First Sun Blog Archives - Page 119 of 235 - First Sun Consulting, LLC | Outplacement Services and Career Transition Firm

Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – 5 Email Templates to Use When Asking for a #Reference …It’s No Secret: Asking for References can Be Intimidating. We Reached Out to #CareerExperts for Right Way to Ask Someone to Serve as a Reference Over Email.

June 27, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It’s no secret: asking for references can be intimidating. Since references often don’t come from the company you’re working at currently — especially if you haven’t yet told them you’re sniffing out new opportunities — you often must reach out to colleagues from across the spectrum of your career.

This means contacting people you may not have spoken to in a while, and asking them to take time out of their schedule to remember your attributes and speak about them with your potential employers. The quality of your references can make or break certain hiring processes, so it’s of the utmost importance to find the right people.

Although sending the same stock email out to each potential reference can save you time, it’s not advised. A reference request should be personalized to the person you’re sending it to, and the type of relationship you had with them.

We reached out to career experts Tiffany Franklin, who is the founder of TFJ Career Coaching and works in career services at an Ivy League School and Emily Kapit, MS, MRW, ACRW, CPRW, career strategist and owner of ReFresh Your Step career consultancy, to learn more about the right way to ask someone to serve as a reference over email.

“You want them to feel like you’re asking them because you truly want them to be a reference, not just because you have to have three,” says Kapit, underscoring the importance of tailoring each request to the person you’re reaching out to.

To get an idea of what personalized email requests for references would look like, these five templates give a full idea of what type of language is appropriate for different relationships.

For A Former Boss

Hi Donna! I hope you have been doing well. It’s hard to believe it has been three years since we worked together. I learned so much while we were working on the XYZ project and have fond memories of working at [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][company name].

Things have been good here. I have enjoyed working at [company name] for the past two years and getting to explore the city of Denver. After much contemplation, I’ve decided it’s time for new challenges, so I’m beginning to search for Marketing Director roles and hope to relocate to San Diego later this year.

Would you be available to serve as a reference and provide a positive recommendation for me? If you are, I would be happy to send you my resume and a sample job description so you have an updated view of my experience and what I’m seeking.

Thank you for considering this. I look forward to connecting with you again and hearing your updates.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

This reference request, written by Franklin, masterfully re-establishes the connection with the former boss and brings them up to speed on your recent professional history. “The wording of your message to re-introduce yourself to a potential reference will depend on the nature of the relationship (former boss vs. coworker), how close you were at the time, whether you saw each other outside of work in social settings and exactly how long has it been since you last connected,” Franklin says. She adds that it’s also important to consider the timing of your request and how far you are in the job search process, which can determine the likelihood that they will be imminently contacted.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

For A Former Collaborator

Dear X,

I hope you’re well. I’ve been following your career via LinkedIn for the last several years and see that you’ve moved up to [new role] — congratulations! In the last few years, I have also moved up and am currently doing [current role]. I’m looking to transition to an even more senior role and am conducting both an internal and an external search regarding future opportunities. In doing so, I was reflecting on who would be a really good reference for me, and felt that you would be one.

I recall our time working on [particular project] and I thought that given what I’m looking for in that next role, you would be a great person to speak to the skills I bring to the table as well as the kind of hard worker that I am, and would really appreciate if you could serve as a reference for me.

Of course, I am more than happy to do the same for you at any point in time. Please do let me know. Additionally, if you would be so kind as to put the recommendation on my LinkedIn profile, I would greatly appreciate that. Again, I would be more than happy to do the same for you.

I wish you continued success in your career and look forward to being in touch. Please do reach out with any questions!

All the best,

[Your name]

This template, written by Kapit, contains a few powerful elements. First of all, it gives the recommender a specific reason why you’re asking them, of all people, to be your reference. Second, you’re following what some call the “golden rule of networking”: offering your help to someone else, so that they may offer their help to you. This particular template offers to recommend or serve as a reference for the other person in return for them doing the same for you — a great strategy for making the “ask” feel much less one-sided.

For A Former Mentor

Hi Mr. Thomas! I hope you’re doing well. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been four years since we worked together at [company name]. How have you been?

I really appreciate all I learned during that time and the guidance you provided. It has been so helpful with my client projects here at [company name]. I have been networking as you suggested and recently became aware of an interesting opportunity to become a Marketing Manager. Given my work on client projects over the past few years, I feel it would be a perfect fit and great next step. Would you be willing to provide a positive recommendation for me? I’ll be happy to provide you with my resume, full details of the job and any other info you would find helpful.

Thank you for considering this. I hope we can catch up properly soon.

Warm regards,

[Your name]

This request, written by Franklin, shows the power of a brief — yet humble, respectful and professional – email. When you have reservations about sending a request to someone, or are worried that the connection might be too tenuous, always defer to a humble, professional tone. In addition, Franklin says, “when making any request in life, it’s helpful to use empathy and think about how you would feel if you received a similar request. If you get a feeling in the pit of your stomach that you’re asking for too much or it sounds like you’re sucking up or something like that, re-think the email.”

For A Former Direct Report

Dear X,

I hope all is well with you. I heard you were promoted to [new position] at [former company]. Nice!

I’m reaching out today because I’m looking to make my next career move, and I’m in need of references for the positions I’m applying for. Given our extensive working history together, I thought that you would be able to speak to my ability as a manager, and I was wondering if you would be willing to serve as a reference. If asked, I think that the example of [X project] we worked on together would be particularly salient.

Of course I would be more than willing to act as a reference for you or provide you with any sort of recommendation. Please let me know if you have any questions!

Kindly,

[Your name]

While it’s less common to ask someone who you formerly managed to be a reference for you, it can be appropriate in cases where you’re looking to show off your management skills to the hiring team. Reaching out to a person who was your subordinate has a slightly different tone than asking someone who you worked under. “You want to mirror the tone of the relationship that you had with them in your prior role,” Franklin advises. “That way, the style of your request is consistent with how you have always interacted with that person and won’t seem outside the balance of what that relationship [is] and always [has] been.” Franklin also provides a number of templates outreach examples in her “Essential Guide to Securing References for a Job Search.”

A Former Client

Dear X,

I just heard news that your company recently [accomplishment]. Congratulations! I’m always heartened and delighted to see what your company is doing in the world.

I’m writing today because I’m looking to transition into a new role doing [new job], and I’m looking for a few people who can serve as references for me and speak to my skills as a [your profession]. I thought that the project we worked on last year was a great example of how I can [list skills]. I would be very grateful if you were able to serve as a reference for me.

Please let me know if you have any questions — and I’m also happy to refresh your memory on the details of the project and the role I played if you want me to send anything over.

All the best,

[Your name]

“Try to be specific regarding why you’re asking that particular person to be a reference for you,” counsels Kapit. In this template, praise is given to the former client in order to remind them of their connection to you. In addition, listing specific skills tied to the project you worked on together can help trigger their memory of why exactly they would be qualified to comment on your professional prowess.

GlassDoor.com | June 27, 2018 | Posted by Lillian Childress

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Your #Career :The #FutureOfWork – How to Prepare your Kids for Jobs that Don’t Exist Yet…. #ArtificialIntelligence will Rule the Jobs of the #Future , so Learning How to Work with It Will be Key. But the Skills Needed Might Not be What you Expect.

June 27, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

With total robot domination seemingly impending, preparing the next generation for the future of work can feel like a lost cause. But fear not, the future may be brighter than expected.

“There’s three job opportunities coming in the future,” says Avi Goldfarb, coauthor of Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence. He divides them up into people who build artificial intelligence, people who tell the machines what to do and determine what to do with their output, and, finally, celebrities. This last category comprises actors, sports players, artists, writers, and other such luminaries surrounding the entertainment industry.

A 2017 report from Gartner concludes that artificial intelligence will create more jobs than it kills. In particular, the report singles out healthcare and education as areas ripe for growth. But the handling of artificial intelligence is where Goldfarb thinks an overwhelming number of those new jobs will be created.

“We’re moving toward more equality of opportunity,” says Goldfarb, noting the steady increase in overall access to technological tools. “But that doesn’t mean equality of outcomes.”

He thinks even human-centric positions in nursing and education will require a proficient understanding of artificially intelligent tools as the technology becomes a more routine facet of those jobs. For example, to assist with home healthcare for elderly populations, little robots have emerged to help patients remember to take their medications or go for a walk. These bots are still nascent, but it’s not hard to imagine a world in which nurses have to understand how to help patients set reminders or even be able to communicate with these devices remotely as a way of checking in on a patient as part of their jobs.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

“The most valuable combinations of skills are going to be people who both have good training in computer science, who know how the machines work, but also understand the needs of society and the organization, and so have an understanding of humanities and social sciences,” he says. “That combination, already in the market, is where the biggest opportunities are.”

HUMANITIES

So how does one prepare to lead these artificially intelligent machines into the new world? Oddly enough, a liberal arts education might be the best antidote to automation, says Goldfarb. While he believes that most people will need a basic understanding of computer science, he thinks that studying art, philosophy, history, sociology, psychology, and neuroscience could be key to preparing for the future. These studies will help young people to have a broad range of knowledge that they can use to put artificial intelligence to its best use.

Experts who study the future of work agree that our ability to make sense of the world is our biggest asset in the wake of automation. While artificial intelligence is good at narrow, repetitive tasks, humans are good at coming up with creative solutions. Anything you can do to get your child thinking creatively will no doubt help prepare her for joining the working world.

DON’T SPECIALIZE

In addition to embracing the humanities, Amir Orad, CEO of business analytics software Sisense, says that children should be multidisciplined. “Our tradition of schooling from the Industrial Age makes you really, really good at one thing,” he says. “I think that’s very dangerous for the next generation.”

Parents should encourage kids to be good at more than one thing as a way of being flexible, he says. By choosing interdisciplinary courses of study, kids will not only develop a variety of skills, they’ll also be knowledgable about more than one subject area, giving them some adaptability as jobs change. Another way to think about it? Try out a lot of different stuff. Having a variety of experience will prove valuable in the future, he says.

STAY TECH SAVVY

One more piece of advice from both Goldfarb and Orad is to expect the unexpected. “Fifty years ago, the idea that people would be social media marketers wasn’t imaginable,” says Goldfarb. Artificial intelligence and automation will change the jobs landscape in ways that can’t be anticipated. Kids should be engaged with both culture and the latest technology, he says. Whether that means engaging on a new social media app or learning how to edit video for fun, kids should be allowed to play intuitively with technology.

Because of how cheap technology has gotten, Goldfarb says, this means that more people have more access to the kinds of technology and tools that will prepare them for the future. However, that doesn’t mean that all kids will be on equal footing in this technologically advanced future. There are still pockets of the U.S. without quality internet. The Federal Communications Commission reports that 24 million people don’t have high-speed internet. Meanwhile, roughly 11% of Americans don’t have broadband at all, according to PEW.

“We’re moving toward more equality of opportunity,” says Goldfarb, noting the steady increase in overall access to technological tools. “But that doesn’t mean equality of outcomes.”

FastCompany.com | June 27, 2018 | BY RUTH READER 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : #ResumeWriting -How to Write a #ResumeSummary That Grabs #Recruiters’ Attention…Here are a Few Tips to Keep in Mind for your Summary.

June 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

To include a resume summary, or not to include a resume summary? The nagging question that has plagued many a job seeker.

Well, here’s some advice to clear the matter up: yes, you should include a summary. Unless you are really pressed for space, have a significant amount of description writing in the body of your resume, or you’re specifically directed not to include a summary, it’s an essential addition to a professional resume. “Most people should have a summary,” says Lynn Carroll — a career coach who writes about authenticity in the job search, gender equity in the workplace, and inclusion — who we reached out to to learn how to create an eye-catching resume summary.

Carroll distinguishes between a resume objective, which she says is what the jobseeker is looking to find in a company or position, and a resume summary, which tells a recruiter what the jobseeker can uniquely offer to a company or position. “The objective is now considered by most recruiters as an out-of-date function because it focuses on the jobseeker… The summary is considered more current and a better way to describe the relationship between the jobseeker and the company because it talks about what they can offer,” says Carroll.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind for your summary:

Keep it Short

There are plenty of opportunities to expound on your qualifications and experience in the job search process, like in your cover letter or the interview. The resume summary is a place to make the resume a bit more personalized, and to frame your resume in terms of the type of candidate you believe the company is looking for. For this reason, it’s important to keep the summary short. Carroll recommends writing a full paragraph at first, and then gradually whittling it down to two or three sentences full of powerful, important words. “By condensing — rather than on the very first pass have a short summary — sometimes you give a lot more thought to what the most important pieces really are,” she advises.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

Tell a Story

A resume summary isn’t a place to re-hash your professional experience, or to list out your soft skills. It’s about giving the reader a brief, vivid taste of what kind of person you are in the workplace, what drives you and makes you tick, and what kind of environments you thrive in. Keep this in mind as you write your summary: tell, don’t list.

Use Relevant Keywords

Keywords are important for several reasons. First of all, they can help you stand out in applicant tracking systems, a type of software that companies use to digitally sift through job applications. Second of all, you can show that you know how to speak the same language as the company. “If you were using the word ‘customer’ for example, and they were using the word ‘client’ in their job description, the idea is the same but they don’t see that you are using their same lingo,” Carroll says. “They might feel like you’re not in touch with where they’re at.”

Use Vivid Language

Carroll says she always encourages her clients to use vivid, descriptive language, that brings their experience and skills to life. “If I describe a meeting I ‘organized’, that seems like I set the conference call up. If I describe a meeting that I ‘envisioned,’ or I describe a gathering that I ‘developed’, that sounds like I had more input into the content,” she says. Using verbs that have active connotations rather than passive connotations can help this, Carroll adds.

Match the Tone to the Occasion

There’s no one tone to strike in a resume summary. It all depends on the type of job you’re applying for and the kind of company you’re sending your resume off to. Carroll gives the example of someone applying to a job at a more traditional, hierarchical Fortune 500 company versus someone applying to a job at a Silicon Valley startup. At the Fortune 500 company, she says, the applicant might want to use phrases like “solid foundation” and “excellent skills” to imply stability and reliability. At a startup, however, one might want to use phrases like “creative,” “innovative,” or “dynamic.” It all depends on the job you’re applying for, and also – don’t forget! – what describes you as a candidate the most accurately.

GlassDoor.com | June 22, 2018 | Posted by Lillian Childress

#Leadership : #WorkPlace Evolution – 4 #EmotionallyIntelligent #HRPolicies #Employees May Suffer Without…When #TeamMembers Face Crises in their Personal Lives, they Need to Know their #Employers have their Backs–in Word and in Deed.

June 26, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Depression, suicide, addiction, domestic abuse, mental health: These issues impact workforces in countless ways, many of them hidden from public view and employers’ eyes alike. But responsible organizations can’t assume that bad things aren’t happening in their employees’ lives just because they don’t hear about them.

A great work culture is one that goes out of its way to proactively support employees who are struggling with grief, mental health, abuse, and addiction issues–and does so with compassion and emotional intelligence. These are a few ways to adjust existing human resources policies in order to do that.

1. FLEXIBLE BEREAVEMENT LEAVE

Many organizations need to be more flexible in the ways they support employees who are experiencing loss. The standard policy of three days of bereavement leave may be enough time to attend a funeral out of state, but it hardly sends the message that employers care deeply about their team members during their periods of greatest need.

According to Susan Bartel, a researcher at Maryville University of St. Louis who studies grieving and loss in the workplace, “Many people need or use distraction to help manage their grief at work, and their jobs can be a healthy distraction. Allowing longer bereavement leave gives employees an opportunity to adjust slightly to a new way of life before having to reengage in the world at large,” she explains. “If they feel their grief is recognized and understood they are more likely to contribute to the organization even earlier than they could otherwise.”

After the death of her husband, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg revamped the company’s HR policies to include up to 20 days of paid leave days to grieve an immediate family member and 10 for extended relatives. The change was an acknowledgement that organizations have a duty to think more compassionately about how employees cope with loss.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

2. AN EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

Few organizations have formalized employee assistance programs, or “EAPs” on the books, and they may be underutilized at the employers that do. These programs can be set up internally within HR departments or operated through third parties, but the core goal is the same: to offer employees confidential support for coping with crises in their personal lives.

To promote an EAP and encourage employees to use it, HR leaders can ask team members who’ve already done so to share letters of endorsement (including anonymously, of course) regarding the help they received. Employees who participate in EAPs often become their biggest advocates. Offer those who express interest opportunities to take ongoing training in areas of grief, addiction and abuse counseling, and suicide prevention. These knowledgable allies inside the company can be crucial in vouching for and connecting their colleagues with the EAP resources they need when HR managers can’t.

3. OPEN COMMUNICATION CHANNELS (FROM THE TOP DOWN)

In addition to being more generous, employers need to market their policies more widely and continuously, making sure team members are aware of what they’re entitled to; scrambling to sort out an unfamiliar policy during a time of intense emotional pain usually only makes things worse. Many employees only learn what’s available to them in the midst of crisis, while leafing through a benefits package or union booklet or by speaking with an HR manager they’ve barely interacted with before. It’s pretty easy for organizations to do better. Regularly sharing information on social media and internal chat platforms is a great start; tying messages about company policies into events happening in the news can be even better.

Managers should also remind team members during meetings and other events not just what the organization’s policies consist of, but that there are multiple ways to gain support and information. Links to external resources like National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or Crisis Text Line should be prominently displayed within the company’s intranet, for example, and leaders should remind staff that they’re there.

Perhaps more important still, leaders should personally raise awareness and launch initiatives to support their workforces. Employees need to see this in action in order to overcome the stigma of asking for help with their personal lives at work. Some may even worry that doing so could prevent them from being considered for promotion. If possible, managers should share their own experiences coping with mental health issues or supporting relatives with addiction problems. Transparency and authenticity goes a long way toward giving employees permission to do so themselves.

4. INTERNAL SUPPORT GROUPS (FROM THE BOTTOM UP)

Every workforce contains countless people who have deep experience coping with a wide range of difficult issues. Many of these staffers are willing to lend a hand or a kind ear to their colleagues if only there were an appropriate setting to offer that. Some organizations hold on-site support meetings, including Alcoholics Anonymous, but for many, the last people an employee may want to know about her struggles with substance abuse are her coworkers (another argument in favor of a robust EAP).

But other team members find internal support groups helpful. Similar to employee affinity groups (or “EAGs”), these informal collectives can help colleagues come together to discuss shared experiences, including difficult ones. In providing safe spaces for those conversations, these groups can also help disseminate resources available in the organization’s EAPs and curb employees’ hesitation around taking advantage of them.

It’s easy for employers to look at these HR offerings in terms of financial cost and effort, but there’s potentially huge benefit to implementing them. Not only do such programs create goodwill within the workforce, helping retain employees for longer, but they also reinforce the empathy and emotional intelligence that are the lifeblood of every strong work culture–especially during those difficult times when it really counts.

FastCompany.com | June 26, 2018

#Leadership : These are the Conversations you Need to Have as a #NewManager …First and Foremost, you Need to Focus on Building Trust Before you Announce any Sort of Grand Vision.

June 20, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It happened: You’re a new manager now. Perhaps it’s the first time you’re leading a team. Or you’re taking over a new team as a manager. Either way, that first meeting as a new manager is a daunting event. What should the agenda for that first meeting with the new team be? How should you set expectations as a new manager? Should you make prepare some sort of “new manager introduction speech”?

Time to Line Them Up?

First impressions are often lasting ones. And there’s no better time and place to solidify that impression than the first meeting with your entire team.

Whether you’re taking over a brand-new team, or you’re a first-time manager, here’s how to approach that first meeting. I’ll walk through what you should be thinking about, some things you can say, and some questions you can ask.

BUILD TRUST, DON’T CHART A VISION (YET)

The goal of this initial meeting with your new team isn’t to map out the vision for the next nine months or declare your mandate for change. You’ll have the space (and greater knowledge) to do both in the coming weeks. This first meeting is to establish trust and set the tone for the kind of team environment you wish to foster.

Specifically, as a new leader, you’ll want to internalize these goals for your first meeting:

Show you’re worthy of your team’s trust
Show that you’re humble and ready to learn
Show that your intention is to help

This may feel like a passive approach to your new leadership role at first. But keep in mind this one truth: You’re new. And your team will be skeptical of you (rightfully so). So, as tempting as it might be to come into a new team situation and project confidence, certainty, and a sense of direction, know that it will only be seen positively by your team if they trust you. Without trust, your confidence will seem arrogant, your certainty will seem oblivious, and your sense of direction will seem misguided. Nothing moves forward without trust.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

GET TO KNOW YOUR TEAM MEMBERS–AND TAKE NOTES

This may be one of the most overlooked aspects for new managers: getting to know their team members, personally. Icebreakers can feel forced and trite–but I encourage you to spend some time in your first meeting asking at least a few get-to-know-you-questions to the group. (Here are the 25 best icebreaker questions we’ve found to work well, based on four years of data.) Take notes. Think about how you can incorporate their answers in future interactions, events, etc. For example, someone’s favorite food is ice cream? Consider bringing in ice cream to celebrate their birthday or work anniversary.

SHARE WHO YOU ARE, MORE THAN SURFACE-LEVEL STUFF

This isn’t about touting your accomplishments and expertise (though, of course, you can share those things in this first meeting if it feels right). Rather, when introducing yourself to the team, it’s a chance to expose who you really are–what motivates you, inspires you, and brings you fulfillment. The more your team knows of the real you, the more likely they are to trust you.

How to do this? Share your leadership philosophy: What do you see as the purpose of a manager? What do you value? Who do you look up to? What drew you to the organization? Share your intentions: That you are here to help, to help them do the best work of their careers, to get out of their way and support them to accomplish something greater. Share your personal interests: What do you like doing in your free time? What social causes or nonprofits do you support? Be mindful to make sure you don’t spend more than 25% of the meeting, tops, talking about yourself. In building trust, the last thing you want to do is come across as self-absorbed.

MAKE IT CLEAR THAT YOU’RE IN “LEARNING MODE”

If you want to build trust as a leader, you have to be vulnerable. You should let your team know that you don’t have all the answers and you have much to learn. This is one of the hardest parts of being a leader. As leaders, it feels like we’re supposed to have all the answers. Admitting that we don’t can feel like a blow to our sense of self. Yet exposing this vulnerability helps build trust in a team–it shows you’re humble, fallible, and human like the rest of us.

To do this, try saying something like this: “I am the new person here, and so all of you in this room know more than me. You carry with you insights and experiences that I don’t have. I am a sponge, and I aim to learn from all of you.” No need to beat yourself up and say that you’re ignorant, by any means. Essentially, you are saying that you’re “in learning mode” as a new leader. A learning mindset is one of the greatest ways to show vulnerability, and build trust with your team.

ASK 2 TO 4 PROBING, THOUGHTFUL QUESTIONS

The majority of your first meeting as a new manager should be spent asking a few key questions to your team as a group. I’d also strongly recommend setting up separate one-on-one time with each individual employee before or after the first team meeting to further learn what’s on their mind (whichever is most appropriate).

Here are some ideas for questions you can ask…

What do you want to change in this team?
What do you not want to change in this team?
What’s typically been taboo to talk about in the past? What have you been nervous to bring up?
What looming concerns or apprehension might you have?
What’s been the most frustrating thing to have encountered with the team lately?
Where do you see the biggest opportunity for improvement with the team?
How do you prefer to receive feedback? (Verbal, written, in-person)? How do you prefer to give feedback? (Verbal, written, in-person)?
What’s been the most motivating project you’ve worked on all year? With whom? And why?
What excites and energizes you about the company?
What are you most grateful for in being a part of this company?
What do you think has been a big obstacle to progress?
What do you wish was communicated to you more often?
When have you felt micromanaged? When have you felt like you’ve needed more support?
Who’s the best boss you’ve ever had and why? The worst boss you’ve ever had and why?
What was the best team experience for you? The worst team experience?
How do you like to be shown gratitude?
How often would you like to set up a standing one-on-one or check- in meeting? Every week? Biweekly? Once a month? Once a quarter?

If this list of questions overwhelms you, remember, you only need to pick two to four of these questions for the all-team meeting. Save the rest for your one-on-one follow-up conversations.

As you listen to the answers, there are a few things to pay particularly close attention to:

Listen for the things you can fix, solve, and knock out quickly. Is there a project that is deadweight? Is there a useless policy that’s slowing people down? The best way to build trust with your new team and show that you’re here to help is to actually help.
Listen for what people view as “success” and progress, and consider how you’re going to define and measure that. As a leader, one of your primary jobs will be to say what “success” is, and how well the team is doing to get there.
Listen for what people’s communication needs are. What do they feel in the dark about? How might people prefer you sharing what’s going on? How regularly will you need to set up touch points with team members?

BE PROACTIVE IN YOUR NEXT STEPS

As you wrap up your meeting, one of the worst things you can say as a new manager is this: “Feel free to stop by my office if you need anything.” Don’t say that. Why? You’re implying that if they have questions or concerns, they have to come to you. The burden is on them, not you. Instead, try saying: “In the next __ days, I’ll be setting up a time to meet with each of you. From there, based on your preferences, we can set a standing one-on-one time. In the meantime, if you want to meet anytime sooner, grab me in the hall, send me an email–I’d love to sit down sooner.” There’s a huge difference between the two statements. One is reactive and sounds lazy (the former), while the other sounds proactive and that you want to help (the latter). A strong way to end your first meeting is to show that you’re willing to come to them– that you won’t be waiting for them to bring up issues. You want to show as much proactiveness as possible.

BE PREPARED FOR TOUGH QUESTIONS

Note that you may get asked questions during your meeting such as, “What do you think you’ll change?” and “What do you see as the vision for the team?” Some might be tough to answer, especially with you being new. Be prepared to answer them honestly–and with a good dose of humility. There is much for you to learn. This is only Day 1, and the more you can level with your team that you’re here to learn from them about what the direction or what those changes should be, the better. You’re here to listen and to serve.

This is by no means comprehensive. Every team is different–from who managed the team before you, to the interpersonal dynamics at play, to the challenges that they’re facing with their work. You’ll likely need to tweak some of the question suggestions I offered, or some of the phrases I recommended. Regardless, I hope at the very least these tips give you a framework to start planning your first meeting as a new manager, and kick things off on the right foot.

Best of luck to you!

FastCompany.com | June 20, 2018 | BY CLAIRE LEW—KNOW YOUR COMPANY 8 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : #ResumeWriting – 64 Action Verbs That Will Take Your #Resume From Blah to Brilliant….Here’s How to Use Action Verbs on your Resume Intelligently to Help you Land the Job of your Dreams.

June 19, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You’ve probably heard the advice that action verbs should be sprinkled throughout your resume. By starting each bullet point about your past experience with a powerful action verb, you draw hiring managers in and give them a concrete picture of your expertise. Certain action verbs are also likely to help your resume get past automated scanning tools.

But it’s not as simple as just throwing a bunch of verbs on a piece of paper and hoping something sticks. Here’s how to use action verbs on your resume intelligently to help you land the job of your dreams.

Choose Them Carefully

“It is important to be strategic on the action verbs used to describe your skills and experience,” notes Jessie Czerwonka Roller, Manager of Career Services at Turning the Corner. “Being in the career services field for over a decade, I have seen an abundance of resumes: the good, the bad, and the ugly.” The ones that stand out, she says, are resumes that are tailored toward both the job and the industry, using verbs that feel relevant and targeted.

Shefali Raina, an NYC-based executive coach, agrees. “For maximum impact, use action verbs selectively and convey simple, direct messages. Nothing dilutes the impact of action verbs than being surrounded by many other action verbs!” In other words, you definitely want action verbs throughout your resume, but don’t go overboard.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

Show Who You Are

It’s a good idea to include action verbs that showcase your personality. “Empowered speaks to your ability to give energy, authority, confidence, and power to a group or a team to achieve a certain result,” Raina says. “It suggests that you possess the confidence and the influence to be able to authorize and energize a team or group to have powerful impact.”

“Organized is a wonderful verb that denotes an individual who can prioritize not only the items on their desk, but their tasks too,” says Gabrielle Pitre, Recruiting Team Lead at Coalition Technologies. “This lets employers see that you understand what is valuable to your job. But, perhaps, an even better verb is orchestrated, as it’s rarer and more likely to attract attention.”

“Initiated is a powerful one because it demonstrates that you are proactive and that you spent the time and energy to begin a project or originate an idea,” Raina notes. “To employers and recruiters, it speaks to a positive, ‘can do’ mindset and says that you will be a solution starter.”

Be Specific

One of most key ways to use action verbs effectively is to choose them based on the jobs you’re applying to. “If you are a job seeker who wants to gain a leadership position, you want to describe both your skills and experiences using strong leadership action verbs such as advocated, bolstered, drove, engaged, elicited, and spearheaded,” Roller explains.

To highlight management experience, you’ll want to use verbs like establishedand delegated, Pitre says. “These words can say much more than more common verbs, such as led or oversaw. You want to show how proactive you are and these verbs express that well.”

Try brainstorming industry-specific action verbs, as well. For example, “if you are a job seeker targeting the IT industry, use action verbs such as administered, centralized, configured, engineered, installed, and programmed,” Roller recommends. These show that you know the space inside and out and you won’t need to be brought up to speed.

If you’re looking at creative jobs, you might want to consider the verb designed. “This word tells me that the candidate has built something new that did not exist before,” says Amanda B. Gulino, founder of A Better Monday.

Be Open to Trial and Error

“A job seeker’s goal is to entice the recruiter or search committee member to read more and get excited about their background to elicit an interview invite,” Roller points out. “You know your resume isn’t working if you aren’t getting interviews.” If your current resume isn’t working for you, be flexible in switching it up until you find the right eye-catching combination of words and phrases.

And remember, it’s not just about the verbs. “We love to see candidates stray from ordinary statements,” Pitre says. “It’s not always just about a specific adjective or verb, but everything around it. The best candidates often understand how important it is to share their specific stories, give examples and show how and why they are good at something, rather than just stating that it’s a skill.”

More Verb Ideas

Need a little more inspiration? Here are some of our favorite action verbs to get your resume-updating wheels spinning.

Entry level and above:

Audited, Built, Collaborated, Created, Delivered, Earned, Exceeded, Generated, Identified, Improved, Minimized, Negotiated, Obtained, Outperformed, Planned, Presented, Produced, Redesigned, Reduced, Researched, Solved, Trained, Tested

Manager level and above:

Championed, Coached, Consolidated, Decreased, Enabled, Facilitated, Grew, Hired, Implemented, Instituted, Integrated, Launched, Managed, Mentored, Partnered

Executive Level:

Advised, Aligned, Cultivated, Developed, Evaluated, Founded, Guided, Motivated, Transformed

GlassDoor.com | June 18, 2018 | Posted by Julia Malacoff

#Leadership : The Impact Of #AI on the #HR Profession…The Real Benefit of Using More #ArtificialIntelligence is that our Human Leaders can Put More Time into Bringing More of their #EmotionalIntelligence to their Role.

June 19, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

The HR function has seen many transformations over the years but the increasing use of robotics in the workplace presents challenges and opportunities to the profession.

The 2018 Deloitte Human Capital Trends report revealed that the adoption of automation, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) is accelerating dramatically. Forty-one percent of respondents rated this topic as very important. Almost half of the survey’s respondents said that their organizations are deeply involved in automation projects with 24% using AI and robotics to perform routine tasks, 16% to augment human skills and 7% to restructure work entirely.

David Mallon, vice president and analyst-at-large at Bersin argues that centralized shared services are likely to be the first HR area in which “robots”—or robotic process automation (RPA)—will replace human labor.

Created to streamline, scale, and standardize repetitive HR administrative processes or programs, centralized shared services functions lend themselves well to RPA which systematizes manually intensive, high-volume, routine work.

Imagine front-end rather than back-en system integration; that is, anything a human can do by accessing a system and entering data via an interface can likely be done using RPA to mimic human actions.”

The influence of AI has already been seen in the arena of recruitment, remarks Ksenia Zheltoukhova, head of research at the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. “This is about ensuring that candidates have a personalized journey and one particular stage of the recruitment journey facilitated by AI is video interviewing.”

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

Alan Stukalsky, chief digital officer for Randstad US, believes that organizations are still at the infancy stage when it comes to the use of automation in recruitment.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding the use of chatbots to deliver personalized experiences online and to streamline parts of the hiring cycle. However, I believe there’s room for these tools to evolve with the end game being little distinction between talking to a robot versus a human.

It’s also important to remember that, while bots may work to screen candidates, it would be very hard for a bot to assess the cultural or non-technical traits a person brings to a company. However, the speed of innovation in AI and machine learning is lightning fast, so more sophisticated chatbots and machines will keep you wondering if you are interacting with a machine or a human.”

Kurt Heikkinen, chief executive of Montage said that its 2018 survey found that talent acquisition leaders agree AI is an accepted concept in recruiting but remain cautious about adoption. “Nearly half (46%) have considered using AI to automate their recruiting processes, while 51% say they are confident in using machine learning to inform their hiring decisions.”

Heikkinen added that AI that enables recruiters to be more efficient and strategic with their time is showing greater adoption.

Currently, talent acquisition teams are overburdened with administrative tasks, like sifting through resumes and conducting initial interview screens. But, as organizations adopt recruiting tools that harnesses the power of AI, like text-based interviewing and automated scheduling solutions, these tedious administrative tasks will be eliminated, allowing recruiters to be more strategic with their time and focus on engaging, interviewing and hiring the right talent.”

The Deloitte research also found that AI and robotics are opening exciting new capabilities for HR. Software can now recognize faces and identify gender, listen to voices and identify mood and decode video interviews to identify education level, lying and cognitive ability. Analytic tools are intelligently selecting candidates, identifying employees’ career options and coaching managers on improving their leadership skills.

Zheltoukhova warns that HR as a function needs to understand the skills required in an organization and how it will be adding value to that firm before it even dives into the world of AI.

Organizations will need to try and identify what type of value they are adding to the organization and look at the available tools at their disposal. Some of those tools are technological; some are people in your business and it’s about combining different types of solution.

It’s about considering the best technology present in the workplace and how organizations will interact with that technology and also how people will want to work and planning for that. It’s about a transition to a more automated workplace and the skills needed to facilitate that transition.

The challenge to the profession is that in the next five to 10 years, some individuals within the HR profession will be fulfilling tasks that we know will be automated.”

Doug Upchurch, chief learning architect at Insights Learning and Development, believes that AI will continue to support HR roles where clear-cut polices and processes need to be applied, such as candidate screening and recruitment.

However, the real benefit of using more artificial intelligence is that our human leaders can put more time into bringing more of their emotional intelligence to their role. Something we are still sorely lacking. It’s a time to let the computers do what they do best and let the humans do what we do best.”

Mallon is quick to point out that the potential that AI has for the HR function doesn’t end there.

Every major human capital management cloud provider is now implementing algorithms, making it important for organizations to maintain accurate data and carefully review these tools for accuracy and potential bias.”

Forbes.com | June 14, 2018 | Karen Higginbottom , CONTRIBUTOR

Your #Career : #SalaryNegotiation -This is What No One Tells you About Conducting #SalaryResearch …Figuring out How Much you Should Ask for When Starting a Job or Getting a Raise Takes a Little Bit of Savvy Work.

June 18, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Every article on salary negotiations has the same piece of advice: Do your research before naming any figures.

But what exactly does this entail beyond going on websites like Glassdoor and Payscale? How do you find out whether a salary is “fair” when your coworkers won’t talk about how much they make, or you’re a new grad with no connections to people in the industry? Fast Company spoke to two salary negotiation experts to find out just what salary research involves.

1. START AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE

Ideally, you should start your salary research before applying for a job. For example, “if you’re an IP lawyer, you need to know what you’re making five years out of law school,” business adviser and leadership consultant Carol Sankar tells Fast Company. Cynthia Pong, former public defender turned career coach, agreed. “A lot of it [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][comes down] to the planning. Ideally, it’s good to start this conversation before you put the application out.”

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

2. USE LINKEDIN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

While looking up figures on Glassdoor and Payscale can be a good start, you can’t just stop there. Pong recommends starting with family members and friends who might know someone in your industry, “however you can get your way in,” she said. “I think it’s great to use search tools like LinkedIn, you know you can message people on LinkedIn pretty easily and it’s not terribly intrusive.” A lot of people won’t reply, but if you send enough messages, some inevitably will, Pong said.

Sankar agreed, saying that it’s a “beautiful resource” to have organic conversations with someone who sits “at the table you want to sit at.” When you approach them, make sure to frame it as a conversation and a strong interest in learning about a particular field. “It’s okay to ask, I’m planning to look for a job in this area. I don’t know what the landscape is like . . . do you know what the general landscape is like for someone with similar experience to mine?” Pong said.

Sankar said that once you do have a ballpark figure, you can go into the negotiation armed with facts and figures rather than assumptions. Say you learned that the standard salary in your industry, at your level, is $80,000, and the company offers you $60,000. When you go negotiate for a higher offer you can say something along the lines of, “According to my recent research and the conversations I’ve had with others in similar roles in this city, this is the market salary.”

3. FIND OUT IF THERE IS AN EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP IN YOUR OFFICE, AND IF THERE ISN’T, THINK ABOUT STARTING ONE

Perhaps you took a job without negotiating your salary, and after you’ve been in your job for a year, you have a suspicion that you might be underpaid, at least in your company. You’re thinking about speaking to your coworkers about it. In this situation, “It’s best not do it during your lunch hour,” Sankar emphasized. She recommends going to HR and seeing if your company has an employee resource group that provides tools that helps workers negotiate their salaries, and if the answer is a no, think about starting one yourself. Chances are, there are many others in the company who would benefit from having access to the information you’re seeking.

4. FIGURE OUT WHO YOUR ALLIES ARE IN THE OFFICE

If, for whatever reason, starting an employee resource group is not an option, take the time to figure out who your allies are in the office. “This is where somebody who has built relationships in the organization [will] do better,” Pong said. If you are going to take this approach, Sankar also suggested approaching more than just one coworker. Not only will you get more data and information, but talking to just one coworker might raise suspicion, Sankar said.

5. ONCE YOU HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION, IDENTIFY YOUR UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION AND SELL THAT TO YOUR BOSS OR THE HIRING MANAGER

Sometimes, discussing market value isn’t enough. Employers want to see a reason to justify the increase in salary. This is where your unique value proposition comes in, Sankar said. Everyone has it, “but at the negotiation table, very few people bring up what’s unique about them.” As a result, they’re missing out on the “differentiating factor” that can bump their salary. Using herself as an example, Sankar said that when she pitches herself as a speaker, she highlights the fact that she is a writer as well as an orator. “I have to be able to create value around what I’m doing that no one else in my industry [has].”

Pong also recommends using examples outside of work if you’re early in your career, whether it be internships, volunteer work, or even similar responsibilities in your personal life. You need to always tie it back to “the benefit of the organization hiring you, and what you will be able to do for them,” she says.

If you’re seeking a raise, make sure you have a running list of accomplishments before initiating a conversation. Ideally, Pong said, you should have planted that seed during the interview process by making sure you know what success is required in that role, and what metrics you need to meet. That way, when you approach your boss for a raise or a promotion, you can quantify your achievements, and show that an increase in salary will not benefit only you, but the company.

FastCompany.com | June 18, 2018 | BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON 4 MINUTE READ

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – This is The 3-Step Process you Should Follow When you Get a #JobOffer …When you’re Desperate to #LeaveYourJob , it Can be Tempting to Take the First Offer that Comes Along. Don’t.

June 18, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

When you want a job–whether it’s your dream job or you’re simply ready to move on–it can be all too easy to accept any offer you’re given–even if it’s not the right offer for you.

“The number one misstep I see clients take is the failure to step back, take a breath, and meaningfully assess a job offer,” says Karen Elizaga, executive coach and author of Find Your Sweet Spot. “They are almost inclined to jump immediately at an offer.”

So how can you pause to determine whether an offer is really worth it? Luckily, it’s easy to do with Glassdoor’s How to Get a Job guide. It offers a bevy of questions you can ask yourself to assess the offer, gives tips to help you negotiate, and it even provides a complete email script for sending your initial negotiation email you can use word for word.

Here, we’ve distilled the basic steps you need to take to assess any offer, and how to begin a negotiation with a potential employer. It doesn’t have to be intimidating with these steps!

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS

When you receive a job offer, you need to hit pause long enough to ask yourself questions before you give an answer, according to Glassdoor’s guide–and Elizaga totally agrees.

“It is crucial to take a step before taking a leap,” she says, advising that you first ask, “is this job what you want to be doing? And does it align with your skills, talent, and purpose?”

You may also want to evaluate what the upward trajectory, in other words, the possibilities for advancement at this company, are, says Elizaga. “You want to consider not only the wonderful aspects of this job, but where you might rise to in the future,” Elizaga explains.

LOOK AT THE OFFER DETAILS

The next step in evaluating a job offer is to move past the job and look at what is also being offered in the pay and benefits package. Glassdoor suggests you ask yourself the questions, “does the salary align with what you were expecting [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][and] do the benefits offered feel fair and reflect what you were looking for?” With the answers, you’ll know whether to negotiate.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

NEGOTIATE LIKE A PRO

The idea of negotiating can be unnerving to many people, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

According to our guide, “one of the worst things you can do during salary negotiation is just make up a number. By backing up your ask with research, you’ll likely feel more confident about making it.” Luckily, you can use Glassdoor’s Know Your Worth™ salary calculator to discover the job’s average pay range. “It’s important to know what is reasonable for the market,” Elizaga agrees. That’s because, in part, “you don’t want to be negotiating for more when, in fact, what you are being offered is entirely reasonable and/or generous,” she says.

Of course, you don’t want to focus on salary alone. Before you begin your negotiation, think about whether the other benefits–vacation, commissions, bonuses, stock options, and so on–are appropriate and appealing, or could be tweaked to make the offer even better off.

Then, “when negotiating, think about what value you bring to the table, rather than how their first offer is deficient or not enough to cover your lifestyle,” advises Elizaga. “Consider the offer from the employer’s point of view. What are they getting for the compensation that they’re offering? If you think you contribute more value than the compensation would indicate, then definitely ask for more.” Or ask for an expansion of their benefits package.

Lastly, “when going in to negotiate, have a strategy and be entirely comfortable with what you’re asking for,” she says. Employers can tell when you don’t believe your own story. You’re much more likely to get what you want when you emphatically believe your value.”

FastCompany.com | June 18, 2018 | BY JILLIAN KRAMER—GLASSDOOR 3 MINUTE READ

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – 5 Myths That Prevent #JobSeekers from Overcoming Failure…So if you’ve Been Hearing Rejection after Rejection Lately — or Worse, No Responses at All — it’s Time to Set Things Straight.

June 15, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

For many people, the job search is a mysterious and frustrating process. Unless you’re a recruiter or hiring manager, you usually don’t have a good idea of what goes on behind the scenes — and because of that, people tend to come up with their own ideas of what happens, and what it takes to be successful.

Often, this works like a game of telephone: You may start out with a grain of truth, but it will get repeated and altered so many times that it ends up being completely misinterpreted. As a result, buying into these “common sense” ideas and pieces of advice can actually end up hurting your chances of scoring your dream job.

So if you’ve been hearing rejection after rejection lately — or worse, no responses at all — it’s time to set things straight. Read up on the most pervasive job search myths out there, what the facts of the matter are and how you can tweak your job search for better results.

Myth #1 You Should Send as Many Resumes as Possible

So many job seekers think their odds of hearing back are directly proportional to how many times they blast their resume out to recruiters. There is some merit to the idea that you’ll need to apply to multiple opportunities, but taking a total spray-and-pray approach is one of the worst things you can do.

“While applying to more jobs does increase potential callbacks, remember not to sacrifice quality for quantity. Recruiters will quickly trash applications that are generic or a poor fit,” says Christopher K. Lee, Career Consultant and founder of Purpose Redeemed.

Instead, you should “focus your job search on jobs you really want, and jobs where you compete against the best applicants in the pool,” adds career concierge and hiring consultant Kim Stiens of Ranavain.

And if you really want to stand out, customize each application you submit, says Cheryl E. Palmer, Executive Career Coach and owner of Call to Career.

“Carefully review the vacancy announcements for different positions and then tailor your cover letter accordingly so that you can convince a hiring manager that you are right for the job,” Palmer recommends.

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

Google+: https://plus.google.com/115673713231115398101/posts?hl=en

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(#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:

Myth #2 You Shouldn’t Apply if You Don’t Meet All the Requirements

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some job seekers are hesitant to apply to any job with a description that doesn’t match their skills and experience 100 percent.

“Many job seekers refrain from applying to positions where they don’t meet all the listed qualifications. This is a shame because some of them would excel in those roles,” says Lee. “Truth is, job requirements are often a wish list. Few applicants will meet all the points.”

A good rule of thumb: if you match at least 75-80 percent of the requirements, it’s worth applying.

“Speak to how strong you are in the other areas, and highlight any areas of experience which demonstrate you’ll be able to pick up the lacking skill quickly,” recommends business coach Dave Labowitz.

Myth #3 If You’re Qualified for the Job, You’ll Get It

While qualifications are important, they’re only part of the equation.

“Too many job seekers believe they should get the job because they have experience. Yes, experience is important, but it doesn’t help you stand out,” says career coach and resume writer Melanie L. Denny. Rather than simply assuming you’ll get the job due to your stellar track record, “focus on the value you have produced for past employers in the form of achievements,” she recommends.

Another reason hiring managers may choose a less qualified candidate is if they prove to be a better culture fit. If you have all of the necessary skills, but don’t seem like you could work well with others at the company, that’s a big red flag.

One way to combat this is by only applying to companies that you know you would be compatible with. But if you’ve already found a good match, you can prove you’re a good culture fit in your application materials — particularly your cover letter. Which leads us to myth number four…

Myth #4 You Don’t Need a Cover Letter

Sure, not every recruiter or hiring manager will read a cover letter — but enough do that it’s still worth taking the time to write one, says Stiens.

“While some hiring managers don’t read them, a lot still do, and for those hiring managers, your cover letter is at least as important as your resume. While a resume is a fairly rote, formulaic document, cover letters are your place to show your personality and show how you operate on the job,” she explains.

Cover letters can especially help demonstrate the oh-so-important aforementioned culture fit.

“With today’s companies caring far more about cultural fit than ever before, a cover letter is your opportunity to show them who you are, not just what you’ve done. This will differentiate you from other applicants and increase the likelihood of an interview,” Labowitz says.

To demonstrate that culture fit, share relevant anecdotes from your career.

“Soft skills are key, and using anecdotes in your cover letter are the most effective way to demonstrate them in an application,” Stiens recommends. And remember — no one-size-fits-all cover letters. “You should submit unique, custom cover letters for each job you apply to (though you can certainly recycle material and anecdotes that are relevant to multiple jobs).”

Myth #5 All You Can Do Is Apply

So you satisfy most of the job requirements and have a great resume and cover letter that share what you could bring to the company that other candidates couldn’t. And yet, you still aren’t hearing back from recruiters. What gives?

“Several of my clients think having a strong resume is enough to get them the job… [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][but] if you don’t get that resume in front of the right person (your potential future boss) and sell yourself in an interview, you won’t be hired,” Denny says. “Make sure you are strategic about marketing yourself and master the art of selling your value to a hiring manager.”

The best way to do that, experts agree, is to network. If you know somebody at a company you want to apply to, ask if they’d be comfortable referring you. If you don’t know anybody at the company, look online to see who you can connect with and send them a friendly email or LinkedIn message requesting an informational interview. If all goes well, you can ask them for a referral.

Don’t get too in your head about who you “should” be connecting with. Some job seekers think “I can’t reach out to people I worked with 10 years ago and haven’t spoken with since then — it would be an imposition,” says Career/Executive Coach Tammy Gooler Loeb. But put yourself in their shoes. “If this person reached out to you after 10 years, would you feel imposed on or flattered that they contacted you? More often the latter, and you’d likely be happy to do anything you can to be helpful to them,” she points out.

And don’t hesitate to connect with somebody just because they’re not directly recruiting or hiring for the role.

“Most people find their next meaningful role through a third-, fourth- or fifth-degree connection and how they reached that point may likely have been through a string of connections that are not necessarily in your industry or doing a role similar to yours,” Gooler Loeb says. “Think of those people you know who seem to ‘know everybody’ and ask them who they know may be good people for you to speak with to learn more about companies that are growing or hiring.”

GlassDoor.com | June 13, 2018 | Posted by Emily Moore

[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]