Five ways to make career change easier

Five ways to make career change easier Most of us will change careers at least three times in our lives. And most of us will be nervous at one point or another in the process. Invariably, youre giving up the known to pursue the unknown. So, even if you hate your current career, its still scary to give it up. Five Steps to a New Life I have a lot of experience in this arena. Ive changed careers a lot, going from professional beach volleyball player to software marketer to entrepreneur to freelance writer. While I was doing that, my husband changed careers three times in five years. Each change was different and difficult in its own way for both of us. But Ive learned some tricks along the way to make career changes easier. Here are five ideas to consider in your own career change: 1. Test things out before you make the leap. You dont need to quit your current job to get started in a new career. Give yourself a chance to test things out. Try it on vacation or on the weekend. Try an internship theres no rule that says an intern has to be 19 years old. Its very hard to predict what youll like. Once you admit this and really try things out, youre much more likely to be accurate about what youre well-suited to do next. The most effective way to make the very serious move of changing careers is to try out that career in a not-so-serious way. Ive done this in the past, and I once discovered that  I didnt end up liking the new career. This tactic can save you a lot of large missteps. 2. Talk about your change in a way that will make it happen. When people ask you what you do or, even better, what you want to do you need an effective answer. Tell people what youre aiming to do and why it makes sense. This little speech is what will allow people to help you make that career change. Laura Allen, co-founder of  15 Second Pitch, helps people figure out what to say when they want to make a career change. The key to answering the question what do you do is knowing yourself and knowing why you want to change. Once you know that, the pitch will come more easily. 3. Keep your significant other in the loop. A career change is so emotionally and financially  profound that its practically a joint decision if youre living with a significant other. I learned this the hard way,  when my husband changed careers. As a career advisor, I had a lot of opinions about what he should be doing, but I didnt want to step on his toes so I tried to leave him alone to make the decisions himself. But I started getting nervous about the instability his choices might create. Theres a definite balance you need to strike between wanting to support your partner in chasing his or her career dreams, and wanting to maintain sanity in the relationship while the chase is on. Keeping your partner in the loop, not just about what youre doing but also what youre thinking, can go a long way toward creating a team feeling. 4. Make the change before you go nuts. Most people hold out in a career until its clear that its not for them. All change is hard. We like to be stimulated and interested, but most of us dont like constant change. Its too stressful, so we find ways to avoid it. The problem is that if you put off change for too long you compromise your ability to orchestrate it. I spent a lot of my career with the bad habit of  letting myself bottom out before I made a big change, so take it from me the change is much harder to manage when youre operating from a place of desperation and exhaustion. 5. Downplay financial issues. I write a lot about how you dont need a lot of money to be happy. In fact, research shows that  you only need $40,000 to be happy, and that the rest of the money you earn has little impact on your happiness. But  Tim Ferriss  takes this one step further. In his book, The 4-Hour Workweek, he starts with the idea that time and flexibility are worth more in life than money. So when you think about if you can afford to make the change, think in terms of your net gain in time and flexibility rather than in money. Anticipating the Risk Career change is always risky. But if you have a good understanding of why youre leaving your current career and choosing the new one, the clarity can give you the strength to endure instability and uncertainty. At some point, your self-awareness will make the career change your only viable alternative. Then itll seem like a relatively low-risk move.

Tips For Creating An Objective For Your Resume

Tips For Creating An Objective For Your ResumeMany people make the mistake of trying to fill every one of their objective fields with perfect information and not even trying to cover all of them. Some people fill their objective with exactly what they're looking for, while others take the extra time to think it through and figure out exactly what they're looking for.The way you make your objective really reflect what it is that you're looking for. One option is to go to the old resume sample and just put down what you're after in bold letters. Try not to go too far over the top with what you're looking for and leave room for the employer to put something in there that matches what you're looking for, but don't go overboard.You're going to want to come up with some sort of motivation and a statement of purpose. This is something that you can put in the objective section that tells the reader who you are and why you are hiring. It can be a small short sentence or paragraph explaining w hy you want the job.Make sure that the rest of the objective section doesn't take up too much space. It can be good to go into some detail about a few of your skills and achievements. Even though you're looking for a sales position, use this as a way to emphasize on your ability to motivate and how your new employer can benefit from what you've learned from the company. Maybe even mention that you're a hard worker and have a great personality.Make sure that you explain in the subjective section of your resume that you're looking for a specific thing. You can write in a list of three main things that you want and what you do best. You should always make sure that this first section of your resume is as close to concrete as possible.Make sure that you detail exactly why you're looking for the position, what you hope to accomplish once hired, and why you're looking for any particular areas of expertise. When people read this section, they're getting a sense of what it's like to work wi th you and what you do in the office.Use your preferred career path in your objective. You should also mention all of your major accomplishments in this section, but you can't include anything about where you learned or any of your favorite people. In fact, you don't want to name any of your childhood friends because this makes you sound unprofessional.Finally, stick with the objective when you're creating the resume. Don't add other sections such as awards, letters of recommendation, and references. Your objective should be the most important part of your resume.

How to complain constructively - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

How to complain constructively - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Last week I wrote about chronic complainers at work and what to do about them. Now, I dont want anyone to think that Im opposed to complaining as such. Complaining can be a great tool for initiating change and if we outlaw complaining in the workplace, as some managers try to do, all we do is drive it underground where it becomes even more toxic. So we should accept that complaining plays an important role in business, but the key thing here is to know the difference between constructive and unconstructive complaining. Here are some of the differences: Unconstructive: Complain about what bugs you the most Constructive: Complain about the right thing Is the problem really the problem? Or is there a deeper issue going on? Complain about the problem, not just the symptoms. Unconstructive: Complain when you feel the most annoyed Constructive: Complain at the right time There are times to complain and times not to. Choose a moment where theres time, will and energy to deal constructively with the issue. Five minutes before an important meeting starts is probably not the time. Unconstructive: Complain to whoever will listen Constructive: Complain to someone who can do something about it If your boss is the problem, complaining to your co-workers can be a lot of fun, but it changes nothing. Complain to your boss or to the bosss boss. Unconstructive: Point fingers. Constructive: Look at yourself first. Maybe its just you who has a problem and everyone else is fine with the situation? Try to recognize those situations where everything is actually fine youre just being irrationally annoyed (happens to me all the time). Also: To what extent are you a part of the problem? How are you contributing to either the problem or to the solution? Before complaining about others, make sure you know what your role in the issue is. Unconstructive: Seek blame Constructive: Seek solutions Going in with the intention of making people admit theyre at fault is rarely productive. Does it really matter whose fault it is? Forget blame and focus on moving on and finding lasting solutions. Unconstructive: Only complain Constructive: Also appreciate whats good Complain when theres a reason to, but remember to appreciate the good stuff also dont just always complain. Did I forget anything? Add your thoughts in the comments! Basically, constructive complaining leads to change whereas the unconstructive variety traps a workplace in the status quo by zapping everyones energy, optimism and belief that change is possible. And that may be part of the attraction of unconstructive complaining: It reinforces a bad situation, but its a bad situation you know and have learned to deal with. At the same time it reinforces the status quo and protects you from change that might bring new problems you dont yet know how to handle. Theres an amount of safety and comfort in it. But to my mind, unconstructive complaining is a tar-pit that can eventually trap even the sunniest, most optimistic person in a sticky hell of perpetual, ineffectual and often petty dissatisfaction from which people arent really seeking a way out. Thats why we need to be able to break away from the moan-mentality at work and make sure that we complain in a way that makes change happen. Ie. constructively. If you liked this post Im pretty sure youll also enjoy these: How to handle chronic complainers How to handle jerks at work Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Summary Sunday Prep Your Career For The Future

Summary Sunday Prep Your Career For The Future When was the last time you stepped out of your cube and thought about preparing your career for the future? Theres a lot happening outside your organization and I recommend you future-proof your career! You dont want to get left behind! Trends in how employees are using social media at work, learning the art and science of storytelling and how to prepare for an interview will help keep you up to date!  And while youre at it, check out the infographic showing job titles that didnt exist five years ago. What does that tell you? I love finding and sharing interesting and helpful articles to share with people who are serious about managing their careers. If you follow me on Twitter, youll see what I mean! SOCIAL MEDIA 5 Benefits of Social Networks at Work by Jessica Miller-Merrell | Workology The next time your boss, HR or VP tells you that social media is a waste of time, show them this article! [Social media] provide a way for employees to interact and develop as well as give leadership insight into who their employees are and what makes them tick. INTERVIEWING Great Interview Delivery: Six Steps From the Classroom to Your Career by Lea McLeod | YouTern Are you really prepared for an interview? You shouldnt wing it nor assume you are prepared. Follow these six steps and I  guarantee youll improve! CAREER A Storytelling Guide for Those Who Stink at Storytelling by Jessica Stillman | Inc. You may not have a knack for storytelling YETbut if you follow this 5-step structure to storytelling, you can begin building your storytelling abilities. You see, people remember stories. It stirs emotions and helps them connect with you. 99 Simple Ways to Gain the Respect of Others by Lolly Daskal | Inc. Who doesnt want to be respected?! There are little things you can start doing today that will improve how people see you! JOB SEARCH 10 Job Titles That Barely Existed 5 Years Ago [INFOGRAPHIC] by LinkedIn Infographic by LinkedIn MENTIONS Many thanks to Jason Alba of JibberJobber for featuring my 6 Step Process in several articles! What A Job Search Strategy Looks Like

Resume Advice How can I correctly emphasize the level of my experience on my resume - Hallie Crawford

Resume Advice How can I correctly emphasize the level of my experience on my resume During my years working with clients giving resume advice, I have noticed a consistent trend in how people write their experience by using the old habit of listing their job duties and tasks. Unfortunately, this makes for a very task-based, unimpressive resume, which does not provide the reader any idea regarding the size, level, or extent of your responsibilities. The key, which most forget to include, is the scope. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines scope as: “extent of treatment, activity, or influence”. What does this mean? Well, when describing your position, it’s important to define the boundaries within which you work. In doing so, you are painting a picture for your reader, which gives them a better understanding of the level of your responsibility and the impact you have within your organization and as a resultyour value proposition. Here’s an example: Mr Smith includes in his resume the tasks of his position. I know: a: Consult one-on-one with their clients, providing product solutions that meet their needs b: Promote new and existing products c: Utilize cold-calling tactics to increase new sales opportunities d: Collaborate with cross-functional departments to help launch and promote new products and tap into new markets What I do not know is: a: How large are his clients or accounts? b: Is he responsible for a specific territory or product line, how big is it? c: Which departments does he work with to promote new products? d: Is there anything that makes him special in his position (examples: top performer, resident expert; lead sales; manage largest accounts; recognized expert amongst clients…) e: Does he report to someone in a level of significance? f: Does he have any direct or indirect reports? g: What is the impact of his sales dollars, example is he responsible for sales worth 50% of company’s total sales worth? With each question above a quantifiable can be added to help better define the “extent” and “influence” of Mr. Smith’s responsibility. Each measurable helps the reader understand the level of his responsibility and the impact his results have on the company’s bottom line. Paired with measurable accomplishments, his resume will differentiate the level of his skill versus his competition. In the same way, you will want to ask yourself similar questions to define your scope and help the reader understand your impact! Thank you to one of our resume experts, Jasmine Marchong, for this article and the resume tips.  We hope this resume advice has been helpful for you. If you would like further resume advice, please feel free to contact us! Schedule a free consult with HallieCrawford.com today

Fraud, Deceptions, and Downright Lies About Staples Resume Paper Exposed

Fraud, Deceptions, and Downright Lies About Staples Resume Paper Exposed When you need to seek the services of someone and you need to hire them quick, you don't wish to need to sift through a lot of resumes that look as though they don't have good candidates behind them. Writing a letter is among the fundamental actions in applying work, and it'll be your stepping stone to more great success and opportunities in life. Use cheap paper and the consensus is going to be that you're not a significant candidate. The Fundamentals of Staples Resume Paper That You Will be Able to Learn From Starting Immediately Resume paper is quite a bit thicker and considerably more substantial when held in hand. Furthermore, ensure you use a high excellent paper. Make certain you do so on a high excellent paper. Thus, utilize the best quality paper you are able to afford. The Staples Resume Paper Chronicles Use resume software if you're able to. You're mailed a 50 page document, which contai ns all the required study materials. Resume contains all of the information which is essential to convince any employer. When it has to do with using your resume to submit an application for work, it's important to consider that form matters equally as much as content. The Staples Resume Paper Game Reassess yourself and look at where you'll be beginning from. Your resume should give the thought that you're the very best match to the work opening. You are going to take a job test so as to determine what it is you are well suited for. The Secret to Staples Resume Paper The examination to be a Certified Professional Resume Writer is made up of two parts. Furthermore, there's an initial fee of approximately $350 to start the procedure to become a Certified Professional Resume Writer. Resumes ought to be written to react to certain requirements. The research materials are entirely encompassing and outline every facet of the resume writing process. Your resume can make or br eak you as soon as it comes to whether you secure work interview. Get in there first and you will certainly have the work secured! You need work, which usually means you must understand how to introduce your resume to the possible employers and in addition, you need to understand how to interview properly to acquire the job. Maybe you are in between jobs at this time. You may purchase resume paper and letter stock through your regional office supply shop or department shop in the office supplies section. If you're sending out a plain sheet of paper with a couple words and two or three references, that isn't going to impress anyone. By the way, guarantee the printing is on the proper side of the watermark and it is right-side-up. A crucial part of the work application method is the letter that accompanies your resume. Staples Resume Paper - Is it a Scam? You may print your letter by means of a laser printer and ought to also utilize 24-lb. The exact cool kind of Thermal P rinter An inkjet Printer has become the most frequent sort of computer printer. You might need to use special resume paper to make certain your resume gets noticed but make certain to use readable fonts so the hiring manager can understand your information. There are many kinds of paper on the current market, each designed for different uses. After you have finished the essential reading, you will get in touch with the PARWCC to advise them that you're prepared to start the test to be a Certified Professional Resume Writer. Unless you're asking for a job for a TV reporter, forget about doing it. Resumes are your private advertisement.

New Questions About Writing an Objective on a Resume for a Teacher Answered and Why You Must Read Every Word of This Report

New Questions About Writing an Objective on a Resume for a Teacher Answered and Why You Must Read Every Word of This Report Special Education students want to communicate with you. Teachers have to get certified. Most teachers should list all their certifications, or any time they anticipate receiving them. Top Writing an Objective on a Resume for a Teacher Choices As a substitute teacher, you're predicted to manage a classroom as soon as the lead teacher is away for a short while. Teacher Resume Objective As a teacher, it's vital that you adequately convey you've got the abilities and dedication required to teach today's youth. In the event the normal teacher has left any instructions, make sure they're well followed. Developing a nice and noticeable teacher resume is crucial because it's the very first impression a school is likely to get of you. The Basic Facts of Writing an Objective on a Resume for a Teacher Consequently, you should make your career objective stick out. When you're asking for work, your very first aim is to let employers know your abilities and talents align with the demands of their open position. If that's the case, your resume can nevertheless be quantified, and provide the hiring manager a concrete idea of the reach of your abilities and abilities. For your objective statement to work, it has to demonstrate that as a teacher you've got the skills, knowledge, or experience to fit in the mission, vision, or aims of the school. You also ought to make certain that you are ready to answer any of the questions an interviewer may ask you. Finally, stating an objective is optional, but it might help convince employers that you understand what you want and know about the business. The info within the target statement may want to get customized based on your industry also. Keep in mind, you're an educator. You will just want to post credentials that are related to teaching. You will also find a good example of a resume wr itten especially for an early childhood education job. You didn't make a decision to be a teacher since you wished to turn into rich, you did it as you have passion for education. As a result, while your resume objective should incorporate information on the career you want, you also need to spell out why you are the perfect candidate for the job. The trick is to take a look at the substitute teacher job description. Thus don't get discouraged if the idea of embarking on a work search makes you wish to have a time-out. If you're applying for at least one different sort of job, there's a fantastic possibility you will neglect to update your resume objective statement. You can make your purpose more in quick. Resume objectives can be a little controversial. The absolute most efficient objective is one which is tailored to the job you're applying for. The resume objective is among the most essential paragraphs in a teacher's resumeif not the most essential. Whether you cal l it an objective statement or private summary, you wish to use the peak of your resume to grab the interest of the reader. The resume objective statement ought to take the format of a job-focused description of what you may lead to the employer. The Fight Against Writing an Objective on a Resume for a Teacher My goal is to find the job. If you don't have experience in the teaching position that you're applying for then don't panic, that isn't all that employers are seeking. A resume objective can explain why you're qualified for the job, even if it's the case that you do not own a lot of related experience.