Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Is it clear what you offer an employer -

Is it clear what you offer an employer - If youre thinking of looking for a job in the new year, there are a lot of things for you to consider. How you present your information is sometimes half the battle. Consider these questions: What do you want to do? What do you offer? Where do you want to work? What are the touch points between you and that target organization? (In other words, why would they want to hire you?) How can you leverage social media tools (including ones who may not have considered) to get the word out about your expertise? What will you say in your online profiles and other job search materials to help you stand out from the crowd? Ultimately, it is your job to know what is unique and special about you, and to package it in a way to appeal to your audience. If it is difficult to decide what to focus on, you should take some time to decide on the right angle and the right presentation to showcase your talents. Take a close look at this picture (above)Its a piece of art by El Anatsui hanging in the de Young art museum in San Francisco. Standing in front of it, its hard to believe its not a cloth quilt. But, look closely: its made of aluminum bottle caps and copper wire. What do your materials look like to employers? If they stand back and evaluate your profiles (including your online information and your application materials), will it look like a beautifully woven quilt, or more like a rag-tag collection of recycled bottle caps? Maybe you havent put much effort into driving your career, and all you HAVE is really a collection of odds and ends you cant see an obvious connection between what you have done and what you want to do next. I think the lesson in El Anatsuis piece is that you can take what you have and weave it into something special even if it isnt obviously spectacular by itself. It may take some work to create a piece of art from your materials maybe you could use some expert advice to be sure you are telling a story that has the power to get you from where you are to where you want to be. Regardless of how you get there, dont ignore your presentation. How you look to employers will either land you a job or keep you looking. Its in your hands!

Sunday, April 19, 2020

Writing a Resume Fresh Outta High School - Dont Make This Look Like Youre Trying to Compromise

Writing a Resume Fresh Outta High School - Don't Make This Look Like You're Trying to CompromiseWriting a resume fresh outta high school is a lot of fun, but very time consuming and it can be hard to decide what exactly you are going to say. There are some common words and phrases that you will want to avoid. By avoiding these, you will create a better-looking resume that will stick in the minds of your future employer.I was in high school and I have been very fortunate to land a job without any experience or qualifications. I am really not sure where I would be without this job so don't think for a minute that this job is necessary to you. It's a great opportunity for people who are not too sure about what they want to do with their life.You can find some jobs for these types of people when you are applying for college degrees but, for the most part, these jobs are the exception rather than the rule. I really feel bad for people who fall into this category. Sometimes it can be fun t o hire a high school graduate for a position such as these.Although they do not have experience, they will have the education that most employers will look for. Your resume is going to say a lot about you and it should say so in a positive way. When your resume is professionally designed, it will allow you to get the job you want without worrying about what kind of a resume will stand out from the rest.When you write a resume for someone who is fresh out of high school, you have to take all of the words and phrases that are used everyday and use them. These will help you appear professional and also avoid people from reading your resume that you are not interested in. You should not write your resume in a way that is obvious to other people.You do not want your resume to be the 'type' of resume that other employers have. Be professional in your approach to the task. By doing this, you will be giving yourself a much better chance of getting the job you want in the future.When you are fresh out of high school, there are no guarantees of anything. Your future could be extremely bleak, depending on what is holding you back in life. Writing a resume fresh outta high school is going to help you improve your chances at landing the job that you want.

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

How to Negotiate a Promotion

How to Negotiate a Promotion So you feel like you’ve learned everything you can in your current role and you’re ready for the next level up? Your boss may agree, but she may not. Or, she simply may not have thought about it as much as you have. That’s almost guaranteed. As with so many work-related conversations, asking for a promotion can often take the form of a negotiation. And, those that manage to land a promotion are more often than not coming into that negotiation prepared. Here’s what you need to think about before you ask. Have You Been Clear About Your Intentions? If you want a promotion, make sure your boss knows that’s your goal. Otherwise, while you’re doing all your preparations to put yourself in line for a promotion, someone else may get it simply because they asked. And, make sure you’re gently reminding your boss of your goal in an appropriate context. If you have a regular time to check in about what you’re working on, you can talk about something you’ve done recently that aligns with the responsibilities of the more senior role and ask for their feedback on what else you might do to gain appropriate experience. Just doing great work often isn’t enough to get a promotion or raise. You always are more aware of your own accomplishments than others are, so make sure you’re letting people know when you have a big win â€" especially those with the ability to grant you that promotion. Are You Demonstrating Your Ability to Do the Job? Your employer doesn’t want to gamble on whether you’ll be able to take on a more senior role with additional responsibility, so make the decision easy. How can you demonstrate that you’re already capable of doing what will be required? It’s the same concept as dressing for the job you want. Start doing the job you want to the degree that it’s appropriate. If you’re not entirely clear on what it will take to move from your current role to the new role, then ask. Get some clarity, so you’re demonstrating the appropriate skillset. Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  SharePlayback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions settings, opens captions settings dialogcaptions off, selectedAudio TrackFullscreenThis is a modal window. This video is either unavailable or not supported in this browser Error Code: MEDIA_ERR_SRC_NOT_SUPPORTED Technical details : No compatible source was found for this media. Session ID: 2019-12-30:1b8b85a6890c53b54a85f46 Player Element ID: jumpstart_video_1 OK Close Modal DialogBeginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.PlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xFullscreenClose Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. What’s Your Business Case? After you’ve made your intentions clear and have demonstrated your ability to work at a more senior level, pull your evidence together and present it. How have you exceeded goals for your current role? How have you demonstrated the ability to perform at a more senior level? What will you achieve in the new role and how will that benefit your employer? Even if you don’t get the promotion right away, your boss will likely appreciate how prepared you were for the discussion. And, it’s easier to put nerves aside when you feel ready to answer hard questions about why you deserve a promotion. If you don’t get a yes, make sure to thank your boss for consideration, ask what you can do next to better prepare yourself for a future promotion and set a time to check in about your progress. Don’t Forget the Salary Discussion, But Don’t Start There Even if it’s true, no manager wants to hear that your sole motivation for a promotion is a bigger paycheck. Be prepared to talk about what appeals to you about the new role or how you think you can be more of an asset to the company in a more senior position. However, it’s completely appropriate to talk about compensation once it’s clear that they want to promote you. Don’t be so grateful for the promotion that you don’t advocate for appropriate pay. If you’re taking on a bigger role with more responsibility, you deserve to be compensated fairly. Pretend you’re investigating pay for a position at a new company, and do the same level of research you would do to understand what the appropriate salary range is for this new position. This story originally appeared on PayScale.