20) Responding to Their First Outreach

How I Found A Job (7/20) Responding to Their First Outreach The first communication I had from anyone at BambooHR for this job was shocking. It was a personal LinkedIn message from the hiring manager that was not cold or off-putting, not impersonal or prescribed.   It was also flattering, and showed that he had looked at my LinkedIn Profile and saw that I might be a perfect match. I was blown away. I was  flattered. After all of the cold communication or non-communication I had from the other companies I had applied for, I was in shock. I showed my wife who said he probably says that to everyone who has applied. Maybe.   Maybe he just had that personality, but I didnt think so.   The question he asked is why I was interested in that role? Me the CEO of JibberJobber, someone who had pushed out 30 Pluralsight courses why in the world would I be interested in that role? I responded thusly: It took me a while to write that. I am a prolific writer, they say, and I wanted to write a novel. HIRE ME! PUT ME IN, COACH!   Alas, a lot of writing and backspacing, and that is what I came up with. This was a bit nerve-wracking, because by this point I found the perfect role at the perfect company. I could make a difference in a company that was making a difference in the world. They had almost ten years of purpose and I would add value, based on my eclectic experience that others couldnt understand. But Rusty understood. And he reached out to me and treated me with dignity. I dont need my ego stroked, but every job seeker knows that being treated with dignity, as a human, is rare. If theres anything you can take away from this (todays post), it is this: Treat your communication as very special, and spend time writing and cleaning your messages. Make sure you know what you want to say, what you dont need to say (and would only be a weird distraction), and send THE RIGHT message. But then, stop second guessing yourself and hit send. How I Found A Job (7/20) Responding to Their First Outreach The first communication I had from anyone at BambooHR for this job was shocking. It was a personal LinkedIn message from the hiring manager that was not cold or off-putting, not impersonal or prescribed.   It was also flattering, and showed that he had looked at my LinkedIn Profile and saw that I might be a perfect match. I was blown away. I was  flattered. After all of the cold communication or non-communication I had from the other companies I had applied for, I was in shock. I showed my wife who said he probably says that to everyone who has applied. Maybe.   Maybe he just had that personality, but I didnt think so.   The question he asked is why I was interested in that role? Me the CEO of JibberJobber, someone who had pushed out 30 Pluralsight courses why in the world would I be interested in that role? I responded thusly: It took me a while to write that. I am a prolific writer, they say, and I wanted to write a novel. HIRE ME! PUT ME IN, COACH!   Alas, a lot of writing and backspacing, and that is what I came up with. This was a bit nerve-wracking, because by this point I found the perfect role at the perfect company. I could make a difference in a company that was making a difference in the world. They had almost ten years of purpose and I would add value, based on my eclectic experience that others couldnt understand. But Rusty understood. And he reached out to me and treated me with dignity. I dont need my ego stroked, but every job seeker knows that being treated with dignity, as a human, is rare. If theres anything you can take away from this (todays post), it is this: Treat your communication as very special, and spend time writing and cleaning your messages. Make sure you know what you want to say, what you dont need to say (and would only be a weird distraction), and send THE RIGHT message. But then, stop second guessing yourself and hit send.

Advance Business Using One Secret Strategy - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Advance Business Using One Secret Strategy - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do you sometimes get frustrated with offers expressed as seemingly helping you but in reality do not value your time and experience? Put in this situation, most people will either give away their services far below their worth or will walk away without trying to find a solution to the problem. The secret strategy is to ask that together  you find a mutually beneficial solution for all. Begin by resetting perception and expectations Most often people will stand back when you politely but firmly let it be known you value your time and the experience you bring to your work. The sales term is “re-framing” due to putting a brand new perspective on the offer. When you stand up for who you are and what you may contribute to helping your peer, they then understand a different conversation needs to take place. And when this occurs, their perspective of your capabilities is reset and their thinking adjusts to focus on how you may work together. Does this work 100% of the time? Very little works 100%, but your returned question relieves the belief you have to give your services away. It also serves to free up your time to concentrate on those prospective clients who do value your expertise. This is known as the qualifying stage that is so important for building a thriving business. A real life example would be someone asking you to contribute content free of charge to their website because their traffic statistics are very high and it would provide you excellent exposure. Put the ball back in their court. Explain you are very busy with your own clientele and would need to charge a fee for content. If they seriously want your material, you would be asked, “What are your fees?” Answering the question, of “How Much, is very tricky to answer and requires you ask additional questions. Blurting out a figure might be much lower than what was about to be offered, or so high your price can’t be accommodated. Instead, inquire as to type of content desired, length, and frequency of delivery. Specifics will give you insight to time required for meeting and exceeding expectations. Ease into a negotiation Relay experiences you had helping previous clients with similar needs along with the excellent outcomes achieved. Or you may point the requesting party to your website page displaying testimonials and examples of the expertise you provide. Offer to meet in person or speak on the phone to get clarity on what will be expected of you, as well as find a common ground that is fair to all parties. No one can argue with the word “fair”. Suggesting a meeting of the minds puts you in the leadership seat and conveys that you are highly competent in what you do. This speaks highly of your personal brand. Your prospective client becomes enthused about finding a way to make the project work for all concerned. Asking applies to most situations. It is the engaging conversation, and working to solve the needs of all parties, that more frequently leads you to the Smooth Sale!

How to Ask for a Raise (Sample Emails) - Algrim.co

How to Ask for a Raise (Sample Emails) - Algrim.co Asking for a raise is a tiny bit of art and a whole lot of science. Most guides will tell you that there are a few steps you need to take in order to ask for a raise, but they’re wrong. Asking for a raise is a complicated thing. But we’re going to breakdown exactly what makes a perfect execution of asking (and getting) a raise. Ready to get started? Let's go! Table Of Contents Before We Start, Do You Qualify For A Raise How Much (In Percentage) Of A Raise Can I Get Or Ask For Before Your Email, Collecting Your “Power Figures” Asking For A Raise Pro Tips Mistakes You Could Make Asking For A Raise By Email (Best Sample) Asking For A Raise Email Subject Line Examples Before We Start, Do You Qualify For A Raise Asking for a raise is going to be easier after you read this guide, but do you actually qualify for one? The most important thing is that your performance merits a raise. You need to be honest with yourself about that. The second important factor is that you’ve been with your company for more than a year. Asking for a raise too quickly after being hired can look bad. Make sure that it’s been a least a year before you bring up this conversation. Here’s what you should have: A strong performance record. Clearly doing your job properly. At least one year with the company or more. How Much (In Percentage) Of A Raise Can I Get Or Ask For This is the most commonly misunderstood thing about getting a raise, it is usually predetermined in terms of percentages. The average employee receives anywhere from a 6% to 12% gain in compensation when they receive a raise. Pro fact: Gallup performed a consumer survey and found that 85% of people hate their jobs in the U.S. And 70% are emotionally disconnected with their jobs and careers. Will salary change that for you? If you feel like 12% isn’t enough to satisfy what you need in terms of income, you might want to consider skipping the conversation about a raise and move towards finding new employment (or asking for a higher paying job internally). When you ask for a raise, you probably shouldn’t prompt your employer with the percentage that you’re looking for. But if you can explain why you are looking for a raise, that might help. Something like, “I’m moving into a new apartment and it appears as though my rent is going to be higher than it was previously, and I can’t avoid that.” Before Your Email, Collecting Your “Power Figures” Our email methods are different than those you’ll see elsewhere. Here’s the true key to ensuring that you get your raise. Before you write your email, sit down and think about all of the great things you’ve been able to accomplish as well as all of the things you hope to accomplish in the near future. All of these should be company related. For example, some things that you might have been able to accomplish might be: Launched a new product. Learned a new skill set. Increased your capabilities as a team member. Be sure that they’re very specific to your job function and working history. While there’s no perfect example we can provide here because we don’t know your role, you should have a firm grasp of what went well in the past year. Have those written down as we’ll use those for our email. Asking For A Raise Pro Tips Whenever asking for a raise, it’s best not to simply ask for more money. Think about it, would you appreciate having someone simply walk up to you and say, “give me more money.” You wouldn’t. When you ask for a raise, be sure that you are promoting a conversation that you’d like to have with your manager, direct report or boss. Don’t simply ask for a raise. Here are some general tips when actively involved in a conversation about compensation: Ensure the employer knows you don’t plan on leaving the company. Ensure the employer is having a conversation with you about compensation vs. you simply asking for more money. Keep the conversation positive. Have empathy for the employer/manager as they might not have the budget to give you a raise. Show you are flexible and want to find what’s best for the company and for you as well. Explain why you might be looking for a raise, like needing to move out of your apartment and experiencing higher rent than a few years ago. Mistakes You Could Make The worst things you could do when asking for a raise is to do so with friction. Sure, you might feel like you deserve more money. But instead of coming into the conversation unsettled and ready for battle, try having an open and light hearted conversation. Here are some of the mistakes that you want to avoid: Highlight only the fact that you’ve been with the company for a long time. Highlight that you’re overdue for a raise. Ask for too high of a raise or be too demanding about what percentage of a raise you deserve. Ask for a raise and not being open to having a discussion with your manager. Asking a bad time. For example, if your manager just mentioned that budgets were going to be low this year. Asking For A Raise By Email (Best Sample) The biggest trick when asking for a raise is to remind your employer about all the great success you’ve shared together. This reinforces the worthiness of a raise. That’s where our “Power Figures” come into play. Be sure that you place them into the template below. The best email template when asking for a raise: Dear [Manager] â€" As you know, I’ve been with the company for two years now. I’ve really enjoyed working here and have learned so much. Here are a few of the things I’ve been able to accomplish in the past year: Took leadership towards the 45% of projects that the company was overspending time on and helped o get them out the door. Increased sales by 25% through 3 high profile clients. Raised company presence by speaking at conferences. And I hope to continue building on those plus many more. With that, I’d love to have a discussion with you regarding my current compensation package. When might be the best time to speak with you regarding this? Thank you so much, [Your name] Asking For A Raise Email Subject Line Examples When sending your email you’re going to want to include a fairly simple and straight forward email subject line. Here are some of the best email subject lines appreciated by managers: “Regarding My Compensation” “Discussing My Compensation” “Conversation About My Future” “Available To Meet [Date]”

4 Ways Working Moms Can Find a Flexible Job that Pays Well - Classy Career Girl

4 Ways Working Moms Can Find a Flexible Job that Pays Well For many women, career and family go hand in hand. Balancing a mother’s responsibilities while financially contributing to the household or solely making ends meet can be a very hectic task. For moms returning to the workforce after giving birth, work flexibility is a critical matter. According to the US Department of Labor, a staggering 40% of women (specifically, mothers in the U.S.) contribute to the household as primary or sole earners as reported in the first quarter of 2017! So, for those mothers ready to get back on track, here are several ways to find a flexible job perfect for working moms. 4 Ways Working Moms Can Find a Flexible Job that Pays Well 1. Create an Online Work Portfolio Many of the conventional ways of job searching, hiring, and other similar activities have been replaced with newer and more advanced ways like online job hunting and conducting online job interviews and examinations. To increase your chances of standing out from the pool of other professionals, create your own work portfolio. This is an avenue for you to express yourself virtually, and artistically â€" should you want to â€" and which you can definitely create during your free time at home. Remember to include here the terms of your work availability, skills/ offered services, and other important work-related factors. Also, tailor your portfolio wherein employers can work out a schedule and workload that is equally beneficial. Most importantly, make sure to give employers a chance to contact you. You can be as creative and minimalistic as you want, but make sure to maintain a certain level of professionalism in your portfolio. Keep your statements to the point, and avoid filler lines. A well-created portfolio will justify why employers should employ you, and at what terms and rates, without the essays or unfairly compromising your services. More so, you can also ask for your former employers for character references, or statements on you as an employee and use this in your portfolio. 2. Try Online Job Hunting What spells out flexibility better than the internet? The internet has provided topnotch work in terms of flexibility that people are now able to search products; inquire on services, merchandises, and other matters; and, even do substantial research within in the confines of their homes. Online job hunting has been in the market for several years, and with the fast pace of technological development, many have successfully created advanced job listing sites. A typical career portal nowadays filters for basic information as work location, salary range, types of industries, and employment category (full-time, part-time, or freelance). For working moms, you can now go through pages of job listings at home and send in your application while doing your daily tasks. [RELATED: 5 Strategies for Tending to Your Family and Your Job Search At The Same Time] 3. Make Use of Intermediary Job Services Tangent to online job hunting, you can now avail services of third-party job hunters. Certified agencies have a network pool of employers, and are trained in intermediary services. They can help you find the perfect job while you take the time at home building your portfolio. In addition, you can elaborate the terms of your planned flexible working to them, and from there, they can begin filtering prospective positions for you. Although combined with your online job search efforts, these agencies increase your chances of landing the perfect job, make sure to find one known for their reliability and efficiency. Most people rely on reviews, which are a good source of insights on products and services, but you can do more by contacting your local registry regarding legally operating headhunting firms. 4. Know Your Worth Although the workforce is a competitive place, do yourself right, and make your offered services and/or products as a working mom fair to you, and reasonable to your potential pool of employers. As mentioned before, you can justify this in your portfolio simply by tailoring it in a way that exemplifies your skills, training, educational and work background; a rationalization of “why me and why for these terms of work.” Since some employers are from different time zones, you may just land a reasonable evening to late evening job; perfect while your child or children are in deep slumber, and you ready to practice and hone your skills online.

Tips to Help You Find a Credible Resume Writing Service

Tips to Help You Find a Credible Resume Writing ServiceWhen you are trying to land that job, it is very important to provide a well-written and professional resume. However, many companies require more than just a well-written resume to get the job.In fact, it is very rare for a company to hire someone who doesn't have an excellent resume. That is why it is so important to be able to find a credible resume writing service. This way, you will not only have a professionally written resume, but also a resume that will show your specific skills and abilities in an employer's eyes.There are plenty of websites on the internet that claim to provide this type of service. Some of them even use the same templates that you can find in other online resume sites. However, there are a few things you should be aware of before choosing a service to use. Let's take a look at a few of these tips to help you find a credible resume writing service.First, make sure that the company is a reputable company . A good resume writing service will be able to give you an excellent resume at a fair price. However, it is difficult to judge this because these services charge their clients a price for each individual resume they create.In addition, if the resume writing service charges too much for their services, you should question why. Many companies require their employees to use their services in order to land a job. Therefore, the company is willing to pay a fair price in order to guarantee that they have a professional resume for each applicant.It is also important to consider how the resume was created. For example, you might receive a resume with information on it that is outdated or incomplete. A reputable resume writing service is going to be able to tell you about the situation and offer suggestions about how you can better your resume.Finally, don't be afraid to ask about the type of experience the service has. Even if resume service charges a reasonable price, they should be able to provide you with the type of resume that you will most likely be looking for. You want to ensure that the person creating your resume will be able to provide you with the resume that you are looking for without wasting your time or spending more money than you need to.These tips should help you get started finding a credible resume writing service. It is a good idea to ask questions about the resume before you pay the bill.

Your resume looks great, but hows your Jenga game - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Your resume looks great, but hows your Jenga game - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog How do you uncover a persons true character in a job interview? When people know theyre being evaluated, they of course put on their best behavior and play nice. But are they really? You can ask them what theyre like, but will they tell the truth? Heres a fun way to uncover an applicants character that I found in a comment thread over on reddit.com. It involves a serious game of Jenga: Where I work, we do our best to weed out the unhappy and cynical employees before they even get hired. Coworkers who are constantly cynical and unhappy are absolutely terrible for morale, and we do whatever we can to avoid it both before and after hiring. After each candidate goes through his/her well-rehearsed and pre-meditated interviews with HR and management, the entire engineering team (small company) comes into the room, closes the door, and starts a game of Jenga like its no big deal. Meanwhile, we strike up a casual conversation with the candidate and insist s/he play with us. Without fail, the candidates true colors are almost immediately revealed. Candidate scoffs at the idea of playing a game in an interview? Obviously too uptight for our group and not capable of handling rapidly changing situations. Focusing on Jenga also takes the candidates mind off of all of the pre-meditated answers and pages of interview tips articles that weve all read at one point or another. The trick is to treat the game of Jenga like its serious business so the candidate follows suit and forgets about the formalities of the interview and whatever persona s/he is trying to craft for the interviewers. If the person can discuss intense technical topics without breaking a sweat while playing Jenga, then s/he likely knows the subject matter pretty well. Works every time. We end up with engineers who get along, think on their feet, are laid back, and known their stuff. I like it. It reminds me of this great story from Hal Rosenbluths book The Customer Comes Second: CEO Hal Rosenbluth was once about to hire an executive with all the right skills, the right personality and the perfect CV. His interviews went swimmingly and he?d said all the right things, but something about him still made Rosenbluth nervous, though he couldn?t put his finger on just what it was. His solution was brilliant: He invited the applicant to a company softball game, and here he showed his true colors. He was competitive to the point of being manic. He abused and yelled at both the opponents and his own team. He cursed the referees and kicked up dirt like a major league player. And he did not get the job. I absolutely agree that no workplace should tolerate jerks and the best time to weed them out is before theyre ever hired. Playing games is just one way to make people forget themselves enough to show who they really are. Your take What do you think? Does your workplace do something similar? Have you tried something like this in a job interview? Related posts The No Asshole Rule. How do you hire happy managers? Top 5 reasons why most team building events are a waste of time. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Five Tips to Empower Yourself During the Interview - Pathfinder Careers

Five Tips to Empower Yourself During the Interview - Pathfinder Careers Five Tips to Empower Yourself During the Interview Eureka! Let’s say you’ve finally landed an interview, did all the research on the target company, and are now sitting in the hot seat, being grilled about your background from a panel of prospective bosses. Who is exactly in control here? Did you guess the employer? Wrong. You BOTH are in control. Most job applicants mentally hand over all the power in a job search to the prospective employer, being that they (the employer) has something that the candidate wants (the job). It’s easy to think that the target company is the sole decision maker as to whether they hire that person or not. This is a dangerous attitude to take, because in essence, you are effectively handing over the power of the situation to someone else, when in fact, you equally hold the reins. If you have carefully managed your career, are confident in your abilities and what it is that you offer to the employer, you also have control in the interview room just as much as the employer. Flip the dynamics around, and suddenly, you are the industry subject matter expert who is top in your field, and what you offer is exactly what the employer is seeking (perhaps even desperately so). Interviews are a two-way street. You are interviewing the interviewer as well, so here are five essential tips to keep yourself in the driver’s seat along with the employer, when it comes to the balance of power during an interview (well, without being you becoming too over-confident, of course!): 1) Respect yourself, just as you respect the employer. If the person or people interviewing you aren’t showing you the same amount of respect that you’d expect, write an “X” against the employer. Just like you, the employer’s representatives should be on their best behavior during the interview. Think of this as the ‘courtship’ phase when everything should be all ‘go’ and not any ‘no!’ Don’t like how they are treating you? It’s a sure sign that worse things are yet to come. 2) Test for chemistry. Just as there are good bosses out there, there are also bad bosses. We’ve seen them. Control freaks, neurotic messes, people with anger issues… they are all out there. The question is: are they sitting in front of you in an interview? I was once interviewing at a large corporation where the HR person (!!!) told me that the CEO that I was going to be directly reporting to had extreme anger issues and treated staff horribly. Then the HR person asked how I would handle that. At that point, I decided I didn’t want to. Who needs that lying on your doorstep every day?? If it isn’t a fit, walk away. You’ll save yourself from ulcers, high blood pressure, and a miserable existence. Sure, it could be the job you’ve always wanted, but at what cost? 3) Watch the interview team  for clues on team dynamics. If you are in a panel interview, or have successive follow-up interviews, examine how the team communicates. Is there camaraderie? Are they having fun? Or are they sour, droll, or beaten down? Clues to the team dynamic can also give you a heads up on the corporate culture.   I remember during one interview many years ago that there were several people on the panel who seemed rather combative. Fortunately, I had done my research and found out that the organization had been suffering from a lot of external politics, and the observation of these folks in the interview verified this revelation which came from an inside source. I weighed everything after the interview, and that was the determining factor of why I chose not to accept the position. Again, if they were fighting in the interview, what kind of toxic work environment would I be getting myself into?? 4) Ask your own questions in the interview. In addition to learning more information about the company, by asking questions, you demonstrate innovation and initiative by focusing on the employer while framing yourself up as the likely top candidate to be chosen. It’s always a good idea to walk into every interview with a minimum of at least 10 questions that you want to ask. In all likelihood, several of the questions will be answered during the course of the interview, so you need backups. Questions to ask could include: a. What types of professional development does your organization offer? b. Can you describe some of the challenges you (or your company) has faced in the last two years (in addition to the economy)? c. As the new ___ (position title)__, what would be the first thing I’d need to be working on to hit the ground running? d. What are the top two accomplishments that you are most proud of since you started here? e. What do you see as your biggest advantages over your industry competitor? f. Can you describe the ideal candidate for this position? (This is also a good reality check for you to ask this question towards the end of the interview to see how you are performing to their standards.) g. Overall, how would you classify the fiscal health of your company? (IMPORTANT and totally appropriate question to ask, especially now. Had a client who moved his whole family from California to Oregon only to get laid off 8 weeks later.) h. What are some of the key projects that I would be working on immediately after hire? i. What are some of the skills and abilities necessary for someone to succeed in this job? 5) Do a ‘temperature check’ at the end of the interview. This is a critical juncture. Usually, employers will close the interview and say thank you, etc. etc. and once you walk out of that room, the chances of you getting feedback on how you actually performed fall to practically zero. They’ve put you on the spot, so its time to be assertive and put them on the spot as well. Ask, “Based on our discussion today, do you have any concerns about my ability to perform this position?” You are holding them accountable for their ultimate hiring decision… you’ll find out right away how you did, and have a good understanding as to why you were or were not chosen for the position. Too many times, most of us walk away without any kind of closure of our performance. We may  sort of know, but don’t really have a sense of what the employer is thinking. The only way you can improve your interviewing skills is by learning, and by asking this question, you are creating a learning opportunity to empower yourself to do better in future interviews.