Friday, May 29, 2020

The Facts of Life - As Told By a Recruiter

The Facts of Life - As Told By a Recruiter The fundamental truth in life is that you should surround yourself with people who show you respect, collaborate with you to achieve your goals and embrace success. I make it sound so easy; yes, let’s just get rid of those people who make us feel low, criticise us for small failures, don’t accept us for who we are. My personal inspiration is 5 years old I spent a few days with my family in London recently who care for my nephew; a brave yet vulnerable child who has many medically challenging and life threatening conditions. I always come away from spending time with them feeling inspired by how my brother and sister in law work tirelessly to get him the best care available; no stone unturned to unveil the latest technology to unlock my nephew from his disabilities. The way they work as a unit ensuring no matter what problems they face, they are a team. My sister in law is a child psychologist who works in art therapy, allowing children who have experienced emotional trauma to convey their feelings through drawings. She is a very wise lady who along with my brother, has been the force behind my nephew’s incredible journey from palliative care to actually being told by their consultant recently that he is defying their predictions and has a good and viable quality of life. I have seen it for myself and am in absolute awe at their tenacity and proactiveness. We win some, we lose some As I have got older, I have “lost” some friends and family relationships (through my choice) along the way; people who have been “fair weather”, unable to deal with the stressful components of life; judging me when I did not need their judgement, more so I needed their support. Or we just grew apart with little holding us together except possibly blood or history, which I know is not enough to maintain a healthy relationship that is reciprocal. I have learnt this is not enough And when I think about what makes a successful business partnership, it is all of these factors too and these are the 3 most important elements: 1) Likeability We have to spend more hours with those we work with than our nearest and dearest so we should absolutely choose who we work with by whether we like them. Why is this never discussed openly! I often dont represent a candidate if we instantly dislike each other- it is very rare, I hasten to add; and I make no bones about it! 2) Trust Do I feel like I can trust my colleague/employer to have pastoral care for me; to develop my career, be honest with feedback, behave with integrity? If I don’t trust them, how can the relationship work? It can’t. The same goes for working with clients- if they break my trust even once, I cant be their ambassador. 3) Collaboration We may not have exactly the same goals in work; some people are motivated by success in other ways than say just money, however, working together to achieve a shared purpose is the best way for a team to operate. This is why a mission statement or a values proposition is vital. I think in a work context, a lot of people are charlatans and do not reveal their real selves. I have learned from my time with my brother and family that you are best to be your honest self; show your weaknesses if you have to. Be authentic you. Dont just come to work. Emerse yourself in the team, the culture, the business. Employers- allow yourself to be observed in this context to. Knowing that your boss has similar feelings and issues is a way to break down barriers and get people to open up. Push yourself out of your comfort zones. Don’t regret not take chances- seize opportunities but equally, create chances for other people too. Be altruistic, if feels good to do something for no personal gain for yourself and it may create a karma effect … Be kind to people. I have always maintained that I am a “nice” recruiter- I am not bullish, I do not manipulate people, I care about what I do. I withdraw people from processes if it doesnt feel right. And I hope that shows in how I operate my business. Be true to yourself. I am only in my early 40s but I feel a sense of calm as I get older, that the wisdom I am learning is to be shared amongst my peers and my network. I realise this blog is less about recruitment and business and more about life, but you see, for me, my recruitment business is a massive part of my life and you know the old cliché “ find a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life”. And that is how I feel (most days ha!) I wonder what wisdoms you can share with us all; have I set the 3 elements correctly, do you think? What tips of enlightenment can you share which you have learned along your life journey? Thank you for reading and if anyone is interested to participate in a more meaningful recruitment relationship, please do get in touch with me  @LyshaHolmes. [Image Credit:  Shutterstock]

Monday, May 25, 2020

Six Spring Car Detailing Tips To Make Your Ride Shine

Six Spring Car Detailing Tips To Make Your Ride Shine A lot of people want advice on car detailing for a variety of reasons. First, cars can be really hard to take care of. And detailing a car can be a comprehensive, challenging process if you’re not used to it. But if you really want to make your ride look amazing, we created a list of car detailing tips that may be able to help you. Clean the leather first If your seats are leather, it’s a good idea to buy a leather cleaning kit. Leather is hard to clean, especially if you have natural leather. You may have to pre-treat it with a conditioner and only after that you can start the stain removal process. It’s certainly a good option to consider, and in the end it’s something that may pay off immensely by preserving the material! Remember to lubricate the door hinges If you hear a squeaking sound when you open the door, that’s where it comes from. The door hinges can end up doing this when there’s not enough oil there. So you may want to put some lubricant on the door hinges. This is especially true if you live in a snowy climate or in a dry desert, either of which will dry out the hinges.   Do make sure that there’s no excess so you can avoid debris collection. Polish your car A good polishing toolkit is not that expensive. You do need to wax your car, as this will remove surface imperfections and bring   back that brand new look that was there when you first purchased the car.   Even though todays vehicles have durable clear coat finishes, over time exposure to the elements will take the luster off. Remove dirt from the air vents Some of the dirtiest air youll breathe is on the inside of your car.   If the air vents and filters aren’t clean, they cannot do what theyre supposed to. Whether you own a Honda Odyssey   or an exotic, there is an air filter that needs replacing from time to time.   Find out where it is on your car and be sure that its part of your Spring cleaning and detailing. Clean the upholstery and carpets Can you imagine wearing the same clothing every day and never cleaning it?   The upholstery in your car is like the cars clothing, and it gets dirty.   You may not notice it since it usually happens gradually.   But spend so time cleaning it and youll be amazed (or disgusted!) at how much dirt ends up in your bucket and on your cleaning towels. Wash the windows Sure, you only look out the windshield, so thats the only one   you notice.   But theyre all getting dirty, both inside and outside.   Clean windows all around are a great finishing touch that will make your car look like you just drove it off the lot. The immediate payoff for your labors in giving your car a good Spring cleaning is that it will look and feel great again.   But theres an added benefit,   too.   When youre ready to trade it in for something newer, a well-maintained car will be worth significantly more!

Friday, May 22, 2020

7 Tips to Preparing for a Video Interview

7 Tips to Preparing for a Video Interview If you’re searching for a new job, you must be ready for an interview via video. More than 63 percent of human resources managers stated their company often conducts employment interviews via video, up from just 14 percent one year ago. So how can you ensure you impress the hiring manager via webcam? Check out these tips: 1. Take a trial run with video technology If you have never participated in a video interview, you can avoid embarrassing mistakes by taking a test run. Ask a friend to be your interviewer. Then take half an hour to practice answering questions over Skype. This practice can calm nerves, address technical issues (like bad sound quality), and remove potential distractions (like the poster on the wall behind you). Alan Carniol, Interview Success Formula 2. Clear The Area Don’t forget about your surroundings. Be sure to set up your connection in a quiet, distraction-free zone. Be sure what is behind you (and can be seen on the camera) is not distracting to the person conducting the interview and that the background provides a proper contrast to your profile; i.e., avoid the floating head. Finally, don’t forget to dress for this interview like you would a traditional interview. Just because you’re at home doesn’t mean you get to dress down. Kyle Foust, Mercyhurst University 3. Ready for your screen test? Practice, practice, practice. If youve never done this before, you need to invest some time (maybe money) to prepare. Even though its done via a camera, you still need to make sure youre making eye contact, sitting correctly, and not moving around in a way that will distract the interviewer. Paul Kostek, Air Direct Solutions 4. Smile for the Camera Its hard to pick just one tip, but the most important one is to make eye contact when you interview. This means that you must look directly at the lens of the camera, and not at your computer screen. This may feel awkward for some people. I recommend printing out a life-size face and mounting it so that the camera lens looks at you through the one of the faces eyes. This may make it easier for you to look at the camera as you record your interview. (And dont forget to smile!) Alfred Poor, Americas Success Mentor for Young Employees 5. Be aware of your visuals It’s easy to imagine the video interview is just like an in-person meeting. But while the two share many similarities, the difference is you now control more of your visuals. For instance, be aware of what your background says about your candidacy. Pick a place to conduct your video interview that is clean and professional. Also, make sure you dress for the video interview like you would for any traditional in-person meeting. Josh Tolan, Spark Hire 6. Act Confident And Use The Law Of 3’s I have two that are very important together: 1) Show confidence (even though you may not have it). How? Sit up tall, smile, use hand gestures. 2) Danas Law of 3s: For every question, say no more than three short things, then stop talking. Yes, three things, then shut up! (We babble too much in interviews.) Dana Manciagli, Author of Cut the Crap, Get a Job (Spring 2013) 7. Avoid Overhead Lighting On video, overhead lighting casts dark shadows, making you look underslept and ominous. Do a dry run before a video interview to check whether the lighting flatters you. You’ll do better with side lighting or lighting from below. If you have to move around the lamps in your room, so be it. Dorie Clark, Author of Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future Have you interviewed via online video before? What tips would you add? Let us know in the comments below!

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Living her truth. Honoring her dad. Building her dream career. Career Coach JobJenny

Living her truth. Honoring her dad. Building her dream career. Career Coach JobJenny I was both honored and touched to receive the following note in response to my recent post about turning crap career moments (lemons) into lemonade. And I'm so grateful that the author, an amazing photographer named Corey Ann, has given me permission to share her story. I'll lether email speak for itself. Be sure and go check out her work here when you're done reading. Hello. Well, I didn't get a pink slip, but I got a sh#t sandwich... I was a Daddy's girl. After my Mom and brother both died when I was 13, we grew even closer. I knew in the spring of 2006 that something wasn't right with Dad. He was sleeping more and more and things were off. No matter how hard I tried to get him to go to the doctor, he wouldn't, because he was unemployed from his union and had lost his medical benefits. Eventually, I dragged him to my own doctor to discover he had cancer, and it was past the point of treatment. At first, I tried to work and take care of him at home, but it quickly became obvious that he couldn't be along at home anymore. I went to my employer and explained the situation. I was 10 days from qualifying for FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act), but my Dad didn't have that many days to wait. I asked for a leave of absence, but I was denied. And so I quit. I was absolutely terrified but to me? There was nothing more important than being with my father. We took him to the Outer Banks for one last time (his favorite place.) And he died a month after I quit my job. I could have probably gotten my job back had I tried. However, one thing I learned in that month was that life is too short to work for a company that won't give you an unpaid leave of absence to take care of your dying family member. Growing up, I always had a love for photography. My Dad did as well, and I spent many years of my life following him around taking pictures. I decided to give being a photographer a go and see where I would wind up. I used my inheritance to buy a nice camera, and I started my business. While it's never been easy, five years later, I am a successful entrepreneur and I love what I do. My Dad would be so proud. Instead of moping around or going back to a job I did well in, but hated? I took a chance. And it worked out. I'm so pleased to share Corey Ann's story. You can find her work (and hire her) over at CoreyAnn.com. Photo: CoreyAnn.com

Thursday, May 14, 2020

10 Unusual Jobs That Pay Surprisingly Well

10 Unusual Jobs That Pay Surprisingly Well Searching for a job in this difficult economy is seemingly impossible. Those who were laid off from their previous jobs took months or even years before finding a new one. There are also a lot of people willing to do the same job at a much lower salary.This means that even if you can get the job, your salary might not be enough for all your expenses. You don’t need to stick with these jobs, though. In fact, there are a lot of other options out there where the salary is surprisingly high.Perhaps, you can be a personal shopper. If you have knowledge in fashion and you understand what people want, this is a job you can try. There are a lot of rich people out there willing to shell out a huge amount of money to pay a personal shopper.evalIf you are more daring, try to be a virtual job hunter. These people have an extremely difficult job of searching for perfect candidates for a job. However, all transactions are done online or via phone. If you are persistent in asking for people to ac cept a job elsewhere, give this a try. Not only will you receive a huge pay, you will also get bonuses.There are a lot more jobs which are surprisingly high-paying. Below is an infographic containing the list of jobs that you can try.Read the information and consider taking on these jobs. If you are hired in any of those jobs, you will surely forget your previous job and just go for the new but high paying job.

Friday, May 8, 2020

Writing a Resume Skills

Writing a Resume SkillsWhen it comes to writing a resume skills can be very important. A resume is going to serve as the first contact made by your prospective employer with you. It is the first thing that they will see. It is also going to be the basis of the decision to hire you and it is therefore important that you know how to write a resume.There are so many things that should be included in your resume. Whether you are looking for a new job or just wanting to change careers, you want to make sure that you include everything you need. These different components can be broken down into two main categories, which include the academic information and the work experience.The first section that should be included in your resume is your educational attainment. This section must be able to relate to the type of job you are applying for. The more relevant the better and ideally include a list of all of your qualifications including the qualification from which you wish to commence.The n ext section that should be included is your work experience. This will include every job that you have held throughout your working life. The point of this section is to show your work experience and how much experience you have.The final part of your resume is going to contain your previous employers. Your prior employer should be able to relate to what you are looking for and can also help highlight some of the skills that you may not have been known for. Some of the common mistakes that people make when writing a resume is omitting their previous employers and making a list of only their current employers.When writing a resume you need to ensure that it is as professional as possible. This means that the spelling and grammar errors that are made need to be taken seriously. A resume will need to be carefully worded and professional. If you make one small mistake then you could be on the receiving end of an offer that you really do not want.An alternative approach is to seek out a professional resume writer. They will not only be able to present the correct skills on your resume but also go into more detail about what you can offer your employer. A resume writer will know how to build a resume around your strengths and identify your weaknesses. Therefore they will be able to tailor the resume to fit your needs.Writing a resume can be a daunting task and with the right training you can be well on your way to completing your resume. However it is still important that you write a resume correctly and make sure that you include the correct skills and experience. By taking the time to learn about resume writing skills you can avoid the mistakes and get on the right track to getting the job that you want.