4 Ways to Recruit Without Borders

4 Ways to Recruit Without Borders The skills gap is very real, and it’s increasingly driving recruiters to look outside their comfort zone for great people. A new report released by the OECD  helps contextualize this skills gap for American employers. For instance, consider 43 percent of new jobs require a bachelor’s degree, while only 32 percent of Americans over 25 years old possess one. According to another survey, this time by Bullhorn Reach, a lack of skilled candidates was the biggest challenge faced by recruiters and staffing professionals. Meanwhile, more than 47 percent of recruiters saw their companies expanding into new geographies in 2013, a jump from even the 44 percent reported one year ago It’s obvious now is the time to start expanding your recruiting horizons. You need to expand not just how you recruit great people, but where you find these talented candidates. The right talent for your open positions might not be located in your company’s backyard, and it’s time to let go of the idea out-of-town talent is inherently more risky than local candidates. Opening up your search to include candidates around the country or around the world means giving yourself a better chance at jumping the skills gap. The person with the perfect skill set for the job might not be located within driving distance, but by opening up the candidate pool, you increase the odds you’ll find the right talent. So how do you find and recruit the best people? Here are four tips for recruiting without borders: 1) Get Social On Social Media: Social media is a great way to open your organization up to a much larger candidate pool and yet still connect with those candidates personally. This is probably why 94 percent of recruiters are using social media in their recruiting process. On social media, you can see what your candidates are all about, including their passion for the industry and their level of professionalism. If a great-on-paper candidate has a social channel littered with obscenities, for instance, this might not be the right person for your company. To find great out-of-town talent, you should be using social media to follow your best candidates. This means getting active in talent communities, which are the places top talent gathers to give advice, share thought leadership, and discuss the issues of the day. Don’t dominate the conversation in a talent community and never be too pushy or promotional with your openings. Instead, follow the 80/20 rule of content sharing, making sure at least 80 percent of your contributions are relevant to what your talent pool is discussing. This way, you’re able to see which candidates are sharing interesting insights and top-notch ideas, even if they’re located across the globe. 2) Connect In The Video Interview: Once you’ve found a great far-away candidate, connecting in the interview process can seem like a huge hassle. Especially in the preliminary stages, you don’t want to fly out a candidate unless you’re fairly sure this person is a strong contender. There’s a misconception that recruiting far-flung talent is expensive, since the cost of travel can make these candidates look like large dollar signs instead of the right people for the job. So what’s the solution? The video interview is a great way to cut down on your traditional recruiting process, get more personal with candidates, and do away with costly travel expenses. Using a live video interview, you can connect with candidates in real-time the same way you would if they were on the other side of the desk (instead of the other side of the monitor). Best of all, these interviews are recorded, so you can share great candidates with your whole team. In the earlier stages of the hiring process, video interviews can actually help you get a more personal feel for candidates sooner. In a one-way video interview, candidates answer your written questions on video. This means instead of spending up to 30 minutes on a phone screen with a candidate you understand is all wrong for the job immediately, you can merely move on to the next one-way video screen. Video interviewing makes connecting with far-flung talent simple, and can save companies as much as 67 percent of the travel costs associated with interviewing. 3) Offer Great Perks: Finding and interviewing great talent is important, but convincing someone to make the move for your company is a bit more difficult. This is why many companies can be gun-shy to interview out-of-state (or out-of-country) talent. However, if you develop a great company culture with amazing perks, candidates will be more enthusiastic about the prospect of pulling up their roots. To do this, you must know what workers crave in a workplace. For instance, a study found 70 percent of workers want to work from home. Offering the perks for better work-life balance like telecommuting and on-site childcare can help sway a candidate to take a great opportunity away from home. 4) Help With The Particulars: Relocating isn’t easy, and it can become even more complicated if your dream candidate is coming from another country. Help ease the relocation process for your top talent by becoming a source of information and assistance. Know the rules for work visas inside and out if you plan to recruit outside your country code. Consider offering a relocation allowance to help the top talent your company needs with moving costs. And consider setting your new hire up with a mentor to not only help them through the company, but also to help acclimate to their new geographical surroundings. Jumping the skills gap and finding the best people sometimes means leaving your comfort zone. If you explore new geography for great talent, you might just find the perfect person for your open position. Thanks to new technology like social media and video interviews, you can connect with these candidates, no passport required! What do you think? Have you hired any far-flung candidates? Let us know in the comments! Author: Josh Tolan is the CEO of Spark Hire, a video powered hiring network that connects job seekers and employers through video resumes and online interviews. Connect with him and Spark Hire on  Facebook and Twitter.

How to Not Miss Life While Working

How to Not Miss Life While Working Editors note: guest post by Courtney Johnston.   If you havent seen her site The Rule Breakers Club, you have to check it out.   Unlike many of our guests who come to me requesting to write a guest post, I sought Courtney out to write for us after reading a guest post she shared at another site.   Courtney has a fascinating voice and a fabulous sense of humor when it comes to life, hope you enjoy. Bryce And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge, And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge, And all knowledge is vain save when there is work, And all work is empty save when there is love. -Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet After nine months of a transatlantic long distance relationship, I was elated to reunite with my boyfriend for eight months in Paris this past May, where I would live in a shoebox shaped and sized room… with a view of lady Eiffel herself. It was perfection. That is, except for one thing. I had brought with me my American work-ethic/entrepreneurial spirit. I started my own tutoring business in order to achieve location independence. Now that I had it, I knew that I would have to work hard to succeed. So I worked my butt off. All day long. Not only was I working insanely long hours, I was tutoring French via Skype, writing articles for The Rule Breaker’s Club, and sautéing onions all in one space. When I peaked out my window to see the Eiffel Tower sparkle at night I had two realizations: ONE: I lived in the most beautiful city on earth. TWO: I was not taking advantage of it because I was working too much. I realized that it is entirely possible to live in the most beautiful city on earth and miss it because you do not know how to stop working a sad realization to say the least. To define proper work-life boundaries while living in the city of light became the  ultimate challenge. Nine months later, I’m happy to say that I survived (and intensely enjoyed) my Parisian experience. I made new friends, had new adventures, and learned how to let some seemingly important work go. Heres what I learned: (1) “One day” is today. Most of us spend our entire lives waiting for that day when we can stop doing all of the pointless crap and start living on a beach somewhere, host dinner parties, or take that art class. Want to do something with your life? Do it today. A happy life is one of balance, not 14 hour days in the office. The only place that habit is leading you is a future of even more work. Dont die with regrets. (2) People, daily chores, and fun are just as important as work. Every human has the same amount of hours in a dayâ€"successful and stressed out alike. Now, as mentioned in the opening quotation, a certain amount of work tasks cannot be ignored (and is vital to living a healthy life). But by setting a rigid work schedule (especially if you work from home),  you can remain human while making millions. (3) Environmental boundaries are the dirty little secret. In psychology, the fundamental attribution error explains that we tend to give our innate personality too much credit for our behavior, and not enough credit to situations. What does this mean for you? When you are in “work” mode, you should surround yourself with people, places, and things that remind you of work. The same applies to “play”, “relax” and any other modes that you have. When your subconscious mind learns what to do in these situations, it will become second nature. Convinced that you could use a change? Here are some practical tips for squeezing some life into your life: (1) Define your work hours. Of course, some mandatory work will inevitably arrive outside of these hours. The most beneficial aspect of defining your hours is that you won’t feel so guilty when you stop working and start playing! (2) Sign up for a class. Or something else that begins when work ends. When you know that you have somewhere to be, you work more efficiently. Period. (3) Create a ruthless schedule. Sometimes it’s hard to define work-life boundaries, especially if you work from home. I’ve found that by setting a schedule (8am-6pm, and no work after that), makes it easier. Be ware that when enforcing this schedule becomes tough, making social commitments will help you to maintain those boundaries. (4) Spend time with family and friends. If research in positive psychology has taught us anything, it’s that other people matter. Set dates to get together with the people who matter most. Get out a piece of paper and write down the names of 10 of the most important people in your life. Send a message to each of them to set up a dinner date or, if they’re far away, a Skype date. This is your precious time with friends and family. Don’t waste it. Finally, I should probably admit that a perfect equilibrium does not exist, and thats okay. Youve probably already realized this yourself. Living a life of perfect balance would be boring anyway. As my wise doctor once told me, the healthiest people have two things: the ability to recognize when life is off balance, and the tools to put it back on track. I hope that these shiny new tools will help you to do just that! Courtney Johnston is the creator of The Rule Breakers Club, a corner of the web all about being happy and living a fabulous life. She studies psychology, writes, and daydreams about Paris all from her home in Dexter, Michigan.

Personal Branding Weekly - Guilty of Bad Brand Impressions - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Guilty of Bad Brand Impressions - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Comment below â€" have you ever seen that post in a LinkedIn group asking if you would share their resume with your contacts (and then, yes, they do attach their resume)? My first question is “why should I? What have you done to compel me to speak positively on your behalf?” Just asking me to schlep your resume is not compelling enough. The person “making this ask” wants people to speak positively on their behalf but the way they’ve asked gives off that bad brand impression that no one wants to share with their best contacts. Job seekers are not the only ones guilty of this. People in business do the same exact thing with their fliers, brochures and that ever rote and blah text on business cards that reads, “The highest compliment our customers can give us is to recommend us to a friend. We appreciate your referrals!” (oh, please!) If you want someone to risk their reputation and refer you, then you have to be better than that.  [tweet this] 1. Get really clear and concise about what benefit there is in working with you or having you in a team. I mean, clear, like 140 characters clear. If you can’t say it in a Twitter tweet, then craft and re-craft it until you can. (It’s easy to go on..and on, and on about what you do. The hard work that yields good word of mouth to you is to condense it to something portable and easy for someone to share.) 2. Before giving anyone any paperwork (i.e. resume, brochure, flier), know what you want them to do with it. Take it even one step further â€" be sure to know who the document is best suited and intended for. It takes work to know who your target is. Anybody that can use my services or help is not the answer â€" in fact, all that is clearly saying is that you have no idea who to talk to and your hoping the person you are giving the paperwork to does. This is not the best first impression by any means. This means knowing who you serve; how do they benefit from what you do; what are the demographics and the psychographics of that person or group that would benefit from working with you. If you can’t communicate that succinctly, then you’ve got some work to do before you ever ask someone to help you. Last week, we covered many things that will help you in discovering and expressing your brand. The Power and Importance of Language in Branding by Skip Weisman Independent Contractor by Kevin Monahan How to Evaluate and Negotiate a New Job Offer by Ceren Cubukcu How Your Brand Changes After Graduation by Heather Huhman How Five Types of Personal Brands Attract Perfect Clients by Nance Rosen Why Didnt I Get the Sale? by Elinor Stutz Is Personal Branding Your Second Job? by Roger Parker 3 Ways New Grads Can Increase Job Search Luck by Glassdoor.com Honey, I Shrunk the Job Market by Richard Kirby LinkedIn Profile Is More Important than Resume by Alex Freund Women Who Dont Wait in Line: An Interview with Reshma Saujani by Bill Connolly You Manage Your Online Reputation by Maria Elena Duron Optimize Yourself With a Mind-Body Connection by Sharmin Banu Recognize Greatness by Jeff Shuey How to Become an Ideal Workplace by Beth Kuhel Knocked Down 7 Times? Stand Up 8 by Erik Deckers Focus on Benefits and Buyer Motivation to Make Sales by Leslie Truex Should Baby Boomers Care About Their Personal Brand? by Marc Miller Second Impressions by Kevin Monahan Here are seven great takeaways for you from our insightful authors: I’ve been there so many times. Knocked down so many times I’ve lost count. And I will be again. But I get up. Every time. (Author, Erik Deckers) When you Recognize Greatness on a regular basis you will start to be known for this and it will become part of your brand. (Author, Jeff Shuey) There may be great qualifications listed on your LinkedIn profile, but if you limit those you allow to view the profile, who do you think is losing out? (Author, Alex Freund) The big question you need to answer is this, Is your second job contributing to your personal brand building? (Author, Roger Parker) You cannot be all things to all people. As we say in marketing, find a target rich market. (Author, Nance Rosen) Now that your livelihood actually depends on your job search, you need to make sure to build a strong network to help you succeed. (Author, Heather Huhman) Enjoy the idea of building the business of You, Inc. (Author, Kevin Monahan) Plus, here are some great tweetables from last week, too! Consumers don’t care much about your great features. What they care about is how your great features can help them. http://ow.ly/pL5xi  [tweet this] If you get knocked down seven times, get up eight â€" because one of those times will be when you see your opportunity. http://ow.ly/pL6uv [tweet this] Showing you care about your employees will increase productivity at your firm: there is no downside to showing the love. http://ow.ly/pL6Ta  [tweet this] A company’s ultimate outcome or purpose is everyone’s job, eliminating the “it’s not my job” attitude. http://ow.ly/pL6WZ [tweet this] Has anyone engaged you in a stellar way that really moved, touched and inspired you to speak positively on their behalf? Please share by commenting below â€" I would love to hear how someone did it right! This next week in the Personal Branding Blog, we’ll focus on: • The importance of Googling yourself • The clash of generations in the workplace Thanks for reading and commenting! Make it an amazing week for you! Author: Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of  buzz2bucksâ€"  a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.   Maria Duron is founder  and moderator of  #brandchat   a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of  branding  that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers. Are you busy? Here’s some quick and easy tips on  Social Marketing for busy people.

Why Storytelling Matters in Recruitment

Why Storytelling Matters in Recruitment During my recruitment career, one thing I have noticed is how rarely I refer back to my notes taken from my meetings, whether that be candidates interviews or clients requirements. I may occasionally need to refer back if there is a query over billings or salary for candidates, or commission plans on behalf of clients. But on the whole, I have always been able to “package” up a profile or client spec as a mini “story” and tell it to the relevant party. I hadn’t thought about it until I read my cousin’s book “The Storytelling Book” about the art of storytelling that the impact of how we tell a story is what defines us as recruiters and I think it is part of the reason I have always been successful. I don’t mean telling porky pie stories, I mean the ability to recall information; to capture it in context, to make it a compelling case to the person listening. More than an “elevator pitch,” enticing the  person you are passionately telling this story to, to WANT to meet the person. Think of it in a social context: some of your most memorable nights out- you then go on to tell your friend who couldn’t make it about the person who did XY and Z. How it made you feel, the chronological order of events, what happened at the end. The same is the format for telling stories in recruitment- we start at the beginning of the story, why someone has reached this point to explain how you have got from A to B, we want to hear how that journey happened I referred to my cousin earlier- a prominent marketer with global recognition for his achievements and insights- allow him to advise us further, over to you Anthony Tasgal, author, trainer, speaker and strategist POV Marketing. The Power of Storytelling  Stories cut through “attention spam”: Our brain is designed to filter out most of what we throw at it (think of viewers watching ads, parents talking to kids, interviewers having to listen to 50 candidates.) We like to think what we are ‘saying’ goes into people’s attention inbox. But most of that material isn’t memorable, meaningful or emotional (it’s not a story); so, it goes into what I call “attention spam.” A story is the secret weapon to cut through attention spam. We are obsessed with telling people facts (I call this “in-fact-uation”). Stories wrap facts in emotion and empathy. Stories translate information into emotion Create memories are memorable Captivate hold us in their grip Draw you in what’s going to happen next?! All join up stories don’t have wastage Have a tone of voice-they are all about character/s, so they can express your character and make you stand out Stop you from just talking about facts and information .and then you learn something Storytelling makes us care; tell me a story about you and Im more likely to care about who you are Story works because it is universal It is all about trust and empathy: our lives and identities are written in the story. No tribe or culture on the planet doesn’t have storytelling. The same can’t be said for Excel or PowerPoint. Numbers Numb Us, Stories Stir Us Top Tips Construct a Golden Thread: a story needs a thread, a skeleton or structure. Plan yours so your audience doesn’t get lost in a fog of random facts. The rule of 3: try to remember and communicate no more than three ideas, words or images. It will help you remember and rehearse too, as “3 is the magic number.” Be emotional: story works because it translates information into emotion. Don’t rely on facts, information or “data” to create a connection in an interview situation. Create personality. Stories are based on characters, who have a personality. To be memorable (and stand out against other candidates) you need to build a convey a memorable personality; it goes without saying that it should be sincere, honest and based on who you are. Grab them early: stories work best when you have something distinctive and memorable to say, try to get into it right at the start: it will be more captivating and draw in your audience. End big. We filter a lot of our experiences through the lens of how they end (think of holidays you’ve had: TV series you’ve watched, books you’ve read). So, people will remember you by how you left them, the last impression you made. So, make it dramatic. And this is the point where you ask for their thoughts and feedback. Recruitment is all about people; it is all about knowledge; it is all about our networks. And for me, it is being to recall information which is locked into a person or company’s story. What do you think? Is this how you have become successful or am I merely spouting fairytales?

Can Sara Repurpose Her Career Part 4 of 4 [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Can Sara Repurpose Her Career Part 4 of 4 [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode #98 â€" Marc works with “Sara,” (not her real name) to pivot her career, in the fourth and last of a series of episodes featuring “Sara.” Description: In Part 4 of this series, Marc covers the third feedback session with Sara for her personality assessment. Key Takeaways: [1:12] Marc welcomes you to Episode 98 of the Repurpose Your Career podcast. [1:24] If you’re enjoying this podcast, Marc invites you to share this podcast with like-minded souls. Please subscribe on CareerPivot.com, iTunes, Google Play and the Google Podcasts app, Podbean, Overcast, TuneIn, Spotify, or Stitcher. Share it on social media, or tell your neighbors and colleagues so Marc can help more people. [1:45] Marc thanks everyone who has rated or reviewed the show on iTunes. Repurpose Your Career has 25 ratings and 17 customer reviews. Marc would be most appreciative if you chose to write a review. [2:02] We are rapidly approaching Episode 100 of Repurpose Your Career. Marc is thinking of interviewing his wife, Lotus Miller, about her experiences around their move to Mexico! Mrs. Miller is a former Registered Nurse and massage therapist. Now on to the podcast… Download Link | iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast| Podbean | TuneIn | Overcast [2:26] Next week, Marc will have a special episode â€" the audio from the webinar that Jeanne Yocum presented to the Career Pivot membership community, called “Pricing Your Services â€" How to Get it Right.” Setting the right prices is difficult for freelancers and consultants. Jeanne was on Episode 89 of the podcast talking about her book. [3:03] Last week in Episode 97, Marc covered Part 3 of the “Can Sara Repurpose Her Career?” series. This week, Marc will play Part 4 of the series. If you have not listened to Episodes 93, 94 and 97, Marc suggests you stop here and go listen to all episodes, first. You will find the reports for these episodes at Careerpivot.com/sara. [3:48] Marc welcomes Sara back to the podcast. Sara has done her homework. She tells how she makes decisions using her intellect and her intuition. She has her head and her heart involved. [4:50] Marc looks at the homework. Sara was once told by a manager that she is a results-oriented decision maker. She wondered how an employee could not be results-oriented. She has learned that not everyone sees things the same way. [5:56] When Sara has a problem to solve, she asks as many questions as she needs to get all the facts and then she takes the ball and runs with it to get those results. She likes being able to point to the results of her problem-solving. [6:36] Marc reminds Sara that everyone does not think the same and he hopes that she will take time to explain to others how she thinks and decides, so there are no misunderstandings. Marc talks about teaching in mainland China and how differently the Chinese think. [7:49] Sara looks at her Stress Report. There are three sections. They are Interpersonal Relationships, Schedules and Details, and Decision Making. Each section has two pages. The first covers what happens when you go into stress. The second covers what you can do to get out of stress. Sara will explore the second pages on her own. [8:24] Activities to stay out of stress include things you are already doing, things you used to do but stopped doing, and eight choices of things you should try. [9:16] Sara looks at Self-consciousness and Social Energy in dealing one-on-one and dealing in groups. Sara’s social needs are low, meaning she doesn’t want to be around people all day; her self-consciousness is also low, meaning she wants people to deal with her very directly. That is an unusual combination. [9:59] Sara reads her results. It is likely that Sara needs straightforward instruction, praise that is free of sentiment, associates who speak up easily, people who get to the point, direct questions or corrections, freedom from group pressures, special time to be alone, time to be quiet and think, individualized benefits, and a few one-on-one friends. [10:31] Sara says that what resonates with her are straightforward instructions, praise that is free of sentiment, associates who speak up easily, and the rest, except that she is not sure what is meant by individualized benefits. [10:53] Marc explains individualized benefits as meaning, ‘You want to get stroked the way that you want to get stroked.’ [10:58] Sara reflects on what makes her feel valued (from the Career Reflection worksheet). She feels valued when she fills a need. She likes to be needed, personally and professionally. She likes to be depended on. It feels great when someone thanks her for a significant accomplishment, not just for the day-to-day minutia. [12:01] Marc summarizes that Sara wants a level of importance and she wants people to recognize her importance. Sara agrees. She doesn’t want to be relied on for the smaller tasks. [12:46] Marc wants Sara to have ingrained within her the knowledge of what makes her feel valued at work, and to be able to communicate that to others. Marc always loved getting recognition from his clients. Developing software that he never saw anyone use was meaningless to him and didn’t give him ‘strokes.’ [13:46] In Sara’s three pages of needs, there are 30 needs. There will be overlap. Marc will ask Sara to synthesize her 30 needs down to 10 needs and to write an open-ended question for each and what she is listening for. [14:11] Marc cites Jim Camp’s Start with NO, a negotiation book. The art and science of questioning is to get the other side to ‘spill the beans.’ Marc asks Sara to do the same thing, based on her own needs. [14:34] Sara’s things she can do to build resistance: Identify a person or group that interacts with her in an objective manner and spend more time with that person or group. Build a hit list of things she knows have gone well and use it to help gauge her success. [15:00] Sara can find opportunities to assess real signs of success and identify areas that she needs to improve upon. Build a relationship with a coach who, without being shy about it, can help her evaluate how well she has done in a situation. Set aside quiet time for herself every day. She needs solitude to recharge [15:22] Sara can take active steps to protect herself from interruptions when she is working on an important or stressful task. Allocate at least one weekend a month just to be alone with that one person who is most important to her. The more difficult this is to do, the more important it is. [15:39] Sara can prepare herself for big holidays or hectic social periods by spending more time being quiet and alone. [15:47] Sara is already setting aside quiet time for herself every day to recharge and taking active steps to protect herself from interruptions during important or stressful tasks. She has also learned to manage the interruptions. She prepares herself for holidays by spending more time by herself. Marc also avoids holiday parties. [16:56] Sara knows when it’s time to find her happy place in a corner of a room away from other people. Marc talks about the difficulty introverts have in being social. [17:42] On page 5, Sara reads about managing her needs for insistence and restlessness. Sara is low insistence, which means she does not like rules imposed on her. Sara’s restlessness rating shows she does not like to be interrupted. [18:15] Sara may need freedom from close controls, a minimum of structured routine, direct access to everyone, unusual and stimulating tasks, flexible rules and policies, a minimum of abrupt changes in routine, consistently applied policies or rules, only one or two tasks at a time, protection from interruptions, and predictable schedules and tasks. [18:45] Sara disagrees with the minimum of structured routine. She seeks it out and makes it for herself. Marc reminds her that she is a structured anarchist. She would very much prefer the structure to be her own. Sara agrees. She does not want others to impose it. Direct access means she does not do well with a bunch of gatekeepers. [19:51] Unusual and stimulating tasks and flexible rules and policies, and consistently applied policies or rules also resonate with Sara. Sara likes consistency, in general. [20:17] Marc also considers it to be a need for fairness and Sara agrees. Regarding working on one or two tasks at a time, Sara is not a believer in multi-tasking. Marc also has a low restlessness score and he does his best work when he is not interrupted. [20:56] Marc keeps his phone away from himself when he needs to concentrate. He turns the automatic download in Outlook off. People with low restlessness scores tend to have ‘bright, shiny object syndrome’ and their productivity goes way down. [21:27] It can be very stress-reducing for Sara to protect herself from interruptions, and she can boost her productivity be avoiding interruptions. Sara also is happiest when her tasks are not tightly controlled by others. She would much rather be asked than told to do a task. [22:34] Sara reads some things she can do to stay out of stress. Sara can set aside time each week to follow some new interest or satisfy new curiosity, indulge her sense of adventure whenever possible, and use vacations or hobbies to try new activities. [22:54] Sara can create frequent opportunities to discuss future goals, plans and activities with her family and/or coworkers; make schedules that allow her flexibility in executing tasks and plans; and develop work schedules that allow her to spend significant periods of time on one project, without interruption. [23:14] Sara can use time management skills, gatekeepers, and any other means to protect herself from distractions and obstructions from working on tedious tasks and arrange major work schedules in such a manner that she can fit in a few interruptions without getting behind. [23:37] Sara can establish routines for the beginning or end of the day to provide background structure when life gets busy. [23:50] Sara is already doing the last activity. She has established alone thinking time for every morning getting ready for the day and in the evening getting ready for bed. She follows them even if she goes traveling. Marc wants Sara to be very aware of keeping those patterns as habits. [25:35] Sara has not yet regularly set aside weekly time to follow new interests or satisfy curiosity but she has tried it from time to time. She indulges her sense of adventure whenever possible and tries new activities on vacations or as hobbies. She sees that finding the time to do more of that would bring her greater satisfaction. [26:15] Marc reminds Sara to take time out during the day to do something creative. So far, she is not taking enough time to do that. She is very task-oriented which keeps her from taking breaks. That frustrates her. Having a creative streak and being so orderly is an unusual combination. [27:02] Sara looks at managing needs for physical energy and thought. Sara is rated moderately on physical energy â€" she’s not inactive and not extremely active. Sara is rated moderately low on thought. Sara reads her 10 likely needs. [27:26] Sara may need a minimum of prolonged activity, stimulation of new ideas, friendly low-key surroundings, time for reflective thought, unhurried work conditions, quick decisions from others, forceful and definite bosses or peers, and a minimum of ambiguity in situations. [27:59] Sara may also need thoughtful suggestions from others and opportunities to take action quickly. [28:03] Being moderately low in thought means Sara likes to make big decisions in a fairly matter-of-fact basis but if there is no right answer, or there is a lot of ambiguity, it is likely to cause Sara stress. Marc relates a client example. [30:24] Sara lists the needs that resonate with her: stimulation of new ideas, friendly, low-key surroundings, time for reflective thought, unhurried work conditions, quick decisions from others, thoughtful suggestions from others, and opportunities to take actions quickly. [30:50] The ‘thoughtful suggestions from others’ need is in the same vein as the preference to be asked and not told. Fairness plays into this. The cohesiveness of the team is really important. [31:25] To avoid stress, Sara can plan schedules and projects so she can stop and think about where she has been and where she is going, give more time to abstract or philosophical thought and activities, and avoid taking on too many projects or social obligations when things are getting hectic at work. [31:50] Sara can develop a relaxing, low-key hobby or recreation and make use of the curative powers of this activity often, and build family plans and goals, carefully using a thorough planning procedure so that she looks at all the factors and options for important decisions. [32:11] Sara can develop contacts with aggressive but careful thinkers who can help her think things through carefully without holding her back unnecessarily, work out rules with those close to her that allow her to move quickly on little issues but help her to be cautious on important ones. [32:33] Sara can remind family and co-workers that she needs fast-paced action when decisions are required and ask them to push options aggressively while helping her avoid black-and-white thinking. [32:46] Sara tells which activities resonate with her: getting fast-paced action when decisions are required and help to avoid black-and-white thinking is important to Sara. Marc encourages Sara to develop a relaxing, low-key hobby or recreation and make use of the curative powers of this activity. [33:22] Marc asks Sara to use her creative streak to figure out the activity and to give herself permission to take the time to go off and do it, understanding that she will be a better person for it. Sara just finished an assignment of making a personal video that related to work, to be used at work. She was very excited to have that creative outlet. [34:57] Marc asks Sara to give herself permission to sit with that feeling â€" the combination of knowing her project was wanted and being able to be creative with it. Marc asks her to bookmark it mentally so that when something else comes up, she can bring this feeling back. Sometimes she may need to go ask for similar projects. [36:25] Sara compares her work role to being typecast as an actress. Marc explains as we hit our 50s and 60s, staying in our role becomes exhausting to us. The stamina of our 30s and 40s is no longer there. [37:17] Marc gives Sara homework. Synthesize the 30 needs down into about 10. Then write an open-ended question about each need, and know what to listen for when she asks these questions â€" if the answer feels right to her, or if she should run away as fast as she can go. She needs to know her red flags and pay attention to them in interviews. [38:08] Sara also needs to take her assignment of usual behavior, strength phrases that she translated into her own words and turn them into a narrative. This will be her story to share about herself. The key piece is to write it the way she talks, not the way she writes. Marc suggests saying it into her phone then transcribing it. [38:47] Sara’s third assignment for this session will be to talk to three people at work she knows and trusts and three people from her personal life and ask them each for three to five phrases that describe her. [39:10] We behave a certain way at work and another way in our personal life. Marc wants Sara to note the words both sets of three people use, and look for overlap. [39:37] Marc will do one feedback session more with Sara that will not be recorded for the podcast, so this podcast series is completed. [39:49] Sara says she has learned from the experience so far that she is a lot more comfortable with what she is seeking. She has been aware of a lot of what was discussed for a while but she is now more comfortable in articulating it and leveraging it for a future job search. [40:28] Sara synopsizes what she learned about herself, that now she feels like she has the understanding to rebuild her LinkedIn profile and the words and phrases to tell her interesting story in a professional setting. [42:42] Check back next week when we will hear Jeanne Yocum discuss pricing your services â€" how to get it right. Mentioned in This Episode: Careerpivot.com CareerPivot.com/Episode-89 Jeanne Yocum The Self-Employment Survival Guide: Proven Strategies to Succeed as Your Own Boss, by Jeanne Yocum Start with NO: The Negotiating Tools that the Pros Don’t Want You to Know, by Jim Camp CareerPivot.com/Episode-93 Sara Part 1 CareerPivot.com/Episode-94 Sara Part 2 CareerPivot.com/Episode-97 Sara Part 3 Sara’s Reports Outlook LinkedIn Birkman Assessments Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. The paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats are available. When you have completed reading the book, Marc would very much appreciate your leaving an honest review on Amazon.com. The audio version of the book is available on the iTunes app, Audible, and Amazon. Marc has the paid membership community running on the CareerPivot.com website. The website is in production. Marc is contacting people on the waitlist. Get more information and sign up for the waitlist at CareerPivot.com/Community. Marc has six initial cohorts of 10 members in the second half of life. Ask to be put on the waiting list to join a cohort and receive more information about the community as it evolves. Those in the initial cohorts are setting the direction of this endeavor. This is a unique paid membership community where Marc will offer group coaching, special content, mastermind groups, branding sessions and, more importantly, a community where you can seek help. CareerPivot.com/Episode-98 Show Notes for this episode. Please subscribe at CareerPivot.com to get updates on all the other happenings at Career Pivot. Marc publishes a blog with Show Notes every Tuesday morning. If you subscribe to the Career Pivots blog, every Sunday you will receive the Career Pivot Insights email, which includes a link to this podcast. Please take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and on the Google Podcast app, Podbean, TuneIn, Overcast through the Overcast app, or Spotify through the Spotify app. Give this podcast an honest review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. Email Marc at Podcast@CareerPivot.com. Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me You can find Show Notes at Careerpivot.com/repurpose-career-podcast. To subscribe from an iPhone: CareerPivot.com/iTunes To subscribe from an Android: CareerPivot.com/Android Careerpivot.com Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Time to bring touch back to the office - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Time to bring touch back to the office - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog The latest issue of Canadian Business has an article about touching in the workplace featuring yours truly. They cite NBA teams as one example: A study last year linked touch to team performance in the NBA. After examining every hug, high?five and shoulder bump delivered by professional basketball players during the 2008?2009 season, the researchers found a correlation between high levels of physical contact and game success. The findings, which controlled for such factors as skill level and league ranking, were significant enough to garner a call from Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets (who holds an MBA). And then they bring in the big guns :-) Encouraging employees to touch each would seem to be an obvious HR minefield, at least at first glance. But Alexander Kjerulf, a Danish workplace consultant, hopes the Berkeley study will convince more managers to loosen up. Kjerulf helps clients, ranging from IBM to Ikea, to create happier office environments, which in turn can lead to lower absenteeism and turnover, and improved productivity. He points out that the No. 1 source for happiness at work is not related to the job per se. Research shows employees are most content when they have good relationships with their bosses and co?workers. And Kjerulf insists the best relationships come from being natural. We are pack animals, he adds, and not touching each other is not natural. Read the whole article here. I wrote about this previously, and one commenter contributed this story: I once worked for a bank in Germany (well these are two locations in which you would not normally expect ?personal affection? ;-)). The team was large, about 40 people worked in one open space office. It surprised me a lot that every morning, whoever arrived, walked through the whole office and greeted everybody with a handshake and some personal words. It did not matter if the team members came, the bosses from higher up or anybody from another department. It was known everywhere that here you greet everybody personally. For the first week, I found that very strange and a bit intimidating. Also, it cost a lot of time all in all. Yet afterwards, I really enjoyed it. It gave everybody the chance to get to know the colleagues a bit better, to hear what they are off to or to realize that somebody is not in or just returned from a trip or vacation. There was no need to e-mail weekly lists on who is out when. We just knew it. Btw, when I moved on to another job, I sort of missed it. Simple effective makes a difference. Your take Whats the attitude to touching in your workplace? What would you like it to be? What does a hand shake, high-five or even a hug in the workplace do for you? Related posts The science of touch Kill your chair Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Be Clear and Concise When Writing a Job Candidate Resumes

Be Clear and Concise When Writing a Job Candidate ResumesAny person who has the desire to become a successful business systems analyst must take the time to write a compelling business systems analyst resume. To be certain, they can't simply rely on the information that a standard resume outlines, so they must craft their own unique skills and qualifications to make their resume stand out among those of other candidates.In this brief overview, I will go over some of the factors that will help you write a better system analyst resume. First, and most importantly, you must be clear and concise. You need to speak to your strengths, but not so much that you overshadow the other qualities of others. You must also avoid any mistakes that you could make when outlining your qualifications.Second, you must write about your achievements rather than simply stating objective details. It's easy to get bogged down in details and think that these are sufficient, when in fact, the true mark of an ef fective document is in the details. If you have experienced first-hand all of the issues involved with writing a good system analyst resume, read on for some helpful tips.Third, keep the purpose of your resume in mind when working to create the resource box. What can your interviewer do to promote your skills and abilities, and what can they do to build interest in you? It is very easy to come across as maudlin when reading an extensive list of your qualifications. But, by making the 'buyer' or recruiter feel valued and important, you will have a far better chance of landing a great position.Fourth, outline your basics in a very specific way. This means that you should only focus on the best of your skills, but don't clutter your resume with too many things that aren't relevant. There is no reason to allow yourself to be limited by what you don't know, as hiring managers will be wary of this.Fifth, you should always understand how to learn from others. When looking at resumes, there are a number of things that will come up. It is never too early to learn how to learn from others. If you are truly interested in gaining success in your field, it's imperative that you understand what questions you can expect to be asked during interviews.Be aware that when you are interviewing, you will be able to see many sides of people. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't read between the lines. There will be times when someone will only be talking about themselves and will offer nothing else. It is for this reason that it is very important to understand that you must never focus your job search solely on your resume and try to look at it as a guide.The ability to craft a good business systems analyst resume can make or break your chances of getting the position. It is imperative that you take the time to follow this quick assessment of your qualifications and outline the skill sets that you do possess, while also being aware of what is likely to come up during interviews.