?? Should You Holiday From Job Hunting During The Holidays

?? Should You Holiday From Job Hunting During The Holidays 238 Holiday job search do's and don'ts. Photo by Kevin Dooley You might vacation, you might have extended family meals and you might have friends hosting house parties. Enjoy them all and keep these five pointers in mind. 1) Don’t actively job search on a holiday weekend …unless you live in a country that has a holiday weekend every weekend (I’m looking at you, France every May). A recent study said that many people get their best ideas in the shower because: A lot of dopamine is released in our brains. Triggers like exercising, listening to music, and, yes, taking a warm shower, contribute to increased dopamine flow. We’re relaxed. When we have a relaxed state of mind, we’re more likely to turn attention inwards, able to make insightful connections. We’re distracted. Distraction gives our brains a break so our subconscious can work on a problem more creatively. Those conditions should hold true on holiday weekends too.eval Not thinking about your job search during the holidays could be the best thing for your job search after the holidays. In your experience, is job search easier or harder during the holidays? Easier Harder View Results 2) Do enjoy the time away … from your computer screen, job boards, email, application forms, LinkedIn messages to congratulate other people on their new jobs, cover letters, work portfolios, job fairs, followups, references, background checks, networking events, interview preparations, graphology tests, recruiters, job search blogs (ahem) and everything else related to your next paycheck.eval 3) Don’t be embarrassed to talk about your job search Millions of people are dealing with the same issues that you are, and millions more will begin to do so in the coming months. It might be uncomfortable and hard, even, but it’s normal and nothing to be ashamed about. In fact, most of the adults you see or meet during your holiday weekend will have been through more than one job search of their own and will know what you’re going through. 4) Do be prepared with a good answer to “how’s your job search going?” One of the reasons people are ashamed to admit they’re job hunting (during the holidays or at all) is because they don’t have good answers to that question, so when they hem and haw, it sounds like they’re not progressing or even sure what to do next. That might even be true â€" it was for me on my first and second job searches â€" but that doesn’t mean you have to leave a bad impression by showing it outright. Instead, have a good elevator pitch about what you do best and, if people bring it up, casually reply by asking if they know any companies that need people like you. Mention your most recent job search success, no matter how small, such as an upcoming job interview or a compliment from a recruiter. And finally… 5) Do bring business cards Did you know that job seekers need business cards too? Have simple but professional business cards that say you consult in your industry or area of expertise, and hand them out to those same questioners. They’ll come away impressed, the right way. Question of the article Do you find job hunting during the holidays easier or harder? Tell us in the comments. READ NEXT: Why Holiday Job Searches Lead To The Best Presents

How To Squash Your Career Fears (VIDEO) - Classy Career Girl

How To Squash Your Career Fears (VIDEO) Today I am sharing with you some of the content from our Love Your Work and Life Challenge! Its not too late to join us! You can still sign up at www.classycareergirl.com/challenge I have a special surprise guest to start off your day! You have to watch the video to find out who it is! When I was surveying you all to see what content you wanted in the challenge, I heard that fear was a very common struggle. Big goals can be scary but you have to get comfortable being uncomfortable. That’s when the best things start happening! So this guest and I recently battled some fears of our own. We walked through these same four questions to help us get over them. Squash your fears questions: 1) What fears come up when you look at your goals? 2) What is the worst that can happen if you go after your goals? 3) What is the best that can happen if you go after your goals? 4) Is it worth the risk to go all in? Let’s squash your fears publicly in the comments below. Adios fears!!

Unpaid Internships

Unpaid Internships As promised, in this post I am going to vent about the topical issue of unpaid internships. Designed (I presume) to entice only the most enthusiastic of applicants, I often wonder whether being able to work for free shows a level of enthusiasm, or a level of wealth. Enthusiasm or Wealth I suppose the answer is that it shows both â€" depending on the candidate. Some applicants may be able to work for free because they have a strong financial support network (rich parents) and some genuinely wish to work for free, and risk bankruptcy, because of their passion for the industry. It is out of our hands. One just has to hope that their enthusiasm and commitment comes through on their applications. As I said in my previous post, I wish I could explain on applications why I have no experience, and how being poor (yes, I said it) proves my enthusiasm further than someone who can afford to work for free. As I also said before, this level of negativity (and begging) is strictly forbidden on applications. I am dreading being asked: ‘you have a lot of waitressing experience. Is your decision to publish a recent decision?’ The simple answer would be ‘no’, but I feel I may need to expand. I have always wanted to publish, but working unpaid during University was not an option for me. Waitressing enabled me to eat food and pay rent, which is key when studying. The skills I learnt whilst waitressing were real, I haven’t lied on my CV, but I wish employers would be slightly more understanding when asking such questions. To study full-time, waitress part-time (full-time during holidays) didn’t leave much time for unpaid work experience to my grave disappointment. No matter how downhearted or cheated you may feel â€" do not tell your prospective employers. It’s not healthy. They know how competitive the industry is they have the huge pile of CV’s on their desk. We have to find new ways to prove to employers our enthusiasm. Unfortunately, for now, this is through unpaid work experience. My advice to recent graduates with no experience is to soldier through and get a part-time job on the side if needs be. I know we all have experience in that. My advice to employers is to be aware of the larger political issues surrounding unpaid internships. One hopes they can truly appreciate just how much an unpaid placement is costing a student or a recent graduate. I’m not asking you to pay us (you are a business after all), but I am asking you to appreciate enthusiasm when you see it, and reward it accordingly. Hope that wasn’t too ‘deep’. Until next time. ____________________________________________________________________________________

How To Create A Business Game Plan For Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How To Create A Business Game Plan For Your Personal Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Your personal brand needs to have a plan in place for your projected growth, regardless of whether you’re new to Internet marketing and branding, or a seasoned participant. Ask yourself, where do you see your business going in the next few years? Having a passion for what you do is essential to success along with perseverance and a well planned business strategy. Here are several ways your brand can overcome obstacles and build a successful online business: Keep brand development first place Once you know how you want to be defined by your audience, work on identifying your key competitors. What are they better than you at? What do you do differently when it comes to marketing? Be on the lookout for cutting edge tactics that are sustainable for the long haul. You want to steer clear of flash in the pan strategies or fly by night trends. As small business entrepreneurs take their ideas online it’s vital that you are doing the same with motivation and enthusiasm to win over your target market in a way that is unique to you. Change up your content marketing Content is becoming more shareable than ever. Social media has the power to generate word of mouth through social signals. As you create your schedule you’ll need to think less about keywords and more about getting your readers engaged. This all begins with an understanding of your target audience. People are looking for a brand that actually understands the problem they’re going through and how to motivate and walk them through a viable solution. Spread your message on multiple channels Your business should be developing a following in multiple channels in order to effectively reach your target market. As you grow your brand you should be building trust with a loyal audience that converts much higher than just a visitor landing on a website or visiting a social network. Educate yourself and learn new skills There are plenty of low cost or even free resources that will help build your knowledge in your industry. Take advantage of seminars, webinars and live streaming events, which is also a great way to network and attract more clients. Seek the advice of high influencer connections, and be open to adjust your strategy as trends change. Today’s online business is moving quickly as technology advances and people demand more transparency from brands before making a purchase. Create a game plan that best reaches your existing followers and then focus on what needs to change in order to attract more interested brand followers.

5 Skills Women in Leadership Positions Need to Learn

5 Skills Women in Leadership Positions Need to Learn Photo Credit â€" Pixabay.comWomen are not promoted to leadership roles as often as men. However, they usually thrive when they are, because many of their skills that seem to either be “societally expected” or natural to “women’s roles” help them thrive as leaders in a business environment. Luckily, this is now being noticed. One of the top 2016 business trends noted by Pepperdine University is the increase of women in high-level decision-making positions in Fortune 500 companies.That is not to say that the glass ceiling is gone, but it is cracking. The percentage of women in the workforce is increasing, and more of them are concerned about their career success. In addition to the increased number of women in the career world, women’s wages have also increased.Surprisingly, though, the pay gap is worse for women in leadership roles. Across all job titles, women earn 92 percent of what men do. When you look at upper-management roles, it decreases to 83 percent.evalDespite t he pay gap, women succeed as leaders in corporations and as owners of their own small businesses. Whether you are male or female, there are several skills that you could learn from women leaders to develop your own leadership style and thus help secure your own success.1. Emotional IntelligenceevalEmotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions and the emotions of others. There are five main elements of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. We could discuss each of these at length, but that has been done in many places.The main point is that without understanding your own emotions and being able to control them, you will always be at the mercy of them. This can lead to poor decisions made under stress, poor relations with your employees, and potentially with your clients.Women will often have the edge in self-awareness, motivation, empathy, and social skills; while men will have the edge is i n self-regulation. They tend to control their own emotions or compartmentalize a little better than women. Either way, EQ is an effective tool for leaders that can be developed.Oprah Winfrey has discussed her abuse as a child and issues with discrimination when first starting her media. However, she developed her EQ as she progressed and is now an perfect example of someone who uses and controls her emotions to her advantage.2. Good CommunicationAll leaders must be effective communicators. Without the ability to impart your ideas and visions, you will not be able to get the buy-in necessary for employee engagement or the understanding to complete goals. This is especially true when a new idea or direction is being introduced.It is a stereotype that women talk too much, but it does indicate a societal expectation. Women are expected to be good communicators. They need to be in order to foster successful family relationships. They also tend to listen more, which means they are able to more accurately direct their communications to questions and concerns of their employees.evalGreat communicators are warm, vulnerable, and relatable, while still effectively conveying their message with conviction. One of the best examples today of a great communicator is Michelle Obama. She has used many platforms Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of the global good company Mondelez, is well aware of what it takes to build a team in today’s business world. Probably her most famous quote is about this subject: “Our emerging workforce is not interested in command-and-control leadership. They don’t want to do things because I said so; they want to do things because they want to do them.”4. Creative ThinkingGreat leaders are creative. Not necessarily in the artistic sense but in the ability to think outside the box. They use creative thinking to solve problems, engage employees, or improve how the business functions. Shark Tank alum Barbara Ann Corcoran built her business around the idea o f a team with strong creative ideas.Women are not more creative than men, but often they will be more willing to explore creative ideas. Often creative ideas will come from brainstorming with a team and letting all ideas be expressed without censorship. By using their skills at collaboration, women encourage creative ideas, then build consensus on the which are the best solutions to solve problems.5. Self-ReflectionEvery leader must be capable of self-reflection. To effectively lead, you must be aware of your strengths and weaknesses. With this knowledge, you can either compensate through developing team members to complement or improve your skills where necessary. This also helps leaders to be able to correctly evaluate team members’ strengths and use those strengths accordingly.Women quite often have to be better than their male counterparts just to be promoted. They are very used to having to develop new skills and constantly evaluate themselves. They are more likely to be cont inually learning and growing, with Millennial women being the first generation to be better educated than their male counterparts.These skills are found in either gender but are often already developed in women before they are promoted into a leadership role. Whether you are male or female, evaluate yourself. You might have some or all of these skills already or you might need to work on some or all of them. Either way, they will give you an edge in your career.

Scoring Highly in Group Discussions at Assessment Centres

Scoring Highly in Group Discussions at Assessment Centres More and more employers are using assessment centres as a tool for assessing potential employees, for specific careers and jobs. Not all positions will require the use of an assessment centre; however, they can be an invaluable resource for both filtering out initial applications and also determining who will progress through to the interview stage.Assessment centres can consist of many different elements, all of which are decided by the employer based on the requirements of the role and the types of person(s) they want to employ.  Let’s take a look at one of the more common elements used at an assessment centre, the group discussion. Group Exercise QuestionsAssessment centre Group exercises require an ability to communicate effectively with others, and also an ability to work to a high standard with a team of other people. A group exercise session may start off with the test administrator giving the group a specific topic to discuss. The topic may sometimes be controversial or one that encourages open debate and discussion amongst the members of the assessment centre. Here are a number of tips to help you impress the assessors:Tip 1 â€" You should sit upright in the chair and demonstrate good presentation at all times during the group exercise discussion session. Do not slouch. Try to act as a positive role model to the others in the room. This will show the assessors that you are the type of person they want working for their company.Tip 2 â€" The assessment centre group exercise discussion session will normally last for 30 minutes where you will be required to discuss a number of different topics. It is very important that you get involved and even try to start off one of the discussions, providing that is you have an opinion on the subject matter. If you don’t know much about the topic you are required to speak about, you may decide to start off by saying:“Does anybody have any strong views on this topic?”By saying this, you will be actively involve d in the conversation and you will be also involving others into the conversation.Tip 3 â€" Once you have finished saying your bit, try to involve other people in the discussion. You may decide to say:“That’s my view on this subject, what do you think?”Once again you will score higher marks with the assessors for actively involving others into the group exercise conversation.Tip 4 â€" Involve other people who have not yet had chance to speak. If you notice a member of the group struggling to get their opinion heard, try saying something like:“I notice you haven’t had the chance to say anything yet, what’s your view on this subject?”This will demonstrate effective team working skills. Tip 5 â€" Actively demonstrate good listening skills throughout the group discussion. Nod your head when other people are speaking and show a level of enthusiasm for the subject matter. Don’t sit on the fence and have an   opinion about the subject you are discussing. This will impress t he assessors.Tip 6 â€" Speak clearly and concisely. During the group discussion be clear in what you say, speak up and avoid hesitations such as ‘erm’ or ‘agh’. In addition to other areas, you are being assessed on your oral communication skills.Now let’s take a look at a number of sample topics that have been used in the past. Assessment centre group discussion topicsAre speed cameras effective?How could the use and popularity of public transport be increased within this country?Are professional footballers overpaid?Is the increase in overseas football club owners good for the sport?The pros and cons of having a credit card.Marijuana has a medical value.The pros and cons of a female President.Should schools distribute condoms?Life imprisonment is a good alternative to capital punishment.What makes a good leader? This entry was posted in Assessment Centres. Bookmark the permalink. Richard How to choose the right career for youTop 10 Tips for a completing a successful Appl ication Form

How to Write Retail Sales Resume - Easy Tips

How to Write Retail Sales Resume - Easy TipsRetails sales resume writing is not all that difficult. It is not a skill that takes years of schooling to master. It is not some daunting task that can only be achieved by perfecting some complicated calculations or the like. In fact, it can be an easy task and you will be able to write your sales resume in a jiffy if you follow a few tips.The first thing that you should consider doing when writing your retail sales resume is keeping your target audience in mind. Make sure that you choose a job that is convenient for you. If you are planning to go for a job that pays decent money, then this is one thing that you need to think about. You should also note down your previous salary at the time of applying for the retail sales job.Now, you need to make sure that you have an idea on what your target audience is. You must also be aware of the product that you will be writing about. Most importantly, you should know if the product that you will b e reviewing has been designed by professionals. Retail sales resume that has been written by amateurs may not be enough to influence your target audience. As such, you should consider following the advice of professionals who write products.After getting information on what your target audience is, you should now make sure that you have chosen a subject that you can understand easily. This way, you will be able to produce a good retail sales resume and will also be able to deliver the right message to your audience. What do you think a consumer feels when he looks at a retail sales resume that is written by an amateur?Another effective way to produce a good retail sales resume is to analyze the best possible way on how to present it. Remember that your resume should be as personal as possible. On the other hand, if you are planning to sell to a big corporation, then you should be professional enough to present your business in the best possible way. You must also remember that your resume should be written in a convincing manner and must also have something that is more of an accentuation.At this point, you will be able to answer your question on how to write a retail sales resume. You can also avoid wasting time when creating a retail sales resume by going online. There are many online resources that will guide you through the creation of a sales resume. The benefits of using online resources are numerous. They are economical and you can conveniently access them at any given time.Writing a retail sales resume may take a little bit of time but when you manage to produce a good one, you will be able to impress your employer. Now, it is time for you to determine how to write a retail sales resume. In doing so, you should keep in mind the requirements of your employer and how to present your ideas. This will help you in making the most out of your sales resume writing career.Make sure that you use online resources wisely and remember that you are still a beginner in this business. However, as long as you follow these tips, you will be able to successfully write the retail sales resume in a jiffy.