Passive Talent Not as Passive as You Think

Passive Talent Not as Passive as You Think Look around in the office. How many people are thinking about changing jobs? Whos applying already? Whos open to speaking to a recruiter? Experts argue that  80% of working professionals could be described as passive. Our friends at  LinkedIn have taken a look at the breakdown of passive candidates, the truth is an overwhelming number of them are open to exploring new job opportunities. Takeaways: 44% of all working professionals are explorers not looking for a job but willing to discuss opportunities with recruiters The number of approachable candidates outnumbers super passive in some places such as Australia and the US by a factor of 2 to 1 47% of professionals with less than one year on the job are explorers Explorers outnumber super passive by a factor of 2 to 1 When attracting  to passive talent reach out to your candidate of choice and get to know the candidate RELATED:  Why Employee Referrals Are the Best Source of Hire

Time Management What is Really, Truly Worth Your Time

Time Management What is Really, Truly Worth Your Time Happy Friday everyone!   In honor of the approaching weekend, I wanted to do something fun today.   Inspired by a  previous Real Simple  magazine article, I want to know what things in your life are really, truly worth your time.   I will be featuring your responses on a future blog post and I cant way to read them! Here are a few simple  things from the magazine that are more than worth your time: Calling someones supervisor to say job well done. Taking an affordable class or workshop that doesnt have anything to do with your career. People watching on public transportation. Putting down the box and baking a cake from scratch. Holding the door open for someone. Writing thank you notes. Documenting one week of your life in a journal. Taking a road trip and stopping at every cheesy, roadside attraction along the way. This topic makes me think of one of my favorite (yet slightly cheesy) quotes: Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery, today is a gift, thats why its called the present. What do you think?   What things in your life are really, truly worth your time?

Im Sorry I Cant Help You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

I’m Sorry I Can’t Help You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career IKEA would be a master of the Im sorry approach to customer no-service. It’s tough to get it all wrong like IKEA does, but a global brand can only try. Here are the five principles of really terrible, awful, no-good brand management. #1: Produce a catalog and website that advertises products not in stock most of the time, with no way to order them online or by phone. #2: Stock items in very small quantities in the retail stores so that from the moment the consumer checks stock online, it’s going to be gone when the consumer arrives to buy it. #3: Dont have a system for consumers to buy an item ahead of time and then pick it up. #4: Program a voicemail system that takes several hours to negotiate until an actual live person says, “I’m sorry I can’t help you.” #5: Produce a lot of marketing so as many consumers as possible can have this experience. There are a lot of retail brands that try their best to be stellar examples of equally really terrible, awful, no-good brand management. This list would include, but isn’t limited to Time Warner Cable, Staples, Best Buy, CVS Pharmacy, Home Depot, VCA Animal Hospital franchises, Wells Fargo, Yelp and whatever is on your list. Why does this matter to those of us who are engaged in intentional personal branding? Because these experiences inure you to what reasonable service really is â€" and how important it is for you to provide a positive, engaging and fruitful experience for each prospect, customer and referral source. It’s a neuron thing There is this natural human condition (actually it’s your brain’s mirror neurons) that steers you toward doing what you see done. For example, you watch a football player celebrate a touchdown and you raise your arms and dance around just like you made it into the end zone from your bar stool. We experience this mimicry in our daily lives, given that reality television has set all time low standards for human performance. You can watch family members making disgusting, disrespectful comments to each other (Kardashians), drunk people going to the bathroom in places that aren’t the bathroom (Jersey Shore), and homely aging women pumping all kinds of goo into their lips and faces while scheming to skewer so-called friends (Housewives of Anywhere). If you’re not careful, your life will look a whole lot like theirs â€" because your brain is recording these responses to life events as reasonable. In commerce, the truly really terrible, awful, no-good brand management that you experience everyday can make you think that you too can offer, “I’m sorry but I can’t help you” no-service and keep your job, your business and your clients. Check yourself If you are already slipping down that slope, you feel that the “I’m sorry” is a really courteous alternative to actually doing the job. This is a little like a student I have in Global Marketing this semester. From her absences during the first three class meetings, it’s clear she somehow believes that the alternative to failing the course is not doing the work plus a whole litany of “I’m sorry because lines: a death in the family in another country, roommate problems, lost computer, and forgetting to attach assignments to her emails. Check again If you feel the “I’m sorry” line wears really thin with each successive utterance, you are in the small fraction of people who will succeed in business, because you are maintaining reasonable standards of behavior. That’s the bar now: reasonable service, which can make you a millionaire. Exceptional service plus dogged perseverance could make you a billionaire. So, thumbs down to all the brands that are bringing down the bar that leads to our giving and getting positive, engaging and fruitful experiences. When you see that you make it tough on yourself by making it tough for us: you might have more to say than “I’m sorry.” Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

5 Ways to get your career moving in term 1

5 Ways to get your career moving in term 1 Welcome to (or back to) University and to the new term. The extent to which you’re thinking about careers probably varies depending on which year you’re in. If you’re a Fresher,  careers might be pretty low down your personal agenda for term 1. If you’re just coming back for your final year, your attitude might be a bit different. Perhaps you’re wishing you’d got going on that career planning in year 1? There’s always a cycle to education. Term. Holiday. Term. Holiday. Exams. Long holiday. The cycle applies in some way to just about everything which happens in HE and careers is no exception. So, what should you be doing in term 1 to get ahead of the pack? 1. Review your Society membership. If you’re just arriving, think what activities you want to be part of and join groups which align to your interests. You might want to stick to things you know you enjoy, or try something new. Either is fine,  but try to get involved in something. If you’re coming back as an “old hand” decide what you might want to get involved in outside your studies. Employers like the well-rounded student who has contributed to life at his or her university. Almost all value your involvement in university life above the award of a First. (Obviously it’s great if you can get both!) 2.  Put the dates of any careers fairs in your diary. Turn up on the day too! Here at Warwick, there are several fairs in term 1 and the same will be true of many other universities. Don’t just decide to go to the fair which looks as if it aligns most closely with your current interests. Why not pop into all the fairs and see which employers are represented? You might be surprised to find that a fair, which looked as if it was for students in another sector, area holds interest for you. You can practise talking to employers. The more often you do this, the better you’ll become at selling yourself and finding out what opportunities are on offer. If you’re in your penultimate or final year, you might want to put some serious time into planning for the fairs. Look to see which organisations are going to be represented and do some research into them. You might want to make some notes and come along with some questions prepared. It’s fine to bring your notes on the day. You’ll impress employers by showing them how organised you are and how seriously youre taking the fair. 3.  Spend some time honestly assessing your employability skills. Do you know how to put together applications and draft CVs? Are you confident that you could approach an interview or assessment centre with confidence and wow the employer on the day? Can you score highly in numerical and verbal reasoning tests? If you have any doubts, look out for relevant skills sessions and come along. You might find that you gain some vital knowledge or experience which makes all the difference to your applications. (At Warwick you’ll even find some workshops helping you to prepare for the fairs.) 4.  Think about your future. Do you know what you would like to do? Have you a clear idea of the sort of employer which appeals to you,  of the  role which  would interest you? Are your aspirations realistic? Will the job offer you the sort of lifestyle you want? You can do some research yourself into this, but you might also want to make an appointment to come to see a careers consultant. Talking to a careers consultant will give you a safe and confidential space to explore your ideas for the future and may help you generate ideas. Nobody is going to tell you what to do, or judge you for your thinking. Why not come along? Heres some great advice from Ben Renshaw, one of our graduates: Dont let your time at university fly by without using the careers service. After all, an  hour or so  out of your 3-4 years here is nothing and could completely change your career prospects for the better!“ 5.  Apply for opportunities. First years might get a bit of a “lie in” on this although there are even some opportunities for you. The Bank of England scheme (open to a range of degree disciplines not just Economists) is one  example. If youre a finalist in pursuit of a graduate scheme you probably know that you “need to get on with it”. Penultimate year students, wanting summer internships, also need to be proactive about seeking out placements. Many recruiters operate a rolling recruitment policy with a relatively long window in which you can apply. They start looking at applications as soon as these arrive. Remember that 75% of applications come in during the last 33% days in the application window. It’s a no brainer that your application stands a better chance of success if it arrives early. I hope theres some food for thought here. If youre at Warwick my colleagues and I look forward to seeing you at different events during the year. Have a good and successful one!

8 Tips to Gel in A New Team

8 Tips to Gel in A New Team We all fear transition of any kind. Whenever we face change, there is a fear that kicks in that we might fail.A typical example is transitioning from one role to the other. It can be a stressful transition getting into a new team and becoming successful.evalSometimes, the lack of professional skills makes it difficult to adapt to that change successfully. At other times, we do not possess the soft skills or knowledge to adjust.When joining a new team, you have to overcome your fears of falling short of expectations. You need to start with a positive mindset to become an irreplaceable part of the new team.Let’s get to the essentials of successfully transitioning into a new team.1. Understand Your Role evalBefore anything else, you need to understand your role in the team. Identify the values that you are expected to bring along. If you have any questions, ask upfront to avoid unpleasant surprises. Take the guesswork out of the team.Sometimes, job titles fail to communicate your job description efficiently. Therefore, go beyond the usual job description and focus on your role.Ask yourself, what difference can you make to the team? Identify the areas where you can use your strengths. It is always a matter of understanding and delivering as per the aspirations of your organization.2. Take Time to SettleevalDo not judge other team members to avoid a stereotypical approach. Avoid knee-jerk reactions to any new and potentially challenging situations.Take time to settle into your new job role. Always consider how each member of the team is contributing towards the end goal.If you are unable to understand something, ask others for help. It may take you some time to understand and create a big picture of what your new team intends to accomplish.3. Team Dynamics Every person has their particular role to fulfill. Therefore, you have to understand what they are supposed to do precisely. If you fail to associate a specific set of duties to a particular member, it will make things difficult for you. It may lead you to set false expectations from other team members.evalIf you are unclear about the role of a particular team member, you must ask. Clarity is integral to an efficiently functioning team where everyone knows the role they have to play.Instead of relying on instincts ask around when trying to bring significant change. Comprehend how a new change will impact the team’s performance. A high performing team always considers the pros and cons of introducing a new move.4. Respect Other Team Members When you are starting fresh in a role, make sure to take this time to develop a relationship of respect. Exercise your networking skills during the initial work weeks.Whenever an opportunity arises, clearly introduce yourself and the role you are assigned to play. Do not wait for someone to introduce you to the rest of the members.If you are assigned a role that replaces someone, you have to understand the expectations. Try to determine the expectation s of the position that you need to deliver. If you are given a management role, take time to acquaint yourself with the junior as well as the senior members.5. Avoid Knee-Jerk Reactions evalOne of the most critical points to remember in a team environment is going with the flow. If you find something upsetting, never let that disturb the work processes. Every team has appropriate reporting forms, use them.Always remember that it is essential to see the ideas that people present and not the individuals. You can criticize the idea if you find something wrong with it but never indulge in a personal attack.Knee-jerk reactions to any event taking place in the team will look bad on you. Therefore, always take the time to react to a situation. If you do not understand how to respond, you can ask your supervisor or senior about it.evalSometimes, the wrong reaction to an event can result in jeopardizing the team environment. Always think of the consequences of a sudden backlash before you re act to something.6. Build Rapport with Your Superiors It is essential to understand that your boss has to evaluate your performance. Always find the time to arrange meetings with your senior to assess and improve your performance.If you do not have a clear job description or list of expectations, try to find them right away. Do not wait for your manager to provide you with a set of instructions.Communication with your boss is critical. Your boss will not be able to find how you feel about a situation. Therefore, take time to express in a professional way how you think about anything.Ask for feedback to improve yourself and know if you need to perform any extra tasks. Also, do not take every problem to your boss that you can solve yourself.eval7. Positivity and Lasting Relationships A positive mindset with a light sense of humor can always help ease critical situations. Everyone likes a smiling face that looks at each problem with a positive mindset.Similarly, a team can go through d ifferent phases of pessimism when it is not able to achieve specific targets. However, when you look at things positively, it will give a contagious positive energy to every member of the team.You do not have to become different to exhibit a positive mindset. All you need to do is face the problems with optimism. Instead of just pointing towards difficulties try to come up with solutions. Everyone loves to go to that person who brings solutions to the issues.8. Receiving and Sharing Feedback Every team has its challenges to surmount. However, we do not always get positive feedback on what we are trying to do. Therefore, when you receive feedback, take it in a positive manner and improve on things that need betterment. You can only grow when you consider the feedback with a positive mindset.Also, it is important to give feedback neutrally. You are not pointing towards the person but the problem that has to be solved. Communicate the input constructively so that the person receiving i t looks at it as a way to improve themselves.

How to Simplify Your Business for Better Results

How to Simplify Your Business for Better Results The business world is a tricky one to navigate. With so many changes happening all the time, it can be tough to keep up with the crowd and ensure that you are always providing the best in your industry. However, simplifying your business could be a great way to get back to basics and work on the things you do best. Where multi-service agencies have flourished before, the market is shifting to encourage more specialist businesses to grow. While simplification might not sound appealing, this is your best chance to save a failing business as well as hone in a thriving one. Essentially, you need to cut away the chaff to get the very best results, profits and clients. Find Your Specialism The first thing you should do is decide what your specialism is. If you are currently offering a wide range of services, the easiest way to decide might be to look at where the best profits are and where your staff skill sets are most effective. You should also factor in the demand for a service to see whether it could be a viable business model on its own. If your business is failing, finding your specialism might be more difficult. In this case, you should look at what sort of business you would like to transform into. It may be that you don’t just simplify your current business, but you do an entire rebrand to give yourselves a fresh start. Outsource Other Services Now that you have a specialism, you should make sure that you are not going to get distracted by other things. Though many large companies have IT and HR departments within their own business, for a smaller business, it makes much more sense to outsource these services. For example, IT support is a necessary role within a business but outsourcing it is much smarter than hiring someone who won’t be needed all the time. Plus, outsourcing will mean that you can get the best team to help you, giving you continuous support and expertise at a cheaper rate. Quality Not Quantity It is always tempting to do as much as you possibly can in a business, but people are looking for so much more these days. They are looking for a high quality service that incorporates all their needs and reaches a high standard. In other words, people are looking for quality not quantity. Though there are, of course, lots of business models that thrive on churning products and services out, for you to make a splash in the industry, this is not the route to go down. Instead, focus on getting as good at your specialism as possible and become a true expert in the field. This way, when people are reviewing you or recommending you to their friends, they can speak highly of the service you provided. Most businesses are slim lining these days and in the age of the internet, it makes more sense to specialize in one thing and do it amazingly well than it does to offer everything at an average quality.

How to Submit Resume For Writing Job Applications

How to Submit Resume For Writing Job ApplicationsDo you want to know how to submit resume for writing job applications? Let's talk about this for a moment. The easiest way to do this is to use the internet. This is a great way to get an application into a company, as long as you submit your information in a way that will make it appear legitimate.The first thing you need to do is pick up a program that can help you with your job application. You should pick one that is full of step by step instructions and videos. There are many programs out there that can help you with the job application process. One of the best programs is resume assistant. It can be used for two purposes: to assist you with your resume for writing job applications, and to help you with the job application itself.Once you have finished completing your resume, you will be given a link to email your resume for writing job applications. This will go to an email address that will actually be an administrator. You will use the email address that you selected to send your resume for writing job applications to potential employers.What you need to remember about submitting resumes for writing job applications is that you will not be getting through any of these steps if you don't follow the guidelines that come with the program. This is why I recommend that you purchase a program like resume assistant.Once you have submitted your resume for writing job applications, you will be given a way to either email your resume for writing job applications or post it online to the website where you submitted it. The information should be separated from the job applicant information so that no one will be able to see them. You should also not share the same account with the person who you are sending the resume for writing job applications to.The very last thing that you should do is to create a Facebook account for your resume. This way people will be able to find out about you, and you will get a chance to m eet some prospective employers. When you have completed all of this, you should send your resume for writing job applications and have it sent to some prospective employers.If you follow all of these steps, you should have a great chance at getting through your job application to get to the interview stage. Also, it is always nice to have a good look at a potential employer and make sure that you are a good fit for them. So, remember that the goal of submitting resume for writing job applications is to put your best foot forward.Using these tips when you submit your resume for writing job applications will help you get through all of the things that you need to do to get through an interview. Now you know how to submit resume for writing job applications.