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Your #Career : 3 Signs It’s Time To Ask Your #Boss For That #Promotion …The Timing of your Ask is as Important as How you Ask. Here’s a Checklist to Know if the Moment is Ripe.

March 16, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You already know why you want a promotion: It will confirm what you’ve already accomplished in your role, validate your work and work ethic, and open paths for bigger and better projects. Ideally, it’ll also mean more pay.

But there’s a difference between wanting a promotion and being ready for it. In order to put your best foot forward with your manager, you need to be confident that the time is right. How can you ensure you’re not jumping the gun?

This three-part checklist can help you identify when you’re ready to make the most compelling pitch you possibly can.

1. YOU’VE BEEN DOING THE JOB YOU WANT TO BE PROMOTED TO FOR SIX MONTHS

This means you’ve been taking on more than what’s expected of your current role or level and performing well in that new scope. If you’re not sure where you stand, it’s a good time to have a check-in with your manager about her expectations for the level you’re hoping to reach, and the types of projects and impact you eventually want to make in a more senior role.

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2. YOUR WORK HAS HAD A VISIBLE IMPACT ON THE BUSINESS

It goes without saying that you should be making an impact at the team level, that’s part and parcel of your job. But the strongest cases for moving up a level at work rest on the contributions you make to projects that have a measurable impact on the business.

Looking at the work you’ve done in the past six months, identify the impact you’ve made for your team as well as for the business. That impact can be measurable (think revenue impact) or fuzzier (strategic impact)–so long as it’s visible and provable. For example, what part did you play to make sure that your team (and the company) met their sales target for the year? Did you propose a new idea to the higher-ups that they turned into company policy? To make your case, outline not just the business impact your work has driven, but also the alternate paths the team or company might have gone down without your work.

If you’re struggling to identify how your work fits into big-picture company goals, you might need to postpone your promotion request and instead work with your manager on a strategy to make your work more impactful.

3. YOU’VE MADE PROGRESS ON PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED DEVELOPMENT AREAS

If you’ve been in your role for at least six months, you should have gotten feedback by now on what you can to do improve. (If you haven’t, you should drop everything and ask for feedback now.) Have you made progress in the development areas your manager raised to you? Are some of these areas prerequisites for getting to the next level? If you’re excelling in them, it’s a great sign that now’s the time to make your case for a promotion.

Nodded your head to all these scenarios? You’re almost ready. Before approaching your manager, make sure you’ve gathered comprehensive documentation of your progress and performance. This should include specifics. Come armed with plenty of examples of how you’ve exceeded expectations, the measurable impact you’ve had on the business, and the progress you’ve made in the last six months.

At the same time, you’ll want to keep an open mind: Your manager will inevitably have a different perspective on your performance, impact, and progress. So take the time to compare notes in good faith and respectfully advocate for yourself. If you disagree, don’t be afraid to push back politely with concrete examples of your progress. By the end of the conversation, you and your boss should be able to arrive at a game plan you both feel comfortable with.

And yes, that may mean accepting a “not yet” to your promotion request. But you’ve at least laid out a reasonable timetable for getting to the next level.

FastCompany.com | March 16, 2018 | BY XIMENA VENGOECHEA 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : How To Update Your #LinkedIn Without Making Your Boss Suspicious…Updating your #LinkedInProfile is something you should be doing regularly. Here’s how you can do it without raising alarm bells at work.

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

Updating your LinkedIn profile can be a major stress point if you feel like it could alarm your boss or cause tension at work. However, the truth of the matter is that you should never feel guilty about updating your professional profile.

It’s common to feel like your boss might know or think that you’re looking for a new job, but there are simple ways to get around that issue. Here are some tips to help you update your LinkedIn profile without alarming your boss or sending out the wrong message.

UPDATING YOUR PROFILE DOESN’T MEAN YOU’RE UNHAPPY AT YOUR JOB

The first thing to realize is that updating your LinkedIn profile or revamping your resume doesn’t automatically mean you’re unhappy in your current role. You might have recently taken on a big project that you want to acknowledge, or maybe it’s just been a while since you’ve freshened things up. Regardless of your reasoning, you have every right to update your professional documents and LinkedIn profile without feeling guilty or scared that a manager or boss might be unhappy.

If your boss gets that upset over a LinkedIn update (updating your LinkedIn can be considered professional development), you probably aren’t working for someone who wants to see you succeed. If anything, your manager or boss should be thrilled that you want to highlight all that you’ve accomplished while working for them. Your success can reflect well on them and their leadership techniques.

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BE TRANSPARENT AND ACKNOWLEDGE THE UPDATE

If you’re concerned that a manager or boss might feel like you’re going behind their back, let them know that you’re updating your profile. By coming out and telling them that you’re planning on doing an update or revamp, there’s no way for them to feel like you were being dishonest or trying to hide it.

Swing by your boss’s desk or shoot them an email saying something along the lines of, “I was looking at my LinkedIn profile, and I noticed that there are a lot of projects and responsibilities that I haven’t included, so I’m going to be adding some additional information in the next few days. I wanted to let you know, because I don’t want any updates or changes to catch you by surprise.” This shows that you’re open and respecting your boss by giving them a head’s up for what they can expect.

You can even add something in about how they’ve made great opportunities available to you, and you want to reflect that on your LinkedIn profile.

IF ALL ELSE FAILS

If you still feel like the update might raise red flags to your boss, put it into perspective for them. A great way to phrase it is, “I always want our clients/candidates/partners to have the most updated information on their LinkedIn profiles so I can learn more about them, therefore I feel like I need to do the same in order to reflect that standard.”

Another great way to frame the LinkedIn update is this: “I’ve been afforded so many great opportunities in this role, and I want others to see that and be aware of the great opportunities that this company provides.”

Both of these statements articulate that you want to hold yourself to the same standard that you hold others to, and that you want to highlight the benefits of working for the company. This highlights how it will benefit you as well as benefit your clients/candidates/partners, which will in turn benefit your boss/company.

At the end of the day, you have control of the information you put out there, and you shouldn’t feel guilty or scared about updating your LinkedIn profile. If your superior is that upset about it, you may want to look into a new role where your boss/manager wants to actually see you succeed. If you are trying to update your LinkedIn profile without alarming your boss, be transparent about it, and frame it in a way that will benefit everyone. At that point you’ve made a conscious effort to be respectful of your peers and authority figures, and if they’re still upset, that’s on them.

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#Leadership : How To Prepare For The Worst Without Being A Pessimist…Everyone Faces Tough Times & Personal Emergencies. You Can’t Prepare for Everything, But you Can Take some Positive Steps to Withstand Them.

March 14, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Regardless of how committed you are to your career, eventually the unthinkable happens. From serious illness to the death of a loved one to a natural disaster, into each upwardly mobile professional’s life some personal emergency will fall.

And while it’s impossible to be fully prepared for these potentially life-changing events, a little planning can go a long way in weathering them successfully.

“Nobody plans for illness. Nobody plans for a tree falling on their house. Nobody plans for this stuff, and I think that it’s important that first and foremost you just take the time [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”][to do so],” says Alexa Fischer, actor, confidence coach, and entrepreneur. She urges professionals to stop avoiding the process and begin preparing.

Here are six steps that will get you started.

THINK IT THROUGH

It can be difficult to contemplate negative or traumatic events, but mentally “walking through” a situation that would put you out of work for an extended period of time can help you identify what you would need to weather that storm, says Scott Amyx, chair and managing partner at Amyx Ventures, a San Francisco-based venture fund, and author of Strive: How Doing the Things Most Uncomfortable Leads to Success. What would you need if you were going through an illness, personal tragedy, or disaster? Think about what you would need personally and professionally. What help would you need for yourself and your team to emerge from the situation in the best way possible? Make a list of the areas you’d need to address or where you would need support, he says.

“The best thing that you can do is make sure that there is a support structure, but ultimately support comes in different forms. It could be people in your personal or professional life, but also could be faith-based,” he says.

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CREATE A COUNCIL

Once you have a sense of the areas where you’ll need help, begin to build those networks, Amyx advises. “One of the wisest pieces of advice that I ever received is having a ‘council of 12.’ This can apply professionally but also personally. Who in your life can you count on when something happens? Do you have that 12 or so people around you that can help get you through tough times?” he says.

Sometimes, your “council” members will provide advice, coaching, or counseling. Certain members may provide practical help such as meal deliveries, or personal friends who will stop by your home to help out. Building such a support system can be invaluable when an unwelcome event occurs, he says.

SYSTEMATIZE

Suddenly being away from your job for a period of time can be additionally stressful if you’re worried about work, and whether your team members will be able to manage without you. “The best thing we can do for ourselves is to create systems around us so that other people can do the work when we can’t,” Fischer says. “If your work or your gatekeeping is so precious that you have to be there—nobody else can do it for you, or access it for you—that is a liability to your company, but it’s also a huge stresser. So things like organizing passwords, organizing work flow, that organizational piece is actually freedom for you.”

She says that some people fear creating such systems, sharing information, and cross-training colleagues because they worry it makes them easier to replace. But that worry is usually baseless for valued employees, which most companies work hard to keep. And having such systems in place has benefits, too. “It also makes for great vacations, because it doesn’t have to be a terrible emergency. The same systems can be used so that you can actually get away,” she says.

BUILD GOODWILL

Investing time in building strong work relationships and having a reputation for being reliable and an active contributor to the organization is also important for getting through personal emergencies. “If you make yourself an invaluable part of your business community, so that your unique contributions are seen as unique, if you’re really engaged, if you’re looking for innovative ways to add value to the company, there’s a much greater chance that when and if something happens, the company is going to continue to give you what time you need, because they want you back. You’re valuable to them,” says business leadership coach Cheri Torres, coauthor of Conversations Worth Having: Using Appreciative Inquiry to Fuel Productive and Meaningful Engagement.

On a more personal level, when you reach out to help colleagues and others in your network when they need you, you invest in that goodwill bank, she says. The beneficiaries of your kindness and help are likely to give back as well, and to pick up slack when you can’t do so.

WEAVE YOUR OWN SAFETY NET

A 2017 report from the Federal Reserve found that 44% of Americans have so little savings that they couldn’t cover an unexpected $400 emergency expense. Beyond preparing through systems and building relationships, it’s also important to prepare financially to the best possible extent, says Amyx, who was once a financial planner.

Saving a nest egg, investing in insurance to protect your assets and income, and a creating a comprehensive financial plan can give you more flexibility and help you bounce back from difficult times. Such tools may include disability, renters, or homeowners insurance and a line of credit that can help you cover unexpected expenses in a pinch. More companies are making financial counseling and planning advice available to their employees, so check with your HR department to see what might be available to you.

You should also know your employer policies and benefits, as well as your employment rights under state, federal, and local law, Torres advises. Be sure you know the leave and other benefits to which you are entitled, both for company policy and the laws that govern your company.

KNOW HOW YOU STAY GROUNDED

In the throes of a personal emergency, it can be difficult to think clearly and not get caught up in the emotion surrounding the event, Fischer says. Take care of yourself as much as possible during times like these and find ways to alleviate stress and calm your inner critic.

“In my own evolution, [I’ve learned] just to recognize the critic, but then find that calmer voice that is going to look toward something that is more positive that we’re going to work on,” she says. So, whether it’s taking long walks, making art, or simply spending time with family and friends, find the activities that help you remain calm and centered so you can make the best decisions in difficult situations, she says.

FastCompany.com | March 14, 2018 | Gwen Moran

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Your #Career : #CareerAdvice – Help! I’m #Overqualified — What Do I Do? ….In these Situations, your Context will Influence your Course of Action. Let’s Examine What you Can Do When you’re Considered to be Overqualified.

March 14, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Demonstrate how a role will help you develop, and show how you can be an asset, then don’t let a recruiter persuade you that you’re overqualified! Remember, you need to maintain your confidence throughout the process and let your resiliency guide you as you continue your search!

When it comes to job searching, we often hear how difficult it can be for recent graduates, who are somehow expected to have years of experience straight out of school, to even be considered for an entry-level position. What happens when the situation is reversed, and your years of experience begin to work against you? How can job seekers set themselves up for success when recruiters keep telling them they are overqualified for positions they’re interested in?

Hiring managers might challenge you by saying you’ll be bored and leave for a better-suited position, or your compensation expectations won’t be met.

In these situations, your context will influence your course of action. Let’s examine what you can do when you’re considered to be overqualified.

Situation #1: You’ve relocated or have been laid off

How to Respond: Highlight the win-win situation

Here, you must explain your motivation for applying to a position that you might seem “overqualified” for on paper. Highlight “how the organization can benefit from your experience, and how taking this position can advance your own skill set,” says Alan Zelnicker, executive recruiter. If the job scope is more narrow and the compensation is less than your old position, you must emphasize what you can contribute in terms of added value and what you can get from the role.

How to Respond: Make an important mind shift

Going into any interview, you should always project confidence and take on the mindset that recruiters are getting a great deal from you, rather than going in feeling like you’re overqualified for the job. You have to drive the power seat and never feel like you’re getting the short end of the stick. Instead, adopt the mindset that any company would be lucky to have you! Without seeming arrogant, remind recruiters that the learning curve involved with your onboarding will be cut in half, leaving you more time to learn the organization, and giving you a competitive edge!

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How to Respond: Re-evaluate compensation

Managing expectations around compensation is a separate conversation. You need to be realistic and accept that sometimes you’ll need to take a step back. Whenever possible, make a direct touch point with the hiring manager over the phone to talk about compensation. This way, you can form a personal connection, and you can articulate all that you have to offer. As mentioned before, what is the win-win negotiation for you that makes taking a pay cut worthwhile?

Situation #2: You’re switching careers/industries

How to Respond: Highlight your new career path

It is not uncommon for people to switch industries or careers. In fact, millennials report switching jobs 4 times in their first 10 years out of school. When working with recruiters, highlight any new credentials you’ve earned to demonstrate your commitment towards this new path you’re taking. Emphasize your desire to learn and retrain to create a new path forward for yourself.

How to Respond: Emphasize the rudimentary

Though you may have 20 years of experience in one field, you must demonstrate to recruiters that you’re ready to check your ego at the door and learn about a whole new world. That being said, relevant and rudimentary skills can always be transferable and should be considered as your added value.

How to Respond: Know your worth

When discussing salary, make sure to mention that you’ve done your research, you’re aware of the industry standards, and are comfortable with what these types of roles typically offer.

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” –Japanese proverb

What not to do: The worst thing you could do is tell a recruiter you’ll take anything just to get a job. Though this often may be the truth, people want to see that you possess the right enthusiasm and fit for the role. You must always sell your skills and highlight how you are the perfect candidate for the job.

Your resume: If you’re having trouble getting through the door and you think your resume might be the culprit, there are some workarounds to try:

If your resume demonstrates work dating back more than 10 years, consider consolidating your experience and only keeping what is still relevant today
If you have multiple designations and education, consider only keeping what is relevant to the job you’re applying for and removing anything that is redundant
Consider reformatting your resume in a way that tells a new story

If you can demonstrate how a role will help you develop, and show how you can be an asset, then don’t let a recruiter persuade you that you’re overqualified! Remember, you need to maintain your confidence throughout the process and let your resiliency guide you as you continue your search!

Stacy Pollack is a Learning Specialist with an MA in educational technology. She loves to share her perspective on job hunting, career building, and networking for success. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Glassdoor.com | March 13, 2018 | Posted by Stacy Pollack

Your #Career : Three Ways You’re Self-Sabotaging Your Next Career Move And How to Stop…Be Honest with Yourself, you Know you’re Ready for a #CareerChange, so Why Haven’t you Taken the Next Step? What’s Stopping you From Moving Forward?

March 13, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

You can have clarity. You can have a 5-year plan plastered to your mirror. You can know exactly what you want to do and when. You can have a Rolodex of contacts and know the best people in your industry.

But, if you’re holding onto your fear of fill-in-the-blank, you’re probably self-sabotaging your career more than you realize.

Be honest with yourself, you know you’re ready for a career change, so why haven’t you taken the next step? What’s stopping you from moving forward?

It’s not that your resume isn’t as perfect as you’d like it to be, nor is it that you don’t know how to market yourself for your next position. Though those are plausible burdens, it’s much deeper than that.

Here are three subtle fears that are causing you to sabotage your next career move.

You Fear Getting Rejected

You might be struggling with this, if the question, “Why would they hire me?” has stopped you from applying for job openings that excites you, or if the thought of not getting a response back has stopped you from setting up informational interviews with people you’d love to meet.

Granted you might not want to shoot your shot at a position that requires 10 years of experience if you’re barely on the cusp of year two. But, the fear that you might not be good enough is normal. And, plaguing yourself with what I call the “Out of My League Syndrome,” simply because something is different or new, isn’t the most effective way to land the job of your dreams.

In a perfect world, we would ask whoever we want for whatever we want, and we would receive a, “Yes, absolutely,” every time. But, in our imperfect world, no one is free from rejection. It happens to all of us. It’s inevitable, so embrace it. Understand that it’s a necessary evil to achieve success and learn to see rejection as redirection, rather than a setback.

Rejection always leaves you with two options: you either let rejection defeat you or you regroup and keep going. But, don’t count yourself out before you try.

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You Fear Treading in Uncharted Waters

If you have a job that looks good on paper or if you’ve outgrown your current position but feel pretty comfortable in your career, the fear of uncertainty probably has kicked in more than you’ve noticed in your job hunt. Deep down, you don’t completely like the idea that you’re moving from familiar ground into unknown territory.

If you’ve had thoughts like, “What if I get a job and I don’t like it as much, or what if I don’t get paid as much?” Then, you’re a member of this club. When it comes to landing a new job, you’ve probably put in less effort than you’re willing to admit to yourself. Rather than dedicate intentional time to discovering the next best career move, you might coast through your job search, soothing yourself with excuses like, “I just don’t have enough time.”

Unfortunately for you, your lack of consistency and momentum is holding you back from making the career change you so desire. Your first step is to acknowledge that you feel this way. Then, accept that all you can do is put your best foot forward, and repeat, one step at a time. Do your research and talk to as many people as you can before jumping into your next position to ensure it’s the right fit for you.

If that’s not enough and if you want to get as much guidance as possible to safeguard you from making a wrong turn, get a career coach. Career coaching helps you fill the gap between where you are and where you want to be in your career, with a concrete step by step system to help get you there. Find a career coach that understands your needs and who can steer you in the best direction.

You Fear Failing

This is one I used to struggle with, and you can blame growing up in a Nigerian household for this one. Growing up, I was told failure is not an option and success is not a choice. Success is a requirement. So, as you can imagine, that created an insurmountable amount of pressure.

If you’ve ever felt like, “What if I do all this work to get a new job and I fail? What if it doesn’t work out?” Welcome to the party. That fear of failure, probably has you applying to 30 jobs a week, sending off your resume to all who cares to listen just so you can end up somewhere and deem yourself successful. But that isn’t the best approach. It’s impossible to show that you’re the best candidate for every position you desire when you aimlessly apply to that many jobs at once.

Be selective in your approach, and take your time. Don’t let the fear of failure rush you into something that won’t ultimately make you happy.

More importantly, don’t let the fear of failure keep you stagnant either. Failure, like rejection, is inevitable. At some point, you will fail. But, the faster you fail, the closer you get to success.

So, whenever you start to feel these subtle fears creep up your shoulder, ask yourself two questions: First, “Do I honestly like where I’m at now?” And, secondly, “What is the worst that can happen if I move forward in this direction?” If the worst that can happen is better than where you are right now, get out of your comfort zone and take the risk.

Adunola Adeshola coaches young professionals to get unstuck in their careers and land jobs they’ll love. She’s also the founder of employeeREDEFINED.com, a career site for millennials who secretly feel stuck in their careers.

Forbes.com | February 15, 2018 | Adunola Adeshola , WOMEN@FORBES

#Leadership : Michelin finds Newest #Recruits in High School… Company Launches First-of-its-Kind #ApprenticeProgram

March 13, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Five young men signed on the dotted line last Friday, marking the start of their careers with Michelin.

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Michelin North America Chairman and President Scott Clark, center, signs Jacob Tucker’s papers for an apprenticeship program. Johnathan Harper, 16, left, is home-schooled and started his apprenticeship a month ago.

They ranged in age from 15 to 17, and they are the first class of high-school apprentices to work at a Michelin plant in North America. Michelin North America Chairman and President Scott Clark, on the job since Jan. 1, welcomed the teenagers personally during a ceremony at the Enoree Career Center just north of Greenville.

“This apprenticeship program is the first of its kind,” Clark said. “This is the first one, so the goal is to do this in other facilities like this all around the state where we have manufacturing plants. We could double, triple it.”

Mauldin High 10th-grader Iquavious Lewis, 15, said he’s known since the fall that he would be in the first class of Michelin’s Youth Apprentice program. He and fellow mechatronics students at Golden Strip Career Center had to take an aptitude test to qualify. Lewis has made all A’s in mechatronics.

Lewis said he’s not scared: “I’m excited!”

Clark and Wilton Crawford, Michelin’s plant manager at the US1 plant in Greenville, stressed the company’s need to reseed the aging workforce — and the difficulty of doing that during a period of full employment. All five high schoolers will be working at Crawford’s plant.

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

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The unemployment rate in South Carolina dipped below 4 percent at the close of 2017. Workforce participation rates have continued to decline, meanwhile, because of an aging shift in the state’s demographics, experts say.

“We have to be very creative and very aggressive,” Clark said.

In addition to its new apprenticeship program for high-schoolers and its longstanding Tech Scholars program, which currently trains, and bankrolls the education of, about 60 college-level apprentices, Michelin has started recruiting adult workers from other industries, such as hospitality. Clark also described a pilot program in Columbia for ex-offenders.

“We are working with a company that is beginning to retrain people who have had some issues with the law, let’s say, but are reformed,” Clark said, “and we are giving them an opportunity to explore careers as well.”

Michelin has about 9,000 employees across South Carolina — the vast majority of whom are direct hires for the French tire maker. Clark said his company is the largest manufacturing employer in the state. (BMW’s 10,000-plus workforce includes many contract workers, especially in its warehousing operations.) The high-school apprentice program takes teens who are midway through their junior year and has them continue to work at the plant through the end of their senior year. Ideally, Clark said, students will go on to enroll in a mechatronics or related program at an area technical college, where they can take advantage of the free tuition and expenses offered through Michelin’s Tech Scholars program.

He said he foresees doubling the Tech Scholars program in coming years.

“These students, if they get through this apprenticeship program with Michelin, and then can go to a two-year technical school, they can come out of school making $54,000, $55,000 a year,” Clark said.

The high school program is carried out under a provision that allows workers under the age of 18 to enter a plant so long as they are simultaneously enrolled in an academic program linked to the work.

Lynn Tuten, the work-based learning coordinator for Golden Strip Career Center, said she will be in touch with the boys regularly to make sure they are getting everything they need and are showing up to work on time, among other things. All five teens are enrolled in a mechatronics course at Golden Strip.

“This is real-world stuff,” Tuten said. “They can see if it’s something they really want to do.”

Four of the five teens are Mauldin High School students, and the fifth — Johnathan Harper — is home-schooled. Two of the young men started working at Michelin part time about a month ago — earning $10 an hour for nine hours a week — and the others will start this summer, working full-time hours until school starts again in August.

“We build and repair parts in the factory; we get them working and back on the line,” Harper said.

His mother, Terri Harper, has homeschooled her son all his life and said he might very well enroll at Greenville Tech and eventually get a four-year engineering degree.

“I think it’s great that Michelin is working with the career center to give these kids a jumping off point. They work so hard,” Harper said, adding that she liked the idea of her son landing on his feet career-wise.

“The salary does matter because somebody has to take care of his mama someday.”

US1’s Crawford said that during his time as a site leader in the United King dom, he met many workers who had been with Michelin for more than 40 years — starting out as 16-year-old apprentices who worked their way up through manufacturing. These included two plant managers and a man who is now the head of the technical team for North America.

“He’s 64, and he’s got 48 years with the company,” Crawford said, pointing to the high school students seated next to him, “and he stood right where you are many years ago. It’s phenomenal to see that.”

Michelin North America is an $11 billion company with plants across the U.S. and in Canada and Mexico. Some of the biggest ones are in the Upstate: US1 at Donaldson, which makes car tires, opened in 1975, and Anderson County has plants making rubber and earthmoving-equipment tires.

Author: Anna B. Mitchell | Greenville News USA TODAY NETWORK – SOUTH CAROLINA | March 13, 2018

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Your #Career : 8 Books every #JobHunter should Read Before Sending out #Résumés ….These Books Go Beyond the Nuts & Bolts of #JobSearching (#Interviewing, #RésuméWriting ) & Help Readers Find their True Passion & Motivation.

March 13, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

The job search process can be confusing and intimidating, not least because you’re trying to choose from a seemingly infinite number of potential career trajectories.
Plenty of authors have published guides for overwhelmed job seekers. We selected seven of the best.
These books go beyond the nuts and bolts of job searching (interviewing, résumé-writing) and help readers find their true passion and motivation.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a college student or a mid-level professional — making a career change can be intimidating.

Get some guidance from the pros.

Sure, sending out cover letters and going on job interviews is panic-inducing. But perhaps the scarier part is figuring out what you really want to do and how you can best contribute to the world.

The good news is you’re hardly the first job-seeker to find yourself in this position. There are tons of books geared toward people just like you. Below, we’ve highlighted seven of the best, so you can launch into your job search with confidence.

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‘Designing Your Life’ by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

This book, by two Stanford professors of engineering, is a bestseller for a reason: It’s at once reassuring, empowering, and enlightening for anyone in the throes of the job-search process.

The most important takeaway is that there isn’t just one career path out there for you. You probably have lots of passions, and you can definitely have lots of jobs.

The authors share anecdotes alongside exercises to help you figure out which careers would suit you best — like “mind mapping” and “Odyssey planning.” It’s a fun and very actionable read that helps you see the careers forest for the trees.

Find it here »

‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie

Nearly a century after its original publication, this book continues to be a megahit among people looking to be better with … people.

In fact, Warren Buffett says the book helped him overcome his social awkwardness and ultimately changed his life, Business Insider’sRichard Feloni reported.

The late Carnegie advises readers on how to have smoother interactions with others — perhaps most importantly, by letting them talk about themselves. Feloni rounded up some of the other core lessons, like acknowledge your own mistakes and avoid criticizing, condemning, or complaining.

Whether you’re gearing up for job interviews or networking events, Carnegie’s classic advice is a must-read.

Find it here »

‘Pivot’ by Jenny Blake

Blake is a former Googler who’s “pivoted” — i.e. changed career directions — multiple times, once when she was working at the tech giant, and again when she left to launch her consulting business. And she knows how scary it can be.

“Pivot” guides readers who are confused, intimidated, or just plain curious through the step-by-step process of figuring out what you should do next — and then doing it. She’s nothing if not cautious, telling readers they should run some tests to make sure, for example, their startup idea is viable or this is really their passion.

Blake also has advice on building your network without feeling slimy, by “drafting,” or taking on extra projects from someone who works in your desired field. It’s a practical, highly re-readable guide for anyone at any stage.

Find it here »

‘The New Rules of Work’ by Alex Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew

If you’re looking for people who “get” the modern-day job search — and how frustrating it can be — look no further.

Cavoulacos and Minshew are the cofounders, and COO and CEO, respectively, of popular career advice and job listings site The Muse. In “The New Rules of Work,” they break down the process of landing your dream job into accessible steps, from networking to interviewing to moving up the ranks at your company.

Some highlights from the book: a template for cold-emailingsomeone at your dream company, a fresh take on post-interview thank-you notes, and advice on how tokeep from stagnating in your current role.

Find it here »

‘What Color Is Your Parachute?’

The most popular job-search guide ever has been revised every year to reflect the realities of modern work.

The late Bolles (who was an Episcopalian minister) covers the basics — résumé writing, interviewing, networking — but also helps readers pinpoint their ideal career through the “Flower Exercise.”

Barbara Safani, president of the career-management firm Career Solvers, told The New York Timesin 2014 that the book has stayed relevant because Bolles “focuses not only on the job search process but the emotional and psychological side” of job hunting.

Find it here »

‘Insight’ by Tasha Eurich

Before you head into a job interview and start pitching yourself to a hiring manager, you’ll need to get a better handle on who exactly you are, in terms of your strengths and weaknesses.

Eurich is an organizational psychologist who helps people overcome obstacles to professional success — and the biggest one, she argues, is being oblivious to your flaws and mistakes. The problem? Self-awareness is key to success at work.

“Insight” guides readers through the process of knowing themselves just a little bit better. Each chapter juxtaposes an anecdote about a struggling client Eurich has coached with relevant scientific research, and ends with some practical exercises readers can use in their everyday lives.

These exercises — like inviting someone to a meal and asking them to tell you everything that’s wrong with you— take courage. But Eurich’s experience suggests that, if you do take her advice, you’ll be better positioned to advance in your career.

Find it here »

‘Why We Work’ by Barry Schwartz

In this relatively short read, Schwartz, a psychologist at Swarthmore College, explains how human motivation works — and doesn’t work.

Schwartz argues that people are motivated by purpose and meaning, i.e. the chance to achieve great things. There’s no evidence to suggest people are motivated primarily by money. But most companies — from education to law — incentivize workers with financial rewards anyway.

As you’re moving into the next phase of your career, you’ll want to learn more about what makes employees excel and what makes an organization great. Schwartz’s insights are invaluable in that domain.

Find it here »

Bonus Read: Resume DNA by John Singer

For every position that interests you there are dozens, possibly hundreds of applicants. You need to make yourself stand out — but how? Resume DNA: Succeeding in Spite of Yourself is a practical blueprint for navigating your way through a complicated, competitive job market.

You’ll learn to identify the qualities that distinguish you from your competition, write cover letters and resumes that demonstrate why you’re a good fit, deliver an opening statement that enables you to control the interview, work your network and pilot a proactive search in the “unpublished” job market, and much more. With humor and warm encouragement, Resume DNA: Succeeding in Spite of Yourself reminds you of what you’ve already accomplished . . . and teaches you how to leverage those accomplishments as you make your way up the career ladder.

Find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Resume-DNA-Succeeding-Spite-Yourself/dp/1627873848

Businessinsider.com | March 13, 2018 | Shana Lebowitz

Your #Career : 7 Ways to Make Your #Resume Easier for #Recruiters to Process…So, like Anyone Faced with a Whole Lot to Do, Recruiters take Shortcuts. Instead of Looking through Every Single Application Carefully

March 12, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Getting recruiters to thoroughly read your resume is a luxury you have to earn. By making your resume more skimmable for recruiters, you’ll position yourself as a strong candidate worthy of being taken seriously.

It’s easy to think that after all the work you’ve put into perfecting your resume, recruiters will at least spend the time to thoroughly reading it through from start to finish. Unfortunately, this is usually not the case. Recruiters are generally very busy. Resume writing blogger and long-time recruiter Steve Wang says,

“During my more busy weeks, sometimes I have to fill as many as 15 positions at once, and when each position gets over a hundred applicants, I can only afford to spend a minute or two on each resume.”

So, like anyone faced with a whole lot to do, recruiters take shortcuts. Instead of looking through every single application carefully, they’ll simply skim through each resume to see which ones might be worth taking a closer look at. Because of this, it’s crucial that even a quick glance at your resume will leave readers awestruck. With this in mind, here are some techniques you can dish out to make your resume super easy for recruiters to skim through and understand.

Use Standard Headings

I get it, you want to get fancy with your headings to stand out from the pack, but doing so can have the unintended consequence of making your resume way harder to skim. Recruiters are used to reading the same old headers over and over again. If you change “Work Experience” to “Work Background”, that can throw off a recruiter’s rhythm – even if it’s just a little. So when it comes to resume headings, stick with what is tried and true.

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Digitize Your Numbers

When it’s time to decide whether to spell out numbers on your resume, you might find yourself in a dilemma where you’re unsure whether to use APA or MLA style rules to approach this common concern. While it’s great that you’re paying attention to this type of detail, it’s a lot simpler than you think. Just write your numbers as digits to make information like numerical achievements nice and easy to spot. Whether you follow APA or MLA protocol is the least of anyone’s concerns here.

List All Your Skills Separately

Some job applicants like to intertwine their skills with their job experience. If they used skills A, B, and C while working for Job X, they’ll mention those skills in the same section of the resume that describes the job. While this is certainly a fine way to format your resume, it’s still important to have a separate section that lists out all your skills in their entirety.

Use Short Bullet Points

One to two lines is an okay length for bullet points. If they get any longer though, not only will your resume become more difficult to understand, but it can also hint that you’re trying to get at too many different things at once. Instead, keep your bullet points short, sweet, and to the point.

Choose the Right Template

Some resume templates do a far better job than others at making your content aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand. Make sure that the template you use is taking full advantage of techniques like bolding, USING ALL CAPS, italics, underlining, and even colors to make information like job titles, company names, and dates more distinguishable from one another. Here’s what I mean:

Job title, Company Name, New York, NY May 2016 – Present

This would be considered hard to read. While everything is bolded and italicized to differentiate the entire line from the rest of the resume, individually the job title, company name, location, and date are hard to distinguish.

Job title, Company Name, NEW YORK, NY May 2016 – Present

Here the formatting is far superior. The job title, company name, location, and date all have their own unique style, which makes everything much easier to discern.

If you’re ever unsure about whether a particular resume template might be easier to skim than another, simply test them out by skimming them yourself.

Align Dates to the Right

Keeping all your dates to the right allows you to create a clear timeline of your resume. If a recruiter wants to check to see if you have any work gaps, all the recruiter needs to do is look over to the right and all the dates will be lined up as clear as day.

Begin Each Job Description with a Summary

In some cases, even though each individual bullet point on a resume may be easy to comprehend, sometimes they don’t paint a clear picture of the job applicant collectively when put together. This difficulty is exacerbated when bullet points describe assorted one-off achievements at a particular job. To alleviate this issue, it’s often a good idea to use your first bullet point to give a short summary describing what the core of your job is all about. This way, recruiters can better contextualize how your later bullet points fit into the bigger picture of what you do.

Getting recruiters to thoroughly read your resume is a luxury you have to earn. By making your resume more skimmable for recruiters, you’ll position yourself as a strong candidate worthy of being taken seriously.

Glassdoor.com | March 12, 2018 | Posted by Peter Yang

Your #Career : 5 Common Career Mistakes That Can Sabotage Your Future…Sometimes it’s Believing what Others say About You, and Sometimes it Believing the Story you Tell Yourself.

March 12, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

If you’re not as far along as you’d like to be in your career, you’re not alone. Eighty-five percent of Americans hate their jobs, according to Gallup. A lot of people blame their boss, and perhaps he or she is partially responsible. But the problem might be staring at you in the mirror. Many of us are making mistakes that hold us back, says Skip Prichard, author of The Book of Mistakes: 9 Secrets for Creating a Successful Future.

“I’ve always wondered why some people succeed and some fail,” says Prichard, who has been CEO of several companies, most recently OCLC, a global nonprofit computer library service and research organization. “Some of the biggest regrets are not being more true to yourself.”

After studying leadership psychology and interviewing more than 1,000 people for his blog, Prichard found that the difference between success and failure is avoiding common pitfalls. Here are five that might be holding you back.

MISTAKE #1: WORKING ON SOMEONE ELSE’S DREAM

Maybe you studied engineering on the advice of your parents, or got into marketing because your boss thought you’d be good at it even though you were more interested in finance. “You had a dream but you killed it,” says Prichard. “When you go through with someone else’s dream, you won’t have the same amount of drive or energy to move forward in your career.”

Feeling drained is a signal from your subconscious that what you’re doing is not right for you. “When you are doing your passion, you feel energized every day,” he says. “You might also be doing the right thing in the wrong environment. Perhaps the organization or leadership style isn’t for you. Know yourself, and take the risk to go follow your dream career or company.”

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MISTAKE #2: ALLOWING SOMEONE ELSE TO DEFINE YOUR VALUE

It costs about 11 cents to make a nickel, but we all accept that it’s worth just five because we labeled it a nickel, says Prichard. “How often do you let someone else define your value with statements like ‘You’re not good at sports.’ Or ‘Who do you think you are?’” he asks.

Successful people do not accept labels that are falsely put on them. “Be confident, master your strengths, and do not be defined by what others say about you,” says Prichard. “Why would you let someone else define your value?”

MISTAKE #3: ACCEPTING EXCUSES

This is a big one because it touches everything we do, says Prichard. “It’s about personal accountability,” he says. “When someone has a lot of excuses, they may be compelling, but not many people care. We’re all busy.”

In the corporate world, leaders take ownership. “They say, this is my fault, I tried something and it didn’t work, but I’m going to make it right,” says Prichard. “They don’t run; they take personal accountability. They don’t pretend nobody noticed, and say, ‘It’s not my fault; the product was the problem.’ People who make and accept excuses are not likely to get promoted.”

MISTAKE #4: BEING AROUND THE WRONG PEOPLE

You will be the same person in five years except for the books you read and the people you meet, motivational speaker Charlie “Tremendous” Jones once said. Who you surround yourself with are the voices you put in your head, says Prichard.

“What are you feeding your mind?” he asks. “People can’t ignore this one; you will become the people you hang around with. Where are they taking you?”

Pay attention to your colleagues. Are they working to improve themselves? Or are they blaming others around them? “Select your friends as deliberately as you select your wardrobe,” says Prichard.

MISTAKE #5: STAYING IN YOUR COMFORT ZONE

All growth happens at the boundaries of your comfort zone, says Prichard. For example, at the gym, the last few reps are uncomfortable, but that’s when you reach new levels.

“Prime time is in the evening,” he says. “Are you on the sofa eating chips and watching TV instead of using your prime time to change your future?”

When you learn a new skill, the first time can be nerve-racking. “Success is about consistently doing uncomfortable things,” says Prichard. “If you let your comfort zone fence you in, you’ll miss it. Work harder on yourself than you do on your job. You’ll increase your comfort zone and become more valuable so you have better earning potential.”

Successful people realize there’s not a fixed and limited amount of anything. “Success is an unlimited resource available to all of us,” says Prichard. “When you see someone else doing well, go from jealously to curiosity. You can duplicate it and succeed in a different way.”

FastCompany.com | March 12, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : #CareerAdvice #Salaries -4 #Benefits You Can #Negotiate (and How to Do It!)…When it Comes to Benefits, it’s Important to have a Clear Sense of Where you can #Negotiate .

March 11, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Remember — negotiations are a collaboration, not a contest. “I always appreciate creative requests,” Kuntzmann says. When it’s time to negotiate, be prepared, be gracious and be confident — you can do this!

As you consider what you need most out of a new position, salary is an important component of your compensation picture — but it’s not the only factor. A guide published by Northwestern Mutual titled Changing Jobs? Top Financial Considerations Beyond Salary cites data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to solidify the claim: “Salary typically accounts for just 70 percent of an employee’s total compensation. Benefits make up the remaining 30 percent.”

When it comes to benefits, it’s important to have a clear sense of where you can negotiate. Ellen Kuntzmann, Director-Talent Acquisition for Integrity Staffing Solutions advises: “When speaking with a hiring manager you will want to understand what benefits can be negotiated vs. what is fixed. For example, smaller companies may not be able to adjust medical benefits but would be more likely to offer additional PTO.”

This is where you want to do your research and be clear on what you’re after. Also, recognize what constitutes “fixed benefits”; you’re unlikely to negotiate your way into a program the company doesn’t offer. So it’s probably not a good strategy to target transportation benefits if the company doesn’t offer that. But you might be able to negotiate a bonus or higher base salary by touting your merit. You can then use that extra pay to underwrite your transportation expenses.

Kuntzmann advises: “Things which are often negotiable may include work hours such as 4×10 hour days, span of control for your function or work location if you want to move to the corporate office or have family in a different branch that you may be supporting. Be sure to ask for any changes to benefits you are looking for in a concise, focused one-time request. Once you get agreement on one change or benefit, asking for additional may be perceived as not fully focused on what you want.”

A few other benefits you may want to consider negotiating for?

1. COBRA

One benefit that Kuntzmann notes may be worth pursuing is COBRA benefits. This is short-term healthcare that covers you and your family during transitional times. Kuntzmann points out: “If you are between jobs or are leaving your current job for a new role, you may ask for your cost of COBRA to be covered by your new employer until your medical benefits go live.”

2. Telecommuting

Telecommuting can help foster fit for many employees. But some employers have not caught the wave. Maybe it doesn’t suit their business model, or their leadership isn’t open to it. Telecommuting can be a great job perk, but if you’re targeting it as a key benefit for job fit, it’s in your best interest to learn whether or not your prospects are open to it.

If you learn that it’s an option, Kuntzmann offers this advice for negotiating a telecommuting arrangement: “The key to remote work or telecommuting is to be specific — is it one day a week or one day a month?”

3. PTO

PTO is commonly negotiated as a means to better foster job fit. Kuntzmann explains: “PTO is what I’m most often asked to negotiate. Some companies have ranges that they offer based upon tenure, and others may allow you to use time already allotted for a personal vacation that’s already been paid for without utilizing paid time as part of your offer negotiation.”

4. Bonus or Stock Pay

Kuntzmann explains that if you’re going after a particular benefit when you negotiate your salary, don’t assume that you need to accept a lower base pay to negotiate that benefit.

However, this might be true in the case of additional compensation. Kuntzmann explains: “I’ve often negotiated higher bonus or higher stock for a candidate for a lower base pay.” So if you find that the base pay offered is lower than what you’d expected, it might make sense to negotiate for an additional bonus or stock.

Remember — negotiations are a collaboration, not a contest. “I always appreciate creative requests,” Kuntzmann says. When it’s time to negotiate, be prepared, be gracious and be confident — you can do this!

Glassdoor.com | March 9, 2018 | Posted by Eileen Hoenigman Meyer