CAROLYN THOMPSON, Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME is a leading FREE TO THE PUBLIC resume workshop Thursday, APRIL 23rd in MD.
The job market is very competitive right now, so it’s important to have an informative and complete resume. It’s often difficult for people to narrow down what’s important and what’s not on their resume. TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME gives a solid roadmap to anyone looking to create a well organized, content driven, resume. Please bring your current resume to work from, and a friend! Whether you are looking for a job now, just need to update your resume, or have no idea where to start, this FREE WORKSHOP is for you!
Location:THURSDAY, APRIL 23rd, 2009 at 3pm.
MARRIOTT BWI
1743 West Nursery Road, Linthicum Heights, MD 21090
After Carolyn’s Presentation at the Baltimore Metro Area American Payroll Association Luncheon.
We’ll go through the Ten Steps, discuss them in detail, and answer individual questions as time permits. Copies of the book are available on Amazon and in select bookstores and libraries. Post workshop individual resume critiques are also offered.
Carolyn’s second book in her series is now available at Amazon; TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB.
See you there!
Tags: community, economy, resume, resume workshop
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Apr 1, 2009 in
Executive Coaching,
Job Search,
Thinking Positive Last week, I attended a Hay Group presentation in Tysons Corner, VA where I was able to speak one-on-one with a variety of DC area Human Resources professionals. While we all came to the event from different companies and backgrounds, we had one major commonality last week: companies are struggling with decision making in the quicksand of our current economy.
Hiring authorities in many fields feel they are dangling by a vine in the quicksand. Many are scared to make too quick a decision, which may cause the sand to collapse around them, eventually smothering their career and/or the company. Others have jobs that they just can’t locate qualified people for (like nursing and engineering) and are grasping at any and all available vines hoping candidates they find hanging there will ultimately pull them out of their understaffed situation.
The general consensus was that this analysis paralysis is the direct result of executives now being forced to bear an unlikely double burden. Leading an organization in an uncertain economy forces them to make the best choices they can with the information they have available. But that information is changing at the speed of light. One day the stock market is up, one day it’s down. One day their best client is signing a new contract, the next day the best client is being bought out.
These leaders are struggling just like everyone else is with loss of retirement savings coupled with concerns about job security. Yet, for the good of the company, they are forced to put up a good front for the employees that report to them, making them feel safe, secure and ensuring productivity increases with fewer resources. It’s a tough position to be in; hanging on a vine, hoping the quicksand will fill in beneath their feet, eventually buoying them above the danger back into business as usual.
According to a study published in the current issue of the journal Nature, it is impossible for a person immersed in quicksand to be drawn completely under. The fact is, quicksand is heavier than water so humans float in it. At rest, quicksand thickens with time, but it remains very sensitive to small variations in stress. At higher stresses, quicksand liquefies very quickly. The higher the stress the more fluid it becomes. This causes a trapped body to sink when it starts to move.
The problem is that we panic. We’re fearful of drowning and we do anything we can to prevent it, when, if we trusted general physics (and mother nature), we’d ultimately rise above the danger.
At the Hay Group event, I discovered most companies are still hiring, but they are inundated with applications, thus making them feel they have plenty of choices so they don’t need to be in a rush to hire someone. Digging a little further, though, I found that the truth is that companies really are still seeing very few exceptionally qualified people in those piles of resumes. Essentially, the inbox is full, but not with a high quality workforce, so they are unwilling to move forward until the perfect candidate surfaces.
As a job seeker, how can you rise above the quicksand to meet the executives on the vines? For one, make sure you are only applying to positions you are qualified for. My recent book TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB discusses creative, unique strategies for navigating the new economy and conducting a well planned job search. You can locate those executives, just above the quicksand, that need your help. Get your resume right in front of them before they get sucked under by the pressure around them and convince them YOU are the person they should hire.
Carolyn Thompson
Author of TEN EASY STEPS TO A PERFECT RESUME…available on Amazon.com!
and TEN STEPS TO FINDING THE PERFECT JOB…available on Amazon.com!
Tags: economy, fear, hiring, Job Search, jobs, resume
Posted by Carolyn Thompson on Jan 8, 2009 in
Self Improvement Crocodiles have been around for over 250 million years. They have outlived the dinosaurs. In contrast, you have been around for a much shorter period of time and your career probably took shape within the last decade or two. Right now, our economy is in a state of flux and things are uncertain. What can we learn from these amazing survivors, crocodiles?
Be opportunistic. Crocs see a fish and they eat it. They see a bird land on the water in the pond, they eat it. A zebra comes down to the river to drink, and the crocodile attacks. Crocs eat whatever they can, whenever they can. This helps them to survive. You should be opportunistic at the office too. Pick up responsibilities at work that no one else seems to want to do and do them well. Be the first to volunteer to help the new employee with a project. Offer to do that spreadsheet that no one else wants to put together. Come in on a Saturday to help out. Be productive, opportunistic and you will shine in your manager’s eyes.
Get plenty of rest. Take a hint from crocodiles. Picture a river delta in Africa where the crocodiles rest away the heat of the day so that they can be alert and ready to hunt in the evening or early morning. This is true for you too. Go to bed at a decent hour every night. Save parties and late nights for weekends. Work out, maybe get a massage. Take a break. If you take time to rest, then you will be ready to work hard when you need to and will get more done.
Protect yourself. Crocodiles have teeth and scales to protect themselves. Your career should have some armor too. What type? Education, skill set and work ethic all help armor you from layoffs. If you have a solid skill set, better education, and stronger work ethic than those around you, chances are that you will not be the next person downsized. Utilize your company’s education reimbursement benefit if they offer one, or invest in yourself if they do not in order to keep your skills and education current. Learn how to do something that others in your office are not good at or are weak in such as learn Macros and Pivot tables in excel if no one else knows how to do them well. Work ethic will help to protect you too. Be sure to put in a few extra hours at the office, follow up on projects and with clients. Be an asset to your organization.
Adapt, survive. That is the name of the game. Do not get stuck in workplace mud of laziness, exhaustion and an old, outdated skill set or you may find that you have become the next fossil.
Jake Hanson
Senior Associate, CMCS
Tags: adapt, advice, economy, education, opportunities, training
