James Altucher and Blogging

James Altucher and Blogging I have a blogger crush on James Altucher.  I love his story, his advice, and his writing style.  Ive blogged about him before. I was reading How To Go From $0 To $1,000,000 In Two Years on TechCrunch and wanted to share this with those interested in job search, career management and personal branding: Rule No. 5: Blogging is not about money.  Blogging is about trust. You don’t sell ads on your blog (rarely), you don’t get the big book deal (rarely), but you do build trust and this leads to opportunities. In Bryan’s case it led to more inflow, rather than him going door to door, and it also led to his biggest early opportunity. My own blog has made me a total of zero cents but has created millions in opportunities for me. Blogging is pull marketing. Providing great content, relevent information, intriguing stories, tips and ideas will bring people to you. They might end up reading your blog regularly, or they might be a flash in the pan, coming in from a google search. But when you provide awesome content, you can become a trusted source (quoted from right above the excerpt I took out read the whole article). Want to have a strong personal brand? BLOG. James Altucher and Blogging I have a blogger crush on James Altucher.  I love his story, his advice, and his writing style.  Ive blogged about him before. I was reading How To Go From $0 To $1,000,000 In Two Years on TechCrunch and wanted to share this with those interested in job search, career management and personal branding: Rule No. 5: Blogging is not about money.  Blogging is about trust. You don’t sell ads on your blog (rarely), you don’t get the big book deal (rarely), but you do build trust and this leads to opportunities. In Bryan’s case it led to more inflow, rather than him going door to door, and it also led to his biggest early opportunity. My own blog has made me a total of zero cents but has created millions in opportunities for me. Blogging is pull marketing. Providing great content, relevent information, intriguing stories, tips and ideas will bring people to you. They might end up reading your blog regularly, or they might be a flash in the pan, coming in from a google search. But when you provide awesome content, you can become a trusted source (quoted from right above the excerpt I took out read the whole article). Want to have a strong personal brand? BLOG.

A Resume Writing Service Can Help You Get An Interview

A Resume Writing Service Can Help You Get An InterviewThere are many reasons why a job seeker may find using a resume writing service helpful. For example, a resume may not be needed for every position available. If you don't need it, a resume writing service can still help you.A resume should include the applicant's skills, educational background, experience, and references. Job hunters who have sent in their resumes by the deadline can receive an email indicating they were selected for an interview. The resume should indicate the position to which the applicant is applying.Resumes can include all the things mentioned above, but sometimes it can be difficult to remember the details. One way to ensure that you have a professional looking resume is to have a professional looking writer add content to it. A resume writing service can create your resume on their computer. Once you submit your resume, the writing service will place it into an Arial font for you.A resume writing service c an also tell you what to put in your resume. You can provide them with the details you would like to include in your resume. A resume writing service will then send it out to all the companies that you are applying to, letting them know what they are sending out.By using a resume writing service, you can avoid wasting time trying to create a resume yourself. You can submit your resume to just about any company that you apply to. Resume writing services charge a fee for their services, but they are usually affordable.The best thing about using a resume writing service is that you can eliminate a lot of the work on your part. The resume writing service will go through your resume and make changes based on what you have provided them. You only have to send it in once, and they do all the work for you.Your resume will be submitted to a lot of companies, which can be very overwhelming. You can easily have a hard time getting an interview by submitting your resume all at once. A resume wr iting service can eliminate this problem by doing it all for you. They take care of the information overload that comes with sending out dozens of resumes.If you do decide to hire a resume writing service, make sure you find one that specializes in resumes. Some services specialize in a certain type of resume, such as specific positions, such as accounting. Choose a company that does resumes that match your career. This way, your resume will be tailored to what you are looking for, which can significantly increase your chances of getting hired.

To find your best next job, focus on the company not the job

To find your best next job, focus on the company not the job When you are trying to figure out your next career move, the company match is more important than job match. This is because the people who are happiest at work are doing what they do best, every day. You can be a janitor and use your strengths, and you can be an associate at one of the very best law firms and not use your strengths. This is not about your IQ, its about your core personality, and matching the needs of your core personality to a companys needs. Dont use past skills to get a future job says, positive psychologist Senia Maymin. Use your strengths. A job should be more about what excites you and less about what youve done This is good advice, but it requires having a solid understanding of yourself and of what companies have to offer. A book Ive been waiting all year for is Recruit or Die by Chris Resto, Ian Ybarra and Ramit Sethi. This book tells companies how to recruit young talent. (The first thing I like about this book is that now we can stop arguing about if employees hold the stronger hand in the recruiting process. They do. And every time people tell me that Im nuts for saying that employees are forcing corporate America to change, I can just point to this book.) Recruit or Die explains that the companies who get the best employees year after year do so by selling themselves more than selling the job, and the recruiting process is a time to show the candidate who the company is. When there are tons of candidates for every job, only top-tier firms do this. In a market like today, where workers are in high demand, any company that will survive has to do it. As a candidate, this book is a peek into the secret world of your suitors. You should understand the range of ways that forward-thinking companies recruit so you know how to judge the company youre talking to. This will help you to match your strengths properly with a companys. One of the most important things to notice in the recruiting process is that the best companies dont use money as a recruiting tool. Its not that they think you dont care about money. But they know they cannot differentiate themselves with money. Because you probably have a lot of friends who make the same amount of money you do; your pay range is not going to make you feel significantly different about your life because the happiness that money brings you is always relative to the people around you. Recruit or Die is also gives us a good way to understand career possibilities. For example, the book recommends that companies do things like send you a congratulatory card or gift basket when you finally take the job. This is small, yes, but it sets the tone for gratitude going forward and a culture of gratitude can almost single-handedly make a great work experience. So how do you get to know your strengths? Here are two tests to take either one will tell you your strengths and each takes about 30 minutes: Signature Strengths Questionnaire and Gallup StrengthsFinder . And how do you figure out what company is a good match for you? You know how you go on dating sites and before you answer any ads, you read a bunch to see what the possibilities are? Use Recruit or Die like Match.com and get educated on what the market has to offer before you offer yourself.

For 2020, Write a Career Plan

For 2020, Write a Career Plan What’s your plan? If 2019 was not all you’d hoped for at work, you might be thinking of moving on this year. Here’s an alternative idea: create a plan to grow and thrive where you are right now. Large companies often create career plans for rising stars. The plans help leadership prepare for the future by identifying needs and gaps in the workforce and looking at existing talent to fill them. If your company doesn’t have a clear plan for your progression, there’s no reason you can’t work on one for yourself. You can start by asking for your manager’s input, but you might do even   better by drafting something yourself so she has a starting point. It will be much easier to edit one than for her to create one. The benefits of a career plan are obvious. You’ll have goals in place to keep you motivated. You’ll also stay focused on what’s most important for your current role     and for your future role. You and your manager will have ways to measure your progress and performance, and she’ll be less worried about the possibility that you’ll be moving on to greener pastures. York University (based in the United Kingdom) offers these suggestions for writing your own career plan: Understand your team structure It’s important to know how your team is set up, and where the team’s responsibilities lie within the company as a whole. Get your head fully around how your team is integral to the business, and plan goals accordingly. Consult with your manager Unless you’re running a company, there’s always likely to be someone in a more senior position than yourself. Make sure that you sit down and discuss your future aims with them. They’ll have invaluable advice for you, and they’ll be interested in tracking your progress. Understand what you can’t control Understand what you can’t control. As useful as a plan can be, it’s impossible to cover every potential outcome or eventuality. A good way to partially counter this is by plotting out ‘what if’ scenarios. An obvious example here is your team either not hitting their own goals or failing to perform. Safeguard yourself and the company by preparing for this possible eventuality. Look to the future While short-term goals are handy, it would be wise to set up a few targets based around long-term progression as well. Picture where you see yourself in five years; which track suits you best? Managing teams or systems? Sales? Service? Finance? Marketing? Where you’ve started isn’t necessarily where you have to end up. When you can visualize your future role, you can start building in-the-moment goals around these future ambitions. Don’t just set work-related goals While everything should ultimately tie back in to making you as good as possible at your job, don’t be afraid to set goals which aren’t directly work-related. Personal development shouldn’t be overlooked. You can work on education (both formal and informal), health goals, financial planning, and building your network. After you’ve created a plan, it’s important to create a system for accountability and support if you need it. York University suggest these step: Schedule reviews You can meet with your manager as frequently as you see fit. It’s important to keep on top of your goals by making sure you’re on the right path. During this process, you’ll also get more clear on what your manager’s priorities are and why they’re important. Get help if required If you’re really struggling to come up with or reach relevant targets, you can always ask for help. This doesn’t just mean from your manager alone. If you’re part of a team, or a manager yourself, your coworkers or staff might be able to provide advice on the kinds of targets you can set or how you can improve your performance right now. Assess your workload Does your work actually tie in to the goals you’ve set for yourself? It could be that you’ve slowly drifted away from the role you were in when you set your targets. Make sure you compare your workload and what you’re achieving to your goals. Are you stretching your skill set? Asking for new responsibilities is a good way to increase your value to the company and prove you’re ready for the next step. Track accomplishments Keep a detailed record of everything you’ve achieved. A journal can help you assess how well you’re progressing with your overall plan, and will come in handy when you’re due for your annual evaluations. The accomplishment journal is also a great resource for updating your resume and preparing for interviews as well. It can be hard to recall specifics like dates, budgets and team members years after a project has ended. For access to the full career planning guide and other useful resources, visit the University of York’s site.

How to Use (Blank) Verbs When Writing a Resume

How to Use (Blank) Verbs When Writing a ResumeWhen writing a resume, you should always use (blank) verbs to describe your skills and accomplishments. Why? Well, let's take a look at why.First of all, your resume is going to be one of the first things people see, so it should be short and to the point. Having too much information overload on your resume will cause most employers to skip over it. This is a very important part of your resume. It doesn't even have to be formatted in an orderly manner, it just needs to be short and to the point.Using (blank) verbs can help you accomplish this goal. Most likely if you spent any time researching and gathering information for your resume you've seen just how much employers will scan your resume with multiple times. They're only going to get through what's necessary with little or no time at all, and they'll skim the rest of your resume to get through that.By using (blank) verbs you cut back on the amount of time the reader has to spend readi ng your resume. Once the prospect has gone through your resume they're likely done with it, so your job is simply to give them as much information as possible to pass on to their friends. By using (blank) verbs, you can keep it short, and they'll still likely take some time to read it. So be sure to use these words.Now, the next part of writing a resume with (blank) verbs is how you phrase the information you are putting on your resume. If you're looking for a job in corporate America, but you don't know a thing about corporate America, don't use the word 'busy 'to describe your work experience. Instead use the word 'experienced' and describe your time in the field.Let's take a quick review of what we discussed above. When writing a resume, you should always use (blank) verbs to describe your work experience. And use the correct terminology in describing your work experience, if you haven't used corporate terminology in your resume. Now, we're going to look at the next step, what yo u should be looking for in your resume.In your resume you should highlight the skills you have, your qualifications, and then your goals for further success. How are you going to reach your goals? You can summarize that information in bullet points on your resume. If you can't think of what you want to emphasize, consider these tips to make your resume stand out from the rest. Write down the skills you've acquired through your work experience. What else could the company be looking for in an employee?You should also highlight your goals for success. Use a bullet list with a sentence heading that describes what you'd like to achieve in the future. Your cover letter will only need a brief paragraph in order to highlight the goals you share with the employer, so why not use (blank) verbs on your resume?

8 Things Successful People Refuse To Do - CareerMetis.com

8 Things Successful People Refuse To Do Success isn’t something that can be measured and definitely not related to wealth, as many people mistakenly think. Success is about achieving something great that sets you apart from other people.It’s about following your own path and being fulfilled in day to day life.evalI like to think that life should be lived with a sense of purpose, to fulfill one’s existence and attain happiness and fulfillment. To go through life randomly without wanting to achieve something significant will lead you to live a shallow and uncertain life.Those who have found their life purpose and strive daily to reach and surpass their goals are on the right track when it comes to attaining success.While there is no “magic recipe” for success, there are things that you can do to boost your chances of making it in life. More than that, there are certain negative habits that successful people know to stay away from:1. ProcrastinationevalYou might have heard about the discussion between the two titans of international literature, Stephen King and George R.R. Martin about writer’s block.Stephen King’s approach to writing is a good example of a “just-do-it” attitude. He doesn’t believe in “waiting for the right moment” and he prefers doing something rather than waiting for it to happen.The secret is to focus on doing, regardless of your mood or creative flow. It may sound odd, but you can’t actually do something unless you get started. The faster you start, the less time you will have spent.2. Blaming othersIt’s easy to blame others for things that have happened in your life. People play the blame-game when they feel their ego threatened and cannot deal with the shame. The first step in fixing one of your issues is admitting its existence.evalBlaming others for your faults is counterproductive for your own growth. Also, blaming others for your own faults will make you look untrustworthy.3. PerfectionismThere is one thing about perfection that many people fail to realize: it’s not real. Anybody telling themselves different is deluding themselves. In the same sense, if you’re working on something: a business, project or work of art, it’s unwise to refuse to accept mistakes or flaws.Being overly critical with your mistakes will make it very difficult for you to get things done.4. Self-pityThinking about your problems, exaggerating outcomes and counting the hardships of life will drain you of your energy. Even if you reach a depressingly low point in your life, drowning in self-pity won’t help. It will only keep you grounded in a state of uncertainty and helplessness, which is certainly not the ideal problem-solving state.evalEveryone has problems, yet some handle them better than others. Whenever you see yourself surrounded with problems, try to be grateful for the good things life. It’s the only way to spot that silver lining.eval5. Giving upSome people have so little self-confidence that they spend their lives avoiding failure. The problem is that full potential can’t be reached if you give up after failing.Loving what you do can make it easier to keep on going. That way, even if you did fail, the activity also held some positive aspects to it, like feeling energized,The life of every successful person is full of ups and downs. Bill Gates’ first company went bankrupt and when Walt Disney tried to negotiate with MGM to publish his Mickey Mouse cartoons, he was rejected. Minor failures shouldn’t discourage you. They are your best teachers.6. Stop learningIt’s easy to stop growing physically and mentally when day-to-day life already seems too much. Successful people know that work isn’t everything. Investing in yourself is necessary for growth.Reading helps you gather new information and opens your mind to new ideas, opportunities and opinions. The knowledge that you accumulate will have a lasting effect on the choices that you make.A charismatic person doesn’t underestimate the power of knowledge. B eing knowledgeable means that you can relate to more people, which will open many doors.7. Get distractedIn today’s world it’s easy to let yourself be distracted by the multitude of information that bombards us on a daily basis. Indeed, it’s easy to check your e-mail or Facebook account when you hear your phone beep.Even if you’re distracted for one minute, the time and energy that it takes to shift focus back on the activity simply isn’t worth satisfying such trivial curiosities.evalDistraction comes in many forms: from friends, family, or other activities that take up your time. Being involved in many activities can enrich your life in so many ways, but it can also distract you from your true purpose.Successful people know how to prioritize activities to now lose sight of what’s truly important.8. Let stress get the best of themSuccessful people know the importance of taking the time off to blow some steam and recharge batteries. Also, they don’t get stressed out whe n small things don’t turn out as they had expected.Successful people know that life is full of unexpected twists and turns. They go with the flow and handle the unknown with confidence.Surely you’ve been guilty of at least one thing on this list at some point in your life. We are human, after all, and striving to be successful oftentimes goes against human nature.evalLaziness can be considered the main obstacle in the road of success, yet people are inclined to feel lazy.Doing things that aren’t necessarily pleasurable is one of the main driving forces of success, yet people are inclined to do only that bring them pleasure or immediate gain.These facts are a clear indication that attaining success is hard and shouldn’t be taken lightly.How did you surpass your obstacles? Which other habit would you need to give up to ease your road to success?

Lets have a toast for the douche bags. Lets have a toast for the recruiters.

Lets have a toast for the douche bags. Lets have a toast for the recruiters. 5 Flares 5 Flares I messed up.  Im a douche bag.  Im an asshole.  Im a recruiter. ***Before going any further, I should mention that you MIGHT want to be familiar with Kanye Wests Runaway to understand the pop culture reference.  Click here to listen to the song, but honestly, its not all that important. In Runaway, Kanye basically sends out a public apology to women hes dated, Taylor Swift, the world, and even himself.  In the song, Kanye acknowledges that hes not the greatest guy the world has seen, and that it does make him unhappy.  While he admits his character flaws, he realizes that working on them may or may not change anything. In recruiting (as well as other professions and areas of life), things will slip through the cracks every so often.  Unfortunately, when it does happen, its most likely related to not getting back to a candidate quick enough, or just not getting back to them at all.  It happens often, in fact its the number one complaint from job seekers regarding interview processes. My Douche Bag Moment A few weeks ago, I interviewed a high-level candidate for a critical position at the  company I work for.  On October 12, the candidate sent an email asking for an update, and then he sent another on October 15 repeating his question.  Somehow, I failed to act on both and completely forgot about it.  On October 24, the candidate let me know of his displeasure by sending me the following email: I cant tell you how disappointed I am that you have not shown me the courtesy of responding to  either of my past 2 email messages.   I will be sure to mention your lack of responsiveness to my friend who is close with both the CEO and CFO of COMPANY X. I immediately felt a little shitty when reading the email, but not because this candidate used a threatening tone, or because I feared losing my current contract.  What got to me was the realization that no matter what I do, this IS GOING to happen again and again.  No matter how hard I work at it, situations like this will repeat themselves, and candidates will ALWAYS complain about not hearing back. Im not asking you to runaway.  Im not even really calling recruiters assholes or douche bags.  What Im trying to say is that Im sorry. Maybe Im speaking for all recruiters here, or maybe Im just speaking for me, but while Id love to get back to every candidate, its just not going to happen.  People out there will claim there is no excuse for not getting back to a candidate.  Im not arguing with them, but when you walk through a shit storm youre bound to get crapped on. I havent heard back after two emails, what do I do? Dont send an angry email or voicemail.  Im not holding it against this particular candidate, but many recruiters/hiring managers would see it as lack of patience on the candidates part.  My honest opinion is to wait another full week or two, then send one more email or phone call.  After that, its time to forget about the job, and realize that they either dont have information yet, have gone with someone else, or have forgot about you. Dont take it personal.  Just move on.  Just Runaway.

Why You Are Actually in the Drivers Seat of Your Job Search - Hallie Crawford

Why You Are Actually in the Driver’s Seat of Your Job Search Many professionals are job searching this January. In fact, according to a recent survey, about 1 in 4 professionals are open to new job opportunities. However, once you have applied for the job and sent your resume, you may feel that you are at the mercy of hiring managers. It may almost seem difficult to set finding a new job as a goal when it feels like getting hired is up to someone else, not you. However, you have more control during your job search than you think.   To start, it’s important to create and use solid marketing materials. Your resume, cover letter, LinkedIn profile, elevator pitch, business cards, portfolio, and interview presentation are critical to have in place and in great shape because they enable you to present your best self to a prospective employer. You need to ensure that these materials complement each other and speak to the specific strengths that the job position requires. Doing this allows you to control your story and showcase your professional abilities.   When we work with our clients, they are glad to learn that we use a specific job search process with materials to help them in their job search. This alleviates feelings of being overwhelmed and allows them to feel much more confident about their job search and their next career move.   We also encourage our clients to take control of their job search by building a strong online presence. This includes having a 100% complete LinkedIn profile, with recommendations, and even writing articles for LinkedIn. When you have a strong online presence, this makes you more visible to hiring managers, shows you’re engaged in your job search, care about your career advancement, and makes it more  likely that they will contact you over other candidates. Another way to take control of your job search is by identifying your strengths and soft skills, and how to articulate them in an interview. Knowing what makes you stand out from other job applicants will give you more control over negotiations. For example, if you have a specialty in running a certain program or software, coupled with “soft skills” (management skills, specific leadership strengths, etc), that makes you more valuable. And when you are valuable, you have more control.   During an interview, don’t assume that the hiring manager has all the power. You are in control of your answers and can even steer the conversation to key points you want to address. And when you are given time at the end of your interview for questions or comments, you are in control of how you use that time, asking any additional questions or highlighting any other key points that weren’t covered during the interview. The five-point checklist we use with our clients to prepare for their interview helps them prepare effectively every time.   To illustrate how you can take charge of your job search, consider this example from one of our clients. After she was declined for an interview, she contacted the recruiter and provided her with a two-column bulleted list comparison of why she was qualified for the job. The result? She got the interview and received a job offer!   Don’t be afraid to be professionally assertive and take control of your job search this year!