How Do I Find An Exciting New Role Without Taking Another Step Backwards In My Career

“How Do I Find An Exciting New Role â€" Without Taking Another Step Backwards In My Career” Help from our Community “How Do I Find An Exciting New Role â€" Without Taking Another Step Backwards In My Career?” * Zadie's role is becoming an increasingly poor fit, and she's ready for a new challenge. The problem is, she's already re-started from the bottom of the ladder once before, and she's not keen to do it again. How do you move into exciting new work without taking a drop in status and salary? What's your career history and current job? I started my career in a bank contact centre. After a few years, I decided to move into a more junior role, in project management for a financial consultancy firm. That's what I'm doing now. How do you feel about your work? I like the company I work for, and I love interacting with new and different people every day. Ienjoy working on projects as part of a large and vibrant team, seeing our ideas and initiatives come to life. I'm proud to be part of the resulting success. In the beginning, my role was an exciting challenge. I love any opportunity to learn something new, and I'vehoned my project management expertise over the past few years. But my work is becoming more and more technical, which is an aspect Idon't enjoy. It's hard for me to get excited about purely technical projects, as it can be difficult to see how they'll benefit real people. The skills needed to manage intricate technical projects don't come naturally to me, and I don't feel that they fit my personality. I'm an outgoing person who much prefers collaborating with other peopleto analysing complicated data in a quiet room. Our team's workload is always extremely heavy, and we'll often be given rushed, unrealistic deadlines to work towards. Unfortunately, this reduces the buzz and energy that come from working in a team, because people become frustrated and snappy instead of contributing positive ideas. What would you like to be doing instead? I'd love to do something that uses my project management skills in a lively and collaborative way, but that also directly contributes to others' well-being. Moving into a learning and development role, in which the projects I manage are less technical and more people-based, feels like the ideal next step for me. What's the biggest obstacle in your way? I can't afford to take another step backwards in my career. In my previous role at the bank, I'd achieved promotion to Team Leader. But I chose to take a more junior role in project management because I wanted to learn something new. I started at the bottom, and I've worked hard. I'm proud to have developed a strong and diverse skill set that I don't want to waste. I'm a natural communicator who's able to inspire and motivate others, and now I can combine that with experience and knowledge of complex project management processes. I know that there's a lot I could bring to a new role. But because I haven't got any direct qualifications or experience in learning and development, I keep getting rejected for any similar-level roles I apply for. I've tried including a specific covering letter with each of my applications, so employers can understand the skills I have to offer, and why I want to make a change. But I feel that when faced with the choice between my CV, and one from a less-experienced new graduate, I'll lose out every time, because I can't accept a lower salary than I'm earning now. I'm a very pro-active person. I've done bold things like move to a completely new and unfamiliar city, and there's nothing I love more than challenging myself. But this is one challenge that might just defeat me. It's hard to stay fired-up and motivated about a new career plan, when all I experience is constant rejection. How can I find an exciting role that suits me, at the right level? Can you help Zadie? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? How do you think Zadie could move her shift forwards? Do you know anyone she could talk to? Share your thoughts in the comments below and click the thumbs-up button to show your support.

How Great Content Fuels Employee Advocacy

How Great Content Fuels Employee Advocacy Employees can be the best advocates for your company. Not only can you expand your social media reach to their networks, but the public are much more likely to trust brand messages if they come from a real person, rather than an  official source. Findings suggest that 84% of  people trust recommendations from people they know, meaning your employees friends could soon be converted into customers. Content marketing is another marketing technique that he proven to be effective for attracting new customers, as well as retaining existing ones. By sharing interesting content about the industry, your audience are likely to share it on social media, expanding your brand awareness and driving traffic to your website. So what are you waiting for? Surely it makes sense to combine the two, right? The two techniques fit hand in hand. Your employees can be your social media superstars, but for their work  to be really effective they need quality content to share. Trapit have explained how you can integrate the two. Why do content marketing? In 2014 users shared 2,460,000 pieces of content every minute. In 2015 Twitter users send 347,222 tweets every minute. How can you stand out? Organic reach Is on the decline. Companies reach between 2% and 6% of their followers on social media and people dont trust brands. Paid reach  54% of of ads arent actually seen by humans, so money is wasted. Only 48% of people trust ads on social media. Employee advocacy Your best marketing asset on social media. Why use employee advocacy? 84% of people trust recommendations from people they know. Buyers want authentic human interactions. Brand messages are shared 24% more when distributed by employees, rather than the brand itself. Leads from employee social marketing convert 7% more than other leads. How to  combine the two Employees need content to share, but marketers cant produce enough to meet their needs. (E.g . 10-14 updates a day on Twitter) The answer is to supplement your content with other peoples content that you have curated from other sources. For every self serving tweet, you should share one relevant tweet and four pieces of content written by other people. Store content in a library where employees can easily access it and share it. Developing  a strategy Who will be in charge of your strategy? How will the content be organised? What types of content should employees share? What types of content do customers want to see? More on this topic at  Employee Advocacy: The Ultimate Handbook.

Work Remotely Heres How to Get that Promotion - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Work Remotely Here’s How to Get that Promotion - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Working remotely has it perks, but it’s also easy to be forgotten. While telecommuting has become an accepted practice for all size companies, moving up when you work from home can sometimes be harder to do. After all, remote workers have to be self-promoters if they want to get ahead when they aren’t in the office on a daily basis. “There is one attribute that is most important to maintain a successful long-distance working relationship, and that’s being proactive,” says Becky Karsh, executive director of partnerships for Fullbridge, the company that trains students for professional jobs. “It’s important to stay in front of everyone when you work remotely.” Rewind even a few years and studies showed workers who telecommuted were less likely to get a promotion compared to those who were in the office every day. While that may be the case with some companies even today, it doesn’t have to be your outcome, granted you put in the extra work. Use Technology To Your Advantage Thanks to advances in technology, people can be in far flung corners of the world and still work together. But that same technology can also be harmful because it reduces the need for personal communications. When you work remotely, it’s easy to hide behind the technology to avoid in- person conversations, but that won’t get you promoted. But leveraging technology to build and maintain relationships will. One of the best ways to prevent yourself from being forgotten and to stay front and center in your boss’ mind is to use technology to keep in touch. Email may be the preferred method of communications in your company, but you should also try to get some in-person time via phone or video conferencing. “Pick up the phone every so often to discuss a project, rather than relying on a long email thread,” says Amanda Augustine, a career management expert. “If your colleagues are having a meeting at the office, ask to be dialed in so you can actively participate.” Utilizing t hings like Skype for video conferencing can go a long way in building and maintaining a good relationship with a remote boss. If you can swing it showing your face in the office every now and then will also help you take a pulse of the environment and make sure your boss doesn’t forget about you. Remote Workers Have To Give 100% And Then Some Moving up in an organization when you work remotely is going to require hard work and the ability to go the extra mile. Rightly or wrongly, remote workers are at a disadvantage and as a result cant take it easy because the boss isn’t around. Companies new to the work-at-home culture are going to be skeptical and almost expect you to slack off. But doing the opposite will get you recognition and keep you in your boss’ mind in a positive way. “Avoid slacking off. Your boss will know,” says Karsh. “Just because you don’t work in the same place as your boss, it’s important to keep up your hard work and dedication. Your teammates will notice, your coworkers will notice, and your boss will definitely notice.” Sell Yourself Everyday Remote workers have to be a salesman of sorts when trying to move up in a company they have never physically visited. That means being proactive in how you communicate with your boss, even if your job doesnt require you talk to your hiring manager that often. That can be achieved by setting up weekly phone calls or instant messaging sessions where you can check in. Its also important to send weekly updates, include your boss on relevant emails and keep him or her abreast on what you are doing. Getting in front of the communications will not only demonstrate your commitment but prove your mettle as a remote employee. Often being proactive can lead to a relationship based on trust, when your boss knows you can be counted on and that you’re working hard without having to be micro managed. “Demonstrate your commitment and dedication to the job on a daily basis. This means not only delivering above-average and quality work, but showing that you’re connected and available when your b oss needs you,” says Augustine. “Be cognizant of how long it takes you to respond to emails and complete your projects during your established working hours.” If you answer your boss’ email quickly and outperform you are going to become an indispensable resource regardless of where you are located.

10 Ways to Create an All-Star Graduate LinkedIn Profile

10 Ways to Create an All-Star Graduate LinkedIn Profile Graduate recruiters are using LinkedIn to find the best candidates in the market. Meanwhile tech savvy job hunters have been using the site for a number of years to network with other professionals in the field or to ‘follow’ companies they wish to work for. As a graduate, its important not only to have an up-to-date CV but also to have an optimised LinkedIn profile to maximise your chances of finding your dream job. Its a powerful tool that can help open doors and alert you to new opportunities if you invest the time and energy on using the site to its full potential.  Here are 10 top tips on creating a killer LinkedIn graduate profile: 1) Write your headline: LinkedIn automatically puts your current position as your profile headline. Change it. Try to stand out by stating what you have to offer and identifying your unique selling point to attract recruiters. DO: Psychology Graduate, Specialising in Survey Design. Interested in Market Research and Analysis DONT: Motivated Graduate Looking to Work in Market Research READ MORE: 10 LinkedIn Headlines that Stand Out from the Crowd 2) Choose an appropriate photo: LinkedIn is not Facebook, so having a photo of you holding a glass of wine is a no-no. Neither should you feel that you have to put your passport photo up. Choose a good headshot with a neutral/inoffensive background. You want to be personable and yet professional. People will make assumptions based on your photos so you might as well make it a good one. READ MORE: Top 7 LinkedIn Profile Pictures You Should NEVER Use 3) Use keywords: Use keywords when describing your work. The more industry-relevant keywords you have in your profile, the higher you are on a recruiter’s search rankings. This increases the chances of your profile getting noticed. Breakout the keywords in the skills section since this will come up in search as well, extra points if you can rack up Endorsements for your skills. Keywords is not just about industry buzzwords. Often graduates forget that the programming languages, or industry specific tools like Google Analytics, Photoshop, etc. are keywords that should be found on their profile rather than just something like “campaign management”. READ MORE: How to Boost Your LinkedIn Endorsements 4) Only include relevant jobs: If you’re applying to be an accountant for one of the Big 4 you probably don’t need to say you served Big Macs at 16! 5) Complete the summary: Treat it like your short personal advertisement/covering letter. Assert your personality and sell yourself. There’s also a lot of scope to be creative here, why not try embedding a short video clip where you talk about yourself? RELATED: Do Yourself a Favor and Spruce Up Your LinkedIn Summary! 6) Highlight what you can do: LinkedIn has introduced a new section where you can add your skills, languages, certifications and publications.   The skills section allows recruiters to search for a particular combination of skills, which you may well have. As above, get endorsements for your skills where you can. Good: Brag about your achievements Not-So-Good: Lie or stretch the truth about the number and extent of your skills You can also make your profile a bit more visual by adding links, Slideshare presentations, videos and images to showcase your work. As in the example below, I have included links to other websites I’ve worked on as well as information about each individual project I’ve been involved in. 7) Get recommendations: If you did an internship and made a great impression on your employers, don’t be afraid to approach them for a recommendation. It lends your profile more credibility. Plus, what’s better than a third-party endorsement? RELATED:  LinkedIn Recommendations: How Many Do You Need and How Do You Get Them? 8) Claim your vanity URL: Personalise the web address for your LinkedIn profile. This helps your results especially if employers search for you on Google as well as making it easy to share the link to your profile. 9) Adjust your public profile settings: Go to the settings and select which sections are visible on your public profile. I would recommend having the summary, your current position, skills and education visible. There’s no point in crafting a killer profile and then hiding it under a bushel. 10) Update regularly: Your profile should evolve with you. It’s been a while since I’ve been a fresh graduate so I’ve made sure to update my own  LinkedIn profile  at appropriate points in my career to reflect the changes. By constantly updating your profile, you’ll have a handy jump-off point whenever you need to update your CV and look for a new challenge. Do you have any other tips? Let us know in the comments below!

Writing a Musical Theatre Resume

Writing a Musical Theatre ResumeWriting a musical theatre resume can be a little tricky if you are a new grad. But as long as you know what to write, it can be a lot of fun to make your first impression.Many new grads get all worked up about the paperwork that goes along with writing a resume. They think it is just too much hassle. That is not necessarily true.Most people have multiple mini-schedules. You need to be able to fit your jobs in wherever you can. So if you have a full time job, you will have to check that off one by one. By putting your resume online and having people review it for you, you will only have to wait a couple minutes for someone to pick it up.Don't worry about writing your resume until you've done it once and you'll want to do it again. If you are a new grad, keep it very short and just ask yourself how many people would be interested in your skills. Remember that it should be catchy. The main reason for this is that there may be hundreds of them available on line.Writing a musical theatre resume can be time consuming. But once you have started, there is no stopping you. If you are only using the resume service, you can just submit it once. But if you are doing it on your own, you might need to submit it daily or every couple of days. This is when using a software that does the writing for you comes in handy.To create a resume is a great way to keep your skills and education current. Writing a curriculum vitae and adding in additional skills can help you get that college job. Most companies hire resume writing services to do this for them.There are a lot of different forms you can use to create a resume. But nothing beats a well-designed resume with an interesting cover letter. A cover letter will make your resume stand out from the rest. It is a good idea to get one done by a professional as well.When it comes to resumes, it is important to keep in mind that there are different types of resumes. Writing a musical theatre resume that get s noticed will definitely be worth the time and effort.

Job Satisfaction- Got it

Job Satisfaction- Got it It seems that the US has hit rock bottomwell, job satisfaction is at an all time low.   However, this should come as no surprise.   Many have been holding on to jobs, just waiting for the tide to turn.   Others have taken jobs to pay the bills. The scary part of all of this is that job satisfaction directly correlates to innovation.   Right now, we, the US, need more innovation. Here are some posts that take a deeper look in to employee satisfaction: Only 45% of Americans are satisfied with their jobs.   Read the entire summary from MSNBC.   Americans’  job satisfaction falls to record low According to the Conference Board these are some of the reasons why: Fewer workers consider their jobs to be interesting. Incomes have not kept up with inflation. The soaring cost of health insurance has eaten into workers take-home pay. From the employers perspective, there are issues as well, how to retain talent. The Mass Exodus of Talent by Rob Jannone Dissatisfied  Workers + Recovery = Workforce Planning from ERE.net Before you jump on the bandwagon and start believing you are miserable too, consider what defines job satisfaction for you.   By the way, it isnt as easy as it sounds. 5 Step Method for Defining Your Job Satisfaction from Careerealism Did You Choose Your Working Environment Or Did It Just Come With The Job? from Adventures from the Job Search Ninja, Todd Bavol Once you have pin pointed what satisfies you and before you jump ship, plan your job search campaign. Are you one of the 45% of employed Americans dissatisfied with your job?   Tell me why!

How to make the hiring process better for all involved

How to make the hiring process better for all involved Does any of this sound familiar? How to make the hiring process better for all involved Scenario No. 1: Im a hiring manager with a precious open position to fill. These are not easy to come by, and the risk of making a bad hire is high. So I write a job description, post it on my company’s website and social media sites, and tell my network and associates. Soon more than 250 résumés come flying in and I (or my recruiter/HR person) start sorting through them. They all look different and share different levels of information, so I have to play “search and destroy” for relevant skills, experiences and results. Scenario No. 2: I’m a job seeker. I’m either an internal candidate who is already working within the same company, or Im an external candidate who is either employed or unemployed. I read the job description and think, “This career change is perfect for me.” The instructions are clear to “submit résumé here,” so I press enter and wait. And wait. And wait. There is nothing good in the combination of these scenarios. When the government calls for bids, the applicant responds methodically to given specifications, allowing for easy comparison of competing proposals. In manufacturing, there are also specifications, and the materials, tools, and production process are designed to meet the exact requirements. Period. Why, then, is the employment process so misguided? The hiring company writes a specification (called a job description), and what does it receive? A chronological spew of random features of an individual’s background, and maybe (at best) a cover letter that summarizes the spew. Great. If I could wave a magic wand, I would change two elements of today’s hiring process: Magic Wand Wave No. 1: Résumés should just be back-up details supporting a standardized application form. The hiring company should provide a one-page template for every job as a candidate assessment tool. It will not only help the hiring manager, but will greatly assist the candidate as well. The form is a simple table with two columns and six to eight rows. Down the left column, the company highlights the job descriptions most important elements. For example, one row may say, “requires six to eight years in marketing research,” while another might say “experience leading cross-functional product development teams” or “bachelor’s in mechanical engineering required, MBA preferred.” You get the idea. The right column is blank for the candidate to fill out. The applicant is instructed to put no more than three bullet points in each row, indicating how he or she fulfills the specified requirement. Information can be quantitative and qualitative. The table is submitted with the applicant’s résumé. Hiring managers would then have three things to help them make decision: A document to compare candidates across the same characteristics, a writing sample (typos are really bad!), and an observation about the candidate’s ability to follow simple instructions. Magic Wand Wave No. 2: All candidates would get a response from the company they applied to, especially if the candidate has taken the extra step to provide the relevant insights described in Wand Wave No. 1. Even a simple automated email indicating the application has been received would provide a more positive brand experience for the job seeker. There are more changes I would make, but well save those for later. What would you change about today’s hiring processes?