Eliminate Friction In Your Job Search (From Your Messaging)

Eliminate Friction In Your Job Search (From Your Messaging) If I had to choose one thing that job seekers do that are full of friction, Id guess it is the 30 Second Pitch. Have you ever had to sit through dozens of 30 second pitches? It is painful close to torture.   Maybe Im exagerrating a little. Just a tiny bit. But really, most 30 second pitches are off.   They are full of jargon, or cliche, or they are too long, or they are too cute but dont tell me anything. And when a job seeker shares a weak 30 second pitch they are spewing friction and confusion. They are getting further away from their goal. I know all about friction. For the last almost-12 years Ive created this little thing called JibberJobber.   It seems like 90% of the time weve created stuff that is really cool, but too much.   Too much = friction. Now we are on a mission to reduce that friction. This might mean reducing or rewording. In some cases it means eliminating. Because of the size of JibberJobber this is definitely an overwhelming Elephant Project and Im figuring out what bite to eat next. There are so many areas to reduce friction that its not that hard to pick one. Each of my team is working on their own bites, and recently Ive found a gold mine of opportunity: cleaning up the Getting Started Videos. I highlighted the length of videos because that is what Im working on. This all started because a smart user (and Product Manager) Linda emailed asking about a discrepancy in one of my videos so I went to look at it. To my dismay, I found that at least 60% of the video was garbage. Friction. Babbling. Worse, the video was about 12 minutes long.   Heres what happened: a while back I had a series called Focus Friday. This was a Friday morning call Id do with users where we talked about (focused on) one topic. I recorded those and then chopped them down a little (not enough) but still, easily 60% was friction. Everyone has friction, and everyone has a story to explain why they do. But the reasons why you have friction dont matter. What matters is your message and your message really shouldnt have friction. Ive been going through my Getting Started videos, picking out the good stuff, and then re-recording the trainings.   Yesterday I took a video down from 14 minutes to 7 minutes then I chopped more and took that down to about 4 minutes.   4 is a little longer than I want, but its a lot better than 14! And, there is no fluff. Im on a mission to reduce friction, and the pain of having to sit through long training videos. I want you to go on a mission to reduce friction. You have to understand what your message should really be, and then focus in on that. If there are any words that you dont have to use then eliminate them. Having said all this, my blog post is too long so Ill stop here. Please go reduce your friction! Eliminate Friction In Your Job Search (From Your Messaging) If I had to choose one thing that job seekers do that are full of friction, Id guess it is the 30 Second Pitch. Have you ever had to sit through dozens of 30 second pitches? It is painful close to torture.   Maybe Im exagerrating a little. Just a tiny bit. But really, most 30 second pitches are off.   They are full of jargon, or cliche, or they are too long, or they are too cute but dont tell me anything. And when a job seeker shares a weak 30 second pitch they are spewing friction and confusion. They are getting further away from their goal. I know all about friction. For the last almost-12 years Ive created this little thing called JibberJobber.   It seems like 90% of the time weve created stuff that is really cool, but too much.   Too much = friction. Now we are on a mission to reduce that friction. This might mean reducing or rewording. In some cases it means eliminating. Because of the size of JibberJobber this is definitely an overwhelming Elephant Project and Im figuring out what bite to eat next. There are so many areas to reduce friction that its not that hard to pick one. Each of my team is working on their own bites, and recently Ive found a gold mine of opportunity: cleaning up the Getting Started Videos. I highlighted the length of videos because that is what Im working on. This all started because a smart user (and Product Manager) Linda emailed asking about a discrepancy in one of my videos so I went to look at it. To my dismay, I found that at least 60% of the video was garbage. Friction. Babbling. Worse, the video was about 12 minutes long.   Heres what happened: a while back I had a series called Focus Friday. This was a Friday morning call Id do with users where we talked about (focused on) one topic. I recorded those and then chopped them down a little (not enough) but still, easily 60% was friction. Everyone has friction, and everyone has a story to explain why they do. But the reasons why you have friction dont matter. What matters is your message and your message really shouldnt have friction. Ive been going through my Getting Started videos, picking out the good stuff, and then re-recording the trainings.   Yesterday I took a video down from 14 minutes to 7 minutes then I chopped more and took that down to about 4 minutes.   4 is a little longer than I want, but its a lot better than 14! And, there is no fluff. Im on a mission to reduce friction, and the pain of having to sit through long training videos. I want you to go on a mission to reduce friction. You have to understand what your message should really be, and then focus in on that. If there are any words that you dont have to use then eliminate them. Having said all this, my blog post is too long so Ill stop here. Please go reduce your friction!

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Accepting an Apology is Harder Than It Looks

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Why Accepting an Apology is Harder Than It Looks When you make a mistake at work, do you apologize? Many of you will say yes. Its easier, after all, to move on if you admit that you messed up and simply say, Im sorry to whoever your actions may have impacted.Now heres a possibly tougher question: Do you always accept an apology?Well, of course, you may say. Thats what happens when someone apologizes. You are adult about it and say something like Its OK or Its fine.But is it really?Because the truth is, when you get smacked around by life, you want someone to blame. You want to hold someone responsible for whatever happened, for whatever hurt was caused.Lets say a co-worker apologizes to you for forgetting to forward you important information, and that caused you to make an error in a report to your boss. The erroneous report made the boss pretty unhappy, and you caught the brunt of that displeasure. Now, the co-worker is saying she is sorry for causing you problems.In most situations like this at work when someone apologizes, we sa y Its OK or I understand or at least grunt some kind of acceptance. But the truth is that youd like to lash out at the colleague who caused you such problems, to say that the ass-chewing delivered to you by the boss was all her fault, and her actions were hurtful.Hurtful? You may think thats too strong a word. After all, she didnt hurt you in the same way as would a friend or loved one might, but still, you feel the sting of her actions.So, while you may say you forgive her -- and give the appearance of moving on -- the truth is that youre nursing a grudge. You think about her behavior. Shes unorganized. Shes unprofessional. Shes immature. Shes selfish. All attributes that led to your problems, right?You start to feel a little better. Your self-righteousness starts to blossom. It was all her fault. You never would have made such a mistake. You would never have been so sloppy.By the time you have lunch with several other co-workers, youve worked up a head of steam. You share your rig hteous indignation with others over the unfairness of it all, how you had to take the blame for someone elses poor performance.While it may feel good in the short run to play the blame game, youre really losing in the long run. Why? Because youve never stopped to consider your own part in all of this mess and how it can be avoided in the future. In other words, youre dooming your career to experience these setbacks again and again.Lets look at the way you should really accept an apology: Put yourself in someone elses shoes. You may discover that the person who made the mistake has been saddled with the work of two other people who were laid off. She has been struggling to keep up with the workload, and has little support from the manager. You come to understand that if you were in the same position, you might forget a thing or two. Fix the problem, not the blame. In evaluating what happened, you see that you could have double-checked the information and found the error before presen ting the report to the boss. You decide that you need to build in some extra time to verify information, and give others a chance to weigh in to make sure no errors slip past you. See the outcome as good and bad. Yes, you got in trouble with the boss because of the error. Thats bad. On the other hand, you see that you need to be more diligent in double-checking information, that your process needs to be tweaked and improved. Such attention to quality will be a good work habit to develop and will positively impact your performance. Thats good.The next time someone offers you an apology at work, stop for a minute and think about whats really the best way to handle it. Instead of focusing on the Im right and youre wrong mentality, remember that no one is perfect. You have and will make mistakes in the future, and so will everyone else. Its the ability to truly accept an apology and move on that will determine your future successes.Have you ever had difficulty accepting and moving on after someone offered an apology? Whats the best way to get past your hurt or anger? del.icio.us

Practical Tips To Prepare and Ace a Video Interview

Practical Tips To Prepare and Ace a Video Interview 63 percent of companies often use videoconferencing for job interviews. Video Interview helps a business keep the costs down, shorten the time in hiring and reach a larger recruitment pool. Here are some video interview tips that will help you. The Video Interview Process The company selects candidates for video interviews Arrangements for an interview are scheduled at home with your own webcam, a company office, an off-site location with a webcam setup or via webcam sent to the applicant A tutorial will provide instructions on the webcam and the interview There will be 10-15 questions related to the job the company is hiring for The applicant will have 30 seconds to read the questions and two minutes to respond The video interview process isnt too dissimilar to the normal interview process. If you imagine for some businesses it is a cost measure so they dont have to reimburse the interviewee. Practical Tips To Help You Shine In Video Interview Take your time Do a few practice runs of your script and speak slowly. Remember the annoyances you have when you  speak to family over Skype? Yes, they could happen in video interview too Keep the background simple Try to situate yourself in front of a clean, single colour backdrop a white wall is perfect. Be mindful of your body language Be conscious about rocking back and forth while talking, crossing your arms or having your hands on your hips Dress conservatively For your video interview dress as you would to a physical interview. Wear something right and formal.  Read: How to dress for an interview. Look at the camera Just like making eye contact in an interview ensure that you are looking at your employer not the wall or computer. The infographic below has lots of information on the video interview process and tips. It also has a section on creating a video CV. Infographic courtesy of Brighton School of Business and Management. 30

Crazy Shopping with Coupon Code Comparison Site

Crazy Shopping with Coupon Code Comparison Site The desire for a suave life is unisexual. Everyone seeks comfort and it is only natural. In fact, seeking discomfort can be an acute emotional syndrome! Life gets easier day by day with most amazing innovations for all aspects of amazement. You can buy anything from eco-friendly washing machines to exclusive designer timepieces online. It is a huge shop of curiosities from all over the world, and from the best presenters. Get around in the crazy world of discounted digital shopping. Apart from well-known retailers like Amazon and Etsy, you can find an entire sub niche of shoppers who rarely buy anything at their retail prices. There are exclusive members-only discount clubs for this purpose. Get Smart Get smart with the wonderful stuff that the internet delivers at your doorstep. Whether you need a James Bond style car license plate flipper, or the latest smartphone, or maybe a pinhole camera inside a cuckoo clock, the internet is your destination. About shopping for apparels, there cannot be anything better than the web if you want variety. You would be smitten by virtually numberless options on the type of fashion you follow. Choosing the right one would be easy only when you can access all the top shopping sites from one place. Services such as plusvouchercode.co.uk provide amazing opportunities to choose the perfect place to shop within minutes. Planning with discount shopping is the latest smart fad amongst the trendy. Get on the bandwagon if you are not in already. Some Wisdom It is good to use some wisdom for online shopping. It saves a lot of headache. Some people suggest that unless it’s a top notch site, it is always best to opt for cash on delivery instead of online payment. Nowadays, there are several avenues of cashless digital transaction. However, you would need to do some research to find out the most reliable ones. Identity theft is a big issue. Although you can expect security scanning at coupon codes sites, but use your practical wisdom as well. It may happen that a rogue hacker service is keeping up a good face to steal your personal banking data. When you find a broken link or in inactive one, report the same to the customer support. The promptness of their response would also show. Get into the habit of cool online shopping. It not only saves money, but also keeps you in touch with the latest trends. Whether it is watches, apparels, accessories, gadgets, electronic accessories, wi fi, cctv, projector screens, neat furniture, shades, antique chess boards, or absolutely anything else, the internet has it all. In fact, the huge volume of options in the tech segment can make it some confusing to find the right product. You need to invest some time if you are looking for something exclusive. However, be careful to avoid shopping stuff that can have legal hassles in delivering to your location. For example, setting up a police hooter on your personal car can land you in trouble, all because of the fact that you bought it from the internet. Dig in the resources at Plusvouchercode.co.uk to get the best (and safe) things. Image Source

7 Tips for Moms Returning to the Workforce

7 Tips for Moms Returning to the Workforce Taking time from the workforce to raise your kids is common, both for moms and dads today. Returning to work after taking a few months or years off can be challenging. It’s a big change for everyone involved. If going back to work is what you want as a mother, then it’s a good move for yourself and your family. If you’re nervous about going back to work, consider the following tips.Photo Credit â€" Mindfulnessmama.com1. Address the Time at HomeevalMany people will skirt around the fact that they were unemployed for a while. And while it’s tempting to list being home as a job, it’s not exactly appropriate. It’s a job in its own right, but one where you’re beholden to your family. A professional job encompasses different responsibilities, and it will help you land a professional job if you demonstrate that you understand the difference.Don’t try to hide the time you spent at home. Instead, address the resume gap up front on the resume. You can include it in the introduc tion or list it as a single line item. Keep it simple and explain that you took time off to stay home, but you’re ready and excited to return to the workplace. Potential employers will respect your honesty.2. Add Freelance Work to Your ResumeevalIf you worked while you were home, make sure to include it on your resume. Freelancing is a professional job, and it has every reason to be included. If you did sales, did some freelance art or writing projects or subbed for a nearby office position, include it. It will help to lessen the gap on your resume.It will also demonstrate that you can work while taking care of your family. Even an occasional or part-time job helps you to stay current and can help you gain new skills. This is especially true for freelance work, where you have to market yourself regularly.3. Update Your WardrobeGoing from a daily mom job to a professional job often requires a wardrobe change. If you still have professional clothes from before the kids, try them on and see if they still work. Otherwise, you might have to go shopping. But don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune!Second hand clothing is incredible in the US. People buy so many clothes and they often donate items from last season â€" some that were never even worn. It’s not unusual to find clothing items with the tags still on them, for less than half the price of what you’d pay in a retail store. Professional clothes are often classic instead of trendy, so you’re almost sure to find pieces that will work for you.4. Network, Network, NetworkLeaning on your friends and family is easily the best way to land a position, especially if you know any headhunters. You’re likely to have the resume gap stacked against you, so you’re competing against people with more recent experience and potentially a more updated skill set.Knowing a hiring manager or HR representative can be your foot in the door, especially if you receive notification of a position before they start recruiting the general public. Learn how to network properly, and you’ll have a much easier time finding a position with less competition.5. Find Child Care EarlyevalThe last thing you want to have to deal with is a childcare provider you aren’t happy with. There are a variety of options you can choose from, including a traditional daycare, a private in-home daycare, a nanny, or even an au pair. You should secure back-up care as well. If the daycare doesn’t take sick kids, you’ll need someone to babysit if needed.evalIn some situations, it could be incredibly helpful to have a live-in nanny or an au pair. When you have someone that comes to live with you, you have the benefit of your child and the individual forming a close bond. You’ll also be there to see their interactions, so you’ll know if you can trust them. You’ll need to arrange for their schedules to match yours as much as you can. If you choose to host an au pair, their schedule might be harder to change if t hey’re flying out of the country for their vacation.6. Join a Local Professional MeetupMost areas offer some kind of meetup for local professionals. If you live in a big city or are in a popular field, you might be able to find one specific to your job search. Otherwise, there might a mishmash of different professions at each meeting. Regardless of what type of meet up you attend, it will be a benefit and give you a much better chance of finding a job opening.7. Prepare Your FamilyGoing from a stay-at-home-parent to a working one is a huge change and will take some adjusting for everyone in the family. Start talking to your partner and deciding who will be responsible for what. You’ll need to split chores and cooking a bit more since you won’t be home all the time. It might also be a good idea to set up a regular night off for both of you, where you can leave the cooking and chores for the next day. The regular night off is usually a good night to order take out as well!As far as the kids go, you might have to take it a little slower. If you know you’re planning to get a job, take some time to get them used to a new morning routine. If they’re already in school, this won’t be a change. If not, they’ll have to adjust to getting up and out the door in short order. You don’t want to try it for the first time on your first day!evalThey should also get used to leaving you for a while. Try leaving them with the childcare provider part-time before you go back to work, so it isn’t as much of a jolt. If you can work part-time when first going back, do it. You’ll need to give yourself some time to adjust as well.Going back to work is a big change, especially if you’ve had a few years to stay home. It’s a big deal, but it’s far from impossible. The most important part of it is to try to give yourself some grace. It’s okay to need time to adjust to the change. In the end, if going back is what you want, it’ll all be worth it.

How to answer questions about your job when unemployed - Sterling Career Concepts

How to answer questions about your job when unemployed How to answer questions about your job when unemployed For some, one of the most trying aspects of a period of unemployment is tackling questions about your career and your current situation with grace. It doesnt have to be difficult.If youre newly unemployed, the first few times youre faced with the question will feel awkward,but youll learn from the experience. Takea couple of minutes to think through some responses to ensure that such questions wont be a continued source of angst. Theres a great article in todays Washington Post that addresses just that,with real-world examples from recent job seekers and ways to tackle commonly asked questions, including spot-on advice from one of mycolleagues in the careers space, Laura Labovich.If this is a current frustration for you, I think youll find the article a great read. The most important thing to remember is that your value as a person andas a professional is not tied up in your current employment situation.Transitioning through a period of unemployment will help you torealize and accept that. You still have the same qualifications, the same strengths, and the same value as you did when you employed one, two, or three months ago.The only difference is that yourein a period of transition to see where your career will take you next and whenseen inthe right light, thats a good no, a great thing!

How to Write Resume Strengths and Weaknesses

How to Write Resume Strengths and WeaknessesWriting a resume strengths and weaknesses is not as simple as writing a standard resume, or filling out a free job application online. You must have strong skills and knowledge to write a resume for a new job that you are applying for. If you apply for a job you want, you need to know what you are talking about.Writing resume strengths and weaknesses should be a detailed description of your qualifications. If you apply for a job you do not have much experience in, this information will be especially important. This should include, for example, when you were hired, your present title, previous job responsibilities, training, and details about your educational background and employment history.There are numerous job openings each day. The vast majority of these jobs are filled with resume strengths and weaknesses. If you want to stand out among the many applicants, you should get your career in writing and start to write an impressive resume. Most job seekers today have more than one name, so they will want to show their accomplishments at each place they worked.Your job is to list strengths and weaknesses. You should only list strengths if you are the one that knows them. The saying, 'I do not have to prove myself, but I do have to convince you,' is the best way to make yourself look like the best candidate for a position. Even if you were hired by this person, there is a good chance that you were hired to fill a position that the current person has.Listing your strengths is easy to do. One is to include a very detailed statement about yourself that includes you as a professional. This statement should include all the things that you learned from that professional, how you learned the skills, and the improvements you made in your field. Include any awards you received that were related to your field.Listing your weaknesses, on the other hand, can be a little harder. They can be very specific but if you are in a positio n where you need to do this, it will help you a lot. List your weaknesses by category. If you are going to be the first choice for a job, you should focus on these weaknesses to prove to the company that you are the best candidate for the job.Common weaknesses include lack of initiative, a habit of procrastination, quitting easily, and being a perfectionist. These are some of the most common weaknesses that people have. They are usually correctable skills and can be improved upon. Once you have listed your strengths and weaknesses, it is time to pick the most important ones and go over them.Review them again and determine if they can be improved upon. Keep in mind the company that you are applying for and look for things that you can improve on. Do not forget to list these weaknesses on your resume. Once you have done this, the rest of the job application process will be very easy.