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TERMINATED FROM YOUR JOB? HOW DO YOU INFORM YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS?

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Negative news is always hard to relay verbally, let alone when the news touches all facets of the family. Being laid off is very emotional and trying on your mental strength and having to speak about it shortly after can be traumatizing.

Portrait of worried young businessman at workplace. Stress concept

However, don’t be like many I have heard about who have hidden their termination from their spouses and others close to them. They have brushed it aside and pretended to go to work each day for weeks after and hung around in a coffee shop all day. Then, return at night as usual as if nothing occurred.

Be smart. Be honest with yourself and others.

Open honest and constructive dialogue with those around you and all who will be impacted by the termination as soon as possible.

Lean on those around you, they can coach and champion you through this and watch as you grow and win.

Conversations will start with an emotional and perhaps tearful interaction with those closest to you and the persons who will be impacted the most. It’s OK to be upset and even angry when searching for answers. Let your frustrations out, it is part of the healing process.

However, be realistic. Once you have passed the initial shock and you are feeling more peaceful, speak with others close to you. Start the interaction by letting them know you have upsetting news to prepare their reactions.

After delivering the message, ask for their support and guidance. You want a team around you to steer you throughout the ups and downs.

Then reach out to your wider community and circle of friends, relatives and acquaintances. Time will prevail individual conversations, so be bold and open and draft an e-mail or text. Brevity is important; don’t go on and on. Say something like this:

Dear friends: I am anxious to share some unfortunate news with you. I was laid off from my work two weeks ago. Yes, it was unexpected; I am in the processing and emotional stages. During the next few days and weeks when the shock has settled, I will figure out my next career move. However, if you want to meet for coffee or something more, my schedule is open!

Stand by for many replies and calls, offers of help and sympathy. It could be overwhelming, depending on the size of your network. But, conversation, whether in-person or via a telephone call, is healthy as it provides the opportunity to air your anger and frustration. People will circle around you and generally let you vent!

The final piece of the puzzle is to share your situation on social media. This is where your extended network will be briefed about your circumstances and the social media population can provide some help and generate leads.

It’s not a sin to have been terminated. Thousands each week are asked to leave for a variety of reasons.

It’s not embarrassing. Be bold, open and honest.

On your LinkedIn profile, in the heading under your picture, tell the world you are in career transition. Write:  “Actively seeking my next challenge when I can transform the business, achieve operational and fiscal excellence.”

Stay positive, remain calm and collected as you embark on a job search. There are opportunities waiting for you.

For a free, no-obligation, no sales pitch resume critique, send your resume via LinkedIn or via email to martin@aneliteresume.com

Top 13 Executive Resume Errors

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Your resume/CV, combined with a LinkedIn profile, is your best introduction to someone who could be a key influencer in your career transition and advancement.

Don’t make a mistake and decrease your chances of landing your next great job.

Here are the top 13 Executive Resume errors to avoid in order to attract the maximum intrigue and impact.

  1. Stating Your Age

A hiring authority has no right to know your age due to various country-based statutes and anti-discrimination legislation, so don’t place your age on your resume.

  1. Unprofessional Email

There is no excuse to have an email address that doesn’t epitomize your professionalism. Some emails have been highly embarrassing and instantly make me question that person’s ability to remain professional in their business dealings. It’s so easy today to set up a professional email address using the free services providers (primarily Gmail) within a few minutes.

If you have to have numbers in your email due to running out of options with your name, don’t use your year of birth. Steer clear.

  1. Personal Pronouns

It’s too common to see the words “I”, “my”, “her” or “she” in a resume. Leave them out, there is no place for them in a resume/CV.

  1. Graphics, Charts, Headers/Footers and Photographs

A resume is rarely read by human eyes today. It is scanned into an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) where it is processed. Any graphic, chart or photograph within the body of the resume distorts the application’s programming and interferes with the elements required to search for your talent. Therefore, your resume will be bypassed even though you may be the perfect candidate.

Any text within a header or footer is never transcribed by the ATS. If your name, address and contacts are in a header, these vital details will be eliminated.

  1. Poor Grammar and Spelling

There are no excuses today for typos with the advent of spell check. Even so, you should always have your resume reviewed by peers, friends or family. One mistake can raise a red flag and create doubt about your attention to detail, time management and your interest in the position.

  1. Font Selection

MS Word offers you a choice of so many fonts. Your choice of font is another resume component that should be regarded seriously. Times New Roman and other sans serif fonts are dated and should generally be avoided. However, you should also steer clear of the squiggly, fancy and calligraphy style fronts. Theses are difficult for the human eye to read, but even more difficult for the ATS scanning.

You have just a few seconds to impress. Select an easy to read, standard font such as Arial, Calibri, Garamond, Helvetica or Georgia.

  1. Incorrect Tenses

Show your current employer in the present tense and the rest in the past tense. If you have not worked for a while, use the past tenses. Don’t mix up tenses as this causes confusion, and again shows your limited attention to detail.

  1. References

Leave your reference list for later. You will be asked for references as you advance in the recruitment process. Also avoid writing “References Available on Request” in the resume. It’s a waste of space and dates you by over a decade!

  1. Hobbies, Interests and Family

A resume is a business document. A career decision maker is not interested in your personal life and what you do outside of work hours, although, work-life balance is encouraged. Eliminate your marital status, number of children, and other personal details.

There are some exceptions. One client had climbed Mt Everest, Mt Kilimanjaro and other high peaks. Another had placed in the Top 100 of the London, New York, Chicago, Miami and other marathons. These accomplishments show the reader many positive traits about the candidate.

  1. Salary/Compensation

Don’t pigeonhole yourself from the start and damage your negotiating position. You don’t need to address the sensitive topic of your current or future salary intentions from point zero. Compensation discussions should commence closer to the final recruitment stages when you do have to be open and clear.

  1. Reasons for Leaving Past Employers.

Too many people highlight the reasons for leaving their previous employers. You do not need to include reasons, especially if you have been fired. At an interview, you may be asked about the reason for leaving a past employer, but eliminate this unneeded detail out of your resume.

  1. Failing to List Your Performances, Accomplishments

We are in a performance-driven society where your record of delivering accomplishments is a differentiator and paramount to you being hired. A career decision maker isn’t interested in your responsibilities, apart from the number of direct and indirect staff managed, CapEx and OpEx budgets, and P&L.

Failure to have numerous accomplishments in the resume will count you out!

  1. Ineffective and Weak Personal Brand

What is your personal brand? Have you defined your personal brand? So many have no clue what their unique promise of value is, their differentiator. If I was in a hiring position, why should I choose you over the competition?

Craft and articulate your personal brand in your resume, LinkedIn profile, e-mail signature and other social media accounts.

One error in either the format or content will decrease your opportunity to be called for an interview. Why mess it up because you are unaware how to write a resume? This is a skill.

For a free, no-obligation, no sales pitch resume critique, send your resume via LinkedIn or via email to martin@aneliteresume.com

Benefit the Future of Your Career: What Changes are you Ready to Make?

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Benefit the Future of Your Career: What Changes are you Ready to Make?

As 2019 comes to a close and you reflect on your goals for the future of your career, you will likely consider what changes you can make to improve your professional life next year. While a complete overhaul is often too extreme, you can make various changes that are right for you at this time.

De-stress

The negative impacts stress have on your career—and life—compound over time. Stress hinders your productivity by making prioritizing tasks a challenge. When you are overwhelmed by stress it also hampers your ability to accomplish professional goals. Therefore, finding ways to cope with your stress is essential. Perhaps consider getting into an exercise routine, eating right, or picking up a new hobby to combat stress. Finding something that allows you to de-stress and reach your potential will benefit your career. Consider using these tips to maintain your positivity during a stressful transition.

Make a Change…even if the time isn’t perfect

Are you currently in a position you feel lacks potential to help you accomplish your career goals? Too often, people wait to make a change until timing is perfect. And, more often than not, perfect timing proves to be elusive. Therefore, if you know a job or position change is necessary to help you achieve your goals, now is the time to take action.

Take Risks

Calculated risks often reap big rewards. Fear of the unknown only holds you back, and, if you do not act, you never know what could have been. If you shy away from taking risks, you may only end up with regret. Getting outside your comfort zone is essential to building the future you want.

Invest in Your Network

Build a solid network to connect with people who could have a positive impact on the future of your career. Take the time to strengthen your LinkedIn profile and build relationships with people within—and outside—your current industry. Building a strong network gives you something to rely on when you do not have a natural in for a position you want. In fact, your network may open up possibilities you had not even considered.

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Getting Noticed?

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Is Your LinkedIn Profile Getting Noticed

Do you question if the hassle of maintaining your LinkedIn profile is worth it? Perhaps you are not seeing the networking output  you hoped to gain via LinkedIn. Therefore, you might be feeling like, because you are not generating the results you hoped, it is  a waste to invest your time and energy when there may be other avenues with better results.

Rest assured. With a few quick fixes, you can bolster your LinkedIn profile to produce the results you are hoping for.

Five Tips to  Ensure Your LinkedIn Profile Gets Noticed:

1. Professional Profile Picture

First, your profile picture is essential to getting noticed. Unlike  typical photos on other social media sites, your LinkedIn profile picture must be professional. After all, this picture offers a first-impression of your professional personal brand. If it is less than professional, it will cause potential contacts to question your professionalism.

Secondly, you should be the focus of your profile picture. For example, if someone met you at a networking function, you want them to be able to immediately and easily identify you from your profile picture. Therefore, a picture of you standing at the top of a mountain may be nice, but it is not appropriate for your LinkedIn profile picture.

2. Customize Your URL

When creating your LinkedIn profile, you are provided a generic URL. This URL usually consists of your name followed by random letters and numbers. Personalize your URL to garner attention while showcasing your personal brand. Eliminate the default characters and shorten the URL to your firstname+lastname. Are you an EMBA grad? You could personalize to joe.smith.EMBA.

3. Use Industry Related Keywords

Similar to website SEO, it is critical to optimize your LinkedIn profile with keywords specific to your industry. Through optimization your profile will appear in more searches allowing others to find and connect with you.

4. Build Connections with New Contacts

As you create your LinkedIn profile, you have the option to sync your email list. Doing so with your professional contacts will send an invite for them to connect with you on LinkedIn. This is an effective way to connect with people you already know and use those connections to expand your network.

Furthermore, expanding your network requires you to invest time to create authentic human connections. When you interact with new contacts, personalize your communication with them. Tell them  who you are and why you are interested in connecting. Most importantly, avoid generic invitations as people will write it off immediately. Connection is critical to building a strong network.

5. Promote Your Personal Brand

Lastly, consistently promote your personal brand through LinkedIn. The appearance of your page should be uniform throughout all your branding materials. Engage with articles through posting and commenting to demonstrate your own experience and expertise. This allows your connections to get to know you, engage with you on LinkedIn, and foster positive professional relationships.

Hire a Career Coach?

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Hire a Career Coach

Do you have aspirations to take your career to the next level?

Consider this: Elite athletes did not wake up yesterday ready to compete at the highest levels.

It took years of training guided by the expertise of specialized coaches to help them hone their skills and train their bodies to maximize their performance. In fact, they have coaches for various aspects of training to prepare their bodies for the highest levels of competition; they have a strength and conditioning coach, a nutritionist, and a skills coach. 

Why do elite athletes seek the knowledge of coaches? Well, they have the talent and basic skills to excel in their sport, but talent alone is not enough. They rely on coaches to not only help them know what they need to do in order to maximize their innate talent and expand their skills but also to help them navigate the world of professional sports.

Therefore, if you consider your own career, you have innate skills that have  paved the way to where you are, but a coach can help you navigate how to improve upon your skills and make beneficial career moves to maximize your potential and reach your goals.

Why  invest in yourself and your future by hiring a career coach:

Helps You Gain Valuable Perspective

A career coach listens to you in order to evaluate your goals and collaborate on a path that is best for you. Often it is hard to see the big picture when you’re attempting to do so by yourself; therefore, an executive career coach’s vast knowledge of the executive world can help you see the bigger picture of your career and how you fit in it to ensure you are truly in charge of your career.

Helps You in Transitional Moments

Finding yourself in a moment of transition elicits uneasiness. However, with the guidance of a career coach, you can assess your innate talents, expertise, and experience to leverage yourself as a quality candidate regardless of the reason for your transition. A coach who aids in career management can help you avoid boredom and burnout by pushing you to reach for positions that will ultimately lead to your ideal job. Moreover, a coach will help you navigate the hectic job search process and ensure you’re ready to tackle whatever comes your way such as creating a resume so you’re as good on paper as you are in person.

A career coach is a game-changer and will mentor you to push your career beyond what you may believe is attainable.

Top Resume Trends and ‘Beating’ the Automated Tracking System

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As an executive career management practitioner. I manage the careers of senior executives, business leaders, executive MBAs and mining professionals. Today, we are here on the famous King’s Road in Chelsea. It’s always been a very trendy place. In the 1960’s it was the home to the hippies and in the 1970’s it was home to all the punk rockers and skinheads. In fact, every Saturday night there was a fight here between those two trends took place. It was during these years that I honed my police training. And then in the 1980’s the trend was the yuppies.

Today, trends are just as important in your resume writing as they were back then.

Here are the top two things you need to be aware of when you are creating your resume:

1. Resumes have to be ATS friendly. ATS stands for Automated Tracking Systems. Resumes aren’t generally read by human beings any longer. They are now read by scanning machinery. Therefore, your resume has to have ATS criteria.

2. Resumes need lots of performance and accomplishment driven stories. These must be based on STAR:

  • Situation
  • Task
  • Action
  • Results

Be a storyteller and sell yourself!

Looking for help with you resume? Contact me for a free resume critique at my other website www.aneliteresume.com.

Reset Your Mindset When Your Career Catches You Off-Guard

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Has your career taken you in a direction that you did not anticipate?

When you find yourself in this predicament, it elicits feelings of disappointment and discouragement. These feelings are hard to shake.

However, a mindset reset can make all the difference.  

Take Time to Reset

Reset Your Mindset When Your Career Catches You Off-Guard

Before moving on, give yourself time to reset. Do things for yourself. Give yourself the time to feel disappointed and discouraged, but avoid dwelling on those feelings too long. There’s a grieving process that’s important to moving on when you are faced with unexpected changes. But, the key is to acknowledge it, feel it, and start moving forward.

Acknowledge It for What It Is

When you find yourself grappling with the why and how of an unexpected career change, acknowledge it for what it is: a turn. Change happens, and often it is out of your control. It is part of life. Yes, it’s unexpected and disheartening, but not the end of the road. It’s your chance to determine your next path. Have you been feeling dissatisfied by monotony? Take this opportunity to re-evaluate your career and goals or make the changes you’ve possibly wanted to make for a long time.

Allow this unexpected turn to take you on a new, exciting path in your career. Be open to new possibilities.

Take the Opportunity to Learn

What would you have done differently prior to this unexpected change in your career? Were you happy where you were or do you desire something more? During an unexpected career event, step back, reflect, and evaluate your future. Learn from the past and use your knowledge to set goals for the future of your career. Figure out how you can improve your leadership skills and expertise to make yourself more marketable and valuable to companies.  

Focus on the Future

The most important part is to avoid dwelling on the past. Learn from mistakes, set goals for growth, and keep your focus on the future. How are you going to meet your goals? What do you need to do to get there? Keep pushing forward and only look back with the intent to learn from the past.

Five Tips to Help You Succeed in Your Job Search

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Five Tips to Help You Succeed in Your Job Search

The job search process can be a trying time. There are so many considerations that you have to weigh and decisions that have to be made. Plus, there’s the pressure of finding the perfect position that will be your dream job.

All of these preconceptions make the process anxiety filled and stressful. However, it does not have to be that way and by implementing a few tips you can maintain your sanity during a stressful job search. 

Use these five tips to have a successful job search:

1. Be Open Minded

The quest to find the perfect, dream job is often unrealistic and seemingly only sets you up for failure. In your job search, if your goal is to find the perfect position, you will likely be disappointed.

Instead, it is much more beneficial to be open-minded when it comes to your job search. While a specific job may not scream “Dream Job” at first look, it may end up being your perfect, dream job. Therefore, keeping your options open and not discounting positions because they do not appear to be exactly what you want can open the door to many opportunities that can benefit your career in the long run.

2. Seek Advice & Make Connections

Recognizing that others in your field have a wealth of knowledge that could potentially help you land a position, is the best tool at your disposal. In the age of social media, professional platforms help you connect to other in the same industry and build relationships with those people.

Use those resources to seek out advice and make connections with people in who are in the industry, companies, and positions in which you are focusing your job search.

3. Listen

As you navigate the job search process, it is imperative to your success that you listen to the advice and feedback you are given. During interviews, practice the art of listening without interrupting and using what you hear to help you build on your responses to questions.

Demonstrating your ability to listen not only helps you fine-tune your interview skills but also helps you stand out as someone who is a team player.

4. Research

Before applying for a job, take the time to research the company. Research the organization’s mission statement, values, and people in the decision-making positions. If you decide to apply for a position with that company, take the time to reach out to the decision-makers to communicate how you would be asset to their company to help you stand out before a job interview.

5. Build a Strong Personal Brand

As you send in your job search materials, your personal brand speaks for you; therefore, it is crucial that you build a strong personal brand. Your responses to common behavioural interview questions need to also align with your personal brand so the decision-makers recognize the value, experience, and expertise you will bring to the position.

Is Social Media Damaging Your Career? 3 Questions to Ask Before You Post

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Is Social Media Damaging Your Career? 3 Questions to Ask Before You Post

The world of social media is nothing new, and it seems to be evolving every day. As a result, litigations, resignations, and dismissals due to postings deemed inappropriate or offensive on social media are becoming more commonplace.

Therefore, now more than ever, it is important you take the necessary steps to ensure that social media is used to advance your career rather than hinder it in any way.

Potentially Career Saving Questions to Ask Before You Post:

Would I want my employer/potential employer to see this?

It is no secret that employers comb through social media to determine if candidates are the right fit for the job. This means that your resume can be chock full of accomplishments and your interview responses can be strong, but if something on your social media does not sit right with decisions makers, it could cost you a job.

Anything you post—from articles and shares to pictures and off-hand comments—is up for scrutiny. Take the time to think about every post or share before doing so. Be mindful of how you repost or share information on social media, and be sure to add in your own perspective if the ideas in the post could be misinterpreted.

Additionally, monitor your own posts, tweets, and comments. They reflect who you are, your values, and could end up being an employer’s deciding factor of whether or not they hire you.

Does this fit my personal brand?

Social media—especially a professional site such as LinkedIn—is a great tool to garner attention, seduce your audience, and advance your career. However, this only works to your benefit if your social media profiles align with your personal brand.

Social media often portrays your values both professionally and personally. Therefore, it is critical the content you post reflects your values as you communicate them through your personal brand.

Could my words be construed as harmful to any particular person or group?

The types of posts that generate the most negative attention seem to malign a particular person or group. Refrain from negative posts about employees, team members, former or potential employers, and any particular group. Such posts will potentially cause damage to your current position and any position you hope to hold in the future.

AVOID THESE MISTAKES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

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AVOID THESE MISTAKES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Every day, I browse through the three main platforms I use, and you should use, for career management:  LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. There isn’t a day that goes by without me finding someone who harms their personal brand, insults someone, or shares inaccurate information. Do they do it just to make me chuckle?

Social media is for communicating your brand and for sharing and relaying positive and educational messages, not for posting your personal feelings about religion, politics or other issues. Yes, you can have fun on social media, but be careful with your posts and presence. Remember, your social media accounts will be viewed, evaluated and scrutinized prior to all interviews today. Don’t cause yourself to be counted out of potential opportunities where you might be the perfect candidate simply because you posted something foolish or you don’t want to be present on the platforms. Here are three mistakes to avoid:

#1. Being non-existent

Several years ago, during my presentations, there was a time when I posed the question, “Who is not on LinkedIn?” Hands went up in masses. Today, I ask the same question and very few hands go up, which is good for all of us. If you are not on LinkedIn, as an expert in career management, I will tell you that you are committing career suicide. LinkedIn can bring you massive value. You have the opportunity to network with 600 million other users on this platform. It is the first stop an executive recruiter or HR professional makes in learning about you. I would very much encourage you to also be on Twitter and Facebook which are becoming increasingly important for viewing by career decision makers as they process your application or are looking for talent.

It is great to have a profile on all three of these platforms, but are you active on all three of these platforms? A big difference.

#2. Not being consistent

Again, a cause of joviality for me when I cruise through peoples’ profiles is seeing contradicting information listed on one of their profiles vs another with yet something completely different on their resume. What does this tell me if I was your career hiring influencer? It demonstrates a lack of attention to detail and indifference or sloppiness in the way you construct your communications throughout the platforms. Keep everything consistent while remaining positive.

#3. Sharing inappropriate content, comments and pictures

Don’t shy away from expressing your personality and opinions on various topics, but don’t focus solely on your beliefs as far as religion, ethics, politics or gender differences are concerned. Keep your posts to what a future employer or executive recruiter could warm up to and stay away from opportunities for employers to misinterpret your social media dialogue. Never give the impression that you could damage a potential employer’s reputation through online conversations. Be active. Be professional. Inject fun. Inject humour. Show that you are an expert and committed to keeping your career and your personal life in a positive light.