Nowadays, everyone has some kind of computer skills they can bring to the table when applying for a new job. So, does that mean you should still list your own skills on your resume? The answer to that question is, yes, absolutely. Everyone has experience in both hardware and software. Depending on the kind of job you’re applying for, you may not necessarily need to list the hardware you’re familiar with. The kind of computer software you’re familiar with, however, may make or break your chances of getting that job. Some software, like Microsoft Office – and, in particular, Microsoft Word – you can usually leave off your resume because an employer assumes you already have a basic understanding of Microsoft Word by now. Here, instead, are the most important computer skills you should absolutely list on your resume. Operating Systems You should list on your resume the operating system(s) with which you’re more familiar. The reason for this is because some jobs require Mac knowledge, while others use strictly PCs. If you have more experience with a PC, for example, you may find it difficult to navigate a Mac. This would require the employer to put extra time into training you if they ultimately feel you are the right candidate for the job. Therefore, it is important to be up front about the operating system with which you are most familiar. Google Drive Today, many businesses prefer operating in Google Drive, rather than Microsoft Office, when it comes to things like documents and spreadsheets. There are just so many more benefits to using Google Drive, like the ability to save your work in real time without doing anything at all, or sharing a document with multiple users, who can also edit it. However, simply listing “Google Drive” on your resume isn’t specific enough. You want to go into detail about what exactly it is you know how to do in Google Drive. For instance, you can list “Google Drive” as a main heading, and then, as subheadings, you can list the aspects with which you are most familiar, such as:
Google Docs Google Sheets Google Forms Google Slides
You can also use this nesting format for other software skills on your resume. For instance, if you chose to list Microsoft Office on your resume, you could do something like this:
Microsoft Office
Word Excel Power Point
This list is not only more pleasing to the eye and quicker to skim, but it also tells the employer exactly where your skills lie. Social Media Social media definitely falls into the category of “Most Important Computer Skills to List on a Resume.” Businesses everywhere use social media, and while they may vary up which channels in particular they frequent, they have come to understand that social media means everything when you’re in business. It’s the fastest way to spread the word about new products and services, as well as provide a sounding board for one’s customers and clients – and maybe attract new ones in the process. So, how do you tell a prospective employer that you’ve got what it takes to give their company the social media platform they deserve? Well, in addition to listing the specific channels with which you have the most experience (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.), you can also talk about the achievements that social media has brought you. For instance, at your last company, did you regularly monitor the company’s post engagements on Twitter? Did you scour Google Analytics to discover what worked about the company’s social media advertising campaigns, and what didn’t? Were you able to determine the company’s reach, and how best to expand it? These are all skills you can – and should – highlight in the computer skills section of your resume. Listing Computer Skills on Your Resume Something very important to note about listing your computer skills on your resume is that you should not dedicate one section in particular to these skills. Instead, you should incorporate your computer skills throughout your resume to show how they have benefitted you throughout your career. Ideally, you want these skills to be most concentrated in three areas in particular:
Your professional summary or objective statement Your main skills section Your experience
Of course, don’t try to shoehorn your experience into areas where it feels forced. Instead, find those areas that would benefit from your inserting a skill naturally here and there, and you will ultimately create a more well-rounded resume.
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An objective statement is the first bit of information a hiring manager sees on your resume. Within it is your well-defined career objective, along with a super-short blurb about why you’re the perfect person for the job to which you are applying. This is why your objective statement should be as impressive as the skills and experience that follow it. When to Use an Objective Statement Some say that objective statements are becoming outdated. However, while your particular situation may not call for an objective statement, it is always a good idea to have one on your resume anyway. In the following circumstances, however, an objective statement may mean the difference between getting or being passed up for a job:
If you are a recent graduate who is entering the workforce for the first time If you are considering relocating, else your out-of-town address may confuse the hiring manager and he or she will disqualify you If you are changing industries, to help explain why you are making the change
Here are some tips insofar as what to do, and not to do, when crafting your objective statement to help you stand out from the crowd. Be Concise An objective statement is an appetizer of sorts, designed to “wow” the HR department enough to convince them to conduct an introductory interview with you, typically over the phone. During your interview you can talk more about your skills and experience, but you don’t want to go overboard here either. One of the reasons people dismiss objective statements is because they tend to be narcissistic. Many applicants ramble on about themselves and their accomplishments, rather than highlight how hiring them can benefit the company. This is why remaining concise throughout the entirety of the interview process, from start to finish, is crucial to improving your chances of getting the job. Here’s a good example of a concise objective statement that gives the hiring manager just enough information without becoming overly wordy: “Ambitious and experienced technical support professional with proven success managing the help desk for an international corporation. Seeking an opportunity to use my five years experience to serve a nonprofit organization.” Do Not Use the Same Objective Statement Every Time Do not use a vague “one size fits all” statement to sum up your past career and future career goals. The entire point of the objective statement is to tell the employer why you are the perfect choice for that particular job. What is it about that job that enticed you to apply? Why do you think you, above all other candidates, would be a perfect fit? Plus, this also serves a dual purpose as well. When the hiring manager inevitably asks you, “So, why did you decide to apply to ABC Company?”, you can use your objective statement to jog your memory if you’ve applied to so many jobs this week that you honestly can’t remember why you applied to that specific job. Here’s a good example of an objective statement that, while somewhat cookie-cutter insofar as relocation, can be more specifically tailored to a particular position: “Current accountant with more than fifteen years experience in the field of finance seeking a tax advisor position when I relocate to Boston in May. I am excited to apply my tax knowledge and related skills and grow my experience as part of your established institution. Remain Relevant Make sure that the career goals you note in your objective statement match those that the company can actually fulfill. Many applicants talk about how the job they’re applying for now can help them land their dream job in the future. This speaks more to the company about what you want, rather than how hiring you could benefit them as a company. Consider the following example. You’re a high school graduate, and it is your first-time ever applying for a job as a cashier at a local retail store. Do not simply put in your objective statement that you would like the job because it would give you the experience to one day become a store manager. Focus more on the give-and-take, on how you can grow within the company and what you can do for the company by growing within it. Here’s a good example of how you might want your objective statement to sound in this situation: “I am a highly driven team player and aspiring store manager with proven analytical skills seeking to grow my knowledge of the retail industry by using my communication skills as a retail associate for your department store.” List Degrees, Certifications, or Licenses You May Have A quick blurb in your objective statement regarding the certificates you have acquired over the years (and which are relevant to the position to which you’re applying) is an impressive start to your resume. An objective statement should be an outline of sorts. It tells the reader, “if you think that’s good, keep reading!” Putting your licenses, degrees, and certifications right in your objective statement gives the reader a clearer picture of what you can bring to the table.
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Have you extensive experience in the field of customer service? This is an invaluable resource, as it tells an employer that you have kept your cool in situations where customers were less than happy, and when it might otherwise be difficult to remain calm. You should therefore be sure to highlight your customer service skills on your resume so that a prospective employer can find them easily. Even if you are not applying for another customer service job, you still want to put these skills on display to show the employer exactly what you are capable of. Here are 6 tips to help you better highlight your customer service skills on your resume. 1: Use Your “Skills” Section Wisely Almost all resume templates employ a “skills” section. This is your time to shine! You should put both hard skills and soft skills on your resume. Soft customer service skills you can highlight include your effectiveness and efficiency when it comes to problem-solving. In your hard customer service skills section you can include typing, including your words per minute, as well as the software you used (proprietary or otherwise) to help you do your job effectively. Bottom line: never make a “one-size-fits-all” resume, and then send it off to every Tom, Dick and Harry with whom you want to work. Tailor your resume to each job you apply to. Yes, this takes more time and effort, but it shows the hiring manager that you truly thought about the position you’re applying for, rather than applying at random to anything with an “Apply Now” button. 2: Be Concise No matter the type of job you’re applying for, remaining concise on your resume is always preferable to letting yourself get too wordy. Don’t include a list of every little task you did at your last job, even if you’re trying to make your resume more dense. Mention only those details that are relevant to the type of job you’re applying for, and try to group similar skills under one bullet point. Many applicants find their resume goes into a second page, so they beef up the word count in an effort to make it longer. In reality, you don’t want to go onto a second page unless you have a wealth of skills and experience that justify it. 3: Make It Your Own Using a resume template you find online is fine as a guide. But do not simply copy the structure of a resume template and replace the template’s information with your own. Remember, any resume you find online can be found just as easily by a prospective employer with an internet connection. Further, when a hiring manager sees hundreds of the same style of resumes coming in on a weekly basis, it’s not difficult to see which applicants are not putting the time and effort into making their resumes truly unique. Stand out from the crowd, show you care, and make your resume your own, and you will show the hiring manager that you are willing to do what it takes to earn that job you’re eyeing. (This also hints at the dedication you’ll bring to the role, too.) 4: Use Keywords Keywords are important because for those companies who use software to evaluate resumes automatically, the software will select the resume that uses the right keywords and dump the rest. Do some research insofar as a list of the customer service skills that exist, and incorporate only those relevant to your personal experience in your resume. You can use keywords to describe everything from your skills to your credentials. Try to incorporate as many as possible without getting too wordy. The goal is to catch the hiring manager’s eye – not drown them in details. 5: Keep the Focus on Your Results Many applicants explain on their resumes what they did in a position, rather than on what they accomplished or learned during their time with that particular company. For example, an applicant may put that he or she “provided technical support for [company’s product] to approximately 150 customers each week.” A better sentence would be something like “achieved the company’s target of 95% customer satisfaction rating within the first three months of employment.” See why this is better? Not only is it less generalized and, frankly, boring, than the first statement, but it gives the company a clearer picture of who you are as an employee, what you have accomplished in your prior roles, and how their company can benefit from hiring you over all the other applicants they have left to consider. 6: Think Outside the Box If you have never held a customer service job before, read through the qualifications of the job you’re interested in and see how they measure up to your personal experience. Have you helped customers over the phone or in person, even if your title did not technically include “customer service”? Do you have experience in training others on a particular product in a prior position that would translate well to helping people more regularly in a customer service job?
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Searching for a job nowadays is a far cry from the way things used to be. Now, recruiters “ghost” you (i.e. leave you hanging without a return phone call or e-mail), and you don’t even know why. Sadly, one reason could be because your resume is making you look “too old.” It’s a tragic truth. While you may think giving your all over the last 35 years to the same company proves you are a loyal and dedicated worker, all the recruiter may be thinking as he or she looks at your resume is that you’re over 50 years old and that you’re going to want to retire soon. In that case, the recruiter thinks, it’s probably best not to choose you for a long-term position. Here are three tips to help you craft your resume in such a way so as to not let your age define your qualifications before the recruiter even agrees to meet with you. Keep Your Experience Relevant It seems logical that if you have a plethora of experience in a variety of areas that you should include that experience on your resume. After all, you never know which of the jobs you’ve held previously will be the closest match for the position you’re seeking. However, as tempting as it may be to include all your promotions over the last 30 years, don’t. Even if you don’t include dates, the hiring manager knows how much time it takes to accrue that much experience. Whittle your resume down to two pages, and include only the most relevant information from your career. Try to match your resume as best you can to the skills and qualifications listed in the job posting. Many recruiters use software that only selects the resumes that match the terms they’re looking for, so the more terms you can legitimately include on your resume, the better. Watch Your Dates While this builds on the advice in the above tip, you should be careful of any and all dates you include on your resume. This goes for graduation dates and dates on which you earned certifications. For instance, if your last Windows certification was from when Windows 95 was released, this is a dead giveaway that you’re not fresh out of school. You shouldn’t not include dates, because this too is a bad idea. So what can you do? It may seem like overkill, but if you want to freshen up your skills, you may want to consider taking a nighttime or online class. Not only will you freshen up your resume, but you may also find you’re able to apply for more positions by learning something new. Then you can leave off the older certifications (like Windows 95) entirely and replace them with newer ones (like Windows 10) that make you more employable. Switch to a Professional Summary If you’re including an objective statement on your resume, this too can make you look “old school.” Today’s candidates often use a professional summary. The difference is that, instead of one line of at the top of your resume describing your purpose in applying, you instead include a blurb of factual evidence that proves you have what it takes to succeed at the job. Consider the following: Example Objective Statement: “Seeking a position that allows me to use my strengths as a project manager to provide quality feedback to my team while helping the company achieve its organizational objectives.” Example Professional Summary: “Business graduate with proven communication, email and project management skills. Seeking a position as a project manager at Company ABC, to leverage management skills to support internal and external communication.” The differences are minor, but by staying on top of trends in job applications, you’re giving the recruiter or hiring manager one less reason to question your longevity with the company. This is also a great space to fill in a little more of your experience without attaching dates.
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Most recruiters nowadays conduct phone interviews before they meet with you in person. Initial phone interviews are typically on the shorter side. If they go well, the recruiter will call you back for a second interview, which may be either another phone interview, a video interview, or an in-person interview. While a phone interview can be an efficient way for both the candidate and the recruiter to take the temperature of the candidate’s interest in the job, a phone interview can be an unnerving experience. It’s difficult to read a situation when you can’t see the other person’s reactions to your statements. With that in mind, here are six tips to help you ace your next phone interview and move on to round two! Maintain Good Posture While the interviewer can’t see you over the phone, you still want to maintain good posture while speaking to him or her. This is similar to the idea that if you smile, the other person will hear it in your voice. Good posture encourages you to sit up straight and helps you breathe better. A confident posture will lead to confident answers. Use a Landline Phone When you’re on a phone interview, you want the process to go as smoothly as possible. Taking a phone interview on a cell phone is a bad idea for several reasons. For one, you certainly don’t want to risk dropping the call. Secondly, you want the interviewer to hear every word you say – something that is not always possible with spotty cell phone signals. Using a cell phone also encourages you to get up and move around, which changes your breath and your voice – and not for the better. If you don’t have a landline – it is 2019 afterall – consider a VOIP service. Rehearse Your Answers You should not be improvising your answers on a phone interview. Part of the research you should do before taking the call, in addition to finding out all you can about the company and the position, is finding similar responses to questions candidates have answered in the past. Some questions are unique, but many are standard fare. For instance, you should already have a situation in mind that you can speak about with confidence when questioned on the biggest challenge you have faced in your previous experience, or something you accomplished of which you are particularly proud. Pause Before Answering When you’re asked a question on a phone interview, you may feel like you need to answer immediately, lest you sound unprofessional. After all, silence can seem to last longer on a phone call. However, it’s actually in the pauses you take that you allow your confidence to shine through. Telling the interviewer “that’s a great question. Let me think about that for a moment,” demonstrates to the interviewer that you’re someone who doesn’t rush into a situation without giving it serious thought first. Don’t Be Afraid to Take Notes You may think you will be able to answer all of the interviewer’s questions with ease, but the moment you answer their call, fear may kick in and cause your mind to go blank. Don’t hesitate to make a “cheat sheet” of sorts. Write down anything you may need to refer to on the call, such as the questions you have about the company and the position, and the salary range you’re considering. Just be sure to keep your notes short, like bullet points. You certainly don’t want to sound like you’re reading from a script. That would make you sound more like a telemarketer than a candidate, which only works if you’re applying for a telemarketing position. Remain Upbeat One of the biggest mistakes candidates make in phone interviews is that they don’t sound excited or energized about the job. Unfortunately, because the interviewer can’t see your face, you have to work extra hard to infuse your voice with the enthusiasm you have for this position. However, you have to keep that delicate balance of not going so overboard as to sound phony either. Just be honest. Gesture as you would if the person was sitting right in front of you, as this helps you emote better. And don’t be afraid to laugh if the interviewer says something funny. You’re both human, after all. The job search can be difficult, but following these tips will make at least one part of the process a little bit easier.
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Drug testing. It’s a trope used as an anxiety-inducing plot device in countless stoner comedies. Perhaps it has even made its way into your real-world job search with your current or former employer. For years medical drug screening has been a tool utilized by well-meaning but cautious companies who want to ensure their newest hire is focused on their work and not under the influence or partaking in illegal activities on personal time. It’s also big business with some estimates predicting the drug testing market will have a value of $13.89 billion by 2027. While that’s all well and good, the increasing number of states that have legalized medical and even recreational marijuana use places a snag in the previously streamlined system. Can, or should, companies expect their employees to not engage in perfectly legal behaviors outside of office hours? As it turns out, many states are wrestling with exactly that question. The Push to Legalization Beginning in the 1990’s states began taking a serious look at the potential benefits to marijuana use. By the time the millennium rolled around, five states had legalized medical marijuana use via a doctor’s prescription. In 2012 Colorado and Washington were the first states to legalize recreational marijuana use. Today 11 states have laws on the books legalizing recreations weed use. Marijuana and Drug Testing Years ago, employers realized the utility in drug testing potential new hires. The logic went that anyone who engaged in illicit drug use during personal time probably wasn’t up to company standards. You could eliminate problem employees and ensure that anyone you brought on board was in line with your corporate culture and focused on their daily job duties. Marijuana was typical one of numerous substances tested for on broad screening panels performed by third-party drug testing labs. With the advent of legalized recreational marijuana use, however, many employees are rethinking screening for its use, and for drug use altogether. As of 2017, one in seven U.S. adults admitted to occasional marijuana use. With the increasing number of states taking action on the topic, it only stands to reason that the number will continue to increase. Marijuana use continues to be studied for its benefits on a range of health conditions from insomnia to pain management and is consistently touted as a useful and enjoyable tool for many adults. While the topic is hotly debated, many advocates tout marijuana as a safer drug of choice than alcohol for recreational use, a legal but regulated substance. With the increase in use and legal status, it’s not too hard to see the quandary employers are faced with when it comes to drug testing for marijuana. Companies in states that allow recreational marijuana are narrowing the potential applicant pool by eliminating otherwise talented candidates from consideration. With the increase in acceptance and mainstream use of weed employers also run the risk of alienating younger talent who tend to be more focused on company culture and inclusiveness in the workplace. Then there are the legal considerations. New York state recently passed a law prohibiting pre-employment screening for marijuana in all but a handful of professions such as construction workers, nurses, and police officers. While drug screening for marijuana use is still allowed in many states, it’s not hard to imagine similar legislation being enacted as the push towards federal legalization continues. What Can (and Should) Employers Do While the verdict is still out on marijuana’s ultimate status, there are common-sense steps employers can take now to provide guidance and clarity with their new and existing workforce. For starters, companies are well within their rights to prohibit the use of drugs or alcohol while employees are on duty. Reasonable policies that clearly spell out the ability of employers to terminate anyone who shows up to work intoxicated or high are an accepted and safe course. Likewise, it’s also a reasonable expectation for careers in industries that deal with public health and safety that employees refrain from drug use that may impact their ability to operate at a high level of attention. What companies shouldn’t do, however, is throw the baby out with the bathwater by enacting zero-tolerance policies that alienate and limit their access to quality talent. Finally, it may be worth your time and money to consult with an employment attorney to learn about the laws of your particular city or state concerning drug screening and use. Taking this holistic approach allows companies to adapt to changing the societal acceptance of marijuana while still protecting their business.
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If you’ve turned on the radio, switched on a television, or scrolled through a news app anytime in the last few weeks you’re probably aware of the U.S. economy’s recent wild swings. Chances are you’ve also heard or seen terms like “recession”, “yield curve”, “bond market”, and “trade” more times than you can count. Even if you don’t have a deep portfolio of investments or aren’t a Wall Street trader, economic performance as a whole can still have a major impact on your ability to land a decent job. One of the most relevant sets of statistics for anyone currently in the employment market is the monthly JOLTS report. Here we break down where those magical “jobs” numbers come from and how the results could influence your employment search. What is the JOLTS Report? Launched in 2000, the JOLTS, or Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, is a monthly report prepared by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The information in the report is based on voluntary reporting by certain U.S. employers. The data collected from key industries and employers is crunched and used as a base to derive wider national numbers of hirings, firings and total open positions. The report is released monthly for the time period two months earlier. The most recently released report on August 6th, for example, covers statistics gathered from June of this year. Breaking Down the Numbers The August 6th JOLTS report shows little change from the May results. The total number of job openings clocked in at 7.3 million with 5.7 million total monthly hires and 5.5 million separations. 3.4 million of those separations were “quits” or people who chose to voluntarily leave their job while 1.7 million were involuntary firings or layoffs. When comparing total job openings with the number of unemployed individuals there are around 1.4 million more jobs than people currently on the market which is slightly fewer than during the previously tracked month of May. What Does This All Mean? While the gap between open jobs and those looking for work is closing, the facts still point to an employee market in that companies will have to work harder to attract individuals given the short supply of talent. While this may not ring true for every field, it’s a good gauge of hiring prospects and your ability to potentially negotiate for a higher salary. This is further enforced by the healthy number of workers willingly leaving their jobs since this is a strong indicator that employees feel like they have other, better prospects. While total job openings didn’t quite meet analysts expectations, the consistency with the previous month speaks to the stability of the current job market and your ability to find work, if you’re looking. If you’re looking for a specific industry to target, the JOLTS report also has some useful tidbits in that area. Private versus government jobs didn’t see much of a change, but openings in real estate and rental leasing along with state and local government education were on the rise. Hirings also ticked up in foodservice, indicating restaurants may be in need of talent. While this data may be useful to your immediate employment prospects, it also provides insight into larger trends in the economy. An increase of companies interested in hiring realtors may indicate that the housing market is about to boom while the strong foodservice showing is a good sign that people are dining out and spending money. Hirings and Firings Bottom Line If you enjoyed our breakdown of the employment prognosticating, be sure to tune back next month when the July report is released on September 10th. In the meantime, if you’re looking to add to these numbers by leaving your current job, be sure to check out the Simply Hired blogs for tips on making a graceful exit.
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During an interview, the interviewer may throw a curveball your way with a tough question that you may not know how to answer. While these tougher questions may seem out of left field at best, or silly at worst, it is important to maintain your professionalism and answer them accordingly. Even if you have a stellar resume, how you answer a tough question is just as important as what you say when you give your answer. Here are some tips on how to handle some of the tough interview questions out there. “What is Your Greatest Weakness?” The key to handling this tough interview question is to give an answer that doesn’t make the interviewer’s job easy for them by giving them permission to reject your application. You always want to remain upbeat in an interview, focusing on your strengths. But how do you focus on your strengths when they’re literally asking you about your weaknesses? One thing you definitely don’t want to do is say that you “don’t have any.” Everyone has a weakness, and the interviewer, of course, knows this. The key is to pick out something positive about yourself that you might see as a negative but that employers might see as a positive. For instance, if you say “I tend to put my job over my personal life,” this tells the employer that you are a hard worker, perhaps at times to your own detriment. It’s a weakness, yes, but it’s also a strength. “Tell Me About Yourself.” This is one of those tricky questions because: a) it doesn’t even seem like a question – more like an icebreaker, and b) it’s easy to get wrapped up in this one and drone on and on forever. The interviewer is not looking to have a friendly conversation before the interview proper. He or she simply wants a two-to-three-minute summary of your experience thus far and a reason why you are the only person for the job. If you’re overwhelmed by the question and unsure how to answer it, think of it instead as “tell me something unique about yourself.” Give the interviewer a quick summary of your experience and education, as well as one strong quality that you have learned thus far to help you in your career. For instance, you can say something like “my business degree, coupled with my experience as a Hospital Director, has made me a strong leader, and I am confident my leadership skills could also carry me far in this role.” “Why are You Looking to Leave Your Current Job?” Even if you’re leaving your current job because your boss is a lot to handle, or you haven’t received a raise in five years, you never want to give these as your reasons. Remember to stay positive and upbeat with every answer you give. And also remember, how you talk about your current employer may be how you talk about your prospective employer one day – and your prospective employer knows this. The best way to answer this one is to focus on the positives of the job you’re applying for. You can never go wrong with expressing your desire to pursue a more challenging opportunity. Also, remember to keep your tone upbeat, too. If your real reason for leaving your current job is because you are desperately unhappy, the interviewer will be able to tell and may fear you’ll do the same thing to them in six months. “Do You Have Any Questions for Me?” The answer to this tough interview question is always “yes.” You must always have questions prepared for the interviewer. Else, it looks like you don’t really care about the company and that you are only interested in a paycheck. Even if this is true, you certainly don’t want to convey it to the interviewer. Ask questions that you could not have answered yourself with a quick online search. Lazy questions are just as bad as not having questions prepared at all. Ask the interviewer questions that no one but he or she could answer, such as “what do you like about working for the company?” or “can you describe the company culture?” You want to ask about two or three questions total. Three is often better, but you can usually gauge from the interviewer whether to ask that third question or stick to the two. Riddles You’ve made it to the end of your interview, and you know you aced it. Then the interviewer asks you something incredibly odd and out of left field, like “how many ping-pong balls can you fit inside of a minivan?” or “how many marshmallows can you fit inside of an airplane?” This is another one of those situations where they’re looking for how you answer as much as, or more than, what you answer. Rather than acting cute, stick to logic. Try to come up with an honest solution to this question, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to you. The interviewer is testing your ability to be a problem-solver, and snark is just not going to fly here. Have you ever been asked a tough question you weren’t sure how to answer? Tell us about it in the comments!
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You hear it all the time, how highlighting problem-solving skills on a resume or cover letter is more important than throwing together a shopping list of the tasks you performed at your previous job(s). But you may be wondering which way is best when it comes to highlighting these problem-solving skills. Examples of Problem-Solving Skills First and foremost, in order to be able to highlight problem-solving skills on your resume or cover letter, you have to be able to identify them. In fact, you may have more problem-solving skills than you give yourself credit for. Here are some examples of some of the more common problem-solving skills that candidates tend to list in their resumes and cover letters:
Research Skills – In order to fix a problem, you have to be able to understand it. And sometimes understanding a problem requires you to go deeper, to research and discover its root cause, before you can figure out how to fix it. Communication Skills – Communication is important at every level, from informing others that a problem exists in the first place to brainstorming ways to resolve it. Analytical Skills – Sharpened analytical skills can help you discover and understand a problem, as well as come up with ways to research and, ultimately, solve the problem. Dependability – It may not seem like a problem-solving skill, but dependability is crucial in that employers can depend on you to solve problems in a timely fashion. This is an invaluable skill in that it can save your employer time, money, and other finite resources.
Customization is Key It’s a lot of work, yes, but it’s important. You should tailor your resume and cover letter to each individual job you apply to. In other words, you should consider the job you’re applying to, and compare the skills they’re asking for with the skills highlighted on your resume and cover letter. Do they match? If there are skills that you have and that the job requires, but you have not listed them on your resume, then now’s the time to do so. You want to show the company that you are the best candidate for the job because you have performed and accomplished everything they’re looking for in an employee. If this causes your resume to be longer than it should be, then you should weigh which skills you could do without in favor of highlighting the more important ones. Be Short and Sweet In most situations, hiring managers don’t have the time, nor the desire, to sit and read a lengthy cover letter. If you ramble on for too long, you practically guarantee your application will end up in the “outbox” (garbage can). You want to strike that delicate balance between telling the hiring manager enough about yourself to strike up interest, and keeping your cover letter short and sweet so as not to drone on and lose the person. The best way to sum up your problem-solving skills in a cover letter is to, in one paragraph:
Briefly explain a work problem that either happened or could have happened, and whether it was resolved. Elaborate, briefly, on your role in the situation and what you did to solve the problem. Describe the positive result of your actions, and whether there were any positive, long-term effects.
You should be able to cover all these points in one paragraph. You should be able to flesh out the first bullet point in one or two sentences, and the remainder in a sentence each. Cater to Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) In today’s world, the odds of an actual human being reading your job application are less than they were ten years ago. This is largely due to the introduction of Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS), which scan a candidate’s application, looking for certain keywords. If those keywords aren’t there, then the system rejects the application. Therefore, the best way to ensure that your application receives a phone call back is to try as best you can to match the problem-solving skills in your resume and cover letter to the exact qualifications listed within the job posting. The more your skills match what the company is looking for, the more likely you are to receive a phone call for an interview, rather than a bot-issued rejection. If, for example, you’re looking for a secretarial job, you may see “time management” listed among a job posting’s required skills. You should therefore include the keyword “time management” in your resume and briefly describe your experience with that skill.
The post Highlighting Problem-Solving Skills on a Resume or Cover Letter appeared first on Career Advice.
When drafting your resume, you normally include a line at the bottom stating “References: Furnished upon request.” But what happens if the hiring manager actually requests your references? Who should you list? Most places ask for two personal references and two professional references, but what if you no longer speak to any of your prior coworkers? What if you were the only employee at your former job? What if you have never even had a job before? Here are some ideas for job references you can use if you’re not quite sure who to turn to. Just be sure to always ask the person’s permission before putting them down as a reference. You don’t want to put them in a situation wherein they feel like the hiring manager is putting them on the spot. Not only do they not have enough time to craft their answers, but they could end up resenting you for not giving them the common courtesy of simply asking their permission first. A Former Professor or Teacher If you’ve never had a job before, a former professor or teacher works wonderfully as a “professional” reference of sorts. This is because a teacher is an unbiased party who will provide the hiring manager with the information he or she needs regarding your work ethic and level of enthusiasm when it comes to learning new things. In that same vein, another option is your college advisor. An advisor is a great choice because he or she can explain to the hiring manager what your career goals were when you started your college career and how you have evolved in meeting those goals. If your advisor has been with you every step of the way and has seen how hard you were willing to work during your college years, then he or she can act as an effective witness to your character. A Former Supervisor If one of the reasons you are leaving your current job is because you don’t get along with your boss, consider asking a former supervisor to act as your reference instead. Chances are, your supervisor spent enough time with you on your projects to provide a hiring manager with a clear picture insofar as who you are as a person and what you accomplished as an employee. Past and Present Colleagues Most folks choose former colleagues to act as their references. While former colleagues you still speak to are more than likely your friends, they are also valuable references because they can inform the hiring manager of the kinds of projects you worked on together. They can fill in the blanks on your achievements as part of the team that you might have forgotten to focus on in your resume and cover letter. The same goes for present colleagues. Some folks may not realize they can utilize the people they still work with as references. And who better to give the hiring manager a current snapshot of your skills as a worker than someone who is still presently working with you? A Family Member For most people, putting a family member down as a personal reference is a no-brainer. However, this packs more power if you have a family member who can also speak to your skills as a professional. For example, while you may want to list your mother as a reference, because she’s sure to give you a glowing review, why not consider instead listing the cousin you worked with at the ice cream shop over summer break every year? Your cousin is just as likely to give you a glowing review because he or she is family, but you also have the added benefit of a professional reference, having also previously worked with your cousin. An Authority Figure from Your Past While not as common, some folks don’t have much, or any, remaining family, and/or they have never held down a job. What does a person do then? You can use any authority figure from your past whom you trust and who can speak to your character as one of your references. This can be anyone from your pastor to your former Boy or Girl Scout leader – anyone who served as your leader or organizer of sorts. Just be sure to ask their permission first – especially if it’s someone you haven’t spoken to in years. And, of course, no matter who you choose as a reference, always be sure to thank your references, whether or not the hiring manager contacts them. Thanking your references is just as important as thanking those who interviewed you. And be sure to return the favor and offer to act as a reference for them too, should they ever need one.
The post Who Makes for a Good Job Reference? appeared first on Career Advice.
There are three types of questions I teach all of my career coaching clients to ask when they are in an interview. These three questions are especially important when you're in those final stage interviews with higher-ups. If you ask these critical questions, you are going to be seen as more intelligent, more engaging, and the candidate who will give them the return on the investment they're looking for if they hire you.
At the end of your next job interview, make sure you ask the following three questions so you can stand out as the best candidate for the job.
When you get to the end of the interview and the hiring manager says, "Do you have any questions?" the first type of question you want to ask is a connection question. This type of question allows you to ask them about their experience at the company. Here are some examples:
I particularly like the connection question around how they ended up in their job and what they like most about it because it gives the hiring manager a chance to talk about their own professional journey and people enjoy sharing that.
The second type of question you want to ask should be about the company's difficulties and challenges. Here are some examples:
Then, you end the question with this:
By asking this type of question, you're saying, "I get it. You're hiring me to solve problems and alleviate pain. So tell me about the big challenges." In fact, I've even coached people to say:
No matter how you phrase it, this type of question lets the hiring manager vent and talk about what concerns them, and it also gives you the framework of what you would need to do in order to succeed in the role.
The third and final type of question that is so important to ask in a job interview is about the next steps in the process. Here are some examples:
This closing question is all about you getting to the bottom of what to expect (managing your own expectations), and the hiring manager should be able to frame that out for you.
I've given you a few different examples of how to ask these questions because everyone has to find their own voice. So, at the end of your next job interview, remember to ask these three types of questions (we'll call them the three Cs), and ask them in a way that feels right to you:
When you ask these questions consistently, you're going to see much better results from your interviews. I guarantee it.
Good luck, and go get 'em!
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During your career development, there comes a point when your leadership skills will be put to the test. Technical skills are obviously important because they will get you to a position where you may have to start utilizing your soft skills. This is the exact reason why leadership skills are considered a very important attribute that can help you climb the career ladder.
With a combination of technical know-how and valuable leadership qualities, you can get promotions easily and be regarded as an important asset to the company. Here are a few tips that can help you become a better leader.
It is a leader's job to keep a very clear vision of the goal and make sure the team members are happy and thoroughly motivated to follow. This means the leader also should know how to put forward a certain task in front of the team to get maximum output from them with ease.
The leader also should bring out the importance of the goal and the reason why the team should put the ultimate effort into it. This ability can really bring all of the team members together and unify them to give their best for the ultimate goal.
Communication plays a very important role in all relationships, especially between a team leader and their team members. Team members rely on their leader for ideas and motivation, which can be generated only with good communication skills.
As a leader, you should also create a very friendly environment where the employees are engaged in sharing their ideas and concerns. It has been said that a team leader who can communicate well wins the trust of team members.
If you wish to be a better leader, then you will have to be a better listener too. Listening skills help in generating feedback from the team members regarding the project, and the right feedback can be a good way to solve issues and achieve goals with ease.
Listen without any distractions, keep steady eye contact, and respond thoughtfully. Apart from being good at verbal skills, you should be aware of your body language while talking to your team.
It is a part of leadership skills to understand people and resolve conflicts positively. In situations where an employee does not give their best and brings negativity to the team, the leader has to be able to talk to the member in private.
You should keep courage and never shy away from honestly speaking your mind. This approach is better than firing people without knowing their side of the story.
It is important that you keep high standards of professionalism, integrity, and work transparency to earn respect from your team members and your clients.
It is the leader's job to set a high standard of credibility and strong character to motivate the team to perform to their level best.
Passion is quite contagious, and if the leader shows a lot of passion, it may rub off on the team members too. This helps in easing pressure from difficult projects. It also drives the employees into encountering hurdles with ease.
The positive energy and enthusiasm should flow within the team through the leader first.
A genuine leader is one who has the capacity to influence members and drive them to perform at optimum levels. The leader's positive motivation is important, especially when members lose focus or get disappointed in the wake of difficulties that may arise during a job.
A leader should be upfront in talking to team members and tell personal stories that would encourage the members to help them get back in the game.
Innovation is coined to be the most important aspect of growth and is largely related to out-of-the-box and unorthodox thinking. Great leaders are the ones who can instill a culture of innovation among the team members and help them find solutions that can involve some trial and error.
Such an outlook will help in achieving long-term success with the team and earn their respect furthermore.
The truest and most genuine leaders are the ones who are humble, honest, and respectful toward all the members of the team. A leader also has to constantly learn from all of the members and encourage others to do the same.
Such leadership qualities can help in motivating and inspiring the members to achieve greater success and produce fruitful results.
A team member feels more positive and motivated if their work is being appreciated. As a team leader, it's your job to recognize such hard work with rewards and recognition. This will also drive and encourage the other members to be more productive.
A good leader understands the value of taking a backseat sometimes and gives the due credit to the rightful individual to promote team building. A great leader ensures that the work rate of the team is increased without increasing the stress levels.
Leadership is a learning process. Each of the tips above can help you achieve greater success as a leader, and also help you understand that when you are a leader, the most important goal is always to keep the team together and performing at the highest level.
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Are you thinking about becoming a teacher? As a young elementary school educator, I've learned some important lessons after being in the field for the past few years.
Some of those lessons include:
Want my view of a career in education stripped down? It's definitely not what you think it's going to be. Throw all of your preconceived misconceptions out the window, because that's what they are: misconceptions.
Don't get me wrong—I love my job and I feel lucky to get up every day and teach. But no matter how many internships you do or how many lessons you observe, you will still learn more in a single day in your own classroom than you ever will teaching in someone else's.
Here are some of the many lessons they don't teach you in all of those “Educational Theories" and “Teaching Through the Content Areas" courses…
The days you go home feeling as if no one cares you poured your heart and soul out on your classroom floor will far outnumber the days you go home feeling someone, anyone, truly appreciates what you do all day.
If you are an exceptional teacher, you will give your all each and every day with the hope that, in some small way, you are making a difference in the lives of your students. They probably won't say "thank you." They probably will grumble and complain about an assignment you worked endlessly on in an attempt to ensure they would find it compelling. But what will get you through your first year, your fifteenth, and your twenty-fifth will not be the unending gratitude and appreciation from your students. Remembering why you chose to teach in the first place will get you through those years.
Remembering will get you through those long days when nothing you planned seems to go right. Remembering will help you when you have reached the end of your rope after a parent with no background in education questions your abilities. If you hold onto that, you'll be the best teacher you can possibly be. If you let go, you'll be miserable (and your students will be too).
If you are cut out to be an educator (especially at the elementary level), you will discover you have a seemingly bottomless reserve of patience once you enter your classroom. Students will ask the same question (which you have already answered, by the way) again, and again, and again. Did I mention you already gave them the answer? And it's written on the board? And it's printed on their paper? If the thought of repeating yourself countless times every day makes you crazy, you better get used to it.
And please be forewarned: The patience you had for all other aspects of your life will suddenly be sucked dry. You will find yourself annoyed by little things such as having to wait in line at the grocery store or having to stop to get gas for your car.
Many of the people at your school will probably want nothing to do with using SMART Boards, tablets, and generative AI. Hopefully, you will. The way students need to be taught has changed over the past few years because the students themselves have changed. Sitting at a desk while someone talks and completing worksheets isn't going to motivate any of today's students. The kids of today need to be constantly stimulated, engaged, and communicating with you and each other.
The best avenue available to teachers is technology. The odds are in your favor here. Chances are, you grew up with computers and other technologies, and your brain is thought to work the same way that your students' brains work.
Surprisingly, there is a huge population of teachers out there who have absolutely no desire to use or learn about technology. I can honestly say I teach in a district where this year many of my colleagues complained about being required to check their school email. Most of them didn't even know how to check email.
You can quickly make yourself a valuable member of the school system by showcasing your knowledge of technology in the classroom—and more importantly, your willingness to learn about and use it.
Once you find the grade level you think you'd like to teach, do everything in your power to get an internship at that grade level. If your college offers a year-long internship placement, take it—and be incredibly thankful.
Many schools require a couple of six-week-long student-teaching placements at different grade levels. However, you will never get a real grasp of what your life would be like teaching during a measly six weeks. The best thing I ever did was go to a school that required a year-long internship for a master's degree. Yes, I paid tuition for a year and then worked every day of that year for free; but the experience I gained was more valuable than all of the college classes, observations, and short student-teaching placements put together.
I saw what it is really like to start a school year with a group of students and see how much they grow and learn throughout that entire school year. I was then able to market myself as a first-year teacher with a year of experience under my belt which, believe me, is pretty attractive to administrators with a budget crunch looking for teachers who already know the ropes.
Regardless of what some people tell you, teaching is not "just a job" (and those same people will say you have the easiest job on earth because you get summer vacation). If you want a 9-to-5 job with weekends off, you better start looking for a new career now.
Sure, there are those teachers who come in each morning with the students and then leave with them in the afternoon, but those teachers really aren't giving it their all.
If you're not in it to be the best teacher you can be, then you shouldn't even be there. Yes, you will get paid far, far less than the amount you deserve. Yes, you will put in 10-hour days and create lesson plans on Saturday afternoons. Yes, you will spend an exorbitant amount of your paycheck on items for your classroom. But you will do all these things because they are a part of doing what you love.
Whether it was for a feeling of personal fulfillment or just to see the smiles on students' faces when a concept finally clicks, it's something you're going to need to hold onto in a profession that almost half of all people hired will leave within the first five years. If that doesn't make all the other hoops you'll have to jump through seem worth it, then you don't belong in teaching.
Teaching is one of the most demanding and critical careers that exist today. Think of where you would be without ever having a teacher in your life. Think of a teacher who really made an impact on you—a teacher who changed your life in some way. Chances are, without that teacher, you wouldn't be reading this right now. You just have to decide if you want to be that person for someone else.
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In this article, I'm going to tell you how to make a great first impression when you get asked the question, "What do you do?" I've been teaching you the basics of how to craft this message. But now, we're going to dive a little deeper.
Just to do a quick recap, the first thing you need to know is to never, ever answer, "What do you do?" with your job title. It's a wasted opportunity.
Second, you need to answer these three questions:
The last thing you need to know is to incorporate and assess your personality and your workplace personas. How do you like to deliver value? Make sure that your answer incorporates those things.
A workplace persona is the way you best communicate with your colleagues and get work done. It's how you like to create value at work using your professional strengths. If you don't know what your workplace persona is, I've got the FREE quiz here!
In my case, I am a commander. I'm a take-charge kind of gal. But I'm also an energizer, which means I'm going to deliver with energy and I'm going to try to convey in my explanation that I'm a mentor. I really want to be a visionary. I want to change the world. I am an optimizer. That's the message I want to get across.
If you asked me the question, "What do you do?" I'm going to respond with something like this:
"Well, I love helping people grow their careers. In fact, I'm making it my mission this year to help 10 million people on TikTok grow their careers and land better jobs because school teaches us everything except how to get a job. I know that times are changing and people need this information."
That answer isn't perfect, but you get the point! You know why I'm taking charge of this and why it matters to me. Hopefully, that came across in a way that's more memorable to you.
Everyone has the opportunity to do this. You don't have to be outgoing, but you do have to understand what your workplace persona is and how to use it to your advantage.
Don't waste a valuable opportunity to build your reputation! People cringe when they hear "personal branding," but I can't say it enough. It's just reputation management.
Your reputation matters. And when a recession hits and you lose your job, that is not the time to start managing it. The time is now.
Don't know where to begin? Work It DAILY can help.
For a variety of reasons, baby boomers are staying in the workforce a lot longer. However, this demographic faces a number of challenges, including experience discrimination, an issue where baby boomers struggle to get employment opportunities because millennials have enough relevant experience to be just as valuable, but at less of a cost.
Because the pool of baby boomer employees has grown so significantly, employers are starting to change their views on the 65 and up demographic, and are at least giving them a closer look. Just because you are of a certain age doesn't mean your resume should reflect that age!
One of the keys to staying attractive to potential employers is to not look or act out of date—in person or on paper. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't use a photo on your LinkedIn profile. Profiles without pictures only make recruiters and potential employers wonder what you may be hiding. And the truth is they are going to meet you during the interview process. So there's no reason to hide.
Still, there are many ways you can date yourself without realizing it. Here are three ways your resume can make you look old.
Over the years, styles change. You wouldn't wear the same suit you wore 20 years ago. Unless you're a collector, the car you're driving looks a lot different too. The same is true for resumes. Having an objective statement on top of the resume used to be all the rage! They were used to let employers know that a candidate had some career direction.
Today, having an objective statement on your resume makes it seem obsolete. Maybe even worse than being outdated, an objective statement implies that your focus is on you.
Big mistake.
Like most of us, employers are listening to station WIIFM (what's in it for me?). They want to know how you can solve their problems. Removing your objective statement and creating a succinct experience summary (a list of skills at the top of your resume) updates your resume and puts the focus on what you can do for the employer.
via GIPHY
Back in the 90s, having an AOL email address indicated that you were ahead of the curve, an early adopter of new technology. That was last century. Today having an AOL email address, even a Yahoo email address, makes you look decidedly outdated.
The trendy email address to have today is Gmail. The good news is that Gmail is free and easy to join. No need to eliminate that old AOL email address—use it to keep up with friends and family.
When you do create a new email address, opt for one that sounds professional. For example, your name or a variation of your name that will look appropriate on your resume. Cutesy email addresses like talketome@ or carguy@ are best kept for personal use.
One thing that's sure not to impress potential employers is a resume filled with clichés. Every day recruiters get resumes from out-of-the-box thinkers and team players. Tired phrases like detail-oriented or excellent communication skills are not likely to impress anyone either. Neither are bullets that begin with responsible for or duties included.
You're much more likely to get a recruiter's attention by including examples that actually show what you can do. That means a resume that highlights your skills and achievements. A resume that illustrates how you saved time, saved money, generated income, etc. for a previous employer.
Will making these changes make you look 20 years younger? Not likely. Nor should you want them to, particularly if you are looking for a more senior position. But they will keep your resume looking fresh and up to date.
Remember: Your resume may be the first time a potential employer meets you. Shouldn't it reflect someone who's on top of their game, who's still relevant and in demand in their industry?
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You want a job that's one or two levels higher than your current job. How do you apply? Well, definitely not through an ATS.
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are designed to find exact matches, and if you are trying to land a higher-level job, you are not an exact match. But the good news is I can give you a workaround.
Lots of people get hired into higher-level positions, but not through applying online.
Step one in this process is to learn to go around the ATS. You need to connect with people who work at the company. Not the recruiter. Not even the hiring manager. You need to connect with people who would be your peers in the organization.
Then, you need to focus on step two, which is to tell a great connection story. A connection story is how you feel connected to the mission of the company. What would get you up out of bed every day and want to crush it for them? You need to identify with these people who would be your future peers.
After you've found a handful of future peers to connect with, put together this connection story and send it to them via LinkedIn. Ask them to connect. Here's an example of what that connection request message should look like:
"Hey! Can we connect? I have a story I'd love to share about your company."
Then, when they accept, message them and share the story about why you're a huge fan of the company, and that's why you're really interested in the XYZ position, the higher-level position.
This going to prompt them to check out your LinkedIn profile and more than likely just forward it to the hiring manager, saying something like, "Hey, this person reached out to me. They're interested in the job you've posted."
Why does this matter? Because the ATS is run by recruiters who are told to find exact matches, and they're going to screen you out. If your LinkedIn profile gets forwarded to the hiring manager from a person who works in a totally different department, you're not going through that same screening process as other applicants who apply online. In fact, they're elevating you because they're saying, "This person made the effort to reach out and tell me their story. You might be interested in them."
Now your story gets in front of the hiring manager, and the hiring manager thinks, "Oh, love the story. Looks like they might be able to do the job. Let me pass them to the recruiter." And then the recruiter sets up an interview because even though you're not a match, they were told by the hiring manager to do so.
I've seen a lot of people get higher-level jobs when they follow these two steps. But let me be clear: When you're applying online, there's no resume fix or cover letter or LinkedIn profile tip that I can give you that's going to get you through the ATS and get you a shot at that job because you don't meet the requirements.
If you believe you can do the job, you've got to tell a connection story and talk to other people in order to get in front of the hiring manager.
This job search strategy works. If you don't believe me, sign up for Work It DAILY where I'm working with thousands of job seekers right now—and these tips are working. Try us free for seven days.
These tips will help you conduct a proactive job search. It is a game changer, and it's really needed in this job market, especially if you're trying to get a higher-level job. You can do it, but you need new and better techniques to succeed. And I would love to teach them to you.
Unemployment: It's a situation that many fear that can lead to financial hardship and high levels of stress, anxiety, and low self-esteem. For anyone who has been laid off, had their employment terminated, or quit their job, facing down the barrel of unemployment is a scary prospect.
For whatever reason you are out of a job, being unemployed is no time to be complacent. Instead, look at your period of unemployment as an opportunity to reassess yourself as well as reinvent yourself. They say that as one door closes, another door opens. Use this period wisely and that other door may be a giant leap forward in your career path.
There are many strategies you can use to help you empower yourself, take control of your situation, and make the most of the time you have on your hands.
Here are four ways to take advantage of being unemployed.
Take an interest in what is happening in your community and get involved. Join one or more local community groups and volunteer some of your time and expertise. Volunteering always looks good on a resume and showing an active interest in your community will be positively viewed by employers.
In addition, volunteering gives you the opportunity to network with people from all walks of life, and this, in turn, could lead to your next job.
Good points of contact are your local Lions or Rotary clubs.
Keep your mind active by learning a new skill. Potential employers will look positively on the fact that you have been using your time wisely to keep up with industry changes or develop a new skill.
A great place to start is with free or low-cost online courses. If you find the courses you want to take cost a good amount of money, think of them as an investment in yourself.
In addition, pay attention to any industry developments in the news so that when it comes time to apply for that dream job, you are prepared to discuss not just your role but the industry at large and how the skills you've developed will help you succeed in that role.
At such a stressful time, you need to take extra care of yourself. There's no excuse now for putting off starting an exercise regimen because you don't have the time. You have plenty of it.
You don't have to join a gym or get a personal trainer. Take up running or cycling, go on expeditions to explore your local area, or simply create your own at-home daily exercise routine and stick to it. You'll look better, feel better, and feel less stressed—all of which will boost your confidence.
Now is definitely the time to update and polish your resume. If you've been in the same job for a long time, it might be a good idea to research the best way to optimize your resume so it gets past the ATS.
In addition, start improving your online presence by creating or updating your LinkedIn profile and joining professional industry groups. This is all a form of networking and a great way for you to find opportunities that may not be widely advertised.
Also, sign up for daily job alerts and make your interview bucket list. The more targeted your job search, the easier it will be to find a job.
So, are you feeling a bit better about being unemployed? We hope so! If you want to take advantage of being unemployed, you just have to follow the four tips above.
Remember: Don't view unemployment as a setback. Think of it as an opportunity to improve your career—because that's what it is!
Many job applicants prepare phenomenal resumes but fail to secure a physical interview. Oftentimes, this is because of improper phone etiquette, poor voice presentation, and bad voicemails.
Here are five things to remember before leaving your next voicemail if you want to make a good impression and increase your chances of getting an in-person interview.
In our digital age, the majority of communication with friends and family happens via text or other direct messages. Making a phone call seems like a cumbersome, slow, and inconvenient form of communication. However, people over the age of 35 are much more comfortable using the phone and they will commonly use it as a screening tool for applicants. But no matter the age of the hiring manager, most employers will schedule a phone interview with you before bringing you in for an in-person interview.
Phone interview skills are essential across all employment levels. High-powered consultants as well as café workers will all usually face a phone interview and need to use voicemail sometime during the interview process. This is your first contact with a potential employer and it is critical to make a fabulous impression.
Leaving an excellent voicemail begins by nurturing a good speaking voice. Speak slowly, clearly, and correctly. Use Dragon software or even the simple record feature on your phone to cultivate a good phone voice. This takes practice.
Prepare five outgoing messages in quick succession.
On the first, use your normal speaking voice and your usual outgoing message.
On the second, follow this text: “This is (your name). Press # to skip the rest of this message. I am currently unavailable. I check and answer voicemails after breakfast, lunch, and at 3:30 pm. Please leave a detailed message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.” (Vary the content of the message to your schedule but provide the listener with details about when you will be checking messages and calling them back.)
On the third outgoing message, purposely lower the tenor of your voice and speak again.
On the fourth outgoing message, consciously speak a little slower and remove "ums," "uhs," and any other common speech fillers.
On the fifth message, make your voice slower, lower, and speak clearly.
Wait at least four hours and then listen to all the renditions of your outgoing message. Then, record a final outgoing message using what you have learned by listening to your own voice. Listen to this sixth message the next day and if you are happy with the results keep it as your outgoing message.
When leaving a voicemail, always leave your full name and the job title of the position you are calling about at the beginning of the message. Then, leave the reason you are calling and your callback number, including the area code. Repeat the callback number and your name at the end of the voicemail.
Leave enough information in the body of your voicemail so that the listener can quickly separate you from the rest of the applicants. This can be as simple as, “This is John Jones, I submitted my resume two weeks ago on April 15th. I am returning your call dated May 10th requesting a personal interview.” Something more informal can also work.
The idea here is two-fold: make an impression and help the person on the other end quickly identify who you are and your reason for calling.
Leaving too little information is a common mistake. In a voicemail, there is room for at least one sentence after all the details to leave an impression. Do not drone on! The idea here is to leave something for the hiring manager that shows you are as interesting as you are interested. Something like:
“This is John Smith, I am calling about the job that you had listed to work in the herpetology lab at the Natural History Museum. I sent you my resume last week. My callback number is (913) 244-8022. If your department can handle another crazy guy with an excellent Godzilla movie collection, I’m your man. Again, my name is John Smith and my number is (913) 244-8022.”
Craft your lines carefully and appropriately. Herpetologists are scientists who study reptiles and amphibians and they notoriously love Godzilla movies. The comment above reflects research as well as the personality of the applicant.
The next time you need to leave a voicemail in your job search, remember these five tips. With a well-executed voicemail, you'll make a good first impression and increase your chances of landing an in-person interview. Practice makes perfect!
Not sure of the right way to send your cover letter to employers? There are some critical things you should keep in mind.
You already understand how important it is to write a disruptive cover letter for each position. But how do you send your cover letter to employers without making a mistake?
Here are three tips for successfully sending your cover letter to employers.
Always send your cover letter as a PDF so your formatting doesn't get screwed up, unless you're instructed differently by the employer. Why? Because your attachments can be sent to multiple people within the company and you don't want your amazing cover letter to get lost at the bottom of an email chain.
So, let's make things easy. Saving and sending your cover letter as a PDF should be the default. There will be less confusion on their end and you can be sure that your cover letter is being viewed in the correct format and won't take away from the appeal of your entire job application.
Proofread your cover letter at least three times. If you think you've proofread it enough, do it once more. This is one of your first impressions. Make it a good one! Don't let typos or grammatical errors hurt your brand.
It also doesn't hurt to have another set of eyes review your cover letter before you send it to an employer. Ask a trusted friend or colleague to proofread your cover letter and give any feedback they may have on formatting, sentence structure, or clarity. Does the story you tell in your cover letter convey everything you want to say effectively, without spelling and grammatical errors?
Don't put the email address in until you're 100% sure your message is perfect. You don't want to accidentally send in your job application without attaching your cover letter or reviewing its contents one more time.
Bonus tip: Your email message should be your cover letter unless the employer specifically says to attach your cover letter to the email.
Writing and sending cover letters to employers can be tricky. Follow these three tips to ensure your cover letter makes a great first impression.
The latest AI advancements enable easier expression of individuality by harnessing our unique knowledge and experiences. With AI, harnessing our distinct knowledge and experiences becomes easier. These advancements empower us to amplify our uniqueness, fostering a world where each person's distinctiveness is celebrated and utilized to its fullest potential.
How we interact with computers has changed over time. We went from punchcards to command line interfaces to graphical user interfaces. Each iteration has expanded the accessibility of computers to a broader audience.
The first commercial computer, UNIVAC I, was purchased to help with the US Census data in the 1950s. It weighed over 7 tons and needed an army of people to operate using punchcards. By the 80s, kids at home played Oregon Trail on IBM PC at home via command line interfaces on MS-DOS. Now, people interact with computers in their pockets graphically with their fingers as they walk.
The latest advancement in AI, known as LLM (large language model), unlocks two key superpowers: programming via natural language and learning from user preference for more personalized experiences (Yingqiang Ge, et al, 2023). These two key superpowers will enable more people to program computers using everyday language and tailor their interactions to suit their preferences. These breakthroughs will empower users to shape computer behavior according to their unique desires, making technology more accessible and personalized for all.
Personalized experience means tailoring things to suit my unique preferences and interests. I love traveling. I am all about discovering unique and a little obscure experiences over taking Instagram-perfect pictures. I follow Mitra (@travelbymitra) because she's a wealth of knowledge when it comes to off-the-beaten-path destinations like Galleria Sciarra, tucked away near the Trevi Fountain.
Let’s imagine Mitra has her own AI travel agent packed with all that insider info. With AI, she could create a personalized itinerary just for me. I'd simply tell my own AI agent to team up with hers, and voila—a customized travel plan tailored to my tastes. Plus, thanks to AI's adaptability, we could tweak the itinerary on the fly, adjusting for things like traffic or those last-minute restaurant finds on day two of the trip. It's like having a travel buddy who knows exactly what I like, helping me make the most of every adventure.
In the previous evolution of human-computer interfaces, we standardized and trained people to interact with computers in specific ways: cntr+alt+del to restart, click this button to send an email, pinch-and-zoom to enlarge a picture, etc. These actions became routine because software developers determined them to offer the best user experience, and users were trained to follow suit. Essentially, we fit users into predetermined steps in order to interact with the computers.
Exciting new possibilities emerge with the latest AI advancements. Individuals now have novel avenues to train computers to behave according to their preferences, embracing the unique characteristics of each person. This shift opens the door to a future where technology enriches the lives of individuals in meaningful ways, and I'm eager to see what lies ahead.
Did you ever leave a job interview feeling like it didn't go so well? Self-doubt can creep in as soon as you walk out the door. Little things nag at you like your posture, tone, and the answers you gave.
You can turn these negative experiences into positive ones and become better at interviews.
Every setback in life is an opportunity to learn, and there are multiple things that you can learn from a bad job interview that could lead to success in the next one.
Here's what you need to do to recover from your mistakes and put yourself in a position to ace your next job interview.
After the interview is over, take a step back and think about the interview.
Write what you feel may have gone wrong. Putting your thoughts on paper after the interview gives them the most validity. This is when raw emotions come out and your thoughts are true. After a couple of days, revisit what you wrote. Look at your entries completed in the heat of the moment. Reflecting on these thoughts with a clear head can help you focus on how to develop your interviewing skills.
It also may be helpful to talk to a friend or professional acquaintance about your poor interview experience and get their feedback.
The job interview can be a crucible. It is a source of stress for most job seekers. The thought of saying something wrong or not presenting yourself correctly can be taxing in an already nerve-wracking job search. However, stress and adversity can make you stronger going forward in any job interview process.
Think about what you did that went well. Did you explain situations you were in through solid storytelling? Reflect on what parts of interviews you were most comfortable in. Think about your approach and mindset in these areas. Develop an interview strategy with this as your foundation.
Many great figures in sports set up a routine before every game. Whether it's because they are superstitious or not, there is a level of comfort in doing something familiar. It eases their minds and gets them into the flow of the game. Develop your own routine for yourself with job interviews.
Set up a consistent practice routine where you dedicate a certain amount of time on a daily basis to preparing for the interview. Try to do at least one mock interview with a trusted friend or colleague.
The morning of an interview, go for a run, read, or do something you enjoy that gets your mind off the interview. Develop a routine and set your own flow, and you will improve in the job interview.
You should not only send a brief thank-you note after the interview thanking the company for the opportunity to interview for the job, but you should also send a brief thank-you note after receiving a job rejection.
A job rejection can be an opportunity to get some feedback—just don't be too pushy about it.
In responding to the rejection, once again thank them for the opportunity to interview, express disappointment for not getting the job, but congratulate them on finding the right candidate. You can then ask them if there's anything that you can do to improve as a candidate and stay on their radar for future opportunities.
If they respond, it's free feedback! If not, just let it go and move one.
Everyone has made mistakes in job interviews. The important thing is to learn from them and focus your efforts on improving. Follow the tips above to recover from a bad job interview and ensure success in your next one.
Whether you're a college student trying to figure out where your true calling lies, an experienced professional getting back to work, or someone just looking for a career in another field, you need to make your choice carefully. With women making considerable strides in fields that were previously male-dominated, the lines of career limitations have blurred.
There are more career choices available to women now than ever before. A woman plays many roles—sister, daughter, friend, wife, mother, confidante, breadwinner, and so on. You, being a multitasking woman, need to find a career that not only pays you well but allows you to be a career woman without having to compromise on any of these roles.
If you think this is impossible, think again!
Lots of women have found careers that balance beautifully with their family/personal life. So, now that you know it isn't unthinkable to achieve work-life balance, how about making it happen for yourself?
With a plethora of options, you may have a tough time deciding which career would be most suitable for you. Of course, no two women are the same and neither are their choices. However, some careers provide women with the best opportunity to achieve both career success and work-life balance.
Here are the top eight career choices for women.
The careers women are happiest in are entrepreneurship, IT, medicine, teaching, human resources, psychology, interior design, and media—due to career opportunities, average salary, and overall career satisfaction.
According to this article from College Consensus, these are the most popular highest-paying careers for women and their average salaries:
For women who want a chance to do what they really love doing, and who have always dreamed of starting their own business, entrepreneurship could be the perfect career.
Wouldn't it be great to work from a place of your choice and on your own time? This would give you the flexibility to allocate time to your business and family as needed.
This is also one of the biggest challenges you will ever take up in your life as every decision will rest on your shoulders. Your employees would depend on you for their livelihood. Hence, this is also a great way to contribute to society.
Being an entrepreneur lets you be in charge because it is you who runs the show. Instead of putting in efforts to generate profits for other companies, why not channel those efforts towards creating greater profits for yourself?
With IT companies starting up and mushrooming rapidly, it's little wonder that this field has become so popular among women.
Young women can take up a career in the IT sector after earning a certificate or bachelor's degree in an applicable field, like computer science, informational technology, and cyber security. There are also many programs available to women of all ages who want to learn how to code—one of the most useful and in-demand skills in today's job market.
The ease and excitement of working on the internet, designing software and apps, and implementing IT solutions for businesses, security, gaming, smartphones, etc. could be a huge draw. This is another field where you can make a difference as well as earn good money.
Whether you choose to be a pharmacist, a surgeon, or a nurse, a career in the medical field provides women with the ability to achieve career success and wealth. Plus, there's good job security.
As a qualified professional, you will always be in high demand, and once you've gained significant work experience, there's no looking back.
Teaching has always been considered one of the most women-friendly careers as it allows women to spend sufficient time with their families, de-stress, go on vacations, and balance home and work. It's also one of the most rewarding and important careers anyone can choose to pursue.
The best part of being in the teaching field is that recession or no recession, your skills will always be sought after.
This field is perfect for women who have a penchant for working in the corporate world and interacting with people to solve organizational issues.
The job involves shortlisting and interviewing candidates, hiring and training them, setting their pay, benefits, and perks, designing appraisal systems, formulating policies and leave structures, looking after employee welfare, and settling disputes.
Every large organization needs qualified and experienced HR personnel, and they are paid quite well too.
No one solves problems like a woman does.
Given the fact that most women are good observers, empathetic listeners, and great communicators (all soft skills employers want in employees), they're sure to excel as psychologists or therapists.
A career in this field allows you to help those struggling to overcome many different personal and family problems. With substantial work experience, you can stand to make a lot of money and even charge on an hourly basis.
You've probably put a lot of thought and effort into designing your home and making it look stunning. From selecting the perfect hangers for the closet to picking out the most exquisite lampshade, you know what it takes to make a home beautiful.
Now, how about extending this talent a little further and helping others make their homes look gorgeous too? A career in interior design is a great option for women who are creative, organized, and detail-oriented—who don't want a boring office job.
As you develop your career as an interior designer, you also gain the flexibility to pick your clients and appointments and get paid immensely well.
For women who are creative, good at communication, and love research, media is the place to be.
All companies nowadays have (or should have) social media accounts that need managing, in addition to their primary marketing and PR departments, so this field is only growing.
Writing, advertising, public relations, journalism, photography—there are many choices available for women who want to pursue a career in media.
Women today can achieve it all, from financial independence to a family, and from a progressive career to a great personal and social life. And, why not? Your decisions have the potential to give you all that you desire.
So, make sure you decide well!
Take our FREE quizzes to figure out what careers will leverage your strengths and make you happy.
The Career Decoder Quiz will help you determine what your workplace persona is. That means you'll get a sense of who you are as a working professional and what makes you thrive at work. You'll find out how you like to create value and what your professional strengths are, which will help you find the right career for YOU.
The Communication Style (ISAT) Quiz allows you to understand your communication style so you can work more effectively with others. It has 18 questions about your personality and how you handle certain situations. You deserve to know this information about yourself so you can unleash your career potential and get what you want from work.
If you have an idea of the career you want to pursue but are struggling to find a job, become a Work It DAILY member today (FREE for 7 days!) and we'll help you get results—fast.
Every day, millions of job seekers find themselves struggling to understand one big question: What does it take to actually get a job offer? Interviews come and go but no job offers. What gives?
The whole job search process has changed so much in the past few years. But at the end of the day, there is one thing that has not changed at all: You can only get a job offer as a result of your performance in a job interview. However, if you don't have a fundamental understanding of who actually gets job offers, it doesn't really make a difference if you land five or 50 job interviews. It'll be tough to land a job.
Here's a little insight on how hiring managers make decisions...
When hiring managers sit down together to decide which candidate gets a job offer, the decision is not likely going to be made based on any one candidate's education, qualifications, work experience, or hard skills. Occasionally, one or more of those could play a part in breaking a tie between two great candidates, but that doesn't happen all that often.
Here's the truth: Some people who are clearly less qualified than you are get the job offer.
In an attempt to be the most impressive candidate, many job seekers search online for the most common interview questions and then spend time compiling their best stories so they can give great answers that show they have the skills to do the job. But by the time you get past the phone interview (and especially when you get to the second interview and beyond), it's not really about whether or not you meet the requirements set forth in the job posting anymore. It's already been determined that you are qualified enough.
Pulling out your best stories is a good idea, but it skips over a key component. Hiring managers don't just want to know what you did in previous jobs. They are also looking very closely at how you did it. Hiring managers are very interested in knowing who you are as a person—your work ethic, your attitude, your work style, your people skills, and whether or not you will fit into the workplace culture and be a big asset to it.
If two managers are trying to make a hiring decision, the following is a representation of a typical conversation:
Manager 1: "Wow! Mike has 10 years of experience and a master's degree, but I was more impressed with Jeff. Wasn't that a great interview? He doesn't have the experience but he has the passion, a great attitude, and the drive that we need around here. And he has a lot of great ideas! His enthusiasm was contagious! I sensed that Mike sees this job as more of a way to just collect a paycheck. I also get the feeling he might be resistant to our way of doing things. Didn't he seem pretty set in his ways? I think he might be burnt out or something. I think I can get Jeff up to speed in no time. Staci was good too, but I say we go with Jeff."
Manager 2: "I agree. I admit, I am a little concerned that Jeff has only three years of experience since we decided we needed someone with at least five years. But he seems to really know his stuff so I think I am okay there. I love how he talked about how important his own personal development is—he's the type who will probably train himself. You are right on with Mike. I didn't sense that in the first interview but I did in this one. He seems like the guy who wouldn't do much outside of his job description. And while he could step right in and do the job, we definitely need more positive energy around here. I liked Staci too. What are your thoughts on her?"
Manager 1: "I like Staci and she could be the right person, but having Jeff and Staci's interview back to back really showed some of Staci's deficiencies. She could easily do the job. She didn't say anything that was overly concerning, but she just doesn't have that energy—the enthusiasm—that Jeff has. He seems to have a lot more ambition than she does. It just doesn't seem like this job excites her as much. Jeff seems excited about what we do here and has a personal interest in it and that's important. Also, I am not certain she'll fit in. Remember when she talked about that project she worked on with four others but then said she did 90% of the work? She had a reasonable explanation but I don't know if I buy it. Plus, she did seem focused on questions about work hours and flex time. I just feel like Jeff will really run with this job and turn it into something great. I would like to extend an offer to him."
Manager 2: "You'll be his manager, so if you are certain, I will support that."
That is a key question to ask yourself. Do you express your positive attitude, enthusiasm, excitement, and stellar work habits? How will hiring managers describe you, as a person, after you leave?
Soft skills are critical and it's not enough to say you have them. Most people say they are a positive person and will work very hard to get the job done right. That does nothing for you if you don't prove it.
If you want to impress, hiring managers must be able to feel those words and see how you displayed those characteristics in the past. Show enthusiasm in your tone—raise it up a few levels! Be expressive and show excitement. Show you care about the work by giving examples. Show how you always put forth your best effort in everything you do by giving clear examples of excellence in past jobs (quantify your accomplishments). Show ways you went above and beyond and express why excellence is important to you.
However, there is one critical question that plays the biggest part in making this work for you: Are you that person?
Most people know they should present themselves in this way but many just say who they are and don't show it. Some are people who don't even have positive attitudes. And many of these people go into interviews and try to fake it. Some people are really good at it. Many others are not so good. But for the most part, a lot of hiring managers can see right through it.
By far, the most effective way to express positivity, enthusiasm, and excellence is having it in you to express—it has to be real to have a significant impact. And that only happens when you truly feel connected to the company and its mission. (What companies are on your interview bucket list?) If that's what hiring managers want to see in you, then it should go without saying that they also expect it from you on the job. If those words don't describe you, taking some time to work on your own personal development in this area should be a top priority on your to-do list.
When it's all said and done, hiring managers need to be wowed by you! While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order). If you want to stand out and get job offers, then show up at the interview and give them your best self so that when you leave, they already know they want you to come back.
Do you know what evidence-based hiring is? Well, it's going to directly impact how you get a job in the future. If you want to understand evidence-based hiring so that you can make sure you're standing out to employers, continue reading...
Evidence-based hiring is a result of the broken hiring system that we have today. Right now, we send a text-based resume and cover letter and fill out a text-based application online, and all of that goes to a recruiter who, for example, is getting anywhere from 100 to 500 to even a thousand applicants for one job opening.
Recently, I talked to a recruiter who got 500 applicants and had to sort through them all and then rank them based on the criteria the hiring manager gave them. Then, they took the top 10 resumes and passed them on to the hiring manager. The hiring manager started calling these people and interviewing them. All 10 of them didn't move on in the hiring process. All 10 of them weren't qualified (or a good match) for the role. The resumes they sent in were so overdone. They weren't authentic and they didn't talk about their true skill level.
People are now using ChatGPT and other AI tools to write their resumes. When the candidates' true skills and experience don't match the resumes they sent in, the hiring manager and recruiter have to start the whole hiring process over again. This is a broken system, and this scenario is exactly why companies are shifting to evidence-based hiring.
Companies are now asking themselves, "What can we do upfront to get the evidence to authenticate that every candidate is who they say they are?"
ChatGPT has sped up the death of the resume. So many people are using it to fake their qualifications profiles and it's frustrating the heck out of hiring managers. In response to this, companies are moving to asynchronous video interviews—they send you a link, you click on it, and you record videos answering specific questions that will authenticate you and prove with evidence that you know what you're talking about. Then, hiring managers will evaluate those videos instead of a resume, and then you may move forward in the interview process.
Video in the hiring process is here to stay. Companies have to be able to authenticate talent when there's a sea of text-based applications that all look the same.
If you want to stand out in the evidence-based hiring process, you need to get proactive with video, and the way you do that is by using tools like McCoy. It's a free phone app that you can download that will let you choose what you want to share in 60-second reels. You record a video and then you get a URL that you can send off to a hiring manager to introduce yourself or include at the top of your resume or put it in other places so they can open it up and watch you and know that you are who you say you are and can do what you say you can do.
Evidence-based hiring is here to stay, and the sooner you lean into this and authenticate yourself, the better off you're going to be. You can prolong it for as long as you want, but evidence-based hiring is the new normal because the system has been broken for too long. So, however you choose to do it, you are going to need to have more evidence because a text-based profile or resume or application isn't going to cut it anymore. If you want to take control of your job search, you're better off downloading a phone app like McCoy and using it so that you can control your first impression and your messaging. It'll be the best decision you make in your job search.
And, as always, I'm here if you need help with your job search. Become a Work It DAILY member today (FREE for 7 days!).
Thinking about returning to the workforce? Whether you took some time off to see the world, care for a family member, or raise your kids, you're probably feeling a little rusty at the whole job search thing.
You might also have a few questions: Where do I start? How can I make myself relevant again? How do I deal with my resume gaps?
Not to worry. You're not the only one in this situation.
People have to leave and return to the workforce every day. Life happens! If you want to get back to work as soon as possible though, you need to build a strong job search strategy. Otherwise, you will have a hard time marketing yourself to employers.
Here are some tips from Amanda Augustine, career advice expert for TopResume, that you can use to get back on the job after being MIA for several years.
It's important to be crystal clear on your job goals before you jump into your job search. It will save you a ton of time, energy, and frustration if you have a target to work toward. If you just try to "wing it," you'll have a hard time marketing yourself to employers. Moreover, it will be hard to nail down an opportunity that's truly satisfying for you.
"Before you launch into your job search," says Augustine, "do a little soul-searching and clarify your job goals. You may find that a corporate job may no longer hold its appeal or that you're extremely passionate about your recent volunteer work and would like to pursue a career in that area instead."
"Remember, just because you haven't received a paycheck in a while doesn't mean you haven't gained skills worth bragging about," says Augustine. Think about what you bring to the table. What skills do you have to offer? What are you good at? What have you done in the past?
Think about your skills and make a list. This will help you get a sense of where you stand in terms of qualifications. Plus, it will help you brand/market yourself more effectively.
After you've taken an inventory of your skills and clearly understand what you have to offer, it's time to look at areas where you could improve. "Invest in your career by seeking opportunities to bolster the skill sets your target employers care most about," says Augustine. "This is also a great way to brush up on skills you haven't had to use in a while or familiarize yourself with a new technology that's now commonplace in your industry."
Look at the industry and job postings to get an idea of where you need to upskill in order to be a qualified candidate. If you've been out of the workforce for a few years, it's likely there are a few areas you need to upskill in. Are there any new technologies you should learn? Are there any new skills you need? Identify weak areas of your personal brand so you can strengthen them and stand out to employers.
When you've been out of the game for a while, it's crucial to have people on your team who are willing to help you out. You need people in your corner who know what you can do and can advocate for you. Having those third-party testimonials or recommendations can really reinforce your potential to employers. This is especially important when you have resume gaps or have been out of a job for a long time.
"Make a concerted effort to reconnect with former colleagues, clients, vendors, and alumni from your alma mater who work in your industry," says Augustine. And don't just focus on your professional connections to help you out. Your family and friends can also be great resources for you, according to Augustine.
"Don't discount your personal connections during the job hunt," says Augustine. "Whether you're cheering in the stands at your son's baseball game or leading your daughter's Girl Scout troop, family activities are networking goldmines. Use these opportunities to get to get to know the other parents. You'll be amazed at who you could meet at your child's dance recital or karate lesson."
As someone who's coming back into his or her field after being out for a while, it's very important that you brush up on industry news and trends. You don't want to appear clueless during interviews because you didn't hear about that super important thing that affected the company to which you're applying.
Augustine suggests subscribing to relevant online publications and setting up Google News Alerts on the major players in your field and other industry terms. That way, you can get automatic updates on the news and trends in your industry.
Returning to the workforce can be scary and stressful. Make your life a little easier by building a plan of attack that will get you back on the bike as soon as possible.
The past 18 months have painted a picture of economic ambiguity, with predictions ranging from smooth landings to potential recessions. Geopolitical tensions add further complexity, making future outcomes elusive. While perfect foresight remains out of reach, proactive risk management can equip mid-size growth companies to navigate these uncertainties and achieve resilient growth.
Regional banks, traditionally a financing mainstay for mid-size companies, are facing constraints, leading to tighter credit and higher borrowing costs. This necessitates exploring alternative financing solutions like private credit, even though they may differ from traditional bank loans in terms of structure and cost. Equity financing, while dilutive, might become a last resort. Asset-backed lending offers possibilities for asset-intensive companies, but collateral risks require careful consideration.
As interest rates rise, companies must prioritize debt reduction and focus on value creation for both customers and shareholders. A comprehensive understanding of the value chain within each business unit is crucial, enabling informed capital allocation and ROI maximization. Operational efficiencies alone won't suffice. A C-suite equipped to understand and leverage the "value equation" is essential for driving growth through strategic investments, sales, and capital deployment.
The current geopolitical climate poses challenges, but proactive mitigation strategies can lessen their impact. While predicting specific outcomes remains impossible, companies can identify and address supply chain vulnerabilities through comprehensive assessments and diversification strategies. This includes diversifying sourcing locations, suppliers, and production facilities. Additionally, contingency planning, buffer stocks, and contractual flexibility offer further safeguards in this complex global landscape.
Justifying IT investments in a cost-sensitive environment demands clear demonstrations of cost savings and business value. For mid-size companies, this challenge becomes even more crucial. Trade-offs between IT security, infrastructure upgrades, and other needs are likely to arise. Identifying and prioritizing critical IT needs that directly support growth is essential. Continuous tracking and communication of the value delivered by IT investments are key to securing future funding.
The post-pandemic era has redefined the traditional office environment, presenting challenges for company culture and talent acquisition/retention. Creating or maintaining a strong culture while embracing hybrid work arrangements is paramount. Aligning values and fostering engagement when staff are physically dispersed requires open communication and hard conversations about roles, compensation, and expectations. While small and mid-size companies can operate remotely, sustained growth often necessitates fostering a strong in-person element as well.
As the U.S. economy recalibrates to a 3.5% to 4% interest rate environment, mid-size growth companies reliant on regional bank financing must adapt. Exploring alternative financing solutions, stabilizing supply chains, building a strong culture, retaining talent, and driving innovation are crucial for navigating this new reality and achieving sustainable growth.
Below are examples of consulting interventions to address these challenges:
As a candidate or an employee, you need to justify the cost of your employment. How can you demonstrate your value? The answer is to quantify, quantify, quantify! You need to be able to prove you can get the job done better and faster than the candidates.
Having trouble quantifying? This simple trick will help you quantify ANYTHING on your resume...
If you want to find and keep a great job, you MUST remember this simple equation:
Numbers = Results = Value
Employers won't invest in you if they don't think you can get the results they need. So, you need to do your best to demonstrate your value through numbers.
Here's an example. Out of the following two candidates, who looks more impressive?
Even though they both do the same thing, Candidate #2 looks much more impressive because they're quantifying their results and showcasing their value.
Whether you're searching for a job or trying to climb the ladder at your company, this simple trick will help you achieve your goal: Write out a list of your career accomplishments. Then, fill in the blanks. Ask how many, how much, how long, and how often?
Instead of saying: Wrote articles for local newspaper.
Say something like: Wrote 8 articles per week for Big Town Sentinel, which covers 5 towns and has 8,000+ daily readers.
Remember: Numbers = Results = Value. It's your job to prove your value to the employer by flaunting your accomplishments. If you follow this equation when writing your resume, you'll stand out as a qualified and accomplished candidate who will certainly be a valuable employee to the company.
Before getting into what should or shouldn't be in your cover letter, let's just get out of the way that a cover letter is a must. Why? Well, the answer is pretty simple.
The cover letter gives you the chance to express that you're a professional and that you have the skills, expertise, and passion the employer is seeking in an ideal job candidate. When you don't send a cover letter with your resume, it can be interpreted as you're not that serious about the job—that it's not even worth your time and effort to include a greeting that will put your information in context to the employer's needs.
Writing a cover letter is particularly important if your resume raises red flags when reviewed on its own. Things like a lengthy period of unemployment, smaller job gaps, or no specialized training for a job that requires it needs some explaining to alleviate concern.
So, here's what you need to be watchful of in your cover letter so that it works effectively with your resume.
Like the resume, your cover letter needs to be customized and speak directly to the employer's needs. It shouldn't simply say, "I'm interested in the job, and here's my resume for review." If you're going to do that, then it's the same as not sending a cover letter at all.
The best way to customize your cover letter is to go all in and write a disruptive cover. Speak of your knowledge in the business, what you know about that employer, why you're passionate about their mission, products, or services, and how your experience and skills can help the employer reach their goals. Provide highlights from your resume and how you can apply what you learned in past positions to the job you're looking to land at their organization.
Basically, if the employer can feel your excitement through the cover letter, and is impressed by the story you tell, you'll be one of the first job candidates they contact to learn more.
There are some things on your resume that may raise a red flag, and if they go unexplained, the hiring manager will not take a chance on you. They'll just move on to the next candidate.
Consider things like periods of unemployment, lack of degree or certification, frequent job changes, or a change in career direction that may require more information. The point is not to over-explain, but to touch on the subject in short to offer a reason that will alleviate potential concerns. For example, you may have taken a year off from work to care for a newborn or sick parent. Tell that story in your disruptive cover letter.
Also, your disruptive cover letter should begin to answer some of the questions the employer will want to find out for sure if you come in for a job interview. Some of those questions include:
Your cover letter is a reflection of your professionalism. If it's filled with misspellings or poor grammar, the employer will be left to believe you are careless—a direct reflection of how you may perform on the job.
Let's be honest: If you really care about getting the job you're applying for, you'll proofread your cover letter and resume multiple times. If you don't seem inclined to proofread all of your career materials before sending in your application, the job probably isn't the right one for you.
Nevertheless, make sure you proofread your cover letter. When in doubt, have a trusted friend look it over too!
Many employers will leave specific directions in the job posting for applicants to follow. It can be as simple as including XYZ in the subject line when your email message is serving as the cover letter, including your salary requirement, or providing an answer to a question.
Since many employers get more applicants than they need, any applicant who fails to follow directions is an automatic strikeout.
While writing your cover letter, follow any directions the employer has on the job posting. The same goes for when you send it out. Even if your cover letter is amazing, not following the directions can hurt your chances of landing an interview!
Your cover letter is the best opportunity for you to stand out to employers early on in the hiring process, so take the time to write one that is polished and speaks directly to the employer's needs. Whatever you do, avoid the red flags above!
Poor body language can derail an interview regardless of how confident and well-spoken you are. Body language is as much a part of your communication style as what you say verbally—it's really about how you say it. Impressions are made within seconds of reviewing body language.
Consider the first step to entering an interview—the handshake. While it may take less than 10 seconds to complete a handshake, in that time, the interviewer has already developed an impression of your character based on eye contact and the firmness of your shake. A weak handshake and lack of eye contact can leave the impression you are timid and insecure. A sincere and firm handshake with eye contact expresses professionalism and confidence. An overpowering handshake with a fixed gaze may come across as overconfident and arrogant. So, be cautious with your next handshake and start the interview off with a positive impression.
In an interview, body language is present from head to toe. Consider the following...
Whether you are sitting or standing, your posture projects a level of confidence and engagement in the conversation. When one slumps, it implies to the interviewer a lack of confidence and interest. Sitting stiff as a rock implies nervousness and it creates an uncomfortable situation for building rapport. Sitting at the tip of the chair implies you don't want to be there. Lying back on the chair with your ankle on top of your other knee may appear unprofessional and too relaxed. In general, crossing your arms and legs may be interpreted as building a barrier.
To project professionalism, confidence, and engagement, consider sitting on the chair with your lower back touching or close to the back panel while leaning 10 degrees forward. Keep your hands relaxed in your lap or on the table, and your feet grounded on the floor. When standing, avoid crossing your arms or placing them in your pockets. The point is to project a balanced posture that is not limp or overly stiff.
Eye contact allows you and the interviewer to connect beyond words alone. However, there is a fine balance between good eye contact and when eye contact becomes a weird gaze or stare that can make the other person feel uncomfortable. When you stare without having breaks in between, a casual conversation can come across as a lecture.
Whether you are listening or speaking, maintain eye contact with your interviewer for a couple of seconds at a time (no more than 7 to 10 seconds) and then glance away before returning eye contact again. If you are looking down to take notes, look up occasionally, especially when it appears a special point is being made or when you are asked a question.
Speed, tone, and pitch combined make an impression. Talking too fast can be hard to understand and appear as nervousness. When your tone projects apology or defense, you can come across as unconfident and insecure. When you don't make changes between your tone and pitch, you can sound monotone, making it more difficult for the other person to stay engaged.
Learn to take control of your voice. If you are nervous, it can come across in your pitch, so take a breath to help you relax before speaking. Be conscious of your tone and pitch to offer variation and to help emphasize certain points.
Some people have a tendency to bobble their heads as a gesture of agreement, but when you nod in excess during a conversation, it becomes a distraction and can be interpreted as though you are agreeing on everything for the sake of wanting to please. You can lose credibility in such instances.
To avoid appearing like a bobblehead, nod occasionally to show you are still engaged and have control over how you nod. You can also tilt your head slightly to the side as though you are trying to listen more carefully as another way to show you are engaged.
There are people who do certain things out of habit, such as flaring their arms while talking, twirling their hair, playing with a pen in hand, rocking back and forth on a chair, and shaking or thumping their feet. Many of these actions occur unconsciously; however, these are distractions to the person you are speaking to and may be perceived as signs you are bored or have trouble focusing. Some people also touch their nose or face frequently when they are nervous. An interviewer may perceive this as a sign you are not being totally honest.
Be conscious of what you do with your hands, legs, and feet and that will help you take control of your movements. Be aware of your own body language and also read your interviewer's body language to give you hints about how they are responding to you.
The interview may start very formal, but as you both become acquainted with one another, the mood may relax and you may adapt your body language to reflect what you sense from the interviewer. There is no absolute rule around body language, but it would be wise to avoid any chance of being misinterpreted.
You can properly prepare your body language before heading into an interview by watching yourself in the mirror act out how you introduce yourself and speak. Another helpful way is to have a friend or colleague interview you and record the entire session. Review how you present yourself and become aware of problem areas to adjust before your interview.
Need more help preparing for your next job interview?
I had a sad career coaching call with an extremely successful woman recently. When she told me her career story, which I have all my clients do, her story was riddled with a highway of situations where she was taken advantage of, where she wasn't given the respect that she deserved.
As a career coach, I have each person tell me their career story because I can always tell, based on the story, where your sticking points and roadblocks are. And for this woman, it clearly was getting herself into situations where they wouldn't respect her. She was almost in tears while telling me this, but she was still so professional, and then she said, "What is it going to take, JT? What is it going to take for me to get into one of these environments and not be taken advantage of?"
I didn't want to give her a pat answer, so I said I was going to sleep on it and then come back and tell her the traits I see in people who are respected at work and, therefore, get the best career opportunities. I want to share those five traits with you because I think it's important that everyone hear them.
The first trait I see in people who are respected at work is they always see themselves as a business-of-one. They don't work for a company. They work with them. They partner with them. Therefore, right out of the gate, there's mutual respect. Then, if they start disrespecting you, you can have a conversation and tell them that they're either going to get this right or you're going to go find a new partner because you're not going to be treated that way. You're not going to allow yourself to be treated that way. It's about setting boundaries and addressing the disrespect before it gets out of hand. Respected employees are able to communicate these boundaries without being harsh.
The second trait is they aren't complainers; they're curious. Nobody likes to work with complainers. The people who are respected at work don't walk in and dump a problem on a manager's desk. Instead, when they see a problem, they meet with people and they get curious. They ask questions. They try to understand. In fact, one of their favorite phrases to use is "help me understand." They ask clarifying questions to get to the source of the problem so that hopefully the people they're talking to can realize the problem, but if not, it gives them permission to then point it out and have a conversation.
The third trait is they get really good at "ask, don't tell." They don't boss everyone around. They don't tell everyone what to do. They know how to ask questions so that things become other people's ideas and they get permission to then share their points of view, their ideas, and their perspectives. It's how they get buy-in. It's how they get consensus. And, again, it's how they gain and keep people's respect.
The fourth trait is they talk about their results. They don't talk about their character. You know that you have to be your biggest self-advocate in the workplace, and you're hired to save or make money. You're hired to solve problems and alleviate pain, so when you're talking about the results that you were able to get, when you're talking about what's actually valued, not that you were a great team player, etc., you'll stand out and be respected for the value that you create on the job. You're going to have to find strategic ways to talk about your results without bragging or sounding like a narcissist to make sure that people understand the quantifiable impact that you've had on the company, and the people who are respected at work do this well.
Lastly, the people who are respected at work never initially disagree with someone. This might be a hot take, but whenever they clearly disagree with someone, they don't say "I disagree." That's not how they lead the conversation. What they do instead is they find a commonality with the person, something they can agree on, and then they talk about that. These people know how to disarm somebody by talking about what they agree upon first before they discuss where they have differences or disagreements.
I'm sure there are more traits you could add to this list, but when I really looked at the people who are the most respected at work, who are incredibly successful and seem to get all the opportunities they want, they're doing these five things consistently in their careers. They have these five traits. And it's having an incredible impact on their brand.
If you're struggling with getting respect at work, I can help. Sign up for a Work It DAILY membership today (FREE for 7 days!).
Proactivity, as defined by organizational behavior, is “anticipatory, change-oriented, and self-initiated behavior in situations, rather than just reacting." When a person is proactive, they are acting in advance of a future event. Proactive employees typically don't need to be asked to do something, and will usually require less-detailed instructions.
Proactive behavior is applicable to either one's own role or to "extra role" responsibilities. Within one's own role, for example, a person may find a more efficient way to complete one or more of their responsibilities. Extra role responsibilities (i.e., those tasks outside of your stated job description) speak to an employee's organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). The proactive employee would, for example, initiate an offer to help their co-workers before they are asked to assist by either their colleagues or their manager.
The steps you can take to become more proactive at work apply to both your formal role and your part of the scope of the OCB within your team, your department, and your overall organization.
There are variations on the theme; however, the following behaviors are a common foundation for proactivity within all of the theories.
Proactivity requires that you be organized. That includes your mindset, your space, and, of course, your schedule! Organizing your time helps you approach tasks more efficiently and allows you to be more open to opportunities. This scheduling needs to include "downtime" for those activities that keep your life in balance.
A positive attitude is right up there on any list. Approaching tasks from a positive perspective encourages you to look for the best in every situation. It helps you become the employee who is "ready, willing, and able," who can always be counted on. A team player who is reliable and available will become the go-to person, the problem solver.
Take stock of your current responsibilities:
Find a role model by observing the leaders in your company. When possible, spend time with them to gain insight into their behaviors. Try out their techniques. Some will work for you, others will not. You'll need to fine-tune what you acquire so that you are able to build your own repertoire.
Let others know that you want to be more involved. You'll need to create your own opportunities. Don't wait to be asked—present your ideas to your management team.
Set goals for yourself. Write them down. List everything that you want to accomplish. Set deadlines. Once you have the end in mind, you can achieve your desired outcome. A series of small goals leading up to the completion of a large goal keeps tasks from becoming insurmountable.
Stay the course on how you want to accomplish your goals. This may require overcoming your fears and rising above obstacles or setbacks. You'll need to step outside of your comfort zone and become increasingly resilient.
Strive for excellence from start to finish. Commit yourself to always presenting your best work—your completed project with no loose ends. Be passionate about what you do. Give it your all. No matter what role you are assigned, you will be more effective when you put your full energy and effort into it.
Celebrate your successes, big and small, as you move along your path to becoming more proactive!
Be flexible! You can't plan for every outcome, so being able to react to the unexpected is an important trait for the proactive person. It is about the awareness of the existence of choices, regardless of the situation or the context.
A proactive employee is often an indispensable employee. By exhibiting these 10 behaviors, you'll be known as the go-to person at work, a valuable business-of-one the company doesn't want to lose.
Need more help being proactive in your career?
You want to demonstrate you have the experience and skills for the job. But what makes one candidate more favorable than the other when they both have the same type of experience and skills?
When this is the case, it often comes down to a job seeker's performance during the interview.
As a job seeker, it's important to understand what other areas interviewers consider when reviewing each candidate as a total package. Here are four areas interviewers rate you on...
Employers want a job candidate with a "can-do" attitude and who has a strong desire to work for the company. Make sure that comes through in your communication, from your cover letter, phone interview, and in-person interview to the thank-you note.
Throughout the entire process, you want to make it known that you remain highly interested in the position. When you are meeting in person, you can also use your body language to help demonstrate engagement and interest.
A top trait that employers seek for every position is strong communication skills. Your ability to articulate what experience and skills you have to offer and how they can contribute to your future employer's success has to come through if you want to impress the interviewer.
People hire people they like so your job in the interview is to turn it into a conversation and be prepared to ask questions during the process. Keep in mind that a key part of communicating effectively has to do with intonation and body language. When your voice exhibits excitement and you're leaning forward and making eye contact, that is stressing to the interviewer you're communicating something of importance.
The first thing an employer will do is determine if you have the requisite skills and experience for the position. Make sure you have studied the job posting, researched people at the company on LinkedIn, and know what they are looking for and how you can contribute.
When answering interview questions, use the "Experience + Learn = Grow" model to give examples of your key skill sets in action. This includes outlining a professional experience related to the question, talking about what you learned from the experience, and how you grew from it professionally.
You need to demonstrate that you are a "good fit" for their organization. This is measured in two ways: your skill and competencies and your demeanor and personality. Once you have shown that your technical skills are there, they want to see if people will want to work with you. Don't be afraid to let some of your personality come out.
The interviewer wants to see your sense of humor, confidence level, and whether you come across as honest or fake. The right combination of all those qualities will inform the interviewer if you're the right fit for the job, and also for the company's culture.
So, while you prepare for your interview to demonstrate you have what it takes to do the job, don't forget to impress the interviewer with these other factors that will differentiate you from the other job candidates who may have similar experience and skills. The more prepared you are for the job interview, the more confident you will be, and the more likely you'll make a great impression on the hiring manager.
In 2008, I read Bloomberg Businessweek's article entitled “Management by the Numbers” in which they review how IBM has been building mathematical models of its own employees with an aim to improve productivity and automate management. I’ll let you read it and draw your own conclusions, but I realized that this article still rings true today.
After reading this article so many years ago, I learned a new workplace term that they’re using over at IBM. "Fungible" is a word used to describe workers who are “virtually indistinguishable from others” in terms of the value of their contributions in the workplace.
You see, IBM’s study is enabling them to identify top performers from average ones, with the latter being fungible—and I would assume that translates into expendable as well. In a time where layoffs continue to make the headlines, I guarantee management teams all over the country are getting in rooms and saying, “Who’s fungible on the payroll right now?”
Okay, so they are most likely not using the term—but they are having that discussion, I assure you.
Employees must get on the ball and start doing two things if they want to keep their jobs:
So if you’ve been on autopilot when it comes to assessing your professional strengths, building your career identity, and marketing your personal brand (if you are unfamiliar with the career development terms I just used, suffice to say you’ve been on autopilot), then I encourage you to get started.
It takes a lot more to get and keep a good job these days, and there’s a whole new way to manage your career. If you need help learning how to be indispensable in your career so you don't end up fungible, sign up for a Work It DAILY membership today. Getting the career help you need has never been easier.
What is the dynamic world of marketing automation and digital messaging? It’s an evolving landscape shaping how brands connect with their audiences. The way we connect with our customers has undergone a remarkable transformation. From traditional email campaigns to integrating SMS and sophisticated automation tools, companies are constantly innovating to engage their audiences more effectively. But amidst this evolution, critical considerations exist, such as ensuring compliance with privacy regulations and delivering seamless experiences across every touchpoint.
Let’s delve deeper into the dynamics of email, SMS, and marketing automation strategies and explore how businesses can navigate these trends for optimal engagement and growth.
The email marketing landscape has seen profound transformations in recent years, driven by emerging trends and technological advancements. From traditional email campaigns to integrating SMS, personalization, and AI, marketers constantly explore new avenues to engage their audience. As the digital ecosystem expands, privacy concerns and legal regulations have become more pronounced, prompting marketers to adopt interactive and personalized approaches while ensuring compliance.
In the pursuit of delivering seamless experiences and ensuring the building of customer relationships through every touchpoint, from digital marketing to in-person, marketers are leveraging data-driven insights to curate dynamic content and optimize engagement across multiple touchpoints. The integration of AI technology has revolutionized email marketing, enabling marketers to streamline processes, enhance message delivery efficiency, and incorporate SMS, allowing prospects and customers to choose how we interact with them, ensuring the right message is delivered on the right channel at the right time.
Furthermore, the rise of mobile usage has prompted marketers to optimize email campaigns for mobile devices, incorporating features such as dark mode and mobile-friendly designs. Despite debates surrounding the relevance of email marketing in the era of social media and instant messaging platforms, it remains a cornerstone of digital communication, offering unparalleled reach and targeting capabilities.
The future of email marketing appears promising, with innovations such as interactive content, advanced segmentation, and cross-channel integration shaping the trajectory. As consumers' expectations evolve, marketers must continue to adapt and innovate, leveraging technology and data to deliver personalized and engaging experiences across all digital channels.
In 2024, the top priorities revolve around delivering personalized experiences and building lasting customer relationships. The priority is ensuring you deliver the right message at the right time in the way the customer desires. This means creating a consistent digital experience that mirrors the in-person interaction, ensuring every customer’s seamless and personalized journey.
Priority number two is focused on enhancing relationships with prospects and customers beyond simple transactions. Aim to provide valuable content and information, fostering meaningful connections beyond the point of sale. Central to this priority is tracking and measuring customer engagement, understanding their preferences, and tailoring communications accordingly. By staying closely connected and responsive to customer needs, you can build trust and loyalty while driving long-term success in 2024 and beyond.
Navigating the overflow of emails inundating inboxes presents a real challenge for marketers, especially during peak retail seasons like the holidays. Amidst the flurry of messages clamoring for attention, the quest to stand out becomes more crucial than ever. With consumers bombarded by countless promotions and offers, the struggle to cut through the noise and leave a lasting impression looms large. In this relentless battle for visibility, marketers are compelled to innovate and explore new tactics to differentiate their brands and resonate with their target audience effectively. Here are actionable strategies to help your brand stand out amidst the cluttered landscape of the modern inbox:
Personalization is intricately linked to data, especially in the post-COVID-19 digital landscape, where consumer expectations have heightened. There's a growing demand for seamless experiences tailored to individual preferences driven by the information brands possess. Customers expect consistency across all touchpoints, like a seamless transition from a conversation with an in-store associate to digital interactions. Email and digital marketing aim to leverage consumer insights, ensuring that messages resonate with recipients based on their unique interactions and experiences. By integrating diverse touchpoints and data sources, brands can unlock the true potential of personalization, delivering impactful messages that foster meaningful connections with their audience.
Determining the optimal day of the week for sending emails relies on understanding your audience’s behavior. Technology can assist in identifying peak inbox times. Send time optimization (STO) allows you to send emails at the most reasonable time for each recipient. The aim is to deliver emails when they are most likely engaged, catering to your customer’s preferences. However, the ideal send day and time vary by brand and consumer activity. For example, while Thursdays resonate well for some, weekends yield surprising engagement. Consider your household: my husband checks his email from 7-8 pm, and I usually check mine from 5-6 pm. It is critical to understand what someone is looking for and the experiences they want with your brand. The ultimate goal is to diversify touchpoints and meticulously track responses to identify your audience's most effective communication channels.
In marketing buzzwords, automation is revolutionizing internal processes and customer interactions. Triggered emails, essential for deliveries and shipments, enhance customer experience, and nurtured relationships. Celebratory messages and personalized content post-purchase reinforce brand loyalty. SMS is a supplementary channel for targeted communication, ensuring messages resonate amid email fatigue. Striking a balance between automation and humanization is critical, as businesses aim for efficiency without compromising personalized interactions. Embracing automation transforms operations while maintaining a human touch in customer engagement strategies.
In the age of marketing automation, preserving your brand’s authentic voice is paramount. You want to avoid sounding impersonal or robotic while still leveraging automation effectively. It's about striking a balance between automation and personalization. Tactics like using AI for brand tonality, incorporating personal touches such as signatures and images, and strategically sending messages from individuals rather than just the business can help maintain that human connection. Ultimately, it's about ensuring that every touchpoint reflects your brand essence while embracing the efficiency of automation.
Implementing marketing automation poses several business challenges, notably in data management and proving value. Ensuring data accuracy and consistency across teams is crucial. Additionally, establishing transparent data entry and maintenance processes is essential to avoid discrepancies. Another hurdle lies in getting started efficiently and measuring success effectively. Starting small, experimenting, and iterating rapidly can mitigate these challenges and pave the way for successful automation strategies.
Cost is a significant factor when considering automation and AI implementation. Understanding stakeholder expectations and the perceived lower costs associated with these technologies is crucial. Leveraging existing technology and starting small can be cost-effective, particularly in email marketing. It's essential to acknowledge that while AI and automation offer promising solutions, they entail more than meets the eye. Legal and governance considerations add layers to the implementation process. However, starting with free trials and basic plans allows businesses to test and evaluate platforms before committing to premium services. Companies must prioritize understanding their audience's preferences as consumer behavior evolves in the digital age. From developing detailed buyer personas to implementing preference-based communication channels, the focus remains on delivering a positive brand experience tailored to individual preferences. Free tools and trials offer opportunities for businesses to explore and assess the value of various marketing technologies without significant upfront investment.
In today’s digital landscape, leveraging free marketing resources proves instrumental in optimizing your email, SMS, and automation campaigns. Consider these invaluable tools.
In today’s landscape, brands increasingly leverage SMS alongside email marketing to deliver timely, concise messages. Text messages serve as a quick, direct communication channel, ideal for time-sensitive reminders and brief updates, while emails offer a longer format for detailed content. By understanding the unique strengths of SMS and email and how they complement each other, brands can tailor their messaging strategy to meet consumer preferences and enhance overall engagement. It’s essential to ensure a clear strategy guides these efforts.
Measuring the success of email and SMS campaigns entails tracking engagement metrics such as deliverability and click-to-open rates. Beyond these fundamentals, assessing ROI and customer lifetime value is crucial—are your campaigns driving desired actions? Equally significant is understanding how you enhance the brand experience, gauged through NPS scores. Additionally, employing lead scoring and rating aids in evaluating the impact of marketing automation efforts on the customer journey, engagement levels, and purchase decisions.
For more brand marketing insights, follow Jill Delaney Racine and Lisa Perry. For a step-by-step guide on developing a brand strategy, check out How to Develop a Brand Strategy by Lisa Perry.
This article was written by Lisa Perry and Jill Delaney Racine.
When you get laid off, many questions go through your head. You may ask yourself, "Why me? How will I tell my family? What will I do now?"
Layoffs happen to almost everyone. If you haven't been laid off before, consider yourself lucky. Whether you saw the layoff coming or were completely blindsided by it, there are a handful of things you should know before you begin to looking for your next job.
Here are five questions you need to ask your employer if you get laid off:
Money will probably be one of the first things on your mind when you get laid off. You'll want to ask your employer when and how you will get your last paycheck. They need to give this to you immediately or within your next pay cycle.
Some employers may try to stop direct deposit, so you need to make sure they have your current address if they are mailing you the check instead.
Chances are you'll have outstanding vacation or personal time if you get laid off suddenly. Should you be getting compensated for that?
Your employee handbook should outline the exact policy and procedure for this type of situation, but you should also ask your employer in the event they are not paying this but are legally supposed to. That way, you can point out the extra pay you are due per your contract.
Health insurance coverage is another big question when you get laid off. You'll need to ask your employer how long your medical benefits will last, and how long you have before you'll have to pay the COBRA premiums, which are much more expensive.
Your employer should give you someone to contact about this as well.
This is the most important question to ask when you get laid off. If they say you aren't eligible for rehire, it means they aren't listing you as a laid-off employee. Instead, they're listing you as fired, which could impact your ability to collect unemployment.
Trust us—this happens to people and they don't find out until their unemployment claim gets rejected.
Outplacement services help people find new jobs after they get laid off. Most higher-level managers and executives get career coaching services when they get laid off. Meanwhile, the average professional doesn't usually know to ask for these services.
Studies show that people who get outplacement get hired 2.5 times faster than those who don't. If the company says they aren't offering outplacement, ask if they would be willing to reimburse you for a subscription to an outplacement service like Work It DAILY.
The career coaching Work It DAILY offers is virtual and costs a fraction of traditional outplacement. If you get laid off, you should push for outplacement because it also helps your employer avoid discrimination lawsuits.
Ask if anyone in the company is getting outplacement. If so, then you should get the same.
Getting laid off is never easy. If it happens to you, make sure to ask your employer these five questions so you can prepare yourself for the job search ahead.
Think a Work It DAILY subscription would help you after a layoff? Sign up for our 7-day free trial today.
A well-optimized LinkedIn profile is a necessity in today's job search. But what is acceptable to put on your LinkedIn profile and what is best left off it?
The biggest mistake job seekers make when creating and updating their LinkedIn profiles is not adding enough of the "right" information. But there are still a few things that don't belong on your profile, which will hurt your chances of standing out to recruiters and building your professional network.
First, let's discuss what shouldn't be on your LinkedIn profile before we talk about what should.
"Actively Seeking Opportunities"
Never, and we mean never, put "actively seeking opportunities" in your LinkedIn headline or anywhere on your LinkedIn profile. Your headline should include keywords that display your hard skills and expertise (and your current position, if applicable)—that's it. If this phrase appears in your LinkedIn headline, not only does it look desperate, but you're losing valuable real estate to optimize your LinkedIn profile with keywords that help you get found by recruiters and hiring managers.
An Unprofessional (or Unfriendly) Profile Picture
Your LinkedIn profile needs a photo. Not having a photo at all is mistake number one. But mistake number two is having an unprofessional or unfriendly profile picture. The photo you choose to include on your LinkedIn profile should be one where you look professional and approachable. Others will be more willing to reach out and connect with you if you do.
Outdated Skills & Technologies
Recruiters will be more likely to skip your profile if the skills and technologies you have listed are no longer relevant or in demand in your industry. It doesn't matter your age; being relevant is all about how you market yourself. You are a business-of-one. Your reputation and success as a business-of-one are dependent on how relevant you're able to stay in the job market. So, don't include those outdated skills and technologies on your LinkedIn profile. Instead, focus on developing new skills and learning new technologies every day. After all, if you want to win, you've got to work it daily.
Politics & Religion
This one is kind of a no-brainer, but just in case you were wondering, no, politics and religion do not belong on your LinkedIn profile. Do you really gain anything by including them? No. Could including them negatively impact your job search or career? Yes. The solution? Keep those topics for a social media site that's not geared toward professional networking.
Lots of Keywords (Skills, Skills, and More Skills)
As mentioned above, your LinkedIn profile should include as many keywords (hard skills) as possible. You should put them in your LinkedIn headline, add them in the "Skills & Endorsements" section, and list them in the "About" section underneath your summary.
A Short but Informative "About" Section
You don't want to write a novel here. Just a short paragraph, ideally your personal branding statement. No one is going to read a summary of your entire career. So, keep it concise. Don't write in the third person, either. After your summary, remember to list your hard skills!
Quantifiable Accomplishments
Another big mistake professionals make on their LinkedIn profiles is not quantifying their work experience, skills, and accomplishments. Numbers stand out to recruiters and hiring managers and make it easier for them to understand your efficiency and effectiveness in a certain role. Back up your statements with quantifiable information and see how much better your profile looks.
Endorsements
Not having any skills endorsed on your LinkedIn profile isn't terrible, but you should definitely ask some of your colleagues to endorse your most valuable skills because that will only help your reputation as a professional. You can endorse a couple of theirs, and they can endorse a couple of yours—that way everybody wins.
It's not always easy deciding what you should and shouldn't include on your LinkedIn profile. We hope this list helps you update your LinkedIn profile in the future, especially if you'll be conducting a job search or making a career change.
The Wall Street Journal recently published an article that talks about the fact that people can expect harsher performance reviews going forward, and I have to agree with them. Therefore, I want to tell you three things that you should do if you get a bad performance review to help you protect your career.
When you get a negative performance review or you get a performance review with a lot of constructive feedback after getting great, positive performance reviews in the past, it might be due to shifts in the market.
I always tell my clients that problems trickle down in the workplace. Many companies are tightening their belts right now. They're changing strategies and trying to figure out what's going on, and so those problems become headaches to the leadership team and they're not just going to take the brunt of that themselves; they're going to push it down to the people that they're paying to help solve those problems and alleviate that pain.
Consequently, more people are going to be told that what they've been doing in the past isn't good enough anymore. Their company needs more from them. That's the trickle-down effect. Now, I want you to have the right frame of mind around this. Don't take it personally. This is business, and your "customer" that owns the business, that employs you, is telling you they've got changes and they need you to support them in those changes. So, try to stay objective when you get a bad performance review out of nowhere.
The second thing that I want you to do is see how your boss is treating other people. If you got a bad performance review but other people aren't getting that same feedback, if you're not hearing that other people got negative performance reviews, then I need you to be really careful because this could be the company starting to single you out for a restructure, layoff, or firing.
These types of situations are happening more and more now. What was good enough before is not good enough anymore. So, take a look around. Is everyone getting the same feedback? Or do you feel like you're being singled out? Because if you are, there's a good chance that your job might be at risk and I don't want you finding that out later. I want you to be more proactive, which leads to my last tip...
The moment you see a shift in how others are treating you after a bad performance review, you need to increase your networking efforts and get your job search tools ready. Any good business knows that if they start to see a customer who's not satisfied or who's acting like they're not satisfied, you do what you can to make that customer happy again, but you also remember that customers have life cycles and this may be the end of the life cycle.
You don't want to be left without a customer. You don't want to be left without an income for your business-of-one. So, it's important that you update your resume and LinkedIn profile. Get ready to do informational interviews and start networking with people who work at companies you might want to work at. Just get that ball rolling. You never know—a great opportunity might come along and this might be the push that you need to make that change. But you want to be prepared. You don't want to start looking for work when you suddenly don't have a job, and for a lot of people, that's what's happening right now. I want you to protect yourself from that.
So, to recap...
I hope this information helps if you suddenly get a bad performance review at work. Remember these tips, and you'll protect your career.
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One of the hardest things about networking events is just getting a conversation going with someone—without being awkward about it. Approaching someone new can be stressful, but it doesn't have to be. So, what are some natural and easy ways to break the ice?
Here are some tips and tricks for starting a conversation at a networking event.
While waiting in line for food, start chatting up the person next to you. This is a great opportunity to get a conversation started because you already have something in common: the food. Everyone is thinking about the same thing. What am I going to try? What looks good? So instead of just standing there in silence, start a conversation.
Here are a few conversation starters for this situation:
If you see someone standing alone in the corner, clutching his or her drink, and looking miserable, don't be afraid to walk up and introduce yourself. Typically, these people need a little help getting the conversation going.
Here are some icebreakers:
Everyone loves compliments, especially when they are feeling insecure (and many people do feel that way when attending networking events). If you're struggling to start a conversation with someone, find something to compliment.
Here are some ideas:
People love talking about sports. If you're a sports person, use it to your advantage!
See someone wearing a Red Sox cap? Say something like, "Red Sox fan, huh? Did you catch the game yesterday?" Overhear a group of people talking about last night's game? Express your interest in the conversation by saying something like, "Are you talking about ____?" and then chime in.
Sometimes the easiest way to meet someone is to offer a handshake and say, "Hi, I'm Peter."
Simply introducing yourself with a smile and a dash of confidence can work wonders.
We know what you're thinking. Yes, yes, that's all well and good, but how can I keep the conversation going after the initial question? It's easy! Talk about something else you have in common—the event itself!
After that, try learning more about them. Questions can include:
Next step: get them talking. Remember, people generally like to talk about themselves. So once they tell you what they do, ask questions about it. Here are a few:
It's that time: Your drink is dry and you're ready to move on. When the conversation starts to wind down, don't try to force more. Remember, you're there to mix and mingle. Don't chain yourself to one person all night.
If you'd like to exit a conversation, try one of these lines:
Remember these conversation starters (and enders) during your next networking event to get the most out of your time there. Happy networking!
This article was originally published at an earlier date and was inspired by the author's personal experiences and the advice of Susan RoAne, author of How to Work a Room.
Unemployment insurance fraud takes place when an individual conceals or misrepresents some information to get or increase unemployment insurance payments.
Most often, unemployment insurance frauds imply making a false statement about one's work and earnings. Sometimes the cases can also include work refusals, unreported travel, check forgeries, identity theft, inability to work, incarceration, perjury, non-availability for work, incorrect claims for dependent allowance, etc.
Here's everything you need to know about unemployment insurance fraud.
If you commit unemployment insurance fraud intentionally or accidentally (not knowing the regulations, etc.), you have to pay back all the benefits that you received plus a penalty (50% of that sum).
In most cases, a person is going to be disqualified from getting unemployment benefits in the future (minimum 6 weeks for every week of receiving benefits). There can also be imprisonment and fines included depending on the sum of the received fraudulent benefits.
Unemployment fraud punishment may differ between U.S. states. The Department of Unemployment Insurance in Arizona, for example, has different periods of disqualification from collecting unemployment insurance benefits than in Colorado. You should check your state's law to get the full picture.
There can also be overpayments, which you must pay back. Some of the typical cases of overpayments include:
There are a lot of ways in which unemployment insurance fraud is identified. Here are some of them:
In a culture dominated by short posts, videos, and other content on social media, we all face enormous pressure to communicate ever more briefly. When it comes to resumes, recent trends have lowered preferred lengths to two to three pages. If your resume is long, how can you possibly condense it without losing value?
As a certified and award-winning resume writer, I face this dilemma on a daily basis. Most resumes contain a lot of "fat" in the form of run-on sentences, unwieldy skill descriptions, lackluster branding, and unnecessary details. By trimming these problem areas, your resume can become a lean, mean, brand communication machine.
But isn't it better to include more content so you can weave in more keywords throughout your resume? No, actually.
When it comes to resume writing, less is generally more. Here's why:
Let's take a look at a few length targets to give you an idea of where your resume is out of balance. While there are few hard and fast resume rules, these are general guidelines that most highly experienced and credentialed writers and career coaches follow.
Resume Length
Most recruiters expect resumes to be two to three pages in length, with a strong preference for two pages in North America. While this varies from recruiter to recruiter, most like to see two-page resumes for job seekers with up to 10-15 years of experience. For those with considerably more experience, a three-page resume may be necessary to capture and present all relevant details.
One-Page Resume Rule
The one-page-only resume rule is still common, though. Those with limited experience may find that length most appropriate for their needs.
Career Summaries
Career summary statements have shortened since the 2008 recession and now trend at three to six lines of text. In mid-career, mid-management, and executive resumes, it is often appropriate to add branding content to this section of the resume, though generally such material is best restricted to up to the first half of the document's first page. Work It DAILY recommends ditching the career summary entirely and focusing on a headline instead—a short summary of the problem you solve that highlights your personal brand.
Core Competencies
Core competency sections are best limited to six to eight skills. At Work It DAILY, we call this the "Experience Summary," which is a list of any skills and requirements you possess that are needed for a certain job and are relevant to the position you're applying for.
Bullets per Role
Too many bulleted statements in a resume overwhelm your reader. Limit bullets to five per role if possible, but don't list fewer than three, either.
Bullet Length
Ideally, bullets should be limited to two lines of space. If additional critical details must be included, consider separating content into different bullets.
Amount of Work History to Include
Recruiters typically are most interested in the last 10-15 years of your experience, so this is the amount of experience you will want to profile on your resume. Older relevant experience can be briefly summarized in your "Additional Experience" section at the end of your resume. In most cases, any irrelevant work experience can be safely eliminated altogether. The usual exception is recent college grads and young professionals just starting out their careers who already have limited work experience to quantify and show off.
1. Say More with Less
Cut out words that aren't needed and delete words that are repeated. When you're fighting a two-line bullet length, every word counts.
2. Leverage Action Verbs
While all verbs convey action of some sort, some contain more energy and action than others. It may be accurate to say you wrote the company's five-year plan, for example, but it's more powerful to say that you strategized, authored, and executed the company's first-ever five-year plan.
3. Eliminate Passive Language
Passive language on a resume masks the true role you played in the task you're describing. The sentence, "I was exposed to different cultures, people, and challenges" is weaker than "Gained cross-functional and cross-cultural exposure to 5 ethnicities in 12 countries," for example.
4. Be Specific
Avoid vague descriptors and phrases such as "a variety of," "many," "others," and "successfully." Replace them with specific details that add value and meaning to the text.
5. Use Numbers Whenever Possible
Numbers talk, so it's imperative to use them in resumes to quantify key achievements and context information. Don't tell your reader that you exceeded sales targets. Show them how much you surpassed goals year over year. Every bullet point under your "Work History" section should contain at least one number. If you only follow one tip in this article, this should be the one.
6. Reformat
Many old-style resumes and built-in MS Word templates don't use the most effective format to get a hiring manager's attention. In your resume, make sure you're using a clean, 11-18 pt. font (Arial, Calibri). Also, don't shrink your margins to fit more text on a page. This will sacrifice white space and make your resume harder to read. Finally, place your titles and employer names on one line if you held only one role with the company, and eradicate widows and orphans (stray paragraph lines and single words on a line by themselves).
7. Categorize
Some content can be categorized or sub-categorized to convey information in more powerful ways. Subdividing a long series of bullets, say, into three to four categories that emphasize the cross-functionality of your skill set will not only make your achievements easier to read but will also showcase your multi-function brand while adding industry-specific keywords to the resume.
8. Contextualize
Give your readers the right quality and type of detail to help them understand the full scope of your impact. For instance, if you turned around an operation, that's a critical accomplishment to include. However, including before and after context details will automatically strengthen the presentation. How much money was the business losing per month or year before your tenure? How much profit or revenue was it generating by the time you left?
9. Focus on Results
In real estate, it's location, location, location that is critical; in resumes, it's achievements, achievements, achievements. Numerically quantified statements communicate volumes of information in fewer words while conveying your accomplishment in specific, measurable terms. Here's a sentence from a client's original resume: "Managed multimillion-dollar business and IT initiatives from inception to implementation to increase productivity, reduce operational cost, and improve service quality by collaborating with IT staff, C-level executives, business users, and external healthcare service providers." Here's a revamp that shortens the sentence from 35 to 25 words while adding content to dramatically improve its results' focus: "Ramped productivity 15%, cut operational costs $7M, and strengthened service quality 14%, leading $25M to $50M cross-functional business and IT initiatives from inception to rollout." Notice that the original bullet spanned three lines while the revamp needs just two.
10. Ditch Extraneous Details
Choose carefully which details you include and how you do so. For example, in the original client sentence included in the prior bullet, you'll find a list of folks this person collaborated with in his position. The results he achieved are more central to his brand so I substituted the word "cross-functional" to cover my client's list of four groups that required 11 words to describe. A distinction that underlines many of the above points is to recognize the difference between resume content that is important versus that which is critical to include.
There simply isn't room for all of your skills and entire work history on a resume, so sooner or later you have to choose which important details are must-haves. By following the 10 tips above, you'll know exactly what to include and omit so you can successfully condense your resume without losing value.