How You Can Be a Jack of All Trades and Master of All

How You Can Be a Jack of All Trades and Master of All Does the following description sound like you? Enthusiastic with lots of diverse passions and interests Get fascinated with something new, every few days Come up with new, sparky ideas Like starting things, but not finishing them Have a bunch of tabs open on your web browser at any one time (what, just one webpage at a time?) Find the idea of choosing just one career scary, limiting and very stressful Sound like you? Read on. For people like the above, who love freedom, possibilities, variety, choosing a just one career may feel a little difficult. No, scrap that, career choice feels like a huge scary decision where you have to kill off all your other options to focus on just one. Death to possibilities? Argh! I know the above to be true because I am ‘one of you’. After spending too long wavering in indecision, blaming myself for not ‘fitting in’ to a corporate lifestyle, I spent time ‘crafting’ (not ‘finding’) a career that suits this variety-focussed, full-of-ideas, loving-possibilities outlook. Actually, crafting a career where those qualities are a real asset. The journey is not simple, but let me tell you, it is totally worth it. Three tips for what you can do if you want to do everything: 1) New mantra for the day: not making a decision is a decision: Do you think that refusing to make a decision between options means you are keeping your options open? Think again. If not making a decision means you stay at the same unsatisfied place you were in last year, then by refusing to choose a new way forward you have actively chosen to stay in your unsatisfied place, your present situation. Interesting… out of the millions of possibilities in the world, why would you choose the one that makes you so unhappy you are reading a career change blog? Just a thought. 2) Maybe you don’t have to choose just one thing: If you are the sort of person described above (think variety, possibility, options, change, starting-but-not-finishing…) then the idea of choosing just one career is scary. And for good reason! I’m personally hyperventilating at the thought of just one thing for the rest of my life. Ok, deep breath. People who are successful and satisfied in their careers have chosen a path that makes the most of their natural talents and way of seeing the world. If your natural talents and ‘way of being’ is in plurality, variety, change, then make sure you create an environment for yourself where these take centre stage, shine, and are an advantage for you. And that might mean crafting your own bespoke portfolio career. A Portfolio Career means doing several paid activities at the same time. It might involve working part time in an office, and tutoring kids in the afternoons. It could combine corporate consulting, with a cupcake baking business, freelance writing, and running guided walks. Or, as you may be guessing, whatever you want. This style of career gives you the opportunity to experiment with several types of work at the same time, and you can keep ‘editing’ your portfolio to get the mix that’s right for you. Importantly, a Portfolio career should not be seen as being in a ‘holding pattern’, doing several less-than-attractive jobs until you find your one true path. A good Portfolio is your true path â€" and you take responsibility for filling it with things that are right for you. Only take this route if you are definitely the sort of person described above. What’s the catch? Simple. No one will ‘hand’ you a portfolio career â€" you have to be creative to make one for yourself. Look at your skills and abilities. What have you been paid to do in the past? What skills do you have that you think you could be paid for? Can you spot any growing trend that you think you could tap into? Try some of these out. Look at various structures for your portfolio â€" do you want to be fully independent (freelance, working for yourself), or do you want a mix of regular part-time work? 3) Decide on your real criteria: Whether you want a single career or a portfolio, you need some way of deciding what to do. The secret to this is starting at the beginning. Forget ideas about deciding on what you might like based on your ‘interests’ and ‘things I am good at’. Let’s go back to the start. ‘Who am I?’ ‘What is most important to me?’ ‘What do I need to be happy?’ These basic questions are surprisingly difficult to answer for many people. A lot of my clients come to me after spending years tossing around ‘career options’ in their head. So we step back, and spend much time getting these basics sorted before even touching on careers. When you nail down what you really want and what is really important to you, making your choices often becomes much easier â€" you have a checklist you can use to eliminate some of your options on a genuine ‘me-level’. Related: How Will a Career Coach Help Your Job Search? Author: Marianne Cantwell is a  Free Range Human, and a career change expert. Be sure to follow her on Twitter  @FreeRangeHumans.  Image: Shutterstock.

How To Write A Great NYC Resume

How To Write A Great NYC ResumeIf you're looking for a job in NYC and you want to ensure that you have the best possible chance of getting one, then it's important that you learn how to write a great NYC resume. Getting the job is the primary concern, but being able to get the job will depend on your ability to impress your interviewer, which is also based upon the quality of your resume.The NYC job market is competitive. The city has high property values, plentiful jobs, and a large working population. So how do you ensure that you get hired?The best way to have a shot at a NYC job is to demonstrate that you are a qualified candidate. This means that you need to know what you are applying for, be able to articulate your qualifications and skills in a professional manner, and be prepared to back it up with your resume. In addition, you should have an interview and meet a few hiring managers before you make your final decision on whether or not to accept the job.NYC resumes are not si mply for making yourself appear attractive to a potential employer; they are also written in a way that can clearly indicate your qualifications and skills. Therefore, it is essential that you spend some time thinking about what it is that you want your resume to communicate. In addition, you should check your resume for grammar and spelling errors.It is also important that you include your contact information in your NYC resume. This information should include a physical address (your home or office), and a daytime telephone number. If you do not have a physical address, make sure that you indicate this when you send it in.If you have ever worked with computers or with internet technology, then you will find that you have to incorporate this knowledge in your NYC resume. In addition, be sure to indicate this when you send it in. As a matter of fact, it may be important to go over your resume very carefully in order to ensure that you are showing your reader precisely what you can d o.By this point, it is easy to see that NYC resume writing is much more than just putting a name and a few lines of data onto a document. You need to think of your resume as a marketing tool and create a strategy for how you will market yourself. Your resume needs to be professional and informative and also able to stand out among the hundreds of resumes that are sent out each day. This means that you need to incorporate some work on the content.NYC resume writing is not an easy task. However, if you work at it, the work you put into it will be well worth the effort.

Does Karma Matter Try It and See - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Does Karma Matter Try It and See - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Not being from India or anyplace where the concept of karma is taught much less embraced, I am unexpectedly buoyed by the idea that something you do today will effect your next life or next meeting. Once again, not having been formally schooled in karma, I’m not quite sure of the details, including just how quickly a good turn begets another. I come from Manhattan, where NOT filching someone’s parking spot or cab will get you dirty looks from everyone who would have, had they enjoyed the access you had. Maybe that’s the stereotype, but it’s also true more often than not in my experience. Of course, Manhattan also has a surfeit of legitimate theater, the intellectual cornucopia of 92nd street Y and bagels at the Broadway Deli to die for. So when I came out to Los Angeles, which looks a lot like a laid back place because almost no restaurant is open after 10 PM, it looked a lot more calm and forgiving than it actually is. LA is not a friendly town. In part, the distance between where you live and anything else you do is traversed only by car, with a smattering of wistful public transit options that might one day allow you to go from downtown to the beach (as if that’s the only route we would travel in this sprawling non-city of a city). Karma comes up because there are a nearly endless number of anonymous people you can ignore since other than your clutch of friends and business associates, pretty much no one interacts. It’s kind of like Dirty Dancing. This is my dance space and this is your dance space. Where you live it’s probably somewhere between LA and Manhattan, if not geographically at least metaphysically, emotionally or spiritually. But no matter where you live â€" including the places you live online like your blog, FB page, Instagram,   G+ circle, Twitter, Pinterest and the like: Have you ever considered how you feel and act toward strangers might one day be visited back on you? Would that change the way you interact with people? Would that make you offer some help to a tourist, pull over if you are driving too slow while attempting to find a parking place, tweet where there’s a traffic jam, or phone a former work colleague to check in on her job search? You may be counting calories, cataloging your wardrobe into the new Closet app, or do a project management plan to organize and measure the progress of a business plan. Have you considered monitoring how much good karma you earn each day? If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it â€" and by “it” I mean your behavior. How would your outlook, prospects for the future and good fortune possibly be framed or changed, if you believed that by doing good for others you did well for yourself. I was recently given a compliment that felt as momentous as a blessing. A former student who is a big deal at a major studio asked me to write a letter or recommendation for her. It was a pleasure to write â€" her project had been deftly created for our class and her work ethic got her the sometimes two hour drive from work to school for 12 weeks. When I simply said, “Yes, thank you for asking me.” She replied, “Wow, you must have great karma.” Her words fell on me like a soft warm blanket on a hail struck, cold night. I wish you great karma. Author: Nance Rosen  is the author of  Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at  NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name:  nancerosen

Need a job but no career plan mapped out Try a Planned Happenstance approach University of Manchester Careers Blog

Need a job but no career plan mapped out Try a ‘Planned Happenstance’ approach University of Manchester Careers Blog If you’re in your final year and you’re not one of those people who already has a clear plan for what you’re going to do after June, then you probably have a nagging voice in your head that won’t go away asking you “what next?” A lot of people get stuck at this point in a circular and troubling thought process which goes something like this. “What should I do next year? Should I go travelling, try to get a job or do a postgrad course?” “OK, well what do I want to do for a career in the longer term? Perhaps that will help me decide.” “Hmm, no idea.” At this point, in my experience as a careers adviser, people usually do one of three things: Panic and opt to either take time out to go travelling or do a masters next year to buy themselves more time, because next year they will make a decision. Start madly applying for any and every job they see, because they feel they’ve left it a bit late and they just need to get something. Take a step back and start thinking about ‘the whole career thing’, look for ideas online and talk to friends, family and perhaps visit the Careers Service. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m going to say that no. 3 is the right way to do it and that’s what you should be doing. Well OK you’re right, I would say that, but this post is more about how you can make the uncertain future less scary and still do positive things which will enhance your employability even when you’re not really sure what you want to do for a career in the longer term. There’s a theory of career which says it’s all about planning: you set yourself clear career goals and then you work towards them in a logical, orderly manner. But when you actually speak to people in different jobs and ask them how they got here, the ones who set out to achieve a particular career goal and had a clear and straight road through tend to be in the minority. Most people talk about how they just ‘fell into’ their jobs or how they got some work experience in x company and through that they met such-and-such at a conference and worked on a project for y which led to   z job. When I talk to students about the ‘higgledy-piggledy’ nature of many people’s career trajectories and how it’s OK not to have already nailed the whole career goal thing, I tend to get one of two different reactions. Those who are natural planners and need to have it all mapped out so they know exactly where they’re going to be and what they’re going to be doing every step of the way in 3 years find the   idea of an uncertain future just too scary. They need to feel in control and have a plan, and it’s frustrating for them to find that for a lot of jobs these days there just isn’t necessarily a clearly laid out ‘A leads to B which then leads to C’ sort of careers roadmap that they can follow with confidence. For some people though, this discovery is quite liberating and a real relief. They’d been looking enviously round at friends and course mates who seemed to have their futures all mapped out, while they still hadn’t ‘decided’ on a career and they felt inadequate and under pressure to come up with a definitive answer to that elusive question “What shall I do with my life?”. So if you can’t follow a clear ‘careers roadmap’, what’s the alternative? Well there is a career theory which says that instead of having a very rigid idea of what you want to achieve and how you might get there, you have some vague ideas and do some generally positive things in broadly the right direction and have confidence that if   you do that, things will happen. The theory is called ‘Planned Happenstance’. Let me get one thing straight. Planned happenstance is definitely not about sitting in your bedroom and waiting for ‘the right thing to show up’. It’s about actively doing things that are likely to open up opportunities for you. With a planned happenstance approach,   you acknowledge that you might not know exactly what kinds of opportunities the actions you are taking will ultimately lead to, but you feel confident that if you keep actively doing the right kind of things, great things can and will happen. A planned happenstance approach is particularly suited to career areas like media and creative industries which rely much more on   you making your own opportunities rather than following a clear, logical plan, although most people see elements of ‘happenstance’ playing a role in their career paths. There are 4 core steps to the Planned Happenstance approach, developed by Mitchell, Krumboltz and Levin: Clarify Ideas: Follow your curiosity and identify your interests Remove the Blocks: Wonder “how can I” rather than “I can’t because…” Expect the Unexpected: Be prepared for chance opportunities, such as unexpected phone calls, chance encounters, impromptu conversations and new experiences Take Action: Learn, develop skills, remain open and follow up on chance events Two books which may be of interest for anyone who wants to explore these ideas further are: The Unplanned Career: How to Turn Curiosity into Opportunity by Kathleen Mitchell, and Luck is No Accident: Making the Most of Happenstance in Your Life and career by Al Levin and John Krumboltz. All Undergraduate Undergraduate-highlighted employability

Does Monster Resume Writing Work?

Does Monster Resume Writing Work?As you know, a Monster resume can be a great tool in your job hunt, but how does monster resume writing really work? If you're hoping to land that perfect position, the skill of writing a good one is paramount. So what is monster resume writing and how does it work?Writing a resume is not an easy task. You have to be able to display not only your academic accomplishments but also your skills and work history in a way that will get you noticed. But what if you can't write a resume? That's when you need monster resume writing!What is a monster resume? This is a resume that will create a professional impression on your potential employer. A lot of people know what this entails, but they still don't realize how important it is. You need a stellar resume that showcases your work history, education, and professional experiences. The best way to accomplish this is by taking advantage of the services of a professional resume writer.Of course, getting a resume from a professional doesn't mean that you have to pay a professional to do it for you. You can do it yourself with the right tips and advice, but in order to be a good writer, you'll need to make sure that you learn what the right resume writing is all about. Just like in any other skill, it will take time and effort to build up your skills and knowledge, but once you've reached that point, you'll be surprised at how easy it is.First of all, in order to be a good writer, you must begin to learn how to write a resume by learning how to write a resume outline. In the end, this can save you a lot of time as you can eliminate the guesswork from choosing the best resume templates for your needs. It will also help you focus on the main points of your resume and not waste your time going over irrelevant details.After you've learned how to create an outline, you can move on to resume writing. Once you have a general idea of the resume, you can pick a template that will represent your skill s. The very first thing that you need to know is that there are different types of resumes, all of which will be written in different styles. However, it is still important to try to stick to the format that you would want to use when looking for a job. For example, if you would like to make a big impact on your job search, you may want to consider writing in an upbeat, confident manner.As you continue to read through your resume, be sure to highlight all of the qualities that you want employers to know about you. Look at your past jobs and job responsibilities and get rid of any that you may not have been happy with. Think about how your resume will improve upon those old jobs. Do you have any suggestions for new ideas or job experiences?As you work through your resume, keep your mind open and you should be able to move past any of the 'knock your resume out of the park' mentality. Remember that even the best resume is only as good as the person who wrote it. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to create the best resume you can, so get ready to do some work! And with the right professional help, you'll be able to turn your writing skills into a job search superpower!

Generation Y and Job Seeking - Pathfinder Careers

Generation Y and Job Seeking - Pathfinder Careers Generation Y and Job Seeking This weeks blogpost is generously provided by Bret Bernhoft, a Generation Y expert and public speaker addressing generational issues in the work place. For Generation Y, job seeking is certainly nothing like what their parents experienced. Today, the need to be Internet-savvy as well as have effective networking skills is even more imperative than ever. For Generation Y to stay competitive in an ever-tightening competitive job market, they must become more innovative and creative when hunting for available positions. Generation Y has to play a much more closely-managed game of cat and mouse in order to secure their future employment. As for many positions, credentials are important, including experience and education. However, despite their significance, credentials aren’t everything. It is the network of relationships a job seeker has that will ultimately ensure their success. Being a young workforce, Generation Y is competing in a world of well established partnerships and alliances, putting them at a certain disadvantage. Thus, a level of “hyper” or proactive networking must be undertaken by Generation Y in order to gain an upper hand. Generation Y can be defined, in part, by their emphasis on community development. It is through the use of these skills that developing a series of productive relationships can be created and maintained. Generation Y workers naturally pursue a sense of identity and purpose through their relationships, thus making the process of networking much less uncomfortable and not as much of a hassle. Attending regular networking events and connecting through online professional groups are two effective ways of developing a name as a viable candidate. Websites such as LinkedIn and Plaxo are two examples of such opportunities. Another successful strategy used by Generation Y job seekers is to become an expert in a certain field through online content creation. This would include the creation of a blog or a website that focuses on their area of expertise. Placing themselves in a position of reference, Generation Y’s ability to leverage any unique perspective or insight much more effectively creates a specific area of expertise. Companies are actively searching for fresh and exciting ways of thinking, giving even the simplest of blogs a very real purpose. No matter the strategy used, Generation Y must be able to articulate their value to a company and initiate the relationships to help secure employment. It is a very competitive job market these days. Without a plan of action, younger and less experienced job seekers could be left behind. Generation Y, unlike any generation prior, must use their advantages in technology knowledge and community-building in order to gain the upper hand.

Who wants to be a happiness engineer - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Who wants to be a happiness engineer - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Automattic (the people behind WordPress, Akismet and other cool projects) are looking for something they call a happiness engineer. Whats that all about? Happiness Engineer Our software and services are far from perfect, and when things go wrong people aren?t shy about contacting us asking for help. We consider the support side of the user experience to be vitally important because it?s the person who interacts with our customers most and makes the biggest impression in their time of need. In fact everyone who joins Automattic, regardless of position, does support for 3 weeks. The customers range from the everyday blogger to VIPs like CNN, Flickr, and People Magazine. The job requires: Patience and grace. Excellent writing skills. Working knowledge of WordPress, HTML, and CSS. Thats fantastic. First of all because of the title Happiness Engineer is a cool job title. Secondly for the admission that our software is far from perfect and that it?s the person who interacts with our customers most and makes the biggest impression in their time of need. Excellent point! Thirdly, Im crazy about the fact that everyone who joins Automattic, regardless of position, does support for 3 weeks. That is a great way to clue people in to what the company is really about and what the customers really think about them. And lastly, advertising for someone who has patience and grace is just nifty. This ad makes Automattic look cool, it makes them look like a fun workplace and it makes me like them all in one fell swoop. Pretty good for a job ad, huh? (Thx to Thomas Bo Christensen for telling me about this ad). Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related