Warning Evolution Ahead

Warning Evolution Ahead A few nights ago  Srinivas Rao, Matt Cheuvront and I recorded a podcast for BlogcastFM.   The last interview I did with Srini was 6 months ago. Srini has always been a loyal reader, commenter and guest poster of Ms. Career Girl from the very beginning.   He noticed that Ms. Career Girl had evolved since we last spoke.   This led the three of us into a very real conversation about the evolution of blogs and brands. We agreed that a bloggers true voice and personality starts to emerge over time.   I know this is true for me.   The times Ive fought my true personality are when my writing is bland, absent or like a text book. Just like a new business, job, or relationship, sometimes you start out thinking its one thing, and it evolves into another over time. But the beauty of a great brand is that its core values always remain the same. When Srini asked me what Ive been up to in the last six months, I told him that it had been a time of serious self discovery. It has also been a time to get real with myself and face my real career goals.   Ive considered where I am, where Im going, and where I want to be. I was not on a path which would lead me to where I want to be. Ive been writing this blog for a year and a half now.   Over the last several months, Ive been so concerned with everyone elses career that I forgot about my own. Therefore, I hope you understand why the focus of this blog is going to shift away from job search advice and resume tips and move towards marketing to the millennial maven. Most of the people who are reading this very post represent the persona of the millennial maven anyways. I like to call this persona (or consumer group) Ms. Career Girl. Ms. Career Girl is a spunky and complex one.   Shes different than the female consumer groups of times past.   She values work life balance and she probably wants to start her own business.   I have not forgotten about this.   I plan on being a resource to those of you who want to pursue this path. I believe that living in the present is extremley important. If I were to keep writing career advice articles only because thats what I did in the past, that would not be fair to my present or my future.   I am not a recruiter.   I am not in HR.   I never have been, nor do I plan to be in the future.   We do our best work when we are living in the present. Thanks to some great books, my personal cheerleading squad (MC, NE, KW, AC) and the internet marketing class Ive been taking, I know that this blog is ready to evolve into its next chapter of life.

Resume Templates - Are Resume Templates Helpful?

Resume Templates - Are Resume Templates Helpful?Have you recently finished your college or university degree and are now looking for a resume when you apply for jobs? You have probably already considered resume templates that you can download off the internet to create a resume for yourself, but you may be disappointed in the quality of some of these and will quickly conclude that resume templates are not your best choice.Your resume is the first thing employers look at when considering hiring you. That's why it's very important that you do it right.The first thing to make sure of when creating your resume is that it is well written. With the huge amount of content available on the internet today, it's very easy to get sloppy and write an unprofessional resume. Your resume needs to look professional, and unless you are prepared to write it yourself, you will need to hire someone to write it for you.After you have done that, you should find out how to edit your resume. There are many places where you can get your resume editing, or even have it done by a professional company that does this. Most likely you will also want to check out some of the more professional online resume templates to get you started. It is extremely important that your resume is proofread and edited correctly before you send it off.Next, your resume needs to include all of the information that you can remember about yourself. Ideally you will be able to write this information down, but if not, that's okay too.By including everything you can remember, including how long you have been working, what type of education you have had, and any awards or accomplishments you may have received throughout your career, you will give employers a good idea of who you are. Even with a basic resume template, it's easy to forget some of the information, so it's important to proofread and edit your resume from time to time.A resume template will not do the work for you. In order to make your resume the best it can be, you must proofread it, edit it, and keep it updated. Whether you use a professional resume template or a less expensive version that you are able to find on the internet, you can improve your resume by doing the extra work involved.Resume writing can be very hard work, but doing it the right way can help you build your resume to the point where it has the power to get you that interview. You may need to invest time and effort in order to get it just right, but it is well worth it.

New Office Reveal - Cubicle Chic

Where I Shop For Chic Office Decor // New Office Reveal - Cubicle Chic Where I Shop For Chic Office Decor // New Office RevealCorporate Life, Lifestyle, Office Style August 8, 2017 11 CommentsWithin one month of moving into a new house, we have finished decorating it! Well. Most of it. Mainly the living spaces, including our family room and the office.  You see, I scheduled a house warming party with friends and family somewhat soon so that we would get our act together with decorating! And it worked LOL. During the party, many were asking where I’d sourced the different decor pieces in the office. I’ll be honest, it took quite some effort to find all the chic office decor you see in the photos here. I decided to put all the information and link for everything I could find online here in one post!By the way… this is a short one with very little text and mostly photos. Enjoy :pMy Concerns With Office DecorThis is where I write, edit, proofread and publish my blog posts. So it’s important that it inspires me to create! First, I am so flattered tha t people liked my first ever attempt at decorating an actual house! I was a bit anxious because prior to moving into this house, I’ve only decorated smaller spaces like apartments and individual rooms. Second, I was afraid my place would end up looking too “trendy”. Because  God knows I want to fill the space with pineapple everything.Opted Out of the Traditional Living RoomInstead of a living room, we opted for a dual functional space that serves as my home office as well as the library. At the moment it’s still more of an office than a library. But I am on the hunt right now for a bookshelf which could store and display all my books beautifully. Stay tuned for even more chic office decor for the library!Chic Office Decor: Furniture Corporate Life, Lifestyle, Office Style August 8, 2017 11 CommentsWithin one month of moving into a new house, we have finished decorating it! Well. Most of it. Mainly the living spaces, including our family room and the office.  You see, I scheduled a house warming party with friends and family somewhat soon so that we would get our act together with decorating! And it worked LOL. During the party, many were asking where I’d sourced the different decor pieces in the office. I’ll be honest, it took quite some effort to find all the chic office decor you see in the photos here. I decided to put all the information and link for everything I could find online here in one post!By the way… this is a short one with very little text and mostly photos. Enjoy :pMy Concerns With Office DecorThis is where I write, edit, proofread and publish my blog posts. So it’s important that it inspires me to create! First, I am so flattered that people liked my first ever attempt at decorating an a ctual house! I was a bit anxious because prior to moving into this house, I’ve only decorated smaller spaces like apartments and individual rooms. Second, I was afraid my place would end up looking too “trendy”. Because  God knows I want to fill the space with pineapple everything.Opted Out of the Traditional Living RoomInstead of a living room, we opted for a dual functional space that serves as my home office as well as the library. At the moment it’s still more of an office than a library. But I am on the hunt right now for a bookshelf which could store and display all my books beautifully. Stay tuned for even more chic office decor for the library!Chic Office Decor: FurnitureWriting Desk $317: Houzz.comLewis Storage Bench $182 (similar): Jossandmain.com  OR Wayfair.com    Chic Office Decor: Wall ArtMy portrait on the left: AKR Design StudioInspirational quote on the right: Yellow Heart ArtChic Office Decor: StationaryMacbook Air Labatop  case $21.99: eBayBan.do: $13 File Sorter; $13  Tape DispenserIdeal of Sweden: $29 Boho; Floral Romance  Last but not the least, here are the few websites that I regularly visit to find interior design inspirations and just examples of chic home decor:My DomaineWonder ForestYellow Brick Design  Where do YOU shop for chic home decor?? Share with me below so I can continue to add to my space!  Photography credit: Partially Natalie Alvarado @ Stylenfuse

A Gift from Being Vulnerable - Wolfgang Career Executive Coaching

A Gift from Being Vulnerable - Wolfgang Career Executive Coaching Sharing a guest blog with you on the power of being vulnerable and how it was a gift to my client. His insight came after reading Dare To Leadâ„¢, a book by Brené Brown. -Coach Wolfgang Seven months into my new role and I was feeling embarrassed. Embarrassed because I still didn’t feel like I understood what my job was supposed to look like. I should have been open and asked my boss/peers for help but I was afraid to be vulnerable because I was afraid others would think I was incompetent or just not smart. My job was to help sales teams run campaigns and be successful. The sales leader wasn’t embracing my efforts and the team wasn’t running campaigns they were given. My teammates worked on other teams and seemed to be performing very different functions in their roles. It was confusing and, as time went by, I felt more and more awkward about discussing my situation with my boss. If I brought up the obstacles I was having with the sales team, then it would call out the fact that our campaign execution was so poor and that meant I wasn’t doing a good job. So I went quiet… until it blew up in my face! Poor reflection My boss’ boss asked me for a detailed report on the campaigns we were running. She was going to present it to her boss’ boss! My material fell flat and my boss had a talk with me about how this reflected poorly on me… AND HIM! The culture at my company focused on making our executives happy. You were expected to deliver your best and if you needed help, then you had to say something. Well, it wasn’t easy to ask for help and no one had time to help. Something unexpected happened next! The weight is lifted Rationally, I knew my job was at stake. Near the end of the phone call, my boss asked, Are you not able to do your job or are you confused about how to do your job? I replied with, John, Im still unclear about what this role is and what I should be doing. Talking to the others confuses me more because of the different things they do. I was humble, contrite and wasn’t defensive at all its not easy being vulnerable. At the same time, I was feeling an enormous sense of relief! Relieved that my secret was out and that I had nothing to hide. I had a problem that I couldn’t solve and was trying to hide. It was a huge burden! Vulnerability, according to Dr. Brown, is uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure. In my case, it involves a difficult conversation. I decided to give it a try and, immediately, there was a profound gift. Now I had no reason to hide anything. In hindsight, I made this situation much worse by not pushing to get the help I needed. Nonetheless, I was happy to be having this tough conversation! The weight off my shoulders felt amazing. Empowering human potential An empowering confidence started to fill me up. My issues COULD be solved! It required communicating confidently to my boss then to my sales leader. So I asked for my boss to facilitate a conversation with my sales leader to explain my role and the expectation around campaigns. I started pushing myself to understand areas I didn’t know much about and leaned on people to help me. Again being vulnerable. Things changed dramatically for me. We’re starting to run campaigns, the sales leader has brought me into bigger projects and I’m ready for any requests that come my way (well getting there). Now I realize why Coaching 4 Good says they empower human potential. I needed to get over an internal obstacle and when I did, I felt like I was on fire! This sequence of events has freed me and is drawing out my potential. There are still many things I need to improve but I’ll never hide from my shortcomings again! Blurting out honesty The biggest breakthrough came a few weeks later. My boss wanted weekly one-on-one calls with me to track my progress and understand the things I was working on. I welcomed them instead of dreading them. During one of these calls I went through my usual updates. We were about to move to the next topic when I said, I really appreciate that talk we had a few weeks back. I’m feeling confident about my ability to make an impact around here. I’m feeling better about my communication although, I must admit, I’m still a bit hesitant about sharing everything with you. I wasn’t planning on saying that last part but it bubbled up and I really felt like saying that because it was true! I was looking to take these difficult conversations on! I wanted to share more with my boss â€" not just the positive stuff â€" and needed to air my hesitation. The fear of being vulnerable didn’t stop me this time. What followed was very unexpected. Sharing stories of being vulnerable My boss let me finish my statement. Then he cleared his throat. His tone was softer and his pace was slower. He started by saying he understood and empathized. He then shared some of his own fears and lack of confidence in many situations. His stories and his honesty was comforting. I realized that he, too, felt like I often did. He shared his emotions and described some of his own stories about when he was lost, confused or struggled. He shared more than I ever expected a manager at my company to share. It meant a lot. It reminded me that my job isn’t supposed to be without discomfort, confusion or struggle. The struggle is when I will learn. Connecting with others is how I will learn too. Pushing myself to be vulnerable is a good thing. This realization has been a gift and now I want to work towards a promotion! Give vulnerability a try My takeaway for readers is to find the courage to engage in difficult conversations. If my boss said, we have to let you go. I would have realized that my company was at odds with my beliefs and how I wanted to live. There’s some risk when you say, I don’t know what I’m doing after 7 months! However, there are many other, less risky, conversations that you can tackle. You need to understand what is going on inside of YOU first. Self-awareness is the first step. Once you have clarity, then you will see these conversations that need to take place. Think about my example: I’m still not comfortable sharing everything with you. That wasn’t an attack. It wasn’t admitting incompetence. Instead it revealed a discomfort deep down inside that needed to come out. The truth is that it benefited me tremendously and boosted my confidence. It benefited my boss who now has a very solid relationship with his subordinate and is much more comfortable knowing his strengths and weaknesses. Our company benefits tremendously as well. He and I are much more efficient and we’re not letting all this baggage affect our productivity. I hope you decide to be vulnerable one day and see what gifts come to you through your willingness to being vulnerable, open and authentic. By Wolfgang Career Coaching|2019-03-13T04:27:13+00:00March 12th, 2019|Performance|1 Comment

Have you thrown your job search etiquette out the window - Hallie Crawford

Have you thrown your job search etiquette out the window With the advent of the internet, texting and other informal ways of communicating, some job seekers forget some of the basic rules of etiquette when conducting a job search. I a recent AJC.com article, was right on target for me because it gets back to the basics that some people forget, even though they can make a lasting impression. I have a lot of career coaching clients ask me how to handle references. This article gives you the basics for that. Here are some of the key points: Always ask your references how they would prefer to be contacted. Let your reference know when someone might be contacting them to give them a heads up. Tell your reference what the job is for so they can tailor their answers for you. Let your reference know the outcome of the job that you were applying for so that you keep them in the loop! Another piece of advice that I liked, if your reference says that they cant help you, then they cant. Thank them and move on. People do need to be more assertive when networking in their job search, but being a pest is never appreciated. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation if you’d like more help with your job search. Job Coach P.S. If you would like more help with your job search and networking, be sure to check out our  Free Resources Page  today!

Tips on How to Write a Resume for Students

Tips on How to Write a Resume for StudentsHaving an essay or sample resume example is very important for those students who wish to apply for a post. It is not good enough to make a list of every employer's name and contact number for yourself, so you must have a sample resume that you can refer to. Let's have a look at some tips on how to write a resume.Writing resumes is much more difficult than reading books and newspapers for example. You have to keep in mind the strict rules set by HR management in every organization, so that you can correctly cite and spell out each and every position that you want to fill. So, this means that the company has to ask for your resume first before they accept it. If they are able to see that your writing skills are up to the mark, then they would certainly be willing to accept you as their employee.Many people struggle with the requirement of having a resume, which means that they do not want to spend their time in writing one, while others simply do not have the time. Well, you need to keep this in mind as well, because this is a very important part of your job application, which means that you cannot make any mistakes, while writing your resume. All of your work experience and education must be clearly stated, so that employers will not feel that there is something wrong with you. With all this in mind, here are some resume examples for students.The first tip would be to prepare your resume by asking realistic questions. When you are in search of a job, it will help to know that you do have some opportunities that are available to you. If possible, find out about the number of openings that are available, so that you can prepare an essay or sample resume for students that includes these statistics.The second important part is to be sure that you use the most current and impressive information for your resume. Of course, you may try to get information from various sources, but it is important that you choose what is reliabl e and current.You can include various elements of information for your resume, which will help you get accepted. A resume example for students is very helpful in this regard, so that you can be able to make a more convincing appeal.Remember that you need to use sample resume examples for students as well, because they will be able to tell the difference between your resume and a typical resume which is filled with unnecessary and irrelevant information. Thus, you can be sure that you are presenting the very best information that you have, so that employers will recognize that you are a candidate worthy of being hired. These are just some tips on how to write a resume for students.

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Writing Resume after Twenty Years at Same Job

Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Writing Resume after Twenty Years at Same Job When you've worked at only 1 employer for your entire career, writing a resume that wins interviews could possibly be no easy job. Whether you're a recent graduate or a career changer, understanding how to compose a resume whenever you have zero work experience may appear daunting. Resume writing isn't simple, and there are lots of unique opinions on the best way to do it. Adhere to the standard education and experience format, but be sure your resume can lead prospective employers to your on-line presence, Collamer states. Key Pieces of Writing Resume after Twenty Years at Same Job Each resume format can be helpful, based on your own personal conditions. By utilizing annual dates The interviewer is going to have to ask you to define an employment gap or continuity, and as your goal in work search is definitely to enter a conversation, this isn't an issue. As an example, make certain you include keywords from the work description in your resume. Outdated heading While most may feel this section is self-explanatory, it's possible to potentially disqualify yourself based on information at the summit of your resume. Including this data in your bullet points is the simplest approach to tailor your resume for each and every job. A chronological resume lists your employment history having the most recent position at the very top. Life After Writing Resume after Twenty Years at Same Job A resume is the very first impression a work seeker makes it's their advertising piece. The same targeted resume won't get the job done for every single job, and you will need a different one per work opening. 1 issue in particular that job seekers should keep an eye out for is accidentally name-dropping the incorrect firm. Job seeker, Kalvin, has been working the exact same position for equal company more than 20 decades now.