The War for Talent Has Become the War on Talent

The War for Talent Has Become the War on Talent When I lost my job in 2006 I learned about this disgusting concept of the war for talent. I dont quite understand it completely, probably because Im not smart enough. But it feels to me like a big pot of bull. Some context for this post: New Study Reveals Skills Gap Grew By Double Digits Since Last Year Skills gap will cost US economy $1.2 trillion over the next decade Skills Gap Growing as Companies Struggle to Find Capable Talent Those are three Yahoo Finance articles.   The headlines are bleak. The arguments and stats are sometimes not as bleak, but I think the are very shortsighted. Since 2006 Ive been passionately involved in the job search space. Not from HRs perspective, not from the job board perspective (they cater to HR, not job seekers), but from the job seeker perspective. I have been an advocate of job seekers for almost 14 years now. I have traveled to many locations in the U.S., and some outside of the U.S., and have had opportunities to talk to JibberJobber users and my audience from around the globe. What I know is that there are a lot of exceptionally smart and talented people who are being overlooked for stupid reasons. One stupid reason to overlook this exceptional intelligence and talent is that, for some reason, job seekers are broken. They are, or should be, unhireable. The longer youve been out of work, the more broken you are. I dont have time to find out why you have been out of work for a long time, I am just going to sit here and stereotype that something is wrong with you. It would be easier for me, as a recruiter (disclaimer: I am not a recruiter) to justify why I  hired talent away from a competitor than why I hired someone who no one else would hire for the last year. Headlines, like the ones above, make it sound like there are not any smart humans around, and we are going to lose $1.2 trillion over the next decade because of it. Of course, we all know this is because schools arent focusing enough on teaching STEM, right? Why then can I go to various cities in the U.S. and speak to audiences from 10 to 300 people, who are ready and willing to plug right into your little talent deficit? Hello? Im waiting While you are coming up with a good answer, humor me by reading a recent tweet I wrote: The war for talent is stupid. Instead of saying how do we find someone with this skill companies need to say how do we find someone we can TRAIN to learn these skills? This is one reason I believe in @Pluralsights vision. â€" Jason Alba (@jasonalba) September 20, 2019 I recently worked at a company that was, what I thought, my dream company. Turned out, it was not meant to be. When I sat across the table from the lady who became my boss (the guy who hired me had left the company to start his own entrepreneurial endeavor), and she told me I had six weeks left, I had a lot of thoughts run through my mind. One of them was how Jim Collins talks about, in Good to Great, getting the right people on the boss. As I remember it, Jim made a strong argument for finding the right people and even if you didnt have a specific job for them, getting them on your bus. Now, I realize that you cant just go find a bunch of great people and get them on your bus if you (a) cant afford them, or (b) dont have anything for them to do (last thing you need is a dozen employees with no jobs, but hey, they are great cultural fits!). But when I was getting let go I kept thinking but Im the right person for this bus! Sure, you are eliminating my role, and the mini-department that I was supposedly going to run, but I have other talents, expertise, etc. I am clearly a great team and company and cultural fit, and Ill be a great cheerleader. I contribute. I add value. I have shown, in nine months, that I value and should get a seat on this bus.   Alas, the posters in the hallway, even the one that pulls from Collins book, was not aligned with this concept. You out. Da boot. Who cares about all that fluffy stuff. Who cares about the fit if we havent got a job description waiting and approved. Thats okay. I landed on my feet. But if I hadnt been working for twelve years on my other revenue streams, that would have been (another) devastating life experience. But I digress Companies will talk about the war for talent. How hard it is to hire a this person or a that person. Its nearly impossible. Lets change immigration laws so we can get more H-1B visas, because no one here is smart enough to do this job, and we just have to import the talent. I should mention Im not opposed to bringing talent in from outside of the U.S. But I am not happy to see talent that is here being thrown to the side of the road, ignored, trampled, and spit on. Ive seen this from Seattle to Orlando, from Boston to San Diego. I know Im not going to change the world. I wont change laws or affect how HR, recruiters, and hiring managers find and hire talent. But maybe just maybe, we can start to rethink what talent is. Maybe we can start to think about great companies and cultures that value humans, and instead of declare war on them, or war for them, we think of how we can re-skill people as the world changes. When I started college a friend from high school told me I had to get into programming. You learn new stuff all the time! Its awesome! Frankly, that sounded horrible to me. I didnt want to be in a role where I always had to learn, or Id get phased out. So I chose to major in Spanish (I changed that later), which is something that doesnt really change. I wanted to get my sheepskin, get into a great job/career, and then have a comfortable retirement. That is not how things are done today. Today we need to re-skill constantly. We need to continually learn new stuff. When I went to the Pluralsight conference (Aka LIVE!) and saw that was their theme (skills), and their focus around skills management, skills growth, skills measuring, and all thinks skills, I was completely on-board. It is OUR job to learn new skills. Yes, I think companies should create a learning environment, and they should help us retool and reskill regularly, but we need to understand that life and work now is all about learning new. new ways to do things, new ways of thinking. No longer can we rest on our laurels because we have a degree, or a masters degree. We need to seek out learning. We need to seek out change. We need to figure out how we can keep up on whats new, and adjust and shift and change. That concept sounded horrible to me back in the 1900s, but now its kind of exciting. To improve, to innovate, to keep up with and to stay competitive. Its our job to stay competitive. If our employer offers us real continual education, what a great blessing that is. But its our job to learn, to invest our time, and to keep up on ever changing skills. What I have found is that a person who does this and knows how to communicate it (personal marketing, personal branding, story telling, etc.), is the person who is unemployed for the shortest lengths of time. This is career management, and its ours to own. Now, what are YOU going to do for the rest of this year, and into 2020, to improve your skills? You already missed out on the $100 off special on Pluralsight (it will come around again). Tell me, whats your strategy? Because its much more fun to have a war FOR you than ON you, and that, my friend, is up to you. The War for Talent Has Become the War on Talent When I lost my job in 2006 I learned about this disgusting concept of the war for talent. I dont quite understand it completely, probably because Im not smart enough. But it feels to me like a big pot of bull. Some context for this post: New Study Reveals Skills Gap Grew By Double Digits Since Last Year Skills gap will cost US economy $1.2 trillion over the next decade Skills Gap Growing as Companies Struggle to Find Capable Talent Those are three Yahoo Finance articles.   The headlines are bleak. The arguments and stats are sometimes not as bleak, but I think the are very shortsighted. Since 2006 Ive been passionately involved in the job search space. Not from HRs perspective, not from the job board perspective (they cater to HR, not job seekers), but from the job seeker perspective. I have been an advocate of job seekers for almost 14 years now. I have traveled to many locations in the U.S., and some outside of the U.S., and have had opportunities to talk to JibberJobber users and my audience from around the globe. What I know is that there are a lot of exceptionally smart and talented people who are being overlooked for stupid reasons. One stupid reason to overlook this exceptional intelligence and talent is that, for some reason, job seekers are broken. They are, or should be, unhireable. The longer youve been out of work, the more broken you are. I dont have time to find out why you have been out of work for a long time, I am just going to sit here and stereotype that something is wrong with you. It would be easier for me, as a recruiter (disclaimer: I am not a recruiter) to justify why I  hired talent away from a competitor than why I hired someone who no one else would hire for the last year. Headlines, like the ones above, make it sound like there are not any smart humans around, and we are going to lose $1.2 trillion over the next decade because of it. Of course, we all know this is because schools arent focusing enough on teaching STEM, right? Why then can I go to various cities in the U.S. and speak to audiences from 10 to 300 people, who are ready and willing to plug right into your little talent deficit? Hello? Im waiting While you are coming up with a good answer, humor me by reading a recent tweet I wrote: The war for talent is stupid. Instead of saying how do we find someone with this skill companies need to say how do we find someone we can TRAIN to learn these skills? This is one reason I believe in @Pluralsights vision. â€" Jason Alba (@jasonalba) September 20, 2019 I recently worked at a company that was, what I thought, my dream company. Turned out, it was not meant to be. When I sat across the table from the lady who became my boss (the guy who hired me had left the company to start his own entrepreneurial endeavor), and she told me I had six weeks left, I had a lot of thoughts run through my mind. One of them was how Jim Collins talks about, in Good to Great, getting the right people on the boss. As I remember it, Jim made a strong argument for finding the right people and even if you didnt have a specific job for them, getting them on your bus. Now, I realize that you cant just go find a bunch of great people and get them on your bus if you (a) cant afford them, or (b) dont have anything for them to do (last thing you need is a dozen employees with no jobs, but hey, they are great cultural fits!). But when I was getting let go I kept thinking but Im the right person for this bus! Sure, you are eliminating my role, and the mini-department that I was supposedly going to run, but I have other talents, expertise, etc. I am clearly a great team and company and cultural fit, and Ill be a great cheerleader. I contribute. I add value. I have shown, in nine months, that I value and should get a seat on this bus.   Alas, the posters in the hallway, even the one that pulls from Collins book, was not aligned with this concept. You out. Da boot. Who cares about all that fluffy stuff. Who cares about the fit if we havent got a job description waiting and approved. Thats okay. I landed on my feet. But if I hadnt been working for twelve years on my other revenue streams, that would have been (another) devastating life experience. But I digress Companies will talk about the war for talent. How hard it is to hire a this person or a that person. Its nearly impossible. Lets change immigration laws so we can get more H-1B visas, because no one here is smart enough to do this job, and we just have to import the talent. I should mention Im not opposed to bringing talent in from outside of the U.S. But I am not happy to see talent that is here being thrown to the side of the road, ignored, trampled, and spit on. Ive seen this from Seattle to Orlando, from Boston to San Diego. I know Im not going to change the world. I wont change laws or affect how HR, recruiters, and hiring managers find and hire talent. But maybe just maybe, we can start to rethink what talent is. Maybe we can start to think about great companies and cultures that value humans, and instead of declare war on them, or war for them, we think of how we can re-skill people as the world changes. When I started college a friend from high school told me I had to get into programming. You learn new stuff all the time! Its awesome! Frankly, that sounded horrible to me. I didnt want to be in a role where I always had to learn, or Id get phased out. So I chose to major in Spanish (I changed that later), which is something that doesnt really change. I wanted to get my sheepskin, get into a great job/career, and then have a comfortable retirement. That is not how things are done today. Today we need to re-skill constantly. We need to continually learn new stuff. When I went to the Pluralsight conference (Aka LIVE!) and saw that was their theme (skills), and their focus around skills management, skills growth, skills measuring, and all thinks skills, I was completely on-board. It is OUR job to learn new skills. Yes, I think companies should create a learning environment, and they should help us retool and reskill regularly, but we need to understand that life and work now is all about learning new. new ways to do things, new ways of thinking. No longer can we rest on our laurels because we have a degree, or a masters degree. We need to seek out learning. We need to seek out change. We need to figure out how we can keep up on whats new, and adjust and shift and change. That concept sounded horrible to me back in the 1900s, but now its kind of exciting. To improve, to innovate, to keep up with and to stay competitive. Its our job to stay competitive. If our employer offers us real continual education, what a great blessing that is. But its our job to learn, to invest our time, and to keep up on ever changing skills. What I have found is that a person who does this and knows how to communicate it (personal marketing, personal branding, story telling, etc.), is the person who is unemployed for the shortest lengths of time. This is career management, and its ours to own. Now, what are YOU going to do for the rest of this year, and into 2020, to improve your skills? You already missed out on the $100 off special on Pluralsight (it will come around again). Tell me, whats your strategy? Because its much more fun to have a war FOR you than ON you, and that, my friend, is up to you.

Best Follow-up Call Script After An Interview (Example) - Algrim.co

Best Follow-up Call Script After An Interview (Example) - Algrim.co Calling your future employer after your interview can be a strong signal that you’re wanting to get the job. This can be ideal for those who are applying for retail positions, especially. A simple follow-up call, instead of an email, can make you appear eager. Which can bode well for you. But if not done correctly, it can also make you appear badgering. Which we don’t want. Before you jump into the call, it’s important to recognize the type of job you’re applying for and whether or not a follow-up call is appropriate. If you’re applying for retail positions or any type of position which may not have had a Human Resources manager do your hiring, then a follow-up call might work best for you. This would be a position like a Starbucks Barista, for example. If the position you applied for had a Human Resources manager performing most of the interview planning, a follow-up email after your interview might get you a better response. The way to know is quite simple, did the manager give you a phone number to reach them at? Or an email address? If they gave you an email address, then they prefer email. Table of Contents When To Make Your Call How Soon To Make The Phone Call Have A Plan With Your Phone Call If The Manager Responds Poorly Your Follow-up Phone Call Script When To Make Your Call Planning your call is just as important as the call itself. You want to make sure the manager or interviewer will be available. Additionally, you want to be sure they are going to be able to talk for the 10 minutes that you might ask them for. You’ll need to catch them at optimal times. The best times to make your phone call would be when the manager is first arriving to work, after they are finished with lunch, or when they are almost completed with their workday. For example: 8:30am 1:30pm 4:30pm These would be the optimal times to make your follow-up phone call. How Soon To Make The Phone Call This is key, don’t make your phone call too soon. If you haven’t heard back from your interviewer within 3-4 business or working days, then you might want to make the call. But if it has been less than 48 hours, calling your interviewer might seem overly eager and that could indicate that you might be difficult to work with. The only time this rule would be broken is if your interviewer told you specifically, “We’ll get back to you in the next 24 hours.” Only if they said that, would it be advisable to make your phone call. Have A Plan With Your Phone Call It’s always best to have a plan with your phone call. A few questions that you’d like to ask or a few points that you might want to bring up. This is in response to the manager's questions that they might ask you. For example, if the manager asks, “Why did you call? I haven’t processed our interviewers yet.” Then you should say something along the lines of, “OK, I wasn’t sure. If there are any questions that you have regarding the details on the application or questions that were not answered as part of the interview, let me know.” If you have questions that you want to be answered, be sure that you have them written down and prepared in advance. Avoid any questions regarding feedback. For example, if you are curious about how you performed during your interview. This would be a question to avoid. Stay focused on asking them if they need anything further to help with your application process. If The Manager Responds Poorly This can always be a risk with a follow-up phone call. The manager might be occupied or feeling like they don’t want to deal with your phone call at the moment. If this happens, here’s how you should respond. Say something along the lines of, “I apologize if I caught you at a bad time. I’m very excited about this position and being able to work with you. I can absolutely call back at a later time. Again, I apologize if this caused you any inconvenience.” Your Follow-up Phone Call Script Here’s the ideal follow-up phone call script you can use when making your call. If you vary from it slightly, that’s okay. Be sure that you are promoting the fact that you are eager about the position and that you are making the phone call to help ensure that you are proving the utmost of guidance to the interviewer in order for them to make the most informed decision. “Hi there. I wanted to give you a ring to follow-up on the interview from the other day. I haven’t heard back yet and I am really eager about this position and the opportunity to be able to work with you. I understand how time can get away from us sometimes and I don’t know if you had any chance to review all of the interview sessions. But I wanted to make the call anyway and see if there was anything I could provide you to help with your assessments.”

Landing Your First Job After College

Landing Your First Job After College Graduating from college is one of the best days that can be encountered by most students. The completion of a discipline marks the achievement of another milestone, one more step closer towards building the career of one’s dreams. By this time, it is normal to have a better picture than before of what you hope to achieve â€" either go into further studies or use your currently earned milestone to secure that first job after college. The truth is, finding a job after college can be quite strenuous and tasking. This is often due to high competition for one job position among dozens of applicants. There is also the time factor. There are situations where certain positions are open for a limited time then closed before fresh graduates even have the time to view them. Another factor to take note of is the fact that some graduating students do not even know what to do after college. In the instances where their peers were busy searching out options under the guise of ‘searching for my assignment help’ these folks were probably too immersed in the now to see ahead. We must realize that a lot of arrangements can be concluded before completing college. Arrangements like job hunting, getting required documents and the likes can be made with ease. With the next set of tips, you will discover that it’s quite possible for one to sow the seedlings of a successful career after graduation. All it takes is proper planning and appropriate help. The power of connections One of the most popular ways to get information on any prospective job can be seen in the power of networking. From your early days at the college, it is advisable to begin building networks with other students around. You may never know how influential they might become. Also connecting with seniors in the same course can help you avoid a slew of unpopular mistakes and assumptions that could hamper your attempts to earn steady. Job Shadowing Job shadowing is a situation where a person who is experienced in your field of interest allows you to follow his daily routine in person. You have the chance to observe them dealing with office issues or making vital decisions. Job shadowing is an amazing way of discovering jobs for college graduates who want to meet new people within a short time. It is also effective to a large extent since it allows one to make a good impression without having to show a CV. Search out preferred workplaces Being streamlined about where you want to secure employment can prove to be time-effective. This is because you don’t get to spend your time searching out companies that would make you hate your job. Also, having a specific choice for employment gives you an idea of what you need. This invariably means that you also get an idea of the various actions you need to take to make the requirements a reality. Besides, this is you choosing what will help you be effective. It’s totally detrimental to begin your career in a company that doesn’t share your values and has no effect on your aspirations. It’s advisable to start searching before you graduate. Brush up your resume and CV As you begin to get a clearer image of what you want, the next thing you would want to do is create a more specific resume. Or you could edit the current one you have. Endeavor to make your resume as targeted as possible; do not settle for generic â€"type resumes. Do the same with your CV, and set yourself up for a great career start. You can read articles that would guide you in remodeling your resume or ask for tips from the career office in your school. Internships are a boost If during your search and inquiries you discover that you have a hard time meeting the requirements of your desired company, taking internships during summer holidays can help tackle that. It’s a sure way of getting valuable experience and potentially useful connections. Balance it all It won’t be good if, after all your efforts lead to an interview at the company of your choice, you show up in the poorest state of health or appearance. Endeavor to take care of yourself â€" exercise, proper diet, moments of meditation to help you regain your calm and think clearly to forge new strategies. Your health is a very vital part of you; don’t ever put it on the back seat only to use your salary to start reviving it.

OMG! Did You Really Use That as Your Profile Pic

OMG! Did You Really Use That as Your Profile Pic We all know that first impressions count. In business it is so important and in the world of social media platforms that first impression can cost you dearly if you get it wrong. There are many horror stories of people posting mad things to Facebook etc, but historically most have been more conservative with LinkedIn. Sadly, that trend seems to be changing, and there are more and more posts appearing of things like motivational quotes, cartoons, religious posts, general funnies, and other things not quite right for the platform. If we don’t like what we see on our feed we can easily hide that person’s posts. They  then loses the traction they were hoping for, and us as an audience. Shame for them, and silly really. Be found One of the keys of using LinkedIn successfully, is to be found. Be found for the things we want to be found for, and when someone does find us, let them see the very best impression of us that we can. After all, we want them to contact us don’t we? Of course there is a lot that goes into being found on LinkedIn, but once you are found what impression do you give? One of the most obvious and simple things to get right is your profile photo. I’ve been doing some work for a client recently, helping them to improve their LinkedIn profiles and along the way been updating my resources, including finding example profile pictures to help them understand the right kind of photos to use, and the kind not to. OMG really? Along the way I have seen some great stuff, and I’ve also seen some shockers. I mean seriously, do you really think a photo of you in a very revealing ball dress, taken in a hotel bathroom was a good idea? You pole-dancing? Walking your dog? A wedding shot? Holding up the Leaning Tower of Pisa? And amazingly there were worse too. And before you ask, yes these are real and were all from professional people; not escorts, pole dancers, dog walkers, wedding planners and travel reps â€" they are Recruiters, Accountants, Lawyers, Marketeers  and HR Consultants. Studies on the subject show that your profile is 40% more likely to be viewed if you have a photo, and that the right photo helps to humanise you, warm the reader to you personally, and start the know, like and trust process off in the right way. Getting it right The right photo does wonders for you and your reputation. The goal is to help the reader want to find out more and show you how you want to be seen. How you want to be seen is very much about the right business impression, not a photo where you think you look nice! So, here are a few simple dos and don’ts for showing a great LinkedIn profile photo: Do have a close up (a headshot) Don’t show your partner or kids No Facebook type photos It needs to be you (and you recently) No cartoons or avatars No company logos No selfies Worst of all â€" leaving it blank! Please check out your photo again and decide if it shows you in the way you want to be seen. And if you are in any doubt, show a trusted colleague, your mother, father, sister, brother or your boss â€" they will be very honest with you! And, if you are still in any doubt a headshot photographer will do you a great job for you, if your budget stretches to using one (they are not as pricey as you might think). But if not, then a nice close up of you, dressed appropriately against a neutral background can be taken with any smart phone these days and will work very well indeed. About the author:  James Nathan runs the James Nathan experience; the Business Development, Sales and Service Excellence Expert for Professional Recruiters.

12 Steps to Landing A Government Job CareerMetis.com

12 Steps to Landing A Government Job Certain job markets have more incentive for those looking for employment. If you’re looking for a stable career with fantastic benefits, you may have considered the health care or education industries, but there’s another major sector you should look into. Government is a prominent, promising career choice for people from all fields.Because it’s so expansive, federal employment offers many different career paths. You can work in a local or national government on a variety of issues or grow in a singular role that leans more toward administrative or technical duties.evalWherever you want to take your career, landing a government job is the first step to make that happen. For some people, the application and interview process can be confusing because of how it differs from finding a private-sector job.Read on to learn how to get a government job no matter your experience. With the right preparation, you’ll land the post you’re looking for and enjoy being part of an essential public program.1) Do Your ResearchevalWhen you’re looking for a government position, the first thing you should do is read about the organization, branch or office you want to work with.Start by visiting its main website to read about its mission statement and what the department does. Memorize core points and beliefs to bring them to your interview and show you’re a good fit for the organization.Check the news and any press linked on the website to find out what the office is currently doing and what future projects might be. Read through social media, as well. You’ll either find more information that excites you about the position or discover you might not be such a great fit, after all.2) Emphasize Your SkillsUnemployment is at a significant low of 4.1%, which means that with less competition, it’s the perfect time to get your foot in the door. Still, thousands of people apply for government jobs every day, so you’ll need to stand out more than in a typical job applicat ion.Either on your resume or in a questionnaire, emphasize your strongest skills by relaying situations where you led a team, took on a particular challenge or solved a problem. Talk about how those attributes will benefit the organization if you are hired and describe how they will grow with time.evalEmployers want to know why you should join their team, which means you should bring something to the table after you get hired and continue growing in your time on the job.3) Avoid Job ScamsBecause so many people want to get a government job, sometimes scams are involved. Be on the lookout for anything that asks you to pay to applyto jobs. You should never be told there’s a position waiting for you or a guarantee of employment after purchase. No legitimate job will ask you to pay for anything, give your bank account information or provide your Social Security number.If you happen to fall for a job scam, don’t panic. You can call the FTC hotline and report what you saw. You won’t be penalized for the mistake, so it won’t be counted against you in future applications.4) Read the Occupational QuestionnaireAt the end of some job posts, you may see an occupational questionnaire. Although you might think you answered the questions in your resume or cover letter, you still need to read and answer each question. These narrow down what they’re looking for in a candidate, which gives you another opportunity to pitch yourself. This might also appear under the Who May Apply and Qualifications sections, depending on the job.eval5) Sign up for EmailsevalWhile you’re flipping through job posts, don’t forget to sign up for email alerts. There are always new positions being posted that you might miss because you’re filtering by keywords. Daily or weekly emails will round up new availabilities and provide a fresh perspective on what your opportunities are.After you’ve searched through potential jobs for days or weeks on end, the listings will start to look the sa me. Email notifications direct you to the most recent posts, which you may accidentally skip over otherwise.6) Review Your ResumeOnce you’ve found a few jobs that interest you, wait to send out your application. First, you’ll need to review your resume. The federal application process is very specific because it runs all submitted resumes through computer programs.These look for certain buzzwords, so take the time to make your resume shine no matter what experience you have. Include words such as:DevelopedMaintainedOversawCreatedSupportedConsider the length of your resume, as well. Traditional jobs prefer resumes to fit on one page, but government jobs want one to three pagesper resume to get a better understanding of the applicant. Once you have your buzzwords and length, tailor your resume for each application by putting the most relevant experience at the top and working your way down.7) Check Your StatusAfter you’ve completed an application and clicked the submit button, m ost sites will provide a status that shows you where it is within the hiring process.Check it whenever you need to, instead of calling an HR department for a follow-up. The status will be “reviewed” if someone has considered your application, “referred” if you’ve been passed on to the hiring manager or “not referred” if you’re no longer in the running for that role.8) Ask the Right QuestionsSchedule your first interview and celebrate, but remember to sit down and think about what questions you’ll ask during the interview. It’s not enough to have the best answers. You also have to show you’re inquisitive.The right questions are the ones you can’t get an answer to with a quick internet search. A great example of this is health care. If you ask whether or not the job includes benefits, you’ll look like you didn’t do your research. Government jobs traditionally provide extensive and high-quality health insurancefor full-time employees.evalInstead, ask job-spe cific questions about what they expect from the role, how you can develop it and what your day-to-day responsibilities will look like.9) Understand What’s ExpectedWhile you’re considering a job post, make sure you understand what’s expected of the selected candidate. You might see the terms “competitive” and “excepted” service and skim over them, but they clarify who should apply for the job.Competitive service is much more strict since they look through all applicants but only refer a few. After you apply to a competitive service job, you’ll need to complete a written testand go through separate evaluations that consider your education, experience and any other skills you have.Excepted service is slightly less strict because these jobs are typically only attorney positions. Since attorneys must go through rigorous exams to pass the bar, they prove themselves long before any evaluations need to be done.10) Know the Job RequirementsReviewing the job requirements on ev ery job post should be a habit you develop quickly, but you also must remember them when you move forward in the application process. You’ll need to know what you’ll do in the position and what your weekly schedule will look like. While looking for these requirements, you might find that the job includes a flex-time program, so you’re not locked down to the standard 9-5 workday.evalRequirements may also guide the questions you write down for your interview. You’ll want to know everything you can about what the selected candidate will do in that position and avoid asking questions that were already answered in the job post. This kind of research seems straightforward, but not reading through a listing happens more often than you might assume. Give yourself the best chance of landing the job by learning everything you can about it before walking into an interview.11) Serve in the Peace CorpsIf you’ve struggled through multiple non-referral applications or don’t have the ex perience needed for government job positions, you may want to consider serving in the Peace Corps. You’ll travel the world and help others as an international volunteer.Peace Corps provides you with a monthly living stipend, extensive health and dental insurance, and vacation time.Once you’ve spent three years with the Peace Corps, you’ll earn non-competitive eligibility status, which makes you more likely to find employment with a government agency. This is a great option for those who wish they could travel more and develop their skills at the same time.12) Show Your ConfidenceTaking on a government job is a huge responsibility. When you go in for an interview, project a strong level of confidencefrom the moment you walk through the front door. Dress as though you’ve already won the role, always give a firm handshake and maintain eye contact with every answer you give.Even if you can’t think of a response to a question right away, pausing to think shows you’re consider ate and taking the interview seriously. Sometimes confidence lands you a job faster than someone reviewing your resume.Land That Government JobBy keeping these tips in mind and following the right process as you begin your government job search, you’ll stand a better chance of landing the right post for you.

Three Secrets From My Skillshare Class

Three Secrets From My Skillshare Class 3 Secrets From My Free Skillshare Class Building your personal brand requires some reflection and I walk you through how to do this (and share examples) in my free Skillshare class! If youve put off defining your personal brand or you havent evaluated your personal brand lately, now it a great time to do it! But first, a confession It took me a long time to fine-tune my personal brand. I thought I knew what made me special or different. But it turned out, it wasnt all that special or different. As I looked at what other career professionals were saying about themselves and their business, I lifted ideas and kept experimenting. (Im still experimenting). You see, your brand isnt once and done and you shouldnt set it and forget it. It evolves over time. I believe the more personal flavor you inject into your brand, the more it will stick with people. Dont be afraid to include your secret or confess something personal. It makes you more real. The Backstory One day, out of the blue, I got an email from Zoë Björnson at about.me asking if I wanted to do a class on personal branding. I was surprised, honored and scared all at the same time. Long ago, about.me  featured me as one of the top  career experts on about.me. (And I was surprised and honored  back then too!) Recruiters and Career Experts: Staff Picks I knew I had to do the class so I said yes! And after working virtually with Zoë Björnson (about.me) and Becca Cloyd (Skillshare), I was on my way to New York City for a fun-filled day of filming! My new best friends at @skillshare Thank you all! pic.twitter.com/MbUjPGYbeU â€" Hannah Morgan (@careersherpa) May 12, 2017 Along the way, I met these other cool people! (Yes, Steve Carter is also from Rochester, NY and we  didnt know each other before. Small world!) The moral of this story is I would NEVER have been featured by about.me or invited to do a class (on anything) had I NOT built a reputation for being knowledgeable about job search and personal branding. I built it and they came! This is proof personal branding CAN work. 3 Secrets From My Free Skillshare Class During the class,  Personal Branding First Impressions: Writing Your Bio for Social Media  , I reveal secrets about personal branding, but let me share several with you now! Here are the top 3: Your personal brand is what people say about you when you arent in the room- thats it! (Ask people you know to describe you) Your first and last name are part of your personal brand. Use them! Use your email signature to highlight your personal brand! See what to include here. And about.me has an embeddable link you can use too! Who Is This Class For? The short answer is anyone. But here are the types of people I think the class will help: If you are unemployed, you need an ego boost. Defining your personal brand will give you one. Plus help you stand out. If you are ready for the next step in your career, youll benefit from having a well-positioned message. If you have a side-hustle (or are thinking about a side-hustle) then you absolutely need to refine your personal brand. If you have your own business, your personal brand is a must! Actionable Help The class includes 30 minutes of videos and worksheets! But your work isnt done in a vacuum.  I encourage you to share your work with the class.  Not only will you get my feedback, but feedback from others in the class, too. What better place to test your personal brand message, but as a class project. Upload your written summary or share a screenshot of your about.me page, or both! So what are you waiting for? The class is free when you sign up using this link:  Personal Branding First Impressions: Writing Your Bio for Social Media     Plus, as a special bonus to my readers, youll get two (2) months of Skillshare Premium access for free. (Check out the amazing classes available on Skillshare.) Ive listed the class on my Upcoming Workshops page and you can read the full class description there. More Articles On Personal Branding Even though Ive written and spoken about personal branding for a long, long time, its still difficult to define and even harder for students to put into practice. Here are articles that may help you as you refine and disseminate your personal brand. Your Summary, Profile, and Pitch   Free Tools For A Better Online Presence How To Build A Better Bio Demonstrate Your Social Prowess (with about.me) How To Create A Cohesive Social Branding Kit

Writing Good Resume Summary

Writing Good Resume SummaryWhat should be the first thing that you put on your resume if you have not thought of it before? It might be hard to believe, but the first thing you put on your resume will be what helps it stand out from the rest. Since so many people start their jobs with a resume, some of the words that they choose to put on it are not exactly accurate or even helpful. Here are some things to remember when making a resume summary.Read through your resume cover to cover and go over each section. Think about what it is that you would like the reader to remember. It might be a list of qualifications, a few accomplishments, a summary of skills, a short story, or even an inspirational quote. Whatever it is, take a minute to think about it and see what it will do for you.Make sure that you remember the first and most important rule of writing: Be concise. Making your resume too long means that you will not get any attention when you apply for a job. You don't want to waste yo ur precious time writing your resume just to find out that it doesn't give you the interview you wanted.So, go to your local library and look at some good examples of resumes examples. Do some research on how to make a resume that stands out from the rest. This can help you get a better understanding of what you need to include on it.It is also important to make a note of what you like and dislike about the person you are applying to. It can help you come up with a job offer that you are more likely to accept. In addition, your resume summary will help you figure out how to respond in the future if you do get a job.When making a resume summary, usea simple sentence or two to define yourself and emphasize the positive. It will allow your potential employer to quickly determine if you have what it takes to be a part of their company.If you can help it, make your resume as long as possible but concise. It can sometimes feel awkward or unnatural when you are making a resume and not bein g able to fit everything you want to say into it.With a bit of research and practice, you can start to make some headway in finding better job opportunities. Make sure that you do your part for those who apply by making your resume a good one.