Why Constant Learning is Critical to Your Career

Why Constant Learning is Critical to Your Career The CIPD recently published a nice study about how the City of London Corporation is trying to encourage  employees to catch the ‘learning bug’. The key objective of this policy is to improve cohesion and collaboration between different functions  and specialisms, and to  increase internal mobility. For staff at all levels, learning is important and the  emphasis on collaboration means that alongside the external training, expert employees share their  expertise with classes covering fencing, Spanish and knitting, among others. In case you are wondering, 10Eighty’s researcher says that it not a stretch to imagine knitting as a  mindfulness practice, or perhaps a form of meditation. Studies show that knitting has significant  psychological and social benefits, which can contribute to well-being and quality of life. Learning new things whether practical skills or theoretical knowledge is always worthwhile. New  skills may improve your CV, your lifestyle, your budget and you may discover hidden talent. Growth mindset: The brain thrives on learning, and it pays to hone your learning skills and adopt a “growth” mindset.  Learning is good for your mental wellbeing and will boost your confidence and self-esteem. Studies  show that lifelong learning is associated with greater employability, satisfaction and optimism, and  improved ability to get the most from life. Working and living on a continual learning curve gives you  an edge in a volatile environment. 10Eighty also champion the ‘learning bug’ and would suggest that continuous organisational learning  is a key business imperative â€" as the University of Guelph points out: Continuous learning is  increasingly important to the success of the organization because of changing economic conditions.  Given the current business environment, organizations must be able to learn continuously in order to  deal with these changes and, in the end, to survive. It is short-sighted to suppose that supporting employees in learning will only result in workers up-skilling themselves and leaving the company actually not supporting these activities is more likely to  have this effect. Building bench strength: Learning is about expanding the ability to learn by regularly updating skills and increasing  knowledge. Good learning skills are required to successfully adapt to changing work and life  demands. Learning in the workplace involves viewing all experience as potential learning and  checking assumptions, values, methods, policies, and practices. Organisations that aim to thrive, grow, innovate and maintain their competitive edge have a vested  interest in helping their workforce to learn and develop. Empowering your managers to recognise  and appreciate talent and to maximise the potential of team members is important. Team leaders  are best placed to evaluate the strengths and potential of those on their teams. In the modern workplace we all need to adapt and expand our skills, its important that  organisations provide an environment which emphasises continuous learning. Training is not a one  off event that occurs when you move to a new role or project, it should be seen as a continuous  process that never ends as long as you remain employed. [Featured image: Shutterstock]

How You Answer This Warm-up Question May Leave You Out-in-the-Cold - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How You Answer This Warm-up Question May Leave You Out-in-the-Cold - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career At the beginning of virtually any job interview you will undoubtedly be asked what are commonly referred to as “warm-up” questions. For example, you might be asked, “Tell me why you think you might be the person for this job?” Or perhaps one like this: “Describe for me what you do in your current job.” But you can almost be absolutely  guaranteed  to be asked this one: “Tell me about yourself.” While most job candidates have little if any difficulty answering the first two example questions, a surprising number of candidates seem to entirely miss the point when answering the “tell me about yourself” question. Actually, when most hiring managers or other hiring professionals ask you, “Tell me about yourself,” the very last thing they actually want you to do is, well, to  tell them about yourself! How do most candidates answer this question? Normally, the answer goes along these lines: “Well, let me see . . . I grew up on a dairy farm just outside Green Bay, WI, and of course I am a BIG Green Bay Packers fan! You can’t live in Green Bay without being a Packer’s fan, you know, etc., etc., etc.” Some candidates continue to detail their entire life history and don’t become aware that they have gone far, far afield until they see the hiring professional’s eye begin to glaze over! Am I suggesting that a hiring professional doesn’t care to learn anything personal about you, the candidate, at this point? Yes, that’s precisely what I am suggesting! What the hiring professional is usually laser-focused on at this very early stage of the game is just one thing: Finding the very best candidate to fill an open position at his or her company. If you were to become the candidate of choice, the hiring professional  may  then want to learn more about your personal life and background, but until that time. . . . OK, so how  should  you answer the “Tell me about yourself” question? In our executive recruiting firm,  The Hire to Win Group, we coach candidates we present to our hiring company clients to use a  THREE-PART  approach to answering the “Tell me about yourself” question. (Parts 1 and 2 can normally be used from interview to interview, while Part 3 needs to be customized for each unique career opportunity.) PART 1 Normally, the first part of the answer will consist of a  one-sentence statement of your career history, i.e., essentially the  condensed version of your entire career.  But that’s not as challenging as perhaps it might first appear. Here is an example of how you might accomplish that goal: “I am a five-year veteran of LAN/WAN administration and systems engineering, with substantial experience using a variety of contemporary business software systems.” PART 2 This part consists of a  one-  OR  two-sentence  summary  of a  single  career accomplishment  that you are especially proud of and one that you can reasonably expect to capture the hiring manager’s attention and interest. It must, however, be an accomplishment that can easily be explained and/or illustrated. Plus, it must also highlight a  â€œbottom-line” impact  for the potential employer. Here is an example: “Recently, as a long-term contract employee at a local regional bank, I learned that the bank was about to install a particular software system and was planning to use an outside firm for the project. I let them know that I had done a similar installation at my last assignment, outlined how we could get the job done with in-house staff and successfully complete the installation for $55,000 to $65,000  less  than it would have cost with outside consultants.” PART 3 This final part of the answer is the most dynamic, as well as the part that must be  customized  for each unique career opportunity. It should be a  one-  OR  two-sentence  summary  of  specifically  what you seek in your next career move  AND it  must be relevant to the position being sought.  Here is how you might construct this final part of your answer: “For the next step in my career, I would like to move away from contract work and find myself as a direct employee of a large firm where I can join a substantial IT team and be involved with a group that focuses on email and network security applications, while having access to the knowledge base that would come with a large, diverse IT group.” Obviously, you would tailor  your  answer to fit your unique skill set and professional discipline, but the principles and approach featured in this example would nonetheless apply. And, of course, you wouldn’t break up your answer into individual parts as I’ve illustrated here. Rather, all  three  parts would constitute your entire answer. This example answer, by the way, would take about one-minute to deliver. By using this approach to answer the “Tell me about yourself” question, you will clearly and quickly brand yourself as a true professional, someone who knows the value of what you have to offer a potential employer. It will also set you widely and  distinctly  apart from the overwhelming majority of your “competition,” i.e., those other candidates interviewing for the same position(s) as you! You will  immediately  have the hiring manager’s attention, and gain her respect, with an answer like this. On the other hand, most other candidates for the position you seek more than likely will see fit to drone on and on about their life histories. The hiring manager’s eyes will glaze over, she will begin to slump in her chair. And, she will soon be looking for a way to quickly end those interviews so she can get to the type of candidate she seeks to fill her open positionâ€"a candidate like YOU! _______________________________ This post is a modified excerpt from  Career Stalled?, Skip’s latest book in the“Headhunter” Hiring Secrets Series of Career Development Management Publications. Going on a job interview soon? Know someone who is? Download Skip’s FREE PDF entitled,“How to ACE the Job Interview, by clicking  HERE.

Networking Tips How Diverse is Your Network

Networking Tips How Diverse is Your Network Who isknocking down networking barriers  in 2011 with me?   Here is information to help us from FOOW? (Fish Out Of Water?, LLC).   FOOW?  is a professional development company committed to providing unique workplace and career solutions to companies and business professionals experiencing leadership, employee and career management challenges. When I first ventured into business networking, I felt like I was trying to light a wet match in a dark cave, because the journey was filled with some frustrations. While I did meet some sincere people who genuinely supported me, I wasn’t prepared for: Aggressive people who push their product/services within 90 seconds of first contact. They demand your immediate trust and business card and tell you they will call you soon about their product. Back to me people who try too hard to be interesting without being interested in anyone else. They talk excessively about themselves without listening to anyone else. They brag about numbersâ€"the number of events they attend, the number of things they do and the number of people they know. Weary networkers who are over the networking scene because they are meeting the same people most of the time. They recognize the value of networking, but have reached their peak; they can’t stop coming because they need to look interested for business purposes. After attending several events, it started looking like the same tune with a different singer. Most events offered the same format, information and people. In spite of frustrations and the time commitment, networking is valuable and, ultimately, worth the effort to search for the right organizations and people that click with you. I encourage diversifying your network to include the following organizations: Organizations in your current professional/business industry Organizations in industries you would like to get to know better A group that focuses on fun around your common interests A community service group to give your time to others Great networks are built on a sincere reciprocal infrastructure stemming from relationship first and business second, which cannot be created overnight. Established networks are helpful, especially when you are experiencing challenges, because they can offer support quicker than newer connections. With any worthwhile journey you will encounter frustrations along the way, but you shouldn’t give up entirely. Instead, continue to seek an organization that clicks with you. How diverse is your network?

5 Global Stats Shaping Recruiting Trends

5 Global Stats Shaping Recruiting Trends If you want your company to improve its recruitment strategy this year, then its well worth  considering how these trends can help you do that. Things like social media and mobile platforms can help to promote a job advertisement or engage potential candidates. Or maybe you can evaluate your hiring processes to see which areas can benefit from AI technology, and examine what your company has done or can do to improve diversity in the workplace. Here are 5 things you should consider: 1. Mobile Sourcing In today’s gadget-friendly economy, many companies are optimising their websites for mobile viewing. However, employers are losing a lot of opportunities by forgetting to create a mobile-friendly experience for jobseekers. 45% of job seekers search for jobs daily on their mobile device 89% of job seekers think mobile devices play a critical role in the job hunting process What do jobseekers do on career pages? 54% read employees’ reviews 52% look up salary information 59% say it is important to save a job from their mobile device and later apply to the job on a desktop What companies are optimising for mobile? Careers website: 39% Job postings: 36% Application process: 36% Don’t miss out on potential candidates by not having a mobile-friendly site. Optimise pages for viewing and make sure forms are compatible with devices. 2. Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence working with human resources sounds like a contradiction, but 80% of executives believe AI can improve productivity and performance. This should also be applied to your recruitment strategy. Though AI is expected to replace 16% of jobs within the next 10 years, this doesn’t mean you’ll lose work. It’s a chance for you to improve the recruitment process so your team can focus more on people and less on tasks. Here are some ways you can use AI: Assisting jobseekers â€" Chatbots can assist potential recruits who have questions that you might not have time to answer immediately. They can also engage applicants who have looked at positions or applied, but haven’t received responses from your company. They can also automate the process of letting people know about the progress of their application. Assisting you â€" The onboarding process can take up a lot of your time, especially if you have a lot of new hires and a small HR team. AI can provide necessary information and training to new employees until you can step in to answer more specific questions and concerns. You can also use AI to keep track of employee development so you can identify areas of improvement or opportunities for growth. Lastly, AI can act as your own personal assistant to handle scheduling, assessment, filing, etc. By using AI to handle time-consuming processes that can be automated, you can free yourself up to focus on more important aspects of recruitment. But remember, you should consult with your IT department to ensure an effective AI experience. 3. Global Recruitment Thanks to the development of new technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and improvements around telecommunications, hiring volume is set to increase around the globe, with the UK and US looking at a 58% rise. India: 76% Mexico: 67% Southeast Asia: 62% Germany: 61% UK: 58% US: 58% France: 50% China: 50% Australia: 45% Brazil: 40% 4. Social Recruiting Social media has a huge impact on our lives today, even when it comes to recruiting. Then again, most employers aren’t using social media to its full potential. Before (2011): 56% of companies were recruiting via social media Last year (2016): 84% of companies were recruiting via social media Not using social media recruiting can lead to a great loss of potential hiring volume, as 79% of jobseekers are likely to use it for their job search. For younger job seekers who are in the first 10 years of their career, that number goes up to 86%. And they used it not just to look for positions, but also to learn more about the company. When it comes to PR and communications strategies, 2/3 of UK and US respondents say that social media is a necessity for a company’s C-suite executives. Almost 75% of employees say their employers don’t promote their employment brand on social media. 75% of employees in the UK agree that social media is a valuable tool for managing brand reputation. But… Only 33% of employers in 15 global markets encourage their employees to use social media, limiting the chances of potential recruits seeing good things about the company from people who actually work there. By improving your company’s reputation, you’ll have an incredible advantage when it comes to attracting potential employees: 84% of employees would consider quitting their job to take an offer from a company with a great reputation. If your company already uses social media for its marketing strategy, work with the marketing team to promote recruitment as well. Also, talk to employees about how they can improve your brand reputation through their social media activities. 5. Diversity According to companies around the world, hiring more diverse candidates ranks as their top priority. What constitutes as a diverse workplace? You’d have to consider: Race Gender Ethnicity Age Education Personality The increasing number of millennials in the workforce is one of the biggest shifts in workplace diversity, and they are expected to make up most of the working population by 2025. Almost 80% of millennials consider how they fit into the company culture before taking a job. 60% of millennial job seekers consider growth opportunities to be the best perk of a job. Diversity also has a great impact on a company’s performance, as gender-diverse companies perform 15% better than the industry median.  Meanwhile, ethnically-diverse companies perform 35% better. During the recruitment process, highlight the growth benefits that your company offers. Also, consider promoting your efforts on creating a diverse workforce. Show potential employees that diversity matters at your company, and educate current employees through diversity initiatives that they can talk about. See the infographic below courtesy of ThiswayGlobal.

Is Resume Genius Free?

Is Resume Genius Free?If you are a current resume writer and wondering if a free online resume writing service could be a viable option, the answer to that question is a definite yes. There are numerous free resume services available on the Internet, and this article will explain why it is advisable to use one of these services.Free online services have many advantages over traditional resume writing services. One of the most important is that you are not locked into any particular format, unless you choose to use one. You can easily create a resume that is unique to your circumstances without worrying about how it is going to look or what the requirements for it might be. This frees you up to be creative and to write in the manner that best suits your needs.Free services also have a great deal of flexibility in how they operate. For example, many of them offer you the ability to keep your samples or sample copies of your work. You don't even have to take the risk of losing any of th e completed work. You can let a professional handle the details of your resume for you and leave it to them to provide you with the final product. This saves you time, money, and a lot of embarrassment.Free services are usually more likely to be established and experienced, so they have many more years of experience to draw from. These professionals can be a great resource when it comes to speaking with others who have used their services before. This means that you can seek the counsel of someone who has worked with this type of service in the past, as well as someone who has worked with other types of resume writing services in the past.Finally, free services offer some of the greatest features on the Internet. You can fill out your resume easily, and you can get it sent directly to employers you are considering. In fact, many of these services offer their customers free copies of their completed resumes, which gives you another level of security.It is a good idea to consider a fr ee service when you are trying to fill out a resume. However, it is important to understand that the process is not necessarily instant. There are still many steps to take before you receive your work and the ability to send it to anyone you want.This can mean that you have to devote a certain amount of time to sorting through the completed work and obtaining a signed copy of the complete documentation, which can add a great deal of time to the process. However, if you have the patience and the time, then it is certainly worth it.Free services can be a great way to build your resume if you have a serious need for one. However, if you do not yet know whether a service is right for you, it is important to take your time and look around until you find one that best suits your needs.