Sink or swim - Hallie Crawford

Sink or swim - Hallie Crawford I wanted to expand on my recent video blog post about being thrown into the deep end at work because I’ve had this topic come up several times in the past few weeks with clients. And I was honored to be interviewed by Matt Jones again with Q100 and the Cumulus group of stations here in Atlanta. Having this happen to you, whether it’s a new job or a new role within your company â€" even a promotion â€" can be overwhelming and stressful. And it can happen to any of us. In some cases, we take a job even if we don’t feel completely qualified because we really need the paycheck. In other cases we may have sold ourselves too well. One of the toughest things about this situation and you can feel completely out of control. You accepted the job, asked for it (in the case of a promotion or transfer) and it can be hard to admit you’re underwater. What do you do? Here are 7 steps to take â€" in this order â€" to manage the situation as best as you can. Don’t panic. First, don’t freak out. And don’t assume you can’t do the job. Take a step back, analyze the situation and think about what’s going on. Is it a lack of manpower, lack of training or lack of process that’s creating the stress? Write down each thing that is the problem area so to speak and create a plan. Doing so will help you feel a greater sense of control again. And remember they hired you, they must’ve seen something in you that can do the job. Step into it. Create your own training program. Define your goals with your boss and create an educational plan even if it will take several months to complete. Talk to your supervisor and your co-workers as well to find out their goals and how yours fit into their or are impacted by theirs. Then start small with manageable goals-for example, what are the top 3 things you need to learn in the next 30 days? Find classes, online or otherwise. There are so many free and low cost educational options out there, especially on the internet (Coursera.org. is one example). Prioritize what’s most important to your career path and your current position and start there. Manage up. If you are swamped, there’s a chance your boss is too. It’s imperative to manage up with your supervisor. Ask them what their expectations are of you and how your performance will be measured. When and how will you be evaluated? Maintain open lines of communication with your boss, suggest weekly or bi-weekly meetings, whatever’s appropriate. Take co-workers to lunch to learn the ropes. Ask for advice, learn from them. Pick their brain about who knows what or who is best to turn to in your organization for specific advice or help with things only people who have worked there for a while would know. Find out the culture of the organization and who to turn to when you need assistance. Go to HR to find out about education benefits. They may not have any but if you don’t ask, you won’t know. And they may be willing to help in some way or create a new policy to provide assistance. At the very least they could give you time during work hours to attend a course. Find a mentor. A mentor can be inside or outside the company. You can have more than one but no more than 2. Part of Tip #6 and getting to know who’s who in the organization can be part of your process of identifying a possible mentor. Hallie Crawford Career Coach P.S. Get one of the most information-rich career newsletters on the web delivered straight to your email inbox! Check out our  Free Newsletter  to help you along your career journey today! Please Share This

9 Simple Tips to Improve Your Job Search

9 Simple Tips to Improve Your Job Search Staying aware of the things you have to do by keeping up a plan for the day is a smart thought for the individuals who are work looking. It not just helps keep you on target, it helps you to remember those things you have to do to make your quest for an occupation a triumph. Constancy is the way to securing that ideal position. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-advertisement 1467144145037-0'); }); 1. Check for Jobs Each MorningFirst thing every morning, check the activity postings. There are others out there who might want to have similar employments you apply for, and being among the first to apply can place you in a superior situation to land only the position you want.2. Dont Put Things OffWhen you see work that intrigues you, send your resume and introductory letter without putting it off. It is shockingly simple to disclose to yourself that you will do it later and afterward forget about it. When you get around to applying, conceivably days after the fac t, the activity might be filled.3. Follow Up on ApplicationsIf you havent heard back on requests for employment you have submitted, it is a smart thought to hold up a week and development. Some of the time, communicating further enthusiasm for work can get you pushed up in the application procedure. On the off chance that you get a conclusive no, you can expel that activity from your list.4. Use Technology to Stay OrganizedUtilize innovation by utilizing your mobile phone or PC to remain composed with your pursuit of employment. Making up a spreadsheet with dates and the capacity to confirm errands when finished guarantees that you are following up on time. Likewise, it is simpler to add on other occupation chasing out of this world up.5. Learn New SkillsLearning something new is consistently helpful. Factor in a couple of hours seven days to take a class, get familiar with another ability that identifies with your fantasy employment or get up to speed to date. The time spent doing this will be advantageous as it shows bosses that you take your abilities seriously.6. Examination Your Job NicheNew occupations spring up in businesses that offer you the capacity to apply your abilities in new regions. Do explore in your field to discover new places that you can enter. On the off chance that taking a couple of courses encourages you fit the activity necessities, take night courses or online courses to grow your employability.7. Work on Personal PaperworkOnce seven days, take a shot at one of the records you use to go after a position. You can utilize this chance to reevaluate your resume, introductory letter or individual intend to advertise yourself. See where you can make enhancements. Make sure to customize your applications by considering the organization where you are applying, and utilize your benefits and qualities to show how you would be a decent counterpart for the organization team.8. Redoing Job ApplicationsOne botch work searchers once in a while make is conveying a general resume for each employment form. Pointing your resume toward specific employments helps in light of the fact that the recruiting director will know immediately whether you are a solid match for the activity. Rather than simply posting your capabilities, additionally list what you did that was an advantage to the organization. Functioning as a sales rep, for example, list how you won an organization grant for the quantity of deals you made.9. Accomplish Volunteer WorkVolunteer work looks great on a resume, regardless of whether it is training a gathering of kids in soccer or chipping in at a neighborhood good cause. Add this to your daily agenda, and set aside a few minutes for it. It not just lets you make new contacts and help other people yet shows your potential boss that you have outside interests.Keeping on requests for employment with a pursuit of employment site can assist you with securing that ideal position all the more rapidly. TheJobNetwork helps by letting you enter your capabilities and does the quest for you. Pursue our activity coordinate caution, and searches are done nonstop, sending you work notices when they spring up. By accepting occupation alarms that coordinate your capabilities and employment interests, you wont miss any occupations for which you are qualified. Moreover, it enables you to look through places of work yourself to be proactive.

Whats Your Excuse for Not Seeking a Better Career Fit - Hire Imaging

What's Your Excuse for Not Seeking a Better Career Fit - Hire Imaging We've all heard the notorious reason proclamation by the understudy who's not prepared. The pooch ate my schoolwork. We likely know a kid who has expressed a progression of reasons not to sleep. The individual who excuses not getting to a cleaning up venture, duties, and truly, discovering better work, characterized basically as work that you think will make you more joyful (out of the blue). Utilized people need to progress for a horde of reasons. But then, they are frequently stuck. A considerable lot of my customers come to me to assist them with getting unstuck. Some portion of the procedure some of the time is to separate the reasons for dormancy on their part. Here are only a couple of the why-I-can't reasons I've heard throughout the years. Furthermore, my reactions. I Can't Excuse #1: I can't do whatever else. I don't have different aptitudes. I feel fortunate to have my current employment, despite the fact that I don't generally like it. I'm anxious about losing it. I probably won't be that fortunate once more. Thorn: Transferable abilities! Delve into your profession stories for where you did comparative things. What other place might you be able to utilize them? Have you seen minimal effort preparing to hone or include new aptitudes for new work? I Can't Excuse #2: I abhor dismissal. I would prefer not to place myself in a circumstance where I'll be dismissed. Why stroll into a shut entryway? I as of now need certainty! Point: In quest for new employment, YOU are doing the picking; not the opposite way around. Reclaim your capacity! Associate with people; assemble data; let the rest follow through to its logical end. What's more, ask yourself, What is the most terrible that can occur? So, you hear no. OK. On to the following one. There's a yes in there. I Can't Excuse #3: I'm unreasonably old for change. I don't have the fire or vitality to handle the present hunt. Also, it's unbalanced to state I'm upset busy working at this stage. Spike: One is never too old for new difficulties. Changing work isn't the presentation of a guilty party, yet the soul of an explorer who has something magnificent to offer, and needs to contribute where there's a need. I Can't Excuse #4: The other may be more regrettable. I'm hopeless grinding away, however in any event I recognize what's in store. It's protected. Imagine a scenario where I hop into something much all the more depleting. In a resolved manner, I'm agreeable. Thorn: Give yourself consent to make a visa, investigate the opposite side of the grass. What's out there? What's going on with people? In the event that you don't care for what you see, stay home. Hazard is a piece of the arrangement. In any case, it is unavoidably the never trieds we lament toward the end. I Can't Excuse #5: It's not unreasonably awful. My activity is average. I don't anticipate Mondays, yet I can stand it. Others have it more regrettable. Is there any valid reason why i shouldn't bear some agony as well? Thorn: When will it sufficiently hurt? When your loved ones discussion about the quiet, quite amiable individual you used to be? Do you need to settle? If not, for what reason right? I Can't Excuse #6: I would prefer not to cause trouble. My life is unsurprising and agreeable, regardless of whether not energizing. I would prefer not to change my family's daily schedule. Surely not a move or change to their security. Point: Sometimes the passionate strength of you and your family might be a higher priority than a money related alteration, move to another place or change in plans. Get some information about. They may have been hanging tight for a sign. They might be substantially more supportive than you envisioned. Profession change can be remedial, a brilliant exercise in thoughtfulness peppered vigorously with analyst work and investigation. Regardless of whether your pursuit takes you back to where you are or accepts you to new open doors, well, appreciate the excursion of I can. No reasons required. Photograph: anna gutermuth

The Talent Shortage

The Talent Shortage Talent Shortage Emerges as No. 1 Employer Concern Our population will begin to shrink and our workforce will dry up. Schools in peril across Ontario Census Points to shrinking households Retirement of baby boomers may reverberate in workplace,Enrollment Shrinking, says education minister, The Talent Shortage Myth, The Immigration Squeeze These are only a few of the headlines we are being inundated with concerningtheprojections of a severe talent and skills shortage in our North American labour market. While some believe it is directly related to the aging baby boomer population, there are those whoattribute it to our declining population and the significant reduction in education enrollment. Of course everyone has their opinion,as reported inarticles contendingthetalent shortageis nothing more than a myth anda hoax,comparable to the Y2K scare. On the myth side, I found it difficult tofind statistics andpertinent links to information.It appears thatthe main reason thetalent shortage is believed to bea myth,is thefact that we cant predict retirement patterns andworkers will work longer.Im pretty sure both sides willagree, based on history, statisticsand plain old common sense that although 76 million baby boomers will be eligible for retirement, it is highly unlikely that they willall retirethe same day. The statisticsand surveys available that support the prediction of atalent shortage relate to more thanjust the number of baby boomers that will beretiring. Here are just a few: KathleenWynne, Minister of Education reported, Sixty of the 72 school boards in Ontario are in declining enrolment right now. Next year there will be 90,000fewer students in our schools than there were in 2003. The Toronto District School Board, Canadas largest, is dealing with the loss of4,000 students annually. Over the past five years, the number of students inOntario public and Catholic schools fell by 63,000 or 3.2% 2.1 million. Its projected to fall by another72,000 or 3.8% over the next five years, says Queens Park. According toStatistics Canada 2006 census, 41.4 % of families were couples with children, while 42.7 were families made up of childless couples.This was the first time childless couples surpassed those with children. Smaller and smaller families has been evident in census reportsfor most of the past century. According to James White, aprofessor of social work and family studies, If the trend continues, Canadians will no longer be producing enough children to replace themselves as they die. Our population will begin to shrink and our workforce will dry up. That could have dire effects on our economy. The decline will coincide with the aging of our population, and a mass exodus of baby boomers from the workforce, further straining our countrys financial and social systems. On a global scale, fertility rates are as follows: Canada 1.5, U.S. 2.05, China 1.34,UK 1.71, Spain 1.29, Italy 1.29, Finland 1.75.A replacement birth rate is 2.1 children per couple. John O. Burdett, author of myth magic mindset, writes, We are in the midst of a new plague one where 25% of the workforce is about to retire; talented individuals who, because of their sheer numbers combined with the drop in the birth rate since the early 60s, cannot be replaced. Linda Duxbury, a Professor at Carlton University in Ottawa, suggests that, because of their committment and work ethic, every two retiring baby boomers will need three new workers to replace them. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports, there will only be 75.6 million workers entering the workforce to replace the 78 million baby boomers who will gradually be making their way out of the workforce by the year 2014. A shortage of skilled and talented workers has become the most pressing concern among employers, according to the 14th annual Top Five Total Rewards Priorities survey conducted by Deloitte Consulting LLP (Deloitte) and the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ISCEBS). The Department of Homeland Security issued a preliminary regulation that extends the time that foreign graduates in science, technology, engineering or mathematics can work for a U.S. company on a student visa. Robert Hoffman, vice president of government and public affairs for Oracle and co-chair of Compete America, a coaliton of technology companies said, The administration has clearly recognized through this action that there is a severe skills shortage in the economy. Corporate America is facing a potentially mammoth talent crunch, the National Association of Manufacturers warns in a new report. We will need to addressthe obvious changes that are occurring in our societytoday regardless of whether we agree on what theexact implications are or will be.We are already seeing some positive steps being taken by employers and government agencies in addressing the talent shortage issue and if we continue on a positive track, those who believe it to be, at best, a demographic ripple and not the giant tidal wave they want us to believe, according to John Hollon at Workforce Management, willhave predicted correctly. Personally,I believeit will be the proactiveactions ofthoseacknowledging the talent shortage thatwill be responsible for diminishing the potential for any disastrous effects.