Posts

Job Search -What You Must Do Before You Leave For Another Job. Great REad!

At this time of year, some people will receive a job offer, which will make a very nice holiday present. They’ll start their new role after the holidays are over or at the beginning of the New Year.

Many people commence their job search in early January as part of their New Year’s resolution. There are a number of candidates that have progressed far along in their search, but due to the choppiness of the holiday season, the search has been placed on hold. Once the new year kicks into gear, they’re confident that after another round or two of interviews, they’ll likely receive a job offer.

Once you’ve received and accepted an offer, negotiated your compensation and benefits package, tendered your resignation and declined the counteroffer, your job search process is almost over. Here are some simple, helpful housekeeping tasks that you need to complete before you finally leave your job.

Here is your checklist to complete before you head out onto your next great adventure.

Inquire if your company has a “garden leave” policy, which requires you to stay with the company for a certain defined length of time. The garden leave policy at some companies can prohibit you from starting work at your new firm for up to three months.

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

This was primarily intended for senior-level executives, business-generating and sales types of employees. Making a person remain at the organization or forced to sit on the sidelines is advantageous to the company. If you are in sales, your company can try to stem clients from leaving with you. They can also have you on call if any problems arise during the transition phase. It puts the brakes on any possible funny business a departing employee will do with internal proprietary information.

If this is the case, you must immediately advise your new employer as they were probably counting on the traditional two-weeks’-notice period. If you inform the new company that you are unable to start within a reasonable time frame, they may renege on the offer, which will put you in a bad spot. You should always check any restrictive agreements that you may have signed before you embark upon your job search.

Find out if your current firm will “claw back” money from you. If an employer offered tuition reimbursement, a sign-on bonus or other incentives, they may demand repayment once you leave them. This could turn into a deal killer. If the amount of money you’re walking away from is too high, it will make the job switch seem not as financially lucrative as it was before. It may push you into remaining or desperately entering into last-minute negotiations with the new company to see if they can do something to ameliorate the difference.

Do you hold any stock, options or restricted shares? If your company granted you stock or options, there are usually restrictions and lock-up periods associated with these grants. Don’t assume that you will be able to realize the full value of these securities upon your departure. Oftentimes, restricted stock have a three-year or longer vesting periods. Once again, please check for this at the beginning of the search, so as not to run into any problems at the five-yard line.

Similarly, inquire about the portability of your 401(k) account or any other retirement vehicles offered by your current company. Also, check for any potential gaps in insurance coverage.

Remember not to say anything negative in the exit interview. Let them know that everything was fantastic and you had a great learning experience that you’re eternally grateful for. Prepare in advance what you will report to HR, so that you don’t end up saying something foolish or incendiary that you will later regret. Leave on good terms and personally thank the people that deserve it to ensure that you’ll receive glowing recommendations in the future.

It’s always nice to leave as a class act. Offer to help your boss find and train a replacement. Let her know that you’ll be available if they have any questions or need some assistance. Recommend someone who may be a right fit for replacing you. Ask for contact numbers and email addresses from colleagues, so that you can stay in touch with everyone.

Be prepared for some discomfort and awkwardness during your last two weeks. You won’t be sure what to do. Your boss isn’t giving you assignments, as she doesn’t want you to start on things that you can’t finish in the time left. Some employees may see you as a traitor for leaving. Others may feel jealous that you received a better offer with more money and opportunities for advancement. Just play the game. Complete whatever work you have left, ignore the haters, hangout with the people you care about and start planning for your next job.

Forbes.com |  December 14, 2019 | Jack Kelly 

 

Job Search -Where The Jobs Will Be In 2020. A Must Read!

Resolved to land a new job in the new year? Although the U.S. economy is 110 consecutive months into its record-breaking stretch of job gains and the unemployment rate is at a 50-year low, hiring among employers in some areas is projected to soften. But that’s no reason to become one of the 80% of Americans who let their New Year’s resolutions fall by the wayside. You just have to be savvy about where to look.

“The thing that’s interesting is we’re not seeing the largest economies—the New Yorks and the Los Angeles’s—at the top,” says Michael Stull, senior vice president of ManpowerGroup North America, a Milwaukee-based global staffing firm. Each quarter, ManpowerGroup conducts an Employment Outlook Survey to get a sense of the hiring plans of employers in America’s 100 most populated metropolitan areas.

When seasonally adjusted to remove the influences of recurring events such as holidays and school schedules, the report reveals a net employment outlook of 19% for the first quarter of 2020, a 1% decrease from both the first and final quarters of 2019.

“Some of the uncertainty in manufacturing has pulled it down a bit, but when you look at the economy, we have more open jobs than people looking for jobs, and the quits rate is the highest it’s ever been,” Stull says. “I don’t think there’s cause for concern.”

 

Workers would do well to set their sights on the South, where a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 22%, up from 21% last year and at its highest level since 2006, makes the region the nation’s most promising job market. Of the many Southern cities posting net employment outlooks well above the national average—among them Charleston, South Carolina, and Little Rock, Arkansas, both of which boast outlooks of 28%—none is set to offer more opportunity than Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

Claiming the No. 1 spot on this list with an employment outlook of 34%, much of the city’s  strong hiring outlook can be attributed to its booming leisure and hospitality sector. Dubbed one of the best places to visit by the New York Times in 2018, Chattanooga is home to dozens of attractions, among them one of the world’s largest freshwater aquariums, a thriving music scene, miles of hiking trails along the Tennessee River and the Chattanooga Choo Choo, a train station-turned-historic-hotel and one of the city’s most popular destinations.

The businesses that make up Chattanooga’s leisure and hospitality industry contribute $1 billion to the local economy annually, and the eight new hotels set to open their doors in 2020, will  be looking to hire. “Cities like Chattanooga are seeing the impact of consumer confidence,” Stull says. “When consumers are confident, they go out to dinner, they go on vacation. When they believe they have a bright future, they spend money.”

Some 600 miles away in Florida, Cape Coral and Deltona are also reaping the benefits of strong consumer confidence, tying for No. 3 with net employment outlooks of 31%. The leisure and hospitality industry is, unsurprisingly, expected to drive much of the hiring in the Sunshine State, as well as the South as a whole, where the sector’s outlook is 34%, when seasonally adjusted. But second to leisure and hospitality is wholesale and retail trade, posting a seasonally adjusted outlook of 25%.

Retail trade is the most common industry employer  in Cape Coral and Deltona, employing 15.4% and 15.5%, respectively, of the two cities’ populations. Wholesale trade is measured separately and employs 2.07% of the population in Cape Coral and 3.34% of that in Deltona. “We are seeing the impact of consumer confidence and the retail-driven economy, not just in stores, but through all of the distribution,” Stull says. “Towns are benefiting because they can be hubs for distribution and play a role in ecommerce.”

Of the four regions measured by ManpowerGroup—Midwest, Northeast, South and West—the South is projecting the greatest hiring prospects in the new year. But the Midwest isn’t far behind: Employers in this region are anticipating a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 21%, one percentage point higher year-over-year and the highest since 2001. As was the case in the South, the leisure and hospitality industry is propelling most of the hiring, its outlook at 32%, when seasonally adjusted. Unique to the Midwest, though, is a growing professional and business services sector, one with a seasonally adjusted net employment outlook of 30% that is best illustrated in Columbus, Ohio.

Reporting an outlook of 33%, Columbus has earned the distinction of being the No. 1 metro area for hiring in the Midwest and No. 2 in the nation. Some 18% of the population works in professional and business services, making that the most popular sector for employment in the  city. A hub for small and big businesses alike, the Accelerate Columbus and Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Initiative programs have cultivated an entrepreneurial environment, one that has landed Columbus among the Kauffman Foundation’s top metro areas for startups three years in a row.

In addition, jobs growth and downtown office incentives have attracted some of the area’s largest employers, among them JPMorgan Chase and Nationwide. The fastest-growing city in the Midwest, Columbus is  a microcosm of a larger employment trend that Stull has observed lately. “Companies are moving to where people are, as opposed to people moving to where companies are,” he says. “The Columbuses, the Pittsburghs, the Baltimores are being able to compete with jobs.”

While the seasonally adjusted net employment outlooks in both the Northeast and West have slumped since the first quarter of 2019 (the former down two percentage points to 18%, the latter down one percentage point to 19%), this fact may not have as much to do with any looming economic slowdown as with workforce mobility. “We’re seeing this surge from the West and East coasts into other areas because that’s where there’s less competition for talent,” Stull says. “We continue to be in a talent-tight economy, and that’s not going away.”

Author:  Vicky Valet      Follow me on Twitter. Send me a secure tip.

I am an associate editor covering careers, jobs and the ever-changing workforce. In a previous Forbes life, I worked as an editor on the mobile team, telling stories on
… 
Forbes.com | December 10, 2019

How To Get A Great New Job In 2020. #CareerAdvice, #JobSearch, #MustRead

Let’s dispense all formalities. You want a new job because the one you currently have is going nowhere fast and doesn’t pay nearly what you’re worth. Your boss is an overbearing micromanager, senior management is clueless, job cuts are looming and you are sick and tired of your backstabbing co-workers.

Consider today as the beginning of your new year and start your search right now. Don’t procrastinate your job search until January, as January will soon become February, then March and you’ll never get started.

Both the year and decade are coming to a close. Now is the perfect time to do something constructive and meaningful with your work-life. If there is no upside where you are, then it’s time to move on to a better, more well-paying job where you’re appreciated. There are two major things to focus on—your mindset and the nuts and bolts of the job search.

The first thing you must do is get your act together. One of the biggest problems that job seekers have is that they carry around a lot of baggage. They are angry with what’s happening at their current company and frustrated over being treated so shabbily.

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

When people feel resentment and bitterness toward their current job, company, co-workers and managers, it’s painfully obvious to others. The people involved with the interview process sense the hostility and it is off-putting. Intellectually, they understand that you’re in a toxic environment. However, the hiring manager and others involved with the interview process don’t want to inherit any potential problems. They’ll think that it’s you and not the fault of your manager and co-workers. It’s not worth the risk of figuring out who is right or wrong. The hiring personnel will politely pass on your candidacy and move on to other applicants.

It’s imperative that you work on yourself before you start looking for a new job—even if you are relatively happy with your current position. You need to build a positive attitude and mindset that radiates confidence. Put any bad feelings and animosities behind you. Don’t carry it around like a weight on your shoulders. Start out your search with a clean slate. Forget any regrets, ill will or resentment that you may be holding onto. You want to exude positivity, confidence, drive, enthusiasm and motivation.

Start to think positively about yourself and your future. Think of all the good things you have in your life and all the times you’ve succeeded. This will greatly improve your mood and suppress any negative thoughts and actions. People will pick up on it and you’ll gain even more confidence. When you interview, you’ll emanate a positive aura. Interviewers will like you more, as they want to hire and work with upbeat people who project the ability to get the job done. This mindhack will radically improve your chances of getting hired.

Once you get into the right mindset, the next thing to do is focus on the basics. Start hitting the job boards to see what’s out there. Send tailored résumés to jobs that seem exciting and you know that you possess all of the requisite skills and experience. It’s fine to reach a little for a higher-level job.

Spend some time researching the companies that would be a natural progression for you to go next in your career. Investigate them to determine if they are doing well or not. Check out the company’s career page for its job listings. Ask around your network to see if anyone has a connection with the company and whether or not they can make an introduction for you.

Scour LinkedIn to find the decision-makers, possible hiring manager and human resources or talent acquisition professionals. While you’re at it, take a fresh look at your LinkedIn profile and make any necessary changes and enhancements. Do the same with your résumé.

Reach out to recruiters in your field of expertise. Ask trusted colleagues what recruiter they’d recommend. If you know someone who has gotten a great job, ask them for the name of the recruiter they used. See if these recruiters have relevant jobs posted on their site and online. Let them know the jobs you’re interested in and explain why you’re a perfect fit.

If you haven’t searched for a while, spend some time developing an elevator pitch. This is the art of telling your story in an enthusiastic, concise and compelling manner. When you interview, you’ll be focused and have a tight narrative describing who you are and why you are great for the job.

The combination of having a strong, positive mental attitude, coupled with rolling up your sleeves and working on the interviewing basics with immediacy, will help you land a great job in 2020.

 

Forbes.com | December 9, 2019 | Jack Kelly

 

Five(5) Surprising Ways To Make Your LinkedIn Profile Shine. #CareerAdvice, #LinkedIn, #JobSearch

A lackluster or copycat profile will work against you when you’re trying to create a powerful first impression and build relationships on LinkedIn. And with LinkedIn membership moving closer and closer to a billion, standing out is absolutely essential.

Here are five of my favorite tricks that will give you an edge in this crowded yet vital digital space.  

1. Double Your Message

Your headline is one of the most important aspects of your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because it acts like the headline of an ad. Its job is to attract attention and get viewers to want to know more. However, the challenge with this element is that LinkedIn only gives you 120 characters to attract viewers – that is, if you use the desktop version of LinkedIn to create or update your headline. But, when you use the mobile app instead, you get double the amount of space for typing those crucial words. That’s right, instead of the 120 characters, you get 240 on the app. It’s likely just a programming a glitch, so this spacious upgrade may not be valid forever, but right now, you get more space to introduce yourself than you thought.

Like this Article ?  Share It !    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continued article:

2. Start Your Summary (About) With Likability

In most summaries I have read, people start out by repeating themselves. “I’m the director of marketing for xyz corp.” There are two things wrong with that. First, you have already established relevance with your headline – it should clearly state your current role and company. Don’t waste space repeating it right below. Second, you do nothing to get someone to want to know more about you if your summary focuses on job titles. The latest iteration of the LinkedIn profile format only shows viewers the first two or three lines of your summary. A viewer needs to click “see more” to get the whole story. So skip the credentials and kick off your About with something interesting, provocative or intriguing. Here are some of my favorite “About” kick-offs.

3. Prioritize Pictures Over Words

The way your profile is displayed, people see your multimedia more than your text. If you want to influence people who are checking you out, establish your multimedia strategy for your profile. Do that in these two ways:

Today In: Leadership
  • Add images to your About. As I said above, when someone looks at your profile, they only see the first two or three lines. And what they see in addition are multimedia content that you added to your About. You can include things like videos of you speaking or images of you doing your thing or PDFs of whitepapers you have written.
  • Replace the boring blue standard background with an image that expresses your unique promise of value. It’s the easiest way to make your profile one-of-a-kind. Create (or have a designer create – you can use services like Fiverr or Upwork to get it done very inexpensively) a custom image that helps you exude your personal brand.

4. Write An Article

You may not be focused on building your thought leadership or perhaps you think you don’t have anything to say, but take it from me: having at least one article in your LinkedIn profile is extremely valuable for two reasons. First, it shows that you have something to say. Use it to help showcase that for which you want to be known. Second, it features prominently on your profile – it’s the fourth content box – before your Experience. That’s some pretty important real estate. Both the title and the image are visible. Even if people don’t click on it, it makes your profile look different, adding some visual appeal.

5. Lead With Your Most Important Skills

When someone checks out your profile, they only see the top three skills for which you have received the most endorsements. You need to make sure that the top skills in your profile sit at the intersection of these two criteria: You actually possess them and they help position you for what’s next. That means they need to be both authentic and aspirational. So take a look at your profile and ask yourself this question: Are my three featured skills the ones that will be most helpful to me? If the answer to that question is no, don’t worry. Here’s a trick. When you’re in edit mode in LinkedIn, you can change the order of your endorsements so the most important skills show up on top. Just go into editing mode, click the pencil icon in the skills section, and then you’ll see three horizontal lines on the right of each skill. Reorder them so you lead with the ones that will be most helpful to you.

These five tips will have a big impact on the power of your profile – without having a negative impact on your time and energy.

Author: William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and author of Digital YOU: Real Personal Branding in the Virtual Age.

Forbes.com | January 9, 2019

#CareerAdvice : Forbes Coaches Council -15 Essential Tips For #CollegeStudents Preparing For Their Future Careers. Got Kids? #MustREad !

College is a time where most students spend a lot of time looking at the small picture and all but ignoring what’s happening outside. Preparing for the world of work requires students to change the way they see things. There are no clearly defined lines for success in the outside world. Even landing a job doesn’t have any particularly clear-cut rules.

While college teaches a lot of the theoretical knowledge that a graduate may need, it doesn’t explain some specific skills that an HR department may be looking for.

We consulted 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council to help guide students with the things that they should be doing before leaving college so as to gain a competitive advantage in their future careers.

1. Train Your Brain To Manage Stress Triggers

In what is being dubbed “Generation Stress,” the best thing young professionals can do is train their brain to manage stress triggers. Look at ways to manage stress in real-time early in your career to ensure a longer, healthier and happier work life. Start with learning how to reframe the way you perceive a stressful situation — count to 10 and respond versus react, and keep your eye on the prize. – Ann HollandStrive Performance Coaching

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

2. Practice Emotional Intelligence

Practice empathy by paying attention to what other people are feeling. Get to know your strengths and weaknesses. Practice the art of productive conversation by listening to other people’s points of view and asking good questions. Stay connected to your classmates and professors. These relationships could be the key to your career opportunities for years to come. – Felice Tilin, GroupWorksConsulting LLC

3. Develop Cultural Intelligence

In order to understand the contemporary marketplace one needs to develop sensitivity and openness to diversity and multicultural differences. You will need to relate and work effectively across cultures. How to start? First understand your own cultural heritage and uniqueness. With the same curiosity, observe others. Engage in NGO projects abroad. Learn languages and travel as much as possible. – Inga BielińskaInga Bielinska Coaching Consulting Mentoring

4. Start Gathering Your Work Accomplishments

Demonstrated work history with quantifiable accomplishments is great, but what if you don’t have any? In addition to pursuing internships, start thinking about the projects you’ve done in school — these have value! Case studies, experiments and other individual or group exercises often have real-world applications. Document and describe these, and add them to your resume. – Scott Singer, Insider Career Strategies

5. Learn Soft Skills As Early As Possible

Without these skills, any degree is worthless. Learning how to execute effective principles and tactics when it comes to effectively communicating, leading and following others, problem-solving and being agile in your approach to dealing with obstacles, will accelerate your influence at any workplace you choose to invest your time and effort into. – Lynda Foster, Cortex Leadership Consulting

6. Get An Internship

The best way to be successful after graduation is to get some working experience in your industry prior to graduation. An internship is the best way to get that experience and potentially get your foot in the door of a corporation. Even if the internship is unpaid, the skills you will be able to build make for an effective resume, while networking and references will be useful when you begin your post-collegiate job search. – Katrina Brittingham, VentureReady LLC

7. Talk To People In Your Field Of Interest

If you’re really curious and schedule informational interviews with as many people in a field or category of interest, this will help: Position yourself for internships and practical experience, as well as help you clarify what you are/are not interested in and/or good at. What makes you smile when you learn something exciting or new? These are other ways to test the waters and get clear! – Michele Davenport, MOSAIC COACHING SOLUTIONS

8. Learn To Sell Face-To-Face

Building your sales skills will help you have a career without limits. Learning to sell properly, using a consultative selling approach, teaches you how to ask great questions, listen and work creatively to bring a solution to your client. You’ll learn how to build ad-hoc teams, how to get things done and how to win. – Dominic Rubino, BizStratPlan

9. Join A Professional Networking Group

If I could go back in time, I would tell myself to join a professional networking group like Toastmasters International sooner. As a college student, your world can be limited to your classmates and maybe workers, all of whom will be in the same boat looking for work when they graduate. So, get ahead and start committing to a networking group. – Helen Chao, Ascenditur Recruiting and Interview Right Consulting

10. Find A Mentor

Find a mentor and actively engage in exploratory situations where you can shadow an executive or intern for them on a temporary basis to see if you will thrive in this particular career environment. Be inquisitive and experience a “day in the life” of various careers to become better informed and understand the realistic demands for each career option. – Debbie Ince, Executive Talent Finders, Inc

11. Learn Workplace Etiquette

Prepare for your career by expanding your knowledge of business/corporate etiquette. Going from a classroom to a business setting is a transition, and knowing what’s expected will help you feel confident in your new role. Tips on bringing phones to meetings, controlling emotions in the workplace and having a neat, professional appearance are great examples of what you will want to know. – Chrissy Conner, Conner International

12. Develop Rabid Curiosity

Your No. 1 job should be developing your ability to learn and change. The job of your future may not even exist today — the pace of change is only accelerating, and we can’t predict what skills will be needed even years down the road. So invest in your ability to nurture your creativity, your curiosity and your ability to learn new things and adapt to change — it might be the one constant. – Aric Wood, XPLANE

13. Build Your Career On Doing What You Love

Many students plan for “the job.” They focus on what company they should join and what role they should go for — and they end up unhappy and not knowing what went wrong. To prepare for a career, figure out what you love to do and build your expertise on that! You will spend a good chunk of your life working — make sure you feel energized and useful with your contributions at work. – Jeanne Smith, Procore Technologies

14. Be Intergenerationally Conscious

College graduates and students have an opportunity to create edge with employers through truly learning how to work with and learn from the generational cohorts. Demonstrate your ability for this consciousness through research, getting mentored by other leaders and asking powerful questions in your interactions. – Dr. Denise Trudeau-Poskas, Blue Egg Leadership

15. Explore And Understand Artificial Intelligence

Most jobs can be replaced by artificial intelligence (AI) already today. Students will benefit tremendously from learning how to use AI, understanding its ethics, exploring and designing AI and developing the competencies that will help them utilize AI so that they can future-proof their career trajectory success, rather than be replaced by it. – Lital Marom, UNFOLD Media Group

Follow me on Twitter. Check out my website.

Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only, fee-based organization comprised of leading business coaches and career coaches. Find out if you qualify at forbescoachesc

Forbes.com | October 3, 2019

#CareerAdvice : The #Networking Advice No One Tells You. A #MustRead for All!

We’ve all heard the advice that networking is important for our careers. And regardless of your profession, your industry or demographic, the message is loud and clear. If you want to be successful, you need to spend time networking. It’s great advice. But the critical missing piece to this advice is exactly how to network.

There’s an old adage that if you throw spaghetti against the wall and it sticks, the pasta is done. Over the years, this phrase has evolved to mean that when you throw enough activity or ideas at a situation or problem, eventually something will stick; eventually you will find the answer. So when we’re told we need to network to help us be successful, those of us who are ambitious, tackle the problem with this approach. We throw a lot of activity at the issue and hope for the best. We go to lots of networking events and conferences, collect and hand out hundreds of business cards. We establish an online presence and build a large group of followers. Unfortunately, this doesn’t result in the type of network that supports our career advancement. It has no purpose or intention.

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

It takes a village to have a successful career; people who provide you with information, connect you to others, help you get your job done, advocate for you, mentor, guide, and sponsor you. And to build this type of network, your networking activity needs to be strategic. To create the type of network that supports your ambition, your efforts must be intentional and purposeful.

What holds you back?

Your mindset. The first thing that prevents us from building a strategic network is our mindset that networking is self-serving. And when we believe that any attempt to establish relationships is only for our benefit, we are less inclined to pursue these conversations. “It’s all about me and I’m uncomfortable asking for help.” A strong network, however, is built with mutually beneficial relationships; where both parties benefit. In the process of getting to know someone, you understand how you can add value and help them, and they are then willing to help you.

You limit your network. Our comfort level is to network with people we know and like; people with similar backgrounds and points of view. Research shows us that this type of closed network, limits our exposure to people who can offer new connections and ideas.

You aren’t strategic. We use the ‘spaghetti against the wall’ approach and don’t build a network focused on our career goal and ambition. We spend our time meeting random people and hope that this effort will deliver an important contact over time.

You aren’t proactive. We wait until we need help for a new job or assistance selling a new concept or idea. We wait until we have a need and then discover that we no longer have much of a support network. We haven’t reached out to our contacts or nurtured the relationships and now we feel uncomfortable asking for help.

You don’t schedule time to network. I hear the excuse that there’s no time to network from many women. They can’t go out for drinks or attend networking events after work most nights. My answer is to schedule time on your weekly calendar for a coffee or lunch and then reach out to people to meet you during the work day.  Be strategic about which evening events are worthwhile for you and try going to one or two meetings to assess if that organization is one that will expose you to new people.

You don’t leverage relationships. We meet a lot of people and take their business cards and have an initial conversation but never follow up. The result is that we don’t have real relationships. We don’t know these people and they don’t know us. Be strategic about your connections and take the time to get to know people with the potential for mutually beneficial relationships.

How do you create a strategic network?

Start with your career goal. What are you hoping to achieve in the next 3-5 years? Then ask yourself, who do you know and who do you need to know to help you reach that goal.

Understand your value proposition. How does your work contribute to positive business outcomes? This value proposition positions you as credible and helps you build influence. Your value proposition helps you create mutually beneficial relationships because you understand how you can help others. Once you get how you can help others, you eliminate the limiting belief that your networking activity is self-serving.

Build mutually beneficial relationships. As you meet people, ask them open-ended questions about their work. What are they working on? What are some of their current challenges? If there an opportunity for you to help by connecting them to a resource or guide them based on your value proposition and/or experience? This is how you create strong relationships.

Find allies and champions. A strong network supports and advocates for you. It helps you sell your ideas across the organization, promotes you for new opportunities. Once you make connections and offer to help others achieve their goals, your contacts will respond in kind when you have a need.

Be strategic. Be thoughtful about who is in your network and the best way to connect with these people. Spend your time wisely by focusing on these relationships and nurturing them over time. Be deliberate about what organizations and events you attend to help you connect with potential contacts. And take action!

Author: Bonnie Marcus, M.Ed, CEC,  is an executive coach, professional speaker, and author of The Politics of Promotion: How High Achieving Women Get Ahead and Stay Ahead. She helps women successfully navigate the complexities of the workplace to realize their ambition.

 

Forbes.com | May 22, 2018

 

#CareerAdvice : #ResumeWriting -Does Your #Resume Have an Identity Crisis? Great Two(2) Min Read!

Most of the resumes I review each year suffer from an identity crisis and are uninspiring. They’ve been created in cookie-cutter fashion, filled with overused words and phrases, are not aligned with the employer’s needs and open with a vague statement that “tells” the employer what they are looking for …”to utilize my skills and experience …” (insert yawn.)

A resume with an identity crisis leaves the reader confused and unable to discern exactly what direction the person is going with their career or the value they bring to the organization. More than that, this type of resume doesn’t:

  • Differentiate you from your competition.
  • Provide context. It’s all generic fluff that sounds like hundreds of other candidates.
  • Make it easy for the hiring authority to determine how you solve their specific business pain.
  • Prepare you for interviews.
  • Say anything unique at all.

Still today, job seekers hold fast to the belief that employers want an objective statement along with a full obituary of their career. And, they continue to create generic resumes with basic job descriptions, tasks, and experiences. Resumes have evolved.

Today’s Resumes:

  • Are focused and make it easy for hiring manages to grasp your value (what you can do for them), where you worked (your unique experiences), and the impact of your efforts.
  • Are bold and go beyond simply showing titles, dates, and job duties.
  • Demonstrate your value and frame how you made a difference.
  • Do not use generic objective statements or overused phrases.
  • Convey perception (how you want to be perceived); alignment (who you are and where you are going); and a summary (the argument for your worthiness to be hired for the position).
  • Are unique to the applicant and not a copy of another person’s document.

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

Your resume should connect with your audience and build the hiring authority’s confidence in you by proving your value.

If you’re uncertain of the direction you want to go in your career, find the common thread and then emphasize where your skills and qualifications intersect with the employer’s needs.

It All Starts with a Strategy — No matter the circumstance, to create a great resume, you need a strategy before you start writing.

  • What is your career goal?
  • Who is your target audience?
  • What value do you offer (skills and competencies for the industry targeted)?

In the end, a clear direction will help shorten your job search.

CareerExperts.com | September 19, 2019 | Tammy Shoup 

#CareerAdvice : #Networking -How To Become A #SocialMedia Marvel In Nine Minutes. A #MustRead for All!

Digital branding is my primary focus these days, and that means helping clients get past their resistance to social media. The number one reason they tell me that they don’t engage in social media is:  I just can’t find the time to do it.

So what if you made a habit of committing no more than nine minutes a day. Could you find nine minutes?

You can actually get a lot accomplished, deliver value to your audience and not wear yourself out when you’re willing to commit a few minutes a day. To make this work, though, you need to commit to doing it every day. When you do, your nine-minute habit becomes three hours a month of social media engagement.

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

Here’s how to make it happen:

Step 1: Focus On One Platform

Don’t squander your efforts by being on every platform—Facebook plus Instagram plus Twitter plus LinkedIn plus YouTube equals social media taking over your life. It will be impossible to be consistently visible on all those platforms unless you make it your full-time job. Instead, choose up to three, preferably just one platform to start. How do you choose, you ask?

Pick what sits at the intersection of these two criteria:

  1. You enjoy them. There’s no sense picking YouTube if you abhor creating videos. You’ll be more likely to keep up your 9-minute daily social media habit you’re having fun with it. If you like to write brief, pithy content, choose Twitter. If you love visuals, choose Instagram
  2. Your people are there. When using social media for professional purposes, the goal is to be visible, valuable and available to the people who are making decisions about you. There’s no sense in tweeting at the frequency of Kim Kardashian or Donald Trump if your target audience isn’t on Twitter.

Step 2: Choose The Right Time

Identify your best time to engage in social media. We know that true habits are easier to form when they take place at the same time every day–like brushing your teeth. Your social media habit might take place first thing in the morning or right before you leave work or during lunch. Or, to make it even more efficient, consider a time when you can double up on productivity. For example, if you commute to work on a train, that’s the perfect time to also connect with your online community. If you wait in line every morning for your triple tall half-caf, iced skim caramel macchiato, get your phone out and make the wait more productive.

Step 3: Engage

Be strategic in deciding what you want to talk about. Your topic should help you demonstrate your thought-leadership and give you an opportunity to express your point of view. Remember, being visible on social media does not mean creating new content every day. If you’re just starting your social media habit, here’s a good mix of items for your daily do:

  • Like and comment on content that was posted by others.
  • Share others’ content, adding your point of view to make their post even more valuable
  • Share something you learned, a favorite quote, a relevant statistic
  • Post your own content (article, tweet, picture, video, etc.)

Step 4. Make It Easy

There are lots of things you can do to automate the time-consuming parts of social media.

  • Use a social media posting tool like Hootsuite or Buffer to post multiple items and schedule them over time.
  • For responding to your connections/followers’ content, create shortcuts on your phone for standard responses. Apple iOS makes it especially simple to do this.
  • If you prefer speaking to typing, just talk your message or update.

The point is to find ways to make your social media habit more efficient and more aligned with how you like to work. Personal branding is all about being authentic, so if you dread your social media routine, your posts will seem phony or forced. Do whatever you need to do to keep your new habit from feeling onerous.

That’s it! If you have been reluctant to engage in social media, follow this process. Commit to your nine-minute habit and watch your digital brand soar.

Author: William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and creator of the complete LinkedIn quiz that helps you evaluate your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy.

 

Forbes.com | September 16, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #YourCareer – How to Survive a Recession. How to Recession-Proof Your Career. #MustRead !

Some experts believe is a recession is inevitable. In the last recession—which kicked off in 2008 and lasted 18 months—some 2.6 million American workers lost their jobs. And so, it’s no wonder workers across the country are worried, career experts say.

But there is some good news: The unemployment rate remains low, and consumers continue to spend in the economy—two indicators that companies are unlikely to scale back too much in the event of a recession. What’s more, as Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist of Glassdoor, told Market Watch, Americans’ money may be safe, too: “Most Americans are not invested actively in the stock market,” he said. “The psychology of slowdown hasn’t infiltrated the real economy.”

Of course, we understand if you’re still concerned, for your job and future. And that’s what this guide is here for: We’ll walk you through what to expect in the event of a recession, from what jobs might be safest to how to build a back-up plan and what you can do if you do lose your job.

Jobs That Are Safe (and Jobs That Aren’t)

While it’s safe to say most jobs aren’t truly recession proof, some career fields may be safer than others if a recession hits. “Anyone in medical care is considered pretty recession proof,” says Jill Jacinto, a millennial career expert. “It’s a service people will always need—especially as Baby Boomers continue to age and require more of them.” In that sense, Jacinto says that people who work as doctors, therapists, nurses, pharmacists, and senior care providers may be the safest. 

In addition to jobs in the healthcare industry, “government positions, the financial industry, IT, and technology are … more recession-proof industries,” says career coach Hallie Crawford

Jobs that typically aren’t safe, on the other hand, are retail and service-based, Crawford says. (In fact, she says, these are often the first industries to be hit by a recession.) What’s more, “if we look back at the recession ten years ago, the hardest hit areas were architects and construction, travel agents, event planning, and real estate,” says Jacinto. “This makes sense since people are scaling back from buying homes and cosmetic home improvement projects when money is tight. They also are forgoing vacations and large-scale events.” Of course, Jacinto adds, “people working in media also got hit with massive layoffs since advertisers were shrinking budgets.” 

Chamberlain also told NBC that “there was some very weak job growth for some blue-collar sector jobs,” such as transportation and mining, which may make these jobs less recession proof.

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwidein our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

Skills You Should Hone

Whether you work in a field that’s more (or less) recession-proof, it’s smart to hone certain skills that will be valuable no matter the state of the economy, our career experts say. After all, as Jacinto says, “the people who tend to survive layoffs are the ones most adaptable to change.” 

So, your first step, she advises, should be to learn or take courses on the newest skills needed for your particular job or industry—even if your work isn’t requiring you to do so. You should also practice being the “yes” person, Jacinto says—the one who is proactive about taking on projects and making your boss look good. (Making yourself indispensable is a good idea all the time.) 

Crawford says that tech skills, regardless of where you work, are important to hone. “Knowledge of technology is always going to be a must-have,” she points out. Plus, project management skills are skills that can transfer to almost every job and industry, and they can be highlighted on a job application. “Every organization will need people to manage projects effectively,” she explains.

How to Build a Back-Up Plan

Having a back-up plan will give you peace of mind and a clear path to follow should a recession hit. Jacinto recommends that your backup plan include strengthening your network and personal brand. “Check in with your network and develop new relationships,” she says, “so if layoffs hit, you’ve already done the meet-and-greets and can ask for job recommendations and referrals.”

You should also “mentally prepare yourself for having to accept less money, benefits, or—the most likely outcome—taking on more work during a recession,” says Crawford. In recessions, companies may try to do more with less, and your job—or a new job—may look very different than you envisioned. “Consider ways to be more efficient with your job, in case you are asked to take on an additional workload,” Crawford suggests. You should also think about ways to reduce your spending, too, she suggests, so that you’ll be financially prepared for whatever may come.

Talking to Your Boss About Recession Concerns

If you’d like to speak to your employer about potential recession risks, you can—but carefully. “You should not flatly ask, ‘Will I be getting laid off?’” warns Jacinto. “Chances are that your boss has no idea—and more importantly, you want to position yourself as a strong employee.” 

Instead, Jacinto and Crawford agree that you can broach company and economy issues in a one-on-one setting and in a way that doesn’t address your job specifically. You can ask: “How the organization is doing knowing the current state of the economy, and if the company or your department should do any planning for a possible recession,” says Crawford. “Your boss will likely not want to alarm any employees to a chance of staff reduction, but taking a proactive stance and opening a possible conversation for a plan of action is a positive way to address it.”

You may also want to set up a time to present to your boss how valuable you are the company, Jacinto says. “Put together a presentation that walks them through your day-to-day projects but also your accomplishments year to date,” she says. “How many new clients did you add? Have you increased ROI or decreased budgets? Letting your success speak for itself subconsciously tells your boss you are essential to the business and not the person they should mark to leave.”

What to Do If You’re Laid Off

If the worst should happen and you are laid off during a recession, you may have some options. 

Now is the time to review your employee handbook and study your company’s policy on layoffs and severance, says Jacinto. “You might be owed a nice amount of money, and better for you not to leave it on the table,” she says. You may be entitled to unemployment, payment for unused vacation days, and more. If the handbook doesn’t make it clear, schedule a meeting with HR. 

Crawford encourages you to find out what insurance benefits, if any, you’ll be entitled to in the event of layoffs. If they aren’t provided, you may want to check out COBRA for the short term. 

If you’re laid off, it may also be smart for you to ask your employer if there’s an opportunity for you to work as a consultant or contract employee, even part-time, says Crawford. “If the layoff is permanent, ask if they see any chance to be re-hired in the future, if they are willing to give you a recommendation on LinkedIn, and if they are willing to be a reference for you,” she says. “And ask for any connections or referrals they may have to other organizations for possible jobs.” The company may be able to point you toward a great opportunity—or at least in the right direction. 

 

GlassDoor.com | September 16, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #YourCareer -How The Wall Street Stock Market Plummet Of 800 Points Could Dramatically Hurt The #JobMarket .

The United States witnessed an amazing, meteoric economic-growth trend, from the depths of despair—during the 2009 financial crisis—to where we are now. In the last 10 years, we have gone from a near depression to record-setting highs in employment and the stock market. Unfortunately, markets don’t experience an uninterrupted, upward trajectory forever. 

Wall Street professionals and experienced investors know that blazing-hot stock markets ultimately correct, lead to recessions or sometimes crash. On Wednesday, we watched an ugly 800-point plunge in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, which serves as a bellwether for the stock market. Predictably, media outlets immediately went into a frenzy—predicting doom, gloom and a recession. Cable news had a field day, citing geopolitical events, inversion of the yield curve, trade war tensions and other fear-inducing sound bites as the cause to frighten viewers into staying tuned into their channels. The television journalists and newspaper writers could have calmly and dispassionately informed the public that the stock market corrections of 5% to 10% are common and we are long due for one, but that doesn’t generate ratings.

The worry I have is not so much the vagaries of the stock market, but rather the perception of the future direction of the stock market and its impact on hiring. The job market is closely correlated with the stock market. Stock prices are based on future earnings. If stocks are high, then investors believe corporate earnings and profits will do well. If the market is down, it could be because investors lack confidence in the ability of companies to generate growing profits in the future.

 

Like this Article ?  Share It !You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing  Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

FSC LinkedIn Network:   www.linkedin.com/in/fscnetwork

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/First-Sun-Consulting-LLC-Outplacement-Services/213542315355343?sk=wall

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type job search, resume, networking ) in Blog Search: https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Continue of article:

The large number—800 points—alarms the average person who is unaware of the fact that this is less than 3%, which is not so terrible. Stock market drops, accompanied by the negative sentiment among people and the media fanning the flames of possible recession and even worse calamities, set the stage for a general unease. Confidence in the future of the economy erodes. Executives worry about the future. When the CEO and upper management believe that the economy will slow down, they will hit the brakes. This entails laying off employees, instituting a hiring freeze and—through attrition—when people leave, they won’t be replaced. When enough companies do this, it becomes a self-fulfilling, downward spiral. A company may not want to be the only one hiring in a bad economy, as they will then have to let these people go later on. Potential job seekers will be concerned about leaving a relatively safe job to take on the risk of switching roles with another company—only to be fired in a few months. Older workers will put off retiring, as they see their 401k plans fall in value. New products, divisions and business lines won’t be started since there is worry and uncertainty about the future. Therefore, the jobs associated with growth won’t occur. Management will discontinue offering raises and bonuses. If stock market drops accelerate, the fear factor will increase and additional jobs will be cut.

Hopefully, the current mood is only part of a routine correction. Let us be optimistic that the stock market will bounce back, global political and economic tensions will ease and we will get back on track again.

I am a CEO, founder, and executive recruiter at one of the oldest and largest global search firms in my area of expertise, and have personally placed thousands of profes…

Forbes.com | August 15, 2019