path or like they are ‘spinning their wheels’ They feel like their peers have passed them over on the career path and they have stalled out They feel a ‘nudge’ or ‘craving’ for something different, more, better in their career… but their not sure what “that thing” is They know they spend too much time at work to not feel happy, successful, fulfilled, accomplished, etc. And so on… These are all great reasons! Unfortunately, many people wait until things are really bad. They wait and wait and wait and they call me when they’ve absolutely had enough. I wish I could let the world know there is help out there when things are just ‘okay’ (instead of waiting until they are terrible).

Or, they just never make the call. I think this is because it’s easier not to call. I know that sounds funny. I mean, if someone is miserable, why wouldn’t they call someone for help? After talking to many of you and many of my clients who have referred people to me who have never called, I think there is something that happens on a subconscious level when you are about to call a Coach, an expert, a trainer, etc.

Your fear takes over because you know something will have to shift, to change, to morph. And you know it may take some energy and work. Your ‘ego’ is there to keep you safe. And safe it keeps you by not picking up the phone.

My invitation to you is to give yourself, your soul, the gift of exploring what will help you to be more happy, more successful, better paid, more fulfilled, more accomplished, more ‘right’ in your career. There are so many resources out there for you. Of course, I would love to help you ‘get more’ in your career… but do whatever it takes for YOU. Only you can take care of you and your career. Know when it’s time.

By  Kelly Harrington : As a Professional Career Coach and President/Founder of Career Max Group, I help successful professionals get more. Please contact me to find out if Career Coaching/Consulting can help you to get more of what you want from your career: http://careermaxgroup.com/services/one-on-one-career-coaching/

via employmentdigest.net

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

20 Things to leave off your CV - Career blog - Position Ignition - taking you to the next step in your career

When it comes to CVs, first impressions count. CV writing results in more agonised and confused emails to us at Position Ignition than the rest of the jobseeking process combined. The usual advice about a 2-page CV is a good starting point, but people often struggle to distil their career down to 2 pages. So, the next question often is: what should you leave out?

Here are twenty things to leave off your CV:

1. ‘Curriculum Vitae’ or ‘CV’ – It’s as unnecessary as putting ‘This is a piece of a paper’ at the top of a piece of paper.
2. The word ‘Résumé’ – You might think it sounds posher or more international, or even allows you to write a longer CV – but don’t use it unless you’re applying for a role in the US.
3. Photo – What you look like has no bearing on how well you can do most jobs.
4. Video – Don’t create a video CV unless you are in a really creative role.
5. Current work phone/email address – Provide your personal email and mobile phone number as your contact details.
6. Date of birth or age – Not relevant; and recruiters don’t want to be put in a position of potential age discrimination.
7. Nationality – You might be asked your nationality once you’ve been offered the job (for HR purposes), but it’s not needed at this stage of the application process.
8. Race or religion – As above, although you aren’t obliged to reveal this at any stage of the recruitment process.
9. Details of your marital status or children – They’re hiring you not your entire family.
10. Reason for leaving your last company – It looks like you’re making excuses.
11. List of GCSEs/A Level subjects/degree modules – Unless you’re a school leaver or are applying for a graduate role, you should write the number of exams you passed like this: 10 GCSEs; 3 A Levels. Most employers won’t understand specific module titles – only include them if they are relevant to the job spec.
12. Waffle – Don’t waste space with unnecessary or repeated information. To put it another way, it is very easy, indeed too easy, to include sentences or paragraphs that tell the reader or automated computer parsing system, little or nothing of value. One example of such waffle could be: “I am a motivated, outgoing self-starter who is able to work on my own or as part of a team who is an excellent timekeeper with people skills”. However, there are many others, such as very long sentences or even paragraphs explaining the corporate mission statements of your last three employers, which do get awfully boring to read … you get the point.
13. Adjectives – Wherever you can, cut out adjectives. Adjectives usually go without saying, for example: ‘I conscientiously and diligently managed a large and thriving customer services team of 25 staff’ – of course you did, and it was!
14. The first person – Starting each sentence with ‘I’ looks tacky and self-obsessed.
15. The third person - Referring to yourself by name – For example: ‘Joe Bloggs’s last role was at X company.’ There’s never a good reason to do this unless you’re a Premier League footballer or celebrity.
16. Hobbies such as reading, walking or dining out – How do these universal activities make you unique? You might as well write sleeping or breathing.
17. ‘References can be provided on request’ – The employer already knows where they can get references; they don’t need you to tell them. It looks like you’re padding out the content (a bit like I am on these last few on the list).
18. LinkedIn recommendations – These aren’t replacements for traditional references, so don’t treat them as such.
19. Clipart/borders/illustrations – Keep your CV simple and free of clutter/designs that can distract readers.
20. Tables – They might make it easier for you to achieve a layout you think looks nice, but they may not display correctly to the recipient; and can make information harder for automated parsing tools to read.

Just like packing your suitcase to go on holiday, CV writing is a process of elimination. It will definitely take you a few iterations to get rid of all the unnecessary baggage.

To talk to a career expert about how to make the most of your CV talk to one of our Career Guides or contact: enquiries@positionignition.com

Author:

Gareth Lloyd, Director of Product and Digital Development

Workthing+ The online career management service that provides you with all the tools you need to successfully manage your career.  Working on conjunction with Position Ignition

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Five Email Oversights That Kill Your Brand | Personal Branding Blog - Dan Schawbel

Sometimes, with the pressure to do a good job on the big things – close the sale, deliver the code, solve the problem – we overlook the little things along the way, and destroy the very brand we are trying to create.

I knew I had to write this blog thirty minutes ago when I received an email asking advice on a professional matter from bigbearsbooty@***. Come on! As a professional, would you open this email? Hell no! I only did ‘cause I’m a sick puppy who suffers from recurring Work Avoidance Syndrome on Friday mornings.

Impressions are everywhere

Written communication leaves an indelible impression that you can’t edit once the email leaves your desktop; and email has turned all of us – every professional in the world – into a writer. Problem is, a majority of professionals are damaging the validity of their overall brand by making one or more of these really embarrassing communication mistakes.

• Your email address is the first and, if it’s unprofessional, most memorable symbol of your personal brand: aphrodites_myth@, shrooms@ or pookietush@, and no I didn’t make them up, may have been funny or apposite back in the day, but you cannot hope to be taken seriously if you don’t take yourself seriously.
• Your subject line must be relevant and concise. As the default mode of business communication, email records must be filed for future reference.  Your subject line impacts the reception, storage and retrieval of your email. If you don’t think about this when you send an email, you will be seen as inconsiderate, sloppy and, because you obviously don’t have an organized archival system, probably incompetent.
• Your greeting (or lack thereof) determines if your message will be read with attention. You must start with a personalized greeting: Hello Jack, Hi Jane, Good morning Ms. Foley. No greeting, or a non-specific one, “Greetings” says you don’t know, or can’t be bothered to use, the person’s name.
• Your structure. There are these things called paragraphs, which contain a logically connected sequence of thoughts. New thoughts get their own paragraph. Blocks of type longer than 5 lines are hard to read, as are lines longer than 6 inches. Your message needs to be accessible to tired and distracted eyes in order to communicate. Ignore at your peril.
• Your spelling. Email comes with spell and grammar checks that can be set to check every email before it is sent. There is no excuse, especially with spelling someone’s name.
• Your sign-off. Lack of an appropriate sign-off gives the impression that you don’t care, are sloppy and/or don’t understand professional niceties. “Yours sincerely,” “With thanks,” “Regards.” A sign-off is the work of a moment, yet no amount of time can make up for negligence of this simple convention.

You cannot establish a brand that reflects a professional with substance and determination if you are seen as someone who can’t be bothered with the little things. The more important the recipient, the less tolerant s/he will be: the devil is in the details, but hey, it’s your brand.

Author:

Martin Yate (CPC) is the author of Knock em Dead The Ultimate Job Search Guide, a NY Times bestseller updated annually for 24 years.  He’s been in career management  for 34 years: Silicon Valley Headhunter and VP with the seminal and feared Executek, Director of HR for Bell Industries Computer Memory Division, Director of Training and Development for Dunhill . Martin believes that change is your future, branding is critical, but no one has ever taught you how to navigate this stuff.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Hate Your Job? Have a Plan Before You Quit » Blog | Great Resumes Fast

I had lunch with a friend the other day who left her job earlier this year.  She relayed to me how she had gotten fed up with a particular client, and so she decided to quit.  She had about four months of living expenses saved up, so she figured she was good to go while she looked for another job.  Four months later, she finds herself running out of money with no prospects in the pipeline.

I was a little shocked to realize that my friend had seriously underestimated the state of the economy.  If, like her, you find yourself in a really unsatisfactory work situation at the moment, leaving your job might be the best thing for your mental health.  However, with nearly 10% of Americans out of work altogether and another 9% working fewer hours than they would prefer to, you simply have to have a plan before you can consider quitting on a whim.

The first step in your employment transition should be to figure out what types of positions you will target in your job search.  It’s very difficult to position yourself as a candidate if you don’t have a specific goal in mind.  Once you determine your career path, carefully consider the people in your network that can help you find another position.  Next, spend a lot of time and thought putting together a polished looking resume.  Have at least two other people review it for you and provide you with feedback.  Even the brightest employees often need help from a professional resume writer to pull together an effective document.

If you’re looking to quit your job, you should begin your networking process while you’re still bringing in a paycheck.  You can upload your resume to job boards so that recruiters will find you.  It’s a good idea to acquire some networking business cards for yourself—in case you leave your position before a contact has time to get in touch with you at your current company.

The last thing you need to realistically consider before quitting a job is what your financial situation will look like.  Bearing in mind that many companies take two months to even respond to an application, and then another month to complete the interview process, many candidates are finding themselves out of work for much longer than they had expected.  Can you realistically survive for the next year if, heaven forbid, you aren’t able to find another position immediately?

I wish I could have told my friend these things four months ago.  Hopefully, you will avoid her mistake: no matter how bad your day is at work, have a solid plan in place before you quit!

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that transform job searches into interviews and ultimately job offers. For more information about professional resume writing or to read more career and job search related articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com or call 1.800.991.5187.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Why NOW is the Best Time to Write Your Resume | Career Rocketeer - Career Search and Personal Branding Blog

Imagine for a moment that you’ve just heard the dreaded words, “We’re going to have to let you go.” A lot of people have heard this phrase over the last couple years, and most have probably reacted with some degree of panic: How am I going to pay my bills? Where am I going to go? What am I going to do?

PANIC MODE IS NOT THE RIGHT TIME.

Obviously, this frame of mind is not a great launching point for your next job or your job search. Writing an effective resume and cover letter requires analytical thinking and confidence in your abilities. So let me tell you a little secret: the best time to write your resume is when you’re perfectly happy at your job!

KEEPING TRACK OF ALL YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

I’m not saying that you should have a perfectly marketable document ready to go every moment of your life, although that’s not a bad idea. I am suggesting that it’s smart to keep a running list for yourself of all your different jobs and what you’ve accomplished at each. There are several reasons for this. First, it’s easy to forget three years later that you wrote the proposal that won your company a $500,000 project.

Second, quite often your company doesn’t publish or share numbers that reflect your contribution to their success. For instance, while you may be well aware that your efforts expanded a new store from just yourself to a staff of 25 employees, that information will probably never make it onto the company’s Web site.

PREPARING FOR THE UNEXPECTED.

Perhaps the best reason to keep a running career document for yourself is that if you do unexpectedly find yourself out of work, you won’t have to rack your brain to remember details from your professional past. It can be particularly hard to ascertain measurable results when you no longer have access to a company’s documents. By keeping track of your work accomplishments on an ongoing basis, you have the ability to go through your list and pull out the key highlights anytime you need them—like when you’re frantically searching for a new job.

For a free resume analysis submit your resume via e-mail to info@greatresumesfast.com. To view samples of professionally-written resumes or to read other career articles visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com.

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Author:

Jessica Holbrook Hernandez is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, speaker and President/CEO of Great Resumes Fast. She creates high-impact, best-in-class, resumes and cover letters that win interviews. For a free resume analysis visit http://www.greatresumesfast.com/ or for a free phone consultation call 1.800.991.5187.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal

LinkedIn Strategies That Keep You Unemployed | Brand-Yourself.com Blog

Mingling around in the hundreds of LinkedIn groups is a great way to network, get yourself noticed, and increase your chances of finding a job or getting a new job.  Without a doubt, LinkedIn is a huge resource for job seekers.

However, there are wrong ways to use LinkedIn. Ways that, without a doubt, will cause more damage to your personal brand then you might ever imagine.

With so many people unemployed or in need of a different job, thousands are congregating to the job search-related groups on LinkedIn. In these groups (and even many other type of groups) people are telling their story. When I read through the content in these groups, I am often shocked at what some people are saying, on a public website, that some employers use to find candidates for their open positions.

I understand it is frustrating to be out of work or in desperate need of a new job, but so many people are displaying their anger and frustration in these LinkedIn groups – a place where hiring managers are also present. In addition, potential employers who Google you may also have access to this content.

Joining a LinkedIn group, and participating, is not something to take lightly. The content you put out there should reflect you in a very positive light – one that shows you are a high energy, self-motivated, positive individual who possesses skills and talents that are desired by employers.

While many groups require you to join and subsequently be accepted, that does not mean it is a private group where you are safe to vent amongst your peers. Many recruiters and hiring managers are also members of these groups! Just click on the members tab and you will see who all is reading your content.

Some of the big errors I have noticed include:

• People disclosing their age as the reason they do not believe they are being hired – “I am only 23 so I have no real job experience…”  “I am 58 years old and all I see is age discrimination….” People! Employers can’t ask for your birth date and age, so why offer it up and then follow it up with a non-selling statement about yourself? I do not feel that any person should mention their age in these groups – especially if you are in an age group that you feel has perceived disadvantages. Yes, in the United States, it is unlawful to discriminate against people based on their age. Do employers do it? Yes. Sadly, some of them do. Even if it’s just a silent notation that a hiring manager makes when coming across your post. I do not believe employers should ever discriminate based on age but since it can be reality of life, don’t disclose it (and other personal details about your life) no matter what age you are.

• Disclosing all the reasons they have heard so far as to why they were not offered a job – “I have been told I am overqualified so many times”,  “I have been told that I just don’t have the skills needed”,  “I make too much money”, “I have been told I have a lack of focus”,  “I am competing against people who have much better experience than I do”. Statements like these should never be said on LinkedIn!  Maybe this is your reality, as there will always be reasons why people don’t get hired. But, if I am hiring and reading something like this that you wrote? You just gave me a reason to pass right by you.

• Derogatory statements about HR professionals, recruiters, and hiring managers – “They don’t make wise decisions”, “they discriminate”, “they don’t even bother reading all the resumes”, “they just want cheap workers, not skilled ones”.  Aren’t these the people they are trying to target?  I would never consider a candidate who wrote something like that on LinkedIn. Not only has that person insulted the very people they are targeting (at minimum that shows really bad judgment!) but who want to hire a negative person -a complainer who make a blanket statement against their target audience?

Some of the very people who made statements like I described above also made statements like “I have been unemployed for 18 months”.   It’s not hard to figure out why that might be the case!

There are many job seekers using LinkedIn to their advantage. I have also seen many people state things such as “I have great skills, I know I have a lot to offer but the job market is very tight. But, I will keep plugging along, I know it’s just a matter of time before I land the right job!” Isn’t that much better?

As frustrating as a job search might be, if you are posting on a public website (especially the biggest business networking website out there!) you must present yourself in a professional manner. You need to make an effort to show that you have all the great qualities that employers seek – every time you start typing.

The facts are, some of the people who are posting on LinkedIn are still unemployed because of what they write on LinkedIn. Use LinkedIn to your advantage – do not sabotage yourself in the process!

If you are reading this and you recognize that you might have said some of these things in your groups, please, do yourself a favor and go back to your posts and delete them. After that is done, start creating some new, fresh and positive content that sells you and reflects you as the great person that you are!

Jessica Simko is a seasoned senior level Human Resources professional with over 15 years of experience in all facets of Human Resources Management. She is a Career Coach and Consultant specializing in helping all levels of career professionals create, build, and maintain a strong career brand in the corporate work culture. She strives to help people connect their passions with their jobs and then to leverage their brand to maximize their potential throughout their careers. She offers a wide variety of career branding articles and tips at Career Branding Guide where she also offers coaching and consulting services based on the Career Branding Guide model. Feel free to connect with her on:

Twitter
Linked In

via blog.brand-yourself.com

Posted via email from AndyWergedal

Fast Company Blog Post: The Problem With Intuition-Based Decision Making « Courting Your Career

Professors pounded it into my head over and over again–businesses use data to carefully plan and execute their short- and long-

Professors pounded it into my head over and over again–businesses use data to carefully plan and execute their short- and long-term strategies. And that’s what I believed until I started interviewing for jobs. It seemed like every company I spoke with was fixated on growth–not because it made good business sense, but because they were fixated on chasing numbers. Open 500 stores this year, 2,000 next year, and 1,000,000 in year three. Will the local market be able to sustain that growth? Considering that now-bankrupt Circuit City was one of the companies I spoke with, I’m guessing not. Were they carefully looking at feasibility studies, evaluating the size of the markets they were hoping to enter? Or were they too busy opening up across the street from their key competitor in just about every possible city?

With an almost limitless amount of information at our disposal (years of historical data, complex analytical models, competitor benchmarking, etc.), you’d think more decisions would be deeply rooted in data analysis than they would on gut instinct. Yet, that’s often not the case.

Why not?

Read more at http://bit.ly/9lZq8Q.

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Posted via email from AndyWergedal