5 Ways To Scare Away Your Career Mentor

5 Ways To Scare Away Your Career Mentor Wherever you are in your career, seeking out a mentor is a great way to boost your career and expand your network. In fact, 75 percent of executives say  mentoring  plays a major role in their career â€" and  95 percent  of Millennials just starting out their careers want a mentor.  Through your mentor, you’ll likely meet new people, learn new skills, and maybe even find new job opportunities. Sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well  having  a mentor doesn’t guarantee automatic success. Being a mentee comes with responsibility and takes care to create a successful relationship. And it can go south fast if you’re not careful. So make sure you aren’t scaring off your mentor and consider the following behaviors to avoid: 1. Being vague with your needs. Be specific about what you need from your mentor. These needs could include professional development, access to opportunities and networks, desiring a role model, or even just a safe space to discuss experiences or career issues. Don’t expect your mentor to know or understand automatically just by reading your resume and meeting you. Otherwise, neither of you will gain anything from the relationship and you’ll likely just frustrate them. 2. Not taking advice seriously. Remember, you’re not the only one in this relationship. So be kind and respectful of your mentor’s time and advice. You might not always like or agree with what they have to say, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong or trying to hurt you. Carefully consider their advice and be thankful for it. If you brush your mentor off too often, you likely won’t be getting any more help. 3. Calling or emailing too often or too little. No mentor â€" or anyone, for that matter â€" likes someone who contacts them too much. On the other hand, don’t be passive in this relationship either. Your mentor is a working professional and may have his or her own family, so keep that in mind when trying to contact them. It’s helpful to establish communication guidelines at the beginning of the relationship so you know what’s too much (or too little). 4. Expecting help instead of asking for help. You aren’t necessarily your mentor’s top priority, so be open and vocal when you really need guidance. Your mentor isn’t psychic and won’t always be checking in on you. So leave any feelings of entitlement at the door, or you will only scare your mentor away. 5. Misappropriating or sharing private information. As previously mentioned, a mentorship is often meant to provide a safe space for conversation. But if you plan on divulging any company secrets or using your mentor’s business ideas as your own, think twice.  Misappropriating or sharing private information  is probably the single best way to scare off your mentor. If you had a discussion in confidence, keep it that way. You could not only ruin your relationship with your mentor, but also their entire network. Take caution when moving forward with a career mentor. You have a lot to gain from the relationship. But if it goes south, you also have a lot to lose. Have you ever had a poor experience with you career mentor? Related: Professionalism in the Workplace: Myth, Mystery or a Must?   Image: Shutterstock

Improve Your Brand Reach Through Target Market Research - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Improve Your Brand Reach Through Target Market Research - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career As a personal brand your goal should be to attract right customers for your business who show a genuine interest in what you have to offer. But how do you discover your niche? That is where focused research comes in to collect important data and provide you with a well-rounded picture of your target market, which becomes a specific client profile. Your information should be narrowed down and as specific as possible a clear picture of what your ideal client looks like. Once your brand achieves more clarity on your niche you will have more focus and waste less time in selling to the wrong audience. Here are a few ways to the formulate the right picture of your client: How To Use Research to Find the Right Target Market Find out the personality and demographics of your community Determining factors such as age, gender, location, level of education, occupation, income, and family structure are all important in the first part of your discovery process. This will provide a more personalized view of who your target market is and what compels them to make a purchase. Use data to determine the actions of your audience Gain an accurate picture of who your potential customers are with both quantitative and qualitative data. While quantitative sees the big picture, qualitative takes a look at the behaviors and reasons. It is important to learn the lifestyle of your audience, known as psychographic data. This provides insights such as things they like to do in their free time as well as their personal habits and where they make purchases. Go to the right online sources for research There are many different places your target audience could be engaging in including social media, blogs, QA websites, and offline events. Social media especially is a great tool to learn the conversations of your community and how they perceive your brand and the competition. Solve your target markets problems The pain points are of your community are well defined in their communication and purchasing history. With this information in hand your brand can offer the right solution that meets their exact needs in a meaningful way. Research allows you to pinpoint these issues ahead of time so that you can create the ultimate customer experience that produces brand ambassadors. After a careful, focused strategy your brand can create a detailed profile description of your target market, which will help you see who your audience truly really is. This is especially beneficial when communicating with them online and creating products or services that cater directly to their needs and desires.

Online Course Write Great Blog Posts!

Online Course Write Great Blog Posts! Here is some feedback from other people who have taken writing courses with me: Penelope is absolutely brilliant at cutting through the bullshit.    Cheryl C. Your writing course is a way better crash course than anything I got in college.    Caitlin As a writer, youd think Id just write my own testimonials, but the research that shows people instinctively know a fake testimonial. Im not sure how, but part of being a good writer is knowing your limits. Thatll be in the course. Along with essentials like how to get the benefits of a blog without having to do all the work to maintain a blog. And how to get other people to publish your post on their popular site. And how to write blog posts people will love. So you should sign up now! Also, Ill edit your blog post for you, and the combination of doing the class and then having an editor work on your post is a really fast way to learn. And youll get to hear a critique of everyone elses posts as well. When I was learning to write I was so pissed off when someone didnt like my writing that I almost couldnt think straight. But I loved hearing why someone elses writing was bad, so I listened more closely and learned the most from those in-class critiques. What are you waiting for? Theres a money-back guarantee, so if you arent thrilled, just ask for a refund. There. So sign up now. I wanted to reward you for getting all the way to the bottom of this email. So here is another picture from my garden. I asked my son  what I could do to make him like the garden more. He said, Put more girls in it. The end. Sign up now. Quick! The course is filling up! Just kidding. Its on-demand so there is no limit. But you should  sign up now anyway.

A Detailed Resume Example for Engineering Positions

A Detailed Resume Example for Engineering Positions A Detailed Resume Example for Engineering Positions + Quick Resume Writing Tips Employers looking to fill engineering positions place a priority on hard skills â€" learned technical skills that have been mastered and demonstrated by performance â€" and a lower priority on soft (interpersonal) skills. So, when applying for a position as an engineer, you will want to place priority on your skills and experience, while you write your resume.If you have no clue where to begin, here are some quick writing tips to help you organize your thoughts for your resume, followed by a resume example for engineering roles. Draft a Resume Summary FirstConsider adding a resume summary at the very beginning of your document. It doesn’t have to be long (3 sentences). But it should list your core skills that relate to the position opening and summarize your experience/education that relates directly to those skills.Mine the Job Posting for KeywordsBefore you write that resume summary, review the job posting carefully and look for keywords that you can include. A lot of employer s are using digital screening devices, and the more keywords you can get into that summary, the better.Discover even more resume examples for other career niches to craft a better applicationDetermine the Focus of Your ResumeIf you’re an entry-level candidate with no experience, focus on major projects during your coursework, as well as your GPA and any awards/recognition you may have received in your resume summary.If you are not an entry-level candidate, then get an outline down in writing of each position you have held. Again, look at the posting and identify any accomplishments or responsibilities that directly relate to the opening. These will be the focus for your description of each position you have held.Be ConciseUse bulleted lists rather than paragraph prose as you speak to each of the positions you have held. And, as much as possible, state your accomplishments, including numbers when you can.When to Include Soft Skills?If the position is at the management level, you wi ll want to speak to your experience in soft skills too â€" any leadership role you have played, for example.Don’t Re-Invent the WheelThere are a huge number of resume templates out there for you to review, many of which have been designed for engineering candidates. You don’t necessarily want a “canned” template, but you can use these templates as a start point as you design your own.Keep in mind the organization’s “culture” to which you are applying. If you are a software engineer, for example, seeking a position with a new fintech startup, you will want to use a more “progressive” resume. If, on the other hand, you are seeking an electrical engineering position with a long-established utility enterprise, then you will want a more traditional, conservative document.Mind The GrammarSTEM candidates are focused on their skills. During their college years, they may have only taken the bare English composition requirements and may, therefore, not be as proficient in co mposition and grammar as candidates in other fields. Still, the resume cannot have any errors â€" none. at. all. If you know you are not the perfect grammarian, then get thee to someone who is. Your resume must be flawless.Software Engineer Resume Sample (.docx version)Download resume example (.docx)Resume Example for a Software Engineer (text version)Susan McDonnell 555-555-5555 youremail@gmail.com 1367 Crowfield Road, Phoenix, AZ 85017Professional Summary: A software engineer/data scientist with 10 years of progressive experience in coding, development, and management in the financial services industry. Specific accomplishments include custom CRM software development, including the incorporation of chatbots, and an algorithm design to gather and sort data related to consumer behavior.Work ExperienceXYZ Mortgage                                                                                                                                                                                         2012 â€" PresentLed a team in the development of an algorithm that gathers and sorts consumer data, in order to predict the types of loan products that will be most popular and in-demand. Resulted in revision of loan products and a 13% increase in mortgage applications.Managed the design and development of new CRM software that incorporates chatbots, AI and ML.  Resulted in a 28% reduction in customer-service department costs.ABC Bank                                                                                                                                                                                                         2009-2012Revised existing software architecture for online banking, to provide customers with summaries of their expenditures by categoryBegan a data collection and analysis process to make recommendations on loan products. Resulted in new loan product development and a 9% increase in loan applications over an 8-month period.EducationMassa chusetts Institute of Technology                                       2007 â€" 2009MS, Data Science, 3.8 GPAUniversity of Michigan                                                                                                                 2003 â€" 2007BS, Computer Science, Magna Cum LaudeTake NoteThe professional summary does NOT focus on what the applicant wants; rather, it focuses on skills and achievements that will prove valuable to a potential employer.Each accomplishment listed in the work experience section is accompanied by a numerical benefit to the organization.Keywords may be terms, such as “software engineer,” “data scientist,” CRM software,” and “financial services.”If this applicant were going to apply for a position outside of the financial services industry, the same skills could be translated to that industry but it would mean some change in wording.This is a basic resume example for an engineering applicant. Adding personality and other enhanceme nts might be warranted for an organization that is considered more progressive. previous article A Quick Resume Example for Retail To Help You Advance Your Career next article 5 Common Behavioral Interview Questions And How To Answer Them you might also likeA Model Resume Example That Will Get Results

How to Write a Resume For a Vice President Sales Position

How to Write a Resume For a Vice President Sales PositionIf you are applying for a job in sales and you don't know how to write a resume for a vice president sales position, you may have no other choice but to give up. If you do decide to send out resumes for sales jobs, they need to be convincing. They need to show off your potential as an employee and demonstrate that you will fit into the company's culture.The first step when writing a resume for a sales job is to decide what type of applicant you want to attract. You may want to start by looking at some of the vice president sales positions available on the company's website. You should select those positions that match your professional profile and apply for them.The next step is to look at the available position descriptions for positions that are related to your industry. You can use this information to put together a resume that explains how you can contribute to the company's goals, how you plan to help the company achieve i ts goals, and what skills you have that will be valuable to the company.Before you start writing your resume, think about what the company is looking for in its vice president sales positions. Often this will be spelled out in the job description. Once you have an idea of what the company is looking for, you can create a resume that will attract their attention. Include all of the information that will convince the company that you have what it takes to succeed in the position you are applying for.In order to create a great resume, you need to have an understanding of the company's business process. For example, if you are applying for a position with a customer service department, you need to describe your approach to solving problems and provide examples of how you resolved customer problems. You should be able to demonstrate your ability to handle customer communication as well as detail service issues so that they can see that you are the right person for the job.You also need t o demonstrate your competency in sales. As mentioned above, you can use examples of your previous sales successes to highlight your abilities and provide details of your successful sales efforts. Another way to demonstrate your potential as a salesperson is to consider the most recent sales campaigns the company has been involved in. Use these examples to provide specifics about how you could add to the company's current sales efforts.Although your objective when writing a resume for a vice president sales position is to make a good impression, you need to show that you are serious about the position. Be careful not to appear too eager to accept the position or appear eager to be hired. Both traits are not desired and could hinder your chances of getting the job. If you are applying for a position that requires extensive training, this might not be a problem, but if you are applying for a position that is filled only through a phone interview, you should be able to show that you are enthusiastic about the position and are motivated to apply.Writing a resume for a vice president sales position can be frustrating and time consuming. However, with a little practice, you can find a way to apply for jobs that include sales responsibilities without creating unnecessary stress. As long as you don't overstep your boundaries or become too excited, you should be able to write a resume that reflects the work ethic you need to achieve success in the sales field.

5,000 views - woohoo! - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

5,000 views - woohoo! - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Our brand new stop-motion animated video about happiness at work just passed 5,000 views. You can watch it at here AND sign up to get a weekly email with our best happiness tips. What The Heck Is Arbejdsglaede!? UPDATE: And 24 hours later were at 6,500 views. Woohoooooo :o) UPDATEx2: And weve now passed 8,500!!! UPDATEx3: 10,000!!!!!!!!! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Summary Sunday Career Stuff You Need to Know

Summary Sunday Career Stuff You Need to Know Whether its online, in person or in the future, this is the career stuff you need to know. It is important to keep one eye on the present and one eye on the future. These articles will help you understand what you should be doing to manage your career and job search! Career Stuff You Need To Know: Online, In Person and In the Future As I skim through hundreds of articles a week, looking for helpful information to share, theres a method to my madness. The content I share has to educate you on future trends and what you need to do now. With that said, the one thing that is most important (in my mind) for you to focus on is your online visibility, aka what people find when they research you online. Your branding has to be clear, concise and on target. The skills you possess and those you choose to highlight have to align with the skills employers want. Therefore, youll have to know what skills you should highlight. A little secret to solving this is to  spend more time reading job postings and matching your experience with what employers want. Oh, and body language is too important to overlook, so youll find information on that too! I hope this weeks collection helps you do these things better! ONLINE PRESENCE and PERSONAL BRANDING Building the Foundation of Your Online Presence | BrandYourself This is a MUST-READ post for understanding the basic rules of online visibility. 6 Great Tips for  Developing an Online Presence by  Hailley Griffis | Chelsea Krost These tips help you develop a stronger online presence once you have the basics covered. How To Make Sure Your Personal Branding Is Right by  Erica Breuer  | Daily Muse Learn about some of the mistakes you could potentially make in your branding. JOB SEARCH How to Read Between the Lines of a Job Posting by Joel Schwartzberg | MediaBistro Workplace experts help you dissect a job posting to really understand what employers mean! 20 Body Language Mistakes You Never Want to Commit by  Nayomi Chibana | Visme Blog Whether you are networking or interviewing or even on the job, be aware of what your body is saying! SKILLS IN DEMAND 6 Must-Have Job Skills | Bentley University In today’s job market, employers seek professionals with a much broader skillset, a phenomenon called the hybrid job according to Bentley Universitys summary. See what skills are in-demand ACROSS ALL JOBS, not just specific roles. Do you have these? Sales Business Development Oracle SQL SAP Data Analytics Decision Making The Bloomberg Job Skills Report 2016: What Recruiters Want | Bloomberg News Bloomberg asked 1,251 job recruiters at 547 companies about the skills they want but can’t find in MBA talent. Are you developing these skills? Communication skills Strategic thinking Leadership skills Creative problem solving