Archives for "Self-improvement & Personal Development"

Today’s job market is great for employers and human resources departments, but not so great for the average person looking to land a job. Job employment ads are being flooded with responses. This could mean your resume might not even be looked at! It does not matter how skilled or qualified you are for a job if no one even gets the chance to glance at your credentials. If your expertise is pulled out of the crowd you will still be competing with plenty of individuals with similar experience and desperation to win work. This means job hunters must find ways to make themselves stand out from the typical stack of resumes.

Right now there are business people who are seizing this opportunity to help people find work, if they are willing to pay for it. Recruiters, career coaches and resume builders are making good money right now from people who have tried and failed to obtain a job. These avenues certainly cannot hurt if you are able to afford them, but dressing up your resume may not be enough. It is time to implement a strategic self-marketing plan. Make looking for a job your new job and begin to market yourself as a valuable asset.

Job seekers who spend the bulk of their time at home responding to internet job ads or mailing out resumes are not doing enough to win work. Having a detailed plan will help to boost your chances of success. There are a variety of components you could implement into your plan. The more opportunities you take advantage of, the higher your rate of finding work fast.

Self Assessment

First, you need to really assess what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you do not understand what they are it will be much more difficult to market yourself to potential employers. Contact your previous employers and ask them what they believe you were great at and what could use some work. Don’t stop there. Ask co-workers, friends and even family so that you can get a good, overall picture of yourself as an employee. PlusRated is an excellent tool for anonymous assessment and performance appraisals that anyone can use.

Personal Branding

Branding is not just for businesses anymore. Once you have a good idea of what you are great at, it is time to take those strengths and skills and start marketing them. This will end up becoming your personal brand. Are you an excellent salesperson? A go-getter type that does not take no for an answer? Perhaps you are methodical and detail-oriented. Problem solvers are always in demand. Pick out your top five core strengths and use them to your advantage!

Resume Building

Now that you have a good idea of your personal brand, it is time to revamp that resume. Use your brand as a theme throughout the document. Mention your strengths in the objective, in the job descriptions, and in the cover letter. If you feel like your resume could use some work, there are plenty of books and online advice on how to build a better resume. Treat your resume as if it were an advertisement for you and your brand by highlighting your strengths and avoiding your weaknesses.

Applications

With the resume perfected, it is time to start getting it out there. Yes, you can respond to those online ads and classifieds but don’t stop there. Send your resume to places you would like to work, even if there are no current job postings. Not all job postings are advertised and you never know when someone might see your resume and give you a call. Think in terms of volume here. The more applications and resumes you send out, the higher the chance of a return on your investment. Do not be afraid to go out and personally deliver your resume. Ask to speak with the hiring manager and introduce yourself. Even if they do not have a job opening, they may know another company that does.

Networking

This is vital in today’s job market. Many positions are being filled because of who you know, not who has the best resume. This is where you hit up the job fairs, trade shows, and corporate events in your industry. If there are professional organizations be certain to attend their functions. Be creative in how you network. Any time you go out, even to the grocery store or gas station, you have the potential of networking with someone in your field of work. Carry resumes everywhere. Consider printing up some business cards to hand out. There are sites where you can do that for free.

Interview Skills

There are plenty of resources available to help you brush up on your interview skills as well. Be certain to dress appropriately, keeping in mind the industry and workplace you are applying to. It is imperative that you research the company before the interview. Know what they produce, how they market themselves, and what types of people they hire. If you have the opportunity to talk to one of the employees about the work environment it could be instrumental in your interview success.

Follow Through

Once the interview is over, do not settle for waiting by the phone. Call them the next day and thank them for taking the time to interview with you. If you haven’t heard anything in a week, call them for an update. Call them every week until you get an answer.

Training/Internship

Since finding work is your new work, you have time to do some additional training. If there are skills you need to know more about to do your work better this is the time to learn them. If there is a certification, this is the time to earn it. If there is a way you can work for free and learn at the same time, do it. You never know when that free gig might turn into a paying job. It will keep you busy, looks good on your resume, and will keep your skills sharp.

There are times in everyone’s life when we begin to question our accomplishments and ourselves. Then we get introspective and look to make changes in our lives. Self-improvement is a life-long process. Even when we seem to master certain aspects of ourselves, others arise that could use adjustment or improvement. There is a hugely successful market for self development including books, training courses, and personal coaches.

Accountability

The first step to personal development is to accept responsibility for it. Deciding you are interested in improving your life is great, but you also need to make a commitment. You must be able to hold yourself accountable and be serious about this life change in order for it to be effective.

Research

There are a lot of different ways to work on personal development. Some general research on the topic will help you to narrow down the options that most appeal to you. Focus on a couple of areas of a time will keep you from being overwhelmed.

Planning

Once you have decide on the areas you would like to work on, it is time to develop an implementation plan. Whether you draw up a list of goals, utilize daily to do lists, or write up a detailed plan. If there is someone you can trust to support you in your self development goals, enlist their assistance. Ask for some honest feedback from acquaintances as to what your strengths and weaknesses are so you can ensure you are focusing on the right goals.  PlusRated can help you obtain this type of feedback.

Stress

There is no end to stress in our daily lives and it comes from all directions. Managing that stress will not only make you more relaxed, but will help you to focus and will also improve your physical health. Finding ways to eliminate stress is essential for any self development plan.

Set Your Pace

Many of us have pretty hectic lifestyles. Adding new elements to our current schedules may seem impossible. However, the great part of developing your own plan is that you get to decide on your time commitment. Are you a morning person? Can you wake up an hour earlier each day? Are you night owl? Focus on your self development goals once everyone has retired for the evening. Pick a weeknight or a Sunday afternoon, whatever works best for you.

Reward Yourself

Not only should you celebrate as you reach peaks and milestones towards your personal development goals, but you should also take time out each time for yourself. Often we focus so much on the needs of others that we completely neglect our own needs. Giving yourself a little something – whether it be quiet time, a treasured snack, or enjoying a hobby.

With some research and a well put together plan, you will begin reaching your goals in no time at all. As you begin to notice the improvements you have worked towards come to fruition, do not be surprised if there are other self development goals you become interested in pursuing. Learning and improving oneself is not just for the young. You can work on personal goals throughout your whole life. Having a varied skill set and positive outlook on life will take you further than you might realize.

Whether you work from home or in a traditional job, stress seems to be a main component of a person’s career. It does not matter if you are the lowest person on the organizational chart or the CEO, you are being held accountable for something. This responsibility may be something simple but important, or could be tiered and multi-tasked into dozens of responsibilities. Either way, at the end of the day your work will speak volumes about you and what you do.

It used to be that people chose work because it was something they knew how to do, and there was a need for it. Today, many people are simply seeking a paycheck. Inflation, and the imagined need to keep up with society, have us bound to our jobs as never before. Just about every family owns a home, whether they can afford one or not. This means most families require two salary earners just to make ends meet. Our jobs keep us trapped in order to main our lifestyles.

This was not such a bad thing and worked for decades. You go to college, get a degree, get a job, get paid – then work hard to keep up with your lifestyles changes. However, now that we have grown accustomed to this type of lifestyle the economy has changed the rules. No longer can you open the newspaper and take your pick of jobs. The job market is highly competitive and if you end up looking for a new job – you could be looking for awhile.

What does this mean for your career? With jobs being shipped overseas to save money, companies closing doors, and people being laid off every day – it is likely that your job is not as stable or reliable as it used to be. For those lucky enough to still have their jobs, many are finding that they are doing the work of many. A four person department is now down to one individual even though the workload is increasing instead of decreasing.

People are in constant fear that they will show up to work and it will be their last day. Many have already been laid off and are searching desperately for another job. Others are sick of looking and have decided to go into business for themselves. Some families are learning ways to cut back so that they no longer require two incomes to survive. All of these changes are stressful and can mess with your ability to do a great job.

If you love what you do, are skilled and talented, are great at networking, and are working for a company that is thriving, then you have little to stress over. However, if that ideal job is not yours it is time to evaluate what you can do to protect yourself. There is no sure fire, guaranteed way to keep an employer from getting rid of your position. But you can achieve better control at understanding what you are doing well and what you could be doing better. Making yourself invaluable at work is the few ways to ensure that you are the last one thought of come lay off time.

PlusRated is a site where you can get both formal and informal performance evaluations based on the work that you do. It is not restricted to just your supervisors or managers either, as you are welcome to ask for input from your co-workers, friends and even family. Having an overall picture of how your work ethic is perceived is a good way to improve upon your work and make certain you are a valued team player at work.

At some point in everyone’s life that has been a career assessment test. Even as children, we are curious about our strengths, talents and interests and how best to apply them. Some people know from a very early age what they want to do for a living when they are grown. Others continue to struggle and search for the right answer.

The person of the career assessments tests is to help the uncertain to narrow down their workforce options, but also to reassure people already working that they are on the right path. Many companies now use career assessment tests during the interview and hiring process to help ensure they are getting new employees that will match well with what they are looking for.

There is more to a career test than simply finding out what a person is interested in doing. They also track other areas such as personality, current skills, preferences, interests and personal values. A great first place to start is to make a list of all the activities you enjoy doing, not matter how mundane. The answer to your dilemma could very well be included in your list.

Then you will need to consider what you are looking for when it comes to work. What are you willing to do or better yet what types of things are you not willing to do? Do you enjoy working as a team, under someone else or independently? What kind of salary are you willing to accept? Is it important that your work make a difference somehow?

Next, focus on your personality. If you are shy and avoid conflict, then going into sales is not going to be successful for you. Fortunately, there are a lot of personality tests available that can measure your strengths and weaknesses as a person. The Myers Brigg test is one of the more popular and is commonly used by companies for hiring, promoting, and position placement.

Once you have done all of that, you need to take stock of your skill set. With the work you have already done, what skills do you have experience with. Are there skills you feel you have already mastered? What would translate over into other fields? This type of assessment is similar to a resume and marks those tasks you are already able to accomplish. It also gives you a good stepping stone to learning new skills and adding to your current repertoire.

It is the combination of some or all of these types of assessments that will give you a clear, overall picture of where you stand work wise. Understanding your interests, listing your skills, and considering your personality will help make a more educated career decision. There are plenty of resources that can help you in this area. The Internet is a huge place with tons of educational information. PlusRated has self assessment tests where individuals ask their friends and families to be candid and give feedback on performance and other personal development areas.

Personal development covers a wide range of topics. It is more than just self help, personal development now branches into the realm of helping others as well. Teachers, mentors, life coaches, and career counselors are all personal development professionals. Those seeking help with personal development could be looking to accomplish a number of things from building up strengths, to increasing knowledge, to fulfilling one’s potential. This could be in a person’s private life, in their career, in their social life or in any other area the individual feels is important to improve.

For individuals there are plenty of products on the market to help people pursue hobbies, interests and new strengths. These products include books, ebooks, courses, conferences, audio and video training, counseling and other devices. Popular fields are fitness, weight loss, new age relaxation techniques and beauty enhancement products.

There is a market for businesses that hoping to offer benefits to employees as well. There are companies, life coaches and training programs that specialize in improving an employee’s attitude, productivity or skillset. These often involve a combination of training, assessments, coaching, mentoring and other methods of feedback.

Books/Ebooks

There are over a hundred thousand different self help choices when it comes to published books. This does not even count the numerous ebooks available. The personal development book industry is a hot market. With some a plethora of choices, it can be difficult to narrow down the options. It does help if you have a specific area of personal development you are interested in. Even then it is a good idea to go online and research product reviews and ask for referrals before making an investment.

Online Resources

There are tons of online resources available including articles, directories and advice. There are also self help tools such as quizzes, tests and personal assessments. PlusRated offers unique personal assessment tools to help determine what areas one needs to work on.

Courses

There are training courses, both classes and online, that promise to help people and improve knowledge and skills. These can range from fairly affordable to extremely pricey – depending on the length of the course and who is teaching it.

Conferences/Seminars

For those who want or need to learn a lot in a short span of time, conferences and seminars are popular. They also allow a person time to really delve into a topic or subject in detail plus network with like-minded individuals and experts in the field.

Counseling/Life Coaches

For those searching for more intensive opportunities, or who need more guidance and direction, then it is time to look into counseling. Life coaches are popular right now as they can be hired to help you in a variety of areas. They focus on the individual and are able to suggest ideas and opportunities that will help a person grow.

Regardless of which method appeals or works best, the choices are seemingly endless for those seeking personal development. There are no wrong choices although people may find some approaches work better than others. It is wise to be cautious when it comes to where money is spent as not all self help avenues are legitimate. Where there are fads, there are people willing to exploit them. Spend your time researching a product or service before purchase.