Does the Sun Effect Your Productivity?

Erin's Musings
SOAK UP THE SUN

As I was loudly singing in my car to the Sheryl Crow song, “Soak up the Sun”– much to the dismay of my 5 1/2 year old who was rolling his eyes in the back seat (what is THAT all about??), I was thinking what a beautiful, sunny day it was here today in Michigan. Everyone seemed happier, nicer. I’ve read that there is a direct link between lack of sun and depression. A disorder that affects more than 35 million Americans is called Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). This can affect moods, eating and sleeping patterns, and no doubt, job search enthusiasm.

I know that I am much more productive on sunny days. And on the days when the clouds cover up the sun, I blast on every light I can find in my office to keep myself productive. Otherwise, I tend to feel… sleepy.

If you are feeling the effects of too little sun and too much winter, you might want to turn on a few more lights in your house or office, and listen to Sheryl Crow. I guarantee you will feel more productive and will get the zip back in your job search.

What do you do when suffering from too little sun? Talk to me…

My 10-Year Rez-i-Versary!

Erin's Musings
MY 10 YEAR Rez-I-Versary!

I woke up this morning and thought, hmmm, what’s different? Then out of nowhere came a flash of memory– 10 years ago this month I started at the Career Center and everything in my career life changed.
Up until then, I had been in college and worked as a manicurist at a salon (and at home). It was great money and put me through school… well that, and many, many, thousands in student loans. Not saying college wasn’t worth the money, because it was. That is where I discovered my interest in careers, job search, and resumes. It’s just a lot of money, as many of you know. But I digress.
So, January of 1999 is when I started writing resumes. I admit, when I first started I was not great at it. It was a good thing that I was working for a non-profit center and no one had to pay for my services. I helped people, or “walk-ins”, who had just been laid off from their jobs and had to come in and put their resume on the “talent bank” in order to get compensation from the State. Most didn’t have resumes, so we started from scratch. I was great at putting everything in order chronologically, but not great at career summaries–still in the mindset of “objectives”. Ewww. I would then go very heavy on bullet points. Bullet after bullet of whatever they did. Not great, but learning. This process grabbed my interest, so I started rifling through our many resume books we had at the Center. I was “wow’ed” by so many of the resumes that I saw that I just devoured the books, joined the PARW/CC (Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches) and was off and running, honing my skills and practicing like crazy.
One day a fellow came in and showed me his resume. He said, “I just paid $250.00 for this and the one YOU did for my friend for FREE was so much better!”. Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather. I could GET PAID FOR THIS? OHMYGOSHHHHH! Those weren’t my exact words, but you get the drift. $250 was big money for a resume in 2001. I set up a website, quit my job at the career center, put out my shingle, and here I am today. I’ve earned my certifications, gotten my work published in various best-selling career books, been nominated for several awards, and have written thousands of resumes since then.
So, that’s my story. Happy Rez-I-Versary to me! Hmmm. How shall I celebrate? Maybe I’ll start by finishing up this CV for a Professor that I have been working on, and then get started on the VP of Business Development resume that is next on my list… and so on.
Still learning, still loving my job, and still helping job seekers land the jobs that they want.
I’ve always felt like I sort of “fell into” writing resumes. Many of us fall into our jobs, or they fall into us. Do you have any upcoming Job-I-Versary stories you’d like to share? Did you fall into your job? I’d love to know.
THE LADDERS…

Lately, I have become more and more disillusioned with “The Ladders”, the source for $100,000+ jobs and $100,000+ candidates.

It all started with the critiques. I had been getting clients that were coming to me saying they had gone to The Ladders who had written a scathing review of their current resumes, but would happily remedy that for a mere $1,000 (some were more, some were less). So, for the cost of an average mortgage payment they would turn it around AND THEN find you a job for $100,000 and up. The thing was, I was having clients say, ” I don’t like this resume at all–can you fix it?”. I had one fellow who paid upwards of $900.00 for his resume that looked like something my 5-year old would write.

But, it didn’t start out that way. Back when it first came onto the internet scene, The Ladders really was busting out some nice resumes. They had qualified, certified resume writers. People were happy and everyone was talking about it. I was one of the first to jump on The Ladders bandwagon, telling my clients what a great site it was. Then we see commercials about it. Wow. It’s big time, now.

Then, things started to change. It was first pointed out to me through my professional association (PARW/CC) about the negative critiquing and not-so-good resumes coming out of that place. I was very optimistic though… not me, I still love it. Still believing in the dream. After all, the majority of my clients are senior-level execs, so I was thrilled to be able to have something promising to tell them. “Just go to The Ladders… they have $100,000+ jobs there”.

Soon I started hearing about false advertising, jobs that were way under $100K, barely starting at $30,000, sometimes The Ladders did not even know the pay range of the jobs they offer.

I don’t mean to bash another company in the careers industry, but I am leary about The Ladders now– and am hoping the founder, Mark Cenedella, will dump some of the writers he scrounged up, get some honest-to-goodness $100,000 jobs back in there, and restore it to it’s former glory.

What have your experiences with The Ladders been? Talk to me…

PRESS RELEASE: Cover Letters for Dummies, 3rd Edition

Erin's MusingsPress
“Cover Letters for Dummies” is here

The 3rd edition of this recognized brand, “Cover Letters for Dummies” is finally here. 10 years after the 2nd edition!

I just got my copy of it in the mail from the publishers and yours truly is on page, um… let’s see, OK, here we go… Page 194!

It is a wonderful compilation of cover letters for every scenario including: job ad reply letters, networking letters, broadcasting & prospecting letters, resume letters, and thank you and follow up letters.

Grab a copy of yours at any bookstore today. Very valuable to have on hand, ready for any situation you are applying for.

New Year's Resolutions and other BS

Erin's Musings
NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS AND OTHER B.S.

Alright. I’m just going to admit it and put it out there. I hate New Years Resolutions. Just those 3 words make me feel like a failure… I know that I’m going to say I will do something and then after 2 days of effort, quit doing it and be mad at myself. Like dieting, or blogging, or not swearing (my vice). I just know I am going to fail.

This year, I’ve decided to try a different tactic. This year I will set up some SMALL ATTAINABLE GOALS. Now, those are 3 little words I can deal with. Small attainable goals implies that I can really do it. I can meet small goals. Little groupings of goals. Like, instead of “I want to lose 20 pounds by January 31”, I will say, “I will lose a pound or two a week until I like how my jeans are fitting”. Doesn’t that feel better? I like it. I can handle a pound or two a week. I can blog a couple of times a week, versus my “resolution” of every day. That is too much and frankly, feels unattainable deep down. So, I know this now and will take a different route.

People put way too much pressure on themselves this time of year. “I will job search every day and find the perfect job by Jan. 15”. That is a lot of pressure especially if already in a job, and really don’t have the time to search that much. Maybe you could say, “I will do my best to put the word out every few days that I am looking for a new job. I will remember to tell my barber, the people at the coffee shop, the guy in the elevator, and will update my LinkedIn profile and make a huge effort on that site” etc. Don’t you feel better already? In my experience, small attainable goals are the ones I really have achieved. So, sit down and make a “SMALL ATTAINABLE GOALS” list and be happy with yourself.

Quote of the day:

“All that we ARE, is a result of all that we have THOUGHT”

— Buddha

Don’t Fall Prey to Negative Influences

With the economic downturn, unemployment rates rising and the job market seemingly getting tighter, it is easy to get depressed about your job search. Being from Michigan, I am inundated daily either via the television, radio, internet, or newspaper with gloom and doom about our economy at it’s worst in 30 years, etc. It’s easy to get sucked into the attitude ‘no one is hiring’.

I’m here to tell you THAT’S NOT TRUE. People are getting hired every day. My clients send me feedback all the time with good news. I’m not saying that the economy/job market is super… what I’m saying is it is in your attitude.

Attitude plays a key role in your job search. Think about some of your best days when you felt like you were on a roll. Maybe you woke up and it was sunny outside. You checked your email and you got a response from a resume posting. Feeling excited, suddenly you get a phone call from an old pal who says his co-workers wife’s company has a position opening up that would be perfect for you. And so on. Suddenly, life is wonderful, the world is full of opportunities, jobs are everywhere, and YOU ARE IN DEMAND. See how it was a domino effect?

It’s all about energy. When you are feeling positive, you are sending out positive transmitters, “Hire me… I’m perfect for the job!”. When you are feeling negative, what is the domino effect you transmit? “No one will hire me. There are NO jobs out there. I will never get a job, unless it is some fast-food place for minimum wage…” etc. You are putting out your own frequencies. Think about your best and worst days– it doesn’t have to be job related. See how it happens? Keep that in mind when job searching. Don’t let yourself fall for the general attitude about job searching these days– stand out from the pack— be positive, keep your thoughts focused on the outcome, send out those “I’m Great and the One You Want” frequencies, and watch what happens.

Erin Kennedy, CPRW
https://www.proreswriters.com

Weathering the Weather

Career & WorkplaceErin's Musings

WEATHERING THE WEATHER
… how the weather really does affect our moods and ability to work.

According to a recent survey of more than 6,000 workers by Careerbuilder.com, “employees tend to be less productive on gloomy-weather days–with rain cited as the condition that most negatively impacts demeanor (21%).”

“When asked which weather attribute most affects their moods or productivity negatively, workers pointed to rain (21%), cold (14%), heat (13%), darkness (9%), and snow (9%).

The good news (not part of the survey) is that we can keep our finger on the pulse of our moods and be aware to monitor according to the weather to make sure we are staying upbeat and not letting something external dictate our mood!

Better keep your lights on full blast at your desk!