Creating and Leading Effective Teams (for team leaders) My New Pluralsight Course

Creating and Leading Effective Teams (for team leaders) My New Pluralsight Course I just finished a Pluralsight course on how to create and lead successful teams.  You can see the table of contents here. Wait, whats that?  You dont have a Pluralsight subscription?  Well, I have two options for you. Option 1: Just get one for $30/month.  In that month youll get full access to all of my courses, and each time you watch a Pluralsight course that I did, you can claim  additional  upgrade days on JibberJobber.  Watch 20 courses? Get JibberJobber upgrades.  Watch one course 20 times?  Get   JibberJobber  upgrades.  Watch 20 courses 20 times?  Get  a bunch of JibberJobber upgrades!   Pretty sweet. Option 2: If you havent done this yet, take advantage of the sweet offer that Pluralsight extends to JibberJobber, where you get 30 days of premium Pluralsight at no cost to you.  Check out this video to see (a) how to get it, and (b) how to self-claim the week-long upgrades on JibberJobber: If you watch this course on Pluralsight, please leave a comment and rank it or at least drop me an email and let me know what you thought! Creating and Leading Effective Teams (for team leaders) My New Pluralsight Course I just finished a Pluralsight course on how to create and lead successful teams.  You can see the table of contents here. Wait, whats that?  You dont have a Pluralsight subscription?  Well, I have two options for you. Option 1: Just get one for $30/month.  In that month youll get full access to all of my courses, and each time you watch a Pluralsight course that I did, you can claim  additional  upgrade days on JibberJobber.  Watch 20 courses? Get JibberJobber upgrades.  Watch one course 20 times?  Get   JibberJobber  upgrades.  Watch 20 courses 20 times?  Get  a bunch of JibberJobber upgrades!   Pretty sweet. Option 2: If you havent done this yet, take advantage of the sweet offer that Pluralsight extends to JibberJobber, where you get 30 days of premium Pluralsight at no cost to you.  Check out this video to see (a) how to get it, and (b) how to self-claim the week-long upgrades on JibberJobber: If you watch this course on Pluralsight, please leave a comment and rank it or at least drop me an email and let me know what you thought!

Getting to Know More People vs. Getting to Know People More

Getting to Know More People vs. Getting to Know People More We talk a lot about growing your network; it’s one of the most important things you can do to speed up your job search.   But it can be hard to decide how to expand â€" who you should meet and get to know.   I’ve heard jobseekers say: “All my friends are in the same industry; many have concerns about their own jobs.   I’m not sure my network is going to help me, much as they’d like to.” And they might be right.   Many of us only bother to stay in touch with people we see at work or at activities surrounding family and faith.   Your network may be limited because you have not made meeting new people a priority.   Networking is something you should be consciously practicing every day, not just when you suddenly need it to find a job.   Being out of work makes meeting people harder, both literally, because you may not be getting out as much, and psychically because you’re less confident when you’re unemployed.     Donna Fisher, author of Power Networking, says that there are two ways to expand your network: one is to meet new people, of course.   The other is to get to really know those you are already acquainted with.   Fisher says, “The mistake we sometimes make is to think we already know people rather than taking the time to get to know them better.”   Snap quiz: what does your Cub Scout leader’s spouse do for a living?   Where did your neighbor’s son intern last summer?   Where is your former assistant working now? Fisher suggests inviting some of the people you know out (or in) for coffee or lunch to get to know them better.   She highly recommends it as a way to deepen your relationships.  It’s not a two-way street; your purpose is to listen, learn and connect with the other person.   Fisher suggests you start with the five most connected people you know (although I suggest that you might want to practice with people you feel more comfortable with first.)   Fisher’s plan is to list the five most connected people you know, along with the following information about each: How can I be a valuable resource for this person? How can this person be a valuable resource for me? What will I do to strengthen this relationship? Here’s what that might look like.   Say that you’ve met a new neighbor in passing.   She’s been in the neighborhood a few weeks, and you know that she’s a successful business person who’s been transferred here to take an important job in her company.   Being out of work is a great excuse to extend an invitation.   “I find I have more time now to get to know my neighbors better.   Would you like to come over for a cup of coffee?”   Ask her how she’s doing in her new city and home.   Is there anything she’s been trying to find here â€" a good dry cleaner, flower shop or local farmer’s market?   How is her family settling in?   Listen and offer help where you can.   Deepening relationships when you have time to invest in people (and making time for it even when you’re busy) means that you have more resources willing to help you down the road.   Be sure to thank the person for taking the time to meet with you, and to follow up on any advice or help you’ve offered.   Fisher reminds us that people do business with people they like and trust.   In this fast-paced world of technology connections, they also appreciate the chance to develop personal connections.

7 Keys to an Effective Blogging Strategy - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

7 Keys to an Effective Blogging Strategy - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do you have an effective blogging strategy that guides your blogging and keeps it focused on building your personal brand? Or, are you a reactive blogger, working harder than you need to, always looking for topics to blog about at the last minute? Authors blogging to build interest in their upcoming books and small business owners using their blog to attract qualified prospects both need an effective blogging strategy to guide their way to personal branding success. An effective blogging strategy differs from tactics, such as keyword optimization or headline engagement formulas, in that strategy takes a big picture view of everything associated with your blog. Why an effective blogging strategy makes a difference An effective blogging strategy operates behind the scenes. Its influence is felt, rather than directly visible. Successful strategies provide guidance and direction, helping you make the day-to-day content choices and writing decisions needed to keep your blog filled with relevant and consistently updated information. When blogs written to build personal brands run into trouble, its usually because one, or more, of the following has been ignored: Empathy. The foundation of an effective blogging strategy is empathy, a measure of your willingness to make blogging decisions from your intended book buyers or prospective clients point of view. Blogs are not about you!   Blogs are conversations, not podiums for you to preach to, or manipulate, others. Empathy involves knowing who your intended blogs readers are, what their problems and challenges are, and delivering the information they need to succeed. Perspective. Successful blogs, however, are not encyclopedias. Successful blogs are not reservoirs of information provided from an altruistic point of view. An effective blogging strategy balances relevant content with the boggers desire to attract book buyers and/or prospective clients. Ultimately, each blog post should lead readers to the bloggers marketing funnel. Schedule. Blogging success is unlikely without committing to a schedule. A blog without a schedule is just a well-intentioned dreamwith little, or no, realistic chance of succeeding. An effective blogging strategy describes the frequency of posting, the dates when new posts will appear, the dates writing begins on new posts, and deadlines that must be met to keep the blog on schedule. Schedules help blogging become a habit, rather than a last-minute event.     System. An effective blogging strategy eliminates the stress of starting to write with a blank screen. An effective strategy guides bloggers as they choose topics for posts, create engaging titles, and keep readers engaged. An effective strategy also creates a framework for completing the post.   For example, my system begins with mind maps, like the one above, created using MindJets MindManager Mobile Apps for the iPad. Editing. Editing is difficult when blogs are finished at the last possible moment, which reduces the time available for editing and revision. The best way for most bloggers to improve the quality of the blog posts is to compete each post a day ahead of time, so it can be reviewed from a fresh perspective the next morning. Mistakes and omissions become obvious when reviewed from   a fresh perspective. Synergy. Quality blog content, once created, is too valuable to use only once. Yet, that happens all to happen in the absence of an effective blogging strategy that views each blog post as a resource that can be reused, repurposed, and reformatted for different purposes.   Blog posts can be assembled into best of reports, tip sheets, podcasts, YouTube videos, chapters in books, or quarterly newsletters. Tracking. Just as book publishers and and movie producers can never accurately predict the success of new books and movies, its impossible for bloggers to know which of their posts will attract the most comments and list-building sign-ups. Yet, its never to late to learn from the past. An effective blogging strategy must provide a way to track the number of comments and Retweets associated with each post, so this marketing feedback can guide future topic choices. Analyze your blogging strategy How would you rate your blogging strategy in the following key areas? Empathy. Do you choose topics and write from your readers point of view? Perspective. Does each post help your readers while leading to your marketing funnel? Schedule. Does your blogging strategy provide a schedule that you take as seriously as commitments you make to paying clients? System. Does your blogging strategy guide you through the steps, or process, of creating new content? Editing. Is editing from a fresh perspective built into your blogging system? Synergy. Is reusing and reformatting blog content part of your ongoing blogging strategy? Tracking. Do you know which blog post topics sell the most books or attract the most prospects? Share your blogging strategy Share your experiences creating your own blogging strategy. Tell us why you created it, whats included, and what youd do different if you were starting over from scratch. And, if   Ive overlooked from this post, please share it as a comment, below. Author: Roger C. Parker is an author, book coach, designer, consultant who works with authors, marketers, business professionals to achieve success with brand-building books practical marketing strategy. He helps create successful marketing materials that look great get results, and can turn any complex marketing or writing task into baby steps. Visit his blog to see how he can help you or to ask a question.

Top Tools for an Online Job Search

Top Tools for an Online Job Search A Google search for “websites with jobs” comes back with over 100 million results. It is a human impossibility to go through that many websites and apply to jobs on each one. You have to know your career stage, what you want, and which job tools are best for an online job search.Here are some top tools for your online job search.1. LinkedInAs of 2018, LinkedIn is easily the most reliable for finding jobs online. On top of finding the jobs, you also have employees, recruiters, alumni etc. to communicate with while looking for jobs. This also requires have a LinkedIn profile that is properly filled out.More than 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn for screening candidates. And if you are job hunting without a LinkedIn profile, you may as well not exist to employers.2. GlassdoorGlassdoor comes complete with salary averages for the job you want, company reviews, information on the interview process, and of course...jobs. This is a great site to research companies before you apply and rese arch the amount of money you should be asking for without under or overpricing yourself.3. GoogleIn mid-2017, Google launched its job search engine. It has more filters than other job search sites for narrowing down your search. But, unlike other job sites, Google shows you ALL the websites in which a job listing appears. For example, if you find a job in a Google search, you will see if it appears on LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed, and even the lesser known job websites.Try it yourself. Do a Google search for Corporate Development Director. Job listings show up as well as the websites they appear on. This has proven to be useful because some job listing websites are just sketchy. They copy content from other sites, pretend to offer original jobs, or spam you with offers of classes and webinars.Therefore, a Google search for jobs will give you great filters for narrowing searches and teach you what job listing sites you should be avoiding.4. Career Sections of Any Company WebsiteHave y ou always had a company you were dying to work for? Go to their website and explore the link titled, “Careers”, that usually appears at the bottom of every company website.If you apply through a company website, you will most likely have to fill out your data to be entered into the company database. However, this is a good thing given most of these websites will alert you to jobs that match your profile. They may even reach out with other opportunities they think you are a fit for.5. Indeed.comYou will not find as many higher paying jobs for directors and executives on Indeed. But you will find the jobs that teeter on six-figure salaries. There are plenty of filters to narrow your job search and plenty of jobs to apply for. You will never be short of finding jobs on Indeed. It is also important on this site to make sure your profile and resume are filled out properly, as there tends to be a fairly good amount of communicating with employers and job seekers on Indeed.6. TheLadder sTheLadders is still one of the strongest sites for finding senior, director, and executive opportunities. The downside is that it is a pay-to-apply resource, but the upside is the exclusivity. You are not applying against thousands of people on TheLadders.7. ZipRecruiterZipRecruiter is a great way to apply for jobs fast. The jobs are plentiful and the applying is done quickly. The communication tools are great if you prefer to communicate via mobile during your job search. If you are just starting out in your career, the “1-Click Apply” option jobs are excellent for finding entry-level work.About Job Search ToolsThe websites above are job search tools that will display opportunities for all industries. During your job search online, make sure you know if the job search tool is specifically geared towards your industry.For example, websites like Dice are for tech-related job candidates. Do your research on the job search tool to see if it is only showing jobs for your profession . This is important because ALL websites will try to get you to sign up. Signing up for job search tools not related to your profession leads to spam and puts you in a group of job seekers you do not belong to.

Tips For Writing a Forest Service Resume

Tips For Writing a Forest Service ResumeTips for writing a forest service resume are similar to those for writing a resume for any other professional position. The only real difference is that you need to include a bit more of the nature of your work and your previous experience if you want to land the job.There are many professional resume services available today. Most of them specialize in helping people find jobs, but there are some that have been created to specifically help you find the right company to send you into. Make sure to check your local yellow pages or the internet to see which resume services offer what services. Make sure that you choose a reputable one.One important tip to follow is to write your resume without emotion. Yes, there will be some emotion involved in the end, but do not let that overwhelm your resume. It is human nature to put a lot of emotion into a resume, but it will not matter once your prospective employer reads it. So, do not list emotions on yo ur resume; they will just confuse him. Simply list the job title and employer, and then go on to talk about your qualifications for the job.Another tip to follow is to list career goals along with the job. This will allow the employer to know exactly what he is getting into before reading your resume. And because you are listing your career goals with the company, he will be able to see them firsthand.Other tips for writing a forest service resume are to list your skills and education. The more you can provide the employer, the better off you will be when it comes time to interview. List all of your accomplishments and write them in your chronological order. In addition, if you have any special certifications or degrees, list them as well.The most important tip for writing a forest service resume is to be able to demonstrate that you are an asset to the company. Do not try to impress your employer by giving them a bunch of stories about what you have done in the past. Instead, tell him why you should be hired, and he will listen.When writing your resume, make sure that you read it twice. You never know what information is missing, and you want to be sure that you have everything down pat. The last thing you want to do is to miss something important, and then you are stuck with the resume. Save yourself the headache and read it several times over, or, better yet, have someone else read it for you.These tips for writing a forest service resume are certainly not foolproof, but they will help you write the perfect resume. Start with a generic outline and use these tips for writing a forest service resume today!

Boomer job retraining a best-kept secret - Hire Imaging

Boomer job retraining a best-kept secret - Hire Imaging Many community colleges are partnering with local businesses to retrain workers. These relationships are a great potential resource for boomers and older workers to find work they love; and for employers to find talent with skills in demand. Silver lining for my coaching client Ben Ben, an over-50 construction laborer, saw his industry drying up. By early 2009, he was without a job and unable to find steady employment. He researched the market, networked, sent out   targeted resumes. All the right things. Nothing full-time in his field materialized. In late 2010, he learned that a community college nearby was offering specialized job-training classes in partnership with local employers. He visited the school’s career counselor for some free assessments. Then he enrolled in map use, analysis and interpretation, data acquisition, database development, and other courses geared toward a certificate in Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Several months later, one of his instructors (who worked for a local urban planning company) recommended Ben for an opening with his organization. Ben started full-time work the next week! Ben benefitted from one of the best-kept secrets in job retraining: community colleges. In talking with clients since Ben’s experience, I realized that few think of a community college as s place to recharge a career. But these school-employer relationships can be gold mines for the job seeker. An often affordable solution Job seekers often hold back on school for financial reasonsâ€"lack of income leaves them hesitant to invest in expensive college programs with no guaranteed results. The good news is that community college tuitions average $2,700 a yearâ€"about one-fifth of that of many private or for-profit colleges. Flexible scheduling (online, nights, weekends) allows students to work part-time while studying. Better yet, community colleges can offer a community. In an interview with AARP Magazine, Norma Kent, a senior vice president of the American Association of Community Colleges, representing 1,200 schools, says, “We provide a support system of assessment, career counseling, and job placement. We don’t put you in a position to fail.” Of course, demand can vary by location. What’s great about the community-college approach is that schools are customizing training certificate programs to meet local companies’ unique needs.   It’s a win-win scenario The scenario is a win-win for employers and job seekers. Back to the school that Ben attended. The program content was developed in conjunction with input from local, regional and national GIS professionals, and was tailored to prepare individuals with the technical skills and confidence to be productive within the professional GIS working environment. Instructors came from local businesses. These businesses also integrated on-site visits into the learning. They also hired heavily from the program. The new talent on the local scene was now ideally matched to need! Keep in mind that while community college certificate programs can help you land a job faster, they are not always the higher paying jobs. Realistically, some of the better-paying positions do require more school time and cost more. But many job seekers have used the retraining to get their feet in the door; and then pursue additional education (often reimbursed by their employers) to qualify for higher-paying positions. Ben hopes to move up the ladder now that he’s landed a full-time position where there is room to grow. To locate a community college in your area, check out the website of the American Association of Community Colleges at aacc.nche.edu/pages/ccfinder.aspx. You may find it helpful to make an in-person appointment to meet with a career representative to discuss a potential fit for you. If you’re struggling in your job search, consider reinvention! Photo: jitze

Career Development Move Your Job from Tasks to Strategy

Career Development Move Your Job from Tasks to Strategy Does this sound like your job description? Meet with my boss once or twice per week, write down all the things she would like me to do, then try to get them done before our next meeting. I think a lot of us feel this way on some level. Recently, I worked with a client who was very unsatisfied with his job and we boiled it down to one primary factor his day was spent trying to complete the tasks his boss gave him. He didnt have a purpose behind the task, just the task steps. He felt disconnected from his boss overall vision and viewed most of the tasks as boring. He wasnt fulfilled and didnt feel empowered. Based on this, we came up with two ideas for him to try: Ask his boss to explain her vision and the big items on her plate. Never hesitate to ask for the background on a task, even if it was something he should know already. After 3 conversations with his boss, something remarkable happened: my client became very excited about the tasks! Heres how it happened. Whats the purpose behind the task? My client first realized that he wasnt asking for the purpose he wasnt seeking it. He just wanted the details of what he was to deliver. One of the consequences was that he became stuck when the task morphed or headed into an unexpected direction. He had to wait until his next meeting with his boss to explain the situation and get her direction. Second, it turns out that his boss was very stressed out and was concerned with very real problems. His boss was, in fact, happy to explain the background and lay out the reason behind the task she assigned to him. Once his boss started explaining the course of events that led to the task, my client finally began to see her vision of the situation the problems she saw and the reasons why she handed him these tasks. See what your boss sees Whats amazing is what happened next. After the second call with his boss, my client sat down and started to list the problems his boss mentioned as well as the problems he felt were already on the table or would arise very soon. With that vision, my client got very excited about working on such big problems. He looked at his tasks in a whole new light the way to solve problems at his company. In fact, he went back to his boss with the following: A list of the issues they were currently facing A list of issues they might soon have Suggestions for solving all those issues A revised overarching strategy for his boss entire department The job became fun again. Understanding the context of the problems helped him appreciate the tasks his boss gave him as well as the new tasks he proposed. Who knows the best strategy? Another interesting conclusion from this career development work was the following: oftentimes the person with the best strategy is the one who is doing the work. Your boss may have an excellent perspective on the desired business outcome but her vision for achieving that outcome may be inadequate. Dont limit yourself to being a project manager and simply executing the tasks you are given. Put yourself in your boss shoes. Adopt her problems as your own. Solve them for her and your boss will start to view you differently and come to you for strategy, not just tasks! Help your boss succeed This brings me to the next steps for my client: Continue feeding strategic ideas to your boss while also completing the tasks to implement your ideas. Show your boss the progress youve made towards the plan. Let her know that you can execute this plan give her a concrete list along with delivery dates. Let your boss know how much more productive you could be with an additional team member. Show the additional goals you would achieve and the compressed time frame you could deliver them in. Ask her to give you a raise/promotion if you execute on your plan and reach the targets you jointly set. This is ambitious and more easily said than done but you can see how my client can get 1) a promotion, 2) a bigger team to lead and 3) a lot more job satisfaction all while making his boss look good too.