I Judge Based On Your Appearance

I Judge Based On Your Appearance Yesterday I shaved.  It wasnt a normal shave, it was an EPIC shave. You see, for the first time in my life, I grew a beard.  It was a five or six month beard.  Ive never gone longer than two weeks before. But this time I did it for a youth educational simulation where I played a role, back in early June.  And then, what the heck, I might as well save it for the youth simulation in early September, right? Im not really a beard guy. I wont lie and say I enjoyed it, but it was for a good cause, and I could handle it for a few months. Yesterday morning, less than 12 hours after we got home from our Saturday event where I played wicked King Jason with about 230 boys and over 200 adult volunteers, in a two-day training program, I shaved the whole thing.  I shaved in stages, first with lamb chops and various styles of goatees, all the way down to a tiny ridiculous-looking mustache.  My wife, a cosmetologist, helped me, and took pictures until she couldnt hold the camera anymore (she was laughing/crying too hard to take a good picture by the end), made a very interesting comment: Stereotypes are really powerful! She said this around the time I had lamb chops and mustache that kind of dripped down my chin (imagine a goatee without the middle part).  This has never been my style.  My wifes unspoken message was that I looked [ridiculous, scary, stupid, uneducated] you fill in the blank here. She knows me, and my heart.  But that facial hair stuff gets in the way T the stereotypes that comes along with that style gets in the way of 20+ years of knowing one another. There are things we choose to do that stereotype us from our dress to our language to how we move our body.  We dont think its fair that people look at our stache, and judge us for living how we want to live.  Why dont they just judge us by our hearts, intentions, and who we really are? Are people really that shallow? Yes.  They are.  We are.  We all are. We have all judged people by an outward appearance.  It might be something that person chose, like their color coordination, or something they didnt choose, like their skin color or accent. But we judge.  It isnt right. I wonder if its our fault for how we choose to express ourselves, or is it our fault for how we care so much about how others are, really, not like us? Either way, discrimination is bad, wrong and ugly. So where do we go from here? I Judge Based On Your Appearance Yesterday I shaved.  It wasnt a normal shave, it was an EPIC shave. You see, for the first time in my life, I grew a beard.  It was a five or six month beard.  Ive never gone longer than two weeks before. But this time I did it for a youth educational simulation where I played a role, back in early June.  And then, what the heck, I might as well save it for the youth simulation in early September, right? Im not really a beard guy. I wont lie and say I enjoyed it, but it was for a good cause, and I could handle it for a few months. Yesterday morning, less than 12 hours after we got home from our Saturday event where I played wicked King Jason with about 230 boys and over 200 adult volunteers, in a two-day training program, I shaved the whole thing.  I shaved in stages, first with lamb chops and various styles of goatees, all the way down to a tiny ridiculous-looking mustache.  My wife, a cosmetologist, helped me, and took pictures until she couldnt hold the camera anymore (she was laughing/crying too hard to take a good picture by the end), made a very interesting comment: Stereotypes are really powerful! She said this around the time I had lamb chops and mustache that kind of dripped down my chin (imagine a goatee without the middle part).  This has never been my style.  My wifes unspoken message was that I looked [ridiculous, scary, stupid, uneducated] you fill in the blank here. She knows me, and my heart.  But that facial hair stuff gets in the way T the stereotypes that comes along with that style gets in the way of 20+ years of knowing one another. There are things we choose to do that stereotype us from our dress to our language to how we move our body.  We dont think its fair that people look at our stache, and judge us for living how we want to live.  Why dont they just judge us by our hearts, intentions, and who we really are? Are people really that shallow? Yes.  They are.  We are.  We all are. We have all judged people by an outward appearance.  It might be something that person chose, like their color coordination, or something they didnt choose, like their skin color or accent. But we judge.  It isnt right. I wonder if its our fault for how we choose to express ourselves, or is it our fault for how we care so much about how others are, really, not like us? Either way, discrimination is bad, wrong and ugly. So where do we go from here?

Are Your Resumes Damaging Your Chances For a New Job?

Are Your Resumes Damaging Your Chances For a New Job?Any professional writer worth his or her salt will tell you that there is no such thing as a resume that has nothing to do with the person's current job. It must be accurate and reflect your entire career path, including all positions you held previously, the responsibilities of each job, and your entire skill set at the time of employment.If you have experience in a position that is relevant to your skills and experience, you need to emphasize that information in your resume. If you had to take a leave of absence for an extended period of time, or if you were demoted due to a negative performance review, put that information on your resume. Otherwise, it won't have any effect on the employer's decision-making process.A good resume needs to include a section at the end called 'Skills and Experience,' which will list your job responsibilities and previous job duties. You may want to cross reference this information with a former emp loyer's employment history, in order to verify the exact job duties they listed on their resume. When you're considering a position, it's important to also get current job duties for the job you are applying for.Your resume writing skills will really come into play if you want to accurately detail your skills and previous job duties. Remember, no matter how well-written your resume is, if you fail to add relevant details, it will never get the attention it deserves. And, how can you add relevant details if you're not included in the information on your resume? If you've been demoted or your skills have changed over the course of your career, your resume will fail to present you accurately and to convey your true capabilities.In addition to creating a resume that is accurate, and will help you land the job you desire, you should also practice resume writing to hone your skills. If you plan to spend several months perfecting your skills, your resume writing skills will become more ref ined as well. This means that you will be able to find any potential error in your resume, and correct it before submitting it.While every candidate goes through a 'process' that involves brainstorming and rewriting their resume, the process is best if you avoid rewriting your resume after you have been hired. Instead, make sure that you always read your resume twice before sending it out. If you think it doesn't meet your standards, contact the company or supervisor directly, or take it back to the company.Another mistake to avoid when crafting your resume is creating a cover letter for the job description. If you have the skills required for the job, provide this information on your resume and list the skills you may add at a later date. In other words, don't 'add' skills you don't have. On the other hand, if you were demoted, detail what you were demoted from and why, and don't forget to mention what you learned from your demotion.Resume writing isn't rocket science, but it does require a level of skill that can only be acquired through practice. The tips outlined above are the best way to improve your resume writing skills.

Personal Branding Interview Harry Beckwith - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Interview Harry Beckwith - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke to Harry Beckwith, one of the worlds most respected marketers, has advised 23 Fortune 200 companies, including Target, ABC and Wells Fargo. Harry first book, Selling the Invisible, was named one of the top ten business and management books of all time. In this interview, Harry talks about personal branding from a service industry perspective, dives into how hes built his brand, goes over some important changes and trends in the marketing world, and more. What are some of your bigger ideas in You, Inc.? My purpose was to tell my kids what I’d learned, sometimes with pain. Many of the lessons are “Don’t do what I did. Do what I should’ve done.” I began with the idea that you must think of yourself as a service, and apply the lessons of service marketing. When you sell someone a service, all you are selling is a promise that you will do something at a future time. So if you want to thrive, you must keep every promise. To be in business today, do you have to think like a brand? Think of a brand as reputation. We each own one, like it or not. So yes, you should you think about your reputation. You represent a version of FedEx and HR Block; you offer services to others, such as to your employers. Your prospectsclients or employerschoose you based on your reputation. If its for performing well, your prospects will assume that you will perform well again. Not long ago, “word got around.” With text, email, blogs, and other vehicles, word now travels much faster and farther. Millions in Indonesia could know about you tomorrow, for example, given the right YouTube video. The word that now gets around fast includes words about you. So your brand lives, in part, on the internet. If you’ve earned several thousand Twitter followers, for example, that suggests something. If there’s nothing out there about you, that suggests something, too. How have you built your personal brand? What do you feel that youre known for? My brand is based on Selling the Invisible. 13 years later, it still sells in hardback and recently passed a half-million copies sold in the English version. That book has led many people to consider me an expert on marketing a service. People also have gone slightly nutty about my presentations. I’ve clocked in my thousands of hours of practice now, which certainly helps. It took about 15 months before the reviews with lots of exclamation points started appearing. As for building a personal brand, you are interviewing the Unrole Model. I like helping others, but I squirm at the very idea of promoting myself. Your first book came out in 1997. What changes have you seen in the sales and marketing world since then that people should know about? It’s turned upside down. Advertising dominated in 1997. Then and years after, everyone preached “brand,” and built brands primarily on two major platforms: television and print. But the audience members felt spun. They knew advertisers were trying to charm them into buying. Any institution built atop a foundation that shaky must be destined for a fall. So along came the internet. It looked benign at first. And then it didn’t. A major shift came with Google, and its Page Rank. Now a company that had no business doing advertising, or no money to do it, could create a website that appeared on the first page of a Google search. When that happened, the company’s phones started ringing. Advertising? Who needs it, many thought. Another huge change: Dozens of new media. YouTube and Twitter can work. Google has grown a media colossus and Facebook appears headed that way. Games have become major media. And the good marketer always asks, “Are there some bloggers we should be cultivating? Maybe send a couple the new Audi to drive for a week?” A marketer faces so many more options. It can be paralyzing. A third shift: Word-of-mouth. It’s become a massive forcemaybe the massive force, People now spread the word about products every day. From this, companies have realized that they no longer can hide behind their advertising, and now must focus on creating better products and services. So they are shifting dollars from advertising to product. Not surprisingly, everyone is shouting Innovate! Go to Google Trends and type in the word innovation. You will see that the number of news stories about innovation surged upward in 2008, and has stayed at that high level since. This shift, to a greater emphasis on innovative and improved products, represents a fourth major change. Companies also are shifting their dollars into creating better customer experiences. Free WiFi represents one simple example. Nordstrom is using digital technology to improve the shopping experience. Nike and Adidas are enhancing their customers’ experiences with devices that monitor and record all kind of metricsdistance, pace, calories burnedand even offer coaching suggestions through an ear piece. The old saw is finally coming true: Build a better mousetrapor a better mousetrap experienceand the world will beat a path to your door. You don’t need millions in conventional advertising, although it still works. Why is it easier to sell something for a larger company? Well, big companies cannot sell bad products anymore. Small companies never could. However, when we buy we prefer things that seem familiar to us. Big brand names feel familiar and seem less risky. So if two products seem similar to us, we regularly opt for the more familiar one. But now with the internet, we can investigate the quality of a small company’s products. We may find so many favorable reviews that we reach a decision we might not have pre-internet: The small company feels like the better and safer choice. So Goliath is slipping. What are some ways to form deeper relationships with customers? Think of each customer as a person, not a customer. If you view a person as a customer, she will see you as a seller. That starts a short relationship. If you truly want to help the person, that comes through. If you just want the cash or lack faith that you can help the person, that comes through, too. I’d add that in dealing with customers, you are dealing with two key feelings: That person must feel comfortable with you, and feel important to you. So ask yourself in each case: What must I do to create those two feelings? Among other influences, a person feels important when you recall whatever is important to hera daughter’s quirky habit, for example. Decades ago, Dale Carneige advised his readers to regularly use a person’s name when speaking to that person.That seems like another version of this advice: Talk about things that matter deeply to the other person. - Harry Beckwith, one of the worlds most respected marketers, has advised 23 Fortune 200 companies, including Target, ABC and Wells Fargo. Harry first book, Selling the Invisible, was named one of the top ten business and management books of all time. His subsequent BusinessWeek bestsellers, The Invisible Touch and What Clients Love, brought his total sales worldwide to over 700,000 copies in 23 languages. Beckwith was named creative supervisor of Carmichael-Lynch in Minneapolis, four times Advertising Ages pick as Americas most creative mid-sized agency. When Beckwith catches his breath and calms his accountants, he serves on the Athletic Board at Stanford, strives pathetically to regain his nine handicap in golf, and plays Webkinz with his eleven year-old daughtersomething every man should experience at least once.

What to Do When Your Client is a Commitment Phobe

What to Do When Your Client is a Commitment Phobe Building a solid business relationship in the agency recruitment industry can be treacherous.  Luckily, by following some dating  fundamentals you can give yourself the best shot at fruitful and lifelong partnerships. Its much like that crush you  had who originally seemed way out of your league and took a couple of nos to win over. You played the game well, made them realise how much of a good catch you were and finally  earned their interest! Youve just managed to agree terms and conditions with a brand new client and theyve given you your first role to work on (after almost giving up on  several occasions). You put down the phone and begin  your victory walk to the coffee machine; everyone was totally listening in while you worked your magic. As you strut  past the office leaderboard, you cant help but daydream about  how youll be spending that extra commission (I mean, that Prada bag would look great on you, or perhaps its  that new season REISS suit that suddenly seems obtainable). Eager to do a good job, as soon as you get back to your desk you drop everything and  prioritise your new role,  after all, this is huge for you! Flash forward to two weeks down the line, and your new client still hasnt given you feedback on those 5 killer CVs which you slaved over sourcing.  Maybe theyve cancelled the role? Is there someone else another agency? Maybe theyre just not that interested in you or your candidates All you know is that you cant help but  feel like ever since you officially partnered up and signed each others dotted lines, its turned into a one-sided affair  where you have to constantly chase them to hold up their side of the deal. It started out with great promise so whats happened? Perhaps its because you didnt outline your expectations clear enough from the onset? Here are the signs of a commitment phobe to watch out for, and some tips on how to handle them! (Hint you can avoid a whole lot of heartbreak by setting things straight early on). Theres a total lack of contact Have you ever met a potential date  and thought they were  great, but then  they moved way too slow in actually asking you out?  Maybe it was the other way around? Admit it,  weve all been there. Given the fast pace of the recruitment world, there isnt time to hang around, the good candidates go off the market quickly! If filling the role is important to this client, they will have to allocate and commit to time  each week, running through feedback with you (as the recruiter) and fitting in interviews. To test their commitment, try hypothetically closing them on this when youre initially taking the role brief: If I found you the perfect candidate when could you interview next week? Before agreeing to work the role, be sure to advise your client that it is ideal for them to  book out  between 3 to  5 pre arranged interview slots per week. This will also mean you can manage your candidates expectations in terms of time frames! They have unrealistic expectations Ok great so your new clients  given you their commitment on  interview slots and feedback timeframes (tick!). Now is the time to properly qualify the role itself. This requires actually questioning them about the skill set. The thing is, youre only half way through the job spec and its already reading  like a shopping list; a fantastical wish list! You know candidates like that dont really exist. In life we all have to accept that were not going to find Mr/s Perfect! Was your client willing to compromise? (I mean, every great relationship requires a bit of give and take,  and the recruiting relationship is no exception!)  A great way around this is to ask them  for their top 3 attractive must-haves and advise that, while youll do your best to find them the perfect person, theyll likely have to be flexible on something, whether it be on skill set, salary or level of experience  required. Broken promises are everywhere! Sound familiar? Maybe youre reading this and thinking the client appears to have promised the world to you  at the beginning, but then seems to have totally  gone back on their word. To stop your client flaking out, try to get them to formally agree to the process in writing? Think of it as a prenup Put together a document (like an Exchange of Benefits or Service Level Agreement) which outlines both what you are going to do for them (maybe you are giving them a discount or prioritising your time), but also what you expect from them in return. This way, neither of you should  be left high and dry! Some of the things you could include in your document are: Scheduled feedback slots (CV and interview) timeframes Dedicated interview slots Exclusivity period (details and dates) Meetings with relevant points of contact If your main point of contact is HR, agree some time to qualify the role with the hiring manager directly Most importantly, explain  to your client the mutual benefits of having this document in place; nobody likes a nagging  other half! (You know, the constant calls and clinginess) Explain that this formal agreement  will mean you wont be  chasing them for feedback at inconvenient times and interrupting their meetings (its hard for us to comprehend they  have a normal day job to get on with; that recruitment isnt the centre of their focus)! At the end of the day, setting expectations, confirming important dates and leveraging communication are important ingredients for all healthy relationships. Still not working out? An important skill to learn in life is when to walk away from something thats causing you more harm than good. As a recruiter with a lot of plates to spin and candidates to place, calling it quits with a client whos far more trouble than their worth could be the best thing for you and your business! If your new client cant  stick to these basic levels of commitment which allow you to do your job properly and you find yourself chasing them constantly, save yourself the heartache and walk away. As they say there are plenty more fish in the sea!

Job Search Tips - How to Write a Resume Objective

Job Search Tips - How to Write a Resume ObjectiveMany people are not clear about what kind of information they should include in a resume objective. Because many job candidates are receiving a very generic resume by default, many individuals are starting to wonder how to write a resume objective that will actually get them the job.The first thing you need to do when you're writing a resume objective is to have a clear objective in mind. You should be specific about what you are applying for. Don't just list your position; think about what it is that you are looking for. Writing a resume objective this way ensures that you don't overwhelm a potential employer with too much information.After you've determined the job that you are looking for, you should then focus on putting in specific details about your qualifications. One way to go about this is to list what you did in college. Make sure you include the dates you were there and the degree that you earned. This is a great way to come across as a serious candidate.The next step to take in your job search is to go out and network. Going to networking events and asking people about jobs and opportunities will give you the information that you need to properly state your qualifications. Be careful not to appear desperate because most employers are looking for more than just a work resume.If you are doing your job search online, go to a major search engine and type in the job title and the city in which the company is located. Look for companies that have openings and then look at the top resumes on that page. This will give you a good idea of what positions you may be in line for.Once you have a few top resumes, you need to read through each one and focus on what exactly you need to know about the job. Often times the actual position description will be too vague to get a real sense of what you will be doing. By reading the details on each resume you should be able to figure out what kind of information you need to provide for the position.If you do this method of researching yourself and you find that you still don't have a clear understanding of what you need to include in your resume objective, then consider hiring a professional resume writer. There are companies that specialize in writing resume objectives. They can be very specific about what you need to include and what kind of information you need to have included. Finding a company like this can be a great help to get you writing a resume objective that you can be proud of.Understanding how to write a resume objective is a huge part of any job search. Once you have a clear idea of what you need to write about and what type of information you will need to put in your resume, then you can focus on finding the right writer. Your resume objective is the single most important thing that you should include in your resume.

Recession-Proof Your Career

Recession-Proof Your Career According to an article in The New York Times, the U.S. Department of Labor reports that the unemployment rate as of December 2007 is 13.2% higher than it was in December 2006. Historically, a year-to-year difference of 13% or more has led to a recession. While these statistics dont offer proof that a recession is underway, now is certainly a good time to look at your job, company, and industry and think through strategies for recession proofing your career. Here are a few questions you should ask yourself to get you started.Analyze your industry Is your industry growing or shrinking? Have certain job functions been eliminated, automated, outsourced, or off-shored? Could you easily do every aspect of your job from homein your pajamas? If your industry is shrinking, what skills do you have that are transferable to another, more robust industry?Review your skills Have you diversified your skills over the past 5 years? What competencies do you possess that your colleagues do not? Do yo u volunteer for new projects that require you to stretch and make you a little less replaceable?Be a continuous learner Have things changed in your industry within the past 5 years? If you had to look for a new job tomorrow, would there be something lacking in your skills that would raise a red flag with employers?Be visible Do people in your industry or profession know about you? Can they find out more about you by visiting Linked In, Zoom Info, or Ziggs or just plain Googling you? Is your online presence distinct or are you one of thousands of John Does?Share information When was the last time you offered career advice to a friend or colleague? Do people see you as the type of person they would like to help if you were seeking career advice or would they duck and cover?Always have your resume ready If the perfect opportunity presented itself tomorrow, would you be able to quickly shoot your resume off to the decision maker or would you be scrambling around to create a half-baked c ut and paste document? Would you feel confident that your resume adequately represents your accomplishments and the value you can bring to an employer?

Are You Accessing Your Creative Well Tips for Tapping Your Creativity - Kathy Caprino

Are You Accessing Your Creative Well Tips for Tapping Your Creativity Today I’d like to explore the concept of creativity, and how it shapes and enriches our lives to access our own individual wells of creativity. What is creativity? The typical colloquial definitions of creativity involve: Producing or bringing about something partly or wholly new Investing an existing object with new properties or characteristics Imagining new possibilities that were not conceived of before Seeing or performing something in a manner different from what was thought possible To me, creativity represents expressiveness, originality, productivity, and possibilityin life and of the human spirit. Personally, there are three forms of creative expression that I pushed underground for many years: singing, tennis, and writing. As a young adult, I was accomplished at each of these, but for the next 25 years I let these endeavors go unnourished and hidden as I was hacking my way through life, attempting to balance my professional wants with my desires and goals of nurturing my family. What Ive realized is that we cannot find ourselves, or achieve a joyful, meaningful and fulfilling professional or personal life if we force these beautiful creative pieces of ourselves to go underground. These creative lifelines are wanting and needing to be integrated, recognized, and honored. Pushing them out of our view only prolongs our dissatisfaction with our lives, and keeps our unique contribution hidden from ourselves, others, and the world. Recently, Ive attended musical concerts, theatrical and dance performances, and art exhibits of my children, and have been astonished once again at the depth and breadth of creative genius that young children reveal. These little beings are completely filled with light, love, uniqueness, joy, and creativity, and they know it! They shine with unabashed self-love. In my observations as a therapist, coach and parent, Ive seen this self-appreciation flow until children reach the pre-teen years when they begin to hear and incorporate messages that beat down their expressiveness and self-acceptance. These societal and cultural messages insidiously imply that it is unseemly or worse to brag, shine, and express the wonder of ourselves. Has your creative expression been allowed to flow? Are you supporting your creative talents as fully as possible? To access your creative well more deeply, Id like to offer some key questions to ask yourself: What are my creative passions? What creative endeavors give me great joy, make my heart sing, and allow me to feel in the flow, experiencing the passing of time as a blink? Am I focusing on my creative gifts? If not, what holds me back from doing so? Your creative gifts are not yours by accident. You were meant to have these gifts, and express these sparks of creativity for the betterment and enrichment of your life and others. Now is the time to access your creative well again. Here are a few tips to reaching within and bringing forth the creative flow that is waiting to be tapped: 1. Identify the creative talent that you wish to nurture in yourself, and begin today to make it a priority. 2. Make a list of all the reasons that have held you back from expressing your creative gift(s). Most of these reasons will most likely revolve around fear of exposing or embarrassing yourself, lack of time, and lack of energy and focus. Honor your fears, then move forward despite them.3. Commit to finding a forum this month for beginning to express your creativity (a new class, clinic, support group, online course, etc.) 4. Find a mentor, friend, or coach who can help you gain even deeper access to your creativity. Ask him/her to assist you on your path to your goals and dreams of expression. 5. Come forward with your creative genius. Tell all your family, friends and colleagues what you intend to do. If they laugh or diminish your efforts, so be it. Thats their diminishment coming through. Shine the light on your creative gifts, and dont allow them to be hidden any longer. As for me, I am now singing, writing, and playing tennis again, and loving it! Accessing my expressiveness through these activities has been transformational, and reminded me again of what I intuitively knew was true when I was a child: each of us is special, unique, gifted, and wonderful, and sharing our creative gifts is what makes our lives wondrous. Please write and tell us about your creative gifts, and how you have brought them forward this month. Enjoy and honor your gifts!