Friday, May 29, 2020

My Piano Lessons, Your Networking, and HARD WORK!

My Piano Lessons, Your Networking, and HARD WORK! Im 37. My 13 year old daughter, who has been taking piano lessons for about 10 years, started teaching me to play the piano a couple of months ago. Its been a really fun experience on so many levels, and Im finally learning to play the piano. I figure in 13 years, when Im 50, I can play as good as her (she is amazing on the piano).  Im patient, and I can see myself working hard over the next 13 years, so I can get that good. But it is freaking HARD. Sometimes, when she teaches me a new song, I feel like my head is literally going to pop (sorry for the visual :p). Learning how to make my fingers do what they need to do, and understanding the musical stuff, and then watching my fingers NOT do the same things that her fingers do, and wondering if Ill ever get it, is so very hard. Mary Had A Little Lamb and London Bridges have never been so painful!!! But then, after practicing, something happens. It grows easier. And I start to get the hard parts. What was once head-popping impossible becomes doable, and then fairly easy, and then comfortable. My fingers dont even hurt anymore.  When I first started they hurt all the time, and I wondered if all pianists walked around with hurting fingers. One of my immediate goals was to play with both hands.  Piano seems not-so-cool if you just play with one hand.  I really wanted to do two hands.  And Im finally here.  Im just polishing my second two-hand song, before I get to do the next one.  Its a delight to be here.  Its still hard, but I know that each time I practice, I get closer to passing off the song Im on, and going to something that gets me closer to my goal for when Im 50. When I think about the head-popping hardness of what Im doing, I think about job seekers.  They start new stuff, and it is hard, and it hurts, and they want to stop, because it might be insurmountable. But then I think about the guys and gals who just go to that networking event, and open their mouth, and shake hands with people, even though it is so very uncomfortable. The first time it is so hard. And awkward. Bodies, minds and hands werent meant for that!  Especially for introverts! But they do it again next week.  And it is still so very painful.  But maybe a tiny, tiny bit less painful. And then something amazing happens.  A few weeks into it, it isnt painful.  And the smiles are genuine, not forced.  You can see a transformation. It is because this is HARD WORK.  And PRACTICE makes the hard work easier, and more enjoyable.  Practice makes it less painful. I know you are thinking about skipping this week.  Because you have more important things to do. Realize that every time you go, every time you introduce yourself, you are getting better at it.  The uncomfortable goes away, and it becomes more natural. And them remember that these skills will only help you in your next job, or next endeavor, and you gotta learn them sometime, somewhere, somehow. Maybe, right now is the right time, no matter how old you are, or how experienced you are, or you cool you have been in the past. Thom Singer had a great line in yesterdays post titled Getting The Word Out he said: Everyday you need to wake up and do the hard work to get the word out about why your business is spectacular. What can you do every day to get the word out about you? My Piano Lessons, Your Networking, and HARD WORK! Im 37. My 13 year old daughter, who has been taking piano lessons for about 10 years, started teaching me to play the piano a couple of months ago. Its been a really fun experience on so many levels, and Im finally learning to play the piano. I figure in 13 years, when Im 50, I can play as good as her (she is amazing on the piano).  Im patient, and I can see myself working hard over the next 13 years, so I can get that good. But it is freaking HARD. Sometimes, when she teaches me a new song, I feel like my head is literally going to pop (sorry for the visual :p). Learning how to make my fingers do what they need to do, and understanding the musical stuff, and then watching my fingers NOT do the same things that her fingers do, and wondering if Ill ever get it, is so very hard. Mary Had A Little Lamb and London Bridges have never been so painful!!! But then, after practicing, something happens. It grows easier. And I start to get the hard parts. What was once head-popping impossible becomes doable, and then fairly easy, and then comfortable. My fingers dont even hurt anymore.  When I first started they hurt all the time, and I wondered if all pianists walked around with hurting fingers. One of my immediate goals was to play with both hands.  Piano seems not-so-cool if you just play with one hand.  I really wanted to do two hands.  And Im finally here.  Im just polishing my second two-hand song, before I get to do the next one.  Its a delight to be here.  Its still hard, but I know that each time I practice, I get closer to passing off the song Im on, and going to something that gets me closer to my goal for when Im 50. When I think about the head-popping hardness of what Im doing, I think about job seekers.  They start new stuff, and it is hard, and it hurts, and they want to stop, because it might be insurmountable. But then I think about the guys and gals who just go to that networking event, and open their mouth, and shake hands with people, even though it is so very uncomfortable. The first time it is so hard. And awkward. Bodies, minds and hands werent meant for that!  Especially for introverts! But they do it again next week.  And it is still so very painful.  But maybe a tiny, tiny bit less painful. And then something amazing happens.  A few weeks into it, it isnt painful.  And the smiles are genuine, not forced.  You can see a transformation. It is because this is HARD WORK.  And PRACTICE makes the hard work easier, and more enjoyable.  Practice makes it less painful. I know you are thinking about skipping this week.  Because you have more important things to do. Realize that every time you go, every time you introduce yourself, you are getting better at it.  The uncomfortable goes away, and it becomes more natural. And them remember that these skills will only help you in your next job, or next endeavor, and you gotta learn them sometime, somewhere, somehow. Maybe, right now is the right time, no matter how old you are, or how experienced you are, or you cool you have been in the past. Thom Singer had a great line in yesterdays post titled Getting The Word Out he said: Everyday you need to wake up and do the hard work to get the word out about why your business is spectacular. What can you do every day to get the word out about you?

Monday, May 25, 2020

Careercake.tv - One Mile Rule

Careercake.tv - One Mile Rule This video is powered by Career Geeks video partner  Careercake.com In this video, Aimee Bateman, founder of Careercake.tv speaks about the one-mile rule. A powerful message with simple examples of what matters on the day of your  interview. You may think an interview is defined as good or bad by what you say, but here Aimee explains there is more to it than just that one hour. 0

Friday, May 22, 2020

Failed your Job Interview What would you do if you could do it all again

Failed your Job Interview What would you do if you could do it all again Failed your Job Interview? What would you do if you could do it all again? As you leave the job interview, you get that overwhelming feeling that it didnt go as well as you expected it would. You get confirmation of this a day or two later with the dreaded rejection letter or email telling you that you were unsuccessful on this occasion. After you shake your head in disappointment and let out a long sigh of frustration, a thought occurs to you â€" what would you do if you could do it all again? What if you had a second chance at that job interview â€" how would you do things differently?Unfortunately, science isnt at a stage where it has invented a time machine that will allow you to go back to re-live your interview over again. However, you do have the knowledge and experience of that job interview to help and guide you in the future.OK, so you missed out on that particular job opportunity, but you will still find yourself in the exact same position again in the future with another job interview, so why not treat this as your chance to do everything o ver again. This time you will have a chance to do things differently. Even if you are not successful at your next job interview, you should then frame it as a do-over, another chance to do things differently each and every time you attend an interview.Learn from the past but dont dwell on itYour failed job interviews are not necessarily a waste of your time. You can learn a lot from your experience and apply that knowledge to your next interview to improve your chances of success the next time around.It can be a very emotional process to acknowledge a job interview rejection, especially if it was a job that you really wanted and would have enjoyed doing. It you think rationally about this, you can allow yourself to feel some disappointment, but you should never take it personally.Remember that there will be several more rejected applicants that will be feeling just as bad as you do right now, and they may have been a good match for that job too! Just because you were not chosen does not mean that you were not a good fit for the role.Go back and pick up some pointersFind out more useful information to help you in the future by contacting the hiring manager or interviewer. Be polite and thank them for the opportunity of the job interview and ask if it would be OK to call or email them to discuss your performance during the interview. Many companies are open to this and it also shows them that you are committed in your job search activities. This can paint you in a favourable light and may lead to you being invited in for an interview in the future should another position become available. If you are offered the chance to discuss your interview performance, ask why you were not selected and find out if there is anything they think you could improve to help you in the future. Remember to take plenty of notes during your conversation so you can refer back to them and address each one systematically.While you have the chance to make a good impression, re-emphasiz e that you are very interested in working for the company and that you would like to be considered for any future job opportunities that may become available. You never know â€" you may be lucky! It is certainly worth trying.Review you own performanceWhen you get some quiet time, mentally review your interview in your mind. Try to pinpoint the moment that you felt things were not going particularly well or were not working in your favour. Was it a weak spot in your company knowledge? Were you struggling to answer a question that you didnt quite understand? Did you feel you lacked sufficient experience in some aspect of the job that they prize more highly than you do?Many job interviewers like to mix it up with unusual or surprising questions that are outside of what you would expect in a regular interview. Were you asked a question that threw your concentration off? If so, make a note of that question and any other questions that you struggled to answer. Think about how you could ha ve answered these questions differently. Work out some good answers for these types of questions that you can use for future interviews. The chances are that questions such as these may well crop up again, especially if you are interviewing in the same job sector.Sometimes it can be external issues that caused a problem rather than your actual interview performance. Did you find yourself inappropriately dressed on arrival? Did you arrive late because of heavy traffic or public transport delays? Have a plan in place to combat these things in future. Make sure you arrive early for your next interview. You could always go for a cup of coffee or practice some breathing exercises in the spare time before your interview slot. Research the company to find out their dress code. You will want to dress to suit the job environment and to make you look like you would fit in well with everyone else in the office or department.Research the successful candidateYou may be able to discover who wa s appointed to the job you applied for by looking on the company website or through their LinkedIn social media site. Check out the successful candidates bio and see if they have skills, qualifications or experience that you lack. This is a great way to find out the type of skills and work experience that similar companies will be looking for. You can then work on improving your resume to highlight these skills better or work towards gaining more of these skills through further training.ConclusionIt would be great to get a second chance at a job interview if things didnt work out well. But by framing each new interview as another chance to be successful, you are realising that the past cannot be changed, but your future can! Dont waste your next opportunity by repeating past mistakes. Focus on changing your approach to make your next interview a great success! previous article Word CV Template The Chic Applicant next article Free Template for Resume Basic and Light you might also likeWhy Do You Want to Work Here? Best Answers to This Interview Question

Monday, May 18, 2020

5 Ways to Stay Motivated and Avoid Burnout

5 Ways to Stay Motivated and Avoid Burnout Burnout can happen to anyone, no matter their age or experience level. If you feel drained and unproductive, your probably suffering from the effects of a burnout. Sometimes, doing what you love isnt enough to stop you from suffering this affliction  . Despite this, there are ways to heal or even prevent the dreaded burnout. Read below for our top tips on avoiding burnout. 1) Slow down: Something that tends to lead people to burnout is not allowing yourself to have time off, away from work.  Make sure you take time off from work regularly, and most importantly, DONT work on weekends. You need to have fun, too! 2) Set boundaries: Sometimes, saying  no can be hard. But if you want to avoid burnout and stay motivated and passionate, sometimes saying no is essential. Its also essential to set yourself your own boundaries such as leaving work at 5pm, or not looking at your emails outside working hours. Setting yourself personal boundaries will help keep your work and personal life separate. 3) Sleep more: A good nights sleep is a cure for many ailments. Its also a great idea to go to sleep earlier as it means youll feel much fresher when you wake up the following day. Once you start going to bed earlier, it will become a habit a habit thats very good for your health. 4) Talk to people: Nothing is worse than keeping all your problems pent up. If youre feeling more stressed than usual  at work, talk to someone you trust, whether that be a colleague, a friend or a family member. A problem shared is a problem halved. 5) Focus hard: When combating a task at work, focus  your time and eliminate any potential distractions    pour the entirety of your concentration into the task at hand. This will mean youll complete tasks quicker. What do you do to stay passionate and motivated in your job? Let us know on Twitter @UndercoverRec

Friday, May 15, 2020

The 5 Most Important Skills for IT Job Seekers - CareerMetis.com

The 5 Most Important Skills for IT Job Seekers Source â€" Pexels.comIf you’re looking for a job in IT, you’re going to want to brush up on your skills. There’s a lot of competition out there, and if you want to land a top IT job, you need to stand out from the crowd. But what do you need to grab employers’ attention?These 5 skills are some of the most valuable in the IT world. If you have more than one of these on your resume, you’re in good shape. If you have most or all of them, you’ll be a top candidate.1. ProgrammingThis is a big one for almost all IT fields; if you’re proficient in a commonly used language like Java, Python, Ruby, or PHP, you’ll have a leg up on other applicants.evalOf course, the languages that will be most valuable in your field depend on exactly what you’re doing.If you’re working with databases, for example, PHP is going to be very valuable. Python is commonly used in data analysis. Swift is built specifically for iOS apps. And so on.It’s good to keep this mind if you’re looking t o improve your skills before hitting the job market. Because there are so many different coding languages and technologies out there, you’ll need to focus in on one or a few that will be most valuable to you.Fortunately, you don’t need to be an expert. If you have even some familiarity with coding, you’ll have a leg up on the IT professionals don’t. Of course, if your position involves a lot of coding, you’ll need to be very proficient.But if you aren’t planning on becoming a programmer, then having even a passing knowledge of coding can help you stand out from other job candidates.2. Data Science and AnalyticsThe collection and analysis of data is becoming increasingly important in the business world.Predictive analytics, data science, web analytics, and other data-focused skills are in high demand, and the demand isn’t slowing downâ€"as long as these skills help companies earn more money, they’ll always be valuable.evalThis area of expertise, like coding, covers a wide range of different abilities. For example, data science can include skills like programming in R, statistics, machine learning, and data visualization. Web analytics professionals are likely familiar with several different analytics platforms, statistics, data visualization, business processes, and even web content principles.With such a wide variety of requirements, it might seem like you’ll never have a chance without a strong background in math and coding, especially when you’re up against experienced data scientists. But it’s important to remember that many jobs don’t receive perfect applicants; and if you check even one more box than another applicant, you might be given preference.3. ExcelMost companies generate huge amounts of information, and much of it ends up in spreadsheets. Businesses need to take that data, organize it, and generate useful insights to guide decision-making.And while there are other spreadsheet apps out there, the Microsoft Office Suite is s till extremely common in the business world, and Excel is the go-to tool for analyzing data. Google Sheets is great, but it just can’t offer the same power.evalBut most people only have a vague idea of how to tap into that power. If you can slice and dice data with pivot tables, analyze data with regression, and generate useful reports, you’re going to have a huge advantage over those who can’t.Like the other skills on this list, Excel mastery is something that you can learn on the job, but if you can bring even a cursory knowledge to a job application, you’ll be setting yourself up for success.4. SaaS and Cloud ComputingSoftware-as-a-service “This is great,” you might be thinking, “but how do I get these skills?”.One of the best ways to start building your IT skills is to take online courses. There are lots of options for online coding education, and Excel, cloud computing, statistics, machine learning, and myriad other skills are being taught online.It’s just a m atter of finding a reputable program. And if you can afford to spend the time and money on an intensive boot camp for these skills, you’ll come away with an even stronger credential. No matter how you decide to start building your skills, commit to it and start learning today!

Monday, May 11, 2020

Improve Productivity of your Workforce Using Employee Engagement - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Improve Productivity of your Workforce Using Employee Engagement Did you know that about 66% of millennials believe that the career choice that they have made is wrong? Are you aware that more than a quarter of employees dread Mondays? This might be shocking to many but someone who has worked in an office environment in the UK can relate to the aforementioned. While it is normal to have a few members of the team to be less productive than others on the grounds of talent, but an employee who is either not engaged, or is actively disengaged can be easily spotted. Such employees can be very disruptive to the team because they often show late to work, waste a lot of time, to show a bad attitude toward work and show no regard for the cumulative performance of the team or the company. They exhibit lack of commitment and show little passion towards their job. Tolerating such employees can have huge repercussions and replacing them with new recruits is not an efficient solution. Checkout this infographic that can help you learn how to improve engagement levels of your employees and how to spot employees with alarming levels of engagement. Put together by MadMaxAdventures this infographic can help employers reap long-term benefits by understanding and working towards engaging their staff better.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Why Use Nurse Resume Examples?

Why Use Nurse Resume Examples?Nurse resume examples can give you a huge advantage over other candidates, particularly when it comes to your application for that coveted nursing job. After all, the medical field is not just about medicine and diagnoses. It's about being able to communicate well with others and provide a quality service.So why would you want to use nurse resume examples? The reason is that applying for a job is very different from applying for a job in other fields. This is because most of the jobs you apply for will be at large organizations where the person will be working with a diverse range of people everyday.When it comes to writing a good nursing resume it's important to always remember to use high quality resume examples to help you write your best work yet. While it's easy to be driven by a need to keep it fresh and up to date, it's a lot harder to write a high quality resume if you have no idea what to write. This is especially true if you've never tried to p ut together a good nursing resume before.Resume examples can help a person be sure they're staying on track with the requirements of the organization they are applying for. Of course, there are many more cases where nursing resume examples can help a person to avoid making mistakes that may affect their chances of getting the position. One example of this is an error in grammar or spelling in the application.Having professional assistance writing a good resume will greatly increase your chances of getting the job. When you use the services of a resume writer to create a stellar example of your style, you will be sure that the job application has the potential to stand out from the rest. This will be a very appealing factor when you are putting together your personal information that you will send to the employer in order to be considered for the job.It's quite common for nurses to forget that when they begin their career they will most likely be required to demonstrate their medical skills. Resume examples can help with this process, but you will still need to be able to show what you've done in the past to show the employer that you can do the job. If you've never written a good resume before, you will need to find a professional resume writer that can help you get started right away.Remember that having the ability to change your resume is a good thing. As time goes on you may change how you present yourself and who you are in your job hunt. Using high quality resume examples will help you write a resume that has the ability to continue to change as your career progresses.So, the next time you have a bad resume written take a look at the resume examples that are available. You'll find that many of them are free and can help you rewrite your resume so that it matches the current standards of the nursing industry. You will also have an easier time showing the employer what you can do in a nursing environment when you use the high quality resume examples availa ble.