3 posts tagged “career”

Twice within the past 5 years I have personally met and heard PETER WEDDLE, a recruiter, HR consultant and business CEO turned author and commentator, described by The Washington Post as "... a man filled with ingenious ideas," who has earned an international reputation, pioneering concepts in Human Resource leadership and employment speak at the Kennedy Recruiting Conference, a conference that is widely attended by head hunters, recruiters, employment agencies and representatives from job boards. Both times I was astounded by his breadth of knowledge  and boundless energy and enthusiasm for sharing eye opening information about the recruitment process.  So, when I read WEDDLE's latest newsletter, I immediately got his permission to share the following article with you.

The Olympic Games will begin shortly and, no doubt, treat us to a showcase of some of humankind's best moments. Despite its imperfections, this quadrennial event confirms just how special people can be when they are dedicated to a goal, work hard at its accomplishment and have faith in themselves. For most of us, however, the athletes who compete in the Olympics seem a very different breed. They are more gifted than we, more talented, more able to succeed at realizing their aspirations. So, we assume that the journey of an Olympian holds little of relevance to our gifts and talent or to the aspirations at which we work. And, that assumption is incorrect.

Olympians are the living embodiment of three principles that are as important to each of us as they are to those who are world class athletes. Why is that so? Because every person has the ability to be a world class "career athlete," to achieve career victories that may not award them a gold medal, but will earn them a perfect ten in self respect and happiness at work. How can that happen, especially in difficult times such as these? By incorporating those three Olympian principles into your career. And the key to doing that is to adopt the goals and beliefs of these special athletes.

Most Olympic athletes are ordinary people striving to do extraordinary things. They set out to be the best they can be in their chosen sport. That's their all consuming goal. To continuously probe the outer limits of their ability to perform in archery, swimming, track or judo. They will reach for the outer reaches of what they can do, but at some point that reach will exceed their grasp. With some wonderful exceptions like Dara Torres, most of these athletes will see their push for perfection limited by the inherent aging of the human body. They have a brief shot at their personal best, and then their chance is gone.

Happily, we can adopt the very same goal but without the Olympian's limitation. We can (and should) strive to be the best we can be in our chosen field of work, and with rare exceptions, we will never have to worry about being derailed in that quest by the frailties of the human body. All we have to do is accept the validity of this objective and make the commitment to work at it. We have to:

If you have ever tried to call me and reached my voice mail you most likely were greeted with "It's a wonderful day here at First Impression Career Services..." I choose this greeting because every day that allows me to help people to achieve their goals and stretch themselves is a wonderful day. As I thought back on what I  accomplished over the past year I concluded that 2007, was a wonderful year, too. Here are some of the highlights of the past year.

• Personal Branding - Companies like Coca Cola and Pepsi stand out in a highly competitive market because they have strong brand awareness. Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey, Martha Stewart and Donald Trump have built empires on their personal brand and you can, too! Over the course of 2007, I participated in a number of workshops and seminars to expand my ability to help people like you tap into their personal brand. I am proud to say many of these individuals have moved on to new and better opportunities where their personal brand and talents are valued.
  

• MBTI Qualified Practitioner - In May I attended a week long training in preparation for the Myers Briggs Qualifying Exam. The class was difficult as it involved an understanding of statistics, not one of my greatest strengths. None the less I persevered  and  in  August I was awarded a certificate. As a MBTI Qualified practitioner I administer and validate the Myers Briggs Personality Assessment, a tool that is instrumental in helping people gain a better understanding of themselves and others. This awareness can be leveraged to assist in making rewarding career choices.
  

• Professional Speaking - This was the year that I got out from behind the desk and got in front of people. I delivered several presentations to the The Center for Women of New York, The American Association of University Women, Project Management Institute in New York and Westchester County. The most recent one being "What Do You Say After Hello? How to Network Your to Job Search and Professional Success!" In addition, I joined Wendy Enelow and several colleagues who volunteered their time to conduct resume reviews at The New York Times Support Our Troops Job Fair.
  

• Professional Advancement - In November I enrolled in  a Coaching Certificate Program at NYU. The first class Foundations of Coaching I was very enlightening. We explored the underpinnings of coaching which are rooted in the disciplines of learning, change and systems theories, philosophy, positive psychology and contemporary neuroscience.  I have already begun to implement what I learned with favorable results. I am looking forward to   Foundations of Coaching II, which begins next month, as well as the subsequent classes.
  

• Job Club Leadership - Last month I joined The Center for Women of New York as a Job Club Leader. Twice a month I am conducting classes in Resume Writing, Job Search Strategies, Interviewing Skills, Salary Negotiations and Career Exploration for underprivileged women returning to the workforce. Currently I am assisting 2 very bright and capable women. It is personally rewarding to make a real difference in the lives of people who don't have readily have access to private services. 
  

• Giving Back - Over the weekend of October 9th, I joined over 2000 women and men who walked 39 miles on behalf of the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. To participate in the walk I had to raise a minimum of $1800. With the help of my family, friends and congregation I raised over $2100. This event taught me a lot about myself and what I could accomplish when given the right conditions. Without the support of others, proper  nourishment, rest, and the drive to succeed I could not have walked through the finish line.
  

I am proud of what I accomplished  over the past year and hope that when we ring in 2009  the above highlights will  have paled when  compared to what I plan to accomplish this year.

Like a good book, your resume should capture and hold the interest of your readers, hiring managers. By using the same techniques that authors use to create best sellers you can compose a resume that makes it to the top of the candidate pool.

1.       Present a job objective that will appeal to the readers’ interest. A clearly stated objective such as PROJECT MANAGER / BUSINESS ANALYST will get more attention then “a challenging position that will utilize my skills and talents.”

2.       Think of your profile or Career Summary as the back cover copy of a book or a mini sales letter.  Some hiring managers decide in as little as 10 seconds whether to call you or toss your documents in the circular file.

3.       Keep your profile no longer than 6 lines. Make every word count; your profile is 10 times more powerful than the sections that follow. Use sound bites; action oriented verbs and KEY words; picture and emotional words, benefits, not features to keep your message focused and capture your readers' attention.

4.       Writers know readers like to focus on one topic at a time. include only information that is relevant to your career or job objective. Omit information such as marital status, age, weight, and any data that is unrelated to your objective.  

5.       What are your readers most interested in? Take the time to research the jobs and companies that interest you. What qualities, skills, or knowledge are they looking for? What have you accomplished, have knowledge about, or are skilled in that will demonstrate you are qualified to do the job. 

6.       A well-designed, clean, simple layout with ample white space is easier to read than a document that has multiple type fonts and type styles. Use BULLET POINTS TO CALL ATTENTION TO ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BOLD FACE TYPE for Section Headers, Job Titles and / or Company Names, Academic Degrees and / or Colleges or Universities. 

7.       The key to good writing is edit, edit and edit some more.  What if your readers can spot grammatical errors that you didn't know were there?  EVERY MISTAKE IN GRAMMAR, SPELLING, SENTENCE STRUCTURE, AND OVERALL ORGANIZATION, ANYTHING THAT TRIPS UP THE SMOOTH FLOW OF IDEAS FROM YOU TO YOUR READER IS A POTENTIAL MINEFIELD. Once your resume and cover letter are completed have the documents proofread by someone other than you.