Work, success, and meaning at every stage of your career
Today we cover how to make sure your resume and your skills are in place for being “discovered” by recruiters. A Chicago Tribune business article recently offered creative ways to get in front of managers who might be hiring. One of them is my personal favorite, which is to position yourself as an expert.
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.
If you’re a big-picture, inspirational leader, you may rely heavily on your charisma and persuasive skills to win over skeptics. That’s fine, until you encounter a data-driven analytical type who cares more about whether you’ve done your homework than how fine your words are.
Personality conflicts are a fact of life in the office. Even if a team has the same goals, they will differ on how to achieve them. Understanding your own communication style and decision process is important if you want a successful team. Even more important than self awareness, though, is your ability to adapt to the other team members’ styles when communicating with them.
So, genius (or at least mastery) is achievable for all of us. That’s the good news – you don’t have to be born brilliant to become brilliant. That’s also the bad news – you’re only as good as you want to be.
Your Work, Your Way 