September 5, 2006 00:57 - Take the First Step Toward Finding Your Ideal Job
By Shawn Driscoll
If I asked you to describe your ideal car...assuming no limits...how would you describe it? Most people can describe their ideal car in great detail--from the make,model, features, and color, to any accessories to how it would feel to be behind the wheel. When I ask people to describe their ideal job, however, most people are far less clear. They may describe one or two attributes, like how much it pays, and/or the job title. That’s it. If you were shopping for your ideal car, it would be easy to find because you could eliminate the thousands of cars that weren’t a fit. You would focus exclusively on dealerships that offered the car that ‘fit’ you. It’s the same with finding your ideal job...if you can’t describe it, you won’t find it. It’s as simple as that.
Finding your Ideal Job requires a unique job search strategy. Focus and clarity are the first, and MOST IMPORTANT, pieces of this job search strategy. And, in my 15 years of experience (as an HR Manager, Hiring Manager, and Career Coach), most people get stuck here. The fact is, a clearly focused job search is much more successful than a broad one. Having a clear plan for the job you are after will result in a job weeks to months sooner than casting a ‘broad net’.
Yet, many people still fear that by being clear and focused they are excluding themselves from other possibilities. The “but” I hear on a regular basis is “I don’t want to limit myself”. However, by being general and ‘open’ you create a problem for hiring managers: They Don’t Know What You Want From Them and They Don’t Know How They Could Use You!
And, as a result, you create a problem for yourself: you don’t get interviews and you don’t get hired! As a job seeker, your ‘job’ is not to ‘find work’. Your job is to make it easy for work to find you! The easier you make it for a hiring manager to hire you, the better things will go. It’s that simple. Hiring managers are busy. If you make their job easy in the interview process, they’ll want you—yesterday!
As I’ve emphasized, the first step is to get clear. Get clear on what you want, what you won’t live with out (non-negotiables), and what you bring to the table. You must also get clear of your self-limiting beliefs, thoughts, and actions. Let’s start with 20 questions to get you clear on what your ideal job looks like.
WORK CONTENT: Describe work that excites, engages, and inspires you
1. What is the nature of your work?
2. What kinds of people, products, or services are you involved with?
3. What knowledge, skills, and experiences are you using regularly on the job?
4. In what ways are you growing, learning new knowledge, skills or abilities as a professional in your field?
5. What percentage of your work is new, challenging, energizing versus routine, boring, or “old hat”?
WORK RELATIONSHIPS: Describe the kinds of work relationships that motivate you, stretch you and bring out your best
6. What kinds of customers or clients do you serve?
7. What do you do in addition to serving customers or clients?
8. What is the leadership style of your direct boss?
9. What kinds of leadership or management activities are you involved in?
10. What type of co-workers are you working with? A team? Are you autonomous? Interdependent? Job sharing?
WORK ENVIRONMENT: Describe those work settings where you see yourself motivated, satisfied and performing at your best
11. What are the working days and hours?
12. Where are you working? Office, home, on the road, offsite, etc...
13. How are you learning and training for your position?
14. What is the career progression you see for yourself?
15. What is the overall mood or tone of the workplace?
REWARDS & RECOGNITION: Describe what makes you feel valued, keeps you contributing and confident
16. What income are you earning?
17. What kind of pay plan are you on? Salary? Hourly? Commission? Combination? Bonus?
18. How will you know when you are successful? How will success be measured?
19. What are you recognized for?
20. What other benefits (financial and non-financial) are you receiving? i.e., Vacation, holidays, discounts, services, etc.
Bottom line: take the time to be singularly focused and clear in your job search. You can run two (maybe three, but it’s a stretch) simultaneous job searches. You’ll need to do some of the exercises in "The Ultimate Guide to Landing Your Ideal Job" twice and prepare a job search campaign for each type of job. But if you really are equally interested in two different fields or types of positions, then create a clear and focused plan for both, rather than diluting both by trying to combine them into a general search.
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This article may be reproduced, in its entirety, along with the following information:
© 2006, Shawn Driscoll, Succeed Coaching & Development. This article is provided courtesy of Shawn Driscoll, Career Success Coach and owner of www.succeedcoaching.com. Professionals: upgrade your work life today! We provide products and services to help you succeed at work, in business and in life. Sign up to receive your free Success Wise ezine—and get success tips, inspiration, and resources to skyrocket your success—at www.succeedcoaching.com.
Career Success Coach Shawn Driscoll, of Succeed Coaching & Development is a certified coach, speaker and the author of “The Ultimate Guide to Landing Your Ideal Job”. As an expert on career transition and the art of reinventing yourself she can teach you how to take control of your career and create your ideal work-life. To learn more about her classes and programs and to get your FREE Career Accelerator Toolkit, visit http://www.succeedcoaching.com
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September 5, 2006 16:52 - What Does Your Letterhead Paper Say About You?
By Chris Ryerson
The presentation of your business is paramount to its success. Often as small business owners or even just busy business owners it can be very easy to fall into the trap of doing something quickly. We all know the pace of business is crazy and if your business can not keep up with the frantic pace of others you can quickly start losing tons of potential clients. However just getting things done is not always the best way to earn customers or build a business. Often by just tweaking a few of the things that a business does everyday can make a huge difference. For example do you use good quality letterhead paper when sending out proposals?
Many business owners will state that this is useless and so much is done electronically or by fax that good quality letterhead paper is a useless expense and a thing of the past. At times it can be pretty hard to refute this. While it is true that more and more communication is sent by email and a lot less formal then even a decade ago there are some things that will stil hurt your business expansion very quickly. One thing that can rapidly damage a business is the image they portray. For example if you simply send out a bunch of proposals to clients by fax to get them out quick and never follow up with a formal proposal on great quality paper with an exceptional letterhead then you are sacrificing your business’ image. However, if you really put in a little extra effort and very little extra cost and use good quality letterhead papers to follow up a faxed or email proposal with a hard copy written proposal you will be doing wonders for your business image. You will establish yourself as a quality business that does quality work and also demand a higher price and higher clientele base. This will lead to your business winning more contracts, forming better partner relationships and become a trustworthy business with a reputation for quality.
It sounds kind of silly and old fashioned to some people’s ear however those that take the time know how important it is. If you want to portray yourself as a professional company then you must go out and use the best products from top to bottom. This includes sending correspondence on good quality letterhead paper with matching envelopes if at all possible.
So what should you look for in a quality paper?
Stick With Tradition
99.9% of the time it is advisable to simply stick with tradition when selecting the proper stationary and letterhead paper for your business. This means finding good quality paper that is either white or ivory. You want to make sure that your business shows that it knows what a traditional business should do and by using and following the traditions like using good quality white or ivory stationary your business will establish this knowledge. Sure if you are an artistic or cutting edge company you might want to break tradition and this would not apply to you but in 99.9 percent of the cases stick with a white or ivory paper. If your business does wants to be more cutting edge then try a light colored paper like a soft gray or other color that might fit with your particular business.
What About The Finish
This is kind of a matte of personal choice and the type of company selecting the paper. Typically you can find high quality professional letterhead papers with a rough finish or a smooth finish. This is really up to your own business needs of course. The most traditional way to go would be a quality white paper with a smooth finish. However if your company is focused on nature or website design for example you might want to send something that is course and some texture to it.
To Watermark Or Not To Watermark That Is The Question
A watermark is a slight indentation or thin spot in the paper that can be seen when the paper is held up to the light. This typically was used by paper makers to claim their paper. They each put their own individual unique watermark. However today a watermark is a nice security feature and also gives the stationary an extra classy feel and look to it. So typically it is advisable to use a letterhead paper with a watermark. It will provide a little extra security from your document being copied and it will establish your business as a quality partner.
So if you have not chosen a professional logo or letterhead design yet it is time to get something out there. Take your time with the design and while you are working on that start scouting out some good quality letterhead paper and stationary sets that include envelopes. This will help establish your professional image for your clients and help to attract new clients.
For more great information on getting
Professional Letterhead check out
http://www.letterheadsbusinesscards.com The site is full of great ideas for
getting all of your business stationary and marketing needs.
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September 14, 2006 01:02 - Pondering a Professional Resume Writer?
By Lance Winslow
Have you been pondering perhaps hiring a professional resumé writer? You know writing your own resumé may not be that hard and perhaps you can look at other people's resumés to get a decent format? If you go to Kinko's you will see that many people have left examples of the trash cans. Kinko's also has a book full of resumé formats that you can look at. You can also go online and look for résumé formats and find many of them.
I recently bought a book on how to write a professional resumé and I was shocked to see how many books were on the shelf at the local Barnes & Noble bookstore. Still, it makes sense to hire a professional resumé writer so that you get everything just right.
Remember the human resource directors at some of America's top Fortune 500 companies have specifics that they are looking for and generally a simple to read format. If you are considering getting a corporate job then you'll want to use an easy-to-read font, as well as a very simplistic format. How long have you been pondering hiring a professional resumé writer?
I hope you realize that most corporations are not looking for employees who put things off or hesitate. The modern-day corporation is not looking for procrastinators they are looking for doers. If you can even get your own resumé together or determine that you need to hire someone, then maybe you are not qualified anyway? Just a thought. Please consider all this in 2006.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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September 14, 2006 19:15 - Resume Re-write and Why
By Lance Winslow
Many people use the same old resumé year after year and never make any changes or updates. If they believe this is the correct way to do things then perhaps they need to rethink what they're doing today? Because if they are not doing things to booster their self-worth in the job market or their abilities to perform in a corporation then maybe they are doing something that is of little value. Perhaps they are in a dead end job and gaining no new experience.
Of course if this is the case this is the very reason why they need to update their resumé so they can get a better job and do something with their life which will help their career move forward faster. Additionally, we know historically that what employers and corporations are looking for on resumés changes from time to time and if your résumé is old chances are it needs a revision.
If you do not know how to make a proper resumé and your old résumé is not in line with your abilities then perhaps you need to find a professional resumé writer to help you make the perfect resumé, which describes your abilities, performance, dedication and commitment to your career. Human resource directors at today's corporations are looking for winners not losers and they can tell or spot a bad resumé a mile away. So, do yourself a favor and revise your resumé as soon as possible. Please consider this in 2006.
"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
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September 18, 2006 16:43 - Eight Essential Proofreading Secrets to Keep Your Resume Out of the Trash
By Jennifer Anthony
Do you ever wonder why you did not hear back from an employer once you applied for a position? Is it possible that in your rush to get your resume sent, you made some errors that could have been avoided if you had taken time to proofread?
I estimate eight out of every 10 resumes that are submitted to me for review contain obvious errors. From a recruiter's standpoint, those resumes immediately end up in the "no" pile. Follow the tips below and you just may find yourself one-step closer to gaining that interview.
1. Take a break between writing and proofreading.
Give your eyes a rest and let your information sit overnight. This will give you a fresh perspective on your work.
2. Print your resume.
When you print your resume, you will be able to determine if the formatting is consistent. You can also double check for potential capitalization and punctuation errors that may be less noticeable on your monitor.
3. Proofread more than once.
Each time you proofread your resume, look for something different. For instance, the first time you look at it, search for misspelled words. For the second review, look for grammatical foul ups.
4. Proofread aloud.
By reading your resume aloud, you will slow down and be more likely to catch errors you may not see when just looking. This will also give you a better idea of how the information flows from one section to another.
5. Take it apart.
Look at each word individually and not how they combine with the others. When you look at the document as a whole, your mind will naturally focus on what you meant to say, instead of what you actually typed. To stay focused, you can use two pieces of blank paper to cover everything except for the line you are reading.
6. Read it backwards.
By reading your resume backwards, you are forced to slow down and see each word individually.
7. Get help.
Ask someone else to proofread with you. An extra pair of eyes is always helpful when you are proofreading, especially if you have been working on it for a long time.
8. Avoid distractions.
Each time your proofreading efforts are interrupted, you are more prone to skip errors. If you are an e-mail addict, take your proofreading somewhere other than your desk to help keep those computer distractions from taking over.
Proofreading is an essential skill that should be used each time you apply for a position. If you take the time to carefully proofread your resume, your resume might just end up in an employee file, instead of the deep, dark depths of the trash ca
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Jennifer Anthony is the Director of http://www.resumeasap.com/ offering professional and affordable resume writing services. If you have comments about this article, or if you are interested in learning more about professional resume writing, please contact Jennifer Anthony by e-mail at resumeasap@gmail.com.
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