Sometimes, You Need Real, Professional Help

Sometimes, You Need Real, Professional Help I am a do-it-yourself kind of guy.  I want to figure out how to do, make, and fix things. I want to learn how things work.  Im not the most handy guy around, but I do like understanding whats going on, so I can maintain or improve things. When I broke my ankle I thought it was a sprain. After two weeks I gave in and went to an urgent care clinic to get it checked out. Turns out my sprain, which I was optimistic that Id recover from without paying for, was a break severe enough to have to have surgery.  That conclusion came through three different clinic visits (because I kept getting referred to the next guy), and cost $600. Without a doubt, the only thing for me to do is to lie on a table and have a surgeon cut me open and put screws in my bones. Like these videos (they are kind of nasty). That surgery happens in a few hours. This is not a do-it-yourself situation. When I lost my job, I was pretty sure that I could do it (find my next job) on my own. And you know what? I DID! Oh wait actually, I didnt. I spent months doing the wrong things, spending my time in bad places, with marketing material (think: resume) that was worse than average (average is already pretty bad) wondering what was wrong with me, and getting more and more depressed. I NEEDED REAL, PROFESSIONAL HELP. But I was too proud, and cost-conscience to look for it. I was also confused as to how to make sure the person I found to help me was really qualified, and the right person for me. So, I did it on my own. And failed miserably. My job search would have been shorter, more focused, and more hopeful with the right help. Dont get me wrong I feel guided to have started the path of conceptualizing JibberJobber. It was eleven years ago this year, and while its been hard, its also been an amazing journey. But, I dont recommend the path I took to anyone.  Entrepreneurship, sure, but Id do it differently.  And when I talk to people who want to do it, I share my advice. Back to job seekers, though, Ill tell you, do all that you can do, and do the right things, but if theres any chance you can get professional help, DO IT. That might come from an alumni career center, or a job club, or, there are hundreds of trained, certified qualified professionals that can help you. No, they are not cheap, but they also are in business to get you back to work.  On the flip side, some are more affordable than others. Do yourself a favor if you are at that point of frustration, and youve done what you know you can, but arent sure what to do next, start to look for professional help.  The three groups Ive been involved with over the years are The National Resume Writers Association, Career Directors International, and Career Thought Leaders. Each of those sites have a link to find professionals. Once you do your research, and are ready to reach out, make sure you ask the professionals the right questions.   read that post! Sometimes, You Need Real, Professional Help I am a do-it-yourself kind of guy.  I want to figure out how to do, make, and fix things. I want to learn how things work.  Im not the most handy guy around, but I do like understanding whats going on, so I can maintain or improve things. When I broke my ankle I thought it was a sprain. After two weeks I gave in and went to an urgent care clinic to get it checked out. Turns out my sprain, which I was optimistic that Id recover from without paying for, was a break severe enough to have to have surgery.  That conclusion came through three different clinic visits (because I kept getting referred to the next guy), and cost $600. Without a doubt, the only thing for me to do is to lie on a table and have a surgeon cut me open and put screws in my bones. Like these videos (they are kind of nasty). That surgery happens in a few hours. This is not a do-it-yourself situation. When I lost my job, I was pretty sure that I could do it (find my next job) on my own. And you know what? I DID! Oh wait actually, I didnt. I spent months doing the wrong things, spending my time in bad places, with marketing material (think: resume) that was worse than average (average is already pretty bad) wondering what was wrong with me, and getting more and more depressed. I NEEDED REAL, PROFESSIONAL HELP. But I was too proud, and cost-conscience to look for it. I was also confused as to how to make sure the person I found to help me was really qualified, and the right person for me. So, I did it on my own. And failed miserably. My job search would have been shorter, more focused, and more hopeful with the right help. Dont get me wrong I feel guided to have started the path of conceptualizing JibberJobber. It was eleven years ago this year, and while its been hard, its also been an amazing journey. But, I dont recommend the path I took to anyone.  Entrepreneurship, sure, but Id do it differently.  And when I talk to people who want to do it, I share my advice. Back to job seekers, though, Ill tell you, do all that you can do, and do the right things, but if theres any chance you can get professional help, DO IT. That might come from an alumni career center, or a job club, or, there are hundreds of trained, certified qualified professionals that can help you. No, they are not cheap, but they also are in business to get you back to work.  On the flip side, some are more affordable than others. Do yourself a favor if you are at that point of frustration, and youve done what you know you can, but arent sure what to do next, start to look for professional help.  The three groups Ive been involved with over the years are The National Resume Writers Association, Career Directors International, and Career Thought Leaders. Each of those sites have a link to find professionals. Once you do your research, and are ready to reach out, make sure you ask the professionals the right questions.   read that post!

Five Things A Billionaire Taught Me About Job Hunting - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Five Things A Billionaire Taught Me About Job Hunting - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Life is good if you are Reid Hoffman. The self-made billionaire was a part of the founding team at PayPal. He took his winnings from that expedition and went on to found LinkedIn. Hoffman knows what success is. I’d like to tell you that I’ve been chumming around with him; that in his jet somewhere over the Pacific on the way to his private island, we bonded. I’d also like to tell you that he gave me a fistful of stock tips and a couple of hundred thousand LinkedIn options. I want you to believe that time spent with Reid turned my life into a dreamscape. Instead, I have to report that I never met the fellow. I did, however, read his recent book, “The Start-up of You.” The book, which is co-written by Ben Casnocha, is pretty inspiring and motivational. I believe that ‘co-written’ means that Ben got to do the bonding, jet riding and investment advice receiving for me. I think of it as outsourcing. The Hoffman-Casnocha team does a really good job at delivering the scary truth. The days of stable employment, long term company relationships and fixed professions are over. Your future involves taking a series of jobs that disappear while you have them. The best you can hope for is a temporary reprieve. 10 kajillion faceless people in countries you’ve never heard of are waiting to take your job as soon as you get good at it. Are you scared yet? In some ways, the book is like going on a camping trip with Uncle Reid while he tells scary stories around the campfire. In this case, it’s the set up for a view of the world where being an entrepreneur is the only choice you have. Old school advice about getting ahead is simply outdated. As scary as it is, he’s probably right. And, after the scary stuff, he gives some good advice. Here are the things I took away: Anyone can be an entrepreneur. Actually, the point is more forceful. You don’t have a choice; your future involves being an entrepreneur. Rather than a fixed destination and a once in a lifetime occupation, you are headed for a series of opportunities. The question is not whether you take them but how well. It’s always day one. He stole this from Jeff Bezos. At Amazon, they always say it’s Day 1. That means that Amazon is in a state of perpetual beta; that every day is the beginning of the company; that the trappings of success are the roots of failure. Keep yourself and your work fresh through constant reexamination and redefinition. A million people can do your job. What makes you so special? This one comes from a long standing billboard on Silicon Valley’s Highway 101. Hoffman insists that you have to regularly (weekly or monthly) review the value you deliver and make sure that it is better than your competition, seen or unseen. Beware of success. It breeds arrogance. Arrogance precedes massive failure. Hoffman knows this terrain well. Not content to sit back and count his billions, he launched LinkedIn with serious personal and financial involvement. Thinking that you know it all because you’ve had a little success is the single biggest predictor of the next fall. Be paranoid about your history and question what you’ve learned. Take risks when others take refuge. When the economy goes south, the company folds or the world ends, hunt for the lemons and make lemonade. Anyone can whine and complain about how bad it is. Economic improvement depends on being able to evaluate the circumstances and discover the opportunities. Weak links are critical. You’d expect that Hoffman would talk at least a bit about networking. His view is that the weak links, people you don’t know very well, are the most important parts of your network. They are the gateways to things you don’t know about already. You may have noticed that I gave you six items when I promised five, The final lesson in Hoffman’s book is a time honored approach to building a career: under promise and over deliver. Always try to delight your customers and colleagues. Always. Author: John Sumser, a member of the Glassdoor Clearview Collection, is the founder and editor-in-chief of HRExaminer, a weekly online magazine about the people and technology of HR. Widely respected as an independent analyst, Sumser has been chronicling and critiquing the HRTechnology industry for eighteen years. During that time, he has consulted with more than 100 HR vendors on matters of strategy and positioning in the market. Prior to his involvement in the HR Technology industry, Sumser was a senior executive in Defense Technology. From large scale software development to naval architecture, he was the leader of tech development teams in a broad variety of settings. His passion is the intersection of people and technology.

4 Potential Surprise Interview Questions And What They Mean

4 Potential Surprise Interview Questions And What They Mean In general, when you go on an interview, most companies will ask similar questions. They will ask about what experience you have in their field, what you think of the company, what your major skills and weaknesses are, and other questions about past work experience and your personality. Some interviewers will also ask silly personality gauging questions, such as whether you identify with owls or spiders more. Although the above interview questions are expected, there are some interviewers who try to come up with questions outside the box. Surprise interview questions are meant to throw you off guard and expose your true self to the interviewer. Although the questions are unexpected, many interviewers choose similar topics. Below is a list of some of the most common surprise interview questions: How would your boss describe you? This question is designed to test the relationship that you had with your previous employer. The question is trying to discover if you left your previous job on bad terms or simply for other issues. If you had a bad experience with your boss, hesitation or body language can show this to the interviewer even before you open your mouth. Prepare an answer for this question if you left your previous job on bad terms. What other offers are you considering? Sometimes an interviewer may ask if you are considering other job offers. An interviewer usually asks this question to find out if you are serious about their position. Legally, you do not have to discuss any other offers with a potential employer. However, in some cases, you can use this as a negotiation point for salary. What trends do you see for our industry? This question will indicate whether you have done your research about their company. So many people apply to hundreds of jobs at once, this is an easy way for a company to identify serious candidates right away. The best way to answer this question is by reading up on the company before you go to the interview. Why are you still unemployed? This somewhat invasive question is designed to catch you off guard and prevent you from coming up with a clever answer about why you left your previous position. There are a variety of good answers to this question. You could mention that you are waiting to find a job that is the perfect fit for your skills, or waiting to find a job in your preferred industry. You can also talk about how you are taking time off for furthering your education by taking  short courses  or developing relevant industry skills. These surprise interview questions are designed to catch interviewees off guard. However, if you prepare for the unexpected, then you do not have to worry about bombing an interview due to strange or surprise questions. In addition to constructing answers for these questions, you may also want to consider whether you are more like an owl or a spider to help prepare for the truly bizarre questions that sometimes appear in interviews.

Top 5 Staffing Agency Myths DEBUNKED!

Top 5 Staffing Agency Myths DEBUNKED! Whether you’re looking to fill a vacancy in your business or you’re a job hunter, don’t underestimate the power of a recruiting company! These agencies have come a long way since the days of administering typing tests and only placing “secretaries” in temporary positions. In fact, there’s a big difference between a recruiting agency and a temp agency sometimes they’re one in the same, but have different departments, but for the most part they’re commonly misidentified as the same thing. A recruiting agency is often employed by the largest corporations because they have the skills, networks and ability to pinpoint the best candidates for the position  â€" and then secure them. However, there are countless rumors swirling about recruitment agencies and some have been around for decades. If you’re in the position of needing to match the perfect candidate to the perfect job, it’s worth taking a closer look at these agencies. Here are some of the most common myths about recruiting agencies and why you need to dig deeper. 1) I can recruit myself: You certainly can recruit candidates yourself, but have you ever wondered why even enterprises with huge HR departments still work with recruiting agencies? You can get tunnel vision, you have the same network, and it takes a lot of manpower to recruit. Improve your efforts and get more quality candidates quicker. Recruiting takes two things companies don’t have in excess: A lot of time and specialized skills to dedicate toward just one vacancy. Even if you have an amazing recruitment team and/or HR department, they can’t dedicate the equivalency of a full-time job to filling each vacancy that comes up. A recruitment agency, on the other hand, can. 2) They don’t specialize in my industry: Actually, you probably can find a recruiting agency in your field and if not, these agencies often cast a wide net and can work wonders whether you’re an SEO professional or a dog groomer. For job seekers, including recent grads like Marie Faulkner, agencies got them a great job when their own efforts failed. She says: Working with the consultants at the agency has given me two extremely good opportunities to work for some of the most influential organizations and that’s as a freshly minted grad. As more and more “niche jobs” become standardized, recruitment agencies have kept pace. If you’re looking to fill a very specific type of job, a niche recruitment agency might be a better choice. However, it’s worth checking out if an agency has a specialist of department that focuses on what you’re looking for. You might be surprised by what you find. 3) They take a huge commission: Obviously recruiters get paid for what they do, and if you want the best recruiting agency on your side, that’s going to cost you. However, for candidates it’s totally free and the only person paying is the company that needs to fill a position. Break down the cost-benefit analysis, and ask yourself what the best workers are really worth. In the long run, those commissions aren’t as costly as you think. ining, time taken out for background checks and interviews all add up quickly. In the grand scheme of things, it can cost several thousand dollars to hire a new recruit, so the commissions of agents are actually pretty comparable. READ MORE: Just How Much Do Recruiters Earn? 4) They don’t work: A recruiter isn’t a magician, and if you don’t put in the effort then even the best agency in the world isn’t going to make a match. If you’re a job seeker, you can still bomb interviews or otherwise turn off an employer. As an employer, maybe you don’t really know what you’re looking for or your hiring team has a penchant for not making the best matches. However, a good recruiting agency will know if you’re really ready to fill a vacancy or not. If you’re not, then they’ll let you know steps that should be taken before they’ll accept the task. A recruiter wants the same thing you do: the perfect fit for the position, and they won’t compromise just to make a quick fee. Everyone should be happy with the result as this is a symbiotic relationship. 5) They’re too time consuming: A recruiter can’t do all the work for you, and job seekers certainly have to complete profiles, go on interviews and work with the recruiter. There’s a lot of paperwork on the employer’s side as well. However, agencies streamline these processes. After all, it would be a lot more work to do this solo. However, that’s like comparing making cookies from scratch vs. making them with pre-made dough. As long as the pre-made dough is high quality, it just speeds things up even though there’s a little work involved form your side. Is a recruiter your magic bullet? Not necessarily, but they can certainly put you on the fast track to a successful recruitment. Author: Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on  Twitter  and  LinkedIn.

Should You Use a Resume Writing Service?

Should You Use a Resume Writing Service?Many people wonder what they should really do when they find themselves in the job hunt and wonder if they should try to use a resume writing service. There are so many good and bad services out there, that it is hard to make up your mind. In this article I will give my opinion about why you should use a resume writing service and why you should avoid them at all costs.First off, lets talk about what they are and what you can expect from them. Resume writing services are companies that are experts in writing and helping you create a fantastic resume. They offer these services because they believe that good resumes can help you land that dream job. There are a number of reasons why you should use a resume writing service, but here are a few of the main ones. Here are some of the reasons:* The benefits of using a service are that they can help you keep track of what you wrote, what they should have and where they went wrong, which means that you don't have to go through the same thing with each company. With a resume service, you know that you won't be confused about anything.* Good resumes are very important in getting a job and in order to have a good resume you need to put time and effort into writing it. A resume writing service can help you out by hiring a professional to write your resume.* Good resume writing services, understand that there are some things that only you can handle and that is why they hire someone who knows exactly what he or she is doing. They can get you an amazing resume, but they can't guarantee that you will land the job you're looking for.* When you are looking for a job, you will hear a lot of different opinions and what you should and should do. A resume writing service can help you choose what to do in order to get that dream job you've been looking for.Now that we've gotten the technical part out of the way let's talk about how a Resposit job will work. When you want to get a Resposit job, you will need to contact them and apply. You will then be interviewed by them and if you pass your interview, you will be given a choice of which Resposit service you will be working with.Resposit is the leading resume writing service that has helped thousands of individuals land jobs. If you would like to start a career as a professional resume writer, visit their website today! They have a $70 per hour online training class that will take you through the steps to becoming a professional.

Maximizing Interview Chemistry Connection Part 3 Asking Questions - Hire Imaging

Maximizing Interview Chemistry Connection â€" Part 3 Asking Questions - Hire Imaging This is the third in a series of posts around the important role chemistry plays in interviewing. I think interview is a bit like dating. Two people go out on a date because they think they might have something in common, find each other interesting or want to spend some time to get to know each other better. If you’ve made it to the interview, that employer or recruiter found something about you they liked. Something told them you might fit their needs. During the interview, you’ll be judged on three dimensions: chemistry, competency and compensation. Chemistry comes first most often; it is your bonding and connection. Weaving good questions, laser listening and appropriate responses can help keep that connection on the right foot. Interview Chemistry: Make questioning part of your strategy Interviews, particularly executive interviews, can run between an hour and an hour-and-a-half. Considering that the process can involve this amount of time, it’s important that you are not answering questions most of the time. This can put you on defensive and quickly turn stressful. Your answers to questions should never run more than two minutes. Ideally, try to ask questions for 30 minutes of every interview. This enables you to assert some control over the pace and direction of the session; and it reduces the interview pressure. The way you ask questions and the specific nature of their content will tell a lot about you. A questioning strategy developed in advance can be helpful. Most importantly, by asking intelligent and insightful questions, you will build your image in the eyes of the interviewerâ€"and you will be building chemistry as well. You want the interviewer thinking, “Certainly, Greg seems very sharp, well informed … impressive.” Questions you the candidate asks can be called “offense questions” as opposed to “defense questions” when fielding answers. The questions you develop will depend on the kind of position you are targeting. Here are some examples: Does the COO have strongly held convictions about the approach needed to meet your goals in this area? How important is it to get IT and Operations to work more closely together? Do you feel you have a strong team in place, or will you expect me to recruit my own team? It’s obvious that you need to build new capabilities to achieve your goals. Would I be given a free hand to do that, or would that cause political problems? Is top management unanimous on the need to develop new lines quickly, or are there strong differences of opinion that will need to be taken into consideration? Given the fact that you are #2 in your major market right now, what are the expectations and timetable for improving your future? The point is that the questions, from the perspective of the interviewer, will get right to the heart of what is going on in the organization. The questions should be tailored to your situation. Visit Part 1 and Part 2 of this series if you missed them. Do you have comments to share around good questions the job interviewee/candidate can ask? There is no such thing as a worthless conversation, provided you know what to listen for. And questions are the breath of life for a conversation.” ~ James Nathan Miller Photo:   SMJJP

When to Take Things Personally, and When Not To - Kathy Caprino

When to Take Things Personally, and When Not To This week, two ongoing  clients of mine simply forgot they were scheduled for a coaching session,  and just didn’t call.   When talking to them later, they apologized profusely, with sincere embarrassment, and told me they were crashingly busy, and their week got away from them   they simply forgot (or had forgotten to write it down).   When stuff happens in my life in twos and threes like this I like to try to wrap my head around if there’s something for me to learn or do differently, or if it’s just a random occurrence not worthy of any major evaluation or analysis.   After all, sometimes in life (as a friend of mine likes to say), “A butterfly is just a butterfly!”   In this case, I think there is something to look at…that perhaps making time for self-examination and self-discovery is a bit daunting in the face of everything else going on for these  folks this week.       Perhaps an “I forgot” really means, “I can’t take this in, this week. I’m just not up for it.   I will be ready again soon, but not this week.”   And I really get that.   What would be even more beneficial for each of us would be if we able to grow in our awareness of this feeling, and say out loud, “I’m a bit overwhelmed right now, and can’t tackle anything extra this week.”   After all, we all have moments/periods like that.   There’s no shame in it.   To answer my own question, then, do I take these types of occurrences personally (that a few folks are forgetting to call in on a given week?)   Actually, no, I don’t (please let me know if you think Im crazy!)   Per the powerful Four Agreements, by don Miguel Ruiz, I work on avoiding taking things personally, because it gives me greater freedom not to, and an increased ability to keep an open heart and mind.   After all, whatever you want and need is up to you, as is the way you choose to communicate it.   And I’m going to try  to not take any of it personally.   Question of the day: What do you take really personally, and what can you just let go of instead?   I’d love to hear your views.   Here’s to letting it all go, and feeling freer to just be ourselves and letting others do the same.