Martin Yate Build A Career Management Database From Your Social Networking Leads (stay organized)

Martin Yate Build A Career Management Database From Your Social Networking Leads (stay organized) I recently read this article posted on LinkedIn by Martin Yate: IS YOUR USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR JOB SEARCH PRODUCTIVE? In the article, Martin (who you may have heard of before he has authored a number of best selling career books (in the Knock em Dead series)), has a section titled:  Build A Career Management Database From Your Social Networking Leads I want to share some of what he wrote, and my thoughts: Building a career management database on your desktop now, and nurturing it over the long haul, is a critical component of your long-term survival and financial security. Yep, thats what we have been preaching for almost nine years now.  But dont build it on your desktop.  In the last nine years how many PCs have you gone through?  How many files, folders, programs, etc. have you lost by switching from one computer to another?  Instead of building this critical component of your long-term survival and financial security on your desktop, build your long-term database in JibberJobber.  Its an absolute no-brainer.  The desktop is not the place to put your critical component (aka, your career management database).  In addition to job postings, you should create folders for target companies that gather together all the insights you unearth about that company and your contacts within it when they are not already captured as networking contacts on your social media sites. You should capture the same information about recruitment firms and your contacts within them. Absolutely.  Most job seekers start their tracking system thinking they need to track information about the jobs they are applying for, and hoping to interview for.  This is important, but I would suggest that its more important to track (1) relationships and communication with network contacts, and (2) information you gather about potential target companies. Again, dont use folders.  Use JibberJobber. Heres one point I disagree with Martin says to track information about your  contacts when they are not already captured as networking contacts on your social media sites. I think that a social network site, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Xing, etc. is a great place to find contacts, research contacts, gather information but it IS NOT the place to track information such as when you met them, what conversations youve had with them, when you were supposed to follow-up with them, how strong your relationship is, who introduced you to them, who they introduced you to, etc.  These are all things that you arent going to do in a social networking tool, but you can do all of them in JibberJobber. JibberJobber is like a hub for collecting and tracking information that you glean from other sources, whether from various social sites, news articles, job postings (which sometimes have names and email addresses), face to face meetings, etc.  Dont let the whimsical features of a social platform decided whether you can or cannot track this stuff the right way use the social tools to collect information, and then go to JibberJobber to record everything you want to track.  Additions to your professional knowledge base should be made at the time they accrue. For example, when you establish contact with recruiters who work in your industry, save all details about the person and the company in a document, and store the document within the appropriate folder at the end of your day. If you don’t capture the information for retrieval as you gather it, you’ll remember it for a couple of days, but you’ll have long forgotten everything when next you need it a year or two down the road. That is absolutely right.  Dont worry if you havent been tracking this information or if in the future you forget to track something here or there.  You arent going to track 100% of everything you come across.  Dont beat yourself up if you miss stuff.  But the more you track, the more valuable your tracking tool (aka, JibberJobber) becomes to you. Organize yourself to capture information today that you can use throughout your work life and you create an important foundation for your future security. Absolutely.  This is why you should use JibberJobber.  Remember, JibberJobber is not a job search band-aid that is, you scrap it when you land your next gig. JibberJobber is a long term career management tool that will be with you during your twelve to fifteen transitions!  Martin says: statistics predict between twelve and fifteen job and career changes throughout your work life. Carefully storing and organizing the professionally relevant intelligence you capture during this job search will supply your next transition with a starting point far superior to anything you have at your fingertips today. Organizing.  Far Superior.  Good stuff.  If you arent serious about using JibberJobber yet, this article should be the little nudge youve needed. Martin Yate Build A Career Management Database From Your Social Networking Leads (stay organized) I recently read this article posted on LinkedIn by Martin Yate: IS YOUR USE OF SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR JOB SEARCH PRODUCTIVE? In the article, Martin (who you may have heard of before he has authored a number of best selling career books (in the Knock em Dead series)), has a section titled:  Build A Career Management Database From Your Social Networking Leads I want to share some of what he wrote, and my thoughts: Building a career management database on your desktop now, and nurturing it over the long haul, is a critical component of your long-term survival and financial security. Yep, thats what we have been preaching for almost nine years now.  But dont build it on your desktop.  In the last nine years how many PCs have you gone through?  How many files, folders, programs, etc. have you lost by switching from one computer to another?  Instead of building this critical component of your long-term survival and financial security on your desktop, build your long-term database in JibberJobber.  Its an absolute no-brainer.  The desktop is not the place to put your critical component (aka, your career management database).  In addition to job postings, you should create folders for target companies that gather together all the insights you unearth about that company and your contacts within it when they are not already captured as networking contacts on your social media sites. You should capture the same information about recruitment firms and your contacts within them. Absolutely.  Most job seekers start their tracking system thinking they need to track information about the jobs they are applying for, and hoping to interview for.  This is important, but I would suggest that its more important to track (1) relationships and communication with network contacts, and (2) information you gather about potential target companies. Again, dont use folders.  Use JibberJobber. Heres one point I disagree with Martin says to track information about your  contacts when they are not already captured as networking contacts on your social media sites. I think that a social network site, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Xing, etc. is a great place to find contacts, research contacts, gather information but it IS NOT the place to track information such as when you met them, what conversations youve had with them, when you were supposed to follow-up with them, how strong your relationship is, who introduced you to them, who they introduced you to, etc.  These are all things that you arent going to do in a social networking tool, but you can do all of them in JibberJobber. JibberJobber is like a hub for collecting and tracking information that you glean from other sources, whether from various social sites, news articles, job postings (which sometimes have names and email addresses), face to face meetings, etc.  Dont let the whimsical features of a social platform decided whether you can or cannot track this stuff the right way use the social tools to collect information, and then go to JibberJobber to record everything you want to track.  Additions to your professional knowledge base should be made at the time they accrue. For example, when you establish contact with recruiters who work in your industry, save all details about the person and the company in a document, and store the document within the appropriate folder at the end of your day. If you don’t capture the information for retrieval as you gather it, you’ll remember it for a couple of days, but you’ll have long forgotten everything when next you need it a year or two down the road. That is absolutely right.  Dont worry if you havent been tracking this information or if in the future you forget to track something here or there.  You arent going to track 100% of everything you come across.  Dont beat yourself up if you miss stuff.  But the more you track, the more valuable your tracking tool (aka, JibberJobber) becomes to you. Organize yourself to capture information today that you can use throughout your work life and you create an important foundation for your future security. Absolutely.  This is why you should use JibberJobber.  Remember, JibberJobber is not a job search band-aid that is, you scrap it when you land your next gig. JibberJobber is a long term career management tool that will be with you during your twelve to fifteen transitions!  Martin says: statistics predict between twelve and fifteen job and career changes throughout your work life. Carefully storing and organizing the professionally relevant intelligence you capture during this job search will supply your next transition with a starting point far superior to anything you have at your fingertips today. Organizing.  Far Superior.  Good stuff.  If you arent serious about using JibberJobber yet, this article should be the little nudge youve needed.

Is the Work-Life Balance Overrated

Is the Work-Life Balance Overrated In our society, were expected to prioritize work and leisure and give them both the same amount of attention. Today, however, the balance has shifted and no longer is evenly split between the two. Theres an expectation for employees to put work first and be ready to answer phone calls or emails and work on projects whenever. Millennials make up the majority of the workforce today and they prioritize leisure over work, so is the work-life balance truly overrated? Is there such thing as the perfect balance? Always On? A recent study by the O.C. Tanner Institute found 71 percent of Americans in the workforce believe the ideal employee isn’t always available. This goes against whats become the norm in the workplace today. Employees are “always on” and work is never left at the office. Its constantly in the palm of our hands. So why do so many individuals feel like this isn’t the way its meant to be but accept it? Technologys made it impossible to separate work and personal life. Were easily accessible to anyone at anytime, anywhere. This means valuable family time can be cut into at any second by those pesky little clients who want your attention every minute of the day. This supports the notion that work has become the top priority in our lives. Equal or Balanced? Balanced doesn’t always mean equal. Sometimes work needs more attention than your personal life, and sometimes life gets in the way and we have to put that first. We must be able to sift through the mess and know when work needs to come first and when personal life needs to come first. It doesn’t make you a bad person bringing work home or taking a sick day. It makes you human. And at times, things will overlap. There is no work-life balance. Other aspects of life slip through the cracks. Decide what is most important and what you can get rid of in order to fit all the important aspects of your life. Maybe checking emails right before bed isn’t as important as tucking the kids into bed. Or spending Sunday afternoon working on personal needs and interests  is more important than getting ahead on the work week. Find your true balance, not your work-life balance, and you will see yourself becoming happier. Employees are realizing achieving physical well-being helps them become more productive and keeps them sane. The way to get to this is through finding your true balance, not a work-life balance. Many companies are allowing their employees to work as they please, sometimes staying later in order to run a few errands and get a break during the work day. This benefits people’s mental and emotional well-being. True Balance Can BE Difficult But  Its Worth The Effort We shouldn’t be planning out every minute of our lives, but instead plan accordingly to our energy. If you’re beginning to feel drained, go do something for yourself, or even take a sick day. Burning yourself out does nothing to benefit you, the company, or your family. Let other people help you. Delegate household chores to your spouse or kids. The few minutes throughout the day that don’t get planned out aren’t a waste. They let you get back to focus so you can get all your work done or spend more time doing the things you enjoy. Trying to balance solely between work and personal life makes life a little more difficult. You are constantly stressing about being perfect in everything and not letting yourself enjoy every day. Complete tasks to the best of your ability and then let them go. Don’t stress over the little things and know you will never be perfect at everything. You can’t control everything in life, but you can control your happiness. Letting go of the notion of a work-life balance and finding your true balance will help you find the happiness in your life you want. Image source. https://pixabay.com

How to Set Perfect New Years Resolutions

How to Set Perfect New Year’s Resolutions Having done recruitment for a long time, I know that most of us have a think over the holidays and come up with revolutionary plans for January and the year ahead. Some of us follow through on these plans, some of us don’t. What are the factors that make for effective resolutions? Well, these are rules that work for me and people around me so I thought I’d share them well before you start getting to work on next years action plans. 1) Make them achievable: Don’t cheat yourself when making resolutions. If your goal was to quit smoking this year and the last 7 years, you are not very likely to kick the habit next year. If you set a goal that you won’t achieve, it will only have a demoralizing effect on your psyche and you are worse off. Be honest with yourself and set objectives that will challenge and stretch you but definitely are achievable with hard work. 2) Make them measurable: What gets measured, get done as the wise fellow said. Buying a house on stilts, travelling to Patagonia, auditioning for the X-Factor are all goals that you will know when you have achieved. Merely saying ‘learning old church Slavonic’ isn’t good enough, it has to be more detailed than that. Make it: ‘will take 50 lessons and pass exam level B and be able to order fine wine at a restaurant in Slavonia’. If you can come up with milestones or through goals, that’s even better as you can track your progress easier. 3) Write everything down: We already know that goals that are not written down are simply dreams, this goes for New Year’s Resolutions as well. Start working on a master list of what you want to achieve, break it down into categories and set estimated finished dates. These lists and deadlines will be hardwired into your brain and your unconscious will take you closer to your objectives every day. 4) Spread the word: You have to commit to your resolutions and by telling the world, i.e. your friends and family, you establish accountability. If you tell everyone you are running a marathon next year, they will pester you with questions for the next 12 months so you had better get out and train. 5) Support network: If you can, try to buddy up with someone else that has the same objective as it’s great to have peer support at hand. This could be friends or it could be other like minded folks online, at the gym, at your philately club etc. A support network is extremely useful when you ground to a halt or when you achieve a through goal and find yourself a bit lost for what to do next. People love to talk about their own exploits and how they got there so make use of others’ success. 6) Reward yourself: Remember to encourage your small wins with little rewards. These rewards will keep you going when you need it the most. Rewards can be anything from a cup of ginger tea to a weekend in the city of lights. Whatever rewards work for you, remember to hand them out when appropriate. 7) Flexibility: Remember that what seems like the perfect plan in December could all change once January kicks in. External factors will always move the goal posts and you have to factor these in. Just because your resolutions are an annual thing doesn’t mean you cannot change them as you go along, just like you would with any goals in life. Examples of resolutions: If you are stuck, why not do your bit for the environment and recycle other people’s most common resolutions? Here is a little list: Change jobs (very popular in January, fizzles out in February/March) Buy something big (a house, car, boat, dilapidated factory in Pennsylvania) Get fit (sign up for a gym, start cycling, taking the stairs at work) Get involved in your community (charities, local government, activism) Work on your personal brand (all the rage nowadays) Start writing again (manuscript, book, blog posts) Your turn: What are your resolutions for next year? Please share and inspire others! RELATED: How to Start the New Year with a New Job

6 Reasons to Become a Mompreneur - Classy Career Girl

6 Reasons to Become a Mompreneur It can be tough to raise a family while heading out into the workforce each day, which is why many women are considering or have taken the plunge into becoming a?mompreneur. Its a scary decision but one that many women make after long contemplation. Here are just a few reasons you need to quit your job. 6 Reasons to Become a Mompreneur 1. Missing the Big Moments When moms head out to work, theyre often?missing the best parts?of their familys daily lives especially when the children are little. First words, first steps and even the loss of a first tooth can be missed when mom heads off to work each morning. When shes an entrepreneur, shes there for those first milestone moments. 2. Not Having to Choose A high-pressure job requires you to make a choice when your child is sick. Is it a small fever and a bit of a sniffle, or a serious cold that needs the touch of Mom? Those are questions youll need to ask yourself when you have to decide whether to send your child to the babysitter or stay at home and miss a meeting or presentation. Its a choice that every working mom has felt and each choice fills her with guilt. As a mompreneur, you can choose to snuggle with your sick child in your arms while on the phone. Both jobs get your full attention. 3. Dictating Your Life Your job dictates your life. Youll be missing soccer games, carpools to after-school activities or school plays because you have to be at work. Its not unreasonable to want to see your childs major moments and be a part of?their daily lives. This is why many women become mompreneurs. They dont want to miss out on their childs lives. [RELATED: The Top 10 Mistakes New Entrepreneurs Make] 4. Earning Potential When you work outside the home, youre at the whim of your boss or the company in terms of how much money you can expect. You might get occasional bonuses or pay increases, but you cant rely on these. You have to drag yourself through the day with a limited earning potential. As a mompreneur, you set your own earning potential. Whether its craft  selling for a certain price or an hourly rate that allows you to work part-time, you have control of your earning potential. 5. Work You Love There are many aspects of a job that arent as satisfying, but when youre working for someone else, it can feel like its stifling. When you work from home, youre picking a passion whether its creating or helping others. This will definitely make you feel more positive in life and that can be a very powerful thing to have! 6. Boost of Confidence As a stay-at-home mom with no job except to raise the children, it can feel like a?loss of confidence. Women who might not need to work for the income will head out to work because they want to regain that confidence. Being a mompreneur can be that boost of confidence without resorting to working a job they dont love. When you quit your job and do the work that you love from home as a mompreneur, youre telling yourself and the entire world that you can create a situation that works wonderfully.

Finding Professional Resume Writing Services - How to Find a Good Service

Finding Professional Resume Writing Services - How to Find a Good ServiceMost of the people think that a professional resume writing services are easy to find, but this is not true. There are a lot of people who cannot find a good professional resume writing service as they search for it online. You must know how to find a good professional resume writing service for your needs.It is important to make a research for a good service. In order to do this, you must have knowledge about the kind of people you want to hire for your needs. For example, if you need a professional resume writing service for the business industry, you should be ready to spend some money to get a good service.To make sure that you are going to hire a good service, you must ask about their past achievements and their credibility. Make sure that they have high standards for their work and the quality of their services. In case you do not know about their previous accomplishments, you should ask about it from them .Moreover, you must also know about their working hours and the cost for the materials that you will be using during the process of hiring the service. Aside from that, you must also be sure about the kind of documents that you will be getting from them. There are some people who are getting the same writing job from several different companies and so you should know how to choose a good company.Finally, you should also be able to find out about the kind of employees they have. You should ask them if they have experience in writing business letters. You should be able to find out the history of these employees by asking about it during the interview.If you can do all of these things, you should be able to find a good company or a professional resume writing services for your needs. At the same time, you should also make sure that you get a good service. Find a service that will give you high quality products and will give you information that will help you with your career goals.Bes ides that, you don't need to spend too much money for the services. As long as you are able to spend some money for the services, you should be able to get high quality services. This is why, you should be aware of your budget.Now, it's time for you to search for a good service for your needs. In addition, you should be able to find out what you are paying for. With these, you should be able to find a professional resume writing service for your needs.

Master Your Career This Year

Master Your Career This Year This collection of articles provides tips and advice to help you master your career this year! But if job search is part of the plan, you will find helpful resources in here too! Do you want to master your career this year? Then start by taking action on some of these career management tips or improving your personal brand. Theres a lot of information to help you take your career to the next level. CAREER MANAGEMENT Out of Love with Your Job? 5 Tips for You    on Careerfolk by Donna Sweiden Close to 50% of working professionals throughout the world are not happy in their job. According to Freud, Love and Work are the two central elements to happiness. These days so many people feel like they have no choice to stay on in miserable work situations, and for many there is no out, but there are very strategic steps people can take to make a move. But first one has to decide its time to move on. 5 Traits to Avoid In a Boss on Career Pivot by Marc Miller You Say You Hate Your Boss!  How the heck did you get into this position, and what are you going to do so it does not happen again?  The number 1 reason people change jobs is . the boss! Emotional Intelligence Equals Effective Performance  on  Rochester Democrat Chronicle HerRochester by Beth Sears More people lose their jobs due to poor interpersonal skills than ever due to job skills. By developing personal and social skills that allow you to identify how your behavior affects others, you can learn skills that help you be the best you can be. Want to Strengthen Your Team? Try Some Adversity  on Search for Authentic Leadership by Dan Ryan Adversity is a great way to mold a team. Read along as we discuss how adversity can be your best friend when putting your team together. JOB SEARCH RESOURCES Full Disclosure During a Job Interview on HR Bartender by Sharlyn Lauby Whats the best way to explain gaps in your job history? Two career experts share their insights. (You may be familiar with these two experts, Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter (CareerTrend) and Lisa Rangel (Chameleon Resumes), theyve contributed to carnivals in the past!) 6 Tips To Looking For A Job While You Are Employed  on Design Resume by Julie Walraven If you have a job, should you be looking for a new one? In short, if you are unhappy with your job, you can look for another one. The 3 Most Important LinkedIn Profile SEO Places for Relevant Keywords  on Executive Career Brand by Meg Guiseppi Pack your most-searched relevant keywords in the LinkedIn profile spots that rank higher with LinkedIns search algorithm. Using LinkedIn to Find a Job Tip #11 on Acacia HR Solutions by Sabrina Baker There are tons of ways to use LinkedIn to connect with companies and hiring managers. It all begins with building your network. Here is a unique way to use those Whats Happening with Your Network emails to reconnect or strengthen relationships. Are You Taking Advantage of These 5 LinkedIn Tricks? on Chameleon Resume by Lisa Rangel Savvy users know how to make the most of LinkedIn to build their personal brand and get noticed by employers fast and often. Here are a few lesser-known LinkedIn tricks you can start implementing today. From Mediocre to Must-Interview: A 7-Step Resume Makeover on Savvy Intertern by Mark Babbitt Statistically speaking, most resumes â€" no matter how good we think they are â€" stink. Within the first 6 seconds of review, at least 60% of resumes are thrown away by hiring systems or recruiters. Changing your resume from a “1 in 500” â€" and being seen as just another also-ran â€" to the “1 in 10” that got the interview, can be accomplished with relatively little effort. Here are the steps to build a truly great resume â€" and their theoretical impact (from the recruiter perspective) on how a resume moves through the decision-making process. Why Stellar Employees Sell Themselves Short in the Job Search on The Job Quest by Melissa Cooley When preparing for a job hunt, job seekers should work to find the extraordinary stories and accomplishments from their careers that will set them apart. And yet, even star employees struggle to articulate their unique value. Why is that? NETWORKING PERSONAL BRANDING Do You Have Networking Credibility In Your Job Search? on Hire Imaging by Barb Poole Networking in your job search works beautifully but not perfectly. To guarantee your networking credibility and honor, know what your contacts can and cant do for you. Telling Your Story Has Never Been More Important by Hannah Morgan, Career Sherpa.net These articles should get you on your way and help you master your career this year!

Photo blog - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Photo blog - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I dont want to be the only kid on the block without a photo blog, so heres mine. The newest couple of images are in the sidebar. Itll be interesting to see what I can use this for. Just having a phone with a camera in it has already made me take a lot more pictures, as witnessed by this recent post. 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