Developing yourself for better career

In our chaotic lives filled with confusing messages from a plethora of competitors, a personal brand makes you impossible to ignore and prevents you from becoming a commodity like wheat, sugar or coffee beans. Commodities are bought and sold every day on the world market with their prices determined by supply and demand forces. The brand with the best perceived value has the advantage and achieves greater results.

The days are gone when you could just show up, do your work, and expect to get noticed. In our global economy, bright and brilliant people all over the world compete for the same positions. Many are willing to work for commodity like prices. Developing your "Me Inc." will brand yourself and create a distinctive value enabling you stand above your closest competitors. This is true whether you are an entrepreneur, a small or mid-size business owner, or an individual pushing for a promotion to the executive suite.

Personal branding is a natural aspect of how people evaluate one another. You don't need a master's degree in marketing to put it to work. Personal branding lets you control how other people perceive you. You're telling them what you stand for but in a way that's so organic and unobtrusive they think they've developed that perception all by themselves.

Personal branding, creating "Me Inc.," takes your skills, personality and unique characteristics and packages them into a powerful identity that increases your visibility in crowded markets. It starts with the way you walk, talk and dress and includes your education, profession, car, friends, and choice of neighborhoods. Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin has found a unique way to brand her physical appearance. She wears a colorful flower on the left side of her suit, creating a unique branding perception to that is easily recognizable.

Complete branding, however, is not just good grooming, polished shoes, the car you drive or how you present your business card. After these physical, outer branding characteristics, creating "Me Inc." moves to the heart and soul with attitudes & emotions. To more fully develop your brand:


Exhibit enthusiasm and a positive attitude

Demonstrate persistence and the ability to follow through and lock in commitments

Live with integrity and honor your commitments

Which of these branding virtues describes you? Did you realize that others can brand you as...negative or positive...as undependable or dependable?

After branding your physical appearance and your attitudes, move to the final step: your nature and brain. Accomplish this third step by distinguishing yourself by branding your innate talents, knowledge and skills.

Innate talents – What is easy for you? What do you like to do? What behavior when repeated seems to be executed like magic?

Knowledge – What do you know that could be branded?

Skills – What skills have you practiced over and over until the gap between potential and actual is hardly recognizable?

As an example, if you want to be a better sales professional, you need an innate talent for persuasion then in-depth product knowledge and a quiver filled with sales skills and techniques. Perfect your step three by practicing your skills whether selling your ideas inside or outside your organization and focus on your closing techniques. The good news is that which is practiced, improves. In summary:

Innate Talents + Knowledge Learned + Skills Practiced = More Complete Self Brand and Results

Creating "Me Inc." distinguishes and differentiates you and enables you to shine through the crowd of people vie for promotions or competing for the same customer. As you develop your brand and operate from deep inside, you will become a virtual magnet, pulling people to you who want to do business with you or who will be willing to give you more responsibility in your organization. Through this process, you catapult yourself into an elite league of achievers.

"If you work hard at your job, you'll make a living. If you work hard on yourself, you'll make a fortune." ~ Jim Rohn

Unemployment rate worldwide

Interesting to find out that the 10 countries with lowest unemployment rate in the world according to the statistic 2010 are:

10. Papa New Guinea - 1.90%

9. Cuba - 1.80%

8. Vanuatu - 1.70%

7. Liechtenstein - 1.50%

6. Faroe Islands - 1.40%

5. Guernsey - 0.90%

4. Azerbaijan - 0.80%

3. Qatar - 0.06%

2. Andorra - 0.00%

1. Monaco - 0.00%

Monaco is the ultimate tax haven for the rich and famous, known worldwide as a hangout for the playboys and superstars. This tiny city-state has a population of just 32965 and an area of just under 2 square kilometers! Wealthy foreign investors make up 84% of its population, with the countries main industry therefore considered 'tourism'. The city takes billions of dollars each year in its casinos, and also has a massive pier for luxury cruise liners and private yachts. Monaco levies zero income tax on individuals, thus most of the money in the country is brought in from outside sources.

I wonder how good statistic system in these countries?? :) Does anyone fancy migration?

Further reading on unemployment rate in 200 countries www.cia.gov

Source hubpages.com

Redundancy what to do next

Bits about everything....

When people are:
· Been made redundant or
· Opted to take voluntary severance where offered

What next?

This might seem harsh in the current climate, but the rationale for this is simple, how we deal with what may be presented to us personally i.e. Redundancy, can determine our sense of well being, which contributes to our overall happiness and success in our lives. A plan is essential. Options are paramount.

Redundancy can either be a new beginning and a positive experience, or the end of what we know and very stressful, depending on how we deal with it.

There are a number of key factors when redundancy is presented, to consider before leaving your organization:

1. What is the difference between Redundancy & Voluntary Severance (VS)? – Redundancy/VS both mean essentially that a job/role is ‘at risk of redundancy’. When presented with VS, it normally means that most likely (if preferred) a person can remain employed by the same Company, but very often and most likely, in a different role but with the same terms and conditions i.e. the option to accept VS should be your choice (voluntary), however the role may not be your preferred one. It also often means that you will be offered more generous severance terms, than that offered under statutory redundancy.

2. Is Redundancy the only option? – in some companies redundancy may feel like the only option, and for some it is, but there are ways to retain jobs i.e. the Employment Subsidy Scheme, salary cuts, - you as an employee should be well informed on all options, particularly if you work for a small company – you may be able to help your company keep you employed!

3. I am being made Redundant - When do I have to leave? - when a person is being made redundant their employer must follow particular fair procedures, for example you must be afforded 2 weeks notice of your redundancy in the first instance as a minimum depending on your length of service, and on the date of your dismissal your redundancy payment.

4. What are my options now? – This is the key question, and what you do next will determine how you feel, and how you are in your life, as a result of being made redundant. In my experience there are a number of options, but it is crucially important that these options are thought through, and decided on ultimately by the person who has been affected by the redundancy i.e. not helpful friends of family. Ultimately this has to be your decision.



The options are as follows:

a. Look for work that have experience at or similar - Its usually better to try and work at what you know, and/or are trained to do

b. Upskill - This might be an opportunity to upskill – if it’s financially viable this could be your opportunity to do/study something you have always wanted to do but didn’t have the time!

c. Rebrand – what is your brand? What do you bring to an employer that sets you apart? There may be an opportunity to seek professional support with this in terms of you/your CV/interviewing skills. If you are lucky enough to get that interview you want to make sure you get the job!

d. Don’t dilute your proposition – don’t go to every employment agency in Ireland. Know your Brand and be represented accordingly

e. Mobility – are you mobile? There is work in other countries. Are you prepared to travel? If so is this your opportunity to take that ‘Gap Year’ you never did when you left school/College? Some employment agencies have offices in other countries and update you on any vacancies that they may have at the moment without having to travel at a cost.

f. Be prepared for a reduction in your overall remuneration package – this is not the same climate as it was even 12mths ago. It is important to know how much of a reduction you can afford. There is no point taking a job only to find you simply cannot afford to live on the salary offered. Conversely you need to be practical, and understand that this is an employer’s market with a lot of talent available, so you will most likely need to take a reduction.

g. Think outside the Box – this may mean taking a part time role Monday and supplementing it with other income or reviewing some of your other outgoings. Consider options other than the standard -Friday,9am-5pm jobs

h. Be Positive – this may seem like an obvious one, but the positive candidate brings energy into an interview and will be remembered. It also helps you to stay focused. You will get a job!

Finally, in many cases Redundancy/VS is an opportunity to be grasped. I have read articles more recently referring to ‘funemployment’ where those made redundant are secretly happy to be unemployed and enjoying the time out for now. Also, an important point to make is that while you may have lost your job, cost of living is reducing also.


However, Redundancy can also be very unsettling, where there are financial and family commitments particularly, it can be a very stressful time. People who are made redundant often refer to a sense of failure and loss of self esteem. Naturally, it is a blow especially if the job lost was the job of your dreams, BUT importantly, there are options, always! They may not in the first instance appear to be your 1st choice, but where there is a loss financially perhaps, in the first instance there may gain in other areas! For example, consider how busy we have all been over the last decade, complaining of no time – well maybe now we will have that time back, to give to what we always said was THE most important thing (family, friends) while we rushed to the next meeting!

Finally, to those of you who haven’t been made redundant, consider all your options, to stay ahead of any announcements or rationalisation plans your Company may be considering, and to those of you who have been made redundant or offered VS, consider this your new beginning and never the end….it is how you approach it, and your (many) options!
source:www.hrri.ie

Dream job

I always envy people that know for 100% what they want to do in their life and what exactly turns him/her on. When I was made redundant I felt a bit lost for a good while. I could not identify for myself at that time – what is exactly I want to do career wise in future. I had some experience in my professional life so I could judge what I liked what I didn’t. However, my knowledge was not enough to answer my question – “what I want to do in future career wise”.

All that free time while redundant really set me on thinking about my future. I could not decide which path I should take and that was making me angry and stressed. To ease my pain I was looking through web trying to understand what profession may suit me

www.prospects.ac.uk
www.howtochooseacareer.com

I went further to see what profession I may suit:

www.humanmetrics.com

However, the real thing that helped me and set me going was an idea that came to my mind one day “Maybe, I worry too much about what to do instead of doing anything at all”. At the end I realized that I could not decide in advance what I want to do and where exactly I see myself in 5 years time. There are so many things that attracted me and I was changing my plans every day… Eventually, I decided simply to let it go and start doing some things that I could do and some things that were interesting for me to do at this particular moment of time. The search is yet to be finished, however I feel much more optimistic now. If I see position that I may like – I apply. If I see education program that I can afford and I am interested – I apply… Maybe, your dream career is waiting for you with the next CV you sent.

Avoid at interview

There are some things you want to avoid while going through interview:

- answers that are too short (they want to hear that you are fantastic person, the best candidate... don’t be shy, talk about beloved you)

- answers that goes like: hmmmm, hm, let me see, hm... (just be prepared)

- being negative (the best way to be positive, even when you don’t feel like is to smile)

- providing more details or information than is required (sometimes it is better to shut up instead of saying something not appropriate)

-becoming frustrated or uneasy when asked stressful questions (come down, nobody is going to beat you. if you are not getting this job, there is next one for you)

- making derogatory or negative statements about former employer or positions (if you talk bad about your last company, you may talk bad about this company... so you would want to be positive. If your previous company didn’t pay you all your money, you may want to say - you had contradictions in the money issue)

- discussing salary information or benefits (you want to show that you respect company's policies, even if you no longer work there)

- misrepresenting your skills, experience or educational background (don’t talk about what you don’t have, they can check it)

Getting interviewed

Going to interview does not mean receiving a job. I remember myself going through experience of rejecting when deal was almost in my hands. Competitions is very high at the moment and having two identical candidates for the same position company may choose the one who was in blue shirt, just because lady, who was interviewing, likes blue. It does not mean that you have to prepare less for the interview or try to wear always only blue shirt. The more options you have to choose from the better it is for you.

If you have only one potential employer in mind and doing all possible to get that job, you still may be lucky at the end of the day (since you put a lot of effort there), but more usually you have great risk to be rejected. Maybe because your almost desperate strong desire to get exactly this job can look a little bit suspicious. Or simply someone else will have more experience in this sphere then you do. The best advice in this case will be just keep on sending you CV everywhere, even if you have scheduled two interviews for this week. Numbers will play its game. What is more important - you will feel more confident knowing that even if you will be rejected for this job, you are about to go to other interview where you might have a bit more luck.

Going through the interview

1) The better you are prepared to the exact company interview process the better it is. It does not take long time to answer possible interview questions with as many life examples of your past work experience as possible. Take your time answering main questions listed above, so that you know what to answer and don’t panic while interview.

2) Have a lsmall talk before starting interview. Ask few general questions, or state a comment, like: The weather is nice/bad today. You have a nice office (it is better don’t say anything if you don’t like the office), or it was easy to find you, good location. Avoid too personal questions or talking about too personal information, like boyfriend, when was the last time they did exercise, or you look lovely. It may scare a little bit people you are talking first time with. You want to look professional. This small conversation is the way of establishing relationships. And it is very important since during interview people will feel more relaxed, friendly, and interested to listen to you.

3) Make sure that you are clear about your own interests and goals. It is important to talk through interview about your strength and ideas to support your interest in this particular job and its particular job tasks.

4) Know your Cv and be prepared to cite specific examples that verify the information listed. In case you have adapted your CV to specific job descriptions, be sure that you talk about the same CV during interview.

5) Talking about your past experience mention details, such as: your last company name, name of the certificates, particular examples, etc.

6) I bet there is no need of talking about the way of dressing. Remember that first impression is the strongest one. In 5first min/seconds people get impression about you and then it is almost impossible to change it.

Interview questions

There are a lot of typical interview questions you may find in the internet, but they all separate in groups:

1) Questions about your potential employer (It is easy to get company information by simply typing name of the company in google and then “About us”. You do not need to know smallest details of the company’s history, just some basic stuff – what is their main business, their values, resent news. Remember you don’t want to know more about company than person who interviews you, but you are expected to know some common things.)

2) Questions about your past experience (Here you want to be more specific in giving examples from your past work life. There are many types of questions about you, but mainly they ask – what is your biggest failure/mistake , and what is your biggest success/and how you achieved it. Be careful talking about your mistakes. It is understandable that everybody has his/her failures, what really matters is what you learned from it and how you managed situation/resolved problem created by mistake. Try to think about your working experience when you converted negative into positive. E.g. I lost tender. I learned = I should listen to the client more. I did = continued to keep in touch with client and we won a part of the deal after all.)


3) Questions about job (Usually they sounds like “why we should hire you? Why you think your skills suits the job?... Here you would want to study job description and answer questions based on that. For example job says – every day task is customer support. And then you say – I love working with people, helping them to solve problems. You also may want to think about example to support your answer, like I used to work with that client and she came back because of good relationships we had. Think about your specific strengths that are correspond to the job description. Or if company you are passing interview is big, they may want to ask specific examples from your past work/life experience where you showed similar characteristics as they set for themselves as company’s mission or values. E.g. describe using innovative way to solve problem? How you motivate yourself?)


4) Strange questions (Those questions are designed to see how you react under stress. It does not matter how strange your answer is, as long as it is sounds logical and you can state your point clearly. Examples of those questions are: Why hatch cover is square shape?)

5) Questions to the company (It’s important not only answer the questions but also ask questions. This way you show that you interested in company and job generally. Don’t ask how much you are going to pay me? Maybe more appropriate would be: would I be paid? (I am joking). Seriously the questions would be: what is the structure of the department? What is the biggest challenge of my department?...and etc.



Here are list of link where you can find more quistions to prepare to the interview:

http://www.bradleycvs.co.uk/interview/list-of-interview-questions.htm

http://www.job-interview.net/

http://jobsearch.about.com/od/interviewquestionsanswers/a/interviewquest.htm

http://www.cvtips.com/job_interview_questions_and_answers.html

Ways to look for a job

1) Well there is one good way to look for a job – use Internet. Today there are a lot of local and international web sites that would offer you good services. You may check monsters, cvjobs, job..... Every country has its own set of the web facilities. Due to increased demand on job openings (sometimes it is getting up to horrible numbers like for 50 jobs around 4000 CV) you may want to apply every day or at least regularly. It will be around 200 CV you send before getting any respond that would look like invitation to the interview.

2) Volunteering. At first it may sounds weird, but it is actually a great chance to start working, or continue getting experience. You may choose volunteering job for the big companies who are often doing so called “internship” programs, or being volunteer for some charity organization doing office based tasks, that would be under your qualification or close. In this way you will get new experience, keep yourself busy, and meet new people.

3) Attending sport classes. One of the great ways to find a new job is to ask your friend about it. Not every company is hiring, but those who are would rather prefer taking somebody who they may potentially trust (e.g. recommended person from the favourite employee). So you may want to consider be outside of home as much time as possible. You never know where you can meet new friend at the bus or at metro? Attending sport classes (or basically any classes) help to establish friendly relationship with new people even more easier (since you are together in a small room and it is so nice to talk just about everything). New friends, old friends, you may want to let them all know about your situation. Of course they are not going to do your job, but at least may help with directions.

4) Cold calling. This means direct approach to the companies. Not everybody can do that. But it includes calling to the HR managers directly asking for job. Don’t be scared to hear “no, or she/he cannot answer your call, send a message” Probably those poor HR who are still employed continue to receive so many calls every day.... The other way to do it is to print your CV and come directly to the company asking to see HR manager. He/She probably would not meet with you, but at least you will have direct email and tel number and next time could reach him/her personally.

5) Walking. I was very surprised to find that some of the shops puts “Help wanted” at their doors. Who knows, maybe your favourite shop would offer you a job.

6) Art and craft. This is one of the way to find at least part time job for yourself if you are good at art and craft. There are always people who want to have something special for themselves, it is good if you can provide it.

The list may go on... Be sure that you put your CV to as many places as possible (to your local gym, hospital, kinder garden...) you never know who may hire next time but you would want to make sure they consider your application.