We are at the beginning of the flu season and you know the drill: wash your hands frequently, cough into your elbow, clean surfaces, get a flu shot…stay healthy. In the workplace, illness affects more than the one feeling sick because you are faced with staying home or spreading germs. It’s a tough call, because we are surrounded by invisible invaders bringing illness all the time.
Stress is known to weaken our ability to fight those invaders. I am a huge believer in this. The minute I feel overworked or overwhelmed, my throat starts hurting. Since we spend most of our time at work, stress in the workplace can be a huge factor in whether or not we get sick. Keeping the stress down will help us stay healthy. Question is, how do we do that?
- You can only control what you are able to choose. You might not have a choice about where your desk is, but you do have a choice about keeping it clean. Air quality is usually beyond your control, but you might be able to have a plant that helps purify it, and you certainly can take walks outside. Grouchy co-workers might dump on you, but you could use that to look for ways to make things better.
- Decide now what the holidays will look like, and be realistic about what you do and why you do it. Don’t plan for “perfection.” Plan for flexible family time and let the mishaps become stories you will laugh about next year. What holiday work commitments will be expected? Do you know how to handle gift giving in the corporate world? It might seem early to talk about it, but you will have less stress if you know what to do.
Remember that stress is not bad in small doses. It’s like exercise for your soul in a lot of ways. The problems come when stress is accumulated upon stress and doesn’t stop. Figuring out how to keep that stress an occasional workout will keep YOU healthy and at work.
Your cover letter should change every time you submit your resume to a new position. This is because your cover letter is an introduction to you, the first thing the reader of that resume sees, and a generic form letter will not give a good impression. It may even cause them to pass over the resume because they did not see you put any effort into the cover letter.
Think of it like this: what would you think of someone who introduced themselves to you using the same script they used on everybody else? Some things are worth repeating, like your name, but other things may not apply, and if that new acquaintance seems more into rattling off their accomplishments than starting a conversation about mutual interests, then you might smile politely and move on as quickly as possible.
In the same way, when you need an introduction, it should be personalized to the setting. Your cover letter can be tweaked if you have invested in one that has been professionally written, but it should always reflect the job you are applying for and the company who is seeking to fill the position. If you can have the name of the person reading the resumes, even better!
This reality is one reason a cover letter is offered in our A La Carte Services. You don’t necessarily need to rewrite your resume for every application, but it really is a good idea to put as much individualization into your cover letter as is appropriate. Just like a friendly introduction that makes you want to talk, a good cover letter makes them want to read your resume and bring you in for an interview.
Competition is unfortunately part of the picture in searching for a job. It’s also part of the picture in keeping your job and being promoted. The Job Search Success System has more to offer than getting your foot in the door; the skills you learn will help you be successful throughout your career as you struggle to keep up with the market.
In addition to finding that job, there is coaching on:
- how to figure out what you really want out of your career
- how to become the acknowledged expert in your field, boosting your income and potential
- how to negotiate for salary increases of 10% and more — up to 50%
- communication tips
- efficiency tips
- project work, consultation work, and adding income streams
The more skills you have, the more options you have. When you are actively seeking to improve your skills, it benefits you now and in the future. It also benefits those around you because you are setting a standard of professionalism that will enhance your workplace. Even if you would decide that you are not ready to invest in a tool like The Job Search Success System, pay attention to the things offered in the package. Those are skills you need to develop somehow in order to keep up in the marathon that is a career.
I did say “marathon” instead of “race”. That is because the goal isn’t really to be the first one past the finish line: the goal is to get across that line, getting and keeping a job until promotion to a better job. You might not be as fast as some of the other runners, but if you keep at it, you will get there!
Did you know that your use of social media can get you hired? (It can also get you fired but that’s a different subject.) Your online presence and social media connectivity is an increasing factor in how potential employers fill openings.
This recent article on Mashable caught my eye with the title, “Job Seekers Recruited via Social More Likely to Be Hired,” and it increased my interest with a great infographic. Usually, I see horror stories of what NOT to do, but there are increasing success stories of the advantage you have with great online branding. In a nutshell, here are some facts:
- 94% of companies already use social media to recruit candidates or plan to begin using this form of recruiting in 2013
- Candidate & Employee Referral quality and quantity along with Time To Hire have been enhanced measurably
- 14% of applicants sourced through a job board get hired
- 61% of applicants sourced through referrals and the company career page get hired
This is interesting stuff. The takeaway is that your online social networking really does make a difference in your career if you are wise with it. That means paying attention to your online brand:
- Remember, the internet is like a public park, and everything you do is visible
- Keep your online presence professional by monitoring photos and data on sites like Facebook
- Invest in LinkedIn Profile Development or Online Branding Coaching to make sure you are equipped for this new era of job searching
It can be kind of overwhelming to look at all the details involved with social media and employment. Fortunately, you don’t have to figure it out by yourself!
There are many reasons why those seeking better jobs choose a professional resume service, but the biggest reason is simple: you aren’t trying to write your resume all by yourself.
When you do things all by yourself, you are limited to your own experience and perspective. I’m not saying your experience and perspective are bad or wrong, but that they are limited to what you know. Investing in a professional resume service, on the other hand, puts you at the head of a team of advisers committed to your success.
- you benefit from the experience of someone who writes resumes for a living
- you benefit from the effectiveness of the networking professional resume services offer
- you benefit from the resume service’s real need to make you a satisfied customer
When you work with others on a mutual project — your resume — they can catch things you miss and ask questions that bring out strengths you take for granted. You can give all your information during the consultation brainstorming and know that there will be an opportunity to go over the draft and change anything you might want to edit. You are working with certified resume writers who are experts in strategy, branding, and format so you don’t have to teach yourself all you need to know in those areas.
A professional resume service is an investment, but that investment pays off in huge dividends. The biggest advantage is having collaborative input when working on the all-important package of your cover letter, resume, followup, and distribution. It’s a big job to do alone but not intimidating when you have help.
How To Stay Organized On Your Job Search
Job Search
One of the realities we face when unemployed and searching for a job is the reality of disorganization. There are a few reasons why things go haywire:
- suddenly your schedule is not tied to the workplace
- it’s usually at least slightly depressing to be unemployed
- there’s a learning curve in the development of job-searching skills
- people tend to think that someone who “isn’t working” can do all sorts of errands, emergency babysitting, and projects
Disorganization has a way of growing and taking over, just like those expanding spaces in popular match-three games ooze into the board wherever they can unless you explode them all. How can you keep disorganization from taking over your job search?
- Make yourself a schedule and remind others that you have a commitment to searching for a job. It doesn’t have to be eight hours every weekday, but it’s a good idea to block out a good chunk of time to do what you need to do for your career and tell people you aren’t available during those times.
- Stay on top of paperwork. Keeping your resume files organized, having a home for job-hunting expense records, updating a resume with any part-time jobs or seminars you’ve attended, and making sure you are on top of all the details will not only make life easier now, it is a good skill for the future.
- Declutter. The last thing you need when unemployed is a pile of stuff that hasn’t been dealt with and is reminding you of failure every day. Even if you need to take a day every week to work on it, you’ll appreciate space to breathe. Some people find that instead of a “day to declutter,” a timer set for 15-30 minutes every day motivates them to move junk out of their lives.
- Take care of yourself! Get up in the morning and stretch, take walks, eat right, etc., etc., etc. If you are unhealthy, you don’t have the energy to deal with the real work of an organized job search.
- Educate yourself. Use the job search resources that others have found helpful and spend some disciplined time learning how to utilize this time to your advantage.
How To Avoid Mistakes When Writing Your Resume And Cover Letters
Resume Writing
When you are writing your resume and cover letters, it is very easy to make mistakes just because there are so many versions and corrections (we writers deal with this, too). Even if you are a competent writer, it still is a good idea to carefully read your work once more before sending it off to be read by the people you want to impress. Here’s how to avoid some common mistakes in writing:
- Keep track of grammar when changing a sentence. If you change the noun from singular to plural, for instance, remember to change the sentence structure to match.
- Don’t rely on automated spellcheckers alone to catch mistakes. Your, you’re, their, they’re, there, two, too, and to are all words which are spelled correctly and won’t show up as an error when used in the wrong way. “Manager” was one I always misspelled as “Manger”. They are both words, so spell check never caught it. Luckily, I’m hyper diligent about checking and rechecking how I spell Manager– plus there is a little tool in MS Word that lets you auto correct things like that, so whenever I type Manger, it automatically changes it to Manager. Awesome.
- Avoid the automatic word-finishing features on your word processing program for the same reason. You want your brain to be in control.
- Look it up if you are unsure. Good spellers and good writers rely on more than their memory. A popular site that helps with more than spelling is https://www.grammarly.com because it checks grammar, spelling, word choice and style (plus, their Facebook page is informative… and snarky). It’s up to you to take the advice of the computer once the error is pointed out.
- Take a break before rereading your work. It’s like rebooting your brain and allows you to see the piece with fresh eyes. If you have been working feverishly on something, you read it with your past efforts in mind and can fool yourself.
Of course, all the resume writing tips the pros use apply. Your cover letter and resume, along with the follow-up thank you letter, are huge indicators to the potential employer of your ability and professionalism. Everybody makes mistakes — but you don’t have to leave those mistakes in your writing. It’s easy to fix a mistake once you see it, so learn how to look for it.
One of the more flexible definitions in office wear is “business casual”. This is because there are so many variables in acceptable clothing for an office environment. So, how do you decide what the new workplace will define as “business casual” when you are told to show up for your new job? It really depends on where you work, and who you work with.
- Pay attention to how people in the office are dressed when you come in for your interview.
- Aim high…you can take off a tie or jacket but it’s harder to amp up your professional look in flip flops. (By the way, flip flops are generally not considered office wear. Really!)
- Wear your interview outfit the first day and ask for the dress code. Many businesses will hand that out with the paperwork to be filled out in training. Some establishments have a more casual dress code for the summer, some have “Casual Fridays,” and it’s better to see it explained in writing/pictures if possible.
- Projecting a professional image is never a bad idea. Dress for the job you hope to get promoted to someday.
- Invest in good quality basics like solid-colored pants, skirts, and jackets. These can be mixed up with several shirts to get a week’s worth of outfits that will be acceptable anywhere. Add the jacket to create a suit for special occasions. Don’t forget good shoes!
- If you are just entering the job market, ask for advice on your wardrobe. Many of the things you already have may work just fine when mixed with those basics.
- It’s OK to add your personality into your office wear, but go slow and pay attention to your environment. That means one touch of individuality per outfit until you know what is expected.
- Know the regional quirks. Cowboy boots in Fort Worth, Texas are part of a formal outfit, but not in Philadelphia.
The majority of jobs are not paying you to express yourself; they are paying you to represent their company. It isn’t hard to go conservative for a bit to get the feel of what your new position’s “business casual” attire actually entails, if you keep that in mind.
