Transitions2success

We’ve been talking about success. However, maybe you aren’t there yet. Maybe right now you are just looking for a job to survive. Been there, too. The first thing you need to do is polish up that resume. I’ve just done that myself since someone send me a posting about a counseling position. (It is just a few hours a week. Since I wasn’t looking for anything, my resume really needed a “revamp”.) 

Job hunting right now is a very competitive and at times can be a cut-throat affair. Read on for some tips to help you get the edge in searching for and landing the job of your dreams.

The Curriculum Vitae or Resume
The Resume is the first, and usually the most important part of applying for a job. Potential employers have to narrow down possible hundreds of resumes to a few interesting ones, and they have to base their efforts on what’s on those resumes.

Most studies show that about half of the employers decide to accept or reject job applications based on the work experience listed in the resume that is relevant to the jobe being filled. A third of the employers decide to reject or accept these job applications based on the actual layout design of these applications.

1. Make Your Resume Stand Out
When preparing your CV, make sure your’s stands out among the rest. It should be appealing to the eyes, making the evaluating personnel want to read the CV. Step two is for you to make sure your Resume lists the related work experience you have had in relation to the job you are applying for. This is important. You may need to tailor several individual resumes to particular job categories.

2. Make Your Resume Concise and Relevant
Avoid making your CV’s too long. It may make it irrelevant to the evaluator. Remember that the employer is a person to whom time is important. If your Resume shows that you value his/her time while showing the most relevant information quickly, you will have won one important battle.

3. Always tailor your CV to the job.
As mentioned aobve,you may have had previous experience that may not be related to the job you are applying for. Some people keep many different versions of their Resume for different job opening categories. Make sure your Resume is appropriate for that particular job. A one-size-fits-all Resume may not be the best way to go since the employer will have the impression that your previous efforts have not been focused enough to produce any specialization on your part.

4. Write about your achievements
You may add your achievements, but make your statements factual and relevant. It does’n hurt to advertise yourself, but make your statements matter-of-fact and not just hot air. You may want to skip on listing your weak points as the Resume is not the right time for such discussions.

5. Polish Your Resume
Your employer will know if you have put enough time into producing the Resume. If he/she sees that you have put sufficient and thorough effort into it, he/she will assume that you will do the same in your work. This is a bonus for you. (No spelling, grammer or formating errors!) It is not uncommon for some people to spend days or even weeks polishing and buffing their Resumes.

Hope these tips help you out. Let me know what else you need.

Dr. Kary

Hope you aren’t in the above category! It sure isn’t a good place to be – been there, done that! Just in case you are lookin for a job, I’m going to be posting some good information in the next few posts that will help get rid of the knot in the pit of your stomach.

Speaking of stomachs, some bug got me so I haven’t posted for a few days. But, if you’ve been keeping track and are planning on holding me account-able, I have been working on those goal sheets that I mentioned last time. It has been complicated but extremely interesting. Not only does it ask you to write out your goals, it also asks what would comprise your perfect life. In other words, not only things you want to work toward but things that you’d like to eliminate from your life. One of mine was to clean off my desk – get rid of the clutter – and it asks for a date. I did get it cleaned off!However, the piles are still sitting here to be sorted through! That’s part two of the goal.

Some of the things involved in your perfect life may not cost money but can be taken care of by making a decision to do it or not to do it. Getting rid of that clutter is one good example. It asks you to list what will be improved by the achieving of eliminating that thing from your life. Another goal might be to improve your social life. That may not cost you anything but a decision to get off the couch and get involved in some kind of activity.

Something else that is included in this study are inventory sheets. The inventory includes your skills, talents and training. Another asks for an inventory of the equipment and software you already have, and another has you list assets and liabilities and money available for developing a product or doing advertising. Very comprehensive.

Further in the study, you have to take the goals and develop them backwards. This is a concept that I first learned from a book by Stephen Covey. The idea goes like this – say, as a student, you have a term paper due on April 3rd. In order for that paper to be finished on time, how far do you need to be with it by March 3rd and how far by February 3rd. Then  you can break that down into weeks and figure out how much needs to be done this week and then each day. That way, you can keep yourself on track to be finished without that last minute all-nighter that made you hate term papers to begin with. (I can say that I learned that concept, but it doesn’t mean I always use it! Some of us actually do work better under pressure!)

So, enough for today. I’ll soon have some hints for job seekers and for that important interview. Have you done your homework on what you are good at and where you want your career to go from here? Have you worked on any goals? I’d like to hear what they are. Leave me your comments or questions. I’ll set a goal to respond quickly!

Blessings,

Dr. Kary

Well, hello again. How has your day been? Get anything accomplished? How about those goals we’ ve been talking about? Hope your day went according to your plan!

Mine sure didn’t. But, that’s not to say I didn’t accomplish anything. Two of my granddaughters have birthdays coming up, so my plan changed a bit. I like to sew dresses for them. (Remember I had four boys!) So I spent some time picking out materials for dresses and pinafores. (Do you know what pinafores are? My husband didn’t. They are like jumpers to wear over the dress.) So I’ll be doing some sewing in the next few weeks.

Anyway, I didn’t get to work on the goal system that I mentioned yesterday. But I promise to get to it and let you know the results. It shouldn’t take as long as it looks since I’ve already done some of the background work on goals and working toward them.

Maybe you have too. Several years ago, I worked through the process in a book called “What Color is Your Parachute.” Have you heard of it? If you are out of work right now, it is well worth considering. Every year or two a new edition comes out. It will certainly help anyone who is serious about it to get a handle on where you want to be headed and what you would be good at doing. It is much more rewarding to be doing a job that fits you. Makes work feel like fun! (Almost!)

There are also some valuable resources that will tell you what kind of person you are and what you are good at. Sometimes we don’t even recognize our own traits and what they add up to. If you are interested in any of these testing tools, get in touch with me and we’ll talk about it. I have training in career counseling and may be able to help you.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow is a busy day, but Thursday I hope to work on that study course. Keep me accountable – hold me to it.

Did you think any more about those goals? What would you like your life to be like? Are you living from paycheck to paycheck? Or even unemployed? The economy is truly frightening right now. There are answers to keeping your private economy in good shape.

And,there are ways to achieve the goals that you hopefully listed. However, it is hard to attain goals when you don’t know what they are. The place to start is to do some intensive thinking about where you want to be five or ten years from now (physically or financially or even emotionally).

There’s a great packet by Gabor Olah that will take some serious study. As soon as I figure out how to do it(!!), I’ll offer it to you as a freebie. He is tough and doesn’t let you get away with only half-serious answers. I’ve read the article, now I need to do the work. He offers worksheets to go with it and points out that it doesn’t do much good to just read it and go on about your way! So, my next goal is to study, think and fill out the work-sheets he provides. Yikes! That won’t get done in half an hour.

And, I did promise you a funny! (I print these up and give them to my mother-in-law to take to Senior Citizens group.) Here are some definitions for success:     

•  At age 4 success is …..not piddling in your pants
• At age 12 success is …..having friends
• At age 17 success is …..having a drivers license
• At age 35 success is …..having money
• At age 50 success is …..having money
• At age 70 success is …..having a drivers license
• At age 75 success is …..having friends
• At age 80 success is …..not piddling in your pants

Enough for today. Hope you are thinking about your goals and what is success for you. So many people are hanging on by their shoestrings, and I sure hope that doesn’t include you. Let me know what your goals are.

Well, what about success? Your success and mine are different. Your success might be to drive that new Beamer or to have that big house on the hill. It might be to fire your boss, or to pay the rent, or feed your fourteen kids!  (Just kidding!)

Do you want to hear mine? I’ve achieved some of my successes. I went to college beginning in my forties, and finally have finished my doctorate in psychology. That’s neat! (But I’m still paying for it!) And another success that I’m proud of is raising my four sons (on my own) who are responsible citizens and good parents. Now I have four wonderful daughters-in-law, and eight beautiful grandchildren. Yay!

However, even though I’m retired, there are still things I’d like to accomplish with the rest of my life. I’d like to make lots of money, buy a new Subaru, pay off my debts (!!!), help my kids, and along the way – help some other folks make some money too. With the economy the way it is right now, there are lots of people who really need a boost.

What goals do you have for your life? Where would you like to be in one year; in five years; in ten years? What will it take to achieve those goals. How do you go about determining what you want your life to be?

Think about it – and leave me a comment. I have a “funny” for you, so tune in tomorrow.

If I’m a fisherman and grow a good crop of lettuce, is that success? Hardly!

But, what if I’m a farmer and grow a good crop of corn? Or I’m a student and get an “A” on the mid-term exam? How about if I’m a pastor and preach a good sermon that reaches the hearts of my listeners?

What does success mean to you? Do you think it means different things to different people? Kind of like “different strokes for different folks”? There might be several definitions: achievement, good luck, prosperity, gain, victory, accomplishment.

Write a comment and let me know what you think. Success can be a blessing or a curse, right?  How about it – what is success?