Even My Mom Is Too Busy To Talk

Even My Mom Is Too Busy To Talk Want to know why I know? Because I asked her. It went something like this: me: Hey mom, hows it going? Are you busy? mom: Im busy for the next few minutes, can I call you back? No big deal, right? Actually, it is a big deal. Have you ever had someone call you, or come in your office, and just start chatting? And you were super-busy, or working on a tight deadline? And you really didnt have the time to chat? Disrespectful, right? Whether you are in a job search or building relationships (aka networking), make sure you respect the other persons time. Ask them something like: Do you have time to talk right now? Are you busy? Do you have a few minutes? (and then, only take a few minutes until you clarify that they have more time!) Is there a good time we can talk about xyz? I dont know why Im weird about this, except that once I hired a guy that had no concept of other peoples time. I was okay with it and found ways to deal with it. But when I heard about it from my peers (the management team) I was embarrassed and had to do something about it. Even when I have a call that has been scheduled I usually ask is this still a good time? Who knows what came up, and I want to make sure the other person is going to give me their attention. Respect. Its a good thing and it goes both ways. Even My Mom Is Too Busy To Talk Want to know why I know? Because I asked her. It went something like this: me: Hey mom, hows it going? Are you busy? mom: Im busy for the next few minutes, can I call you back? No big deal, right? Actually, it is a big deal. Have you ever had someone call you, or come in your office, and just start chatting? And you were super-busy, or working on a tight deadline? And you really didnt have the time to chat? Disrespectful, right? Whether you are in a job search or building relationships (aka networking), make sure you respect the other persons time. Ask them something like: Do you have time to talk right now? Are you busy? Do you have a few minutes? (and then, only take a few minutes until you clarify that they have more time!) Is there a good time we can talk about xyz? I dont know why Im weird about this, except that once I hired a guy that had no concept of other peoples time. I was okay with it and found ways to deal with it. But when I heard about it from my peers (the management team) I was embarrassed and had to do something about it. Even when I have a call that has been scheduled I usually ask is this still a good time? Who knows what came up, and I want to make sure the other person is going to give me their attention. Respect. Its a good thing and it goes both ways.

What to Include in Writing a Resume

What to Include in Writing a ResumeFeeling overwhelmed writing resume? How many things do you really need to tell about yourself? One can feel like a horse with a head full of hair, because the information is overwhelming. There are really only a few key points that you should include.The first personal highlight is how you came to be working for this company. What position and/or experience was it you were considering before accepting this job? In other words, if it is a job that will use your skills for the betterment of the company and organization, this can be an opportunity to grow in a role that you may not have thought about before.The second point is a particular aspect of the organization that you think makes it unique. One example would be the ability to meet deadlines for a regular basis or the ability to provide customer satisfaction. These attributes make it easier to operate the business.A third point is an actual job objective. As previously mentioned, this is a summar y of your skills and abilities to a potential employer. It serves as the foundation upon which the rest of your resume is built.The fourth point is what job experience will actually fit with your resume. In order to highlight the right skills, consider what kinds of responsibilities might best fit your needs. For example, if you work on projects such as translating technical documents or computer science projects, this could be good to include. However, if you prefer more of the administrative and management roles, it may be best to leave these out.The fifth point is, what other qualifications will be required in order to write a resume that includes the skills you are seeking. If you are good at math, you may want to highlight this as part of your resume. On the other hand, if you arenot necessarily so good at math, you may want to highlight that as well.The sixth point is whether or not there is a need for a certificate or degree. These are just as valid as the other points. Howev er, it is something that does not need to be listed in order to have the necessary skills to do the job. This is why there is no need to include it in the resume.The seventh point is an area where you can really add something to the resume. Make sure that you are very concise and as precise as possible in detailing this. This is an opportunity to really showcase your expertise. At the same time, it can help to ease the mind of a potential employer to see something that is extra or special about you.

7 Tips for Hearing More and Doing More - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Tips for Hearing More and Doing More - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Listen up! Yes You! Listen up! It’s not just for coaches and teachers anymore. Give the person speaking the courtesy of your attention. Your conversations will go smoother and faster. You will be able to get more done in less time. This is especially true for face to face meetings. It is also true for phone calls and web chats. For meetings over the phone or on a webcast it’s too easy to click onto another screen and check your mail or do whatever. Don’t! Focus on the conversation in front of you. Multi-Tasking does not work … give the conversation the attention it deserves. Focus on hearing more so that you can do more. Here are Seven Tips for Hearing More and Doing More 1. Minimize distractions This is obvious, but one that bears repeating. If there is a window open or a noisy activity happening close by, seek ways to remove it. If it’s not possible to remove the distraction, seek to minimize it. If this is not possible consider moving the conversation to someplace where you can Hear More so you can Do More. 2. Be present Years ago Elizabeth Taylor paid George Hamilton a huge compliment. She said that when he was speaking with you … he was speaking with YOU. That he was present. He was present in the conversation. In the moment. This is a skill and an art. One that takes time, energy and effort to master. Being Present is important in order to have deep conversations. 3. Turn your phone off Or at least put it face down Play The Phone Stack game whether it’s just two people or if you are in a group. This applies to tablet devices too. Its a great way to add a financial element to a conversation. Keep in mind its not a game. The focus should be on the conversation. 4. Focus on the person Not the distractions around you. Face AWAY from the hustle and flow. If you are in a restaurant or coffee shop … put your back to the distractions. Case in Point:  Have you ever spoken to someone at a trade show and they kept looking over your shoulder? Perhaps they were looking to see if someone more important than you might walk by. To me … this is very disingenuous and disrespectful Don’t be THAT person. If the other person is distracted. If your conversation isn’t important enough to keep their attention perhaps they are right. And you should implement Tip 7. Actions speak louder than words. Your actions should be focused on one conversation at a time. 5. Dont use filler words to pause and think Ummmm and Uhhhhh should not be used to fill a pause while you are thinking. If you need time to think … just think. Quietly. Tips to help you while you think: Let them know you heard them Let them know you comprehend what they said You DO NOT have to agree with them. That may come later. Or it may never happen. That’s OK. 6. Ask clarifying questions If you dont get it … Ask for clarification If you arent sure you heard them correctly … Ask for clarification If you dont agree … Ask for clarification. Make sure you understood their point. You still may not agree, but at least you’ll know for sure. 7. It’s OK to disengage If the conversation isn’t going well. Whether it’s because of distractions … on your part or theirs. Whether it’s not going the way you expected. Or for whatever reason. It’s OK to end … or at least pause … the conversation. You can always pick up the conversation at a later time. Why Listening Matters In the end Hearing More is about Doing More. People need to put the energy into the conversation that they expect to get out of it. If you cant put the necessary energy into the conversation Perhaps you are wasting your time and the other persons time too. If you find this happening you might want to consider Tip 7. It doesn’t mean you can’t go back to the conversation. It just means … use the time and the energy you have wisely. Did you hear that? That was YOU in your next meeting … paying attention and getting twice as much done in half the time. By paying attention, by being present, by asking clarifying questions … you can Hear More and Do More. Try some of these tips in your next conversation. I predict you will be able to hear subtle nuances and improved elements to engage with the person on the other side of the table or the other end of the phone. My request to you … try them. My second request … if you feel so inclined … please feel free to let me know how it went.  Author: Jeff   is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

Job Search Psychology 5 Steps to Positivity

Job Search Psychology 5 Steps to Positivity Abraham Lincoln once said: We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or we can rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. These were some of the greatest words ever spoken how we look at things can completely change our perspective of them. There are so many things that we dont even realize we do, and in a job search we need to pay attention to what we are doing. A job search can affect your mood and your outlook on life depending on the way it goes. It can make you feel worthy or worthless. Whether you are searching for your first job or you are an experienced job searcher, you still have to focus on the same things you still have the same goal. If you dont have the right mindset during your job search, your chances of ending up with a job you dont like are much higher. Dont let the common job search troubles overtake you. Not only will a bad attitude during a job search hurt your chances of landing the job you need and deserve right now, but it can hurt your career. Lets say you accept a job that you are overqualified for because you think that is all you can get…or you are just plain desperate. How will that look when you go to apply to other jobs? You will be stuck in a rut. Do you take chances with a functional resume which is extremely ineffective or do you hope that the person reading your resume will look at what else you have done…even if they rarely do because they are skimming? Dont let bad habits win. Acknowledge any flaws (none of us are perfect) and take control you are in the drivers seat of your job search. Here are 5 things you should work to improve on… 1) Communication: Portray yourself in a friendly and positive light. If you are unemployed, it is easy to lose communication with the outside world and that can hurt your ability to communicate with others even if it was easy before. Stay in communication with others and make sure these people have a positive impact in your life. If they dont, it will only hurt. Your communication skills will be influential when you go on interviews…and those communication skills will also show through the internet when you send your cover letter or other accompanying documents. 2) Procrastination: You have so much competition in todays market. You arent the only one that may procrastinate, but there are people that are in full on job search mode. Procrastinating will put you much further behind and put the people that arent procrastinating in front of you. Dont hand the job you deserve to someone else. Instead of saying Ill apply to that job later, do it now later may be too late. 3) Outlook (Positivity or Negativity): When you listen to the negative news reports about the economy or read negative things about the horrible job market, it sticks with you and you take that with you during your job search. If you think nothing is out there, you wont find anything. There are jobs out there and there is one that is just for you. When you focus on negatives, you will see negatives. When you focus on positives, you will see positives. Your outlook is everything. READ MORE: Optimistic vs Pessimistic Job Seeker: How to Be More Positive 4) Fear of not being good enough: Stop telling yourself that you cant do something. You can do anything you put your mind to. You are good enough. If we always said we cant do something, we would never get anywhere or learn anything new. When you learned to ride a bike for the first time, you probably had training wheels. Put the training wheels back on and know that you can do it persistence, dedication, and hard work will make it happen. 5) Aggravation / Frustration: There is no doubt about it that a job search can be frustrating, but you cant let that hold you back. Dont get frustrated because you think you arent getting anywhere. Think about changing up what you are doing. Look at your job search strategies and see what you can do to adjust your methods. Apply for more jobs, look at other sites, get your resume redone, etc. I also want to address another common occurrence that can affect your psyche. When you are searching for a job, everyone will tell you everything that they think they know. Unfortunately, most of these individuals have good intentions but are not experts in a job search or resumes. Listening to these people can set you back further than you can ever imagine. Dont be afraid to consult with an expert. You could be doing everything right and your best friend will tell you its wrong because they arent experienced or you could be doing everything wrong and your family member tells you its perfect because they dont want to hurt your feelings…or the most common reason they just dont know. Dont let your bad habits win…let yourself win. Improving in your job search will help you improve in your everyday life as well. Whenever I let my bad habits take over, I reread something that I grew up on…my fathers three rules (which can apply to almost anything): Get better at doing what we do every day Constant and consistent improvements lead to constant and consistent improvements. When we do this, at least we feel better about doing what we do. Do the right thing When we do the right thing we can feel pretty good about what we are doing. Enjoy doing what we do We spend way too much time in our careers not to enjoy them. Sure there will be bad moments, but why have bad days? If its not fun, we arent doing it right. Now go find the job you deserve its out there! Author: Marissa Letendre is the Owner of resumebymarissa.com. She is a professional Resume Writer and a former Human Resources Manager and Recruiter.

Writing For a Resume

Writing For a ResumeIt is important to realize that writing for a resume is not the same as writing for a CV. A resume is not the same as a CV, or a CV is not the same as a job application. They are separate documents and therefore requires a different set of skills to be employed effectively in the professional world.A resume is a 'letter of intent' or a 'letter of demand' and it is in your best interest to have it written correctly. Your CV is not a resume, so if you are writing it yourself, you need to consider this the first step. If it is written by a professional, then it will become the centerpiece of your job application. That is the reason why it is important to consider using some professional help in the process of writing your resume.There are many ways to hire a professional to write your resume. You can find out where these professionals are in your area by asking your HR department or the people who work in your city hall. Many of them have certain sectors that hire th em for specific reasons. These sectors may include human resources, payroll, or training.By hiring a professional to write your resume, you will not only get a high quality document with professional features, but you will also improve your chances of being hired. This is because you can show that you understand what a resume is all about. However, it does not mean that you have to spend a lot of money on it either.You can also hire a professional to write for you if you do not want to spend the money. This will also help you save time since you will not have to do the work yourself. However, you need to remember that no matter how much you save on hiring a professional, it will still be a lot more expensive than having someone else do it for you. If you choose to hire a professional, then you have to make sure that they are a professional writer and that they have good references. Your references are very important because these will show that they are skilled and have written the resumes of other employers. You should also check the editor's credentials because there are certain editors who are just trying to make a quick buck by churning out resumes that look good on paper but are unsuitable for the requirements of a particular job.Your professional resume writer should be able to match your personality and qualifications. This means that the way you write your resume will reflect the fact that you have the skills required for a specific position. Professional writers make use of current jargon and terminology to make it easier for their clients to recognize their competence and expertise.A professional resume writer can also provide assistance with editing or making changes if necessary. The services that are being offered by these professionals will ensure that you get a very professional resume. You will be better able to differentiate yourself from the competition and therefore, have a better chance of being hired.

6 apps and websites thatll make completing assignments so much easier

6 apps and websites thatll make completing assignments so much easier This post was written by an external contributor; Chloe Smith talks us through the best apps and websites to keep procrastination at bay and help you nail any assignment. We’re all familiar with the various checks (and rechecks) that we have to do on assignments before we submit them. Well, what if there was quite literally an app for that? Or at least, apps that made completing assignments from grammar and spell checking, and even referencing, so much easier. Well you’re in luck, because here’s a list of the best     Grammarly Grammarly is a free grammar checker that can spot any and every grammar mistake from the wrong use of a word or phrase to the fact that you’ve used a comma in the wrong place. Proofreading assignments is vital but also the bane of a student’s life. Grammarly makes proofreading so much easier because you can polish and complete your assignment, safe in the knowledge that you haven’t missed anything, or added too many commas. Speechnotes Speechnotes in an Android app that can convert your speech into written text. It’s perfect for when you have assignment ideas on the go, or if you aren’t up for typing but still want to work on your assignments. It’s not 100% perfect in terms of picking everything up, but it’s pretty close. Whether you want to quickly make notes or complete an assignment without having to so much as touch a keyboard, then this is the app for you. Tip of My Tongue Tip of My Tongue is a magical website that will literally help you figure out a word that you have on the tip of your tongue. Writing an assignment and can’t for the life of you figure out the right word to finish off that sentence, even though you had it a second ago? Then this site will save you lots of frantic Googling and head-scratching as you try and come up with a new way to phrase what you’re writing. RefMe/Cite This For Me No assignment is really complete without a Reference List or Bibliography. They also take a lot of time to actually put together. RefMe or Cite This For Me is a website and app that will make a bibliography for you. All you have to do is input the book/website/journal information and then the site or app will add that to the list for you in a matter of clicks. They also work in a variety of referencing styles, so you can be sure that your reference list or bibliography is in the specific style that your university uses. Memrise Memrise is a free app and website that allows you to use flashcards made by other users on a variety of subjects to quickly and easily learn and memorise information in a very simple and engaging way, plus, it saves you wasting paper on physical flashcards. And if you need to memorise a particular topic or subject that doesn’t currently have any flashcards or that isn’t covered in the same depth that you need you can easily create your own set of flashcards Whether it’s for a presentation, test or exam, then Memrise is perfect for any degree but especially a Modern Foreign Language, as Memrise currently has more than 150 language courses across 25 different languages.   Google Drive If you’re not lucky enough to have access to any Microsoft programs (because let’s face it, they can be pretty pricey) then Google Drive can’t be beaten as an alternative. Everything you need and create related to your assignments will be in one place that you can also access on the go if you get the mobile Google Drive app. All of your documents are autosaved, can also be accessed and edited offline, and there is also the chance to share, and collaborate on any documents you create, which also makes it perfect for any group assignments. You get 15GB of storage free, and all you need is a Google account. TomotoTimer If you struggle with procrastination or would just generally like a set amount of time to focus on completing your assignments TomotoTimer is perfect. It gives you a 25 minute timer allowing you to practice the Pomodoro Technique which is where you work solely for 25 minutes, followed by a short break, followed by another 25-minutes, followed by another short break, etc. etc. It’s perfect for giving you an allotted time to just focus on your work and you can have as many Pomodoro ‘sessions’ as you need which means that if you’re able to utilise the method, that you’ll have your assignments done in no time, and you’ll have a brand new work routine in place in no time, too. As well as the website, there are also a few free apps that give you the same timer including Clockwork Tomato for Android, Focus Keeper Free on iOS. TomotoTimer also gives you Desktop Alerts and lets you have the option of adjusting the length of your break so it’s the best, and most customisable option for your laptop/PC. Download Debut  and connect with us  on  Facebook,  Twitter,  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

20 ways to measure happiness at work beyond the usual useless satisfaction surveys - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

20 ways to measure happiness at work beyond the usual useless satisfaction surveys - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Measuring employee happiness is a great idea. Sure, it has its problems. Any time you measure anything, you run the risk of getting bad data, the wrong data or making bad decisions based on the data. But it still makes sense for two main reasons. First and most obviously, if you measure employee happiness right, it can actually guide efforts to improve the workplace by identifying organizational problems and strengths. Also, most business leaders are highly results oriented and data driven and find it hard to value things they cant put a number on. Tracking employee happiness with hard numbers in some way can bolster organizational commitment to happiness initiatives. So what can you measure? This can go way beyond just an annual job satisfaction survey. Its essential to find the metrics that are relevant to your employees, your customers and your organization. Here are all the potential ways weve come up with to measure employee happiness. Did we forget any? Write a comment if you have one we didnt include. Measure employee mood If you want to know how happy your employees are, you can quite simply ask them. The traditional way is of course to run annual satisfaction surveys but Im very skeptical about that approach. You can measure things like: Happiness Satisfaction Engagement Well-being Psychological capital You can conduct the measurement using surveys, apps, mood boards or even just tennis balls. Other employee metrics Two other obvious employee-related metrics are: Absenteeism Employee turnover Each of these have a direct bottom line impact and are directly correlated with employee happiness. Hiring Happy organizations also attract more and better new hires. That means that you could also measure on metrics like: Applications received per opening posted Time to fill positions Rate of acceptance of job offers Rate of successful hires (how many new employees stay at least x months) This will be especially relevant in fast-growing workplaces or in industries where there is strong competition for the best talent. Customer metrics We know that happy employees make the customers happy. Some potential metrics are: Customer happiness / satisfaction Customer loyalty / repeat business Brand perception Employee performance We also know that happy employees do a better job, so measuring happiness could also mean tracking metrics like: Productivity Quality / errors Workplace safety / accidents Success rate of innovation / change projects Negative behavior Given that happy employees are less likely to engage in bad behavior at work, we could also track metrics like: HR complaints Fraud / stealing Physiological measures This area is a little more speculative but some people have suggested measuring things like: Cortisol in saliva samples Blood pressure Sleep time and quality These do raise some ethical issues around privacy and bodily autonomy. The upshot Measuring employee happiness can help efforts to improve a workplace and strengthen leaderships focus and commitment to these efforts. While traditional satisfaction surveys have a long list of problems, there are many other metrics you can look at. No workplace should measure all of these metrics. Depending on the industry, situation and type of employees only a small subset of these will be relevant. Its up to each workplace to define which are the most relevant and to find a good way to track and act on these metrics. How best to measure employee happiness We have collected all our best insights and experiences on this topic and developed a tool called heartcount which allows any team or workplace to measure happiness at work simply and in a way that generates actionable insights. Read all about it here. Related posts Top 10 reasons why job satisfaction surveys are a waste of time How to measure employee happiness with tennis balls Top 10 reasons why performance reviews are a waste of time A better way to measure employee happiness 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

Goal Setting and Life Balance - Hallie Crawford

Goal Setting and Life Balance Goals that we dont achieve-we all have them, we had good intentions, so what happened? Sometimes the novelty wears off, sometimes were over-zealous in setting our goals and set them too high, and sometimes we act like it’s our sole purpose in life to get things on our to do list checked off. It feels good to check things off! When we focus so much on just getting things checked off, we forget to enjoy the journey along the way or the reason why we set a particular goal in the first place. While forward movement is great, we also need to attend to our life balance and enjoying the process of achieving our goals, not just the results. *Enjoying the process of working towards a goal, and celebrating your successes along the way makes achieving a goal more fulfilling. Otherwise, our goals can feel like empty accomplishments. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind to look ahead and maintain balance in your life: a. Your To Do list is never ending Not to sound ominous, but your list is never going to end. You might as well enjoy the journey. Notice if you’re living each day like it’s your purpose to get everything done on your list. Do you tell yourself that if you can only get things done, you’ll feel relaxed and happy? There will always be unfinished items on your list, so enjoy the process instead of being run by your desire to get everything accomplished. Be happy and at peace now, don’t wait until you’ve checked everything off. b. Be honest with yourself If a goal doesn’t really fit or is something you think you should do but aren’t really energized about, ask yourself…Do I really need to be doing this? Get rid of the goal, change it, or put it on the backburner for a later date when you feel more energized about it. Similarly, if a goal is too big and makes you feel overwhelmed or frozen into inaction, change it or change its deadline. c. Cut yourself some slack Give yourself a break. Goals are a tool to help you plan and motivate you, not something to beat yourself up with if you don’t achieve them or achieve them in the timeframe you expected. Cut yourself some slack and acknowledge that you’re headed in the right direction. Instead of getting frustrated over small setbacks, learn from them and move on. “Goals are a means to an end, not the ultimate purpose of our lives. They are a tool to concentrate our focus and move us in a direction. The only reason we really pursue goals is to cause ourselves to expand and grow. Achieving goals by themselves will never make us happy in the long term; its who you become, as you overcome the obstacles necessary to achieve your goals, that can give you the deepest and most long-lasting sense of fulfillment.” Tony Robbins I hope this is helpful, Hallie hallie@halliecrawford.com, www.HallieCrawford.com