Saturday, March 14, 2020
Being Too Busy Can Hurt Your Career -
Being Too Busy Can Hurt Your Career -We all remember George Costanza of Seinfelds strategy for avoiding work When you look annoyed all the time, people think that youre busy.He imparteed this advice to his friends shortly after receiving a aufsteigen, but leidlage being any busier with work as a result. While many might often wish life could imitate art in this way, if you look annoyed and busy all the time at work, youre probably more likely to stay right in the job you have rather than earn a cushy promotion and be able to get away with doing less for more money and a nicer title. Why? Simple it probably appears you cant handle a promotion.Promotions Mean More ResponsibilityIt might be self-explanatory that a promotion brings more responsibility with it, but what does that mean for how people are considered for promotions? For one, it means that managers and supervisors who make promotion decisions are looking for people who already handle their current responsibilities well. And by handling them well, I dont mean getting them done and done well, I mean getting them done, done well, and doing it without complaining, showing high levels of stress, or requiring a lot of extra support from coworkers.Of course, there will always be times that people are stressed out, or need help or answers from coworkers, but if this is the constant state in which you are operating at work, its leidlage helping your career. You might think that volunteering for every project that comes along, or always offering to be the one who steps up to fill a role is making you stand out to your anfhreres, but it might actually be backfiring.When you take on too much, its quite possible that your regular work responsibilities are suffering. Even if your regular responsibilities arent suffering, your attitude might be. If youre in an office where your boss sees you every day and knows that youre stressed out by your current amount of responsibility, you will be less likely to be high on the ir list of people who can take on more responsibility.But how can you keep from looking or feeling overwhelmed by whats on your plate? Here are some brief tips for balancing your responsibilities, ambitions, and keeping your cool? Be honest. Dont complain, but have a professional conversation with your boss and frame it in the context of your work not being the quality the company deservesnot that you are feeling bad and tired and stressed.? Offer alternative solutions to a boss or colleague. If they ask you to take on a new project, suggest a way they could make it easier on themselves, or ask if you could speak with them about it at a later time when you have a little less on your plate.? Ask your boss or a colleague how much time they either spend themselves or expect that people are putting into certain projects. If your time commitment is way off the mark, ask for advice on how to adjust how you are completing the project or task.? If youre always offering to take the lead on p rojects, step back when you feel overwhelmed and offer to be the secondary rolle on a project, helping where needed but not taking on a new full load of work.Attitude Matters in PromotionsIf youve worked in an office, youve had that coworker. You know the onethe one you were afraid to interrupt to ask a question of, even if it was urgent, because they always seemed to have SO MUCH going on. You do not want to be that person.Being approachable is so important in an office setting. It isnt important only for clients, but also for your coworkers and your boss. People need to know youre a team player and that you can and will work toward the common goal of success for the company or organization you work for.However, to be approachable and to show that youre part of the team, you might have to step back from your overachieving, extra busy style to maintain an approachable attitude and the ability to actually take on more work.Take on work, volunteer for projects, but know your limits. K now how to triage projectsleave room to take on projects that a supervisor asks you to do by politely telling coworkers you cant help them out on every single minor project they ask you to help with. Understand that unexpected requests are going to pop up every day, interrupting your schedule and the work you planned to get done that day. Staying late every single night doesnt make you a hero, it makes you look like you cant handle your workload and get your work done during the day. Of course, certain high-intensity industries (think corporate law, political campaigns, etc.) might be the exception, but in general, you need to show that you can manage your time and handle requests that come out of the blue if you want to move up the ladder.And, if you do get interrupted and your work gets thrown off track, you have to keep your attitude in check. Acting stressed out or annoyed doesnt do you any favors. It might showcase how busy you are, but it doesnt speak well of your ability to h andle the higher stress and increased managerial responsibilities that often come with moving up the company ladder.If you want to be promoted and oversee other employees at a company, you need to show that you can handle stress and difficult situations maturely, professionally, and without losing your cool. Acting annoyed or even just frazzled does not help establish you as a professional who can handle managerial responsibilities.If youre wondering, how can I possibly not show stress at work? Here are some tips for keeping your attitude professional and calm? Focus. Forbes offers several recommendations, but focusing on just one thing at a time is a big one here. Get the important work out of the way, then you wont have it weighing on your mind anymore when people ask you questions or ask you to jump in on a new project.? Pause before responding. If a colleague comes up to you and asks for help, but youre swamped, dont just immediately reply with the first thought that comes to mi nd. Take a breath, reframe your thoughts, and reply politely. Id love to help, but I need to finish this in the next hour sounds a lot better than, No, Im busy.? Show some stress Just do it professionally. Dont whine, dont complain, dont snap at colleagues instead, as mentioned in the above section, have courteous, productive conversations about how you can alter your workload.? Be professional, but not rude. If you get interrupted, you dont have to have a big grin on your face, but you should never be the huffy person who visibly rolls their eyes. Take a deep breath, and then be cordial while youre being honest.? It might sound easier said than done, but stay positive. Instead of thinking to yourself Im never going to finish this project, think Only 5 more pages to type. Then, if the phone rings or a colleague comes into your cubicle, you wont already be in a negative mindset and ready to snap at them. Instead, youll be a more positive person who seems approachable.But I AM BusyGr eat That means your boss trusts you and wants to give you more work and more responsibilities. But be honest with your boss and yourself. This doesnt mean complain when you get too much work, it means stay professional and remember that if youre not doing your best work youre not helping the company. If a deadline seems way too rushed, ask if it can be pushed back if you are going to struggle to meet it.How else can you ease some of your stress?? Ask if you can push a deadline back on another project to make time for a more urgent project.? Ask if you can bring in a coworker with a different skill set to help you complete a project by a deadline.? Ask questions in generaldont take a general project, then have to spend hours figuring out what is needed.? Dont volunteer for additional projects until those that have been assigned to you are under control.Taking on too much is more harmful to your career than it is helpful.ConclusionWe all get stressed out and busy at work. We all have to put in extra hours, coming early or staying late, answering emails on the weekend, or taking calls at night. Thats just part of being a successful professional. But when it gets in your way is when you visibly show that it is getting to you, or, you seem to be the only one in the office who is staying late, coming in early, or having to take care of emails all weekend. If youre the boss or in a high-level position, thats not unusual, but if youre not, you might be putting your career in jeopardy by being the stressed out, annoyed type. It might have worked for George Costanza, but it probably wont work for you.Are you tired of your resume being rejected by applicant tracking systems? I know how frustrating it is to submit your resume and receive no response. I hate seeing qualified people never breakthrough the sichtung process. It shouldnt be that way. Thats why I created this guide and I encourage you to download the FREE PDF so you can start seeing better resume response rates
Monday, March 9, 2020
5 Tips for Resume Hurdles
5 Tips for Resume HurdlesPosted on neunter monat des jahres 4, 2014May 24, 2019 by Trista Winnie Are you avoiding putting together your resume because of what you binnensee as a potential hurdle? Hiring managers and recruiters can spot resume issues from a mile away, so you might as well think about your best approach. Below are five of the most common resume hurdles, with tips on how to address them.Job hopping on resumeIf your job history includes numerous stints such as 10 months here, a year there, and 6 months elsewhere, you may get branded as a job hopper. Given the amount of time and money it takes to find and train new employees, employers want to hire people who will stick aroundwhich could mean your application lands in the no pile.Be direct about your reason for leaving each job. While you can obviously expand on the details in your deckblatt letter or resume, you might consider listing the circumstances on your resume itself. Dont say anything negative about previous empl oyers stick to the facts, and present them concisely. Laid off as a result of budget cuts or failed startup folded in 2011, for example.Covering up the employment gemeinsame agrarpolitikIf you are unemployed, or if you have an unemployment gap of months or years on your resume, you might be viewed less favorably by employers. Many employers believe that a workers skills deteriorate during periods of unemployment, or that someone without a job will take any job, then leave when a better opportunity comes along. Whether or elend that bears out, it is a fact that most employers tend to hire people without employment gaps over those who are, or have been, unemployed.If you have been out of the workforce for more than six months, or have a fairly recent time in your work history when you were, it can be worth addressing on your resume. Keep your explanation brief, and dont apologize or come across as negative or defensive. Provided elder care for a family member during illness, for examp le. You could also use an alternate resume format, such as a functional or combination resume, rather than the traditional chronological format. These put the focus on skills and accomplishments rather than a timeline. Keep in mind, however, that elend all hiring managers like resumes that stray at all from the typical chronological format.Above all, if you find yourself in the midst of a long period of unemployment, take steps to show that you are keeping your skills current. Seek out volunteer opportunities, attend industry events in your area, or start a blog related to your field. Experience doesnt have to be paid to be valuable.Missing resume skillsMany job listings these days include a wide range of desired technical skills. Writers may be expected to have experience with video production, receptionists are often asked to know content management systems, and more. If you are applying to jobs and not hearing back, one issue may be that your resume does not include enough of the technical skills sought by employers. Entering your resume and a job description that interests you into Jobscans resume tool can give you a sense of whether your skills are a match for the job.Dont let yourself be intimidated by job listings including skills you dont yet have. You can learn the basics of many software programs quickly using online tutorials from YouTube, Skillshare, or Lynda.com. Even if you just learn how to use pivot tables in Excel, you will find yourself ahead of many applicants.If you want to apply for a certain job before you have had the time to learn a new skill, spend some space on your resume going into detail about what you already know, and your efforts to continue learning. Use keywords specific to the job you are applying for. I have even seen an applicant list on their resume specific Excel functions they can perform.You can also focus on selling the value of the skills you do have in your cover letter. You could even consider putting together an on line portfolio to show off your abilities, and include the link to the portfolio along with the contact information on your resume.No degreeThere are countless reasons for starting a degree program and not seeing it through to completion. But if you are applying for a position that lists a bachelors degree as a requirement, you may be at a disadvantage. What can you do to combat this? For starters, list the school you attended, and the dates when you attended, on your resume. Follow it up with a one-sentence explanation for why you did not finish. Be matter-of-fact rather than apologetic, and do not give a sob story.Next, focus on the experience section of your resume. You may have more applicable, relevant experience than others applying for the job. In order to stand out, you should not just list your previous dutiesbe sure to include details about specific things you accomplished in each role. When formatting your resume, be sure that your experience section comes ahead of your e ducation section. In your education section, be sure to include any training or professional development you have done. You can even list conferences, seminars, and relevant self-directed study.Do you have digital dirt?Online presencePart of a successful job search is cultivating a consistent personal brand. Most employers will do an online search to see what turns up for applicants they are interested in. If you perform a search for yourself and arent pleased with the resultsin other words, if you have some digital dirtyou can use two different methods to improve your online image.Spend some time going over the privacy settings of all your social media accounts. Untag yourself from inappropriate photographs and social media postings, such as those involving drinking, drugs, and discriminatory or disparaging comments. If you have digital dirt that you cannot delete, or that others cannot or will not delete when you request it, then your best option is to bury it.To do so, you need t o become more active in a professional context online. Use Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs to post and comment on content relevant to your field. You can even leave book reviews on Amazon.com. Not only will these entries push negative ones down, but they will allow you to replace the negative stories with ones that demonstrate your devotion to your field. New entries do not always show up at the top of search results, so you will need to make positive posts consistently over time. Listing your LinkedIn profile and Twitter handle with yourcontact information on your resume is one way to draw attention to your positive contributions.Facebook Commentswpdevar_comment_1 span,wpdevar_comment_1 iframewidth100% important
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