Dont Let Plan B Destroy Your Career

Dont Let Plan B Destroy Your Career I am not sure whether this is coincidence or a trend, but lately I notice most of my clients have huge decisions to make at work and we always start with discussing plan B. During everyones career advancement there has been risky choices. In fact, most of the people I know take more risky decisions than they realize every day. Some examples of those are: Whether to quit my job and start a business/get another job Whether to go this way or that way with my business Whether to say what I really think about this project/situation to my boss Whether to do the exception that this client asks for Why are these decisions risky? Because you have something to lose, and in most cases it is something important too: money; respect; that clients account. It is in such moments that professionals often draw plan B. I must say I support the need of plan B in general, as it often speeds the decision up and gives us the courage to challenge our fears. However, it can also translate into failure and there is a simple reason for that â€" focus. I have already talked about focus and its power in many of my articles. In short, what you focus on is what you will get. Once you draw a plan B, you inevitably start looking out for signs that you need to execute it. By doing that you activate your natural survival instinct â€" must watch for X, because I must run if it happens. And suddenly, its all about X. I have talked to many people so focused on their exit strategy, that they never created a success strategy. To understand whether thats you, see if you agree with the statements bellow: I know what failure looks like, but I am not sure what success looks like I know what I would do if I get fired tomorrow (or my business goes bankrupt), but I have no idea what I would do if I get asked to be the director of the company (or a huge client hires me for a job) I know what I would do if I start running out of money, but I have no idea what I would do if I start making more than I expect (besides partying like a rock-star) If you said “yes” to one or more of these statements, you need to switch  from plan B thinking to success thinking  now. In 1981 a female singer broke off her contract with Gotham â€" a small music agency, declining an offer from Columbia Records, because she thought she could do better. Wait, what was her name? Oh, right, Madonna. When you have success thinking, you are bravely going for what you want and nothing else will do. We will never know what Madonnas plan B was and whether she had one at all, but I can guarantee she wasnt focusing on what she would do if she was not to make it. I am not saying you have to oppose opportunities, but if you want similar focus and in return similar results, heres how to get it. Get the plan B out of your mind Theres a saying where I come from: a stupid person will remember it, a smart person will write it down. You need to keep your mind free for big dreams and next steps to them, so put your plan B on paper. If your decision is a small one, you may think this is stupid, but its not. I used to work in sales. When I decided to make a risky move to sell something to a difficult client, I wrote on a post-it “If it doesnt work out, call tomorrow and offer X.” And then I focused all I got on how to not call tomorrow. Want to guess if I hit my targets? Stress yourself Funny anyone would give you that as an advice, isnt it? But come to think about it, arent you obsessing over your plan B exactly because you are stressing about what would happen if things blow up in your face? We are taught that stress is all bad, but in healthy doses it could be a powerful tool, which controls your focus. Mentally put yourself in a situation where you suddenly reach HUGE success. What would you do? Are you ready for it? Can you handle it? Will you make the best of it? Wouldnt you feel sorry all your life if you missed an amazing opportunity? You would, so make your plan A a priority. Realize what is the only real benefit of plan B anyway Plan B is rarely done to be followed. It is done to give you piece of mind and the confidence to follow your dreams. When you face difficulties, it is always tempting to use it, but plan B should only be used in one situation: When you have NO other choice. And I mean that! For example, if you feel slightly financially challenged because you quit to build a business, dont go running for a new job right away. Read something useful, like Money Makeover Series: Money Plan=Life Plan  or [amazon template=productasin=1451629230] and get back to figuring out your success. When stressed out, you should be able to direct your focus towards what to fix in order to get what you want. Because if you dont, you doom yourself to failure. Have you ever chosen plan B when you could have adjusted plan A? Tell us bellow. If you need help achieving an amazing career, check out my Career Grower Program.

Resume Writing - The Importance of Using Your Resume Dictionary

Resume Writing - The Importance of Using Your Resume DictionaryThe first step in building your resume dictionary is to make sure you know what the dictionary really means. A dictionary should help you with your resume writing as it will help you when you are looking for a word or words in a certain context.Dictionary definitions can be helpful as long as you remember that you will be applying them in different types of circumstances. If you really want to narrow down your search, you may want to look at dictionary definitions specific to the industry you are looking to enter. For example, if you are looking for a job in marketing, you may find that there are a number of special dictionaries devoted to that particular field.Even job-related dictionary definitions can be important in your job search because they will help you when you are searching for specific terms. Most dictionary definitions will include technical terms, so make sure you can use the right technical terms when you a re searching for them.In addition, a dictionary can provide you with the information you need to write a specific job description. It is very important that you look up the specific dictionary you are using for your job search, because you may not be able to get the information you need from the manual or the web site you are using. If you cannot find the job descriptions, this can have an effect on your resume writing because you may not be sure about the content you will be using to describe your skills and experiences.If you do not know how to get the dictionary you need, you can check out some free versions online. It is best to use these, but you may also find that some of the free versions to give you more information than other sites. Keep searching until you find the one that works best for you.If you do not have the job description you need, you may want to pay for a job description dictionary. The money you spend on this will probably be well worth it if you can get the in formation you need.Your resume dictionary will be your guide for creating your resume. You will also be able to stay organized when you have everything you need right at your fingertips.Remember that your resume dictionary is a resource to help you during your resume writing. However, it is important that you know which dictionary you should use in the right situation to make sure you will be successful in your resume writing.

How to Be at Your Best More of the Time

How to Be at Your Best More of the Time Do you consistently bring your “A-Game” â€" your best self â€" to everything you do? That’s something I strive for, but the truth is I often fall short. For me, a more realistic goal is to find ways to operate at my best more of the time. As they say, it’s about “progress, not perfection”. The question is how do you get and stay in that “best self” zone? You Get What You Measure One of the sayings that got drummed into my mind back in the day is “you get what you measure”. While that was in the context of running the business, it also holds true for so much of life. Now, I was the first one to say, “wait a minute â€" some of the most precious things in life can’t be measured, like love, freedom and peace.” And there will always be a part of me that rails against measuring everything. However, I’ve found it is true that measuring progress is essential to knowing where you stand, feeling good about how far you’ve come, and staying focused on what’s important. In this case, bringing your best self to work â€" and the world. Measuring progress is essential to feeling good about how far you’ve come When It’s Hard to Measure When it comes to measurement, it would be easy if we were machines. After all, machines are designed to operate at a certain speed and within certain tolerances, so optimal performance is measurable. But we humans are different. It’s more subjective. The tasks we’re capable of change over time because we learn and grow. The expectations of us change too as we gain experience and expertise. So, delivering our best can look and feel different at different times in our lives. Layered on top of that, it’s people â€" others as well as ourselves â€" who are doing the assessing. With all our differences in perception, it’s even less straightforward. So, how do you know when you’re in your best zone? How can you keep track of how you’re doing? Measure What’s in Your Control I believe that peak performance and being at your best is a very personal measure. For some of us, it’s good enough to just know it when we see or feel it. Like the US Supreme Court’s ruling on pornography: “I know it when I see it.” But to make it more repeatable and more likely that you’ll spend more time in that optimal “best self” zone, it’s useful to have a way to measure and track, even if it’s qualitative. To get an accurate measure, you’ll want to come up with the metrics that make sense for you and then a tracking system to record them. Metrics The key thing about the metrics is to choose things that you can control. Put another way, if you require bright sunshine to be at your best and you live in London, then you’re going to have a hard time with your performance! One way to get at your own set of metrics is to start by thinking of what you’re like at your worst. You can use that to generate your list of what to keep an eye on to stay in your best self zone. For me, my worst self is: Morose â€" getting down on myself, letting that color everything else, seeing the glass as pretty nearly empty Grumpy â€" snapping at people who are trying to make helpful suggestions, being disagreeable and hard to console Fearful â€" having my “what if” factory on overload, allowing that to stop me from taking action, being anxious and worried, seeing multiple worst case scenarios and imagining my way through each of them Indecisive â€" stuck in analysis paralysis Procrastinating â€" not getting things done Then, it’s pretty easy to look at the flipside of that. For example, I need to monitor the extent to which I am: Being compassionate with myself, bouncing back from setbacks, and looking for ways to move forward Treating others with kindness and gratitude Being fearless and unstoppable Making decisions and moving on Taking action Or, you could look at some broader universal categories and identify your own specific metrics within each. Here’s an example that works for me: Mindset: Am I being fearless? Positive? Energized? Am I coming from a place of abundance? Have I been compassionate with myself and others? Social interactions: How have I treated people and built relationships? How have I communicated â€" am I listening closely and speaking confidently? Who have I empowered? What have I shared? How have I collaborated? Priorities: Have I set the right priorities? Have I met them? Have I remained focused on what matters most? Results: Was I clear on the definition of success and how to measure it? Did I set realistic targets? Did I deliver what I agreed? Have I persisted? Resilience: Did I bounce back from setbacks? Tracking As for tracking systems, you could create a spreadsheet, use a journal or put it into Evernote and go through these categories at the end of each day. If you ask yourself “to what extent have I [insert metric]…”,  then you can rate yourself on a scale of 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) and enter numbers into the spreadsheet. If you ask open ended questions like “who have I empowered?”, then it lends itself to a text answer that may be easier in a journal format. Either way works. Just choose one that’s most natural for you. While we’re talking about this as a way to enable you to operate at your best more of the time, renowned CEO Coach Marshall Goldsmith’s research shows that tracking your answers to these types of questions is likely to increase your happiness too. In particular, he recommends 6 questions to ask yourself and track every day. A Challenge For You What do you need to measure in order to bring your best self to work more of the time? Leave a comment and let me know. For more actionable tips and tools for being your best, most productive self, check out Ron Friedman’s Peak Work Performance Summit which runs through Thursday April 27th. The Peak Work Performance Summit is a FREE online conference featuring over 40 New York Times bestselling authors in the fields of health, happiness, and productivity. Discover how you can work less, achieve more, and live better by learning from the world’s leading experts

6 ways to avoid an expensive bad hire

6 ways to avoid an expensive bad hire No manager is an island: You need a great team to meet your business’s goals and fulfill your potential. Hiring is one of the most important things a manager does, but it’s also one of the most difficult. As much as we’d like to believe we have the skills to avoid it, all managers eventually have to deal with a failed hire. Bringing someone new on board only to determine they’re not going to work out can be a blow to your ego, and it can be a sign of a larger issue with your hiring practices. The cost of a failed hire is nothing to sneeze at. In addition to the cost of a candidate search and lost productivity, it can have a real toll on a team’s morale. A recent study from Robert Half Finance Accounting asked CFOs about the most common reasons new employees didn’t work out, and their responses were revealing. The majority reported a mismatched skill set (38 percent) as the top reason for a failed hire. After that, unclear performance expectations (27 percent), personality conflicts (20 percent), and a failure to fit into corporate culture (15 percent) were the most common culprits. When a similar study was conducted in 2011, the order of the reasons for a failed hire was the same, but there’s been a notable decrease in the proportion attributed to unclear performance expectations. That reflects well on employers: Talking about what constitutes success in a position is a conversation you should be having throughout the hiring process and onboarding of a new employee. But the issue of mismatched skill sets still looms large. You can avoid making a failed hire next time you’re recruiting new talent to your team by brushing up on these hiring best practices: Pay attention to soft skills and cultural fit. While technical expertise is important, it’s primarily soft skills that determine whether a candidate is a good fit for the role and the company. Think about what skills or traits you wish the last person in the role had had. Make a point of talking about company culture and team working styles during the interview process. Refresh your job listings every time. Don’t recycle the same job descriptions year after year. To attract the right candidates to apply for your job listing, you need an up-to-date portrayal of the job and its duties. Make sure the list of essential skills and those that can be built through training are all current. Do a thorough reference check. Don’t skimp on this just because it’s often a difficult process. Take the time to talk to candidates’ former managers to get a better sense of whether these applicants might do well at your firm, asking about their work styles, strengths and areas for improvement. Don’t limit yourself to just the people the candidate listed â€" for key roles it can make sense to talk to former coworkers and other managers, as well. Take advantage of all your recruiting resources. By tapping the extensive networks of a specialized recruiting firm, you gain access to a larger talent pool and become more likely to bring on high performers. A recruiter can help evaluate each job seeker and accelerate the hiring process. Woo your top choices. If you find a great applicant, move quickly and offer attractive compensation. Additional Robert Half research shows promising candidates lose interest when companies delay making a decision. Don’t drag the process out and risk losing them to a competitor. Be clear about expectations. In interviews with potential candidates, make it clear at the outset exactly what success looks like for the position. Set measurable goals with new hires during onboarding, and provide additional training if needed. Every new hire should be set up for success and given the chance to excel. Paying more attention to hiring best practices when you’re building your team can help you avoid a failed hire in the future. And that means your team will grow stronger and reflect your skills as a manager. Join Dana Manciagli’s Job Search Master Class right now and immediately access the most comprehensive job search system currently available!

Podcast - Episode 3 Why it is Never to Late for a Career Change IM HIRED

Podcast - Episode 3 Why it is Never to Late for a Career Change Age is nothing but a number It is that time of the week again and I have a brand new podcast episode available for you. This comes ahead of my blog post that will be going live on Sunday so remember to come back at 11 am on Sunday for the full post. What are we discussing this week? We are discussing career changes and why I think there is never an age or level of experience where you are too old or it is too late to go for that new career venture. Finding the perfect career is definitely a journey. Lets be honest how many people get it right first time round? So why would you just settle in a career if its not right for you. Ill be discussing the reasons why we avoid big career changes and how to get started if you want to make the move. If you enjoyed listening to this episode. Feel free to check out some of my previous podcasts (click below). Who hasnt got 10-15 minutes free every Friday to help them get hired and to master the job search. Happy Friday all and Ill see you next week for Episode 4.

What You Need to Know About a Fitness Instructor Resume

What You Need to Know About a Fitness Instructor ResumeIf you have been researching the latest fitness instructor job trend and have found the right job, a good resume for an instructor is one of the first things you will write. Without having this item on your resume, you won't get to the interview stage, so make sure it is high on your list.A lot of people get intimidated when they are first confronted with the idea of writing a fitness instructor resume. It doesn't have to be difficult. With a few simple tricks, you can do it quickly and easily.First, make sure you list the job of the person, rather than the job of the activity they work on. For example, if you have been listed as a Nutritionist, then the person working on the nutrition side of the job has nothing to do with an instructor. This might seem minor, but this one trick can make the difference between you getting the job and not.The second most important reason why it is so important to list the job of the person is tha t your writing style can be different depending on who the job is for. Some resumes will list the job of the instructor (meaning that the person gets to carry out the activities of their job), while other places list the job of the fitness instructor (meaning that the person just gets to teach, no matter what the activities of the job are). This difference will be clearly marked on the resume, so make sure to list this as the first job that you list.Your information should include some information about your education, your experience, and the types of training that you have received. The position you are applying for should be clearly stated in your resume. Having an offer of employment, usually with your name at the top of the page, is a good indication that you have been accepted.You may have to look at the job description of the position to see what type of person the job is for. With this information, you can better understand what the job is and what the expectations are of th e person on the job. Also, with this information, you will be able to make a good choice for your resume.Your resume will then go on to describe the qualifications you have. Be sure to include these things, whether you have them or not. These are generally the same as in the job description, which is to show that you can be a great fit for the job. Also, your resume should state whether you have any previous training or certification.

Heres What I Know About Writing Resume on Campus Job

Here's What I Know About Writing Resume on Campus Job Writing Resume on Campus Job Fundamentals Explained Spend some time matching your qualifications to the job to make certain you're including the acceptable key terms and techniques. Multi-tasking and doing your work well isn't a simple skill to develop. 1 thing you have to do is identify the jobs you must complete an application to get. In addition, if you start off having a job you generally build it in your schedule whereas in the event you enter a pattern and attempt to put in a job to it it is harder. But What About Writing Resume on Campus Job? In the end, it's possible to hurt yourself in the occasion you devote an inordinate amount of home elevators the demonstration. It's possible to easily draw the interest of employing managers with the accession of terminologies that furthermore arrive in the job description. Use the checklist to be certain you have included all appropriate data in your resume. You're going to be judged if you're excellent for the work depending on the typical of your application thus the value for its brilliance. Hearsay, Lies and Writing Resume on Campus Job Based on your work, your responsibilities may overlap and you may have to be completing many tasks at exactly the same time. Frequently a work description will list the abilities and other qualifications which are necessary. Resumes ought to be constantly improved upon, personalized and edited in an attempt to fulfill the necessities of the task seeker. Writing Resume on Campus Job Help! So once you're considering how to compose a resume, don't forget that you need to be selling your abilities and accomplishments, not only listing your work history and your old responsibilities. There are a few things that don't belong on a resume for work. Every job necessitates focus on detail. There are just a few things more disappointing than not securing the job which you like. On-campus jobs are a whole lot more than that! So when the hiring company hasn't provided a salary for work, we look at salary data from related businesses and locations to produce a sensible estimate for what you may expect. To learn more on what it requires to be a Campus Recruiter, have a look at our complete Campus Recruiter Job Description. Let's walk through three distinct resumes for different kinds of post-college jobs. Writing Resume on Campus Job - Is it a Scam? Login with your RIT Computer account and you are going to be taken right to your profile. You're likely going to work for Dining Services. Federal jobs often need you to have experience in a particular kind of work for some period of time. When you have written and organized your information according to the sort of resume you've chosen, be certain to format it according to typical professional standards. Only the most critical details ought to be shown in your job application and it has to be without unnecessary verbiage. Well it is all dependent on whether the job posting instructions specify a specific format. If you're thinking of an excellent infographic format, here are a number of infographic samples to check at.