Holidays and Your Personal Brand The Gift of You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Holidays and Your Personal Brand The Gift of You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The season for holiday parties has only just begun. From now until the beginning of January, invitations for galas and soirees across town will be doled out, inviting everyone to celebrate a break from work with alcohol and delicious hors doeuvres. While it might be tempting to arrive to each with a stack of business cards and memorized sales pitch, the type of networking at these events is far different. Should you approach like a business luncheon, you can expect to see fewer invitations next year. Holiday Happiness Even with holiday stress, the overall mood is that of joy and thanksgiving. Employees and bosses are expected to set aside the business in order to celebrate what it achieved this year and what it hopes to in the coming year. Only during this time do people put to rest their responsibilities to enjoy life and connect with others. This is the exact reason why you should never attend these parties with the intent to sell. All year long these individuals have focused on business. During the one time they are virtually required to not think about it, the last thing they want to run into is business. A New Focus Where does this leave you, a person desperate to grow their network? It leaves you in one of the most comfortable positions. You dont have to worry about a sales pitch. You dont have to worry about handing around business cards. The only thing that should be on your mind is selling yourself through engaging conversation, attentive listening and a real enjoyment of the current festivities. If that kind of gathering stresses you out, youre not alone. Alcohol always flows at these get togethers because a lot of other people are uncomfortable as well and need something to help them warm up to the crowd. While you might not think this kind of networking is beneficial to your goals, you are entirely undervaluing the strength of bonds that form in a more personal situation. Shared experiences connect people. This is how friends and family remain close after years of separation. In addition, the focus on something other than work means you and coworkers can find even more commonalities to strengthen whatever ties you share. Simply put, holiday parties are the perfect places for you to establish a simple connection that opens up the doors to future contact once work starts up again. Keeping it Civil Though its definitely a good idea to get to know your fellow workers on a more personal level at these parties, its also extremely important to know what not to talk about. Touchy subjects like politics, religion and other hot-button conversation pieces will only serve to infuriate some while isolate others. You dont want this. You want to make yourself approachable. Also, know your limit. Alcohol will be free-flowing and tempting to take full advantage of. Do not become that person of the party. You want to be remembered for your wit or your charm, not for how embarrassingly you acted because you couldnt control yourself in a public situation. Acting in such an irresponsible manner will only ruin your chances to network in the future. Break Away We all naturally gravitate toward our cliques â€" groups we are familiar and comfortable with, groups that we have shared experiences with. If you ever hope to expand your horizons at such an event, you have to forcefully pull yourself away and go meet new people. It can be scary but the holidays usually bring out the best in everyone, making even complete strangers more receptive to new conversation. If youre unsure how to do this, simply pick someone out and approach them with a smile and a question they have to answer. By prompting them, youve taken away the hardest part of starting a new conversation, making the person in question more receptive to continuing with an answer. As for where to find these new people, the rule of thumb is to stay near the food table or the bar. These two locations are the only places people will end up returning to time and again throughout the course of the evening. They are the perfect places to connect, meet new people, listen to stories and deepen your relationship with the 18 people you need to know.

Knoxville Resume Writing

Knoxville Resume WritingIf you're looking for an excellent resource for Knoxville resume writing, then you've probably already stumbled upon my blog. This is the blog I use to gather ideas, share resources, and give advice. So why is this resource so valuable?The reason that I started this blog is because I love to read about people who have found their dream job as a realtor, CPA, REALTOR, investor, or real estate agent. I was always fascinated by how quickly these dream jobs come to people when they search for them on job search engines, or even just by word of mouth.It turns out that there are so many people searching for something they are passionate about that they find the best people and companies to work with and can pick the right clients. For instance, if you have written a book about green homes, I bet you already know that there are literally hundreds of thousands of people looking for someone to sell their homes. They won't find that in their local Yellow Pages or on Cra igslist.When it comes to Knoxville resume writing, I've done my best to help the many people who have contacted me with their resumes. I started this site because I know that if I can get someone to take the time to find me, I can get them to learn more about what I do. And the key to that is by making sure they have access to the correct information.What I mean by that is that it's not enough for me to put all the information in a list of bullet points. That wouldn't be very efficient, nor does it give people enough information to allow them to see exactly where they want to go with their careers. Instead, I want to make sure they understand that they have to click through to the next page to find out more.I also understand that when someone looks for a job in a beautiful city like Austin, they are going to search a lot more than someone who has landed a job in a cold city like Pittsburgh. Because of that, it's important for me to provide informative, engaging articles and resource s to my readers, who share my passion.Then again, I would be lying if I said that I didn't try to find other resources that are available to people in the real estate field, but haven't found yet. The key is for me to stay current with all the latest information so that I can let people know about the benefits of becoming a realtor, or any other career path they may be interested in.In closing, if you are looking for a resource for Knoxville resume writing, then you have arrived at the right place. I hope you find what you're looking for!

Interview Tip Dont forget hygiene (plus a special contest inside)

Interview Tip Dont forget hygiene (plus a special contest inside) 5 Flares 5 Flares (Towards the bottom of this post youll find details for a contest, prizes included) Winners Announced at the bottom! Basic hygiene means taking showers daily, coating our underarms with  deodorant, and spraying nice smelling cologne or perfume on our body (even if you are still using Cool Water).    Keeping oneself well groomed, with freshly brushed teeth and neat finger nails are other obvious learned dutys.  Our entire lives we make it a habit to take care of basic hygiene, and Id like to thank (most of) humanity for doing a pretty damn good job, however, through my career adventures Ive been forced into conversations with those who needed a quick hygiene reminder.  Awkward?  Just call me Larry David. Im going to have to ask you to take a shower I know Im not alone, plenty of others in the recruiting industry have started off a conversation with similar words.  For me, these talks came mostly when I was working in a staffing agency, supplying out IT contractors to my clients.  Client managers would send messages like: Jim works hard, has strong technical knowledge, and works well with customers, but people here have complained about the way he smells. Id also receive similar comments after certain candidates completed an interview.  You have the job, but you need to shower more often.  Theres no way to beat around the bush when completing a hygiene prep-talk.  You need to nip it straight in the bud, and hope the other person accepts the truth.  Luckily, the last couple years I have been free of communicating any sort of hygiene reminder. The point of this is just to serve as a reminder to everyone to watch your hygiene.  Its just as important as the way you dress for an interview and can cost you the job. Contest Time Welcome to the first contest on CornOnTheJob!  Rules for participation: Send in a comment below regarding a work related hygiene issue. Dont mention the name of your target.  No need to be specific.  Your target might even be YOU, if thats the case just make up a name. The contest will run until Tuesday, October 26th at 12 PM.  At that time I will put all of the names in a hat and pick our winner! Prizes: First Place A brand new stick of Axe deodorant, and 2 CornOnTheJob magnets!!  Bling Bling! Runner-up 2 CornOnTheJob magnets! * Please note that I will pay for shipping.  This is serious people.  Very, very serious. Winners Runner Up Sabera 1st Place and Champion Andrew Thanks to everyone that participated.  Your comments were hilarious, disgusting, and brilliant.  Please keep an eye out for future contests, and your chance to win more incredible prizes!

Three Life-Affirming Steps To Take When Youre Traumatized By Events Around You - Kathy Caprino

Three Life-Affirming Steps To Take When You’re Traumatized By Events Around You Yesterday, I and several inspiring colleagues of mine who are in the helping, healing and business arenas held an open, online Healing Together call, with the sole intent of offering a much-needed chance for anyone who may be struggling with the events of this week and this year to come together, share authentically and openly, and find a place of respect, care and empathy to express themselves without fear, and process their feelings, and begin to heal. The amazing women who joined me â€" Cheryl Hunter, Neha Sangwan, Angie Ruan and Mo Faul â€" all work to empower and uplift women and to support humanity in important ways. And each of us has been challenged in our own, unique way by recent events and experiences. In listening to these sage and empowered women talk about how they cope with deep challenge and trauma, and in formulating my own ideas about how we can best marshal all our internal resources and our strength, hope, faith and courage in challenges times and hearing the beautiful, riveting comments from attendees I learned so much about what severs and destroys love, connection, strength and positivity,  and also, what restores it. Below are three strategies Id like to share and  I hope are helpful, about how we can reconnect to our spiritual and emotional centers again, and engage all our capabilities, courage, faith and love to heal and empower ourselves through difficult times. Reconnect to yourself through your physical being and your breath So often, in challenging times, we become deeply fearful, and our feelings of extreme vulnerability, confusion and disconnection wreak havoc on our bodies, minds and spirits. It’s so important in these times especially, to, every day, get in deeper touch with yourself â€" physically, emotionally and spirituallyâ€"to ground yourself and reconnect to your heart, soul and to our inner guidance, capabilities, strengths and love.  In this way, youre continually reminded of how powerful you really are, and your personal accountability and sense of self can grow.. Dr. Neha Sangwan shares exactly how we can do this, in my podcast with Mo Faul,  Best Work/Best Life.  Listen in  here for a powerful interview with Neha that helps us all reconnect to what we’re feeling and experiencing, so we can begin to heal. Move away from the blame and hate place Throughout my 15 years of personal transformation and reinvention since leaving corporate life after 9/11, I’ve learned a great deal about how I personally operate â€" including the knee-jerk reactions I have to life and to challenge. I’ve observed in my own reactions that when I’m deeply upset, angry and anxious, I go immediately to the blame place. I look for someone to yell at and blame so I can feel better and not deal with the messy, painful process of identifying exactly what is making me so upset and afraid, and working through it, and being accountable for it. I try to shortcut the pain by making someone else the problem. Sadly, this is a futile exercise, and in fact, a self-damaging and corrosive one.  Discharging our anxiety is not dealing with it, not taking accountability for it and addressing it in a strong, empowered way.   And deal with it we must, if we want to move to the process of healing and growth, and become the person we long to be. Also, taking responsibility for our part of it â€" understanding the meaning we’re attaching to events and things and seeing exactly what that meaning and story is catalyzing in our own minds â€" is essential if we ever want to achieve any sense of balance, peace and self-control. As renowned social researcher and vulnerability expert Brené Brown has said, “Blame has an inverse relationship with accountability.” In other words, people who chronically go to the blame place seldom have the tenacity and grit to actually hold themselves accountable for what theyre feeling and doing. Cheryl Hunter, a resilience expert and national news commentator shares so much wisdom and guidance about how to become resilient after trauma. After being brutally attacked by three criminals while traveling in a foreign country in her teens, and learning how to survive and thrive after this unbearable experience, Cheryl has so much wisdom and beautiful guidance to offer us. Angie Ruan, technology leader and empowerment of women in the tech field, shares her amazing personal story of coming from China to the U.S., and how rising up in the tech world has taught her so much about whats required to ovecome gender bias and discrimination, and lead powerfully. Listen to her amazing story here. Finally, Mo Faul shares about her journey with cancer, and how her dark times with disease have changed who she is. Brave up: Become more of who you really are   Numbers of people on the call yesterday shared how scared they were about they own situations, and that of their loved ones, children and family members. They revealed their deep anxieties and fears about where our world is going in terms of how dominant culture and society treats members of minority and marginalized groups and cultures. We talked about what it feels like â€" for women, blacks, and members of the LGBTQ community, for example â€" to feel demeaned, disrespected, ignored, put down, or worse â€" overtly and criminally punished and discriminated against. As a woman and a professional who has lived through numerous experiences of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in my 56 years, I know what this feels like. And I know how damaging, infuriating and overwhelming it is to be pushed aside by a fellow human being, and kicked to the curb like garbage. It’s crushing and it strips us of our faith in good and in humanity. And it makes us feel helpless. But I’d offer this: we can stay in this place of disenfranchisement, alienation and victimization, or we can do something powerful about it. In my TEDx talk “Time to Brave Up” this month for TEDxCentennialParkWomen (link coming soon!), I shared about what I’ve found to be three essential ways we all need to Brave Up:  See Bravely, Speak Bravely and Shine Bravely. Each and every one of us needs to muster more power, courage and internal commitment and resolve to rise up, speak up and stand up BOLDLY for ourselves and for others. And in doing so, we will all transform our lives, and the world. I dont just think this I know it, because Ive personally moved away from victimhood and so have thousands of women Ive worked with. And their lives have been transformed. What can you do today? Don’t take abuse or discrimination lying down. Speak up and take a stand.  Get empowered outside support, join together, address the issues with accountability, strength and clarity. Let’s all become more accountable and stop blaming others for what’s happening around us that we cannot tolerate. I’ve found that it is exactly in this rising up, standing up and speaking up for ourselves, in small ways at first, then in much bigger ways, that people have created new life experiences, away from victimization to experiencing more and more empowerment, confidence, impact, growth and accountability and that changes the world. To build a more empowered life and career, work with me, take my Amazing Career Project video training, and read by book Breakdown, Breakthrough. And if youre longing for a powerful meditative guide to overcoming challenge, check out my Breakdown, Breakthrough 2-part Meditative companion.  

Prepare your references for job search success -

Prepare your references for job search success - What should job seekers do now to prepare for interviews? Lets face it, sometimes a long-time job search winds up in an interview scheduled with little lead time.   I believe that the issue of references is one that job seekers overlook. It is important to plan ahead for this part of the search, way before you are actually providing references. Some things to consider Do you know what your references are saying about you? Especially if you have often reached the final stages without landing the job, touching base with those who may hold the keys to your next position is a great idea! Whom to Ask? Ideally, you should have a current or immediate past employer as a reference.  Co-workers and trusted subordinates may also be references, but most hiring managers will want to hear from employers.  If you are a student or recently graduated, faculty members may serve as references.  If you have had a leadership role in a volunteer organization, “supervisors” from that organization may be good references for you. Ask permission.  Once you have in mind who you’d like to serve, ask their permission.  If they seem hesitant or hedge at all, allow them to bow out gracefully.  You don’t want to browbeat your references into helping you.  (They may hurt more than help.)  The best references are those who are enthusiastically supportive. Prepare your references to support you! Be sure they have the most updated version of your resume and a cover letter for the position if you have one.  Let them know if you expect they will be called, and offer suggestions of topics they may want to emphasize. When I was applying for one of my jobs, I knew that teamwork and the willingness to pitch in when necessary were crucial for my potential employer.  I emphasized how I was the perfect match (I really was!)  in the interview.  I also asked my current supervisor (who knew about my search and was my #1 reference) if she could mention some examples of my teamwork when she spoke to my potential boss, who offered me the job as soon as he spoke to her! Hopefully, you will have a strong relationship with your references and will be comfortable making them partners in your search. Let’s face it you can get right to the job’s door by having a great resume and interviewing well.  The key to get in is in the hands of those who are willing to recommend you for the job!

Tips For Writing a Resume For a V.P Position

Tips For Writing a Resume For a V.P PositionWriting a resume for a V.P. job is a more than difficult task. Even if you have taken the time to review the information on this page, it may not get you very far in this process. I will go over some of the key points that you need to consider when thinking about the type of resume you are going to create.The first thing you should do is start on your computer and open your Word or PowerPoint Document. Start by taking out all of the information from your resume that is not required. Do not take out any cover letter, or cover letter templates. These are all things that you are going to want to leave behind when creating a resume for a V.P. position.When you have everything that is not needed, it is time to begin organizing all of the information that you have in your resume. Start by taking out any items that can be included in the beginning, or at the end of the letter. You don't want to include anything that you will not need.In the beginn ing of your resume, include all of the areas that will be covered during the interview. For example, if you have a background in selling a property, take a moment to tell this story in your resume. This will help make your resume stand out and give you a good chance of being interviewed.The next paragraph should be the continuation of your resume. This is going to include the area that needs to be covered during the interview. Leave a good summary for this section of your resume as well.When you are finished with your resume, take out all of the sections that are not related to the position that you are applying for. Keep it short and only include information that is necessary.Remember, when creating a resume for a V.P. position, you do not want to include anything that you will not need.

The Benefits of Writing a Resume as an Achiever

The Benefits of Writing a Resume as an Achiever The earlier you invest in having your resume professionally written, the quicker you improve your probability of landing a job which you desire. Once you have spotted a job circular, the very first point to apply to get a job is to get a good resume and a great cover letter. If you're not happy together with your present job and thus are thinking about quitting, it can be a prudent choice to have an updated job application to send out just before you stop. If applying to small companies it might not be sensible to indicate that you would like the work of the individual who's recruiting you! Type of Writing a Resume as an Achiever Specifically, job application writing is one of the most researched topics on the internet. If you're unsure how to begin listing achievements for a resume, do just a little brainstorming. The very first place to discover keywords to utilize in your resume is the work ad. Although it is frequently har d that people compose their own resumes, there are a few basic tactics to create your resume immediately jump off the page and stick out among a sea of competitors. It's a good idea to list every one of the tasks and knowledge in bullet point format so that it makes it simpler for the employer to see just what you could do. A great resume format is simple to scan. You're able to look at generic resumes, but engineering resume samples will be the absolute most useful due to their specificity to your area. Consider your requirements and see the explanations below to opt for the best resume format for you. The Writing a Resume as an Achiever Cover Up Simply speaking, a resume-worthy achievement is one which can be quantified. Learn about the three sorts of skills you're able to highlight and the way you are able to incorporate them into your resume. Believe that additionally, you may be an achiever. Understanding Writing a Resume as an Achiever You know that in the event th at you finish a task by a specific time, you could capture an opportunity. Just take the time now to construct your understanding of and confidence in how to talk money so you'll be a winner in the future. It isn't necessary to to run to enrol in a program. Therefore, if you were a component of a bigger team on a thriving project, include it in your resume! Characteristics of Writing a Resume as an Achiever To numerous applicants lump each of their tasks in a brief paragraph, which won't impress many possible employers. The info in your resume should paint an image of the kind of employee you are and show employers what you're capable of accomplishing. To perform a mass mailing, you want an up-to-date mailing list of prospective employers. To fully grasp why you weren't selected, it's a great practice to call the recruiter and request a feedback.