Why its Hard to be Positive

Why it’s Hard to be Positive Why do so many workers (especially young ones) have a bad attitude at work? It’s in part because they’re good students, and they learned it from us. Eric Chester is the author of Reviving Work Ethic: A Leader’s Guide to Ending Entitlement and Restoring Pride in the Emerging Workforce. Chester has spoken to or surveyed over 1,500 employers in the course of his career, and he specializes in coaching companies on how to motivate their entry level workforce. Chester cites four reasons why you will find more bad attitudes than good ones on the job. First, a bad attitude is more hip than a good one. Blame the Baby Boomers; our “don’t trust anyone over 30” attitude and penchant for questioning authority turned a whole generation into cynics. Or blame it on Elvis Presley. Ever since he burst on the scene in the 1950’s, breaking all the rules and personifying bad boy rock and roll, it’s been cool to be bad. If you’re compliant and perceived as supporting the status quo, you’re either delusional or hopelessly naïve. Only people with cynical attitudes seem to be in the know and attract followers; “company men” don’t stand a chance. Chester also points out that “work sucks.” How do young people know that? They learn it from their parents. Yes, you. Think about the number of times you’ve expressed some variation of “TGIF.” How much do you look forward to the weekends and dread Mondays? It’s impossible for young people not to notice that workers hate work. If you can name an adult who absolutely loves Monday morning and the return to work, email me. I will feature him or her in a future blog post. Chester also writes that the world is a much more negative place these days. The Millennial generation is very connected to the world through instant access to media and the internet. The result is that they hear every piece of bad news as soon as it happens. Pay attention to the news and commentary around you for a day. It would be easy to believe that the best days of this country are behind us. It’s hard for anyone to be positive in that environment; the bad news can easily squelch your optimism. Finally, Chester says, young people are often astonished by the disconnect between their lofty expectations and the reality of the entry level work they are assigned. “Is this my life now?” he quotes one young worker as saying after just a few days on the job. “I just come to work over and over and do the same thing?”   Remember that this is the generation that was told they were special and “gifted” from an early age. Doing menial or dull work and waiting years to be promoted to more interesting work seems like a prison sentence. Are you leading by example at work and at home? We all say that we’re thrilled to be working and glad to be getting a paycheck, but do we look the part? Are we unconsciously teaching young workers and our children that work is a prison sentence? A quick Google search for “I hate my job” turned up roughly twice the number of hits that “I love my job” did (and many of the love hits were parodies.) It’s no accident that what we get paid for work is called compensation. The first definition in the dictionary is “Something, typically money, awarded to victims as a recompense for loss, injury, or suffering.” In this Dilbert cartoon by Scott Adams, there’s only one person who really likes his job. See who here: http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2002-12-19/

How Far Should I Go With My College Resume?

How Far Should I Go With My College Resume?When writing a college resume, there are several things that you should consider when thinking about how far you should go. Writing a college resume is the first step in your job search and with that fact comes that resume writing will require that you do several things correctly to make it be successful. You need to remember that it is not enough to write a solid application.While a good application is always important, you also need to think about how far you should go in terms of your resume. This means that when writing a college resume, you need to be very specific and write about what you have done. Here are a few ideas for how far you should go in your college resume writing.Activity. It is possible to fill your resume with too much information and in some cases this can be detrimental. However, the more information you put on your resume, the less you stand out and this will make it harder to get a response. When writing a college re sume, you want to make sure that you cover all of the bases.Checklist. When you are looking at your college career paths, you should always have an organized list of all of the job experiences and different jobs you have worked at. This list should also include any relevant degrees that you have received.Experience. The amount of experience you have will depend on the particular field that you are in. For example, if you are looking at an executive position, you will most likely need to have a number of years of work experience working as an executive. However, if you are looking at a sales job, you will probably not need to have too much experience.Education. The types of schools you have attended will also vary depending on the college career paths that you are going into. You should write down all of the classes that you have taken so that you have a complete list. Even if you are currently not in school, you should still include a list of all of the schools that you have attende d so that you have something to compare against when writing a college resume.Background. This includes everything from your experiences in the military to your work history with companies like Microsoft or Deloitte. These can all be used to give you a better idea of what you are capable of doing as a person and will also show your potential employers what you are able to offer.When writing a college resume, keep these tips in mind and do not be afraid to go beyond what you thought was needed. This will help you when you are trying to make your resume stand out and it will also help you ensure that you are getting the best response from recruiters.

11 Beginner Twitter Tips

11 Beginner Twitter Tips If you are finally ready to jump into Twitter, here are 11 Twitter tips for beginners to help you get started. Twitter is a much better networking tool than LinkedIn! Its also better for job search and online visibility. What are you waiting for? If  youve ever been  frustrated when your LinkedIn invitation to connect gets ignored, Twitter could be the perfect workaround. Here are three benefits of Twitter: 36% of Twitter users are on the site every day vs. 13% of LinkedIn users logging in daily.  (Pew Research) Twitter is an open network (you can follow anyone and mention anyone in a Tweet.  Twitter help on how to mention anyone on Twitter) which means its a better platform for connecting and engaging with people you do not know. Plus, being active on Twitter helps people find you when Googling your name. If you are ready to hop on Twitter, heres what you need to know to get started. 11 Beginner Twitter Tips for Job Seekers 1. Don’t Be Faceless One of the best ways to prove you are real is to you a photo instead of the default avatar. You need to look like a real person in order to increase the odds of someone following your Twitter handle. Plus, a  default avatar may convey your amateur status with Twitter. And dont forget to use the banner space up top too! This is one more opportunity to showcase who you are. 2. Brand Your Bio You only have 160 characters to tell the world what youre all about in your Twitter bio, so make every character count. Jay Baer, a social media and content strategist, once wrote that you should “treat your bio like SEO copy” by including words and phrases you want to show up for in search results. Here are more ideas for building your bio. Its not necessary to include a statement about searching for a job; in fact, that may work against you. Also avoid using words that wont help with search results, like professional, experience, or any of what LinkedIn identifies as its 10 most overused buzzwords:   3. Leverage Links You can and should include a link to a personal website, social landing page (about.me) or LinkedIn profile. Think about where you want people to go to learn more about you, and use the right link to send them there. 4. Tweet Interesting Relevant Content When someone clicks on your profile they will see what youve tweeted. Be sure your tweets represent the topics, content and activities you want to be associated with. 5. Consider Pinning Your Best Tweet You can pin one tweet to reside at the top of your Twitter updates. When someone looks at your profille and tweets, this pinned tweet will be the first thing they see. Chose a tweet you posted about something interesting and on-brand. You could pin a tweet to a LinkedIn long post you wrote, an article that mentions you or maybe even a motivational quote.   Go to the tweet you want to pin and click on the down arrow at the top right. You will see the option to Pin to your profile page. 6. Find and Follow Now that youve got your profile set up, begin searching for people and companies to follow. Twitter is an open network, which means you can follow any public profile. Once you follow people, youll see all the tweets shared   by accounts you follow in your feed. 7. Organize Your Twitter Feed With Lists To improve your experience on Twitter and to keep things organized, create lists. I recommend categorizing accounts into the lists so you can easily keep track of what you are reading. For example, if you start following marketing industry movers and shakers, create a list, and add new people you follow into the right category. When you want news on marketing trends, all you need to do is go to your list of marketing peeps and view only the updates from those accounts. To add someone to a list, look for the three dots (to the upper right of their profile) and youll see this menu. Select Lists and you can add the person to an exisiting list or create a new list. 8. Retweeet With A Comment When you retweet interesting news shared by people on Twitter, it hits the radar of the Twitter account that posted the tweet. If you add your own comments or thoughts to the tweet and share it, it shows up more prominently to the person who tweeted it. Which do you think is more valuable for brand awareness and making an impression? Insightful article that highlights some reasons #millennials clash with others in the workplace #jlmc497 https://t.co/pTskffGnKu â€" Lynsey Ng (@Lynsey_Ng) May 19, 2015 9. Diversify Your Tweets Twitter is part newsfeed, part marketing and part human to human conversations/interactions. Diversify your tweets to address the various interests of your followers. Tweeting about something personal, including your job search, is fine as long as you don’t do it too often. The majority of your tweets should share news and upcoming events of interest to your followers (or potential hiring managers). You also want to prove you are up-to-date on industry trends. 10. Tweet Photos Add photos and images to your tweets to improve views and shares. In research conducted by Buffer, a company that makes a social media management app, tweets with images received 89% more favorites and 150% more retweets. With @Jessie_States We are #MPI #eventprofs #IMEX15 pic.twitter.com/vlIsYoQiIV â€" Dawn Rasmussen (@DawnRasmussen) May 19, 2015 11. Send A Private Message You can send someone who follows you a direct message on Twitter. This message can even include a link to online content, such as your online portfolio or personal website. Before you blast someone a direct message, interact with them on Twitter (and make sure they are actively using it). It is best to direct message someone who you have actually had an exchange with on Twitter; this will increase the likelihood of a response. Be sure to let the person know exactly what you expect when you send a direct message. Use this function cautiously and never spam. If you are looking for more Twitter tips, you can see Twitters New User FAQs Youll also find more Twitter tips below: Twitter Isnt Stupid 50 Best Twitter Accounts For Job Search Advice 2019

Who Is In Your Sphere of Influence

Who Is In Your Sphere of Influence Who Is In Your Sphere of Influence? Who Is In Your Sphere of Influence? September 7, 2010 by Career Coach Sherri Thomas Leave a Comment Now that we’ve discussed what a Sphere of Influence is, let’s talk more about who’s in your sphere of influence. Think locally, nationally and globally. Perhaps there is someone you want to meet who is an author or a conference speaker. Perhaps she is someone in the media, a political figure or a business owner. Think about who might be a good connection, role model or perhaps even a mentor â€" someone who can help advance your career (or introduce you to others who might advance your career). As you think about your network of career influencers, analyze your current work environment. Include managers and colleagues who have specific areas of expertise and those who can provide guidance and share information. Every company has an inside network of influencers who are well positioned within the company. Influencers are easy to spot. They are well respected and usually well liked within the organization. They are movers and shakers, constantly helping to move the organization forward. Others seek out their advice and ask for their suggestions. These are career influencers you should add to your target audience list. Now think bigger. Who are the influencers in the industry? Attend professional association meetings, industry conferences and business networking events. Meet the members, speakers and those on the boards of directors. Join a committee or the board of directors of an association. The idea is to meet people who are successful in your chosen position or industry. Add them to your target audience list. Find ways to make connections with them to learn about their career paths, obstacles they had to overcome, best practices and key lessons they learned. The universe is truly amazing. Once you begin identifying these career influencers, you will notice that you begin connecting with all kinds of people who can help advance your career. I really can be supportive and positively influence my career, the universe has connected me with the right people at the right time. I also have many clients who believe they were connected with me in the same way at just the right time. Please feel free to share in the comments who your career influencers have been throughout your career.

12 things valuable employees do -

12 things valuable employees do - The  most successful valuable employees  realize their actions and choices affect their ability to accomplish their goals. When you acknowledge that you have more control over your future than you realized, it can be very motivating and empowering. What habits can you adopt to help improve your chances to succeed at work? 1. Seek ways to enhance your marketability.   Be opportunistic. Dont just float through your day; keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities to get involved in new projects. Employers value job seekers who show initiative and can demonstrate that they are always willing to take on new tasks and learn new things. When you volunteer for leadership roles and to contribute to special projects, youll be setting yourself up to be more marketable later. 2. Be open to constructive criticism.  Supervisors appreciate workers who  comfortably receive criticism  and take it to heart without appearing defensive or upset. We all know that not all bosses are capable of providing truly  constructive critiques,  but do your best to appear to have a good attitude when a superior provides advice about how to do better.  Get my free white paper:  5 Mistakes Job Seekers Make and How to Avoid Them. 3. Request feedback.  A step beyond being open to criticism, actually  requesting feedback  will make it clear that you are always hoping to improve your performance. Dont expect daily feedback or a pat on the back every time you meet a deadline, but do make it clear to your boss that you welcome his or her advice and assistance as you strive to do everything necessary for the team or department. 4. Get organized.  Even if you have a system, if your desk at work looks like a tornado just went through, your colleagues and supervisors probably assume you are disorganized and probably cant handle more responsibility. Make a point to appear as organized as youd need to be to earn a promotion. 5. Find ways to learn new things.  Perhaps your current job doesnt offer a lot of obvious opportunities to  learn new skills.  Make a point to find professional development opportunities that may be beyond your current work scope and ask for permission to enroll in them. Think about your career goals and recognize that no one cares more about them than you â€" its your job to make sure you learn what you need to know to accomplish your plans. If you cant get permission for professional development, use your personal time to enhance your job skills. 6. Take responsibility.  If you made a mistake, admit it and learn from the error. Even if you have to take some heat, it is much better than trying to pass blame. Youll earn respect from your peers when you have the gumption to say, I was wrong, and I will know better next time. 7. Be persistent.  Weve all heard, If at first you dont succeed, try, try again. The most successful professionals do not give up. Create goals and use every day as an opportunity to move in the right direction to achieve them. For example, if you want to move into a managerial role, even if you didnt get selected to be part of a cohort to train as managers this quarter, think of ways to improve your chances for next time. In addition to requesting feedback about why you werent selected, begin an independent research program to learn everything you can about how to manage. Read books by respected leaders in the field and seek out online resources to keep up-to-date on the topics that will help you be more competitive next time. Dont keep your extra work a secret; make sure your supervisors and colleagues know that youre taking responsibility for your own plans. 8. Be willing to take on new things and pitch in.  Every office has the employee who quietly shirks work responsibilities and hopes no one notices. Clearly, the person who is always available to help and offers to do extra work is more likely to be first in line when it comes time for promotions and favored projects. 9. Get there early and stay late.  Even though many employers are allowing employees to telecommute and have flex time, and some organizations dont focus on face time  when it comes to evaluating employees, more traditional organizations still tend to appreciate the employee who shows up early and doesnt dash off at the stroke of 5:00. If your organization goes by the clock, make sure you are putting in your time and then some if you want to get noticed. 10. Learn when to delegate so you can move on.  Its often easier to just do things yourself instead of taking the time to teach someone else to handle your responsibilities, but if you have an opportunity to delegate, do not waste it. If you never make the effort to teach a new person to handle your roles, you will be stuck doing the same job forever. 11. Dress the part you want to play.  Even if your  workplace is a casual environment, it doesnt mean you should wear flip-flops and cutoff shorts all summer. You should always dress so youd be prepared to impress a supervisor, customer or client. 12. Build some relationships.  While work is not all about making friends, research shows that  friendships at work  can positively affect profitability at work. Profitability is a good thing, and so is having a work friend to go for coffee or get lunch. Originally posted on AolJobs.com  Want to avoid typical job seeker mistakes? Get my free white paper:  5 Mistakes Job Seekers Make and How to Avoid Them.

Virtual Assistant Resume Writing Services - Pros and Cons

Virtual Assistant Resume Writing Services - Pros and ConsWhen you are looking for a virtual assistant resume writing service, there are many to choose from. Some companies offer to write it for you. Some will pay you to write it for them. You should be aware of the pros and cons of each before choosing one of these options.Writing your own resume is a great way to get some professional experience. If you have always wanted to work as a virtual assistant but couldn't because you didn't have a degree, this can be a good way to get that first job you've been looking for. It's also a way to build your resume.Writing your own resume can be time consuming. You need to go through it, edit it, and get it in front of an employer. It's not a good idea to write your own resume if you are doing it for free.The first option is the most expensive, but you can get an assistant resume free of charge. The person who runs this program doesn't offer any help writing it, but it can still be a good way t o find some experience.The next option is to hire a company to do it for you. These companies don't charge much money for their services, but they do offer many different services that help you write your resume. You can ask them to do it in house or by taking the time to ask other people. It's up to you to decide which option is best for you.Once you have the resume completed, you will have to make sure that it gets sent to the company. You can use a regular mail service like FedEx or USPS, but you might want to consider hiring a virtual assistant resume writing service. They are used to receiving resumes in bulk, and they can process them very quickly.As you can see, choosing between hiring a company to write your resume or writing it yourself is really a matter of personal preference. If you know that your experience and qualifications match the company's requirements, they will usually hire you.

What to Expect From Language Proficiency Resume?

What to Expect From Language Proficiency Resume? Facts, Fiction and Language Proficiency Resume Bearing that in mind, where you choose to feature your language proficiency matters. In linguistic terms, proficiency doesn't translate to the exact same meaning as fluent. The expression proficiency is used a good deal in the contemporary international world. The period language proficiency is often used together with related terminology. The capacity to speak different foreign languages will always be thought of as a strong point irrespective of the particular needs of the work position. Language skills are a really good asset in the present labour market, but not every job-seeker knows the way to draw attention to them. Writing a resume for employment in China or a Chinese business can seem an intimidating task as first but don't worry! Deadlines, documents required, visas and a lot of different things ask for additional attention and might lead to a lot of stress. There ar e particular admission requirements which the global applicants must meet. Students who achieve a minimum grade of 75% in every language coures at the period of application to The University of Western Ontario are thought to demonstrate the degree of English language proficiency needed for admission and won't be asked to give more proof of English language proficiency. There's no appeal procedure to reach complete admission without the ESL course. The admission procedure and requirements for the vast majority of the graduate programs are alike. The precise requirements count on the university. Besides a core structure it provides a high level of flexibility to permit you to tailor the program to your specific interests. Business English language proficiency may also supply you with a competitive advantage when applying for professional jobs, particularly when it comes to international businesses. Bear in mind that you ought to discover the very best approach to quantify your g rades and degrees in a manner a Chinese employer can easily understand. Test tasks were meant to reflect the usage of language in the actual world'. Deciding on a standardized test for language certification can be challenging, based on the language, because there could be several tests out there. Students need to know why English is written the way it's, and to attempt to spell out the grammar rules in English can create additional confusion. Integrating objects and props into lessons may also help ESL students to obtain context. Language proficiency is the capability to speak in a particular language or the capacity to perform nicely with different language tasks. You should list the languages you're in a position to speak and give an easily-understandable scale to demonstrate your degree of fluency. You should first rate your degree of proficiency so that you can accurately present it in your resume. There are various degrees of language proficiency.