Sunday, May 31, 2020

A 3-Second Fix to Create More Luck in Your Life and Career

A 3-Second Fix to Create More Luck in Your Life and Career You know those bogus headlines that scream, All you need to succeed in life is 5 minutes a day!! or Lose 10 pounds in just 3 weeks GUARANTEED!! Well I promise you this isnt one of those. Because what I am about to suggest really does take three seconds and it really could create more luck in your life.  So I hope youll stick with me to the end. Ill share the fix in a few, but first a story (and a bit of a rant) about why Im writing this. Last week my husband and I took a walk down at the beach. As we strolled around soaking in the beautiful vistas, we couldnt help but notice all the other people walking while staring down at their cell phones  and missing their chance to fully savor incredible views like this. Theres no doubt that our growing addiction to technology is affecting all of us, all the time.  For example, my husband, who travels a lot for business, used to routinely engage in conversations with people on planes (with both interesting and entertaining results).  But these days, not so much.  Instead of talking, most people prefer to pop in their earbuds or stare at their phones, preemptively shutting down any chance for conversation. I know people want to be left alone to zone out, or get work done, or play Words with Friends.  But really, are we all  so  busy that we cant take five minutes to chat with the person sitting next to us on a five-hour flight? I recently attended a conference and was astounded by the number of people who checked their phones ALL -THE -TIME. During lunch. During coffee breaks. While waiting for the speakers to start.  Call me hopelessly old school, but it seems to me that if youre going to make the effort to travel to a conference, its smart to take advantage of the venue to meet some interesting people. Poor manners aside, here is why this trend really worries me:  Over time Ive learned that you never ever know when youll have a life changing conversation. Or who will provide it. Or where it will occur. The vast majority of the people I interviewed for my book found their next act simply by talking with other people and then something lucky happened. But when we have our eyes on our phones and our ears blocked by headsets, we dramatically reduce the odds of luck entering our space. I could share many examples of random conversations leading to lucky things. For instance, heres an e-mail I received (in a seeming wink from the universe) just a few hours after my husband and I took our walk: Hi Nancy, my daughter xxxx recently chatted with you on a flight. She sent me your website information.I am looking to retool my career (I have 15 years before I can retire). Do you ever work with individuals in this situation? If yes, would love to connect via phone. These days I am only coaching people around semi-retirement, so I turned this one down. But thats neither here nor there. The point is that if I hadnt bothered to chat with that young woman, I never would have gotten the chance to connect to her mom.   Granted, being a book author makes for an easy conversation starter with strangers. But you know what? Every one of you has something unique that others want to hear about.  Every one of you.  And that brings me back to the 3-second trick. Its remarkably simple, as long as youre willing to give it a try.  Ready? The next time youre at a conference or waiting for a plane or sitting next to someone on a long train trip: Second 1. Remove your ear buds. Put away your phone. Glance up from your Kindle. Second 2. Smile at the person next to you. Second 3. Initiate a conversation. Thats it. Its painless and you never know what might happen.  Of course, if the other person doesnt want to talk, take the hint and move on.  You can always use the down time to meditate, savor your surroundings or quietly mull over a problem there is tremendous restorative power in that as well. But if theyre game, who knows? The most random conversation with the least outwardly impressive person in the room  may provide just the spark thats needed to ignites your next opportunity. All it takes to get started is 3-seconds. Guaranteed. Related articles that you might also enjoy: 3 Ways a Conference Can Help Your Career 5 Ways to Structure a Lifestyle-Friendly Business (so it doesnt take over your life!)

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

How To Write A Resume That Will Get You Hired

How To Write A Resume That Will Get You HiredMany companies have several questions regarding search engine optimization (SEO) and resume writing. In order to answer these questions, it is important to understand how and why they are important. With this knowledge, a business owner can better formulate a strategy for SEO for resume writing. Below are several tips to follow when writing the best resumes possible.The first step is to identify your unique qualities and combine them with skills that will help you thrive in your job. This will allow your resume to stand out from the rest of the applicants in the job listing. It is important to remember that your writing is not just about providing information to the hiring manager, but will be used to develop your hiring process as well. Instead of simply providing information about your career accomplishments, it is a great idea to highlight the parts of your resume that reflect your most important skills and talents. This way, your resum e will have greater appeal to the reader.You must also make sure to focus on your unique talents and abilities. However, you also need to remember that you need to have your resume written in such a way that it will be accepted by the hiring manager. There are a number of steps that can be taken to ensure this. To learn more about these steps, it is a good idea to talk to a professional resume writer.While you are preparing your resume, you should make certain that it has all of the important details. There are many different aspects of a resume that will determine its overall effectiveness. For example, there are several areas in which you can make an impact. These include the location where you live, education, work experience, awards, certifications, experience and so forth. If you combine these elements, it is more likely that your resume will be accepted by the employer.When it comes to SEO for resume writing, you must use keywords correctly. Many people do not realize that the keywords they include in their resume have a direct effect on how the resume is seen by the hiring manager. You need to choose keywords that are closely related to your job. Not only will this help the reader, but it will help the hiring manager as well.Your resume is not just about providing information to the hiring manager. While this is a great idea, it is important to remember that your resume is also used to develop your hiring process. Instead of simply providing information about your career accomplishments, it is a great idea to highlight the parts of your resume that reflect your most important skills and talents. This way, your resume will have greater appeal to the reader.It is also essential to include links throughout your resume. However, be careful to only include those that will help to further your resume. In some cases, this may mean using keywords or other keywords in your headline. For example, if you have keywords in your resume that help to identify your expe rience as a social worker, it may be appropriate to include a link to one of your recent posts on social media sites.In summary, SEO for resume writing is vital to your ability to get a job. Because of this, it is important to use all of the resources available to you to ensure that your resume will get you the interview. Instead of just giving your information in general, you need to include keywords that will help your resume to stand out. In addition, you must make certain that your resume is developed in such a way that it will be accepted by the hiring manager.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Televisions Impact on Career Choices

Television’s Impact on Career Choices Spending a weeknight evening or a Saturday afternoon in front of the television is a common pastime for old and young alike. There’s something alluring about watching others take on different personas, living out what some might wish their life to resemble. But enjoying an hour (or two) watching a beloved television show is more than simple entertainment for some. According to a new study, television plays a part in career decisions, too. Per a report conducted by Fletchers Solicitors including responses from 1,000 adults in the UK, people are using their favourite television shows to direct them down one career path or another. Survey results compiled in the Careers on the Box report indicate the most popular shows focus on the personal and work lives of police officers, lawyers, and medics, with individuals nearly twice as likely to watch these than they are programmes with leading characters following other various career paths. In fact, Law and Order is the most popular show among Brits, followed by Judge Rinder, and based on the research, it seems Brits consider personas like Jack McCoy and Judge Rinder role models in real life. With the love of law-focused programmes comes an inclination to follow a legal career path, according to the report. Instead of using a career advisor or other professional influence, nearly one in five adults surveyed report their choice of career is based on a television role model. Adults 18 â€" 24 allow their television preferences to direct their career path more than older groups, at an impressive 39%. CEO of Fletchers Solicitors, Ed Fletcher, explains, “Professions such as the law, police, and healthcare should be enormously grateful of TV shows for helping inspire and shape their future recruits.” As an always-connected society, it is not all that surprising that television shows have some degree of impact on life choices. Looking ahead, Fletcher believes that show writers can have a positive influence over younger generations’ career decisions, stating, “TV companies could have a role in helping inspire people into professions where there is going to be a need in 10 or 20 years.” The nation’s most beloved shows may eventually follow the lives or engineers, nurses, or mathematicians to shape career choices, but for now, shows highlighting the legal profession along with doctors and police are the most-loved and most influential among adults.

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

4 worst mistakes of a first-time manager

4 worst mistakes of a first-time manager First-time managers are generally nightmares to work for. They are people who got promoted by doing a non-management job well, and in fact they probably have little experience in management. Here are four of the mistakes that will undermine a new manager the fastest. 1. Focusing on tasks instead of people. Before you were a manager, your number one job was to accomplish tasks. You were someone with skills to get something done. Maybe media buying, or programming, or selling. Now your number one job is to help other people to accomplish the tasks in an outstanding way. Sure, youll have tasks, too. As a manager youll have weekly reports, budgets, planning. But your tasks are secondary to helping other people to do their tasks. Your job as manager is to get the best work from the people you manage. The measure of how well youre doing as a manager is how well each individual on your team performs. Ideally, you should be able to show each person you manage how to see themselves differently so that they are able to produce at a higher level than they ever imagined. For one person this will mean you need to teach organization skills. For another person, you will help her discover what she loves to do and then set her up doing it for you. Each person wants something, and you need to find out what that is. Then help them get it. In return, your employees will do great work for you. This level of management is superior to task-management; helping people perform at their best impacts the quality of your teams work as opposed to just getting the work done. 2. Being slow to transition. Moving into any new position requires that you get rid of the stuff from your old position. This means delegating. It means getting over the idea that you were indispensable on any of your old teams. You cant do you new job well if youre still doing your old job. Delegating your old job should take three days. You find people who are taking a step up when they accept pieces of your old job so that they are excited. You give them an explanation of how to do it and tell them where to go when they have questions. You are going to tell me that one day is not enough, that you have a very complicated job. But think of it this way: If you died today, your job would be delegated in a couple of days. Delegating is not enough, though. You have to stop caring. If you are no longer on a project because you got a promotion, then you have to stop obsessing about how the project is doing. Remember how quickly the girl who dumped you hooked up with her next-door neighbor? You need to move that fast, too. 3. Forgetting to manage up. Managing up means steering your team to hit goals that the people above you care about. Figure out what matters to your boss, and your bosss boss, and make that stuff matter to you, too, because you can only impress your boss with your management skill if you are accomplishing things she cares about. And be loud about your accomplishments. Set measurable goals for yourself and let people above you know that youre meeting them. Do this it right off the bat. Peoples perceptions of you as a manager will be made during your very first actions. That saying, People judge you in the first two minutes they meet you, is true for management, too. So give people reason right away to think youre doing a good job. 4. Talking more than listening. My sister-in-law, Rachel, has been a manager for a while. But she just accepted a position where she is managing three times the number of people she had been managing. Her first step was to go on a sort of listening tour of the organization. She had lunch with people to find out what matters to them, she sat in on groups and even visited some people at home, all in the name of figuring out what matters to whom, and how she should set up goals for herself. Consider your own listening tour as soon as you start in a new position. After all, theres no way to figure out what people want without getting them talking. And the most annoying thing about any manager â€" new or seasoned â€" is when they just wont shut up.

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Choosing a Free Resume App

Choosing a Free Resume AppIf you are an experienced writer, then a free resume app may be a welcome development. But for those who have yet to showcase their work, it can be difficult to get people to read your resume.There are thousands of organizations that offer these quality software applications. If you compare the features and prices, it can be difficult to determine which free resume app is the best fit for your needs. This article outlines some of the things you should look for when selecting a free resume application.You will want a program that lets you create a current picture of yourself. This is vital, as different people have different styles. The program should make it easy to change your style to show off your skills.There are many free resume programs that have been created specifically for the job market today. Not all of them are going to have the same features. Make sure the free software you select has features that will help make your resume stand out.Once you'v e selected the program, you need to make sure it is easy to navigate through. The best programs will be set up with a simple layout. This will make it quick and easy to find your necessary information. It should also have some features that allow you to create your own cover letters and resumes.It is important to make sure that the application you select is in English. People from around the world can use the application and understand what you are trying to communicate. Your ability to communicate clearly in a language other than English can play a big role in whether or not your resume gets read.An application should also include some tools to help you organize your resume. There should be something in the program that allows you to store your cover letters, resumes, and any other documents. You should also be able to search for contact information for past jobs. Most programs will let you search by location as well.Using a free resume application can be a great way to improve you r resume. However, if you plan on making a big splash in the industry, then choose the best program. To learn more about choosing the best free resume application, please visit our website.