How to Prepare for the Role of a Successful Employee

How to Prepare for the Role of a Successful Employee What was the last movie you saw starring Robert De Niro? Whatever it was, my guess is that the acting was impressive. While some of his movies do better in the box office than others, De Niro never fails to deliver in his role. In his 40-plus-year career, he has proven himself time and time again on screen, and both casting directors and audiences alike know that regardless of what character he portrays, the acting will be top notch. If you are an aspiring actor, one can only hope to follow Mr. De Niro’s successful career path. But what about job seekers applying for more traditional roles? What parallels can be drawn from a successful acting career and preparing to prove to your future employer that you will be a valuable part of their workforce? There is one word that comes to mind â€" versatility. When Robert De Niro plays a role, he does it convincingly and leaves no doubt in the viewer’s mind that he IS the character whom he is portraying. How can he portray a murderer in one movie and a loving father in another and play them both so convincingly? That’s part of his genius…and what makes him hireable. For most job seekers, your future career will involve working in an office setting, and within this setting, you will have to play many parts. And like a successful actor, you will need to play them all convincingly. Here are a few roles you will need to master to be successful in the workplace: Writer: Ever met someone who truly couldn’t write? I don’t mean a novel, or even a blog, but a simple e-mail. Would you hire them? Despite the popularity of texting abbreviations, the ability to construct complete sentences and express your thoughts in written form is essential, yet many view this skill as simply not integral to their job. Writing in some form will be the basis of all your communication with clients, coworkers and management. Even if your intelligence is off the charts, if you can’t communicate intelligently in writing, no one will take you seriously. Public Speaker: Few people enjoy speaking in front of crowds, but at some point in your career, chances are you will be required to do so. Presenting information to coworkers or clients requires preparation and confidence, and like most things, improves with practice. Try to attain some level of comfort when speaking to a group, and if the preparation is there, the confidence will follow. Researcher: Your teachers in school didn’t assign you all those research papers for nothing. Research doesn’t just make you knowledgeable about a subject, it develops your ability to acquire knowledge. Every job will require you to continuously acquire knowledge. It may be for a presentation, a report or simply to improve your own job performance, but research will always be a required skill, even if you’re not aware you’re doing it. Social Media Strategist: We all know that nowadays, social media is everywhere. Not all jobs utilize it, but most individuals do. If your future job requires it, don’t look like you just walked out of 1995 by not knowing the basics of the most popular social media sites. Social media is still a new medium, and while everyone may be posting and tweeting about what they did last weekend, only a select few know how to use it to truly leverage their personal brand. As a job seeker, you can use this to your advantage by demonstrating the ability to connect with colleagues in your chosen field, and by steering clear of any negative content. Business Manager: Regardless of your standing on the job ladder, learn the art of management. You’ll be expected to manage your time, your finances, your workload, client expectations, etc. If your last job didn’t involve responsibility, get used to the fact that your next one probably will. The more you can handle, the more will be given to you, which will inevitably lead to better roles with bigger salaries. Politician: Okay, this one may have a negative connotation to some, but one thing all politicians are good at is networking. They meet lots of people, shake hands, kiss babies and make a ton of connections. If you’re an introvert, learn to come out of your shell. It may be a gradual process, but it’s rare to find a job where making connections with others in the industry won’t help you. Whether it’s at an industry conference, a networking event or just around the office with your coworkers, you never know when you’ll need to reach out to your network for support. No one expects you to excel at everything, but a good employee will bring a number of skill sets to the table. And just like an accomplished actor, one never knows which skill set will be required for his or her next role. If you are fortunate, you have one or two specialties for which you are known, and your expertise in these areas makes you truly hireable. But the more skills a job seeker is able to hone, the better he or she will fare in the job market. And while your skills may not include the ability to make a theater full of movie-goers laugh hysterically, or give them nightmares, the next best thing would be to convince your potential employer that you will be a valuable asset to their team.

Find a Great Place to Workfrom

Find a Great Place to Workfrom There was a time when people went to a coffeehouse for, well, the coffee. But with the increase in freelance careers and remote work agreements, such places are now often packed with folks hard at work. At times, nearly everyone in the shop has a laptop or similar device  with them. And theyre heads-down, learning, creating, or scheduling for hours at a time. When you dont have to be in the office, and you dont want to work from home every single day, where do you go? Youd like a spot with some activity yet not overly distracting hubbub. With a menu but not a pricey one. And dont forget the WiFi  and electrical outlets you definitely need those. Thats where Workfrom comes in. Workfrom is a Portland-based startup that offers online listings of the best places for working remotely. Rankings are based on reliable WiFi, menu offerings, seating  options, and friendliness. The small Workfrom team is adding new listings all the time, but many of the locations in their database come direct from the Workfrom community of users. Founded earlier this summer, their 3-person team is making waves in Portland with this valuable service, and theyre about  to launch in Seattle. Imagine, easily finding a place to work based on whatever need you have at the time youre ready to work: late hours, great menu, or reliable WiFi. Personally, Im hoping they hit Phoenix next.

Show Your Worth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Show Your Worth - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career When it comes to you as a person and your brand, society in general tends to  declare that characteristics such as humility, or even reticence, are best. And while no one truly likes a conceited know-it-all, I am here to assert that displaying that you are knowledgeable in your industry is something that we all should do and  can be done in a respectable manner. As a matter of fact, demonstrating thought leadership and the like is critical to growth and progress in your career.  Accordingly, here are some obvious, and potentially not so obvious ways, wherein you can exhibit what you know in a way that helps you and those with whom you work (or may work). Blogging This is the most well-known  method to show your expertise nowadays. In a world of content marketing, being a guest contributor or creating your own blog is an easy way to increase credibility and spread quality information. Additionally, there are SEO advantages to blogging which is also helpful in  presenting that you are skilled in your industry. Furthermore, blogging is an approach where you have a large amount of control. Self-publish, write on LinkedIn or find one of the many other platforms to spread what you know. HARO (Help a Reporter Out) This technique is one that has in the past been seen as hit or miss, but the hits can be great. For those of you who dont know, HARO is a service that journalists  use in order to get quotes, data and other information from industry experts to use in their articles.  Writers come from publications ranging from small company blogs all the way up to large trade publications and newspapers. Now, I know from experience that there can be periods of time when it can be frustrating trying to find articles that you can contribute to and there is the added unknown of whether or not the journalist will respond to your reply, however, when you do make the connection, the benefit for your personal brand can be unmeasurable. Worst case scenario, by reviewing HARO requests on a regular basis, you can learn how to craft a better pitch or get an idea what to write for your own blog or other digital property. Wiselike Many of you are likely familiar with Quora, the site where people ask questions and you can answer them in order to showcase knowledge. Well, Wiselike is similar, but what I like most about it is the fact that it positions you as an individual better. On Wiselike, people ask  you the questions as opposed to putting it out into the ether and hoping people find and answer their questions(s) sufficiently. Furthermore, people can subscribe to your profile on Wiselike and see when you answer a question. Thus, Wiselike is a good way to further position ones self as someone who is a leader in their industry. This is the platform that I would most recommend because there is also an element and opportunity to network within. If I could favorite a social network, this would be the one. P.O.V. Documents Generally speaking, P.O.V. or point-of-view documents are part of a companys internal communications. Nonetheless, that in no way diminishes the importance of the P.O.V. It could be argued that verifying your knowledge of the skill directly to your employment is just as, if not more significant to career growth since the decision makers at your company are likely to review such documentation. In fact, P.O.V. documents are often used in client meetings, presentations or even to sell services. Authoring such documents can quickly get you noticed and help your ascension within your company or career. Another element of all of these methods is the simple fact that they force you to continue to research, learn and stay up-to-date on current developments in your industry. Having to do this is only of benefit to your job and doing better. Not only will your colleagues than you, your brand will as well and therein lies the win.

All advice on how to manage creative people is awful

All advice on how to manage creative people is awful A good manager is someone who makes everyone feel like he or she is creative in their work. Because creative work is the most fulfilling work, and we are each capable of that kind of work. My favorite research on this topic is from John Mirowsky, professor of sociology at University of Texas, Austin. Mirowsky finds that people who work are happier than people who dont because people who are employed spend more of their time being creative. This was true regardless of age and race and the amount of creativity that a given job had. He concludes that people make choices to be more creative if they are gainfully employed. But also that we have more control than we realize over how creative we make our worklife. He says, One thing that surprised us was that the daily activities of employed persons are more creative than those of non-employed persons of the same sex, age and level of education. How can you tell if you are creative at work? You could just ask yourself if you like your job. It is nearly impossible to like a job if you are not solving problems that are challenging. And if you are doing that, well, that is creative. For a more scientific gauge, you can look at your cell phone call log. If you routinely call your friends from work, youre probably not happy at work, according to research from Nathan Eagle, at the Santa Fe Institute. Here are five ways to make a job more creative. And if you want to be good at managing creative people tell these tips to everyone who reports to you: 1. Change your mindset. So much of solving our own problems is fixing our outlook. Bad situations breed creativity, but only if you feel responsible for fixing your own problems. So stop blaming your job or your boss or your work, and start looking to yourself to make your life more creative. Also, you should know that its as misguided to divide the world into creative and non-creative jobs as it is to divide the world into creative and non-creative people. All jobs have opportunities for creativity. Some have more and some have less, but you usually get more opportunities to be creative by demonstrating that you are a creative problem solver over and over again. This usually means solving problems no one asks you to solve. Thats right: Creativity at work is often about finding your own work, finding and solving your own problems. So most of you should blame yourself, not your job, for lack of creativity in your work. 2. Change your response to stress. We tend to respond to stress with routine responses almost all of them bad for us in some way. Natalie Angier writes in the New York Times about our predisposed type of response to stress: Regions of the brain associated with executive decision-making and goal-directed behaviors had shriveled, while, conversely, brain sectors linked to habit formation had bloomed. Rodents were cognitively predisposed to keep doing the same things over and over, to run laps in the same dead-ended rat race rather than seek a pipeline to greener sewers. So when you have stress, try a new response and see what happens. No job prevents you from doing that. 3. Change the pace of what you do. John Freeman points out in the Wall Street Journal that changing the pace changes what its like to do that task. You know this intuitively from dancing or sex. But its also true of workplace tasks like writing email or cleaning our deskboth of which we often do quickly with no examination of whether or not that is a good pace for that task. 4. Try job hopping. This is a way to change your level of creativity on a larger scale. A big reason that job hopping helps your career is that people who job hop are more engaged in their work. Mirowsky explains this further: People with a wide variety of jobs manage to find ways to make them creative. 5. Get in a long-term, intimate relationship. Be careful putting too much burden on a job. You need to be creative in order to feel fulfilled, yes. But there are infinite ways to be creative, and they dont necessarily have to relate to your job. Which is why the connection between a job and happiness is totally overrated. Intimate, long-term, intimate relationships matter most and, not surprisingly, the act of putting two lives into one life requires creativity, always. (Hat tip: Emily, Caitlin and Jay)

Balancing Your Side Hustle with Your 9-to-5 Job

Balancing Your Side Hustle with Your 9-to-5 Job Photo Credit- Pexels.comMany people are focused on trying to pay off debts quickly, save more money and accomplish other financial goals. It can be challenging to meet all of your goals on your current salary, and because of this, side hustles are increasingly popular.Some people even find that they can make more money on the side than they do at their primary, full-time job.However, leaving behind your full-time job for a side hustle may seem risky, and it’s not an easy decision. So, for a period of time â€" until you do make that decision or you make enough money to accomplish your goal â€" you must find a way to balance your life while working two jobs.evalTo be successful, you need to focus on not getting burnt out while still finding a healthy balance between your work life and your personal life.1) Manage Your TimeWhen you have two jobs that both demand many long hours each week, managing time properly is crucial.The best way to remain productive through these efforts is to c reate a schedule that prioritizes your responsibilities as well as your free time successfully. Each weekend, spend a few minutes reviewing your schedule.While you need to make sure that you have time available to devote to both of your jobs, you also need to make time for family and friends, and for your alone-time.Remember that if you do not plan for downtime and enjoyable activities in your day, it may be nearly impossible to find time to actually do them. Inevitably, unexpected things that could throw you off-schedule will pop up. You should always leave some empty space on your calendar, so a surprise meeting Exercise will ensure that you are in good shape to meet the demanding work schedule that you have established, and it can also help you relax and unwind.In addition, follow a healthy diet, and give yourself mental breaks regularly by entirely removing work from your mind while enjoying your time off work.Some people also find it helpful to create to-do lists to better mana ge work and personal responsibilities. Also, crossing a task off the said list, in addition to being one of the best feelings in the world, serves as a motivator.Another important thing is to set limits regarding the maximum number of hours that you are willing to work each week.3) Take Care of Your MoneyevalSome people are inclined to start spending more when they regularly earn a second income. As mentioned before, it is important to treat yourself to a few rewards for all of your hard work, but there are limits to this.Your primary goal of spending so much time working hard each week is to meet specific financial goals, and you should regularly contribute funds to this goal.Open a savings account and build it up with your extra income, but always have a certain amount that you can spend during each month â€" both for paying the bills and for little pleasures.Remember that blowing a considerable amount of money without taking steps toward achieving your dream can result in you fee ling overworked without any results to show for it. Needless to say, this can also add to your stress, which makes it more difficult to remain productive.4) Claim Your Work SpaceIf one or both of your jobs allow you the opportunity to work from home, consider creating a dedicated workspace in your house. This may be an entire spare bedroom that is not currently being used on a regular basis, or it may be a small corner of your bedroom.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comSet up a home office with all of the equipment and supplies you need to be productive. Choose a room with a lot of natural light, invest in an ergonomic chair, add plants as decorations. Set rules for others to avoid disrupting you while you are working so that you can be as efficient as possible.Remember that being concentrated and actually working while you are sitting at your desk is critical if you want to enjoy free time on your own terms later.5) Use Technology to Your AdvantageTechnology has evolved considerably over t he last few decades, and there are now more technological tools and innovations at your disposal than ever before.You can easily use your smart devices, apps, and other features to help you manage your schedule and to be productive with emails, texts and more when you are not sitting at your desk. You can also store documents in the cloud so that you can access them from any location.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comevalOn a personal level, you can use software or apps to manage your finances and even help you meditate, exercise or sleep more peacefully each night. Just remember to turn off the work email while you’re trying to relax.A Balancing ActWorking on a full-time basis with one job requires you to carefully balance your work and home life, and adding a second job to the mix makes this even more challenging to do. A second job may help you meet your financial goals more easily, meet wonderful people and move forward more quickly in your career.However, it is necessary to strive f or a happy, stress-free balance with your personal life and two jobs, and you can easily use these tips to help you to accomplish this goal.

The Secret to Long-Term Career Success

The Secret to Long-Term Career Success A funny thing happened to me at a my most recent mastermind group meeting. Our group meets twice a year for a few days at a time, so for me it’s a special occasion that I look forward to. On the second day, my friend and fellow mastermind member Des leaned over and asked me, “Is everything okay, May?” He looked so concerned that I started to worry too. Was I looking unwell? Had I said something that upset others without knowing it? Or maybe it was my jet lag kicking in given the 8-hour time difference from London? The Inner Game vs Outer Game All my initial thoughts centered around what Des was seeing about me… in essence, my “Outer Game”, which was all about whether I looked or sounded different. What hadn’t occurred to me was that it might have to do with my “Inner Game”. That is, the things going on with mindset, beliefs and values, all of which show up in our confidence, state of mind and emotional intelligence. More about that shortly, but first back to what Des noticed… What Des Noticed About Me Since we meet in person just twice a year, any changes in our lives end up being highly visible and even magnified. What did he see that I should know? For one horrible moment, I even thought that Des might be seeing the first signs of a yet-to-be-diagnosed life-threatening disease. (Yes, I have a wild imagination!) Then I reminded myself that things have never been better â€" my daughters, husband and other family members are doing well, I’m in the best physical shape of my life, and I’m excited about the direction in which my business is growing. So I asked Des what he meant and what caused him to ask me what was wrong. He explained that, “usually you come bounding into the room and you’re almost hyper, but this time you seem kind of subdued. So I wondered if everything was okay.” Your Inner Game Shows Up in Your Outer Game I was so relieved that I started laughing as I thanked Des for the feedback. How wonderful to hear that the work I've been doing on my Inner Game is showing up in my Outer Game! In the six months since our last Mastermind group meeting, I’d been working on becoming a better listener, and on being calmer and steadier as part of my training as a Conversational Intelligence ® coach. I took Des’ question to mean that I’m showing up as less frenetic than I used to be, which is a huge win for me. This was clear evidence that I’m embodying some of the Conversational Intelligence ® techniques and that they’ve already helped me to be much more grounded. Working on my inner game is helping me become a better listener, a better person, and a better partner for others. What could investing in your Inner Game do for you? Your Outer Game Can Change Your Inner Game Too Not all personal growth starts from the inside. Sometimes it takes an external change to start the ball rolling. My friend, Ada Deferrari, runs an online course called “Capsule Style Academy” that helps women discover their style and learn to dress in a more powerful and professional way. A mutual friend of ours, Laura Brandenberg, recently invested in the course. Since Laura was already a highly successful entrepreneur and founder of The Business Analyst Blueprint, we were curious to see if the changes in her Outer Game wardrobe would be noticeable. Fast forward six months, when Laura showed up at our semi-annual event this year, it wasn’t just her clothes that looked fantastic. Sure, she had a new wardrobe that helped her look more powerful and professional. But the real transformation was the knock-on effect on her Inner Game. Thanks to Ada’s help with her Outer Game, Laura had become an even more confident, outspoken and self-assured version of herself. May Busch, Ada Deferrari and Laura Brandenberg at PLF Live 2019 What could investing in your Outer Game do for you? The Secret to Long-Term Career Success As you think about your career and how to achieve long-term success, your secret weapon is the extent to which you invest in your own personal development. Your secret weapon to achieve long-term success is investing in your own personal development. In my experience, this is the biggest difference between people who enjoy long-term and continued success and those who don't. Achievement isn’t static. Success isn’t “once and done”. The world is changing all the time and those who continue to learn, grow and develop are best placed to not only keep up, but to leap ahead. And when you invest in your personal development, it’s important to invest in both aspects: Your Inner Game, including your confidence, mindset, and emotional intelligence. Your Outer Game, including your grooming, your style and how you walk into a room. The great news is they can have a mutually reinforcing effect. Your Outer Game can help your Inner Game and vice versa. So no investment in yourself (your most portable asset!) is ever wasted. The world is changing all the time. Those who continue to learn, grow and develop are best placed to not only keep up, but to leap ahead. Where to Start Fortunately, you don’t have to work on both at the same time to see overall results. The best place to start is to choose one to focus on first, whether that’s your Inner Game or your Outer Game. To figure out which will have the most impact for you, ask yourself the following litmus test questions: If you were about to meet with someone today, whom you haven’t seen in 6-12 months, What would you want them to see or sense that’s different about you? What would they actually see or sense that's different about you? Your answers will give you clues on where to begin investing. What Do You Need to Work on Next? So, what will you work on next: your inner game or your outer game? And what's the first step you can take to help make that change? Leave me a comment and let me know. I’d love to hear from you.

Professional Resume Writing Services - How to Land the Job You Want

Professional Resume Writing Services - How to Land the Job You WantWhen it comes to professional resume writing services, Mumbai is one of the most preferred choices for candidates and businesses. This is because Mumbai has everything that you need to land a good job in India. From the financial hub of India, the Mumbai Stock Exchange is located in this city. This exchange serves as the base of operations for many investors who are engaged in the business of buying and selling stocks.Business owners are increasingly resorting to professional resume writing services for a variety of reasons. The main reason being that professional resume writing services to help businesses in getting their information in order. It does not matter if you are new to this industry or a seasoned veteran. Being clear about your career goals and strengths can really do a lot to help you land a good job.It is also important that you plan and ensure that you put a good amount of research into your professiona l resume writing services that you hire from a professional resume writing service provider. By doing so, you will ensure that you get information that will aid you in landing that job that you are after. A reliable professional resume writing service provider in Mumbai will help you in putting your career plans and your goals on paper.There are many professionals in Mumbai who provide their services to businesses that are looking to hire individuals. You can find the best professional resume writing services in this city by doing some online research. Look out for credible service providers who can offer information on these services in detail and give you detailed advice on what type of professional resume writing services you should go for.Check out professional resume writing services in Mumbai by sending the contents of your resume to them. These professionals will be able to know whether you are capable of writing an effective resume, even if you are new to this industry. You should be sure that the material that you send will speak about your strengths and skills and let the professional resume writing services know about your vision and goals. What you should be prepared to present to the professional resume writing services that you hire will largely depend on the size of the business and the scope of your professional career.The best professional resume writing services in Mumbai are those who understand what an employer wants from an applicant. If you are to land a job in Mumbai, then you should be ready to present yourself in the best possible light. In order to get a good job in this city, you need to be prepared to get your work done well. These professional resume writing services will help you in organizing and enhancing your existing CV in a way that it clearly speaks about your career objectives and your strengths.A well-written resume will carry a lot of weight with the employers and hiring managers who are involved in screening resumes. In short, your resume is the first thing that they will see. In order to have a successful career, you should be aware of the kind of resume that you should present to the hiring manager. A professional resume writing service in Mumbai will be able to create a resume that will help you land that job you are after.Professional resume writing services in Mumbai will make sure that you have all the knowledge that you need to get that job that you are after. Their aim is to help you present yourself in the best possible manner so that the hiring manager gets a good idea of what you can bring to the company. Remember that a good resume is not just a list of credentials. It is also a means to connect with your future employer.