Thursday, May 28, 2020

14 work email problems everyone has experienced

14 work email problems everyone has experienced by Amber Rolfe Work emails are (mostly) great…They allow us to communicate with our colleagues and customers â€" without ever having to leave our desk. But what happens when emailing goes wrong? It turns out, a whole lot of awkward â€" especially if you’re the one making the mistakes.To help you relate, here are 14 work email problems everyone has experienced:  When you want to chase a task up but you don’t want to seem needy A balance between polite and firm is hard to master. It’s probably OK if you use an emoji though, right?  When you receive a ‘friendly reminder’ and aren’t sure how to react There’s nothing friendly about this and you both know it. Or is there? Better give them an evil look across the desk anyway.  When you forget to attach an important document after specifically saying ‘see attached’ It was obviously just a test to see if they were paying attention, and has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you’re notoriously forgetful.W hen someone doesn’t understand the purpose of ‘reply to all’ And they only stop using it when someone directly asks them to.When you accidentally send an email meant for Tim from accounts to Tim from marketing and everyone gets confused ‘What do you mean you can’t process my financial report, that’s your job isn’t it? …oh sorry, my bad.’  When someone gets carried away with CCing The project is headed up by one person on your team but that obviously means it involves you and 14 other people.  When your acronym savvy colleague starts pulling out all the stops tl;dr, NRN, EOM…you’re drowning in a puddle of confusion.  When you spend more time emailing about work than actually workingSure Sharon, let’s totally catch up next week about that thing we’ve needed to do for the past six months but never got round to because you know, emails.  When you accidentally send an email meant for one person to everyone‘NO, NO, NO, GO BACK. BACK BUTTON. REFRESHnope too lat e’ *sends awkward apology email whilst crawling into nearest hole*When people won’t stop sending gifsAin’t nobody got time for that.  When you accidentally put a kiss on the end of the email to your bossAre you at work or are you being featured in the latest series of Gossip Girl? At this rate, who knows.  When the tone of your email is off so you throw in emojis and extra punctuation‘Really looking forward to meeting you! Winky face’  When someone’s lunch goes missing and your inbox starts losing it Last seen: 06/04/17. Colour: red. Everyone is a suspect.  When you only realise you’ve made a typo after you clicked send Cool, everyone thinks you’re illiterate now. But it’s OK, you only sent it to one pers…oh wait. *crawls back into hole*Still searching for your perfect position? View all available jobs now  Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking S ubmit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Life At Work Workplace culture

Monday, May 25, 2020

Doing This One Thing Increases Your Chance of Getting Hired by 75% -

Doing This One Thing Increases Your Chance of Getting Hired by 75% - Getting hired, even in today’s strong job market, is a numbers game.   And the numbers are scary.   Right off the bat, a resume faces a lot of competition.   Just to give you an idea of the sheer volume, Monster.com reports 427,000 resume postings a week.   That’s 22.2 million a year, and that’s just Monster.com. THE RESUME JOURNEY Simply submitting your resume is the first step in a long journey your resume takes.   Along the way there are numerous pitfalls and obstacles.   The Talent Function Group LLC conducted a survey of recruiting professionals that paint a stark picture.   Although it varies by job title and job market, they found on average employers receive 100 resumes per job posting and only four to six (4-6%) of those are invited for an interview. WHY YOUR RESUME IS REJECTED This is understandable, given the numerous ways a resume can quickly be disqualified.  One of the most shocking in today’s day and age is misspellings. It seems unfathomable that one wouldn’t use spell-check functionality before submitting a resume.   But, according to CareerBuilder, 61% of recruiters will dismiss a resume for typos. The way a resume is organized often disqualifies it, according to TheLadders.com.   In their study, a recruiter’s rating of a resume increases by 60% when it is properly formatted.   How it’s formatted also affects the time a recruiter spends looking at it.   According to their study, recruiters on average spent only 7.4 seconds scanning a resume.   The simpler, better organized the resume, the longer it was looked at. SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR RESUME As it turns out, many of us do not spend enough time reviewing the job posting to determine if we are qualified. The Wall Street Journal reports 50% of applicants fail to meet the basic qualifications of the job for which they are applying.   TheLadders.com says this is because we only spend on average 76 seconds reviewing the introductory section that covers job title, compensation and location and little or no time on the qualification requirements. INCREASING YOUR CHANCES OF GETTING HIRED By far the biggest number that affects your chance of getting past these hurdles is automated resume screening.   According to the Talent Function Group LLC, 75 of every 100 resumes are screened out using computerized Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS).   These systems screen for all the pitfalls described above and more, hence eliminating 75% of resumes received. So, what is the one thing you can do to increase your chances?   Tailor your resume to the job for which you are applying, according to researcher and expert Dr. John Sullivan.   He estimates 90% of candidates submit their standard resume without customization.   However, if you are part of the 10% who does, you increase your chances by 75%. BONUS RECOMMENDATIONS Dr. Sullivan also recommends pretesting your customized resume by giving it to a recruiter or HR professional to review.   This can be helpful if you know someone in the field.   If you do not know someone however, there are online resume tools that will analyze your resume against the job posting using the same artificial intelligent systems employers use. By the numbers, your resume has an uphill battle.   However, if you approach the task in a scientific, data-driven way, your chances of getting hired increase significantly.     Now it’s up to you. This guest post was authored by Michael Howard Michael Howard is the founder of TargetMyResume.com, an online resume optimizer that was the first to extract and merge keywords directly into resumes.   When not optimizing resumes, you can find Michael spending time with his wife and cat, both of whom share the struggle of optimizing him. SOURCES: https://www.ere.net/why-you-cant-get-a-job-recruiting-explained-by-the-numbers/ http://go.theladders.com/rs/539-NBG-120/images/EyeTracking-Study.pdf

Thursday, May 21, 2020

5 Best Executive Career Coaches in Boston, MA

5 Best Executive Career Coaches in Boston, MA You may live in one of the most historic towns in the United States, but that doesn’t mean your career should be history. An executive career coach can take your career from forgotten to front-runner.Our top 5 list of executive coaches in Boston will help you find the coach that is right for you. Growing your executive career is important and you don’t want to spend your precious time combing through hundreds of results in order to find the best Boston executive career coach.That’s where we come in.Since commissioning an executive career coaching service can be a costly endeavor, we have narrowed it down so that you do not waste your hard-earned dollars â€"â€" or waste valuable time in the process.An executive career coach is not something that every high-level professional utilizes, so you’ll be going the extra mile if you do. In fact, this is a great way to take your career to new heights! Here are the top 5 executive career coaches in Boston.Best Executive Boston Career Co achesIf you are in a hurry and don't want to read our detailed reviews below, here is a list of the Best Executive Career Coaches in Boston:Find My Profession (that's us!) AceUp Boston Executive Coaches Career Directions Sharon TeitelbaumAnd now for the detailed reviews...1. Find My ProfessionFind My Professiontops our list as the #1 executive career coaching service Boston has to offer.While most career coaches will teach you how to job search, our career coaches job search for you.Think of it this way:when you need electrical work done, you don’t hire an electrician to teach you how to fix the problem. You hire an electrician todo the work.We feel the same logic should be applied to job searching.Find My Profession is the professional (electrician) who will actually do the work for you. We find you jobs, apply to those jobs with a tailored ATS-compatible resume, network on your behalf to key decision-makers, and prep you for interviews.We will manage all of the time-consuming an d challenging tasks associated with your job search.Pros:Find My Profession offers a unique approach to career coaching that goes above and beyond what most services offer. Your dedicated career coach can save you hundreds of hours of job searching, all while producing greater results.Cons:Find My Profession is a virtual/online company. While we provide services in your city, we don’t have a physical office to meet in person.Phone: (831) 888-0967Don't take our word for it, check out some of our 5-star reviews.Trustpilot2. AceUpAceUp pairs you with the perfect career coach no matter what stage of your career you are in. This means that even if you’re not at the executive level just yet â€"â€"but have your sights set there â€"â€" AceUp will help you take the necessary steps.Founded in 2015 by Will G. Foussier, the main goal of AceUp is to help future leaders develop their skills. AceUp has coaches who specialize in a wide variety of different industries, meaning that if you work w ith this service you’re sure to be paired with an executive career coach that perfectly fits your needs.Pros: AceUp offers a 100% money-back guarantee if you are not happy after your first coaching session. They employ certified career coaches who have worked for the top firms in the nation.Cons: AceUp does not focus solely on executive job coaching. They have a plethora of coaches, which could be an issue from a quality standpoint.Phone: (857) 302-26033. Boston Executive CoachesBoston Executive Coaches is run by a team of experienced coaches and consultants. Boston Executive Coaches offers services besides executive career counseling, such as team coaching, group facilitation, transition coaching, and fundamentals. Dave Busley is the founder and head coach at Boston Executive Coaches and he focuses on how to grow your strengths as an executive.Pros: Boston Executive Coaches offers a free 30-minute consultation, which is a great way to gauge the quality of their services and see i f they’re a good fit for your needs. Dave Busley and the team has an incredible amount of leadership and executive experience. They also have great online reviews for their service.Cons: Boston Executive Coaches does not have any prices listed on their website. That is an issue if you are looking for a ballpark number on how much you are going to have to pay. Plus, many people do not want to wait to hear back from a company before deciding whether or not to purchase services.Phone number: (617) 615-92044. Career DirectionsCareer Directions was founded by Gail Liebhaber in 1994 and has been going strong ever since. For 25 years now, Gail has served as a trainer, consultant, coach, and counselor for Career Directions’ clients. She helps executives improve their communication skills, identify skills that need to be improved, and strengthen several other professional traits that are needed to succeed as an executive.Pros: Career Directions has been in the career counseling business for decades and there are reviews spanning years and years that confirm quality coaching. Additionally, Gail offers discounted rates for nonprofit professionals. This is not only commendable but also uncommon. If you’re a Boston executive who works at a charity or nonprofit, this is a major perk of working with Career Directions.Cons: Although diverse service offerings can be a positive thing, it can also be a downside. You may want to think about choosing an executive job coach that works exclusively with executives and/or offers fewer services.Phone number: (781) 820-53105. Sharon TeitelbaumSharon Teitelbaum has certainly earned her spot on our list of the top 5 executive career counseling services in Boston. Sharon is a Master Certified Coach (MCC) by the ICF. As an executive, you wear many hats and are constantly on the go. Sharon Teitelbaum understands how to obtain well-rounded success in areas like work-life balance, and she can relate since she has been through many of the same struggles herself. Sharon has worked with clients in tons of industries while providing her professional career coaching services.Pros: Sharon Teitelbaum has been an executive career coach since 1995, so she has the necessary experience to ensure that your career continues to grow. After all, just because you’re an executive doesn’t mean you don’t want to continue to climb the ranks. Sharon Teitelbaum also offers career coaching solely via email, which is an option that most executive career coaching services do not offer. If you are super busy and/or don’t want to meet or speak on the phone, this may be an alluring choice.Cons: Sharon Teitelbaum only works with women. Naturally, this is an issue if you are a man. (Luckily, there are other executive career coaching services you can choose from if this is the case).Phone number: (617) 926-8393This List Serves The Following Areas Near Boston, Massachusetts:Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, Watertown, Waltham, Medford, Malde n, Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, Quincy, Salem, Brockton, Weymouth, Plymouth, Worcester, Framingham, Lynn, Lawrence, Lowell, Springfield, New BedfordIf you are looking for a career coaching service not specifically for executives, take a look at our article on the Top 5 Career Coaching Services.

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Three Justifications to Employ Older People - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Three Justifications to Employ Older People - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career The law says employers are not permitted to discriminate because they deem someone too old, yet employers do so every single day. How can they get away with it? The answer is, by thinking it but never talking about it or documenting it. When questioned, their answer is, It was not a good fit. There are many reasons people who are no longer young are associated with certain preconceived ideasâ€"for example, poor physical appearance. In some cases, it’s true, and a candidate should show concern and responsibility for improving such an image. Easily said and challenging to reverse but often can be improved through, say, physical fitness, a more contemporary eyeglass frame, better-looking and better-fitting clothing, and proper grooming can make a huge difference. Another example is the expectation that an older and more experienced person is expectingâ€"and needsâ€"more money. In many cases, this is not true. While everybody wants more money of course, there are many situations in which the person has already built a nest egg, and money is a secondary or tertiary concern. Going out and working, regaining identity, contributing, and just being with other people often outweigh everything else. One more example is the preconception that younger people are more tech savvy. Yes , that’s often the case, but I can easily argue that an electronics engineer with years of experience and who’s gone through the technology evolution has a profound understanding and a big-picture point of view, which could be major assets. And how about the notion that older folks have low energy, often have a so-called corporate mentality, and a lack of flexibility? Again, some of those might be true in some cases, but from the examples I’ve presented here, it’s easy to see that each case must be judged independently and weighed on demonstrated facts. How can a candidate mitigate often-false prejudices? First, a candidate must be careful about social media presence. Ninety plus percent of employers check out candidates prior to making a first contact. Why this practice? Because it’s simple, quick, and free. The way candidates do the same by checking out the company and, possibly, everything they can about those they’re going to interview with at the company. It’s called due diligence on both sides. As a job candidate, you should check out your own social media score starting with LinkedIn, followed by socialmention.com. The latter Web site takes a holistic approach, including videos. Second, if you’re not clear on how the potential interviewer might view you, a session with a career coach can surface and reveal all your doubts. In fact, if the career coach is in the habit of using a video camera, you could see it for yourself. In addition, do not be embarrassed to initiate a conversation on this subject with your spouse and your good friends and possibly do a mutual exchange of opinions with other job seekers. Third, get into the frame of mind that says that as an older person, you possess a special asset: experience. Practically speaking, that means that all of the past mistakes were made on some other employer’s account and would not be repeated. How about your problem-solving skills, which are by now well developed? And how about the fact that you’re already in the habit of practicing good judgment and have good work habits. After all, you come from the old school.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

2018 Career Pivot Annual Reader Survey - Career Pivot

2018 Career Pivot Annual Reader Survey - Career Pivot 2nd Annual Career Pivot Reader Survey Copyright: andreypopov / 123RF Stock Photo As the Career Pivot brand and website approaches its 6th anniversary, I thought it would be a good time to run our 2nd reader survey. The website traffic grew from 189,000 visits in 2016 to 240,000 visits in 2017 which were a 25% increase in traffic despite a dramatic drop in traffic coming from social media (FaceBook, LinkedIn, and Twitter). Most marketers are experiencing drops in traffic coming from all of the social media platforms. Reader Survey Sections Demographics I want to know who you are: Gender Age range Employment status Location by continent In my career, where I have traveled the world, the one thing I can honestly say I have learned, is no matter who I think the audience is … it is always different. How You Use the Website I want to know: How frequently do you come to the website? Are you asubscriber via e-mail? What are your favorite topics? How do you reach the website? LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, E-mail… What doyou like best about the website? Is there anythingyou would like tome to address? Please take a moment and take the survey. Career Pivot Futures Career Pivot Community The Career Pivot community website is in the final phases forits lift off in the first quarter of 2018. I currently have 10 members in the community and Iam about to open it up to 10-15 more. This is a paid membership website where there will be training specifically designed for the community. Initial members are directing on what training they would like and need. The are bi-weekly video calls that include discussions, coaching, and training. Lastly, this is intended to be a community where like-minded people can come for support. If you are interested click here to learn more and register for the waiting list. Career Pivot Portals Are Coming The Career Pivot website has over 500 pieces of content that have been developed over the last 6 six years. The project to clean up and organize the content is almost complete. The content has been organized into 8 portals: Careers in the 2nd Half of Life Career Pivot/Change Career Success Social Media Entrepreneurship Job Search Networking Multi-Generational Workplace We are producing a Start Here page that will organize the content so that it is much easier to find the content for which you are looking. Posting Schedule We will continue creating new content but we want your input on what topics you would find the most valuable. You can look for new content every Monday. Podcast show notes will be published on Tuesdays. Wednesdays are for update posts that were originally written 3-5 years ago, and Saturdays will continue to be BoomerJobTips posts. BoomerJobTips Rebranded It is not for certain but we will be rebranding BoomerJobTips to be more inclusive of the Generation X readers. We get a significant readership in the 45-50 years of age group and we want them to feel included. What we will call it is under consideration. Take the Survey Please take a moment and take the survey. If you respond affirmatively to the question about your willingness to participate in building this community, you will be asked for your e-mail address. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Friday, May 8, 2020

Writing a Universal Resume - How To Write A Professional One

Writing a Universal Resume - How To Write A Professional OneWriting a universal resume is something that you do to help you find a job. It can be a difficult task to take on especially when you only have some knowledge of one particular industry. It's easy to become overwhelmed in the process and think that you may have to have a specialized background to apply for certain jobs. It's important to know that it's not necessary.There are things that you need to understand about applying for a job that can really help you put together a successful resume. If you take the time to prepare a professional resume that describes exactly what you can do for the company, they will see it as a positive signal that you can help them in many ways. They'll notice your academic accomplishments along with your work experience and will then be more likely to think that you're one of the best candidates they have.One of the things that you will find if you are serious about writing a universal resume is that you need to understand the process from start to finish. You'll need to know the difference between what to include and what not to include. When writing a universal resume, you will want to include any awards and achievements that you have acquired. Some industries require it, others don't. Just make sure that it is listed under the appropriate section.Then there is the section that will be related to the title of the position that you are applying for. This section should include your job title and why you were hired. Any related experiences that you may have should also be included. The industry that you are applying for will affect this section of the resume.The next most important section of the resume is your education. You'll want to include details about your degree, university, or other type of degree that you have obtained. They should also include the dates that you earned it, your coursework, and how long it took to complete. They should also mention how it relates to the job that you are applying for.Next you should list any previous jobs that you may have had. Make sure that you include all positions that you were a part of. Be sure to list any supervisors that you may have had during this time. For example if you worked in customer service, then mention any supervisors you had who were also in customer service.If you are applying for a job online, make sure that you do not give out any information online. You want to make sure that you can keep your information private if you are a potential candidate. So make sure that you include the details about yourself in a phone interview or in an email. Don't reveal anything if you can help it.Writing a universal resume isn't that hard once you know the right information to include. Just make sure that you do a good job because it will make a big difference when it comes time to apply for a job. The tips that you follow in this article will help you get started.