Career

I was once contacted by a job seeker through Twitter who sent me very urgent missives asking me for job search help. They instructed me to check my e-mail for a message he had sent me. When I got the note, the person’s message provided a number of reasons why they couldn’t pay for a resume service, but they wanted to see if I could basically provide my services for free. Unfortunately, I can’t because this is how I earn my living to pay my bills. To be fair, I do get a lot of these types of notes on a daily basis, and my heart goes out to all the people that are unemployed and experiencing financial hardship. To that end, I volunteer and donate my time to the Oregon Employment Department teaching classes on how to write resumes. Through this program, I try to help as many people as possible who don’t have the resources to pay for these services. As it happens, this person lives back East and they obviously can’t take advantage of this class… so I wrote back and offered some specific resources that were free and would be very helpful to help them get on their feet. And, you know what? I didn’t get even an acknowledgment or thank you from that person. That part I can live with. Some people don’t “get” common courtesy when someone went out of their way to help them, and we can write that off to poor upbringing, laziness, or general lack of manners. But what this person did next really exposed the obstacle between themselves and their job search success: I got another message via Twitter with a demand: “Are you going to help me? Yes or No? I need to move on to other resources if you won’t.” Excuse me? Demanding job search help doesn’t mean you will get it. Especially when you burn bridges along the way. I might have tried to help this person a little more had they been a little softer and kinder. That doesn’t mean they would have scored a “free” resume, but I could have taken more time to help them and offer more quick coaching tips. Which brings me to the point of this post: There are tons of career blog posts out there talking about the VALUE of building relationships with people. If you take the time to build connections, you will have a better opportunity to activate others who are willing to go to bat for you. Most people, when asked (politely and respectfully) for help, they are more than willing to provide that assistance. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking for help; it’s when you demand it -when you put an ultimatum on it – that people start to have knee jerk reactions and turn their backs against you. Most of us understand we cannot “expect” or demand others give us what we want. Like respect, good will has to be earned and is not simply given away. And, in a job search, one needs to build up as much good will as possible to open as many doors as possible. THAT is the key to a successful job search. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post Demanding Job Search Help Doesn’t Mean You’ll Get It appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Are you ready to return to work? Job seekers with a work injury need career guidance to address issues only they experience due to their unique situation. I recently asked the injured workers I am currently assisting to complete a brief survey about their job search concerns. They were asked to list three answers for each question. Of special note, one of my clients wrote, “I feel there should be a website for mature adults who have worked all their lives. Give us a chance.” Very moving… there was no way I could turn my back on this request. Here is what I asked my current clients: What do you miss about working? What are some of your biggest job search obstacles? What are your biggest job search fears? Most of the answers were along the lines of what I expected to hear – I have been counseling injured workers for a long time… I want to assure you that you are not alone and what you are feeling is entirely normal! Here are some of the answers I got to my brief survey: What do you miss about working? Being out in public and seeing people Filling up my day with different activities Earning money, having freedom and independence Having something to look forward to Doing something I’m good at What are some of your biggest job search obstacles? Use of my injured body part Memory and concentration Lack of skills Finding a job in a new field or industry Age What are your biggest job search fears? Not being able to do the job Interviewing Not being able to make enough money Not being hired Learning new skills It is hard enough to look for and find work, but to add another obstacle such as a work related injury just makes it that much more difficult. There are steps you can take to overcome your concerns, obstacles, and even your biggest job search fears. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post Injured Workers Need Guidance To Return To Work appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Have you ever heard someone suggest the only way to get a job today is to lie on your resume? I’ve heard several people say this over the last few years. That said, consider this: I’ve also heard just about every recruiter and hiring manager I know complain they are tired of reading resumes that dramatically overstate a candidate’s qualifications for a job. Little White Lies: Who’s Going To Know? Some job seekers think the goal of a resume is to get them a job. In reality, a resume is a tool designed to get you an interview. It is then up to you to actually “close the deal” and get the job during the interview. By listing experience on your resume you’re inviting an interviewer to ask you more about it. When you fabricate experiences you don’t really have, it becomes readily apparent when an interviewer presses you for more details. Overstating Your Case Sometimes, job seekers don’t intend to be misleading on their resumes, but they don’t know how to describe their previous experience both truthfully and impressively. This is where hiring a professional resume writer can be especially helpful. It’s important to hire a writer who will take the time to conduct a personal interview with you; professional resume writers are trained to make your experiences sound as impressive as possible. You don’t want the person who must evaluate you based only upon what he has to read to inadvertently overestimate your abilities or qualifications. Underselling Your Product In contrast, job seekers who do a personal consultation with a professional resume writer often find that they have unintentionally been underselling their professional qualifications. Having someone else on the outside looking in will create a whole new vantage point and can frame your experience in a way you never previously considered. We often hear clients say, “I’ve done all of that, I can’t believe I never thought of that before.” No matter how much experience you have, there’s a way to successfully—and truthfully—market your accomplishments on your resume. It’s just being able to find the balance between impressive, uniquely qualified and not overstating accomplishments you can’t back up in an interview later. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post Striking The Perfect Balance On Your Resume appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Being stuck in a stuffy old office is no fun in the summertime, especially when you know how sunny and warm it is outside. It’s hard to focus at work when all you can think about is hitting the beach, soaking up some rays, or getting your grill on. So, how can employees make the best of the summer months while they are chained to their desk five days a week? Here are six ways to capture a little summer and put it in your cubicle: Take Some Beach Are you a beach bum? Grab some seashells, sea glass, or sand and make your own desktop beach! Get a little creative: mix all of them in a clear vase and place it next to your computer screen. No sunblock needed. Indulge A Little What were your favorite summertime foods as a kid? Corn dogs? Grab a pack of microwavable ones to make in the office kitchen. Ice cream? Pick up a mini cup of Ben & Jerry’s and take five at your desk. Hey, it’s summer, right? You deserve few guilty pleasures. Put Up Summer Art Whether it’s a painting of the sun, a photo of the beach, or an ornament from your garden, a little summer art can really brighten up your office (and even your mood). Smell The Ocean Next time you’re at the grocery store, pick up a summer-scented air freshener. When you’re having a brain freeze at work, take five minutes, close your eyes, and imagine a relaxing place while smelling your favorite summer scents. Get A Plant It’s no palm tree, but having a little desk plant can add some life to your work space. Flowers are always a nice addition to the office, but perhaps you should get an aloe plant so you can treat that sunburn you go over the weekend? Opt For Iced Tea Need the caffeine but want something more refreshing than coffee? Pour yourself a nice, cold glass of iced tea. Don’t forget the lemon! What do you do to enjoy summer when at the office? Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post Bring Some Summertime Into The Office appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

This post was inspired by Charlie Gilkey’s genius article, “20 Inconvenient Business Truths.” I read it and realized, in career coaching, I share inconvenient truths with my clients on a regular basis. I know it’s sometimes hard to hear these things but, in the end, they make you stronger. Here are 20 inconvenient career truths you should know about and learn from: Almost everyone starts at the bottom. Regardless of what you think you deserve, you probably will, too. There are no “right” answers for finding career fulfillment. Every path is different; every destination unique. It’s not enough to be good at what you do. Talent and skill will only take you so far. Work is not separate from the rest of your life. Compartmentalization is a myth. Professional growth requires discomfort. If you’re unhappy with your career, it’s up to you to change it. No one else controls your situation. Almost every job has a trade off. You’ll probably never get everything you want in one place. Achieving long-term career goals requires sustained effort and deliberate action. It’s no accident or coincidence. Your career is about YOU. A successful job search should take anywhere from three to six months. It’s not something that happens overnight. If you hate your job, it probably won’t get better with time. Sticking around because you’re afraid will only dig you deeper into the rut. Just as any successful business owner has a business plan, every successful professional should have a career plan. Money may be the reason you have to work, but it’s not the true motivation. People who wake up with joy each day are working for entirely different reasons. Money is simply a byproduct. Bad career advice is everywhere. If it sounds too simple to be true, it probably is. If you find yourself job hopping and nothing ever satisfies you for any period of time, it’s time to look at yourself. Most likely, you’re part of the problem. Every company has that person who gets away with slacking off, takes all the credit, earns more than she deserves, etc. The good news is that she’s not your problem. Let it go. If you’re not willing to invest in your career, why would any company be willing to invest in you? Most people change careers 3-7 times in their lives. That doesn’t mean you will. Layoffs happen. You may get fired. You may be “forced out” for reasons beyond your control. You’ll survive, and you’ll be stronger for it. No one achieves career success alone. The most successful professionals nurture their networks, show support and give more than they expect to get. Do you have any to add? Please share in the comments! Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 20 Inconvenient Career Truths appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

If you are looking for a job. Don’t put up a facade and hope that you’ll eventually come to terms with what you have resigned yourself to do. Don’t do it. Just don’t. If you are in a job that is not your ideal job. Don’t fake it. Your best work will not come through. Your best efforts will never be applied to this role. Don’t do it. Just don’t. Don’t put up a facade to attempt doing a role that you are not passionate about. Don’t tell yourself a lie that you will eventually have to refute. Eventually you will need to come to terms with that facade. If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything. ~Mark Twain This is especially true for the stories we tell ourselves. Be faithful to yourself. Be truthful to yourself. Be real – you cannot keep up a façade for three years I use 3 years to point out how long it might take for your facade to crack. By this time your facade will have consumed your energy and especially your time. You may be able to put up with a false front for a while, but over the course of time you will tire of putting on airs. You will tire of spending so much energy into supporting a fallacy. What can you do about it? Take charge. Own your career. Own your interviewing process. Own your facade. Everyone puts on a facade at different times of their lives. Facades aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Facades are useful for different parts of you life. Just make sure the facade you commit to is the one that defines you, nourishes you, ands inspires you to be and do your best. What’s the risk? Career stultification. Settling for something you aren’t passionate about. Forcing yourself to accept a lie. “I’m not upset that you lied to me, I’m upset that from now on I can’t believe you.” ~Friedrich Nietzsche This is especially harsh when these are the lies we are telling ourselves. The risk is … We can never believe our own stories again. Tell the Truth. Especially to yourself. Your career and livelihood depend on it. Author: Jeff  is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

There is a framed photo on my desk of a runner out for a run in a beautiful field with mountainous views. The photo says, “Persistence – The race goes not only to the swift but to those who keep running.” I love this photo because it reminds me to be persistent in the pursuit of my goals and dreams. When we are persistent, we act with conviction, and that energy draws us toward those people and events that help our dreams come to fruition. Even if they don’t show up exactly how we want or think they should or, we are met with obstacles and roadblocks along the way, it is the persistent pursuit of our goals that will eventually bring them into reality. This also holds true for our career goals. A great example of this happened with two of my colleagues who were seeking promotion opportunities inside their companies. In fact, they both had the same goal of reaching the highest-level sales position inside their (different) organizations. One colleague gave her pursuit approximately two years, and when she did not see the results she was seeking, she decided to pursue a different goal and left her company to start her own marketing consultation business. Two years later, her consulting business had not yet grown to the level she desired so she abandoned it. She went back to her original goal of seeking a high-level sales position inside another large corporation. She is 18 months into that job and I recently found out she is, again, not seeing her upward movement happen fast enough so she’s beginning to consider alternate opportunities. Since setting the original goal to reach the highest-level sales position in his company, my other colleague has been in several different roles in his company (all sales related). He continues to broaden his knowledge of all sectors of his company and all their different customers in his pursuit of his ultimate goal. He has had some missteps and has taken a few steps backwards as he grown over the past few years, but he has not gotten discouraged. Some of his greatest learning has come from some of his low points. He knows the more he perseveres and the more he succeeds in his current assignments, the closer he gets to his ultimate goal. He has reached the position of Sales Director, which is several levels above where he was when he first began to consciously pursue this goal. This demonstrates his continued positive progression along his career path. Even events that seem like obstacles or that could be perceived as “slowing him down” do not discourage or derail him. He knows all the assignments and new learning are grooming him for the highest-level sales position. He also believes, despite how much he wants to reach that position in his current company, if it doesn’t happen where he is presently working, it will happen somewhere else. He does not lose sight of his ultimate desire and he keeps persisting and pursuing because he knows the race will go to he (or she) who keeps on running. I love this story of his dedication and persistence. It is a reminder to us to never lose sight of where we want to go and to never stop persevering. If we are committed and persistent and open to the variety of possibilities and paths that will take us to our desired place, one day we will wake up and realize that we have reached that ultimate goal. Why? Because we kept on going. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post The Power Of Persistence In Your Career appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Improving your networking efforts is easy. Effective networkers give first and are always alert for opportunities to help their fellow colleagues, friends, business relationships, and so on. If you’ve made a habit of giving first (and giving often), it makes it much easier (and much more comfortable) for you to ask for something from your network when the time comes. In those situations, where you intend to ask a network member for something, it’s still a great idea to ”sandwich” your ask between two gifts. Try this process next time you intend to ask for something (or for help): Step 1: Give First Offer something, share something, give them a tip or a piece of timely information about something that may be important to them. Other ideas: Offer to send them a book you mention in the conversation. Send them a link to a article that will interest them or help them in some way. Review your notes from your last conversation and look for an opportunity to offer something useful they mentioned last time. Congratulate them on a recent achievement or accomplishment; encourage them to tell you about it. Step 2: Ask Make your request and tell them clearly and exactly how they can help you. Give them all the information they need to enable them to best help you with your request. The easier you make it for them and the more information you provide them, the better they’ll be enabled to help you. Step 3: Give Again ALWAYS ask these three questions: Is there anything I can help you with right now? Is there a particular type of resource you’re looking for? Take a look at my Facebook or LinkedIn network, and please let me know if there is anyone I can introduce you to? Anybody else I can connect you with? Finally, after the “Give, Ask, Give” Sandwich – give them dessert in the form of a final gift — send them a thank you note, a hand-written card, a recent coupon (e.g. Living Social) you received… something small but thoughtful. Do this every time… and watch the magic happen! Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post ‘Sandwich’ Your Networking Call appeared first on CAREEREALISM.

Never so much did the term, “Resume Real Estate” resonate until I was tasked to sell my home. “I want to sell my home ‘as-is,’” I firmly asserted to my real estate agent. It’s a beautiful home in a great neighborhood and is an ideal opportunity for the right buyer. Standing head and shoulders among its peer group, I felt, this home offered a unique opportunity that would be obvious to the right buyer, and they would know to make an offer – and quickly! Not only was the home of high quality, positioned in an established neighborhood with a track record of success (e.g., the neighborhood quiet, the homeowners’ association upkeep consistent, the reputation for the city’s upscale attitude broad-ranging, the schools high-caliber – the list goes on), but it also was uniquely located off of a key corridor in the community – easy to get everywhere else from here. Its value speaks for itself! So… why the continual stream of visitors but no offers? Hooking The Buyer With First Impressions Over the next several weeks and months, I gained clarity – through a series of buyer feedback messages and conversations with my professional real estate agent, here’s what I discovered: Other homeowners were going an extra few miles to market themselves and “hook” the buyer, and it was making a big difference! The extra miles they pursued were based directly on the target market’s needs. Moreover, the marketing strategies included appealing to buyers’ emotions – a key component to their ultimate decision to buy. These competitors were not discounting the value of creating a “wow” first impression, beyond the inherent value that the visitors were able to seek out after initially being hooked in. These competitors of mine were investing in their marketing – from buying new carpet to painting the entire interior to installing new appliances and more. And first impressions were counting! The seller wasn’t expecting the buyer to “envision” or “imagine” the potential of the home – they were underscoring the home’s magnificence by placing an up-front investment with the confidence and hope that the investment would pay off – that an ROI was in store. When that would happen was not known or even guaranteed to happen. These home sellers were taking a calculated risk. Targeting Buyers’ Real Needs Further, the competing home sellers’ marketing approach was based on the target buyers’ real (rather than perceived) needs. I discovered I hadn’t been honing in on my target market’s real needs. One of my mantras regarding the value of my home was: “I just invested in a new air conditioning and heating system, so of course the buyer will immediately and intellectually interpret the value of these items just as much as if I had painted the walls or added carpet.” However, my target market (single individual/couple/parent and child) seemed to be more transient in nature, and fulfilling long-term needs such as the need for a reliable, long lasting AC/heating system was lower priority. In short, if the buyers’ areas of pain include a need to buy a freshly carpeted/painted home so that they may immediately settle into a comfortable routine (without the burden of installing carpet and painting walls) then that is what I must address. Without this focus, I was being weeded out of the buyers’ processes before I had a chance to really engage them beyond first impressions with the subtle qualities and nuances of my special home. Parallels Between Home Sellers And Job Searchers This experience struck a cord with me in how my attitude has paralleled that of some my (less-informed) resume prospects! They are ready for a job search, and they want to initiate it NOW – “as-is” with little preparation or respect for the processes or preparation for creating their “curb appeal,” as it were, in order to really wow “their” buyers – the employers. Those job seekers who haven’t been educated about the importance of communicating value drivers and focus just want a “simple” resume that

In addition to having solid health care skills, those who succeed in the nursing profession possess unique qualities of character and spirit. These are nine personal attributes every nurse needs to provide the best possible patient care: 1. Compassion A nurse must be drawn to caring for the sick and injured. This includes having empathy for the pain and suffering of patients, as well as a strong desire to make the hospital experience as positive as possible. 2. Communication Since a nurse is often a patient’s advocate as well as a link between family members and hospital staff, the ability to effectively speak and listen is critically important. Nurses in the research and education sectors also must be able to communicate and collaborate effectively. 3. Ethics A nurse needs a solid framework of ethics that will guide personal and professional conduct. This framework should include a commitment to humanitarian service and concern for the dignity of all patients. 4. Critical Thinking Nurses are faced with important choices on a daily basis and must be able to use critical thinking to aid in decision-making. Furthermore, nurses who are involved in policy-making need critical thinking in order to successfully improve health care for all members of society. 5. Attention To Detail A nurse’s actions on the job can have far-reaching consequences. Whether you’re a family nurse practitioner or nurse midwife, even the smallest mistake may have tragic results, therefore, strict attention to detail must be second nature for a nurse. 6. Confidence Nurses must be confident they have the skills and knowledge to provide the best possible care. They must be able to work independently with little supervision, knowing they will get the job done. Self-doubt can be dangerous when a nurse is faced with a critical situation. 7. Adaptability Flexibility and the ability to adapt are especially important for nurses. Like doctors, nurses are often required to work long hours or deal with fluctuating schedules, and the ability to cope becomes paramount in such situations. 8. Stamina Nursing is a demanding profession that requires physical, mental and emotional strength. An effective nurse needs a high energy level and a healthy lifestyle in order to succeed. 9. Commitment To Development Health care is a dynamic field. In order to stay current, a successful nurse is dedicated to continuing education and participation in professional organizations. This article was written by Social Media Outreach Coordinator Erica Moss on behalf of CAREEREALISM-Approved Partner, 2tor — an education technology company that partners with institutions of higher education such as Georgetown University to deliver their online Masters in Nursing degree. Photo Credit: Shutterstock The post 9 Nursing Skills Every Practitioner Should Possess appeared first on CAREEREALISM.