Career Coach: Want To Stand Out At Work? Take Some Initiative! – Joyce E.A. Russell

Apr 042016
 

Ask any boss which employee in their firm really stands out as a star, and they will most certainly bring up the person who shows initiative. Everyone wants a hardworking employee who does a good job, but the person who goes beyond that and shows initiative is rare indeed (and seems to be harder and harder to find, as I often hear from leaders).

Initiative is the power, ability or instinct to take action (to begin a task and follow through on it) without waiting for someone to tell you what to do. It means going beyond simply the “9 to 5” aspect of your job. It means taking the “next step” before being asked to take it. Getting in early, staying late, or looking for things to do when your own work is slow.

Whether you are a new employee at the firm or starting a new job in another part of your company, initiative is key. Most firms are explicitly looking for go-getters who can independently take action to get things done. And yet, few applicants talk about their strengths in this domain or realize how important it is in the workplace. Employers, on the other hand, are eager to hire individuals who want to keep learning and growing in their knowledge or skills. Think about the employee who takes additional courses or workshops in order to learn how to do their job better. This makes a positive impression on employers. Or those who volunteer to give back to the community. Those who do these things really stand out.

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3 Things Students Need To Do To Prepare For Life After College – AJ Agrawal

Mar 282016
 
Entering the “real word” is a frightening experience for many college students.  3 Things

The comfort of the dorm, dining halls, and constant social interaction with their peers will soon be over. As college seniors approach the end of their semester, many of them wonder what life will be like after college, and who they will be.

  • Follow your heart    I know this sounds corny, but this is really the best way to put it. I have met countless people who had cemented plans during college to pursue what they believed was the most logical, objectively sound career path. However, almost all of these people regretted making a decision based on what made sense on paper. The graduates who find satisfaction are those who pursue their true interests and passions. Many people worry that unless you pursue a traditional career, it will be hard to make money. Some students worry that if they follow their passions they can never make a living out of it. In my experience, however, the people who do what they are passionate about are the ones who make the most money. If you commit to something, then over time you will be successful.
  • Leverage Alumni Network    Alumni networks are key for finding jobs, getting mentored, making new friends, and making new professional connections. When students graduate it is imperative that they form a network based from their school. Being affiliated with a college or university is an excellent way to establish a network early on. Rather than relying on forming brand new connections, utilize the natural network that your school has created for you. Even if you don’t think an alumni will have immediate value for you, grabbing a coffee with a fellow alum is a great way to meet other people who can help you as you search for a career.
  • Use LinkedIn    LinkedIn is a powerful tool for finding and making new connections. Using it requires effort, but if done correctly college graduates can connect with a plethora of like-minded individuals.

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  •  March 28, 2016
  •  Posted by at 10:31 am
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  •   Career Success, Social Skills

The 7-Minute Rule That Will Save Your Business Presentation – John Brandon

Mar 212016
 

7 min RuleAnything you have to say in a business setting should fit into a seven minute window. That’s my theory about business presentations, and I’ve devised a plan to help you get through a talk at a conference, your next board meeting, an investor chat, or even your daily team meetings. If you talk less than seven minutes, people won’t quite grasp what you have to say. If you talk more than seven minutes, you’ll drone on a bit too much and lose people. It’s the ideal length for holding the attention of a crowd.

Now, before I explain what to do for the seven minutes, let’s address the elephant in the room. His name is TED. The rule for every TED talk is to explain yourself in 18 minutes. Chris Anderson, the founder of the conference, has explained that 18 minutes is about the right length for the talks, and I tend to agree. That is, if you are Bill Gates or Elon Musk. However, for 99% of the people in business who need to hold the attention of the crowd, I’d cut that down to seven minutes.

I’m basing this rule on a few interesting findings of my own. First, when I created the seven-minute morning routine, I was relaying what I’ve done in my personal life for two decades. It works. And, as 200,000 people have read about so far and thousands have tried for themselves, it’s about the right length. My theory is that readers were drawn to the seven minutes. It isn’t such a long period that your work will suffer or you can’t commit to doing it consistently, yet it’s long enough to become truly contemplative. The same length of time works for presentations, especially if you are an entrepreneur. In hyper-connected world of texts and tweets, seven minutes is about the right time to make a point.

I’ve also given hundreds of talks, and seven minutes is about right. I’ve participated in dozens and dozens of startup sessions listening to entrepreneurs explain a new idea. In the first few minutes, you are still getting your head around the idea. After seven minutes you start tuning out. Your audience wants you to explain just the right amount to engage them.

So, seven minutes for a presentation. Here’s how to do it.

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  •  March 21, 2016
  •  Posted by at 1:38 pm
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  •   Career Success, Social Skills

These Are The Biggest Mistakes People Make During Interviews – Lydia Dishman

Mar 082016
 
Biggest MistatkesBody Language Faux Pas Derailed Candidates’ Chances Of Getting The Job As Much As What The Person Said.

According to a new poll, half of employers say they can size up a candidate within the first five minutes of an interview and determine whether they’d be a good fit for the job.

What happens during those first five minutes doesn’t have much to do with what the job seeker says. Indeed, as many interviews start with pleasantries or small talk, it’s often something the candidate does rather than says that’s a deal breaker. That said, there are plenty of ways for a job seeker to stick his foot in his mouth during the interview.

What to watch out for if you’re among the thousands of workers looking to change jobs in 2016? A brand new Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder surveyed 2,595 hiring and human resource managers, the majority of whom work in the private sector, reveal the biggest job interview faux pas candidates have made, and how their body language blew any chance they had to move forward in the interview process.

Let’s start with the overt mistakes. Survey respondents listed five factors that immediately nixed the candidate from their talent pool.

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3 Basic Email Mistakes That Make You Look Really Unprofessional – Stacey Gawronski

Feb 292016
 

3 Email Mistakes

Like most of you, I cannot remember a professional life (much less a personal one) where I didn’t correspond via email. For the most part, it’s an efficient and simple way of communicating, and, when used correctly, it saves time, answers questions, and makes connections. Suffice it to say, I don’t believe I could live without it.

Unfortunately, with the ease of email and the speediness to which many of us are accustomed to sending, forwarding, or replying comes a few road bumps, if you will. I have little tolerance for careless errors like misspelled words (most programs alert you to these types of typos with a squiggly red line), and saying you’re going to CC someone and then forgetting to actually CC him or her. That’s amateur territory. (Although, my mother is forgiven for occasionally sending me messages in all caps.)

Seriously though, because the forum is often the number one way you have of communicating with a client, boss, or networking person, it’s imperative that you get it right. And not just for the sticklers out there, but for yourself—you’d hate for the recipient to miss the point of the message because he or she’s focused on an (avoidable) error. Today a typo loses you a little bit of respect with a co-worker, tomorrow it could very well lose you a job opportunity with a person you meet at a conference.

Ahead, three incredibly basic mistakes you may be making without realizing how very unprofessional they’re making you look to the reader.

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  •  February 29, 2016
  •  Posted by at 11:33 am
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  •   Career Success, Social Skills

Don’t Use This Word In Your Resume – Diane Stafford

Feb 222016
 
MultitaskingBaylor University research says “multitasking” isn’t an asset
You can’t do multiple things well all at once
We’re not as capable at multitasking as we think. Bigstock

 

Have you talked on your cellphone as you drove to work and later realized you had no clear memory of the traffic, of stoplights — which, of course, you stopped at — or other features of the drive?

Of course you have. We’ve all been in situations where autopilot takes over when we’re absorbed in something else.

There’s been a lot of research about how we’re not as capable at multitasking as we think. Sure, we might do two or more things at once, but the real thinking is applied to only one of the tasks.

That’s why a Baylor University professor deserves attention for new advice about how this applies to your professional resumes. Anne Grinols, an assistant dean in Baylor’s master of business administration program, says prospective employers may not look kindly on your claims of multitasking.

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The Skills Employers Are Looking For – Stacy Rapacon

Feb 152016
 

Looking forIf you’ve heard talk about a “skills gap” in the labor force lately, it was likely in reference to the short supply of potential employees with the right technical skills. But another kind of skill is in even greater demand.

Employers are increasingly seeking employees with so-called soft skills, or baseline skills, such as writing, communication and organization.

A recent study from job market research firm Burning Glass Technologies analyzed 25 million online job postings from more than 40,000 sources over the past year and identified the most sought-after skills.

“We tend to focus on technical skill requirements, but the reality is employers are very vocal about the need for people to have foundational or baseline skills,” said Matt Sigelman, CEO of Burning Glass. “Even in jobs that are really denominated in technical terms, it’s still very important to employers that people have the right soft skills.”

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Report: Kansas Tech Workers See Second Largest Salary Increase in Nation – Oliver Morrison

Feb 082016
 
Average salary increased to $87,000 in Kansas, according to survey
Kansas increased by almost 20 percent compared to 8 percent nationally
U.S. tech workers earn more: $96,000 on average

Tech Worker Salaries in KS

While the average worker’s salary has stagnated for decades, tech worker salaries continue to boom and nowhere are they rising faster than in Kansas, according to a new report by Dice, a career site for technology professionals.

The average salary in Kansas increased 20 percent between 2014 and 2015 for tech workers, according to the report, the second biggest increase in the nation behind North Dakota.

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  •  February 8, 2016
  •  Posted by at 2:51 pm
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  •   Career Success, IT Trends, News

4 Traits That Hiring Managers Want in a New Employee – Vicki Salemi

Feb 012016
 
Certain characteristics, such as enthusiasm and an ability to work well with others, are important to employers.
When a hiring manager schedules a lunch interview, he might b assessing your ability to get along with others.

When a hiring manager schedules a lunch interview, he might be assessing your ability to get along with others.

Technical skills: Check. Education: Check. Qualifications: Check. Soft skills: Womp womp.

Hiring managers seek a certain “je ne sais quoi,” a certain “it” factor, when evaluating candidates. When soft skills are clearly absent, or don’t get appropriately emphasized during a job interview, it could be game over for your candidacy.

Yes, some industries and roles put more weight on this than others. But when I worked in financial services corporate recruiting, and candidates had nearly identical resumes, education and work experience, those who highlighted soft skills were hired.

They emphasized their incredible people skills, work ethic and overall positive presence. Here are four things hiring managers look for in a stellar hire:

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Eight Career Skills You Need To Be Competitive in 2016 – Stephanie Vozza

Jan 252016
 
The mix of hard and soft skills it takes to get hired change as quickly as business does. Here’s what it will take this year.

Good help is hard to find. At least that’s what one-third of hiring managers say, and the talent shortage isn’t just in technical fields. Good sales reps, managers, executives, and financial professionals are among the most difficult to find, according to a 2015 survey by Manpower Group.

Sought-after people have a good mix of hard and soft skills, and those skills are always changing because today’s business climate is in constant flux. If you’re looking to get hired, hire someone new, or grow your company, here are eight skills that will help you do it in 2016:

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