How Conservative Companies Can Use Social for Storytelling

How Conservative Companies Can Use Social for Storytelling Social media is  ingrained into modern, every day  life. Its a virtual network mirroring very real populations, so its  important for businesses to be visible on there too.  Even  companies which operate  in highly-regulated environments, like the insurance industry, can use  social to their advantage. Conservative organisations neednt label it a no no they just have to work around red tape and regulation, set out a clear strategy and monitor the exposure. The secret is to carefully cultivate  the right storytelling culture online, which will help build a safe social brand that not only sells  products, but paints  the company as a desirable employer. To get some details, I speak to Keith Lewis of Zurich Insurance in the UK to learn how they use  LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube to tell stories to their target audiences of consumers, brokers and employees. Listen to the interview on SoundCloud, iTunes or keep reading for a summary of our conversation. And make sure  you subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast. Tell us about Zurich Insurance and what you do there? Were a global insurance company with 60,000 people across the world, 120 odd countries, and I look after social media here in the UK. We look after both our life insurance business, so pensions, protections and investment, but primarily the stuff were doing across social are general insurance. So we ensure everything from your car, my home, individual property, all the way up to global companies. We also do have a whole arm of risk engineering. So generally speaking if you can see a lift or an escalator in the UK, its likely that a Zurich engineer has given it a seal of approval. We do all sorts of things to make sure people are protected in their day-to-day lives. What are some of the challenges you face with social media? Were a highly regulated industry and different regulations apply to different parts of the business that we operate. We always have to be very acutely aware of that when were operating in the space. But its mainly around the actual selling of insurance. So in my mind, I divvy what we do into two brackets. Were obviously there to sell products around all the different things that we already talked about. But were also here to talk about Zurich as a company in the UK. Weve got 22 locations here, weve got 5,500 people who work across all those different things that I talked about earlier. So we use social a lot to tell the Zurich story, or start to tell the Zurich story about how we operate in our local environments. Because of course as a big company, weve got all the usual things you might expect us to do.  But people dont necessarily associate insurance with things like that. So weve got a big community trust, all our employees do two or three days of charity work at least a year. We do our local engagement around our different sites. We do lots of different things, thats all part of telling the Zurich story, really. What are your social media objectives? Of course weve got to drive business value from it, and so I take sort of Andrew Grills definition from IBM of social business, and of social media. So creating networks and building collaborations to tell the stories, but it has to drive a value. So into telling the story, weve got to make sure that people see us as perhaps an employer of choice or someone they want to work with, or actually recognising that we do all the things that Ive talked about. But also weve got to try and make sure that people are aware that your average consumer or business owner or executive is aware of the importance that insurance has. Insurance, god its dull isnt it? Frankly it is, its not the sort of glamorous product that youd naturally associated with social media. We dont actually have a product that people have in their properties. We used to have an insurance certificate, nowadays thats just electronic. People very rarely get excited about their renewal premiums coming in. So we have to find ways, interesting ways of explaining what we do and the value that we offer to whatever it is that the customer wants. How do you go about generating a story telling culture inside the business? Its a part of the thing weve not really done very well at in the past and were now recognising that, perhaps that Ive come into the role helps do that. To kind of free people up. Were very much, were very conservative organisation and the structure and culture of the organisation has been like that for years, as youd expect perhaps from a complex regulated world. That were inherently nervous about allowing people to speak out loud. But now with social, the world has changed. Social has absolutely shifted that. Now were reversing that, all those decades of culture that weve had and changed, trying to change that. So part of my role is to get out across all our UK offices, to give people permission really. They thought  for a number of years  they werent  allowed to talk about Zurich and talk about all the good stuff that we do. Or even the real small stuff that we take for granted in sharing some of that content. But weve now got it written into our, what we call Zurich Basics, which is our global sort of behavioural framework. Zurich Basics tells, makes it explicitly clear that all our employees can operate in a social media environment about work related matters. If they chose not to, thats fine. Huge ?????? to our amazing @ZurichInsUK #vlm2016 dream team £raised will make an amazing difference thank you! pic.twitter.com/f0OSGdypAI ZurichCommunityTrust (@ZCTrust) April 24, 2016 Im on a journey now to try and give people permission to start sharing, to start engaging. To build those networks of their own, in their own lives, whether it is a professional network or a personal network, and to start to explain what they do. I think weve got to recognise that not everyone in our organisation, across any organisation is going to naturally be a social media expert. They might be quite happy to do what they do and perhaps have Facebook as a purely personal thing, like most of us do. Having the ability and the permission to expand their networks. Were all far busier and were less able to get out and perhaps do those face-to-face networking that perhaps people did 10, 15, 20 years ago. A lot of that networking now happens in an online space. Were kind of having to give people permission to operate and to get back out there. Its good to see people around our organisation starting to make those inroads. What social platforms  deliver the best results for Zurich? LinkedIn is one thats working mainly for us at the moment. Weve used Twitter as a broadcast tool really over the years. Part of what were trying to do now is to change that from broadcast to engagement. But weve got to remember that lots of people are engaging our brokers as B2B, not necessarily B2C. So were using more LinkedIn and thats why I hop back to the employee advocacy pieces, that people have their own networks. So we need to equip our employees with a content that they can then share with their own networks, which starts to bring the brand, and LinkedIn is a great tool to allow people to do that. It also feels, when youre taking people on a journey, that LinkedIn is a safe place to do it. Its just clearly a professional environment and youre there professionally.  So youve automatically got those built in limits perhaps in your mind, as to what sort of things youre going to talk about. So thats a good comfort blanket. Im on Twitter a lot, because I come to this from a media perspective, media relations is my background. So thats where journalist sell, thats where news breaks. So using that more and trying to pick out the key people around our organisation, to work their networks that are all on Twitter. But for me the message I take to people is Im not bothered what platform you choose, as long as you understand what youre trying to achieve by being on there and where youre audience is. So for us, perhaps some of our more, lets call them less exciting areas so our underwriter community are actuaries. Where do actuaries hang out online? It might be that theyre in a chat forum thats attached to a trade magazine for actuaries. If thats where the community is and thats where they go, thats where I want them to play. So its understanding that audience piece, where they want and where you can create that business value that I hark back to. Whats next for social media in the  insurance world? I think its how we talk to customers. People dont realise that complaints are regulated in the financial services  world, and we have to report on them. So we are sometimes criticised for taking complaints off-line and dealing with them. Thats kind of because we have to, because we have to report those. How we make that a smoother process is certainly something we could improve on. Weve put in some software to our operation that allows social to be part of the normal interaction.  So a call handler might have a phone call coming in. The next on the list might be a tweet to deal with it, it might be a Facebook message to deal with. So we need to get smarter about doing that. The big thing for us is how we tell our stories. Inherently, most people thinking of insurance start on a negative. Because they remember their renewal premium coming in, it may have gone up. Theyve not had a claim, the market is changing for a bit. Were a business after all, so we have to make money. Weve had some big losses in the last 12 months in the UK and globally. So we need to factor all that and somehow we need to take customers with us on the journey. Theyre legally obliged to have car insurance and we have to tell our story better about how we help, how were a part of helping them to keep going, keep driving their cars in the way that they want to. The Internet of things changes a load of things for us as insurance companies. Think about the way driverless cars is going, as an insurance company that solves our problem. Or does it? It perhaps changes the insurance debate into a liability debate. Because now or in the not too distant future, you wont be driving your car when it crashes. Your software will be driving it. So who looks after the software? Whos responsible when that software goes wrong and how do we as insurers build for the future and get ready for that debate? So theres lots of really exciting things going on there, in the insurance space that were working towards and trying to find the way we can help customers in the future. Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithLewisComms  and subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast.

How to negotiate more effectively with anyone

How to negotiate more effectively with anyone During my first job interview, my mom drove me to 31-Flavors while we practiced interview questions. One question we did not practice was How much money are you expecting? When the ice cream store owner asked, I said, Well, my parents are cutting off my allowance for the summer so Id like twenty dollars a week. That seemed like a lot because I wouldnt need money for school lunches. Later, my mom pointed out that I gave a number so low that it would have been illegal. In the end, the owner paid me minimum wage for a 40-hour week, and because I had asked for so little at the beginning, by the time I was a doing the job of a manager I was making less than some scoopers. So I quit, and moved to a pizza parlor where I got extra money for cutting the salami with the machine that cut peoples fingers. It wasnt until later in my career that I realized there are established strategies for salary negotiations, and if you follow them, you will likely get the salary you deserve without risking the loss of a limb. I got a lot of practice doing that in my twenties having about ten jobs in ten years. I got a sense of who would negotiate and who wouldnt. I learned to read people in business. And then I realized that you can use these skills for a lot more than just salary. One of my bosses gave me the book Getting To Yes. He said the book would help me manage because every management moment actually has implied negotiations. When I went to couples therapy with my husband, the therapist assigned us reading. (Who knew therapist assigned books?) But guess what it was? Getting to Yes. It was a great idea. Because then instead of paying a therapist to entertain our insane ideas of changing each other. We learned how to make the other person feel happy about giving us what we want by making sure that they get something, too. So I was excited when I had the opportunity to interview the author of Getting toYes, William Ury. Hes director of the Global Negotiation Project at Harvard, and his new book is The Power of a Positive No: How to Say No and Still Get to Yes. Here are his five best tips for doing well in negotiations. 1. Take a break. Ury calls this going to the balcony in order to get a big picture handle on whats going on so that you are not getting too worked up over irrelevant details. He says, When we negotiate when were angry we give the best speech well ever regret. 2. Know your BATNA. This is negotiator-speak for best alternative to a negotiated agreement. That is, if you have to walk away, whats the best you can get? This tells you how much power you have in negotiations. The person who needs the agreement the least has the best BATNA and the most power. 3. Put yourself in the other persons shoes. Ury describes negotiation as an exercise in influence. You need to change someones mind, so you need to know where they are right now. This means listening more than talking. And the first question to ask is Why. You will hear their needs, but you need to know the underlying cause for the need. For example, if your boss wants you to work a 16-hour day. To negotiate with your boss, you need to understand why what needs to get done in those hours. Maybe you can get it done a different way. 4. Learn to say no. In order to get to the right deal, you need to be able to say no to the wrong deal. Saying no is fundamental to the process of negotiation. Tip from the department of great-if-youre-him: Warren Buffet once said that he doesnt understand getting to yes because he just says no until he sees a perfect yes. Buffet says you only have to give four or five great yes responses in his work in order to be a billionaire. 5. Be clear on your values. For those of us who might not see a perfect yes, deciding on no is more complicated, and we have to be really clear in our own minds about what we value and what we need. Sometimes a no is surrounded by a deeper yes. For example. You say yes to the values, no to the tactics and yes to going forward. Ury calls this a positive no. But he warns that if youre in doubt, then the answer if probably no. What I take away from Ury is that good negotiation is a combination of good self-knowledge and good people skills. And, not surprisingly, this is the combination that gets you a lot of things in life. There are opportunities in each of our lives to practice negotiations constantly even, as Web Worker Daily points out, in email. You can do it with a spouse, with a boss, with your neighbor who doesnt clean the yard. The better you get at the small stuff, the easier the big moments of negotiation will feel.

5 Reasons To Reconnect With Nature

5 Reasons To Reconnect With Nature In today’s modern, technology filled world it is so important for us to take the time to reconnect with nature. Do you ever wonder why going for a walk can be so calming? Why taking a break in nature can make you feel so refreshed? Nature is more crucial in our lives than we give credit, and it’s healing powers are immense. Nature provides us with some of the most important things we need to live a physically and mentally healthy life! Here’s just a few reasons why it is so vitally important, even more so today, that we make time in our lives to reconnect with nature in some way. NATURE IS PHYSICALLY CLEANSING We take for granted the feeling of walking in the sunlight. The feeling we all know when it warms your skin. Sunlight provides your body with vitamin D which is important for calcium absorption that leads to strong healthy bones. Vitamin D also supports our immune system and is just as important as that apple a day! Nothing is quite like the fresh air that you get high up in the mountains or in pristine natural environments like lush forests and unexplored coastlines. Sometimes we only realise how polluted our air has become when we move away from the city and breathe in truly fresh air. When oxygen is cleaner, our blood cells become healthier, our breathing becomes easier and our heart rate lowers. That feeling of calm and relaxation when you’re in nature? There it is. The bodies true response to being reconnected with nature. Not only that, but being in touch with nature also increases your bodys production of oxytocin, which is fondly called ‘the love hormone’. It’s responsible for human bonding and social interaction. So nature can actually help us to appreciate our close relationships more, value our community and have a generally better outlook on life and others. A popular study was conducted in a hospital that had patients who had views of nature from their bed, while others did not have views at all. It was found that those patients with views would heal faster and check out quicker than those who had no views. Being in touch with nature leads to an increased production of beta-endorphins which causes reduced pain levels, making healing easier and therefore faster. Stress levels lower and exercise becomes easier. Not only is this great for healing, but it encourages you to be more physically active. NATURE IS MENTALLY CLEANSING Spending time in nature not only improves your physical health but improves your mental health as well. Studies conducted on the concept have become more popular as we consistently see the benefits becoming more well-known. Research shows that there is a reduction in depression, anxiety and overall negativity in people who spend more time in nature. Creativity and inspiration of some of the most famous artists in the world come from the beauty of our nature and spending time within it. We are seeing more and more cases of depression in today’s modern world and some might say this is due to our lack of physical socialisation and spending less time in nature. Spending less time online, and more time outside, could definitely improve ones’ mood and ability to cope with stressful situations. So, if you are stressed, go for a walk. If you have an opportunity to get outdoors and reconnect with nature, do it! Leave the phone at home and truly take in the natural world around you. Feeling overwhelmed with life, things too busy with work? Make sure you take time to take care of your mental health. Book a getaway to the bush or in the mountains, go camping, or simply make time in your day to get in touch with nature. Plant a garden, yes, even a pot plant! There is nothing more powerful than natural healing. SOCIAL BONDS / INSPIRATION While many people love to explore the outdoors in solitude, getting outside, going hiking or spending time with nature typically includes groups of friends, families or like minded people. Spending time outdoors creates more opportunity for friends and families to come together and socialise. Whether it is hiking, going for a picnic, taking a walk in the park or even just gardening, these are all things that can be enjoyed outdoors and with others. It has been said that nature has powerful effects on relationships and deepens bonds. The mentally cleansing benefits are a major player in this regard, like the release of ‘oxytocin when we are close to nature. Improving our attention and focus on others, allowing us to pick up on social cues more easily and to just generally feel more positively towards others. Whether it is camping with the family, a road trip with friends, Sunday afternoons spent at the park with the family, or walking on the beach in the evenings, nature provides us with endless opportunities to create traditions and rituals with our loved ones. Traditions that can be adopted and carried down through future generations. Keeping the future enjoying nature, and coming together to really be together and get back to nature. NATURE IS HUMBLING Have you ever walked outside or been on a hike and thought, ‘Wow, nature is incredible’. I know I have. Something so simple as a tree that grows delicious edible fruits, a bee collecting pollen to create yummy sticky honey and pollinating our world, all reminders of how much bigger nature is than us, and how it really can live without us. Sunsets, massive mountain ranges, natural phenomena all show us the grandeur of nature, something that could never be cloned by man. While the beauty of nature is humbling in itself, the dangers of nature can be even more so. Whether you come face to face with one of nature’s dangerous animals or plant life, a tree falling on your home, or a lightning strike taking out your power (Oh no, no WIFI!), nature can be unpredictable and frightening. Natural disasters prove that we are insignificant to the forces of nature, and is a resulting effect of our negligence. We are in charge of protecting our nature, while it tries so desperately to defend itself. It’s a cycle of destruction and a reminder that we as human beings are at fault for nature’s destruction, resulting in our own. It reminds us that we are small, and we are not completely in control. We have to respect nature in order to protect it. PRESERVATION OF NATURE With all the destruction happening in our world from species extinctions to natural disasters and global warming, if we continue to forget our responsibilities towards nature, there will be nothing left for our future generations to enjoy. Please, take the time to learn how to respect nature, and teach this to your children. Learn the value of our earth and how to preserve it. Get into nature and experience it! Respect the ‘Leave No Trace’ principle that aim to keep our national parks clean and our animals safe. The onus is on us to keep our environment clean and respect the complex ecosystems around us. Our future generations not only deserve to enjoy the world we know, but to know the importance of nature in our lives. All of these concepts show that working closer to nature, spending more time in nature and learning to appreciate nature has so many benefits for our physical and mental health. It can also educate future generations on how to value and respect nature around them and the importance of nature in our everyday lives. I think Sylvia Plath had it right when she said, “I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery air, mountains, trees, people. I thought, This is what it is to be happy.’” This guest post was authored by Mark Whitman Mark Whitman is a hiking enthusiast who has trekked many of the world’s iconic mountain ranges. He has traveled to over 50 countries pursuing his love of hiking and the outdoors! He created Mountain IQ to share his passion with others.

Heading To A New College Environment - 4 Insights For You -

Heading To A New College Environment - 4 Insights For You - When it’s time to attend college, we can all feel a little worried. This might be the first time you’ve properly left home to fend for yourself, and when there are many social pressures and schedule decisions to make, this can feel quite overwhelming. However this is also a time of great change and excitement, and it should serve as something you truly enjoy through and through. Thankfully, heading to a new college environment is nothing to fear if youre open for advice from people who’ve already attended that process. As such, we hope to lend you new insights to help calm your nerves, help you settle, and become your best self at the university of your choice. Consider our humble advice: Seize Opportunities It’s very important to seize each and every opportunity you can, provided it doesn’t overly cut into your usual responsibilities. College is not only a time to learn and study the materials of your course, but to try and make connections, to accept placements, and to put yourself forward for programs. This might be in the sporting world, in a year abroad placement, or in a completely different type of potential. It might be your lecturer likes you and your work, and asks you to help them in a project of their own personal making, verified by the university. No matter what opportunity comes knocking on your door, greeting it with a smile and a willingness to work hard can help you tremendously in the future. Seizing opportunities is essential in order to be your best self. Coming away from college with a degree is one thing, but coming away with a degree and plenty of life experience, connections crafted and knowledge of your chosen industry is quite another. It is this second person who will gain the most potential after their course is done, with potentially little pause between graduating and being offered some form of employment. Seize opportunities, not only for what they could result in, but for the experience you may gain. You may not have a chance to experiment with so many new opportunities like this, so be sure to make the most of them. Social Balance When heading to college, you’re going to be very tempted to party all the time. Your live-in roommates or flatmates will likely try and get you out, especially in the early days of each year. Of course, you should party if that’s your thing. You are allowed to have fun at college. Remember, it’s a new experience, and this can serve as one of the social opportunities you take advantage of. Just remember to look after yourself and to be safe. However, remember the real reason you are there. You are investing in your future. You are doing so at the expense of potential long-term debt. That can be a problem if you’re not careful. So be careful! Remember to keep a balance of your social and personal lives, and always ensure your personal, educational life always takes precedence before you party. Consider partying as something to earn, not something to take as granted. Making Things Easier It’s possible to make things easier for yourself while in college. Commit to a schedule, including when you study, when you meal prep for the week, and when you do your laundry. Try to arrange schedules for your roommates to share the load of cleaning, as this helps you all live in a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere. Learn how to destress through meditation, heading to the gym, and simply taking the time to sleep well. Consider purchasing educational support materials, such as talking to people going through a similar course online, further reading, building a positive relationship with your lecturer, and perhaps  buy dissertations   to use as inspiration and positive examples for creating your own work. All this can benefit you and your confidence as you slowly begin to thrive and become more comfortable in your new college life. To put things simply, reducing the difficulty of college life in no way lessens its value for you, and can help you squeeze much more out of it. Learn History Pride Some people might love rooting for their university and representing their time there, others might feel that this is a cringe-inducing activity to partake in. No matter where you fall on that spectrum, learning a little history of the college you attend, the city or town its in, and feeling proud to be part of that place can help you feel grateful for attending this environment, and help you reflect on this time with fondness. With these tips, heading to a new college environment is sure to be a worthwhile experience.

Are Resume Writing Resources Free?

Are Resume Writing Resources Free?Resume writing resources can be very helpful. But you will have to make sure that you understand the terms before you use them in your resume. The first thing that you should look at is whether it is a free resource or not. This is important because there are websites out there that claim that you can learn everything you need to know by simply using their resources and getting the same information for free.These free resume writing resources can easily tell you what information you will need to use. Most of the time, these sites can help you figure out your skills, education, experience, etc. But that does not mean that you can use them without paying a dime.It is true that you can get a lot of information just by reading through the resources but in order to learn how to write a great resume, you will have to pay a dime for it. Your resume needs to be professional. You do not want to appear to be someone who is new to the job market. In order to do this, you will have to do some research about your job history and provide relevant information.A professional resume will reflect that you know what you are doing. Since most resumes are being sent to job seekers all over the world, it is important that you meet the right qualifications. Your resume will have the potential to give a potential employer an idea of who you are and where you have been.It will also help to have a professional resume that is well designed. You can save money on resume writing tools by being resourceful. You may want to use a paper resume but you can always create a digital one by using some resume templates online. These templates can really come in handy since they can offer you some good ideas.Otherresume writing tools that you can use to create your own resume include online tutorials. You can find free tutorial sites online that can teach you the basics of resume writing. You may also want to take advantage of some educational materials that are off ered by companies. These will teach you how to be successful with resumes.While these resources will help you get some basic knowledge, it is still important that you spend some time on creating your resume. There are a lot of factors that you can take into consideration such as the format of your resume, the content of your resume, and the layout of your resume. It is also very important that you use your resume writing tools effectively in order to get the results that you want.When you are looking for resume writing resources, make sure that you will be able to use them freely. There are many sites that claim that you can learn everything by using their resources but it is definitely true that you will have to spend some money in order to gain access to all these resources. When you are ready to put together your resume, you can look online for free resources that can help you do this.

Three resolutions to take it up a notch - Sterling Career Concepts

Three resolutions to take it up a notch Three resolutions to take it up a notch As a member of the Career Collectivecommunity of resume writers and career coaches, this post is one of many offering specific tips to help job seekersramp up their efforts duringthe holiday season and the new year. I encourage you to visit other members responses linked at the end of my post andfollow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective. Do you make New Years resolutions? I do, butI think its important tomake them realistic. Maybe its justbecause I love all things career-related, but I happen to think that job search efforts lend themself well to resolutions. So in the spirit of the holidays, my gift to you isthree actionable New Years resolutions to jump start your job search. Print them out, work them into your daily and weekly activity plans, and check backwith yourself 6-7 weeks into the New Year to see how youre doing. Tweak, Edit Revitalize. Read throughyour resume. Have someone you trust review it with a fresh eye.Shouldanything be added or removed? Consider a different opening foryourcover letter. Add more selling points to your LinkedIn profile. Its easy to create these documents, get comfortable, andnot think about them again. If a period of time has passed, take an afternoon to sharpenyour documents.Theyre the cornerstone of your search. The Power of One. I cant take credit for this, but it is very effective when it comes to job searching. Make one more cold call. Send one more follow up email. Mail one more cover letter. Stay at the networking event long enough to make one more connection. Just when youre at the point of calling it a day, push yourself to do one more thing and youll see results improved productivity and better odds. Pick 3. No, Im not suggestingyou play the lottery though if luck is on your side, that might help your job search as well! What Im recommending is that you identify three target companies to research and network. Use your own network, tap into your college alumni network, and branch out throughsites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Plaxo. Make a commitment to network your way to thedecision maker or conduct informational interviews withrelevant professionals. Dont just sit back waiting for a job posting. Get in there andput yourself in front ofopportunities. This wont happen overnight, but its worth the investment of time and energy. PS Anxious to get started now? Dont want to wait til January? Check out my recent post withjob search tips for the holiday seasonand my comments here on how to make the best use of the holidays in your job search. Read more holiday-themed career advice here from my colleagues in the Career Collective: @MartinBuckland,Elite Resumes, “Season’s Greetings and your Job Search” @GayleHoward,The Executive Brand,Its Christmas time and a ho-ho-ho-hum? @KCCareerCoach,Career Chaos,“The Gift Every Laid Off Job Seeker Needs” @resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, Holiday Resume Sparkle: Outshine the New Year Job-Search Mob @heathermundell,life@work,“Have a Holly Jolly Job Search” @sweetcareers,Sweet Careers, “Holiday Job Search Tips for College Students 2009? @careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, “Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Cheers” @careerealism, CAREEREALISM.com, Holiday Tip for Job Seekers: 4 Ways to Impress Others with Your Professionalism @heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, “4 Tips for Making the Most of Holiday Job Hunting” @KatCareerGal, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, “Avoiding the Holiday Blues in Your Job Search” @WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithillness.com, “Avoid this Minefield: Drive Your Bus” @DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Could that sound really be opportunity? During the Holidays? @andyinnaples, “Shift Your Focus to the Highest Impact Job Search Activities During the Holidays to Leverage Your Time” @erinkennedycprw, Professional Resume Services,How to keep up the Job Hunt during the Holidays @keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, “Four tips for effective networking follow-up for the holidays and the rest of the year” @ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, “Navigating the Mistle Toe of Job Search” @GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, “Merry Christmas! Can I Buy You Coffee to Talk About Me?” @BarbaraSafani, Career Solvers, “Holiday Networking Can Facilitate New Year Opportunities” @expatcoachmegan, Career By Choice Blog, “Expat Networking: Holidays Are a Great Time to Nurture and Grow Your Network” @chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, “Footprints Associations: Job Search Tips for the Holidays” @JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, (Holiday) Party Your Way to a New Job Three resolutions to take it up a notch Three resolutions to take it up a notch As a member of the Career Collectivecommunity of resume writers and career coaches, this post is one of many offering specific tips to help job seekersramp up their efforts duringthe holiday season and the new year. I encourage you to visit other members responses linked at the end of my post andfollow our hashtag on Twitter: #careercollective. Do you make New Years resolutions? I do, butI think its important tomake them realistic. Maybe its justbecause I love all things career-related, but I happen to think that job search efforts lend themself well to resolutions. So in the spirit of the holidays, my gift to you isthree actionable New Years resolutions to jump start your job search. Print them out, work them into your daily and weekly activity plans, and check backwith yourself 6-7 weeks into the New Year to see how youre doing. Tweak, Edit Revitalize. Read throughyour resume. Have someone you trust review it with a fresh eye.Shouldanything be added or removed? Consider a different opening foryourcover letter. Add more selling points to your LinkedIn profile. Its easy to create these documents, get comfortable, andnot think about them again. If a period of time has passed, take an afternoon to sharpenyour documents.Theyre the cornerstone of your search. The Power of One. I cant take credit for this, but it is very effective when it comes to job searching. Make one more cold call. Send one more follow up email. Mail one more cover letter. Stay at the networking event long enough to make one more connection. Just when youre at the point of calling it a day, push yourself to do one more thing and youll see results improved productivity and better odds. Pick 3. No, Im not suggestingyou play the lottery though if luck is on your side, that might help your job search as well! What Im recommending is that you identify three target companies to research and network. Use your own network, tap into your college alumni network, and branch out throughsites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Plaxo. Make a commitment to network your way to thedecision maker or conduct informational interviews withrelevant professionals. Dont just sit back waiting for a job posting. Get in there andput yourself in front ofopportunities. This wont happen overnight, but its worth the investment of time and energy. PS Anxious to get started now? Dont want to wait til January? Check out my recent post withjob search tips for the holiday seasonand my comments here on how to make the best use of the holidays in your job search. Read more holiday-themed career advice here from my colleagues in the Career Collective: @MartinBuckland,Elite Resumes, “Season’s Greetings and your Job Search” @GayleHoward,The Executive Brand,Its Christmas time and a ho-ho-ho-hum? @KCCareerCoach,Career Chaos,“The Gift Every Laid Off Job Seeker Needs” @resumeservice, Resume Writing Blog, Holiday Resume Sparkle: Outshine the New Year Job-Search Mob @heathermundell,life@work,“Have a Holly Jolly Job Search” @sweetcareers,Sweet Careers, “Holiday Job Search Tips for College Students 2009? @careersherpa, Hannah Morgan: Career Sherpa, “Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Kwanzaa Cheers” @careerealism, CAREEREALISM.com, Holiday Tip for Job Seekers: 4 Ways to Impress Others with Your Professionalism @heatherhuhman, HeatherHuhman.com, “4 Tips for Making the Most of Holiday Job Hunting” @KatCareerGal, Quintessential Resumes and Cover Letters Tips Blog, “Avoiding the Holiday Blues in Your Job Search” @WorkWithIllness, WorkingWithillness.com, “Avoid this Minefield: Drive Your Bus” @DawnBugni, The Write Solution, Could that sound really be opportunity? During the Holidays? @andyinnaples, “Shift Your Focus to the Highest Impact Job Search Activities During the Holidays to Leverage Your Time” @erinkennedycprw, Professional Resume Services,How to keep up the Job Hunt during the Holidays @keppie_careers, Keppie Careers, “Four tips for effective networking follow-up for the holidays and the rest of the year” @ValueIntoWords, Career Trend, “Navigating the Mistle Toe of Job Search” @GLHoffman, What Would Dad Say, “Merry Christmas! Can I Buy You Coffee to Talk About Me?” @BarbaraSafani, Career Solvers, “Holiday Networking Can Facilitate New Year Opportunities” @expatcoachmegan, Career By Choice Blog, “Expat Networking: Holidays Are a Great Time to Nurture and Grow Your Network” @chandlee, The Emerging Professional Blog, “Footprints Associations: Job Search Tips for the Holidays” @JobHuntOrg, Job-Hunt.org, (Holiday) Party Your Way to a New Job

Author cites happiness as crucial to successful and profitable workplace - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Author cites happiness as crucial to successful and profitable workplace - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Im is quoted in this article as saying that: a happy work environment is no longer a luxury ? but essential to creating a successful and profitable workplace. The concept is simple but challenging for many workplaces, which still buy into a ?protestant work ethic,? according to Kjerulf, who is an international speaker and business consultant on the subject. ?There is a pervasive sense that work is tough, hard and unpleasant and thats why you get paid to work.? The article is released in the run-up to the WorldBlu Live 2008 conference in New York on October 16+17 where Ill be speaking. If you havent signed up yet, go do it now its this years best and most inspiring business conference. 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