by careertipper | | Blog
Avoiding complacency in your career is critical in building your career confidence. It is important to create accountability to yourself. When it is all said and done, we each are accountable for what we do with our career outcomes and how we handle our career choices. It is vital not to let information that we did or didn’t have access to be our Achilles heel that defines our career of why your career legacy is something that you may not desire. This truth for some requires accountability to yourself for a couple of reasons. First, there is no need to dwell on the period of, not knowing. Secondly, set aside the time to locate the information, resources or coaches that you need to close the gap and prepare to connect to the career opportunity that you’re seeking.
Be accountable to yourself to stretch yourself to be more proficient, brilliant and professionally well-rounded than you are today. Be a person of detailed research action versus being a well-versed smoke screen professional that only window shops resources that will not make an investment in themselves. Have a mindset of excellence. Plus the ability to execute strategic planning that aims to be rather than seems to be. Multiplied by accountability; will ensure that you’re confidently ready to seize and not decline positive transforming career moves, initiatives and processes that will prosper you. Below are three key points to assist you in stimulating your career confidence through accountability.
1. Frequently communicate with your accountability partners if you need help completing tasks by a set deadline.
2. Acknowledge and believe that your career and future prosperity are worthy of the time that you take to be confidently accountable to the upward mobile evolution of your career.
3. Listen for success nuggets from your professional environment and interactions for suggested reads, webinars, podcasts and articles that will help you increase your career accountability barometer of success.
by careertipper | | Blog
“If you make listening and observation your occupation you will gain much more than you can by talk.” ~Robert Baden-Powell~
It’s amazing what we learn about ourselves, business, and others when we take the time to listen to and observe our interactions and surroundings. Our observations can prompt a laser focus on words, deeds and actions that we need to revise or further develop to be at our best professionally. Listening and observing has guided me and many others to watch the impact that executives and professional peers have on their colleagues to motivate them to accomplish goals and requested deliverables. The productivity takeaways and outcomes generated by observing different personalities and business strategies be executed to complete projects, meet deadlines, and build relationships.
These outcomes can be humbling and at the same time invigorating to be confident in preparing yourself for career excellence through active listening and observation. Realizing that what you observe in the actions of others, may be a reflection of something you may need to change within yourself. Ranging from being on time, your delivery of a message, your image or your relevancy as an industry subject matter expert. Observations can provide peace of mind to where you are in your career. Listening to mentors, veteran professionals or peers that are supportive of you being overall successful can help resolve what areas in your professional repertoire that need dedicated attention and time to cultivate growth. Professional growth through listening and observation will confidently help you advance to the next career lesson versus repeating the same career lesson multiple times during different seasons of your career. Taking the time to observe and listen will become a coveted reward of learning through the professional lessons of others. Mastering effective listening and observation will be a career tipping moment for you. By choosing to be present in each moment of your day you are calling an acceleration of greatness at a higher level to attract to you because you recognize the perspectives and guidance that surrounds you daily.
by careertipper | | Blog
Our career path and journeys to experience the success we vision board, journal about and plan to experience are full of twists, aha moments and more often than we desire, self-reflection. The journey, to being career confident can be a wild adventure for some and sprint to the finish line for others. For many through trials and errors, classes, workshops, mentorship or observations have learned different efficient tactics and ways to build their career confidence. When it is all said and done, accountability to self is the key to your overall development of owning your career confidence. No matter where you are in your career. New grad or a seasoned professional, we consistently are forced to revisit the basics of professionalism to keep us grounded and focus on fine tuning our strengths and developing the skills that challenge us. No matter the outcome of each day, remain determined to remain confident in your career journey and each lesson that you acquire along the way that gifts you clarity, answers, heightened professional awareness and coveted wisdom.
Owning your career confidence will lead you to your next level of excellence that only you can create and contribute to the legacy of your career. Your confidence in yourself and your abilities, when you’re misunderstood, driving change or developing yourself for advancement will be a beacon of light that will assist you in remaining unshaken and diligent in your career pursuit. Your successes and net results will serve you well as you hold fast to completing the course to accomplishing your career goals with the expected and unexpected detours along the way. There is no special formula to owning your career confidence because everyone’s experience dynamics is different. There is one action component that is required by all, consistency. There is no getting around it, trust the process. Be consistent in evolving your mindset of excellence. Be consistent with expanding your research and network. Be consistent with being confident in your ability to be successful regardless of the timeline of accomplishment. Be consistent with being accountable to owning your career confidence, your peace of mind about your career is worth it.
by careertipper | | Blog
Our resumes equate to a snapshot of your success, experiences and credentials. There is no need to be shy nor reluctant to confidently list what makes you qualified for a career move that you’re pursuing. During my tenure as a career services professional, I would see resumes that exuded confidence. Other resumes prompted a conversation of motivation that would encourage the candidate to move forward and toot their own horn and list their skills, abilities, and accomplishments. Writing resumes that warrant an interview invite is a niche skill that not everyone can do.
Winnie E. Caldwell is not only the blogger of The Wire Hanger By Winnie that deems herself a dreamer and doer. She is also a sought after resume writer that initially started offering résumé revising as an option to give back to the supporters of her blog if they donated to her GoFundMe campaign to build her blogging brand. Winnie resume services have become a full circle for her. She took resume writing classes years ago and remained current through research and mentors that are hiring professionals. Winnie is a St. Louis, MO native that has that “Show Me” state mentality. She applies that same intellect to the clients she works with when revising their resumes. In the interview below Winnie shares how she helps her clients confidently shine bright in an application tracking system and get noticed.
Career Tipper: How do you help professionals not undersell themselves on their resumes?
Caldwell: My resume services here at The Wire Hanger By Winnie are simple. Looking for a new job/career is a full-time job itself. So when new clients reach out to me for resume revising, I make sure to ask what his/her goals are. Once we have that understood, I critique the resume, rewrite it and return a revamped resume to the client. With the return of a new resume, I show the client what I saw in him/her that they didn’t identify themselves! I had one client tell me; I took her resume from a high school diploma to making her think she got her Masters Degree! A revamped resume alone builds confidence for my clients to accomplish career goals.
Career Tipper: How can professionals get their resume noticed when submitting their resume through an Applicant Tracking System?
Caldwell: Great question! I learned, from reading other blogs, about the Applicant Tracking System. For those that aren’t familiar with the logistics of an applicant tracking system; it is an electronic service that employers use to decipher potential candidates. The great thing that has worked in my favor is having the skill of using useful keywords. In blogging, keywords are important. Keywords are how people find you online if they are utilizing search engines for something in particular. Keywords are also important when creating a resume/cover letter. In example, the words, multi-task or outgoing, won’t help your resume to stand out. Use words that are directly related to the position you’re applying to. If you are looking for Hotel Management employment, within your resume, use frequent words such as, Hospitality, Hotel Management, Front Desk, etc.
Career Tipper: What perspective should professionals have about the overall presentation of their resume?
Caldwell: Professionals should have the perspective of a hiring manager. Is your resume legible? Is your resume fluffy? Is your resume too lengthy? Those are things to consider. Remember, you are an applicant for the position. What are you bringing to the table? Instead of just stating that you’re innovative, tell how you’re innovative. Did you develop a new program for your current employer? Did you acquire grants or sponsorships? Your resume is for show and tell. It’s an honor that I get to show my clients how they are a worthy hire through a resume rewrite.
Feel free to contact Winnie via email at Winnie@TheWireHangerByWinnie.com or through her blog at www.thewirehangerbywinnie.com to schedule a resume review.
by careertipper | | Blog
As a career confidence coach, I encourage my clients to have a global view about their career path, and how they can keep their professional skills current and relevant. The compass of our global transactional marketplace and etiquette is consistently changing due to the evolution of technology and business best practices. Do you know what the dynamics of your current and desired profession or business are projected to be like in the future? Is that profession or role projected to exist or be outsourced? What skills do you need to acquire to be current and relevant in the future? What path are you going to take to acquire the knowledge that you will need? You may need to get creative with how you’ll finance your professional skills upgrade. That’s ok, take the time to research your options and set a timeline of completion. If you’re reading this post, please consider it a nudge to analyze your career path and determine the possible need to reorganize the plans for your career.
You currently may be in agreement with what I’m sharing but wondering when you’ll find the time to figure this all out. I now challenge your mindset about your career and will ask you this one question. “Do you view the future of your career and the quality of your lifestyle worthy of your time and efforts today?” Whether you’re quickly or slowly nodding in agreement. Let’s review ways for you to budget, research and plan that you remain current and relevant in your industry from a global perspective.
Budget, not only includes your financial resources it includes your time as well. Take an inventory and determine the value of your professional skills. Identify the skills that you foresee becoming dispensable from the viewpoint of managerial decision makers. Set aside time to determine how you will finance gaining the knowledge and experience to maintain or upgrade your skills. While being mindful of maintaining and balancing your personal budget, you have to figure out where your finances will be allocated monthly to fund this new line item (tuition, transportation, supplies or memberships). Set aside time to attend a diversity of professional organizations to enhance your professional interpersonal communication. Attend similar and related industry networking events with industry experts to gain exposure to different perspectives and access to information that will develop your overall operational knowledge about your chosen industry. Invest in books, webinars, and seminars too.
Research your industry from a novice perspective or with the excitement of starting a scavenger hunt for wealthy information. Have an attitude of anticipation of the credible information that awaits you and will connect you to new approaches on remaining sought after and valued talent in your industry for years to come. Research your industry from a global outlook. Who are the global leaders, movers and shakers making moves and determining the course of the industry that you’re proud to represent? Are you aware of and able to effectively use the technology associated with your industry? Let your global research liberate you out of the box that you may have been unintentionally escorted to.
Create a global career development strategy that requires ongoing review and advancement of your skills. Be determined and intentional with your plan. Don’t be reserved in planning for a new or revised level of your career path. Give yourself permission to be aggressive in your qualifying efforts to be an expert in your career industry.
Your actions to budget, research and plan your global view of your career are career confidence boosting moves that will keep you a courageous and bold global contender in accomplishing your goals. There is no need to let the progression of your industry be a mystery to you. No matter the level of your industry experience, be constant in affirming your ability to have and experience career success. You are capable of accomplishing career greatness at any given time; budget, research, and plan wisely.
by careertipper | | Blog
The quality of a professional headshot that one chooses to display on their social media profiles and business website are equally as in important to the content describing the profile and company website itself. The professional headshot matters. As a career confidence coach, I often find myself reminding professionals and entrepreneurs to be mindful of the headshot that they use to portray their professional image. Truthfully, once your headshot posts onto social media platforms one never knows where their photo can end up. Take a moment to review and analyze your social media headshot profiles. Is the photo clear and easy to view, tasteful in attire, what personality trait does it promote?
At FLBlogCon 2014, I had the opportunity to have a photo shoot with Jim Hobart. We had an insightful chat that turned into the feature interview below about the importance of a good professional headshot and the photographer’s perspective of capturing the perfect professional headshot.
Jim Hobart provides professional portrait services through Macbeth Photo. Macbeth Photo has two locations, one in Orlando and the other in New York City. Take a moment to visit their website www.macbethphoto.com to check out their upcoming events and portfolio.
Career Tipper: What are the elements that contribute to a quality professional headshot?
Hobart: A good headshot needs to do a lot of work. First of all, it should be technically perfect… that’s a given. Exposure, composition, and focus must all execute effectively. Once accomplished, a portrait needs to convey something of the person’s character or personality. It should also evoke a desired combination of emotional responses, such as confidence, competence, approachability, candor, honesty, trustworthiness, skill, capability, decisiveness, etc. It is my job first to learn what the subject needs to portray, and then figure out how to bring that out of him or her. Everyone brings a different combination of physical appearance, style, insecurity, humor, and confidence, and it’s up to the photographer to synthesize a genuine, but carefully crafted portrait.
Career Tipper: Why should professionals be mindful of what image their headshot portrays of them?
Hobart: The majority of my commercial clients are in a business that requires great personal trust. Realtors, financial advisors, accountants, life coaches, bankers, bloggers, and many others depend on the fact that their clients BELIEVE what they say is the truth. Their goal is to provide their clients with reliable and trustworthy information for them to base and make important business decisions. A good portrait can do wonders for the business of a person who requires that potential clients feel he or she can be trusted to give honest, valuable, and carefully considered information. If you trust the face on the website or business card, you are more likely to trust the person.
Career Tipper: Jim, it is fascinating how you’re accurately photograph and capture a stranger’s personality within a few minutes of meeting them. What has been your path to success to develop your evident photography passion of becoming an industry expert?
Hobart: Getting the technical aspect of portrait photography right is a given; it’s the cost of admission. But the thing that sets an average headshot photographer apart from a great one is a psychological component. The hardest part of what I do with my subjects is to get them first to relax and let their guard down, and then to take a risk with me and give me a little of themselves. It is a two-way street, and as a photographer, I have to meet them halfway. First I have to ask lots of questions, establish some trust, and let them know that they are in a safe, judgment-free zone. There are not penalties for goofy expressions, and anything not liked can be deleted. Once the client realizes that we’re on the same side, and my goal is to make a portrait that they love, we’re well on our way. The greatest gift a client can give me is to say “I love this photo, I’ve never seen myself this way before.”
Photo Credit: Macbeth Photo
