Sunday, May 31, 2020

How to Attract Recruiters with Your Twitter Bio

How to Attract Recruiters with Your Twitter Bio Signed up on Twitter? Struggling to get interest from recruiters, headhunters, HR and hiring managers? I’ve got the answer for you, fact is that your bio on Twitter will be critical to attracting new followers, it’s even been said that you will get up to eight times more followers with a good bio. Get it wrong and people will run to the hills, get it right and you will build up a loyal fan base. Its worth investing some time in a good bio as it could potentially attract your dream job. Staying congruent: One of the most sacred laws of personal branding is consistency. In an ideal world, you’d have the exact same bio across your website, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and so forth. Due to space constraints this isn’t really possible on Twitter and you have to be more concise. What you can do is taking inspiration from your LinkedIn or blog bio when you construct your Twitter bio. Twitter bio guidelines: Any great bio should be based around your personal branding statement. This consists of one or two sentences describing who you are and what your unique promise of value is (what you offer that is unique in other words). Have a think about what problem you solve for others, what solution you provide to your customers for instance. What content should go in: As you only have a tiny space for your Twitter bio, you have to get to the point straight away. Be specific and start with something like “I provide banks with insurance solutions” or “I help people achieve fitness through Pilates”. Make sure you get your relevant keywords in there so that you will appear in search results. List any product or service names that you can expect potential customers to enter in search boxes. Second, list a few specialties that sets your personal brand apart from the pack, such as “first certified scuba instructor in Greenland” or “passionate about your customer experience”. You can also drop any notable achievements or people you are associated with, such as “author of the best selling book Twitterati”, “previous owner of the Springfield Isotopes” or “special advisor to Henry Kissinger”. End it with a call to action, statement or question. You can go with “contact me today for further information” or “satisfaction guaranteed” or simply ask “how may I be of service to you?”. It’s optional to list further ways to contact you, some Tweeters will add a URL at the end, you can do this but be aware it won’t turn into a hyperlink. What to avoid: If you are looking to attract business from your Twitter bio, please omit any references to your political, religious or any other potentially emotive bits. Stay within the realms of political correctness and you’ll be fine. If you want to express your non-PC side, consider setting up another account for that purpose (and keep this away from your customers!). Conclusion: Your bio is short, it’s likely to be scanned in a matter of seconds by any recruiter or HR person. Make sure you have stuffed it with the correct and relevant information about who you are and what you do. Failure to do this will result in an uphill struggle to gain followers and you won’t do your personal brand any favors. Set some time aside to really give your Twitter bio the makeover it deserves today. Related: How To Search and Find Jobs Using Twitter.

Thursday, May 28, 2020

Resume Writing Software For Mac - Learn Why You Need It

Resume Writing Software For Mac - Learn Why You Need ItUsing resume writing software for Mac is a great way to help you on your quest to land that dream job. It is easy to use and comes with many templates that can really help you to create that winning resume that will help you land that job of your dreams.You should never pay money for this software. All you need is a computer with the necessary software installed and you will be ready to go.There are many people that are scared of a resume. They don't want to write one because they don't know how to do it. This is a huge mistake.There are many great things that come with writing your own resume. One of the biggest is the fact that you can use it anywhere in the world you want. You can use it at the local mall and even on the street.When you come up with the idea of using it in any environment, you will be using it on your application page. Applying for a job doesn't have to be complicated. You can take a little of your creativity and you can make it a little bit easier.Another important thing is that you can customize the content that you put on your resume. You will be able to change a lot of things like the font size, colors, the layout and even the links that are used. There are many other options available as well.The new software allows you to insert images as well. This allows you to add pictures to make it more creative. You can add music to it as well.You want to make sure that you include your most valuable skills sothat you are able to show off your abilities for a job interview. With the help of resume writing software, you can find all of these great features.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

Look Before You Leap Into A New Job

Look Before You Leap Into A New Job Are you looking for a high-flying career with a lucrative job and a towering position in an esteemed organization? Such a state of mind might force you to think ‘when is my next move going to be’? Or ‘how long do I have to stay in my current entry-level position’? As it is rightly said, ‘haste makes waste’, so before you switch to your next job, make sure that you have learned the basics of the industry or business that you are in so that as you advance in your career, you are in a better position to understand the various issues. Confusion regarding whether to change a job or continue with the existing one is quite common with us. However, if you are determined to go with the first option, it becomes essential to compare every aspect of the new opportunity with the old one. So before you take the plunge, here are a few important factors to consider. Do I need some time with myself? Yes, give yourself some considerable time to work it all out. Invest some time, thought, investment and consideration in order to make this change happen smoothly. It should be the right career movement. What is my reason to switch jobs? It is important to determine whether the motivating factor to accept the change is out of frustration or ambition. Ask yourself a few questions to evaluate the current situation: Does the current job provide limited opportunities? Does the corporate culture represent  my values? What are the avenues to grow in this industry? Will  the new company help me to achieve my long-term goals? Job transitions are a stepping stone to a bigger and better career. Choosing a new job in an emerging industry is an effective way to get your foot at the doorstep of the industry at an initial level. It is important that you analyse whether the new company will help you to grow technically and financially. Research the trends within the industry. Does the new company have a conducive work environment? Once you go for the interview, assess the workplace culture. Contemplate whether you can fit in. Check how the hierarchy works and calculate how your experience and qualifications fit in with the job profile. It is important to do some research about the company before you sit for the interview. If possible, inquire with your friends about the work pressure, employee behavior, terms of employment or whether the organization has recently merged with another company. What are the additional benefits if I join a new organization? Compare what the current organization lacks and what the new company is offering. If your new job does not offer benefits like a bonus, training, medical plans, maternity leave, flexible working hours, insurance, travel plan, retirement plan, etc.,  then you should think twice before you join the company. How do I grow in the new business? Consider what skills you will  gain and how the total work experience will help you to get a good progression in your career. Compare the future prospects that you have in your current organization with the  career progression opportunities  within the new company. How much will I get paid? First of all, get a clear idea about how much money you are getting in hand after tax deductions.  Most importantly, if your current salary is higher than what the new employers are offering, give a serious thought before making a shift. Am I the only one to get affected with the change? Sometimes, changing a job might affect your daily life and routine, including your spouse and children. The new job role might demand more study, training, experience and dedication. Decide whether your family can cope with these changes. If you are the sole earner of your house, your happiness and sanity should be a large deciding factor. What do I gain as experience? If you are a person who is in continuous search of acquiring new knowledge and shouldering more responsibilities, job change is a great way to attain success. Different organizations have varied styles of working and distributing responsibilities. Search your soul before you search for another job Do you know your purpose? Conduct a soul searching exercise  to get an idea about your ideal career. Assess yourself  according to  the following seven essential dimensions: My top interests My best strength and qualities My ideal work environment Activities I enjoy the most Benefits and salary I desire The best skills I want to employ My key motivators Reflect on the above elements and accordingly prioritize what’s important to you. This is because at times searching for a new job can be overwhelming and extremely tiresome. However, to keep you going, here are a few inspirational career quotes to boost your confidence and keep you ambitious. 0

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Do You Need a Talent Community

Do You Need a Talent Community Everyone seems to have a different opinion on what exactly makes up a talent community. Is it the contents of your CRM? Your job board resume database? The collection of people that ‘follow’ your company on LinkedIn? For me, there isn’t necessarily a single hard and fast definition what there is, though, is an overriding theme. The clue is in the word: community. A talent community is a group of candidates that a company is focused on building a relationship with. The emphasis is very much on communication. Companies stay in touch with these candidates and focus on creating a two-way dialogue. It’s a learning opportunity for applicants, who have an opportunity to ask recruiters questions and get to know the brand, while it offers companies the chance to draw out the application process and fully understand whether a candidate is a good cultural fit. The current ‘war on talent’ is forcing companies to change the way they hire â€" talent communities are central to these changes. We recommend you get ahead of the curve and start your talent community right now! Here’s why: Everyone is passive nowadays: Look around your office. Everyone you see probably falls into the category of passive talent. You might be surprised to hear that as many as 35% of employees are quietly looking for a new job within weeks of joining a new company! Even your co-workers who aren’t actively looking for new opportunities, the people who may be more than happy in their respective positions, are passive candidates nowadays. Do you think really think that, if a great opportunity came knocking, they wouldn’t be open to hearing more? We’ve reached a stage where almost everyone can be included in the ‘passive talent’ category that we all hear so much about. Understandably this group often encompasses the most talented employees that companies have to offer â€" the kind of people that could be real game changers for your business. You can’t rely on these candidates applying to your company, you need a different approach. This is where the talent community framework comes in handy. The hiring process becomes more informal. Less of a ‘just-in-time’ approach, more of a relationship building exercise. Focus on connecting with this top talent and letting them know the exciting things that you’re doing. It’s a time investment and you may end up with a more drawn out hiring process, but it’s the best way to hire the very best candidates in today’s hyper-competitive market. Stop losing talent: We often have a very rigid view of the hiring process. A candidate ticks the boxes? We hire them. They lack the required skillset? Straight into the no pile. We rarely stop and think about whether that applicant might suit a different role that we’re hiring for. Or whether they will become a great fit in 6 months time when we’re hiring again. Talent communities let you decide for yourself where a candidate fits in your organisation. It’s this logic that led Zappos to remove job positions from their application process. Now you apply to become a Zappos insider and the company decides which role you are most appropriate for. This puts the power back in the hands of your recruitment team and stops talented individuals, that might be perfect for your company, from slipping through the gaps.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Writing a Resume With Only One Job in Mind

Writing a Resume With Only One Job in MindWhen you write a resume with only one job in mind, it doesn't really accomplish much. It also can be easier for the hiring manager to overlook your accomplishments than it would be to try and point out where you don't have what it takes to be a good employee. Even if you do have a number of jobs and accomplishments, the human eye is usually more attracted to other things that make you unique, and these can be easily overlooked when looking at the numbers.For the first thing to keep in mind is that your resume should not read like one. It should include both accomplishments and skills that you can actually apply to your current position, in addition to potential lines of work that are still available. You need to present yourself as a versatile person who can bring some variety to an organization. This is how you will get hired the first time around.The second thing to remember is that the organization's needs do change over time. You should a lways keep this in mind as you are creating your resume. This way you will be able to list some of your successes while including some of your failures so that it is clear that you have had some ups and downs throughout your career. What was accomplished, however, must be backed up by some work that you can do to make your skills better in the future.When you are writing a resume with only one job in mind, you will be under a great deal of pressure. When you are asked for something that can be accomplished immediately, you want to respond in such a way that allows the hiring manager to see that you are professional and willing to do the work needed. Your objective should not be to make yourself seem too hard to get but rather to show that you are the type of person who is eager to take on any challenge that comes along. You will need to show that you are well organized and know what you are doing.As you are crafting your resume, you will be faced with a number of challenges. The nex t thing you should know is that your resume needs to be quite short, so you should consider writing it in a hurry. Then, once you have written it, you should rewrite it as much as possible, removing anything that does not apply to your current job and making it more creative. You can also begin the rewrite process by going over the content and fixing any grammatical errors.You will also want to spend some time looking at what other people are writing in resumes. You may want to check out resume templates to see what other people are doing to get their own resumes started. Once you have finished with the template, look over what it has to offer and start to customize your resume according to the needs of the employer. By customizing your resume, you will not only be creating a great resume, but will also improve the chances of getting hired for the position.Once you have customized your resume to include the things that you want included, then you should take some time and put some t hought into the layout of the resume. You can also use the template in designing your resume, so it will be easier for you to follow and to create your own formatting. There are many websites that allow you to make a resume very quickly, but the way that you create the resume will have to be creative.Finally, when you are writing a resume with only one job in mind, the last thing you should do is cut corners. You want to be as thorough as possible, and you should not compromise on quality for speed. This will make it easy for you to get the attention that you need when it comes to getting hired.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

4 Best Practices How to Deal With a Difficult Coworker CareerMetis.com

4 Best Practices How to Deal With a Difficult Coworker â€" CareerMetis.com Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comWhether you are working in the office or at home, you will have to deal with people. Unfortunately, not all the coworkers are easy to work with.Some situations can be so complicated that you might consider leaving your job. However, there are no hopeless situations, and we have outlined some tips on how to deal with a difficult coworker.Being able to deal with difficult people at work might be quite challenging, but at the same time, it is a great opportunity to improve your communication skills and create a better working environment for yourself and your colleagues who also struggle at the workplace because of a difficult person.Types of colleagues that are hard to deal withevalDifficult coworkers come in many forms and shapes in all workplaces. How you deal with them depends on your self-confidence, your bravery and on how close you need to work with the person day-to-day during your working time.There are many types of people who appear to be hard to w ork with, but we will mention only some most widespread types of those who are really trouble at the workplace.1) Bullyat work is one of the most difficult people to deal with. The astounding amount of workers confesses that the reason for changing the job is being intimidated by a person they worked with. Those who quit the job felt not eager to go to work in order to avoid being insulted, yelled at and regularly criticized.2) Another type of person who are not easy to cope with is a negative coworker. They always complain about everything and find faults even in something that is great for everyone else. They constantly want your attention in order to express their dissatisfaction. In result, interaction with them drains you out of energy, brings distress and hampers you to be productive in the workplace.3)Gossiperscan be classified as another type of coworkers that may annoy you and disrupt your productive working. Of course, there are those employees who would be quite happy to know all office rumors, even if they are blown out of proportion. But you may feel uncomfortable around such people, as they want to share a lot of personal information about other colleagues that you do not want to know. They even may start nagging you to disclose what you know.4)Very often the top of the destructive forces at the workplace can be your own boss. He is the one who supposed to support, encourage, give direction and help you develop professionally. However, he ends up being the reason of why you dread going to work and get back home after working day devastated and stressed out.Motivating your employeesand encouraging them to develop their skills are the traits of a good boss, but, unfortunately, many of those who are in charge seem to miss this point, to the disappointment of the employees.4 ways of dealing with a difficult coworker1) Staying calmevalevalWhen the person is on the edge, it is difficult to take whatever he or she says seriously. It concerns all spheres of life, but it is especially relevant to the workplace, where you are supposed to stay professional and be in control of your emotions at all times.Dealing with an unpleasant coworker requires extra stamina because if you lose your temper, the chances that you pass your message to him decrease. Moreover, you might end up being considered the one who is actually a difficult colleague.2) Trying to understand the reasons behind an unpleasant behaviorThe last thing that you want to get into is why the colleague behaves the way that is annoying you. You are here to work and you are not his boss This can be solved in a brief, friendly conversation. Perhaps, the reason why the person is criticizing you and is trying to put you down is that he is intimidated by you.There are many reasons for the dysfunctional behavior of your colleague, but having a private conversation might help solve the issue.3) Ignoring a difficult colleagueIf the unpleasant coworker refuses to cooperate with you wit hout any intention to change the situation, the best solution might be to ignore him. It is better to avoid any communication with him and concentrate on your work.There are cases when it is impossible to eliminate the communication completely, so at least it should be kept to a minimum. Focus on your work, communicate more with other colleagues who give you a great energy and do not hinder your professional development.4) Getting to drastic measuresOkay, so you have done all you could and your colleague is still making your working environment unbearable. Now it is a time to ask for help from a higher authority. Of course, this should be done only in extreme cases when the situation is really out of hand and the person that you dislike disrupts working process way too much.If you decided in favor of this drastic method, be careful with your actions. If you complain too many times you might get yourself into a trouble. The higher authority might consider you the one who is unable to communicate with coworkers effectively and handle problems yourself.The majority of people spend more time at work with coworkers than at home with family and friends. Not so many of us are lucky to work in a great team which is supportive and facilitating for professional development.In fact, very often we face with coworkers that display disruptive, unpleasant and dysfunctional behavior. If there is such issue in your workplace, it seems that the best solution is to change a job.However, the experience of solving problems with difficult coworkers and ability to build positive relationships with members of your team will give you new skills that will for sure help you excel in your job and your career.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

Open Space Status and future - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Open Space Status and future - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Harrison Owen wrote a brilliant summation on OST on the open space mailing list, which covers the origins, history and current status of Open Space Technology. The ending contains a wonderful challenge to all of us who know and use open space, and has certainly started med thinking about what the next step will be. Here is the entire text. It all started, as is usual in such cases, with a conversation. Last week in the Twin cities (Minneapolis and St Paul, Minnesota) courtesy of the Human Systems Dynamics Institute, the focus was on Peace. Or more exactly: The Practice of Peace. And of course, we talked a lot about Open Space Technology. Somewhere along the line, the question was raised about the long and short term impact of OS in organizations. The usual stories were told and typical rationalizations offered. As I listened to the interchange it occurred to me that just maybe we were approaching all this from the wrong end of the stick. Instead of thinking and talking about what OS did, could do, and had done it might be useful to turn everything on its head. What were/are the limitations? At that point the phrase, Its only a halfway technology came to mind and tumbled out of my mouth without benefit of serious thought. I have been trying to figure out where it came from and what it might mean ever since. Needless to say, could use some help but this is as far as I have gotten. I take it as a given (I do believe in givens but for me they are just arbitrary starting points) that after thousands of iterations in multiple countries with a myriad of group sizes and constituents that Open Space Technology works. It works at a formal level (sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a market place and go to work) and also at a substantive level real issues find real solutions in real time most of the time. It also seems to work over time in that groups that have used Open Space once will often use it again because they find it productive and fun. It also seems to work at a transformative level with the organizations and individuals involved. Specifically, behaviors and expectations do change post usage. Not always, not everywhere, but often. At the very least, individual participants will have a different understanding of their potential. No longer robot drones, tightly controlled by a dictatorial management they find a real place for their own passion( s) and responsibilities which translates into heightened respect for themselves and their fellows, along with (usually) an increase in trust and a growing sense of hope for the future and their own future. How long all of this lasts varies with the situation, for it seems to be true that human beings have a strange masochistic streak which drives some back into the same old miserable conditions. However, even those who choose to go back in their boxes for whatever reason will always know that an alternative exists. And that knowledge is not some abstract theoretical proposition, but rather is founded on the bedrock of all knowledge experience. They have been there, and try as they might, they will never go home again. All of that so far as I am concerned is a given. Stepping back from the heat of the fray for the moment, and knowing what I know about the power and duration of cultural forms, paradigms, ideologies, and organizational patterns, it is totally remarkable to me that Open Space Technology ever happened as anything more than as two martini inspired happening for a New Age meeting now almost 20 years ago. That it continues in any form at all is even more remarkable. First the obvious Open Space Technology violates virtually every principle of meeting management and organizational design and operation that I know of, and doubtless many more of which I am ignorant. Anybody with a right mind and proper academic credentials, to say nothing of boots on the ground experience in organizations, would know the OST could not happen. More to the point, it should not happen. OST is in truth a Trojan horse snuck into the City of Control. It is a threat to every MD and CEO who feels they are in charge and intends to remain so. By all rights, to say nothing of all that holy, true, and beautiful, OST must be banished. And if not banished, then ignored. Walk into any business school, review all current and past serious literature on Organizations, check out any Department of Human Resources and if you find a trace of Open Space Technology, it is a rare day indeed. Given (there is that word again :-)) the current infatuation with self-organizing systems, new management approaches all driven by a growing realization that much in the organizational world is dysfunctional, this is an odd situation. The world is too complex, too fast moving, too overwhelming for the organizational life forms which had their genesis in the early days of the last century when life seemed infinitely slower, simpler, and controllable. We need some alternatives but it would seem that Open Space is not to be considered. I am not suggesting that the ignorance of OST has been conscious, but it is definitely understandable. Were it to be taken seriously, any number of tenured professors at the leading institutions of organizational learning would have to radically revise their life work. Middle management would move from the status of Endangered Species to that of Extinction (or close). And all those senior executives would find the view from their Corporate Towers profoundly altered. Perish the thought! The strategy is clear. Just pretend that OST doesnt exist. And when, despite all best efforts, space is opened make sure you have all the embarrassing questions handy. For example: Has Open Space Technology ever engendered a long term effect to the point that organizational life is transformed in some significant way? Forget about the fact that no change process is guaranteed. You may also forget the fact that virtually all aspects of current organizational structure are designed to insure that space will never be opened. We have boxes and silos and strict lines of authority and responsibility. No open space allowed. And yet there is Us. That funny global community of Open Spacers. From most points of view, and most of the time most of us would not think of ourselves as an organization. However, when looked at over time in terms of duration, product, impact, membership, and activities, I believe we might just qualify. Millions of people around the world have experienced our services. Thousands of people have been engaged in the delivery of those services (in another situation you might call them franchised agents but the franchise is for free). Local, national, and international meeting have regularly taken place. Funds have been generated at some significant level through the provision of services (OST makes money!). A core, albeit constantly changing, group provides virtually instant technical advice and support (OSLIST). Multiple websites are maintained to supply general information and support to practitioners. Hundreds of training programs have, and are being offered globally. And last but not least we have been in business for almost 20 years. Of course, there was never business plan, organization chart, constitution and bylaws, and not an executive nor executive committee in sight. Now it may be observed that we do have Four Principles and One Law, but none of that came from a committee, nor have they ever been ratified by any constituent body. Both Law and Principles just seemed to show up along the way as observations of current reality, but not as prescriptions for behavior. Actually, all they do is instruct us to do what we were going to do anyhow. It is true that many on the outside (if there is an outside) would view the law and principles as illegal, immoral and fattening at the least, and probably subversive. We just know they feel good and eliminate all the guilt. Some kind of an organization this is???? Shouldnt have happened but it did. More amazingly it all works. Well, most of the time. So what is the point of all this apparently self-serving reflection? One might assume that the intent is to justify, or perhaps glorify, Open Space Technology. But it is absolutely clear to me that the magic has nothing to do with Open Space Technology. My contribution was to allow the spirit of two martinis to take me to some new/old interesting places. And our collective contribution has been to explore those spaces and share our findings. But we didnt create a thing. It was already there, now called self organization. As a matter of fact it had been there for billions of years. We just hadnt noticed. In a word, we have experienced a marvelous blinding flash of the obvious, and in the process may have come to realize what we already are. And now at long last back to Open Space Technology as a halfway technology. A halfway technology, in case you dont know, is something you do just to get started. It may seem grand and glorious, not to say wonderful and elegant at the beginning. But over time the true colors appear. It is just plain clunky. Why on earth should it be necessary to sit in a circle, create a bulletin board, open a market place just to be what we already are? Seems like an awful lot of wasted effort, useless work. We have been accused with some justification of inventing the ultimate scam in which the client does all the work, and even writes the report while we do little or nothing. I find myself wondering how to radicalize all this so that we totally go out of business. All being. No doing. I dont expect the answers immediately, or even tomorrow. But it could be fun to think about. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Friday, May 8, 2020

Should you get fired for promoting political views - Hallie Crawford

Should you get fired for promoting political views With the election wrapping up, its hard not to talk about politics, I know. I havent heard of anyone who has been fired for talking about politics in the workplace, and I would be appalled if I did. With that being said, dont give them a reason to fire you. Political views expressed in the workplace should simply be expressed with caution. It depends on the workplace, your relationship  with the people youre speaking to, and how extreme your view is. 1) Remember politics can affect your image at work. Anything youre talking about in the workplace is being evaluated in some way, shape or form. Youre always being evaluated whether they will hire you, fire you, do more business with you based on anything you say,  politics included. So be mindful of this. 2) Keep it light. Talking about it can be fun, especially during an election year. Talk about it to the point that it continues to be fun. If you do that, youre still well within your safety zone. When it becomes more of a debate, thats when you expose yourself. So talk about it in a lighthearted manner Did you see the Saturday Night Live debate re-runs? Thats fun. When you start endorsing, campaigning and debating with people, then youve crossed the line. The bottom line is, is it really THAT important to express your political views at work? Especially if they dont have to do with your job or the task at hand? If they do, thats one thing, but if they dont then whats the point? Now of course you want to be yourself at work, and dont want to feel like youre editing everything you say. Thats not what Im suggesting. I simply recommend that you use good judgment when talking politics, or considering whether to do so at all. There is plenty else to talk about. Be smart about this. Check out my recent YouTube Video on this subject,  Talking politics at the workplace Do? Or dont?. Job Search Coach P.S.  Are you in the ideal career for you?  Find out if you’re in the right career with our  Ideal Career Quiz.