10 uncomfortable deeds that will pay off forever

10 uncomfortable deeds that will pay off forever10 uncomfortable deeds that will pay off foreverT.S. Eliot was clearly onto something when he asked, If you arent in over your head, how do you know how tall you are? The very act of stepping outside of your comfort zone is critical to your success and well-being. Our brains are wired such that its difficult to take action until we feel at least some stress and discomfort. In fact, wertmiger zuwachs peaks when were well out of our comfort zone. If youre too comfortable your performance suffers from inaction, and if you move too far outside of your comfort zone you melt down from stress.Peak performance and discomfort go hand in hand. Stepping outside of your comfort zone makes you better, and it doesnt have to be something as extreme as climbing Mount Everest. Its the everyday challenges that push your boundaries the most, none of which require a flight to Nepal. Step out of your comfort zone and embrace these challenges.Get up earlyUn less youre a morning person, getting up earlier than usual can take youwayout of your comfort zone. However, if you get up well before you have to start getting ready for work, its worth it. It gives you an opportunity to collect your thoughts and mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead, rather than just dashing from one activity to another. It also gives you the opportunity to eat a good breakfast and exercise, both of which have well-known health benefits.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreAccomplish an impossible goalFew things compare to the exhilaration of accomplishing something that you didnt think you were capable of. These achievements fall so far outside of your comfort zone that they seem impossible. Maybe its running a marathon or giving a keynote speech at a convention. These accomplishments are worth every bit of suffering you endure to achieve them because once you finally do it, you feel invincible and carry that triumph with you forever.MeditateIts easy to get stuck in your comfort zone when youre so busy that you dont slow down enough to really think about what youre doing and why youre doing it. Meditation is a great way to break this cycle and also happens to be very good for your brain. Harvard neuroscientist Sara Lazar found that meditation creates important physical changes in your brain. It increases brain density in areas responsible for self-control, focus, problem-solving, flexibility, and resilience. Best of all, these changes are lasting.Focus on one thing at a timeFocusing completely on a single task is a big risk- the risk of failing at something to which youve given your all. Thats why its so uncomfortable. The alternative- multitasking- is a real productivity killer. Research conducted at Stanford confirms that multitasking is less productive than doing a single thing at a time. The researchers found that people who are r egularly bombarded with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, recall information, or switch from one job to another as well as those who complete one task at a time. When you try to do two things at once, your brain lacks the capacity to perform both tasks successfully. When you spread yourself too thin and chase after every bright, shiny thing that catches your eye, youre missing out on an important opportunity for personal growth.VolunteerIt would be great if everyone volunteered for purely altruistic reasons, but we all have demands on our time and have to set priorities. The problem is that after a long workday, volunteering can get pushed down somewhere below watching epic fail videos on YouTube. Volunteering is a powerful experience that feels good and expands your network at the same time. Have you ever met anyone who made volunteering a priority and wasnt changed for the better by the experience? Neither have I.Practice public speakingYouve likely h eard that the majority of people fear public speaking more than death. In fact, 74 percent of Americans have glossophobia (the fancy aber sicher for a fear of public speaking). So, yes, its a challenge. Its also worth it. Whether youre addressing five people around a table or an audience of five thousand, becoming a better public speaker can be a huge boon to your career.Talk to someone you dont knowUnless youre an extreme extrovert- or a politician- talking to new people probably makes you at least somewhat uncomfortable. Do it anyway. Social interaction is good for your mood (even when you dont like it), expands your network, exposes you to new ideas, and boosts your self-confidence.Bite your tongueSure, it can feelsogood to unload on somebody and let them know what you really think, but that good feeling is temporary. What happens the next day, the next week, or the next year? Its human nature to want to prove that youre right, but its rarely effective. In conflict, unchecked emo tion makes you dig your heels in and fight the kind of battle that can leave you and the relationship severely damaged. When you read and respond to your emotions, youre able to choose your battles wisely and only stand your ground when the time is right. The vast majority of the time, that means biting your tongue.Say noResearch conducted at the University of California, Berkeley showed that the more difficulty that you have saying no, the more likely you are to experience stress, burnout, and even depression. Saying no is indeed a major challenge for many people.Nois a powerful word that you should not be afraid to wield. When its time to say no, avoid phrases such asI dont think I canorIm not certain. Saying no to a new commitment honors your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to successfully fulfill them. When you learn to say no, you free yourself from unnecessary constraints and free up your time and energy for the important things in life.Quit putting things o ffChange is hard. Self-improvement is hard. Scrounging up the guts to go for what you want is hard, and so is the work to make it happen. When things are hard, its always easier to decide to tackle them tomorrow. The problem is that tomorrow never comes. Saying youll do it tomorrow is just an excuse, and it means that either you dont really want to do it or that you want the results without the hard work that comes along with it.Bringing it all togetherStaying in your comfort zone means stagnation. Just as an oyster only makes a pearl when its irritated by a grain of sand, no one has ever accomplished anything remarkable when comfortable.Travis Bradberryis the award-winning co-author ofEmotional Intelligence 2.0,and the cofounder ofTalentSmart.This column originally appeared at LinkedIn.

Understanding Different Sales Approach Methods

Understanding Different Sales Approach MethodsUnderstanding Different Sales Approach MethodsTheres no one best sales approach. Your personality and background will determine which type of sales technique is fruchtwein effective for you. Even if you have a methodology that works well, its a good idea to try a different approach now and then. Trying new methods keeps you out of a rut, and you may be surprised by how well a new sales approachworks for you. In fact, many salespeople do best by using a combination of approaches. The Instant Buddy People feel better about buying from someone they like. Salespeople who use the Buddy approach are warm and friendly, asking questions and showing interest in their prospects. They try to connect on an emotional level with each prospective customer. This approach can be very effective, but only in the right hands. Usually, salespeople who are naturally warm-hearted and love making new friends. Dont try this approach with a prospect unless you mean it- people can tell if youre faking it, and theyll be very unhappy with you. Youll also need to do some follow-through to demonstrate that you do like and care about the prospect. For example, if you chat about the prospects eleven-month-old baby during your appointment, you should follow up by sending a card and small gift or both on the childs first birthday. The Guru Salespeople who prefer a more logical and less emotional approach set themselves on the task of becoming experts in anything and everything related to their industry. They position themselves as problem-solvers, able to answer any question and tackle any issue that the prospect lays before them. The guru approach requires plenty of work learning the relevant information and keeping up with changes in your industry. But if youre willing to put in the time it takes, you can do very well both in selling to your prospects and generating plenty of referrals. Once customers realize what a great resource you are, theyre quite likely to send friends and co-workers with questions straight to you. The Consultant This approach combines the guru and buddy approaches. The salesperson who elects to use the consultant approach presents herself as an expert who has the customers best interests in mind. She knows all about her companys products and by asking a prospect a few questions, she can match him up with the best product for his needs. As an approach that combines the best qualities of the of the first two methods, its extremely effective. But it also requires a great deal of time and effort on a salespersons part. You must be both knowledgeable and able to make an emotional connection with your prospects. If you can manage both of these feats, your sales will take off like a rocket. The Networker Networking can be a big help for any salesperson. The dedicated networker takes it to the next level, setting up and maintaining a web of friends, co-workers, salespeople from other companies, customers, and former customers, and anyone else he meets. A strong enough network will create an ongoing flow of warm leads that can provide most or even all of the salespersons needs. With this approach, youll spend a great deal of time cultivating people. Its a highly effective technique for salespeople who enjoy attending various events, parties, and so on and meeting new people. Just remember that youll need to respond by doing favors and sending leads back to the people whove helped you in their turn. The Hard Seller Best described as scare the prospect into buying, the hard sell approach is what gives salespeople a bad reputation. Hard selling involves getting someone to buy a product even though he doesnt want or need it. Methods range from bullying (e.g., Buy this now, or youll feel stupid tomorrow), to propaganda (e.g., If you dont buy from me Ill lose my job), to outright deception (e.g., This product has a much better safety record than the competition). No ethical salesperson should use a hard sell approach. Sadly, there are still salespeople who use this type of sales strategy, even though the result is a customer who never buys again and, sooner or later, a bad reputation for the company as a whole. Stick with one or more of the first four approaches- they are all both effective and ethical.

Why Positive Employee Recognition Is So Important

Why Positive Employee Recognition Is So ImportantWhy Positive Employee Recognition Is So ImportantProvide employee recognition to say thank you and you will encourage a positive, productive, and innovative organizational climate. Employees appreciate heartfelt, sincere, specific recognition from their managers, senior managers, and coworkers. It makes them feel good and feel appreciated which lead to better results for your business. People who feel appreciated end up experiencing more self-worth and their ability to contribute to the company. The result is a happier and more productive employee.Although these beliefs about employee recognition are commonly held by employers, why is it that employee recognition is so closely guarded in many organizations? Why Is Employee Recognition Scarce? Employee recognition is scarce because of a combination of several factors. People dont know how to provide employee recognition effectively, so they end up having bad experiences. They also a ssume that one size fits all when they provide employee recognition. Additionally, employers think too narrowly about what people will find rewarding and what constitutestrue recognition. Guidelines for Effective Employee Recognition Here are some guidelines and ideas to help you effectively provide employee recognition and avoid potential problems when you undertake acknowledging your staff. Decide what you want to achieve through your employee recognition efforts. Many organizations use a scatter approach to employee recognition. They implement a whole bunch of employee recognition and hope that some of it sticks. Or, conversely, they recognize just a few employees, and not very often. Instead, create goals and action plans for employee recognition. Recognize the actions, behaviors, approaches, and accomplishments that you know will make your organization more productive and efficient. Fairness, clarity, and consistency are important in employee recognition. People need to bin nensee that each partie who makes the same or a similar contribution has an equal likelihood of receiving recognition for their efforts. Ensure that your organization establishes criteria for what makes a person eligible for the employee recognition. For example, if people are recognized for exceeding a production or sales expectation, everyone who goes over the goal shares in the glory. Recognizing only the highest performer will demoralize all of your other contributors. Make sure the criteria for employee recognition is clearly stated and understood by everyone. Set guidelines so leaders acknowledge equivalent and similar contributions. For example, each employee who stays after work to contribute ideas in a departmental improvement brainstorming session gets to have lunch with the department head. Or, recognize each employee who contributes to a customer, even the employee who just answered the phone- their actions set the sale in motion. Approaches and content must also be inco nsistent.You want to offer employee recognition that is consistently fair, but you also want to make sure that your employee recognition efforts do not become expectations or entitlements. For example, if employees are invited to lunch with the boss every time they work overtime, the lunch becomes an expectation or entitlement. It is no longer a reward. Additionally, if a person does not receive the expected reward, it becomes a source of dissatisfaction and negatively impacts the persons attitude about work. Be specific about why the individual is receiving the recognition. The purpose of feedback is to reinforce what youd like to see the employee do more of- the purpose of employee recognition is the same. In fact, employee recognition is one of the most powerful forms of feedback that you can provide. For example, say something like, the report had a significant impact on the committees decision. You did an excellent job of highlighting the key points and information we needed be fore making the final decision. Because of your work, well be able to cut 6 percent of our operating budget. Offer recognition as close to the event as possible. When a person performs positively, provide recognition immediately. Because its likely the employee is already feeling good about his or her wertzuwachs your timely recognition of the employee will enhance the positive feelings. This, in turn, positively affects the employees confidence in their ability to perform well in their position. Remember that employee recognition is personal. One person may enjoy public recognition at a staff meeting while another prefers a private note in their personnel file. The best way to determine what an employee finds rewarding is to ask your employees.

The Executives CFOs Collaborate With Best

The Executives CFOs Collaborate With BestThe Executives CFOs Collaborate With BestA VIEW FROM THE TOPHow well CFOs say they collaborate with other executives at their companyCEOsVery well 46%Somewhat well 47%Chief human resources officerVery well 44%Somewhat well 52%Chief information officerVery well 41%Somewhat well 52%Chief operating officerVery well 40%Somewhat well 51%Chief audit executiveVery well 38%Somewhat well 54%Chief compliance officerVery well 37%Somewhat well 54%General counselVery well 34%Somewhat well 56%Board chairVery well 29%Somewhat well 57%

When to Leave a Job Off Your Resume

When to Leave a Job Off Your Resume When to Leave a Job Off Your Resume Remember this A resume is a marketing document that quickly shows a potential employer how you are a fit for their job.It is not a career biography.Can I leave a job off my resume?To determinewhich jobs in your past to leave off your resume, consider the following questions from Lori Williams, Resume Writer and Career Coach at Unstoppable CommunicationsWill this job be relevant to the job in which I am currently applying or to the career I want to pursue?If I remove this job off my resume will it create a noticeable gap in my work history that I cant explain?Did I leave this job on badeanstalt terms, which can result in a bad recommendation should a recruiter or hiring manger check out my background?These three questions can help you decide which jobs you can leave off your resume, Williams tells Jobscan. Always consider putting relevant work history that reflects your skills and showcases quantifiable stats in r oles that will help promote you to the next step in your career. Likewise, if you were only in that role for three months or less, I strongly suggest leaving it off a resume unless it was an internship or volunteer experience.Laura Mazzullo, owner of East Side Staffing, a New York City-based boutique recruitment firm focused on the permanent placement of Human Resources professionals, also suggests asking yourself some questions and thinking like a recruiter who is reading your resume. Is this previous job relevant to what Im applying for? Do I want to be asked about it on the bewerbungsgesprch? Will talking about this experience on an interview impress the interviewer? Will it help or hurt my candidacy?If you dont want to be asked about it on an interview, leave it off, says Mazzullo. If you dont feel it adds anything meaningful to where you are heading in your career, leave it off.What else should you leave off a resume? Laura Handrick, a staff writer at Fit Small Business who ho lds SHRM certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and who has served as the HR director in Fortune 100 companies, helped us come up with the following tipsJobs older than 10 yearsHandrick suggests that job applicants should leave off anything thats older than ten years, as it gives away your age and can cause unintended bias on the part of the recruiter or hiring manager. That said, some recruiters say go back as far as 15 years, so if you still have relevant and important experience from 15 years ago, youd be safer to include it.Anything unrelated to your current jobLeave off anything completely unrelated, like the time you worked for your uncles construction company in the summer during college.Jobs that may cause conflicts of interest or go against values of a companyLeave off anything that doesnt reflect well on the position youre trying to get.For example, say youre looking work in IT for the Democratic National Committee (Democratic Party). Stating tha t you worked as a political activist for the RNC (Republican National Committee) probably isnt going to help you get the job, says Handrick.The same is true for anything overly controversial. For example, lets say you want a job as a writer for a Christian educational company, and one of your writing internships was done at Planned Parenthood. Employers are not supposed to discriminate, but human beings often do, even if its unintentional, says Handrick. So why risk it?Exception to the rule College students should include any part-time work or job they held in college, whether its related to their career path, or not. That part-time job in retail, or working as a server, while in college, provides valuable skills that employers crave from entry-level job binnenseekers. So, when you lack experience, be sure to include those part-time jobs to show you have some professional experience. Employers covet job seekers who have developed soft skills and/or worked part-time jobs while in col lege especially in retail and the restaurant industry, where communication, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills are developed. The same can be said for many other part-time jobs college students hold, so include them.Jobs that make you look like a job hopperLeave off any job that you worked for less than 90 days because it makes you look like a job hopper. For example, if you took a position and then changed your mind and took a better position a few weeks later, dont list the short-term position you took first.Exceptions to the rule If the job was with a temporary staffing firm where you were working, adding skills, and staying employed while seeking permanent, full-time employment, include it. If you were performing contact work on a short-term gig, include it and label it (Contract).Leave off jobs that dont add any unique or additional skillsLets say youre an electrician. Leave off the job 12 years ago when you worked parking cars as a valet.Other exceptions to considerWhi le many hiring managers and recruiters recommend only listing jobs from the last 10-15 years, there are some recruiters who want to see a complete work history see why there is confusion among job seekers? If you do list experience past 15 years, simply only list title, company, city/state, years, like thisMarketing assistant, Smith Companies, St. Paul, Minnesota (2002-2003)Marketing intern, Acme Enterprise, White Bear Lake, Minnesota (2000-2001)I do believe that every job experience adds to your personal story, so I understand why some people are tempted to leave it all on the resume, said Mazzullo.Applicant tracking systems use keywords and skills to rank and filter your resume based on the job requirements, see if your previous experience is helping or hurting your current match rate by using Jobscan.Focus on most recent and relevantRemember, employers want to learn about your most recent and relevant experience, so focus on that.Example Lets say you have 10 total years of work experience and are seeking a new job in HR. The first two years of your career were in retail (sales/management). The next two were as an executive assistant. And the most recent six were as an HR generalist.Youll want the HR Generalist experience to own the most valuable space near the top of your resume, since youll want to be asked most about this on an interview (and it aligns with your goals), says Mazzullo.Think of the resume as a canvas, says Mazzullo. You want the biggest piece of the canvas to be filled with the most relevant, appealing, and attractive parts of your experience.And youll want to leave off the jobs that are irrelevant, or dont fit into the puzzle.Matt Krumrie is a professional resume writer, and owner of Resumesbymatt.com. He has 15 years of resume writing experience and specializes in eliminating the clutter and information that wont add value to a resume. Check out his previous Jobscan article Resume Guides for Different Industries

Key Pieces of Academic Resume Template

Key Pieces of Academic Resume Template Following are some examples. Appendices As referenced already in a number of the preceding categories, its ok to incorporate an appendix. Academic reports vary with respect to their content based on the purpose on where theyll be used. Honors and Recognitions Here is a section where you could permit yourself to shine. For instance, if you intend to work as a branch manager for a financial institution, then previous work for a bank teller or loan officer will accelerate your application and supply you with the tenure you will need to get interviewed for the post. You may use the samples as a foundation for working out how to write in the suitable style. Both cover letter and resume should revolve around the demands and needs of the provider. In reality, your application may be ignored without one. Life After Academic Resume Template Making your own academic resume is as straightforward as filling in your information. Using templates will provide you with the jumpstart if you need to make your academic resume. If you dont have an excellent template or outline structure, there are tons of good selections available throughout the world wide web, so look there You can also see totally free research paper templates. The War Against Academic Resume Template For academic jobs, its important to demonstrate that youve got experience raising money. A typical college application doesnt always offer a student room to highlight all her or his accomplishments and experience. To begin, you need two unique resumes. Many students think that employment history isnt important, but it is at least as critical as extracurricular pursuits. Everything you must know more about the academic CV. Your academic CV is an essential portion of your job search and may be the difference between finding your fantasy job and continuing on the hunt. Type of Academic Resume Template Academic decision makers can be quite picky in regards to seemingly unimportant information. Microsoft Word and Google Documents have many samples to pick from. Applications are available on the internet or click the link above. Academic resumes are not simple to combine on account of their non-visual content type. ur CV builder (it is possible to create your CV here) will offer you tips and examples about how to write your own personal profile or another section. Interests Many expert CV writing companies advise not to incorporate any interests, as theyre rarely related to the job for which youre applying. Choose which sections you should put in your CV (dependent on the job that youre applying for), and which ones it is possible to remove. You wish to have a compelling CV thats well-organized and simple to read, yet accurately represents your greatest accomplishments. There are various kinds of paper besides regular typing paper. When you are requested to compose an essay, attempt to locate some samples (models) of similar writing and learn how to observe the craft of the writer. Since objectives are so short, every word must have a certain purpose as a way to produce the sentence flow well. The qualities of academic writing involve using an official tone. The Definitive Approach to Academic Resume Template Three paragraphs are sufficient to highlight any education and work experience along with special skills. Any job will have given you with valuable skills and experience that ought to be highlighted to an employer and linked to the needs of the job. Therefore, if you think you have the skills to have a position, you are going to want to convince the employer, even in case you havent held a position identical to the one advertised. Bear in mind that a branch management position necessitates skill well above the traditional team supervision classification. Theres no other greater approach to describe academic writing, more than the simple fact that its thesis-driven. You dont need to list whatever you have ever done if you dont feel its related to the position youre seeking, but its fantastic to demonstrate a pattern of past achievement. An individual should put in lot of work and care when creating a resume. If your hintergrund comprises expertise in a lot of locations, choose whether you wish to concentrate on no more than one area or whether youre open to creating a biography resume that illustrates all your lifes transitions.

How to be Upfront About Salary Range - Spark Hire

How to be Upfront About Salary Range - Spark HireAs a small business, it can be tempting to fall into the habit of not disclosing the salary sortiment on your job postings or initial conversations with candidates.Many companies justify this by saying that they are flexible if the right candidate comes along, or all candidates will expect the top end of the salary regardless of their level of experience.While there may be some truth behind these defenses, there are many reasonably smart reasons to share the salary range up front. Avoid wasting your time.When you fail to disclose the salary range, you will receive all levels of candidates applying to your position. What a waste of time to have to weed through each of these applicants in order to find the one who will work for the salary you are able to payAlso, who wants to get to the offer stage, only to discover your perfect candidate is expecting a much higher salary than you are able to justify?Not only do you waste your time inter viewing excellent candidates who may demand higher than you can pay, but you also waste the time of candidates. When you are hesitant to disclose your salary range, many candidates will be reluctant to share with you their true bottom line.Establish the negotiation points.When you disclose a salary range, you are clearly establishing any room you may have for negotiating when it comes to an Allstar candidate.Be realistic in your salary range. Think about your budget and what you are able to do. Research what similar positions pay in your industry and be competitive with your range.Also, if you want to eliminate that issue of candidates always expecting the top end of your pay range, be sure to clearly establish levels of experience and how that matches up with your salary range.Display an upfront way of doing business.When you are upfront in the beginning stages with a candidate, you are showing your expectations in business.If your company values integrity and clear communication, its important for you to display these values early on in the interview process. This helps the candidate understand your company culture and way of doing business.Be seen as professional.Avoiding the salary range when interviewing for a position is simply not professional.When doing business with your clients, you wouldnt try to avoid or hide the cost of your products or services. Why would you do this when it comes to considering someone for a position on your team?Its much more professional to inform the candidate of the salary range and establish expectations in the beginning stages.Whats keeping you from being upfront about the salary range with candidates?

Accelerate Your Job Search in the Summer Slowdown

Accelerate Your Job Search in the Summer SlowdownAccelerate Your Job Search in the Summer SlowdownSummer is upon us The price of gasoline has gone through the roof millions of children are unleashed from school and, guaranteed, job seekers are frustrated enough to put their job search on hold.As we find ways to survive the gas prices and summer schedule, so too must job seekers find ways to accelerate their search.While there is a general slowdown in hiring during the summer, the search process for exceptional talent is ongoing. In fact, decision makers continually evaluate talent in order to fill executive positions as soon as the Labor Day holiday is over. Smart job seekers should do everything possible to position themselves for the demand for talent in September and October.Lets explore traditional and out-of-the-box search strategies to give you a competitive edge.The 3ft. RuleSummer is an extraordinary time to network, as the season is filled with festivals, barbecues, garage s ales, sports, and endless other activities. Guess what? Decision makers from every industry and functional area are participating in those activities. Nows the time to implement what I call The 3ft. Rule. Dont hesitate to talk to anyone who comes within three feet of you. If youre camping, its the people whove pitched tents around you. If youre at the beach, its the family swimming next to you. The list goes on. You can easily break the ice by talking about the activity you have in common. Then ask, By the way, what is your business? or, What do you do for a living? This kicks off networking that wouldnt have happened otherwise.Heres a great summertime success story. One of my clients was having a garage sale and there was an individual checking out the used refrigerator for sale. My client thought Okay, Im going to use The 3ft. Rule. After a brief discussion about the refrigerator, my client inquired as to what the man did for a living. He happened to be looking for a mechanical en gineer at his company, Mare Island. As youve probably guessed, my client was a mechanical engineer and landed the position in just three weeks.It never would have happened if he hadnt turned the conversation toward work. When you attend summer activities, dont just hang out with your friends. Seek out other participants and network away.Be VisibleIf youre notlage already actively listed on social networking sites like LinkedIn and Facebook, what are you waiting for? Recruiters and executive decision makers use those sites on a regular basis to find talent. During the summer, recruiters and decision makers spend a great deal of time surfing online networking sites. They take their laptops with them on vacation, and browse for talent while lounging on the beach. Actively build your Internet presence so key decision makers can find you.Diversify your StrategiesUse multiple strategies to reach executive decision makers. Here are some rapid-fire ideasSpice up your resume with visuals. Hi ghlight your performance with graphs, tables and charts. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. Be sure to see my article on developing an executive portfolio in next months newsletter.Target specific executive decision makers, not just an employers HR department, with your resume or executive portfolio.While everyone is using schmelzglas to contact decision makers, take a step back in time and use old fashioned snail mail. It works particularly with an executive portfolio.Make certain you attend local industry trade associations summer meetings. The lower turnout common at these meetings gives you the opportunity to spend more time with the decision makers who do attend.If you can secure summer interviews, they can be very productive. While the hiring decision might not be made until fall, the company pace frequently slows down and interviews can be more casual. Your potential boss might even be able to spend more time with you in the interview. Its a great time to bu ild relationships and sell yourself.The summer slowdown is very much like the slowdown during the November and December holidays. Despite the lack of hiring activity during those times, key decision makers are always on the lookout for peak performers. Hiring takes off like a rocket at the end of summer. The job seeker who has been pursuing opportunities during the slowdown will be first on the list when hiring accelerates in September.When summer draws to a close, if you have spent your summer wisely, maintaining a focused, intense job search, you will likely be starting a new opportunity.

5 Things You Might Not Have on Your Resume, But Should

5 Things You Might Not Have on Your Resume, But Should 5 Things You Might Not Have on Your Resume, But Should If youre trying to write an effective resume, here are five things you might not be including, but should add.1. A profile at the top of your resume. Profile sections or summaries have replaced objectives at the top of modern-day resumes. This is a quick list of the highlights of your strengths and experience, summing up in just a few sentences or bullet points who you are as a candidate and what you have to offer. A well-written profile or summary can provide an overall framing of your candidacy, setting the hiring manager up to binnensee the rest of your resume through that lens.2. Accomplishments at each job. If youre like most people, your resume lists what you were responsible for at each job you held but doesnt explain what you actually achieved there. Rewriting your resume to focus on accomplishments will make it far mora effective, and more likely to catch a hiring m anagers eye. That means getting rid of lines like managed website and replacing them with lines like increased Web traffic by 15 percent in six months i.e., something that explains how you performed, not just what your job was.3. Volunteer work. Too often, candidates dont mention their volunteer work on their resumes, even when its relevant to the jobs theyre applying for. If you believe that volunteer work doesnt count because you dont get paid for it, think again. Employers want to know about all the experience you have that might be relevant, whether you received pay for it or not. Hiring managers have plenty of stories of nearly rejecting a candidate for lack of experience before discovering that the person simply hadnt mentioned their relevant experience because it had been gained as a volunteer.4. Relevant hobbies and side projects. As with volunteering, too many people neglect to mention relevant experience that theyve gained through hobbies or side projects, mistakenly thin king that it doesnt count because its not real work or its just for fun. But to the contrary, it can help flesh out your skills and experience and can demonstrate a passion for the work that paid jobs cant always do. For instance, if youre applying for an IT position and you run an online software discussion group in your spare time, mention that. Or if youre applying for a teaching job and you review childrens books for your website, thats important to mention too. These types of details help paint a stronger picture of you as a candidate.5. Bullet points. Too many job candidates have resumes that are filled with large blocks of text. Hiring managers will only skim your resume initially, and big blocks of text are difficult to skim (not to mention, they often make employers eyes glaze over). An employer will absorb more information about you with a quick skim if your information is arranged in bullet points rather than paragraphs. And after all, thats your goal to have your inform ation read and processed, not to cram as much in as possible.Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. Shes also the co-author of Managing to Change the World The Nonprofit Managers Guide to Getting Results, and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.

This is By Far the Dumbest Resume Trend

This is By Far the Dumbest Resume Trend This is By Far the Dumbest Resume Trend This is By Far the Dumbest Resume TrendDear Job Seekers,If you decide to create an infographic resume (against the suggestion of basically every hiring manager), please, for the love of god, DO NOT do this for your skills sectionDo not do this or you are a Bad Person.Oh look, a cute point system to visualize your skills Too badeanstalt it makes no sense.Creating a skills point system is an awful and illogical style of presentation that will only serve to confuse the hiring manager and make them trash your resume quickly. This trend is most often found on graphic design resumesthat like to push the limits of creativity.Lets take a close look at why a skills point system makes no sense at all. Take this exampleAdobe Photoshop 7/10Adobe Dreamweaver 3/10Microsoft Word 10/10Excel 3/10Atrocious. Presenting information like this relies on a series of moronic assumptions which, stacked againstone another, creates a towering pile of illogical BS so high the peak is barely visible. Its a bad resume trend, and people should just stop it.Spock finds your resume most illogical.Nonsensical Assumption 1 All of these skills have the same level of difficultyIf you think Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word have the same level of difficulty, you are either living under a jupe or seriously overestimating your Photoshop skills.You cannot create a point scale and compare your skills against each other when those skills differ in quality and difficulty. Period.Dont believe me? Tell me if this makes any sense to youKickball 10/10Brain Surgery 5/10It doesnt make sense, does it? The only thing youve learned about my kickball skills is that Im utterly perfect at it (which is true). With regards to brain surgery, would you trust someone with an 8/10, or a 9/10? What does that even mean?It means nothing. Literally nothing which brings us to point 2.Stop doing this. Just stop.Nonsensical Assumption 2 The point s cale means somethingIn fact, these scales are completely meaningless.In order for a 10-point scale to have any meaning, people would need to design standardized tests that measure each skill on a 10-point scale.NEWSFLASH No one has designed tests to rate your ability on a 10-point scale for the majority of skills youll put on a resume.In other words, when people rate themselves, it is also known as making $h up.Try asking someone what the difference is between being a 5/10 and a 6/10 on Microsoft Word. What do you think they would say?RG Hint There is no difference.Please stop. I cant take it anymora.Nonsensical Assumption 3 People are good at rating themselvesActually, people are horrible at rating themselves across the board.Did you know that idiots are more likely to rate themselves higher for tasks they are awful at, whereas intelligent people are more likely to rate themselves lower for tasks they are good at? This is a cognitive bias called illusory superiority.How can that be ? Whereas intelligent people are more aware of the inherent difficulties of a given task, an idiot will obliviously think that everything is easy because theyre incapable of thinking deeply enough about the problem.(This explains the middle-management idiot phenomenon, and also why braggarts tend not to be the sharpest tools in the shed.)Just awful.So how should you present your skills?Theonly place your skills actually mean anything is in the meat of your professional experience section. Thats where you tell the hiring manager exactly what you accomplished with your skills, which is literally the only thing that matters.What have we learned? A fanciful skills rating scale gives absolutely no information whatsoever and you should burn your resume to a crisp if youve included one.Thanks for reading.