The Worst Time Since The Great Depression

The Worst Time Since The Great Depression I dont care what the news might say about how things are getting better.   And I dont care if were on the upswing from this recession. The bottom line is, this is really, really hard. We all know business owners who have gone out of business.   We all know people who have lost their jobs.   We all know people who have been in a job search for over a year.   If there is a light at the end of the tunnel it sure seems really dim, or like a pinhole. In a Yahoo Group Im on someone said that this is the worst shes seen since the Great Depression I agree with that but there are a few differences. Here was my response to her email.   I hope this can give you hope I didnt plan on sharing on this blog when I wrote it, but its been on my mind all night/morning: Individual greatness has and will come from this, however.   For me, one of the greatest things I think I can see from this is that people start to consider their careers differently it is no longer the companys to manage, it is MINE.   What can I do to have some kind of income security? As people go through this paradigm shift well see the evolution of the career it has to happen weve been forced into it (by virtue of lack of loyalty between employers and employees) now the economy is forcing us to really, really address it. Anyone want to trust their career to HR?   Maybe a few years ago, but many people now are getting it.   Its a hard lesson, for sure, but I think well see a more empowered workforce come out of this. Chris Brogan recently wrote in his newsletter that there might not be a lot of jobs out there, but there is a TON of money can we, as personal career managers, start to think about how to create income security (as opposed to job security) by earning some of that money? If so, then well see a terrific product when all the dust settles. It might be a crappy economy, but that doesnt mean we have to let that dictate what happens to US!   Retool and conquer! The Worst Time Since The Great Depression I dont care what the news might say about how things are getting better.   And I dont care if were on the upswing from this recession. The bottom line is, this is really, really hard. We all know business owners who have gone out of business.   We all know people who have lost their jobs.   We all know people who have been in a job search for over a year.   If there is a light at the end of the tunnel it sure seems really dim, or like a pinhole. In a Yahoo Group Im on someone said that this is the worst shes seen since the Great Depression I agree with that but there are a few differences. Here was my response to her email.   I hope this can give you hope I didnt plan on sharing on this blog when I wrote it, but its been on my mind all night/morning: Individual greatness has and will come from this, however.   For me, one of the greatest things I think I can see from this is that people start to consider their careers differently it is no longer the companys to manage, it is MINE.   What can I do to have some kind of income security? As people go through this paradigm shift well see the evolution of the career it has to happen weve been forced into it (by virtue of lack of loyalty between employers and employees) now the economy is forcing us to really, really address it. Anyone want to trust their career to HR?   Maybe a few years ago, but many people now are getting it.   Its a hard lesson, for sure, but I think well see a more empowered workforce come out of this. Chris Brogan recently wrote in his newsletter that there might not be a lot of jobs out there, but there is a TON of money can we, as personal career managers, start to think about how to create income security (as opposed to job security) by earning some of that money? If so, then well see a terrific product when all the dust settles. It might be a crappy economy, but that doesnt mean we have to let that dictate what happens to US!   Retool and conquer!

Revealed 6 Explosive Tips To Help You Find A Job Youll Love

Revealed 6 Explosive Tips To Help You Find A Job Youll Love Despite the economic woes, jobs are still plentiful to those that want them. The trouble is, some people find it hard to seek out their dream jobs. Sure, many of us know exactly what we want out of our next job. But, some people cant quite decide what  would make up their dream job! Does the latter sound like a problem youre having? If so, dont worry because you arent alone. Lets face it. The last thing you want to do is end up with a dead end job where you work hard for little to no recognition. Nor do you want to work for someone that treats you like dirt. Image Source You want to end up in a job where you get recognized for your talents. You want to feel like a valued member of the team. Someone that believes they can give feedback to their superiors and not get excluded. Many people think that such a dream job doesnt exist. Im here today to tell you that they do. You just need to know how and where to find them! In this comprehensive blog post, Im going to share with you some tactics to finding your dream job. You can apply them to roles in any industry, whether its construction or IT. Or even if you want a job as an astronaut! Keep reading to learn more about how you can find and get that job you’ll love! Focus on a specific career path The first thing you need to do is focus on the industry and type of job you want. Lets say that you have more than a passing interest in technology. You might wish to consider a job in the IT industry. Perhaps you want a role where you configure computer networks for businesses. Or you might want a job that involves working with mobile technology. I recommend taking a look at the careers.org website for a start. There, you can read more on occupation and industry profiles. If youre unsure what industry is for you, that site can help point you in the right direction. Image Source If you know what type of job you want, theres another thing you could do as well. Talk to people that do the work that interests you. Find out what they love and loathe about their jobs. They can be inspirational. Or they could steer you towards a better career path. One thing you dont want to do is invest your time and energy into a career that might not be right for you. Getting feedback from people that already do the work can help you make an informed choice. Make sure youre giving out positive vibes Okay, so you might be a conscientious worker. You may have a strong work ethic, and are willing to put more than 100% in your work. But, what sort of signals are you giving people around you? If you always come across as miserable or self-centered, you wont get your dream job. Even before you start searching for jobs, you should think about how others perceive you. I once read an interesting article from well-known life coach Bob Doyle. He teaches people how to lead more fulfilling lives so they can enrich themselves. Without going into detail, he says what you put into the world comes back to you. In other words, if youre not a positive soul, youre seldom likely to have good things happen to you. Image Source Some of you reading this might think thats a lot of nonsense. But, I believe that how you get perceived affects the outcome of various things. For instance, lets say youre in an interview. If you smile at your interviewer, youre more likely to leave a positive impression on them. If you look like you dont want to be there, dont expect to hear back from them! Become obsessed about your industry Are you a gadget geek? Perhaps youre a green-fingered gardener with a love of landscaping? Whatever it is that interests you, become obsessive about it. Spend your spare time learning about industry developments and innovations. Get involved with industry projects in your spare time. One option to improve your chances of getting your dream job is to have qualifications. Its important to note they arent always necessary. But, they can give your case a much-needed boost when applying for jobs. Even when youre learning, dont wait until you qualify to get involved in your industry. You could carry out some projects or experiments in your spare time. Image Source For instance, lets go back to the landscaping example. You could sculpt the garden at your house and create a blog detailing your efforts. You can then use that as an example of your interest in the industry. Doing such a thing provides several distinct advantages when applying for jobs. First of all, it shows that you have initiative and can work without needing to be told what to do. Second, it showcases your strengths and capabilities. And, third, it proves that you have what it takes to be successful in your dream job. Even though youre still studying for your qualifications, you can still apply for jobs. You can use an example like the above to bolster your job application efforts. Consider embarking on an internship Imagine doing your dream job without applying for it in the usual ways? It might sound strange, but thats exactly what you can do thanks to internships! In a nutshell, an internship is where you have a work placement with a company. The role might be voluntary, or you may get a token wage while you work. Money aside, the real value is the fact that youve got an insight into the role! Each day, you can learn what it is youd be doing if you did the job on a permanent basis. You may not know it. But, internships are also ways for employers to see if youve got the right skills for a permanent role! If you do a good job, youll get considered a valuable asset to the team. And its unlikely that your employer will want to see you go. Image Source As you head towards the end of your internship, you may get offered a permanent role with the firm. Believe it or not, that happens more often than you think with internships. Sure, the advertised job might not pay what youd expect to start with as an intern. But, its a real and practical stepping stone to your ultimate goal. Work on your confidence Employers are only likely to hire people if they feel they are confident in themselves. If you come across as shy and nervous, you wont make a good fit for their team. When interviewing people, employers must consider how youd fit in with the companys culture. You can boost your chances of getting your dream job by doing one simple step. I am, of course, talking about working on your confidence! There are many reasons why some people dont feel confident in their abilities. Its important to find out why that it is so you can fix the problem. Confidence is a personal quality that will open a lot of doors for you in life. Not just in your professional life, but in your personal one too. Online guides and video tutorials that can help you overcome issues with confidence. You can, of course, work with a life coach or even a psychologist. Image Source The point is, there are many excellent resources out there that can help you be more confident. Its important that you take advantage of them. Otherwise, youll find it quite hard to get the job youve always wanted. Research the companies you want to work for Last, but not least, its vital that you spend a lot of time researching the firms that interest you. Dont be one of those people that mass-mails their resumes out to companies. Dedicate your time to applying for jobs at firms that you life. You should consider applying for jobs a bit like dating. When youre single, you dont want to be with any random person just for the sake of it. Finding the perfect match is crucial. That way, you can achieve a long-lasting relationship. The same thing applies to jobs and employers, believe it or not! Lets assume that you want to work with a forward-thinking technology company. You might assume that Google is your best bet. But, you may also find smaller companies that could be a better fit. Spend some time finding out more about each company that interests you. What is their ethos? What do they give back to the community? How would their existing employees rate them? You can usually find all of that information out for free on the Internet. Once youve done your research, narrow down your choices. Next, apply for relevant jobs with the companies you like the most. Good luck!

Looking for Inspiration Let it find you.

Looking for Inspiration Let it find you. The following is a guest post By Tess Callahan.  Her bio follows.     In her thrilling TED Talk “Your Elusive Creative Genius” (see below),  writer Elizabeth Gilbert, author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE and BIG MAGIC, describes an interview with the poet Ruth Stone. Gilbert, insatiably curious about the roots of inspiration, asked Stone where her poems come from. Stone described her early experience working in the fields in rural Virginia and hearing a poem coming at her across the landscape like a “thunderous train of air.” When she felt inspiration barreling down on her this way, she had no choice but to run like hell for the house for paper and pen. If she was not quick enough, the poem would continue across the landscape without her, looking for another poet. On some occasions Stone nearly missed the poem, but was able to snatch it by the tail, reel it back in, and transcribe it on the page perfectly intact, but in reverse. Great ideas, whether Ruth Stone’s poetry, Elon Musk’s Tesla car or a Marie Curie’s groundbreaking scientific discoveries, are out there waiting to be found. They offer themselves not to the highest bidder, but to the most industrious and attentive one. April Oliver My first novel, APRIL OLIVER, took ten years and many drafts to write. A second novel, currently in a drawer awaiting a fresh look, took five years. My third novel came to me in Ruth Stone fashion. I looked over my shoulder, saw it hurtling toward me out of the blue, and lifted my mitt just in time. A miracle, since I am a bad catch! Though it is significantly longer than my previous books, I wrote the first draft in less than a year. It came in one massive download, my only job to get it on paper before it escaped. Ruth Stone, Elon Musk and Marie Curie surely had periods of trial and error, countless hours honing their skills and their imaginations. On their way to mastery, they no doubt clocked the 10,000 hours of hard practice discussed in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, OUTLIERS. But in the course of this apprenticeship, they did not mire themselves in pre-conceived ideas of what they were after. Their minds were simultaneously focused and nimble, open enough to spot unexpected ideas awaiting discovery. Inviting Inspiration Throwing your doors open to inspirationâ€"whether professional, artistic, scientific or whateverâ€"requires two steps: Hunker down, hone your skills and put in your 10,000+ hours of hard-core practice. And I mean hard-core. Employ as many constraints as possible. Be like Steph Curry, the best 3-point shooter in NBA history, who rather than rest on his laurels, continues to practice with multiple mind-boggling constraints, such as vision-impairing goggles and multiple balls. If you decide you have ‘arrived’ and no longer need to improve your skills, inspiration will look for someone hungrier. At the same time that you are hunkered down, straighten up and look around. Be aware of your peripheral vision. Though bent over her hoe in that rural Virginia field, Ruth Stone kept an ear out for that “thunderous burst of air” that fueled her poems. Don’t let the static of your inner chatter cut off your awareness. You never know what crazy, unexpected ideas may be careering your way. Keep your mitt open to make the catch. Tess Callahan Tess Callahan is the author of the novel  APRIL OLIVER  published by Grand Central Publishing (USA), Random House (UK), and by publishers in Italy and The Netherlands. Her short work has appeared in  AGNI  (Pushcart Prize nomination),  Narrative Magazine,  The New York Times Magazine,  National Public Radio’s  â€œThree Books” series, The  Best American Poetry  blog  and the  BEST LITTLE BOOK CLUB IN TOWN  anthology. She is presently putting final touches on a new novel written in response to her  TEDx Talk  on creativity.  Tess coordinates the Creative Writing Program at Newark Academy in New Jersey and created the website  Muse-feed.com, a toolbox for aspiring writers. You can find more information about her work at  tesscallahan.com.  Follow Tess on  Facebook,  Goodreads, and Twitter  @tesscallahan. Images via pixabay.

Vine, Postmortem How to Find a Stable Platform for Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Vine, Postmortem How to Find a Stable Platform for Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career While Vine was once known as a hot video sharing platform, it is now on the verge of extinction. How can marketers identify which platforms are best for their purposes and audience?   The following answers are provided by members of  Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC),  an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched  BusinessCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses. 1. Focus on Your Home Base and Extend From There   Social media platforms come and go. This is inevitable. Your online presence needs to start with your website, always. Then, you can work outwards from there. We forget this because of the inordinate focus on social media. Instead, try a pilot program. Give yourself six months for a couple of social platforms. If they don’t work out, move on and test others.  Ismael Wrixen,  FE International 2. Expect and Adapt to Constant Change Marketers have to have a mind shift change to realize that things are always adapting. Act in a way that is more agile and responsive than ever before.  An 18-month-old marketing plan just doesn’t work when Vine goes away within the period of that time. Develop shorter-term experiential marketing plans, try and learn new things, and  be keenly aware of where your audience is.  Cassandra Bailey,  Slice Communications 3. Find Your Audience I think its important to find the platform where your audience is and make yourself known there. With my golf brand, Ive been able to build a really nice following on Instagram by highlighting golf course photos and stories. Ive found the people who follow me are engaged and I can chat with them right there in the comments.  Sean Ogle,  Location Rebel 4. Know How to Market Your Product For all businesses, it is important to know how to market a product. Instagram is the best marketing tool for us because its used to post photos and videos. Its easy to catch our customers attention through Instagram because most of our customers have an account. Since people are used to scrolling through photos and videos, we definitely have a successful marketing plan using interesting and educational photos.  Daisy Jing,  Banish 5. Remember No Platform Is Going to Stick Around You shouldnt be focused on picking and mastering any platform. Instead, you should be working on having a team and process in place designed to capture all profiles that might be important. That doesnt mean a big investment. Just add your general information and relevant details, and dont bother logging in again unless the platform kicks off. You can choose to do more for the trendy ones.  Adam Steele,  The Magistrate 6. Identify Your Goals Before You Decide Identify what your goals are first in order to make the right choice. For example, Facebook focuses more on building brand loyalty, while Twitter is best for sending out timely informational updates. Pinterest  works great for showcasing your product line.  Andrew Schrage,  Money Crashers Personal Finance 7. Stick With Facebook Facebook has nearly two billion monthly active users. Facebook provides tools through its Facebook Ads platform to target anyone, anywhere in the world. The targeting capabilities make Facebook an extraordinary place to exclusively focus your resources on growing your business. If marketing doesnt work for you on Facebook, its highly unlikely to work anywhere else.  Obinna Ekezie,  Wakanow.com 8. Conduct Quick and Painless Tests Youll never know whats possible until you try, so budget a little resource each month to pilot new marketing programs across emerging platforms. And while the statistics may show that your audience probably isnt on a particular mobile app or social media site, you may be surprised by the results after you initiate a small marketing campaign there.  Firas Kittaneh,  Amerisleep 9. Read Reviews Carefully People are always talking about the latest and greatest platform somewhere online. Read those reviews carefully and see how the company responds to their feedback. If the company is interested in making changes to their platform to enhance usability or the customer experience, theyre willing to change and grow to meet market demands. Those who arent willing will inevitably fall by the wayside.  Nicole Munoz,  Start Ranking Now 10. See It at Face Value Its important to not get overly caught up in what a platform could become. See a platform for what it currently is, and utilize it if theres potential for your brand at that particular moment in time. Dont get caught up in predicting the future. Focus on capitalizing on the present.  Cassie Petrey,  Crowd Surf 11. Navigate Toward the Platform Used by Your Niche Audience Let your consumers do the work for you. Whichever  platform your target audience is using will be your go-to platform for consistent, fresh daily content. You could hit all platforms with each post with the push of a button, or your could simply hone in on your client base and observe their online movements to select your choice platform.  Andy Eastes,  SkuVault 12. Always Have a Solid Monetization Play Something many of the fast-growing social and mobile platforms had experienced problems with is monetization. Once a monetization method is in place, its much easier to grow, promote and seek the attention of new audiences. This is something Facebook Mobile and Snapchat struggled with in the beginning, but look at them now. At the same time, it must not interrupt user engagement.  Zac Johnson,  Blogger

Resume Writing For Principal Jobs

Resume Writing For Principal JobsIn today's business world, many employers are shifting to more modern ways of hiring individuals so that they can be a lot more effective in the long run. So instead of doing what they have always done, which is contacting people directly to schedule interviews, it has become necessary to use resume writing for principal jobs as well as for applicant tracking systems.Sometimes, employers make the mistake of contacting and showing an overview of a particular job to several people before making an official decision. What happens then is that some of the applicants get some vague glimpses of the job duties and can be given the opportunity to qualify themselves a bit more by doing the job duties on their own.The main problem with this method is that it does not give the applicants the opportunity to really impress the boss. Of course, a good knowledge of the duties of the job is a plus, but when it comes to applying for a position that is beyond your abil ity, you will find it difficult to impress the employer.It is important for the employer to know about the specific job they are looking for in the first place. So it becomes necessary to write a detailed resume that contains all the information that is required by the employers. In fact, the employer might want to review the entire resume before giving the impression that he is reviewing it.To be able to create a resume, you will need to spend a great deal of time, time that might get wasted if you have to type it out manually. Hence, it would be a good idea to use resume writing software that does the formatting work for you automatically. All you have to do is select the appropriate job description from the database and enter the appropriate details in the proper format.After a few minutes, the software will be able to generate a complete resume that should include a cover letter and the rest of the essential information required. In addition, the software can even suggest questi ons and these can be answered when you first interview with the company.This is of course, a vital thing because there are a lot of people who feel that the job duties are rather useless and that they are not very important. But the truth is that it is the resume that is going to decide whether you get hired or not.Remember that the title of the position is only a vital factor for the interview; the most important thing is the resume. So do not waste time thinking about what a job description is for if you want to get hired.

What I Wish I Knew When I Graduated

What I Wish I Knew When I Graduated Pace University asked me to speak to seniors to help them take charge of their job searches. To prepare, I asked my network what they know now about the work world that they wish theyd known when graduating.I was pleasantly surprised by the volume of responses.Many wanted to share their lessons learned and help todays grads find greater happiness and success faster in their careers. It was truly inspiring and I had toshare these helpful tips:CAREER ADVICE FOR COLLEGE GRADSChoose a career but never settle on a job, keep it satisfying to your soul and lifestyle.Every great position comes as the result of relationship first, then qualifications.I should have done more soul searching about what I wanted to do instead of just jumping into anything. Never assume that office work is the only option. Highly skilled, highly paid hands-on jobs go unfulfilled even today!To read all 16 comments,follow me on Facebook!What do you wish youd known when graduating? Share your advice in a comment belo w. I wish I had taken the time to understand more about the different ways people make a living. My concept of career was focused on business when I was in college and I didnt know much else. Luckily, I always knew I could change careers. My Mom was a mid-career changer, going back to medical school with three kids! Read how she did it here: Career Inspiration from Mom. In the words of Orrin Hatch, There is good reason they call these ceremonies commencement exercises. Graduation is not the end; it is the beginning. Congratulations to the class of 2010! Photo courtesy of Ha-Wee.

4 ways to get people to help you in your job search - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

4 ways to get people to help you in your job search If you’re looking for a new job, you’re probably wondering  how you could leverage your personal and professional contacts to help you. However, not many job seekers seem to be aware of this rule: Make it easy for people to help you. Most people don’t take the time and effort to make it easy for their network to help you â€" they actually make it hard! How? The worst way of asking for help with your job search is asking a very annoying request: “If you know of anyone hiring, please let me know!” As a recruiter, I get multiple requests every day. Just last week I had a stranger asking me about IT jobs in the Middle East (even though I mostly recruit in the UK right now and a bit in NYC) or another one requesting I tell him about VP jobs in Scandinavia  â€" seriously? I don’t even know you and I get up to 40 requests a day â€" don’t expect me to do your job for you when you clearly haven’t bothered to check what kind of recruitment I do. So how do you make it easy for others to help you?  Be specific about what youre looking for   The more specific you are about exactly what youre looking for, the easier it will be for your contact to remember. You need to be specific about what you want but also what you’re like them to do. Im looking for a job. isnt going to get you anywhere. But if you say Im looking for a Finance Manager position  in e-commerce  industry, who do you know that might know something  about that or put me in touch with someone who would know? Your contact is more likely to remember about you when they hear of a relevant opportunity, than when you simply tell them you’re looking for a job. Have reasonable expectations Only ask about something your contact is actually able to do. If your best friend is an Admin Assistant in a big company don’t expect him or her to recommend you to the CEO. Ask yourself what’s in it for them as well. Take control of the follow-up Your contacts are doing you a favour by recommending you to others or telling you about jobs, so don’t rely on them to remember to follow up with you. Your job search isn’t priority to them and people will often forget or put off what you’ve asked them to do especially if they’re really busy. If youre going to ask for a favor ask if it is ok to follow up in X days. If you agree to a time frame, you don’t have to worry about coming across as pushy. Send  a follow up thank-you note Once your contact has agreed to help you with a specific action, send them a quick Thank You note as a follow-up after your call or meeting. It is the polite thing to do but will also help your contact to remember what you’ve asked of them, e.g. pass on your resume to someone. People want to know that their time is valued and their efforts are appreciated, so show gratitude to keep your personal network strong. Margaret Buj is an interview and career acceleration coach who specializes in helping professionals get hired, promoted and paid more. If you want to find out how recruiters read resumes, why you’re not getting hired, how to sell yourself successfully in a job interview and how to negotiate your best salary yet, you can download her free “You’re HIRED!” video course.