10 Tips to Successful Resume Posting on the Internet

10 Tips to Successful Resume Posting on the Internet 22 Save yourself a lot of time, effort and pain on your Internet job search by posting your resume wisely. Marilyn recently emailed to ask the following question: What do you think about posting CV's on job-seekers sites? In the past I hesitated to do so because I thought that it made me seem desperate â€" now I wonder if I am just losing an important job-seeking venue. Posting resumes on the Internet isn't a sign of desperation, but posting resumes indiscriminately is a sign of gullibility among other things. 10 tips regarding privacy, usability and cost for you and recruiters Keep your contact information hiddeneval The #1 fear of posting should be from resume identity theft. Only use job sites that keep your coordinates away from recruiters unless you grant access. Confirm that you retain ownership of your content once postedeval Should job sites be allowed to sell your resume to other job sites without your permission? Of course not. Make sure you can delete your resume at any time Usually you will only want to delete your resume after you've accepted a contract but it will be much sooner if you're getting harassed. Choose reputable websites only Watch out for signs of a spammer job site. Use a disposable email address if you have no choice If you like the job site in question enough that you're willing to tolerate publicly giving out an email address, protect yourself by using throwaway email services like mailexpire or TempEMail. Create a separate address for each job site. The added benefits are that you can easily customize the name, and you'll know that any email received is based only on the job site where you submitted that address. Test the address first! Keep confidential information to a minimum Any hidden information such as your current employer or contact information (where it's justified, see above) will lower your response rate. You may want to hide your current employer An HR department using Google Alerts would soon know that your resume has been posted. If you have a good alibi, follow the previous tip and keep this information on your resume regardless. Use sites that are easy to use for recruiters too Posting your resume is only useful if it's going to be found by the right people. If the job site is hard to use for recruiters or employers, they won't use it and won't find your resume. Write a catchy headline that will appear in search results A reputable job site will have a lot of resumes for recruiters to skim through. You must make your resume stick out with a good resume headline. Avoid saying “best resume ever” and stick to being honest but edgy. Imagine yourself browsing search results in Google, it's the same thing. Bear in mind usage costs for everyone involved Job seekers should never have to pay to post their resume. The resume *is* your payment for the site's services. After all, they'll have no traffic without your resume. On the flip side, recruiters/employers should never have to pay to search the resume database, but it's fair for them to pay to contact you. If you enjoyed this article, you'll like 4 Things to Know and Do Before Employers Google Your Name. Related articles from around the Web Resume posting advice Twelve resume posting truths Privacy tips for online job seekers Ready to post?

How to deal with reference checks

How to deal with reference checks Reference checks used to matter a lot. Fifty years ago. When people only changed jobs twice in their life, and they didnt know anyone outside of their company, it made sense that the second company called the first company. Then, when it became clear that the first company could say one, tiny bad thing and then make this person unemployable (because they had only worked for one person their whole life), giving bad references basically became illegal. So that pretty much put the kibosh on the usefulness of corporate references. Yet people still ask for them today. So here are some ways to get a good reference. Get a ringer lined up ahead of time. There is no rule that says you have to use your last employer as a reference. Explain to a prospective employer that you are giving the name of a person who knows you well and can speak to the issues this particular employer is interested in. Then give the name of a ringer. For almost a decade my favorite ringer was my boyfriend, who dated me and hired me and gave me glowing reviews even after he dumped me. Give a company you hate as a reference, if you have to. Lets say you worked for a company for a year and it didnt go well. Maybe your boss was incompetent. Maybe you hated the work. You can spin that in the interview just talk about what you liked. Theres gotta be something you liked. And then, when it comes time for a reference check, you can give the phone number for human resources. As long as its a big company, HR will be trained to just confirm dates of employment and title. Nothing else, because they dont want to get into legal trouble. And, if you want to make sure the company wont say anything bad, hire a company like Allison Taylor to find out. Dont work for a person who relies on reference checks. Theyre lame. Rebecca Thorman has one of the most interesting discussions about references that Ive seen in a long time. First, she says that references are outdated because most good jobs require that you know someone to get in the door. And this goes back to the idea that a network matters a lot more than references. If you have someone referring you who knows the hiring manager then thats all the reference you need. Rebecca also points out, (in an impressive video) that rich people have never needed references. That makes sense to me: Rich kids have always had their parents friends in high-up places vouching for them. They have a built-in network. So today, social media democratizes networking, and it should, therefore, democratize the reference process. Get a referral for a job and you wont need to go through reference checks either, no matter where you fall on the economic spectrum. Replace reference checks with networking. I think references are outdated. I think they are an old-school word for a network, and people who have strong networks and work for people with strong networks dont bother with reference checks because they generally only hire people who come recommended by someone they know. To understand how the uber-networked handle the reference check, take a look at the venture capital community. Their job is to know everyone, so they dont miss a deal, and to know everyones weaknesses, so they can mitigate their risk. My favorite VC blog is by Fred Wilson, and today he talks about how he does face-to-face reference checks so that people are more forthcoming. The first thing I think of is, Would that boyfriend have put himself through a face-to-face reference check for me? But the next thing I think is that no one would ask. You have to be hiring at a very high level to make this worth your time (Fred is hiring CEOs.) In any case, this is a good example of how networking and references merge. And you dont have to be in the VC community to see that if you are best off if you surround yourself with other people who see this merge coming as well.

5 Ways to Boost Digital Wellbeing

5 Ways to Boost Digital Wellbeing As we enter 2019, the proliferation of digital devices means that we’re constantly connected to the office wherever we might be, making it difficult to switch off from work, even when we should. In fact, a study by  Glassdoor has shown the average number of UK employees taking their full annual leave is 62% with only 43% made use of 91-100% of their holiday entitlement. What’s more, 13% reported only taking 20% of their allowance. Whether it’s a two-week holiday or a twenty-minute respite at lunch, John Williams, Head of Marketing at Instant Offices explains why 2019 should be the year to think about how to live healthily and happily by disconnecting from all work-related screens and why this brings several important benefits,  including increased productivity and overall happiness. The Importance of a Well-Rested Employee Although it may seem like a good thing from a productivity point of view, having employees constantly working can do your business more harm than good. Further research found 23% of those on holiday regularly checked their emails and 15% admitted to doing some work out of fear of being behind on their return and missing targets. 20% of employees surveyed also reported that they were expected to be reachable and available to carry out some work if needed. The Office of National Statistics  released figures that revealed three million UK employees work more than 48 hours a week, a rise of a quarter of a million since 2001 Continuing to work over their holiday means that workers don’t get a chance to fully recover from the stresses of office life, and in the end, productivity and creativity can suffer when drained employees come back to work. This is, of course, not even taking into account the health benefits of a holiday â€" stress and exhaustion take an incredible toll on the body, and overworked employees may end up taking more sick leave throughout the year. Finally, allowing employees time off to relax can result in an all-around boost for office morale. Tips for a Digital Disconnect Respect other people’s schedules.  Don’t bother them with emails or calls when they have taken time off unless the matter is extremely urgent. Prioritize your workload.  If you absolutely have to work on your holiday, spend time on the important tasks only, and leave less important matters for when you are back in the office. Set up an auto-reply on your email.  This way, people who send you messages are alerted to the fact that you are on holiday. Provide a contact number for someone else in the office, who can be contacted if the issue is urgent. Tell your colleagues that you’ll be going away.  This may seem obvious, but alert others in your office that you are going on holiday. Sort out the most important projects before you leave, and let colleagues know that you will be unlikely to reply to work communications while away. Avoid constantly checking your devices while on holiday.  If you absolutely have to remain connected to work while on holiday, allocate a specific day, or a certain time of day when you will check and reply to emails, text messages and missed calls. Indeed, many holiday retreats all over the world are now offering “digital detoxes”, where there is no Wi-Fi signal and visitors are encouraged to hand over their electronic devices. Daily Work Breaks It’s not just time off work that’s important â€" taking a proper lunch break every day is also beneficial.   And by “proper” lunch break, we mean moving away from your desk or your office cubicle. According to  Forbes, incorporating an hour or half hour break into your daily work schedule can boost one’s energy levels, improve your mood, and provide additional morning motivation as you work towards your break. About the author:  Established in 1999,  The Instant Group  is a global flexible workspace specialist. Underpinned by unrivaled expertise, Instant tailors unique solutions to help businesses of all sizes to grow, drive savings or gain invaluable insight.   With offices in London, Berlin, Dallas, New York, Hong Kong,  and  Sydney, The Instant Group employs more than 100 experts and has clients in 113 countries.

Best Answers for Why Should We Hire You (3 Examples) - Career Sidekick

Best Answers for Why Should We Hire You (3 Examples) - Career Sidekick Best Answers for Why Should We Hire You? (3 Examples) Interview Questions and Answers / https://www.edenscott.com/blog More and more employers are asking, why should we hire you?And it can be a very intimidating question if youre not ready for it!Dont worry in this article Im going to walk you through exactly how to answer questions like why should I hire you?, with word-for-word answer examples.Lets get startedWhy Interviewers Ask Why Should I Hire You?There are a couple of reasons why an employer may ask this.They want to see how confident and composed you are, first of all.If you dont think they should hire you or that youre worthy of the job, then theyre not going to think so either.So the first step to answering this interview question is to show confidence in the interview and dont panic when they ask this.The next reason employers ask, Why should we hire you? is to make sure youve done your research and understand the job.If you didnt even look at their job description before applying, theyre not very likely to want to hire you. Employers want a job seeker whos looking for specific things in their next job and being careful in their job search. No exceptions.This is also why employers ask why you applied for their job. Its really important for them to know if you researched their job or just applied randomly.And finally the last reason hiring managers ask Why should I hire you? is they want to know what sets you apart, what makes you qualified for this job, why youll perform well in this role.So this is your chance to brag a bit and sell them on yourself! What are the things that make you qualified for this role? And if possible, what do you have that other candidates might not?Steps for Answering Why Should We Hire You?You can break your interview answer down into steps to make things easier for yourself.Show them youve researched the job and understand what the role involvesExplain why youre a great fit for the job requirementsShow them why youre excited about this type of work and will be motivated and enthusiastic in the roleIll expl ain each piece below.Step 1: Show them youve researched the job and know what it involvesFirst, you cant answer Why should we hire you? properly if we dont know what the company wants/needs.The fastest and easiest way to know what they need is to look at the job description. Whats emphasized? What themes or patterns are repeated? Whats listed near the top? If something is the first bullet point you can bet its pretty damn important most likely.Step 2: Why are you a great fit? (In terms of hard-skills and experience)Okay, so now you know what they need in a candidate, based on the job description. Now you need to point out the pieces of your background that are best-aligned with what youll be doing in this job.Its okay if youre not the perfect fit they liked something on your resume or they wouldnt have invited you to interview. So when they say, Tell me why we should hire you? talk about the pieces in your background that are most relevant.Sound confident and sure of yourself. Your job when answering is to convince them that youll be able to succeed in this role and start contributing quickly to the teams work.Step 3: Show them youre interested in this type of workTheres a difference between being able to do something and wanting to do it. Thats why showing interest is important to eliminate any doubt of whether youd want to do this type of work.If you dont convince them youre enthusiastic about the work, theyre going to worry that youll lack motivation, get bored, quit soon after starting, etc. And these are all big fears hiring managers have, which can cost you the job offer.Be as specific as possibleLets say youre going to talk about leadership. Dont just say, Yes, I led some people in my last job, leadership wont be a problem for me.Tell them how many people you led, what topics you guided them on, what you learned as a leader. And then show them that youre interested in leadership, or that you enjoy it as well!A great way to do this is to add something I call a distinguisher.The distinguisher is something that you add at the end of your answer to show interest in the subject and make yourself more memorable. Its one of those job interview tips that is surprisingly easy to do once you know about it, and it has a huge potential payoff! So its well worth it!What can you use as your distinguisher? Maybe youve given a talk or presentation on the subject.Maybe youve spent a lot of time reading about this area because youre particularly interested in it.Something involving a unique story about some connection you have to the topic. Now when the hiring manager is trying to choose between all of the people they interviewed, your answer will stand out in their mind!Now lets look at some example answers.Why Should We Hire You? Answer ExamplesNext, lets look at some sample answers so you can see what the steps above would really sound like in the interview.Example answer #1 for Why should we hire you?I read the job description before applying and it seems like self-management is mentioned a lot. That’s one of my strengths and something Ive been working a lot to develop and improve recently. In my last job, my boss only checked in with me once a week. Other than that, his approach was to let me manage my work entirely. On top of that, Ive been doing the exact type of work that your role involves in-person sales for two years. Thats why you should hire me for this role because not only do I have the technical experience, but I thrive in an environment where Im trusted to manage my own work. As a side note, in my own time, I’ve been doing a lot of reading on the subject of productivity and self-management, so its something Im personally passionate about as well. I’ve looked up new productivity strategies and read a few books on goal setting, and Im excited to put that knowledge to use.The part about studying/reading in your own time is the distinguisher. The interviewer will remember you for that comment. Its how y ou make your answer stand out from all the other answers that person has heard when they ask, why should we hire you?.If they talk to 10 or 15 people for a position, the answers will sort of blend together when they go to review each interview and make a decision. So this is a huge factor in getting hired.Just be ready for follow-up questions when you use the distinguisher strategyto answer why they should hire you.Dont get nervous its a good sign when they ask questions. You caught their interest and they want to know more because you gave them a really unique answer.But this is why you need to only say things that are true, and that youre comfortable talking more about.Example answer #2 for Why should we hire you?Based on the job description, it sounds like you need an experienced Data Analyst who can replace the person youve lost and organize some of the new processes and data that your department is receiving, too. In my last job, I was the first Data Analyst hired into the depa rtment and set up our entire data analysis process from scratch. We ended up using our internal data to save 22% on advertising costs the following year. So I think this role has a lot of similarities to what Ive done in the past. Thats why you should hire me for the position. As a side note, Im a bit of an organization geek, and love creating SOPs and documents for my work. So when I saw theres a need for that in this role, too, I knew I should apply!In that example answer above, you can see most of the time is spent directly answering the question of why they should hire you. But youre also including a specific example of your past accomplishments, which is great. And youre wrapping up the answer by sharing a detail to show how passionate you are about this type of work.Any time you can point out a specific thing on the job description that excited you, youll wow the interviewer!Why? Because this shows them youve done your research and really thought about what you want in your ne xt job. Those are both things that many job seekers arent doing enough of.Before I wrap up the article, Ill share one more example answer. This time, Ill leave it as a template that you can fill in for yourself.Best example answer formula for Why should we hire you? (template)My impression based on the job description is that you need someone who can do key responsibility of the job. In my last role, I did similar task or accomplishment youve done in the past, so Im confident I will be able to step into this role and begin contributing quickly for you. As a side note, Im also personally very interested/passionate about topic related to the job youll be doing, so Id be very excited for the opportunity to step into this role.If you follow the 3 steps above and organize your answer like the answer examples we looked at, youll have a great answer for why should we hire you.After this, make sure to practice a few times at home. Nothing comes out perfectly the first time you say it, so yo u want to rehearse in the mirror or by recording yourself talking into your smartphone voice recorder app (every modern phone has one).This is how you can make sure you sound confident when you explain why they should hire you in the interview.Mistakes to Avoid When Answering Why Should We Hire You?To conclude the article, here are the top mistakes to avoid if you want to pass the interview when you hear this question.Never say, I dont know, you decide who to hire.The interviewer knows its their decision, but theyre looking for confidence in this answer, and theyre looking for evidence youve studied the job and have real reasons for applying (other than just needing employment).Saying, I dont know does none of this and will likely cause you to fail the interview.You also dont want to give a joke answer.They really want a serious answer that tells them about your background and why you want this job when they ask, why should we hire you for this position?Finally, when they ask this q uestion, Id recommend picking the 1-2 strongest points you want to make.Dont name 10 reasons you think they should hire you.Think about the job description and pick one or two things that make you BEST qualified for the role.Thats how to make sure your answer stands out and gets you remembered as a candidate after the interview.So ask yourself what have you done thats most similar to this job? Or whats going to be the best proof that you can come in and succeed in this position? Thats what to share when they ask why they should hire you for the role.

How to Write Summary For Resume

How to Write Summary For ResumeHow to write a summary for resume is one of the most important things that you should know before you send your resume. The majority of job seekers focus on only few areas of the resume which are crucial for them. They might not put much effort on the rest of the paper and they miss on their main objective.Writing down the important parts of the resume is the most essential part of it. There is no such thing as an important part but an often overlooked part is the summary. This can give a clearer picture of the position you are applying for. The employers will need to know how you have performed in previous jobs and what the main purpose of your career was.Many job hunters go out of their way to make sure that they do not miss out any section of the resume. This is one of the best ways to cut off the employer's attention for a short while. It will catch the employer's attention and if you start talking about the useless information they will not pay muc h attention to your resume. You will be left with more work.The summary can be structured to suit your needs. You should have a goal in mind before writing the summary. You should be clear about what your main intention is. For example, you can create a short description of your previous job. You can also make a list of the tasks you have completed in the previous job and then make an outline of the general career goals you have in mind.The summary should be written in simple words. You can include some information in the summary like the experiences you have gained but do not go into details. You should not bore the reader but make it short. If you include too much information, the reader will get bored and do not bother to read further.You should avoid making your summary long and detailed. The summary should just serve as a guide. Once you feel comfortable with the summary, you can add the personal details. You should avoid making your summary too long because there is a tendency to become lost in the details if you try to write longer.You should plan how you want to format your summary. You can make it short by removing unnecessary parts or you can make it long and detailed by including details that you think are worth sharing. Formatting your summary according to the letter you send to the employer is also very important.When preparing a resume, you should keep the summary as a main document. It should be kept in a place where you will easily find it. It should also be prepared with care so that it will not become lost and your resume will look professional.

Why Motivation by Pizza Doesnt Work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Why Motivation by Pizza Doesnt Work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog My store manager implemented an embarrassing (and happily short-lived) safety incentive: Employees caught violating safety procedure were immediately given a two-foot rubber chicken on a string to wear around their necksin front of customers. To get rid of the chicken, an employee needed to catch another employee behaving unsafely. The practice quickly descended into a game of hot potato, with employees chasing one another around the store in search of the slightest violation to rid themselves of the safety chicken. Source: workingamerica.coms MyBadBoss contest. Many people dont feel motivated at work, and theres a very simple explanation for this: The motivational techniques used by most managers dont work. While few companies use rubber chickens (fortunately), most of the standard motivational tools like promotions, bonuses, employee of the month awards, pep-talks and free-pizza-nights are downright harmful to the drive, energy and commitment of employees. It only leaves them feeling manipulated, cynical and demotivated. The result: According to one Gallup study 60-80% of workers are not engaged at work. They feel little or no loyalty, passion or motivation on the job. Theyre putting in the hours, but theyre not doing a great job and theyre certainly not happy at work! As the illustration above shows, there are four different kinds of motivation. Only one of them works and unfortunately, many managers focus exclusively on the other three. Kinda silly, huh? These are the four different kinds of motivation: First, motivation can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is when you want to do something. Extrinsic motivation is when somebody else tries to make you do something. Secondly, there is positive and negative motivation. Positive motivation is when you want to get something motivation towards some goal. Negative motivation is away from something you want to avoid. Combine these two dimensions and we get four kinds of motivation (dont you just love these four-quadrant models :o). Lets see why three of the quadrants are useless for creating motivation. Extrinsic motivation doesnt work In the laboratory, rats get Rice Krispies. In the classroom the top students get As, and in the factory or office the best workers get raises. Its an article of faith for most of us that rewards promote better performance. But a growing body of research suggests that this law is not nearly as ironclad as was once thought If a reward money, awards, praise, or winning a contest comes to be seen as the reason one is engaging in an activity, that activity will be viewed as less enjoyable in its own right. Alfie Kohn (source) Alfie Kohn has studied motivation extensively, and his excellent book Punished by Rewards shows in detail that extrinsic motivation has some serious drawbacks: Its not sustainable As soon as you withdraw the punishment or reward, the motivation disappears. You get diminishing returns If the punishment or rewards stay at the same levels, motivation slowly drops off. To get the same motivation next time requires a bigger reward. It hurts intrinsic motivation Punishing or rewarding people for doing something removes their own innate desire to do it on their own. From now on you must punish/reward every time to get them to do it. In one of Kohns examples, children in a small town were given points for every books they checked out of the local library during the summer vacation. The points could be redeemed for a free pizza, in an attempt to encourage reading. The children in the program did indeed read more books than other children. But after the program ended, when reading no longer paid off in pizza, those children read far fewer books than others. Their own intrinsic desire to read books had been subsumed by the extrinsic reward, and when the pizza went away, so did the motivation. Negative motivation doesnt work Heart patients whove had double or quadruple bypass operations face a very simple choice: They must stop eating unhealthy food, smoking, drinking and working too much or they die. That has got to be the ultimate negative motivation and it carries the ultimate price for not doing it. So guess how many of them actuallly manage to change their lifestyle sustainably. Two years after the operation, how many of these heart patients have managed to stick to their new habits? Cmon, take a guess. 10%. Faced with the ultimate negative motivation, 9 out of 10 are still not able to make simple lifestyle changes. Which is why you see many patients coming in for their second or third heart operations. And which is also strong evidence that negative motivation does not work. One doctor, Dean Ornish, created a program where heart patients were instead taught to appreciate life (rather than fear death). They practiced yoga, meditated, got anti-stress counseling and got a healthy diet, all aimed at making them enjoy life more. The result: 2 years later, 70% of the patients maintained their new lifestyles. When even the threat of death cant make people change their lifestyle sustainably, it becomes clear that motivation based on avoiding something is simply not as effective as motivation based on achieving something. So what does work? We currently act as if people are not inherently motivated, rather that they go to work each day and wait for someone else to light their fire. This belief is common among managers and employees alike? It is right and human for managers to care about the motivation and morale of their people, it is just that they are not the cause of it. From the excellent book Freedom and accountability at work by Peter Block and Peter Koestenbaum. So with extrinsic motivation out and negative motivation out, were left with only one quadrant: Intrinsic positive. This completely changes the role of the manager as motivator. Rather than being the source of motivation (kind of a ludicrous idea in itself), the manager must help employees to find their own intrinsic motivation. What enhances intrinsic motivation? This webpage cites some research and lists the factors that create and sustain intrinsic motivation. The list includes: Challenge Being able to challenge yourself and accomplish new tasks. Control Having choice over what you do. Cooperation Being able to work with and help others. Recognition Getting meaningful, positive recognition for your work. To these I would add: Happiness at work People who like their job and their workplace are much more likely to find intrinsic motivation. Trust When you trust the people you work with, intrinsic motivation is much easier. So rather than trying to bribe people to want things using pizzas and promotions, managers should help their people to discover meaning and develop skills at work. What some managers dont realize is that people want to do good work. Create a happy, positive work environment and people are naturally motivated. Even better: They motivate themselves and each other. And that surely beats the punishments and rewards. Ive also made a podcast that explains the same points about motivation. You can find it here. If you enjoyed this post Im sure youll also like these: The top 5 myths about workplace stress 10 seeeeeeeeeeeeriously cool workplaces The cult of overwork Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Do You Have a Financial Safety Net to Carry You Through a Job Search

Do You Have a Financial Safety Net to Carry You Through a Job Search According to  24/7 Wall Street,  some of the countrys most well-known companies including Citibank, Sears, Washington Mutual, ATT, IBM Merck, Ford, Circuit City, Rite-Aid, Gap, and AIG will need to cut thousands of jobs before the end of the year in order to make ends meet or improve earnings.Ive worked with thousands of professionals who were downsized from their organizations. Some saw the writing on the wall well in advance and others were totally blindsided.  If you lost your job tommorrow, would you have a financial plan in place to carry you through a six to twelve month search?  People who proactively manage their finances and create a financial safety net tend to have more productive searches and make better decisions about future employment opportunitiesdecisions that are fueled by passion for the work and a fit with the corporate culture rather than an immediate need for money. If you think you need to do a better job of planning for your financial future, here are some  f ree resources  from financial planner, Paul Levy of UBS.