Dr. Stewart Friedman Finding a Good Job Doesnt Need to Be So Frustrating

Dr. Stewart Friedman Finding a Good Job Doesn't Need to Be So Frustrating 3 In the book “Total Leadership” and in conversation with JobMob, Dr. Stewart Friedman explains what you can do to increase your chances of finding a good job. Does this ever happen to you? You hear a new, unfamiliar term and then realize that it applies to you. You knew what you were doing/thinking/feeling, but you didn't know that there was an actual name for it until you stumbled upon that name. It happens to me all the time. Tim Ferriss published a post on his blog where founder of the Wharton School's Work/Life Integration Project Dr. Stewart Friedman explains the notion of what he calls a “four-way win.”eval A four-way win is when you harmonize your goals along the 4 spheres of activity in your life â€" self, work, home and community â€" and then achieve those goals. When I started JobMob, I was hoping to employ myself (“work”) by taking my job search expertise (“self”) and sharing it with you (“community”). Certain aspects of how my company works has ensured that my home life has improved as a result (“home”). Using blogging, I've set myself up for a four-way win. (And so can you, more on that soon…)eval But you don't need to be self-employed to align your goals this way, as you'll see from my conversation with Dr. Friedman. After hearing about his book “Total Leadership” â€" which I bought and will review for you later â€" I contacted “Stew” with some questions for job seekers. 3 questions with Dr. Stewart Friedman 1) What can a job seeker do to understand in which direction they should turn their job search with the best chance of achieving a four-way win? Start with knowing what's really important to you and, then, to the most important people in your life. This will give you a solid foundation on which to build your search. 2) For job seekers, what are the outward signs of a company that will be more conducive to a four-way win? In other words, a company worth working for. I think the most valuable information comes from the people who work thereâ€"what's your feeling about them as they talk about their affiliation with the company? Do they seem like they are pursuing things that matter to them personally as well as professionally? If not, then this isn't the place for you. 3) Which questions should a job seeker ask in an interview to find out as much? The important thing is to ask what you're truly interested in finding out and then, most importantly, to listen carefully and continue inquiring until you're satisfied. Conclusion Take the time to determine you and your family's life priorities before setting out on your next job search. Ask interviewers the questions that will confirm whether or not your next job will progress you in sync with those priorities. How could you get your four-way win? Additional reading about Dr. Friedman About Dr. Stewart Friedman and Total Leadership NY Times- Hot Ticket in B-School: Bringing Life Values to Corporate Ethics On Dr. Stewart Friedman: Become a Successful Leader in All Dimensions ofLife This article was part of the Rich Life blog carnival. Who isn't hoping to find a good job?

How to Use Data for Better Recruitment

How to Use Data for Better Recruitment These days data can be a funny thing. In some ways, we simply have too much of it and it’s overwhelming. And yet, in others, we lack enough to give us a clear picture of what’s actually taking place. And, lest we forget … math is hard, right?  So, what’s a Talent Acquisition leader to do? How do you tell your VP, CHRO or CEO the true story of what’s happening behind the scenes of your recruitment operations? Get your priorities straight First things first, treat Talent Acquisition measurement like everything else in business and clearly define your goals. What are you trying to accomplish? Think big picture stuff. Establish a few key goals (no more than 3-5) and then determine which metrics help tell the story of your success.  Each data component is like a puzzle piece, and it’s up to you to put the pieces together into a coherent story. No one wants to see the raw data. They want to know what it means. That’s your job. Now, this is where we start going down the rabbit hole, folks. In measuring goals, there are a number of metrics that can help you tell that story. Here are some you may want to consider (the list is long, but not all-encompassing by any means): Media impressions Media clicks Apply clicks Website metrics User sessions New vs returning users Number of pages viewed Time on page/site Geography of users Device used (mobile vs desktop, browser, etc.) Organic vs. paid traffic Where people are coming from (acquisition) Search terms driving them to your site Social reach Social fan growth Social / content engagement Open rates on your candidate communications (emails, text, etc.) Talent pipeline growth Total applications Started Completed Applicant funnel Number of applies Number of interviews Number of offers Number of hires Percentages for each subsequent step Source data (source of traffic, source of application, source of hire) Demographics and diversity profiles of applicants/hires/employees Qualitative data from onboarding surveys, exit interviews, etc. Media spend vs. media ROI Employee retention rates Time to fill Cost per apply / hire Quality of hire Trends over time for all of these Define your goals and then choose which Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) give you the clues you need.  Of course, everyone’s business is different, and your company’s goals, recruitment challenges and departmental needs all play a role. To try to be as helpful as possible here, below are two potential real-world scenarios that companies go through and the associated KPIs you may want to consider for each. Scenario 1: A new company (or a full company re-branding): Your challenge?  Job seekers don’t know you. And, if they don’t know you, they’ll be far less likely to apply. Your potential measuring sticks? Brand awareness: KPIs would include social reach, social fan growth, brand mentions, website traffic, media impressions and media clicks. All of the things that indicate people are becoming familiar with your company. Applicant flow: Track your application trends over time. Are you getting more? Time to fill: As you become more well-known, your time to fill should shrink. Scenario 2: Strategic audience targeting Your challenge?  You need to target and hire more of a particular segment, whether that’s female computer programmers or customer service agents in Dallas. Yours is a highly targeted approach. Your potential measuring sticks? Depending on your initiatives, some of the KPIs from the example above would work too. You could consider social fan growth and awareness, but specifically among your target audience, not broad-based. Did you create a landing page? Track visits and time on site. If you have a talent network or email signup, you can track the amount of “joins” from your target audience. Think about your content approach here too, and track the performance of that as much as possible. And, it almost goes without saying, but make sure you’re tracking the trend in hires. All of this data should be specific to your target audience. Bottom line: If you’re targeting a specific sub-group, you may not have huge overall numbers to share, but what’s important is the improvement trend over time. My last note on metrics is to make sure that you’re sharing them in a visual way. Create charts, graphs, info blocks, etc. vs. a mind-numbing Excel sheet. I find PowerPoint is actually pretty good for this type of work (more visual recommendations here).  Numbers can be daunting, but if you make your KPIs an integral part of your story, you’ll have a well-formed, data-backed view of current trends and a rationale for your future strategies to share with your executives. What challenges have you faced with data in your organization, and how did you solve them? Let us know in the comments below. Image credit: Shutterstock

10 Essential Verbs to Use in Your CV

10 Essential Verbs to Use in Your CV Your written vocabulary is obviously extremely important in the process of writing your CV, but you must pay particular attention to the verbs you include. Verbs are used to describe actions and are commonly known as “doing words”, so they are crucial if you want to describe how your input impacts your employers. Verbs quite literally explain what you have done, which is why choosing them correctly will have a huge effect on your CV’s success. So take a look at StandOut CV’s 10 essential CV writing verbs. 1. Managed Management skills are important across a wide range of professions and industries, but this is not limited to people management only. Skills like time management, supplier management, stakeholder management and process management are also valuable and highly regarded by hiring managers. So include any elements of management you use in your roles to show potential employers that you have control over the outcome of your work. 2. Delivered Employers always prefer to hire staff who deliver results for them. So whether you deliver cost savings, product sales or projects, ensure that your CV shows exactly what you deliver and how you deliver it. Including numbers when doing so can really quantify your value. 3. Improved Businesses are always looking for ways to improve their offerings, so if you are a candidate who can bring serious improvements to an organisation, make it clear in your CV. Whether you can introduce improved processes, improved sales figures or improved performance, explain the improvements clearly to recruiters in your role descriptions. 4. Reduced Reduction can often be perceived as a negative term but when it comes to spending money and resources, companies are keen to make reductions. If you have been involved in cost or time saving initiatives, then include them in your CV and use facts and figures to detail the value you have added. 5. Negotiated Negotiation is a core skill in the workplace, and it’s not just exclusive to sales staff. Negotiation is an important tool which can be used to obtain better prices from suppliers or to gain budget approval from a line manager. Any CV could benefit from one or two examples of negotiation that has benefited the candidate and their employer. 6. Planned As the saying goes, “fail to prepare and prepare to fail” â€" this basically means that preparation is the blueprint of success. Therefore it makes sense to show recruiters that you have the ability to plan effectively in the workplace and see your plans through to completion. 7. Supported In every profession, employees need to support each other and also support other individuals they encounter outside of their organisation, such as clients and suppliers. Use your CV’s role descriptions to show that you can be relied upon to support your colleagues and others. 8. Trained Having the ability to train others not only shows that you have expertise in your field, but it also indicates that you have the communication skills and confidence to deliver training sessions. If you have held training responsibilities in your previous roles, be sure to include them in your CV. 9. Resolved Businesses face problems on a daily basis, so employees who can resolve these problems are highly sort after. Detail the issues that you face in your roles, the steps you take to resolve them and the results you achieve in doing so. 10. Presented From presenting findings of research to an internal stakeholder, to presenting a new product to a crowd of potential customers; presentation is necessary across most businesses. If you’ve got any presentation experience at all, ensure that you include it in your CV if you want to make an impression.

20 Career Destroying Mistakes You Need To Avoid

20 Career Destroying Mistakes You Need To Avoid How do you ensure that you do everything right for your career? The trick is simple â€" just avoid everything wrong. Building a career is as much about doing the right things as it is about NOT doing the wrong things. Here is a close look at the mistakes you need to avoid if you want a successful career. Applying for Jobs and Attending Interviews 1. Applying for every job you come across: Even if you are desperate for a job, it is best not to send in applications for jobs that are not the perfect match for you. It may lead to even more disappointment when you don’t get them. 2. Spelling errors, typos and mistakes in job correspondence: If you are careless in your correspondence when you are seeking a job, a hiring manager would be convinced that you would do the same when you are handling correspondence after you are hired. 3. Forgetting your manners is seldom forgiven: You may be the most qualified candidate for a job, but yet never get it if you arrive late for an interview. Maintaining proper etiquette is important when it comes to making a favorable impression. 4. Under-dressing and over-dressing never work: It is not a good idea to go for an interview in a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. However, it is also not the best idea to wear a tuxedo because it’s formal. Wear something suitable that you feel confident in. 5. Choosing to ask the wrong questions: Focus on the most important point â€" how you can benefit the company. Postpone anything about how the company can benefit you (salary, incentives and allowances) until you have made a good impression. 6. Not giving due importance to your worth: A candidate can negotiate the salary when he/she gets a job offer. There is nothing offensive about it. However, this is only a good idea after you are sure that the recruiter is impressed by your profile. Learning and Growing 1. Failing to utilize your contacts: Doing everything on your own often leads to setbacks. Ask for help from others; consult a mentor when you face a hurdle; talk to a friend when you want to switch jobs; discuss your choices with a senior about professional courses. 2. Being uninformed about the latest: If you are not aware of the latest updates of your industry, you are way behind others in the race to bag the best jobs and pay packets. A recruiter appreciates someone with knowledge of the latest happenings in the industry. 3. Not remembering that social media has an extensive reach: Before you comment on Facebook or Tweet something, always think â€" is it appropriate? Anything you write may come up on an online search; you don’t want everything you think to be seen by recruiters. 4. Stopping to learn new things: If you think that your qualifications are adequate for your career, well, you are stuck in a rut! You can excel in your chosen career only if you pay attention to how you can learn and grow. 5. Not giving professional networking its due worth: Staying updated on industry trends, building industry-based contacts, documenting your achievements can be done using your professional networking profile on LinkedIn. Just pay a little attention to it. Being a Success in the Workplace 1. Becoming the office gossip or the social castaway: Going to an extreme, either way, is going to make you extremely unpopular! It is a good idea to maintain cordial relations with your colleagues; this way, you can get a professional ally whenever you need one. 2. Complaining ceaselessly about your job: A tiresome schedule, a horrible manager, a seriously low pay package â€" the reasons for complaining can be any of these or more. If you are so not satisfied, try for another job. And quit complaining. 3. Neglecting people skills: No career-conscious individual is an island; you need to understand how your words and behavior affect others. Failure to do this may lead to problems and conflicts in the workplace, which is the last thing you need. 4. Working when you are sick: Unless there is something urgent, it is not necessary to act the martyr. When you are ill, take a break and get well. Physical ailment is often accompanied by mental fatigue; and you are at a risk of making the worst mistake at work at such times. 5. Keeping to the clock: It is a good thing to arrive at the office and leave on time; however, don’t let your employer or your colleagues think that the clock, and not your work, is your priority. 6. Failing to meet deadline: An employer is only impressed by an employee if he/she can complete his/her work on time. Any failure in this regard may lead to problems in the workplace. And don’t expect your manager to save you every time you fall short. 7. Failing to produce quality work: Again, a deadline is no excuse for poor quality work! If you complete the work on time but it needs to be revised a hundred times before it can be of any use, the entire effort is wasted. 8. Keeping busy with your personal life: It is a good thing to give your personal life the attention it deserves! However, it is not a good idea to do so during your office hours; after all, the recruiter is paying you to work during those hours. 9. Relying too much on your success:  You never know when the tides will turn! Keep informed about the industry, keep in touch with your contacts and keep your resume updated. You never know when an economic downturn may require you to begin another job search. photo credit: Enokson via photopin cc 20

Building a Building Writing Resume

Building a Building Writing ResumeCreating a great building writing resume is the first step towards landing a good job. The only problem is that most people don't know where to start, and this leads to an endless process of doing research for writing samples and trying to figure out how to structure them correctly. That is why this article was written, to help you get started and to avoid the pain.Building a strong resume starts with finding good samples. You can find them all over the Internet, but some are better than others. You want to make sure that they are appropriate for your level of experience, and they also need to be relevant to the position you are applying for. Use the information from building a strong resume to help you figure out the samples you should choose.Another important part of building a building writing resume is choosing the right titles. You need to give your readers the impression that you know what you are talking about. Having the title of your resume sound like it's the best thing since sliced bread will make you look like a lot of work.When you want to create a building writing resume, keep in mind that you should always include your name at the top. This makes it easier for you to introduce yourself when the resume is finished, so the reader knows that they should actually read the rest of it.Using bullet points and lists, is a real advantage to your resume. This allows you to list your accomplishments, your skills, and other information that you feel helps to stand out from the rest of the crowd.Another part of building a building writing resume is to include a cover letter. You should include a short section at the bottom of your resume, which will let the reader know that you would like the job. Your letter should also be focused on your professional skills, interests, and any other information that you think the employer might be interested in.There are a number of places where you can find building writing samples. You ca n find them all over the Internet, but you want to avoid those that charge a fee or use words that are too formal.Building a building writing resume is just the first step. Remember that the resume is only the first step in the hiring process, and you still need to make sure that you have a good interview to be sure that you will be getting the job.