Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Jenna Fischer’s story is closer to what it takes to be “discovered” as a jobseeker today. We all hope that our resume is like Lana Turner; so gorgeous that we can just sit on a stool and someone will walk by and offer to change our life forever. But most of us would do better to follow Jenna Fischer’s path.
It’s election time here in Jacksonville; our local mayoral and city council races are in full swing. It strikes me that your job search is a little like a race. Maybe there’s something you can learn from a well-run campaign.
First, a well-run campaign seeks out the best advice it can get. Candidates get help with organizing, messaging, and reaching out to voters and donors. The best candidates also talk to experts on issues and get candid feedback on their appearance and speaking skills.
It’s election time here in Jacksonville; our local mayoral and city council races are in full swing. It strikes me that your job search is a little like a political race. Maybe there’s something you can learn from a successful candidate for office.
Being tuned in to other people’s emotions – and taking steps to make them feel better about themselves – will help you become more likeable. Lowndes says that people will associate you – and the memory of you – with the emotion they experienced when they met you. If you make someone uncomfortable, she’ll avoid you. Make him feel warm and appreciated, and he’ll get a warm feeling whenever he thinks about you.
Leil Lowndes is a management consultant and speaker and author of How to Instantly Connect with Anyone: 96 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships. Her book helps you understand the basics of making other people feel comfortable and, well, good around you. Her theory is that if you make someone feel good about themselves, they will get a warm, Pavlovian feeling every time they see you. Conversely, if you make people uncomfortable, that sense of unease follows whenever they see you.
Bill Lynch had over 30 years of successful operations management, an MBA, and standout community service on his resume. Before his job ended in September 2010 (he’d seen it coming for a while), he decided to completely retool his skills and experience and pursue another field altogether.
It’s that time of year – almost everyone resolves to make a fresh start around January 1. Even people who disdain New Year’s resolutions love the idea of turning the page on the calendar, especially if 2010 was a year with a long and grueling job search. Here are some ideas for New Year’s resolutions if you’re still in the market.
Although the common wisdom is that the holidays are a bad time to do a job search, you can make the time very productive for yourself. While it’s true that fewer people leave positions during the holiday season (hanging on for year end bonuses and office parties) they do tend to begin the new year by making career moves. January is the start of the new calendar year and often the fiscal year, so many departments start filling positions that have been sitting vacant.
In a world where stressed out and boorish job candidates are the norm, you can really stand out as a job candidate by exhibiting classy behavior. Here are some ways to prove that your mama raised you well.
Matthew Barrett, founder of Brain Trainers, was the speaker for our November 18 WorkSource Professional Network meeting. The primary reason people can’t remember facts, faces or names is that they can’t retrieve the information from their long term memory – what Barrett calls the “file cabinet.” Some information never gets from short-term memory – he calls it “the desktop” to long-term. Some information is filed, but may not be easily retrieved upon command. There are a couple of factors that can inhibit memory and recall.
