Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Executive Job Search Top Mistake #5 of 6 Unclear Career Goal

Executive Job Search Top Mistake #5 of 6 â€" Unclear Career Goal Executive Job Search Top Mistake #5 of 6 â€" Unclear Career Goal Executive Pop Quiz: What is your concise, inspiring and clear job search goal? Similarly, what is your answer to the most common networking question “What are you looking for?” It is critical that each of you have your next step career goal written down, memorized and shared broadly with your network. Executives, you have so many skills and experiences, and you are very clear on your past accomplishments and what you did well for your other companies. But you lack one of two things (or both): one, lacking clarity on what you want to do next and/or, two, lacking the ability to articulate your next stage goal in a compelling way. Here are some examples of the most common (and poor) responses to “What kind of position are you looking for?” “I can do anything” (interpreted as someone not self-aware, not focused or not passionate about anything) “I’m looking for a challenging position where I can work with people and leverage my financial skills.” (squishy goal, all about you vs. what you can do for another) “Sales, Marketing, Business Development.” (too broad; three discreet functions) “I want to do the job your job description outlines.” (cheesy, trite, the kind of response a college graduate may say, but not appropriate for an executive) AND, the most common response is “Well, let me tell you about my background” followed by a long list of everything you have done in the last 20 years (not answering the question about your future goals at all) There are so many more, but more helpful might be to share the three main job search tips about articulating your goal: Know what you are hunting. An executive job hunt implies you have a target. Is it big, brown and say ‘growl’ or does it have a white fluffy tail and tall ears? If you don’t know how to describe your goal, spend hours on any job search board like Monster.com and write down key words. Your network contacts want to help you. However, the squishier you are in your sharing, the less amount of help they can provide. The more confident and clear you are, the more likely they are to share opportunities or advice with you. The flip side of this important step is to know what you don’t want to do, too. Write down the characteristics. Organize the “features” of your target by the following: The function you target, as specific as possible (Sales Management, Marketing Research, Financial Controllership) Have some example titles at your level, based on the job description research you have done. The industry or industries you target Size of company Sample companies in your industries and sizes â€" at least 5 Cities desired, if multiple, OR if just your current city, say so! Script your improved Goal Statement: Write out exactly what you will say to everybody. It’s okay to have two goals that are slightly disparate but there should be some explainable thread between the two. “I have two goals that I am actively pursuing now…” “I am seeking a VP of Marketing Communications in a Fortune 500 consumer goods company located in Chicago or Atlanta. Examples include Dial and Coca-Cola Corporation.” “I am well qualified for a role as Chief Operating Officer of a medium-size technology company in Austin, Texas.” Executives, Cut the Crap, Get a Job! You can do so much better and leave a much more impactful impression if you show confidence and clarity in your description of your next stage career goal. Don’t keep your job search goal a secret and good luck!

Friday, May 8, 2020

Ernie Banks inspires my career and life Lets play two!

Ernie Banks inspires my career and life Lets play two! Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, has passed away and I’m profoundly sad. He was such a presence in my life even though he retired from baseball before I was born. I am a lifelong Cubs fan. It started at age 10 when I saw my first Cubs game at Wrigley field. I fell in love with the team and the magical place they played baseball. Cub fandom is passed down in my family on my mother’s side: from my grandma to my mom to me and now I’m passing it to my girls. Has my passion for the Cubs led to much heartbreak over the years? Yes. But I remain optimistic about the future and I get that from Ernie. His infectious enthusiasm for the game of baseball is unsurpassed. Ernie Banks is a legend. He was the first black player in Cubs history and had an amazing baseball career: 11 time all-star 512 career home runs National League MVP in back to back years He had so many amazing accomplishments, but more than that, it was his optimism, enthusiasm, and infectious spirit that remains with me. He is famous for saying to his teammates on game day, “Let’s Play Two!” He loved the game that much. As I reflect on Ernie’s life, these questions come to mind: What brings me as much joy as baseball gave Ernie? When in my life or career, do I want to say “Let’s Play Two”? What activities energized me so much that Im ready to do them all over again as soon as I finish? How can I bring more of those activities into my life and career on a regular basis? What would life be like if I could feel the energy, joy and optimism that baseball brought to Ernie? I’m going to spend some time answering those questions and finding ways to bring more of that pure joy into my everyday life. I encourage you to answer them for yourself and then identify some ways you can incorporate those energizing activities into your life on a regular basis. Thank you Ernie for everything you did for the Cubs, and for the countless number of individuals you brought joy to over the years. You will be terribly missed but your spirit remains and continues to spread joy to those you touched over the years. You are a legend in baseball, but your legacy doesn’t stop there. The legacy of how you approached and lived your life far surpassed your amazing baseball career.

Monday, April 27, 2020

Projecting a Professional Image

Projecting a Professional Image By now everyone has heard about people being hired and then either dismissed during the probationary period or shunned to the back room because of tattoos and/or piercings. Because these displays of individuality are becoming more common, you might not give it a second thought when you arrive at your interview with a nose ring. The truth is: you should be giving your appearance a second thought when looking for employment. As part of your job search/interview prep, you  need to determine the climate of the place where you are applying. Some companies have no problem with body art or multiple piercings.  However, other work  environments consider them to be detrimental to the company image. While its rare that a stellar candidate would be automatically excluded based on this alone, in a tough job market where there are several great candidates vying for every position, it could be problematic. New graduates need to remember that its rare that others of their immediate generation will be the ones hiring. You will generally be interviewed by someone who has been in the workforce for a number of years, so their standards are the ones you need to be mindful of when deciding whether or not to wear your piercings to job interviews or on the job. On the other hand, some companies may simply not care at all. Common sense advice: research the company prior to applying for the job. Of course the reality is that often people apply to every place with an opening. Either way, add to your list of things to look into the  personal grooming policies of the company regarding tattoos and piercings. You want to project a professional image that is inline with others at the company. Abiding by the dress code in the environment youre applying to  will save you  from entering into an awkward situation with the hiring manager, and, could even be the difference in getting the job  or politely  being shown the door.

Saturday, April 18, 2020

Alarming Information About Writing a Resume for a School Leaver Uncovered

Alarming Information About Writing a Resume for a School Leaver Uncovered Getting the Best Writing a Resume for a School Leaver Your CV is the initial step for your fantasy job as it's the first issue to be noticed by the recruiters and by thinking about the different CVs they shortlist the candidates from a variety of applications they've attained. Employing the above mentioned advice that you ought to be in a position to create a productive school leaver CV that will produce a huge impression on recruiters and make sure that you get invited to plenty of interviews. Place your contact details just underneath your name so that it's simple for recruiters to become in contact with you. Use headings to make it simpler for recruiters to get what they're searching for. The Secret to Writing a Resume for a School Leaver Whether you're leaving school, college or university, you will want to compose a CV should you need to land that dream job. Anything that taught you more concernin g the field you wish to be in, include it. As a student it's unlikely that you'll have a good deal of experience to write about, which means that your education section is vital to writing a fantastic CV. A superb means to begin on your resume as a high school student is to take a look at examples of resumes and read tips about what to include and the way to format your resume. What is Truly Going on with Writing a Resume for a School Leaver You most likely have plenty of questions. Charitable work Any type of fund raising or volunteer work you undertake for charitable causes seem great on your CV only because they show you are ready to assist others and frequently involve a great deal of organisation and planning. If you're asking for an IT school leaver programme, you may want to mention relevant programmes that you're proficient in. The challenge, however, is selling yourself. If you need further expert ideas and guidance, take a look at our how to compose a CV guide whi ch covers all the fundamentals of CV writing. This functional cv example can help you learn to compose a cv when you should set out your cv under separate functional headings. Before you commence writing your CV it's important to learn what your target employers wish to see in a candidate. Especially in regards to writing your very first CV. Whether you're leaving school or college you'll need to compose a cv if you need to land that dream job. A cv or resume is essential for each student for virtually any job be it a part-time job or the beginning of your career. Writing a school leaver CV is a huge challenge, especially when don't have any work experience, but all the job adverts appear to be asking for experienced folks. The absolute most important point to keep in mind is that recruiters read scores of resumes each and every day.

Monday, April 13, 2020

Why Everybody Is Talking About I Am Writing You to Bring Your Attention to Read My Resume

Why Everybody Is Talking About I Am Writing You to Bring Your Attention to Read My Resume The Basic Principles of I Am Writing You to Bring Your Attention to Read My Resume You Can Benefit From Beginning Today Job seekers should make certain their resume font isn't distracting. Attention to the typography to start with make sure your fonts are big enough. There are plenty of websites with tips around the internet, but most bring just a few them. Resumes are extremely personal documents. Look at getting skilled help If you're having a tough time to create your resume, or in case you're receiving no response whatsoever from companies, you could think about employing a professional resume writing service. Even in the event that you give the very best interview ever, they may know something about the job or company you don't and they might be saving you both a lousy experience. Along with researching the job, you must find out more about the organization. As stated above, a pr ovider would like to know that you're somebody who will get the job done nicely with managers and respect the business's mission and culture. Worse, the candidates using these resumes templates risk appearing as somebody who is not so creative and isn't even keen to set the time and effort into producing the greatest possible first impression by means of a stand out resume. Getting ready for an interview ahead of time is essential. The use of open resume objectives are primarily employed by those who have not specialized much and are open to the concept of being hired for other relevant jobs. The use of job specific resume objective is only going to be targeting the job that you've indicated in the statement.

Saturday, March 14, 2020

How to Format a Master Resume -

How to Format a Master Resume -If youre thinking about creating a master resume, youre on the right path to writing amazing resumes when you apply for specific jobs. Master resumes allow you to have one distribution policy to store all of the details of your career so that you can easily find specific details to add to submission resumes.Though the master resume is one you wont submit, to help keep your information organized, its a good idea to format it. Here are some formatting ideas to consider as you create your ownCreate Sections That Correlate With Submission ResumesA great way to keep your master resume organized is to create the same sections that you would use in the resumes you will eventually submit. Depending on the types of resumes you send out (i.e., functional vs. chronological), you may need different sections. In this case, you could either add all of the unique sections to your master resume, copying some information to both sections, or simply create a functional m aster resume and chronological master resume.Dont Stick to a Specific LengthTheres no doubt that length is important when writing a standard resume, but any rules for length go out the window concerning the master resume because it wont be submitted to anyoneits just for your organizational purposes.Depending on the amount of job-related history youve racked up over the years, your master resume could stretch out to as many as 20 pages. Dont worry about the length just keep adding information in order to make sure you have plenty available to glean from when the time comes to create a resume youll submit.Worry More about Quantity Rather Than QualityYou probably never hear that quantity is better than quality. But in the case of the master resume, your goal is to add as much information as possible so that you can have it to extract from later. Of course, you dont want to create a sloppy mess of a document thats hard to sift through just try not to worry so much about making it perfe ct that you forget you dont actually have to submit it.Working on a master resume offers an amazing opportunity to create thorough submission resumes in the future. So keep these formatting tips in mind as you develop your own masterful document.An exceptional resume authority, Jessica Hernandez and her team of credentialed writers lebenspartner with professional- and executive-level candidates to open doors to jobs at prestigious corporations, achieving over a 99% interview-winning success rate. For examples of branded resumes and Great Resumes Fasts blog on resume writing tips, visit http//www.greatresumesfast.com.

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Working Mom Schedule for the Busy Professional

Working Mom Schedule for the Busy Professional All busy moms have the same number of hours in a week (168), but some moms just seem to have it all figured out while many of us are constantly running late, with mismatched clothes, half-done makeup and a lukewarm coffee in hand.How do they make it all work?Understanding how otzu sichs make it work offers us all insights into ways that we may be able to tackle our own to-do list, improve our time management, and ensure our days are mixed with fulfilling work and quality time with our kids. Is that too much to ask?Currently as a working mom to a young toddler and a three-month-old, I am leise navigating our normal schedule, and so I turned to Karla Sayles, mom to two young boys (two and four years old), a Public Affairs Manager for Warner Bros. and a volunteer leader of the Junior League of Los Angeles, to show me how she does it. To say she is a busy mom is an understatement.This woman is a powerhouse who loves zu sichbeibei job, herbei family and is dedicated to her community. Karla attributes her success to her husband being a true partner and to building her own village that she trusts completely. Her ability to divide and conquer, identify and ask for help from her village is something I know I can learn to do betterKarlas Working Mom ScheduleMorningOn a typical Tuesday morning, Karlas day starts around 645 with her kids waking up shortly after her. While Karla jumps into her morning shower and getting-ready routine, her husband ensures the kids are getting themselves ready while he makes school lunches.They spend a little time together in the morning over breakfast and are out the door by 820 a.m. Karla drops off both of her sons at pre-school which will be changing once her older son starts a new school, but for now she is enjoying just one drop off location Both Karla and her older son spend five to 10 minutes playing in the classroom with her younger son to ensure he is comfortable and happy when she make s her exit for work. After the drop off routine is done, Karla manages 30-minute commute, which is relatively short for LA standards, and is in the bro by 915 a.m.AfternoonKarlas day in the office is full of meetings with government officials and studio execs. She often takes a few breaks throughout her day to focus on her role as president-elect of the Junior League of Los Angeles, answering some critical emails and occasionally taking a quick call.With a full day of meetings, she typically works through lunch. She doesnt mind, though, as the love for her team and responsibilities is a critical component of her happiness as a working mom.NightBy 545 p.m., she wraps up her day at work and is out the door. Tuesday night means that she is headed to the headquarters of the Junior League of Los Angeles for board or management meetings.Back at home, Karlas village helps care for her boys. She is supported by her own mother, mother-in-law, nanny and husband. Each afternoon, one of the gra ndmas is responsible for school pick-up and taking the boys home to be with their nanny. Their nanny helps get the boys dinner and starts their evening bedtime routine until Dad is home to take over, run bath time, and read books before bedtime by 800 pm.While Karla typically has evening commitments two to three nights a week and her husband, a freelance photographer, has a schedule that also often requires evening work, it welches extremely important to both of them that they find a person they could rely on until late and varying times.While Karla has often been asked if she misses being home for bedtime, she is quick to point out that she is home more nights of the week than not. Whats more, quality of time can be just as important as quantity of time. She makes a concerted effort to leave her phone aside and truly disconnect from work to be engaged with the boys. (And I must interject that as working moms we feel the need to point out that we do love our kids by contrast, men ar e very rarely asked about the amount of time they spend with their kids and wouldnt think they need to raise this point)The Exceptions...On a Tuesday night when she is volunteering with The Junior League of Los Angeles until late, she doesnt typically get home until close to 1000 p.m. For about an hour or so, she spends time with her husband and catches up with him on his own busy day. The goal is to be in bed and asleep around 1100 p.m. On a non-Junior League or late work nights, Karla is home by 630 p.m. and enjoys quality time getting the boys through dinner, baths, books and bedtime. Those nights, her husbands often cooks dinner while she takes any necessary late meetings via phone.Things dont always run so smoothly though Karla once needed her brother to pick up the kids from school on short notice. He welches more than willing to help but had no way to get the kids car seats from her and make it to the boys school in time Karla quickly sent her brother car seats through Amazon Now to ensure everyone welches picked up and safeEverything ElseAs for cooking, cleaning, and errands, Karla is all about making things as easy and systematic as possible. The dry cleaning gets dropped off at the house, her nanny pitches in with light cleaning and cooking and she is a huge fan of Amazon Prime servicesThe Schedule645 amWake up/wake up the kids/have breakfast and family time820 amDrop the kids off at school and head to work915 amArrive at workLate morningafternoonWork/meetings545 pmLeave work630 pmArrive at home/dinner/baths, books, and bedtimeTuesday nights only545-1000 pmVolunteer with the Junior League1000 pmArrive at home1100 pmGo to bedHow Karla Makes It All WorkWhile Karlas schedule is definitely busy, she always grateful that she loves her job, enjoys the work she is doing in the Los Angeles community through Junior League and above all her kids are loved and well taken care of by everyone in her village. Looking into the future, Karla is excited for her leade rship role in the Junior League to become less of a time commitment and give her some time to refocus on other goals (like fitting in more exercise), but for now she has a predictable schedule and a team of family and help in her cornerResources for Working Moms1. Care.comNeed a last-minute babysitter? This app enables you to find helpand not just any help. These caregivers are top-notch and vetted.2. Working Moms Against GuiltThis community of working moms offers plenty of resources to women who are all in the same boat. Read articles, subscribe to the newsletter, and find recommendations for books, blogs, podcasts, and more.3. Beyond BurnoutHosted by Dr. Tracey Marks, this podcast offers advice to working mothers on maintaining a work-life balance. Dr. Marks also tackles issues like health, wellness, and relationships.4. Working MotherWorking Mother is mentor, role model, and advocate to working moms around the country. The organization features articles, events, research, and oth er opportunities to connect.5. FairygodbossAnd, of course, dont forget about FGB While not exclusively for working mothers, we offer reviews on companies by women for women, discussion boards, and plenty of career advice.Do you have an organized working mom schedule, a to-do list or planner that you swear by in life? How do you handle your daily schedule of tasks while maintaining a healthy work-life balance?--Mary Beth Ferrante is the owner and founder of Live.Work.Lead., an organization dedicated to working with companies to retain top female talent by supporting women navigate their first critical year of becoming a new parent. Live.Work.Lead. works with new and expecting moms through 11 and through group programs. They also provide training to managers on the maternal wall and how to better support their employees planning for and returning from parental leave. Prior to founding Live.Work.Lead., Mary Beth was an SVP of Business Strategy for a Fortune 100 company. In addition, Li ve.Work.Lead.offers Virtual Mommy and Me Classes designed for Working Professionals.