Are You Cheating On Your Job Search

Are You Cheating On Your Job Search Sunday I was talking with a fellow business owner, and we were chatting about working out. I said that its easy, as an  entrepreneur, feel like you are cheating on your company when you do other stuff.  Like work out. This is a hazardous  mentality  that I brought from the first days of my job search. When I started looking for a job I was very, very hungry. I didnt want to rely on my family for help with bills and food. I didnt want to rely on my church for help with bills and food. I didnt want to rely on the government for help with bills and food. All three were there, and ready to help.  And they did help, and it was hard to take their help, but thats for another post. I was hungry. I wanted to be on my own two feet.  I wanted to be independent. I worked very hard on my job search (not necessarily smart). I didnt do anything else.  I let my marriage go on the back burner, I let my physical fitness go on the back burner. If I had a shred of energy or mental bandwidth, it was dedicated to my job search. I thought this was going to be a short-term thing, and then I could let life get back to normal. It wasnt short-term. And letting those things go was a mistake. What Ive learned in the last 18 months is that I need to take time, and pay attention to my wife, and my kids, and my home, and my lawn, and my body, and my finances, and my spirituality, and my _________ (whatever else I was neglecting). Today I am going on my 3.2 mile walk. In the time it takes to do that I might be able to do a LinkedIn profile critique. I might be able to write 3 blog posts. I might be able to do a number of billable things. But I cant.  Because what Ive really learned is that Ive been cheating myself by letting this one grand thing (my business for you it might be your job search) get in the way of having the life I really want, and the health I really need. Are You Cheating On Your Job Search Sunday I was talking with a fellow business owner, and we were chatting about working out. I said that its easy, as an  entrepreneur, feel like you are cheating on your company when you do other stuff.  Like work out. This is a hazardous  mentality  that I brought from the first days of my job search. When I started looking for a job I was very, very hungry. I didnt want to rely on my family for help with bills and food. I didnt want to rely on my church for help with bills and food. I didnt want to rely on the government for help with bills and food. All three were there, and ready to help.  And they did help, and it was hard to take their help, but thats for another post. I was hungry. I wanted to be on my own two feet.  I wanted to be independent. I worked very hard on my job search (not necessarily smart). I didnt do anything else.  I let my marriage go on the back burner, I let my physical fitness go on the back burner. If I had a shred of energy or mental bandwidth, it was dedicated to my job search. I thought this was going to be a short-term thing, and then I could let life get back to normal. It wasnt short-term. And letting those things go was a mistake. What Ive learned in the last 18 months is that I need to take time, and pay attention to my wife, and my kids, and my home, and my lawn, and my body, and my finances, and my spirituality, and my _________ (whatever else I was neglecting). Today I am going on my 3.2 mile walk. In the time it takes to do that I might be able to do a LinkedIn profile critique. I might be able to write 3 blog posts. I might be able to do a number of billable things. But I cant.  Because what Ive really learned is that Ive been cheating myself by letting this one grand thing (my business for you it might be your job search) get in the way of having the life I really want, and the health I really need.

Book Giveaway Start Your Business With The Pumpkin Plan

Book Giveaway Start Your Business With The Pumpkin Plan To end up our 3 year anniversary giveaway month, we are giving away 1 copy of  The Pumpkin Plan: A Simple Strategy to Grow a Remarkable Business in Any Field by Mike Michalowicz! Each year Americans start one million new businesses, nearly 80 percent of which fail within the first five years. Under such pressure to stay aliveâ€"let alone growâ€"it’s easy for entrepreneurs to get caught up in a never-ending cycle of “sell itâ€"do it, sell itâ€"do it” that leaves them exhausted, frustrated, and unable to get ahead no matter how hard they try. This is the exact situation Mike Michalowicz found himself in when he was trying to grow his first company. Although it was making steady money, there was never very much left over and he was chasing customers left and right, putting in twenty-eight-hour days, eight days a week. The punishing grind never let up. His company was alive but stunted, and he was barely breathing. That’s when he discovered an unlikely source of inspirationâ€"pumpkin farmers. After reading an article about a local farmer who had dedicated his life to growing giant pump ­kins, Michalowicz realized the same process could apply to growing a business. He tested the Pumpkin Plan on his own company and transformed it into a remarkable, multimillion-dollar industry leader. First he did it for himself. Then for others. And now you. So what is the pumpkin plan? Plant the right seeds: Don’t waste time doing a bunch of different things just to please your customers. Instead, identify the thing you do better than anyone else and focus all of your attention, money, and time on figuring out how to grow your company doing it. Weed out the losers: In a pumpkin patch small, rotten pumpkins stunt the growth of the robust, healthy ones. The same is true of customers. Figure out which customers add the most value and provide the best opportunities for sustained growth. Then ditch the worst of the worst. Nurture the winners: Once you figure out who your best customers are, blow their minds with care. Discover their unfulfilled needs, innovate to make their wishes come true, and overdeliver on every single promise. Full of stories of other successful entrepreneurs, The Pumpkin Plan guides you through unconven ­tional strategies to help you build a truly profitable blue-ribbon company that is the best in its field. Here are the ways you can enter using Rafflecopter below: Like  Classy Career Girl on Facebook Follow me on Twitter  @classycareer Tweet about this giveaway (make sure you mention @classycareer) Leave a comment below telling me what type of business you wish to start. a Rafflecopter giveaway This giveaway is open US residence only. It begins NOW and ends on April 12, 2013. We will be giving away 1 copy. The winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.  You have 24 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected. Good luck! Note: I was provided a copy of the book to review but it did not change what I wrote about it.

7 Writing Tips for Personal Brand Building Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Writing Tips for Personal Brand Building Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The writing habits that got you this far in your career may not be enough for personal branding success! As we progressed through high school and college, few of us have had either the opportunity, or the necessity, to develop strong, efficient writing habits. Last minute was usually good enough to obtain passing gradesor betteron our reports and term papers. As a result, we tend to associate writing with negativeslike deadlines, stress, and judgment rather than welcome opportunities to share, convince, and build your personal brand equity. The stakes are different now! Todays social media world puts a premium on strong, efficient writing habitsand the sentences and paragraphs that strong, efficient writing habits make possible. Not everyone needs to write a book, although its widely regarded as the best tool for building a strong personal brand. But, everyone in businessespecially self-employed professionals and career-oriented recent graduatesneed to effectively use words to: build relationships on Twitter and Facebook, create convincing blog posts and guest posts, write engaging email subject lines, and share ideas and recommendations in memos and reports. 7 tips for building strong, efficient writing habits Here are 7 tips for cultivating the writing habits needed for personal brand building success. Unlike a term paper due next week, though, theres no need to rush! Not only can you cultivate the 7 habits over time, one step at a time, but theyll provide a lifetime of lasting benefits. Practice. Theres no silver bullet, like a writing course or book, that will make you a better writer overnight. The only way to become a strong, efficient writer is to practice every daymaking the time to write, creating a platform where you can communicate with your market, andthrough practicewatching your writing improve a little each day. Listen. Avoid the mistake of writing what you want to read. Instead, listen to the conversations going around you all day, and write what your markets concerns. What are the current topics and trends that are being discussed by experts in your field? What are the changes taking place and the challenges on the horizon? What are the questions your prospects and clients are asking? Focus.   Dont try to cover too much in one article, blog post, or report. Instead, focus everything you write on a central idea, problem, or recommendation. The more you focus on specifics, the easier it is to write. Writing is hard when you dont have a purpose and you find yourself writing to fill up space. But, once you identify a central idea, and 3-10 supporting ideas, your writing suddenly picks up speed. Review. Never immediately press Send or Publish. Cultivate the habit of self-editing. Always put your project aside for at least 10 minutes before reviewing it from a fresh perspective. Print out a copy of what youve just written, and read it out loud. Youll probably find long sentences that can be broken into shorter sentences, long words that can be replaced with shorter words, and unnecessary ideas. Watch how your ideas become stronger when you cut the clutter. Change. Constantly be on the lookout for more efficient writing tools, like mind mapping, writing accessories like the Pomodero Techniques timer described in an earlier blog post, and ways to use more of the power built into your word processing program. Simple keyboard shortcuts, for example, can save a lot of time when editing and formatting. Observe. In addition to listening to your market, observe and analyze the writing of the leading authors and bloggers in your field. Identify the high-visibility experts in your field, those whose posts are popularly ReTweeted, Liked, and passed along. Select 1 or 2 each month for detailed study. Analyze their headlines and titles, and analyze their opening and closing paragraphs. Make a list of the words and phrases they use to engage readers. Study the structure of their articles. The purpose is not to copy, but to model and adapt the strong points of their writing. Track. As you commit to stronger and more efficient writing, track the popularity of your blog posts and social marketing. Likewise, when observing the experts in your field, dont try to trust your memory, but develop a system for keeping track of the lessons youre learning. Whether you use mind maps, spreadsheets, or index cards, develop a system for learning from the best and reviewing what youve learned. You have the power Youre the only one who can make you a stronger and more efficient writer. We live in a content-driven, social media, personal branding world. Writing is no longer a task that self-employed professionals and career-oriented employees can delegate to others. There are no mysteries to strong and efficient writing. Success is a matter of commitment and discipline. What do you think? What aspects of writing are you most interested in improving? Share your comments, below. Author: Roger C. Parker encourages you to download his currently-free workbook, 99 Questions to Ask Before you Write Self-Publish a Brand-building Book. You can also use his online form to ask questions about writing and publishing.

How to Improve Self-Confidence - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Improve Self-Confidence - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career So how do you become more confident? Get a head start by dedicating yourself to confidence. Even talk to yourself. It helps! Various experts add: being in good health, regularly exercising and taking care of your body, frequently participating in activities that are fun and not just working all the time, having some close confident friends that you can trust, and being happy in your single or married status. Frankly, money gives you confidence too, from the sense of security it provides. Still, I know plenty of wealthy people who run scared. The National Association of Realtors will tell you that owning a home increases self-confidence. (Oh, and alcohol gives a form of it too, as noted and celebrated in many country western songs.) Having fulfilling and enjoyable work is a confidence builder. But it’s important that your attitude toward yourself not be tied strictly to your job position and title because if you lose the job, you’ll likely lose your self-confidence. One CEO told me about being on top of the world on Monday, getting fired on Tuesday, and by Wednesday feeling like a failure. But back to the self-talk: the simplest, most honest, strongest mental verbiage that you can give yourself is to expect and assume acceptance of who and what you are. Oust your harmful internal critic. You are not below or above anyone’s station. Between the Creator and the Constitution, you are equal to anyone. What you do with yourself with those facts is up to you.

How Relevant Are Resumes in the 21st Century Job Search

How Relevant Are Resumes in the 21st Century Job Search Photo Credit â€" resume.naukri.comIn an era of LinkedIn and Facebook, who really needs a resume anymore? In our digital world, it may seem like a resume is an unnecessary relic of the past, like typewriters and rotary phones.The job search game has been forever changed by our virtual world. Social media sites have replaced some of the traditional roles that resumes once filled. With the click of a button, you can apply for a job.But can the quintessential job search tool â€" the resume- be replaced?evalLet’s face it, resume aren’t going away anytime soon. In fact, people are getting more creative at crafting resumes beyond the traditional, basic piece of paper to help them land the perfect job.Here are four pieces of advice on how to take advantage of modern technology when applying for a job and why resumes are still important:1. Do your homework on the companySome job seekers at interviews are quick to talk about themselves and what they bring to the table without really knowin g anything about the company or asking engaging questions.“Many candidates aren’t well-versed in what the company does, what their product line is or what the position will entailâ€"all information that can be found out through a basic Google search,” says Rasheen Carbin, co-founder of the job-matching app nspHire. “When I see this in an interview, I think that the candidate doesn’t really want the job.”With all the information available on the internet, there’s no excuse not to be prepared. In addition, job candidates definitely need to tailor their resumes and cover letters to the specific job and company being sought.You want to put your best foot forward, especially when a resume is the first thing some employers see about you. A great resume and first-round telephone interview are likely the main things that determine whether you’ll land an in-person interview.2. Update your LinkedIn profileYou’d be amazed at how many incomplete profiles you come across on Lin kedIn, which is basically an online social media resume for professionals. If you’re lazy and don’t update it, it could turn off potential employers.evalLinkedIn encourages its users to complete and update as many sections of their profiles as possible because completed profiles are 40 times more likely to receive offers through LinkedIn.However, according to LinkedIn Insights, only about 50 percent of people have a fully completed profile.Displaying a partial LinkedIn profile would be like emailing half of a resume to a potential employer, or only showing a small glimpse of your skillset. You wouldn’t do that.3. Apply for a job on Facebook and TwitterAfter doing some successful testing, Facebook in February rolled out the opportunity for businesses to post job openings on their pages, as well as a new jobs bookmark. Within Facebook and FB Messenger, businesses can track applications and communicate directly with applicants.evalProviding a link to your resume is a great chance to showcase your work history or at least refer to when filling out an online application. Twitter is another social media platform that employers use to solicit job seekers.“Job seekers need to realize that employers will begin contacting them via social media, which means they need to be responsive,” Rasheen Carbin says. “And their social media presence need to be presentable.”This means keeping social media profiles professional and sans the party pics, swear words, and risque selfies. You can always keep your Facebook and Instagram private, so job hunters can’t see exactly what you are up to.4. Mobile recruitingEvery year, mobile technology becomes more crucial. Employers know that if they want to reach millennials, they need real time recruiting apps.Job boards such as CareerBuilder and Monster are investing more resources in their apps.The ability to respond quickly and discreetly is appealing, and there’s no pounding the pavement. The app Pocket Resume allows you to craft a professionally formatted resume from your smartphone.You don’t have to worry about design or layout, the app does it for you. Once again, having your resume on file will come in handy.5. Know what the jargon meansYou aren’t the only one trying to sell yourself as a job applicant â€" the job is trying to sell itself, too. It goes both ways. Most job descriptions tend to be pretty specific, such as experience with Java or 2-plus years experience selling Software/SaaS.Not all job descriptions are that clear cut. Being able to decipher a marketing job description, for example, means cutting through the jargon.eval“Marketers love selling a concept, and it’s no different when we’re writing job descriptions. We can get a little carried away with how we describe the requirements â€" like what does “great culture fit” actually mean and how does one even prepare for that,” writes Patrick Morgan, Conductor’s customer knowledge specialist.When writing your own resu me, try to avoid jargon because it sounds cliched. So, while today’s job seekers have plenty of ways to get an employer’s attention, the tried and true method of a resume can’t be underestimated. You never know who’s going to see it.

The Top 10 Life Mistakes That Make Us Struggle Most - Kathy Caprino

The Top 10 Life Mistakes That Make Us Struggle Most Five years ago, I wrote a post called My 52 Mistakes about the worst missteps Id taken in my life, and what Id learned from them.   At that time, I was compelled to share these 52 learnings, because after living through the pain and struggle that came from these mistakes and trying to undo the havoc they wreaked on my life, I wanted to help others avoid them at all costs.   People wrote me from all over the world about how these mistakes resonated with them, and mirrored their own life experiences. Truth be told, I dont really believe in the notion of mistakes because Ive seen that everything that happens can be for our highest good, if we learn the right lessons and integrate them for our growth. That said, there are, without doubt, error-ridden directions we follow that lead to disaster, pain, sadness, and loss.   And if we dont understand the root cause behind these crushing detours from our highest and happiest path, were doomed to repeat them. If I boil down my own biggest mistakes along with the missteps others have shared with me that caused them the deepest pain, the top 10 would be these: Not comprehending what you’re capable of After reviewing thousands of responses from clients of my Career Path Self-Assessment, I can see how the vast majority of us dont have a clue of our specialness and importance in the world. Were crushed down by demoralizing experiences around us in our jobs and relationships, and we forget (or actually have never really seen) how our talents, gifts and passions are unique and so needed in the world. For 18 years in my corporate life, I never once had a glimpse of what I was truly capable of being, doing and creating.   It was only when the Universe kindly stepped in and helped me get so brutally ejected from my unhappy corporate existence that I finally got it and transformed my life.   Not understanding what youre capable of, and how the world needs you and your gifts, is the most crippling of all mistakes. Associating with and trusting the wrong people There is no question that the people we associate with, and those we allow ourselves to be in relationship with, dramatically shape who we are and what happens to us. If the people around you dont value, respect or care for you, or if they live by values that are in stark contrast to yours (and make your heart ache), your life cant be what you dream it to be. If you want to soar like an eagle, then you have to take that huge leap of faith to surround yourself with eagles. (Thanks, Mo Faul, for that reminder.) Letting your beliefs and fears around money stop you living full out Literally more than 90% of the clients and colleagues Ive connected with over the past 10 years (over 10,000) have a challenged relationship with money or some form of money trauma from their past. These challenges, mindsets, fears and blocks arent all about scarcity. Ive met scores of people whove earned or inherited millions of dollars yet they dont feel they deserve it, feel terribly guilty about it, or feel like impostors.   Others cant believe that a happier life or career is in the cards for them, despite having a masters degree, and fantastic credentials and experiences. And others still dream of better jobs, careers and livelihoods but sabotage their own growth because of intense risk-aversion and deep fear around needing security and safety from money. Until you can untangle your money story and stop making money a ruthless God in your life that you need to feed and worship daily, you wont achieve what you dream of. Comparing yourself to others in ways that crush your confidence and life energy Im a fan of healthy competition, and believe it can absolutely fuel growth. But comparing ourselves to others and continually feeling less than ruins our lives.   If youre constantly comparing yourself to others other business people, colleagues, peers, family members, etc. and come up short, your life will be drained of the confidence, energy and vibrancy you need to move forward. Refusing to learn When were going through painful, crushing times, there are critical lessons were meant to learn, but many of us fail to get these lessons. We miss the point entirely. In fact, if you feel yourself in constant regret about what you should have done in the past, youre failing to learn the right lessons.   I failed to learn, for instance, that my deep unhappiness in my corporate career wasnt because I wasnt good enough, but because I was constantly pointed in the wrong direction, working on business outcomes that meant nothing to me.   The right lessons empower, uplift and strengthen you, not push you down.   If we dont shift and change, and learn from whats happening to us, well simply continue to bloody our heads against the same brick walls.   Weve got to learn new lessons and modify how we operate in the world in ways that thrill us, or well never break the cycles of pain that we continually co-create. Not understanding that you are separate from your thoughts We are not our thoughts, and our thoughts dont have to rule and control us. But they will control us if we have no awareness of what we are thinking and why.   Learning to separate ourselves from our thoughts is life-changing (mediation is a transformative tool for that check out Lodro Rinzler for beginning meditation support).   The key is to learn to observe our thoughts, and create a separation from them so that with greater awareness and wisdom, we can choose how we want to react and behave in the world.   If we never gain awareness of what were thinking, were powerless to shape our reactions and behaviors. Letting your ego and your need to be right wreck your peace, well-being and relationships Our egos, and our need to defend our thoughts, values, and positions, can be healthy and helpful. But often, our egos run wild, and tiny sparks of narcissism can make us react in ways that burn bridges, sever helpful ties, and thwart our growth.   If youre constantly looking for validation that youre right, important, valuable, and if you feel the urge to drum out of existence people who dont agree with you or who challenge you, your ego needs some work. After all, we simply cant build the life we dream of if we cut off and alienate all our supporters, friends and advocates. Ignoring your body After years of chronic illness (in the form of a terrible infection in my trachea every few months for four years), I finally learned this: your body says what your lips cannot. If we ignore what our bodies are trying to tell us, well suffer, and continue to suffer, until we listen and learn. And if were hoping to live a beautifully rich, happy and fulfilling life but fail to give our physical bodies what they need to be healthy, supported and nourished, well fail to have the energy and vitality we need to make the impact we hope to. Failing to stretch beyond who you think you are and what you’re comfortable in In an interview I conducted with Herminia Ibarra recently on How Authenticity Can Keep Professionals From Growing Into Effective Leaders, I realized even more acutely how an over-attachment to authenticity can actually keep us from stretching and moving forward. If we stay only where we feel comfortable, even with regard to our self-identity, well never get to the new destination that we dream of, because we fear its not who we really are yet.   The deep longing to stay put, and to feel comfort and security, creates, in the end, the most painful type of discomfort the realization that we failed to fulfill our highest goals and potential. As Amy Cuddy shares in her powerful Ted Talk, at times you have to fake it til you become it. Not doing the inner work to create the outer life you dream of Finally, Ive seen this in my own life and in thousands of others I work with if you refuse to do the inner work on yourself to become stronger, wiser, more courageous, more competent, and less reactive, then the outer experiences in your life will fail to satisfy you.   A happy, joyful and fulfilling life takes work, and it starts with inner work on your thoughts, insecurities, reactivity, negative mindsets, and fears. If whats in front of you is making you unhappy, you first have to look inward to explore our part in it (we are 50% of what happens to us). If you refuse to identify how youre co-creating your problems and your unhappiness, and shift it, youll continue to bring into your life exactly the same results.   And those wont bring the peace, joy, and fulfillment you ache for.

What To Do When the Job Posting Asks for Salary Requirements - Sterling Career Concepts

What To Do When the Job Posting Asks for Salary Requirements What To Do When the Job Posting Asks for Salary Requirements What’s the best strategy when a job posting asks that you include your salary requirements? As a general rule, do not offer up any salary information any sooner than necessary but sometimes a job posting will require salary requirements. In this case, address it in the cover letter, never on your resume. Include a short paragraph in your cover letter that lists the salary range for positions for which you’re presently interviewing or being considered. Be sure to quote a dollar range, never an exact figure, to allow yourself negotiation room later on in the process.