Job Seekers Branding Yourself As A Generalist Doesnt Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Job Seekers Branding Yourself As A Generalist Doesnt Work - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career It used to be, the further you got in your career, the more you described yourself as a generalist. Youd brand yourself as a generalist because thats what youve learned your whole career that being a generalist was valuable, demonstrating your ability to quickly adapt to new situations and learn new skills. The generalist idea We all learned that it was a badge of honor being able to describe ourselves as a generalists, signifying we had experience in many industries and many job functions.. It was kind of like you had fought in many wars This is why so many of us still brand ourselves as generalists. It shouldnt surprise you that the older we are, the more likely we are to cling to the tradition of generalist branding. Also, many of us just dont know another way or cant picture ourselves as anything other than a generalist. For many years, this worked and worked well. From the 1940s until 2007, we had a candidate and skills shortage, so employers had difficulty finding managers and workers with the right basic skills finding a subject matter expert was rare. In addition, during the last 17 years, weve transitioned to a search based economy Now if we want something, we just Google it. A searched based economy allows employers to be specific, more precise in what they want and encourages providers (including job seekers) to be more specific and precise in what we can provide. As marketing guru Seth Godin blogged: When choice is limited, I want a generalist. When selection is difficult, a jack of all trades is just fine. But whenever possible, please bring me a brilliant specialist. Seths right why would employers settle for a generalist with shallow knowledge of many things, when they can find a subject matter expert with deep knowledge in solving their specific problem? Generalist and the expert When Ive written about the death of generalist branding in the past Ive gotten interesting responses. Basically, theres been an outcry of responses from candidates, generally older workers, who spend much effort describing what businesses should do differently and arguing that businesses should hire generalists. Rather than change themselves, instead these job seekers argue that industry trends should change. Even if its true that industry trends are flawed, tilting against windmills wont help these folks find a job. Even small companies who are more likely to need generalists and who have truly generalist positions, still hire subject matter experts, not generalists. While small companies may need people who can wear many hats for certain staff and managerial roles, small business hiring managers typically have one or two overriding priority problems. They typically hire a subject matter expert in solving their priority problems who is also able to fill a number of roles and adapt to new situations. And thats the order of how companies hiring generalist positions usually make hiring decisions. First Find a subject matter expert who has already solved the most pressing priority problems the hiring manager faces. This is almost always done via Applicant Tracking Systems and HR pre-screening. Next choose the subject matter expert who also has other skills and the ability to adapt to many roles. The decision of which subject matter expert is also the best at a generalist role is nearly always made during the interview. If employers first look for subject matter expertise and look via your resume why would you brand yourself as a generalist? But if you dont know another way to brand yourself (or think of yourself) than as a generalist stay tuned till next weeks article. Author: Phil Rosenberg is President of http://www.reCareered.com, a leading job search information website and career coaching service. Phil also runs the Career Central group, one of Linkedin’s largest groups for job seekers and has built one of the 20 largest personal networks on Linkedin globally. An active blogger about social media, career advice and job search information, Phil’s articles have been published by The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, CNN, CBS, AOL, FastCompany, CIO, ZDnet, The Examiner, and leading job/career/recruiting publications and sites. Check out one of Phil’s complimentary job search webinars at http://ResumeWebinar.com .

Yellow Black Finish A Free Resume Template Must-Have for Applicants

Yellow Black Finish â€" A Free Resume Template Must-Have for Applicants Yellow Black Finish â€" A Free Resume Template Must-Have for Applicants Sometimes, you just need to be bold. Your resume should be flashy. It should stand out, and reflect your personality and confidence. Are you absolutely sure of yourself? Do you know that your qualifications and credentials are exactly what hiring managers need? Then don’t hide behind boring black and white resumes! Check out this resume template with an undeniably confident yellow and black finish. This design isn’t for the faint of heart, but it is guaranteed to make people take notice. Of course, we’re not about style without substance. In addition to these eye-catching colors, we’ve provided you with a great layout that you can use to feature your skills, education, and work experience. Let managers know exactly who you are with a stand-out personal profile. What better way to sell yourself!You can download this template for free. All we ask in return is that you share this post on social media so others can use it as well. File size: 56 KB Format: .doc Downloaded 4,394 times License: Free, personal use only. Please read the license terms for resources. Download previous article What should I do following my job interview? next article Key Skills That All Resumes Need you might also likeCadmium Yellow: Simple, Yet Elegant Resume Template

How to Write the Perfect Resume

How to Write the Perfect ResumeWhen it comes to applying for a job, many people wonder how to write the perfect resume. You may be the perfect candidate, but your resume doesn't seem to stand out. It could be because you don't use a great cover letter or you didn't prepare it well enough.If you want to know how to write the perfect resume, here are a few tips that may help you. Be sure to have a good understanding of what kind of resume is needed before you begin.If you are planning on submitting a resume, this is one step you should do yourself. Create a cover letter and set a specific time frame for when you need to submit it. Remember that it's better to have it together before hand, rather than having to submit it a week or two later when your schedule may have been unplanned. Get the information that is necessary before hand so that you don't have to create it later. This may seem like a silly step, but sometimes there are things that you can do yourself that will save you money .Create a resume by looking at others' resumes. Go online and do a search for examples of resumes. Look for mistakes and common mistakes that are commonly made by others. There are many resources available online, as well as some books, that will show you how to fix any mistakes that you see.Formatting is another key factor when it comes to creating a resume. Make sure you get everything in order, including the number of columns, as well as the order in which the sections appear. There are certain fonts and sizes that will make a difference.Make sure your resume includes any information that you want to include. Don't be afraid to show your qualifications, especially if you are trying to persuade a potential employer to hire you. The skills and experience you have will help you get the job as well as give you an advantage over other applicants.Finally, how to write the perfect resume begins with the words that you put on it. It's essential that you understand what types of words mak e a resume effective. Try to avoid long and technical terms. Even if they may be hard to understand, they should not be used in a resume.These tips will be useful to know, especially if you want to know how to write the perfect resume. You may want to try and use something professional looking if you are applying for a job. A professional resume will also help you get the job faster.

Book review All hat and no cattle - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review All hat and no cattle - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog This book is the story of Chris Turner, and her work to bring change, learning and empowerment into Xerox. Its a highly entertaining book, right from this first line: My family never did hold much with organized religion. The fact is, we ended up in Texas because my great-grandfather roughed up a priest in Arkansas. Seems the good father didnt want to bury a nonbaptized child the Catholic cemetery, and my great-granddaddy took offense at such malarkey Given this background youll understand how I came by my habits of challenging rules and dogma. Questioning the status quo is something I have done all my life. And reading these tales of a corporate outlaw youre left with little doubt that the status quo needs to be questioned. And heres a tip: When you read the book, imagine it in a thick southern drawl that makes it even better. The book is full of wonderful stories, that demonstrate how irrational and silly many business practices today have become, but also show that change is possible. You dont have to sit on your hands complaining, its possible to make a positive difference even in very large, static and bureaucratic organizations. One of the points that really made a difference for me, is when Turner talks about learning. Many people look upon learning as something you can package, and transfer from one person to another, but the fact is, that only about 15% of the population learn in that way. Most people learn by experience. Therefore, when she was creating projects to enhance cooperation and learning at Xerox, she didnt create long slidehows about why learning and cooperation is good. Instead her team created somehting called camp lurning, where Xerox employees participated over several days, and where they automatically cooperated and learned. The main point being, that if you want to teach a behaviour, place people in a situation where they can exhibit that behaviour. As an example, the first day of camp lurning was deliberatly chaotic, forcing particpants to self-organize around a number of tasks allowing them to learn and cooperate on the spot, and to experience the benefits of it first hand. Turner argues, that most Powerpoint slide shows are created for the benefit of the speaker, not the participants, and that the Tell them and they will know idea is fundamentally wrong. Yaaaaaaay! One of Turners advantages seems to be, that she was never afraid of the organizations top dogs. In one story, she convinces the president Norm Rickard to drop a planned speech announcing a new organizational structure by telling him You know I love you Norm, and I need to tell you something. Youll never be a great speaker, but you are a terrific storyteller. Why dont you just sit on a stool and tell stories. Bag the speech. He agreed, it went great, and he later thanked Turner for the advice. In that respect, Turner reminds me of Gordon Mackenzie who worked 20 years for Hallmark, assuming the role of Corporate fool and wrote a book about it called orbiting the giant hairball. It seems to me a short step from Corporate Fool to Corporate Outlaw. This book is a wonderful, easy read with lots of deep learning about how organizations become frozen and dead, and how change can be brought about anyway, even in the face of little corporate support, no money, silly bureaucracy and widespread hopelessness. And in case youre wondering, all hat and no cattle, is a Texan expression for anything that favours style over content, for instance something that looks good on paper, but doesnt work in real life or a person who doesnt walk the talk. 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

Keeping Your Business On The Straight Narrow

Keeping Your Business On The Straight Narrow If you want your business to remain in good stead for its lifetime, you need to make sure that you are keeping it well within legal limits. There are always all kinds of guidelines and rules not to mention laws which a business needs to abide by. As long as you are abiding by those laws, you should be able to keep your business on the straight and narrow, and keep yourself and your fellow management teams out of trouble. But for that, you need to know what those guidelines actually are. There are a few main areas where you need to pay attention to this side of things so let’s look at what those are. Employment Law When it comes to your people, you need to make sure you are treating them fairly and in such a way which falls in line with the law and any industry guidelines which you might need to follow. But so many entrepreneurs fail to appreciate just how much there is to consider here, which is where the likes of Acas come into play. Such institutions will be able to inform you where you might be going wrong, as well as what you could possibly do to fix it. If you are interested in getting that kind of help for your business, take a glance at this Acas Phone number list. You should be able to find the contact details of someone who can really help you to get to the bottom of your business’ employment law concerns, so it’s definitely worth a call. Intellectual Property You need to make sure that you are never inadvertently using the ideas of someone else, as this is one of the quickest ways to get into trouble with the law. It will very rarely be purposeful, but even so you need to think about what you are doing when it comes to coming up with ideas for products, services, marketing and so on. Of course, this works both ways, and you should also be sure to legally protect your own ideas as best as you can too. As long as you are doing both of these, you should find that you are able to keep in line with the law, and not allow others to steal your ideas either, which can be one of the worst things to happen to any business. Tax It goes without saying that you will always need to pay tax, but so many first-time business owners fail to appreciate just how much tax there might be to pay. In many cases, you will have to pay income tax, corporation tax and even more if you earn over a certain amount. With all these different hurdles to overcome, it is definitely a big help to hire the assistance of a business tax accountant. They will be able to tell you where you might be going wrong, what you might be missing out on, and they might even be able to help you legally reduce your tax bill too.

The Recession is Bullhonkey Vanessas Story - When I Grow Up

The Recession is Bullhonkey Vanessas Story - When I Grow Up This is part of  The Recession is Bullhonkey series, where I share stories of those who have gotten hired and/or started their own businesses (or sometimes both!) since 2008.  As a cancer survivor myself, I especially love Vanessas story, which youre about to read below. Cancer can take our organs, but never our (sick but appreciated!) sense of humor OR our dream career! I was diagnosed with cancer in 2010 after losing my dad and my last full time job. I had a big, fat gap on my resume that I couldnt quite explain away. No one at my colleges career counseling department warned me that I could be broke, bald and dying at 25. As Stephanie Tanner on Full House would often lament, How rude. So I did what any sane person would do. I started my own business. I was really mad that my cancer diagnosis had really awful timing. My last job was working in Human Resources figuring out which employees to fire because of the economy. Two weeks before I’m let go, my father suddenly passed away at age 79. I was 23 and none of my friends could understand why I was fed up with ever working again. You see, the last 3 days my dad was alive he regressed in his memories to his last job as a superintendent of the building I grew up in. 79 years’ worth of memories and all he could think about was a job that treated him like garbage. I had to keep working though I found it distasteful. Temp jobs dried up so, I applied to volunteer at my favorite museum and was accepted. I threw myself into meeting as many staff members as I could, trying network for a paying position. At the highest point of my master plan of finding gainful employment, I was foiled by that dastardly disease called lymphoma. My heart and lungs were being crushed by a 23cm cancerous mass. I had to start chemotherapy immediately and things were touch and go for the next six months. I didnt have the physical energy to go to the museum nor did I have an immune system that would protect me from the teeming masses of germs patrons brought with them. Cancer forced me to become a hermit and hide from the world. Again, how rude! To alleviate the boredom of forced solitude, I turned to my crafting habit. As a joke, I sewed a lymph node to give to my oncologist. Nurses and patients alike asked me to make one for them. People lit up holding Lymphy and laughing at his embroidered smile. They all wanted one and put in requests for different organs. I opened up an Etsy shop called Survival Organs in 2013. I’m now marketing my organs as a better alternative to flowers and Hallmark Cards for sick friends. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I was a vendor at Stupid Cancers OMGEast 2014 Summit in New York City. My fellow young adult cancer survivors cleared me out of inventory and happily paid deposits for custom organs. I was worried about my product being too niche and too weird. My organs are odd but people love them. Analyzing my cancer experience, I saw what kept me going was my strange sense of humor. Ive been able to allow other people, cancer survivors or not, to laugh at the awful and absurd situations life puts us in. I have the freedom to do limited travel, I get to work around how my body is feeling (or not feeling) according to the day and I get to make people laugh, even for only a moment. I couldnt get the job I thought I wanted so I made the job that Ive fallen in love with. Plus, I get to tell my mom that Im legally selling my body online. While battling lymphoma at age 25, Vanessa realized that there was a dearth of support for young people to deal with their cancer diagnosis. Support groups full of grandparents didn’t address having job or family stress, and she vowed that when she was back on her feet she would help people like her find a way to cope and thrive. Focusing on the things that got her through her dark times, and using her creativity as an outlet, she started Survival Organs, selling stuffed organs with funny faces. You can’t punch your real guts but you can punch one of hers.  

Online Professional Resume Writing Services

Online Professional Resume Writing ServicesOnline professional resume writing services can be an important part of your job search. There are many companies and programs out there that can help you out with your career search. But there are some things that you should know about before using these services, so you can make sure you're doing it right.First of all, you need to know that in order to be good at online professional resume writing services can be useful in several ways. It can give you the tools you need to show your employer that you have more to offer them than just a good work ethic. It can also give you the knowledge you need to demonstrate how you learned things over time, rather than being born to do it. And it can help you stand out from the crowd when other applicants use your resume to apply for the same job.Using the services of online professional resume writing services can help you in a few different ways. One is that you will learn how to craft your own resum e that is unique, professional, and easy to read. You will be given the tools you need to avoid common mistakes that other people make when creating their own resume. You will also find it easy to adapt these skills into other parts of your job search.On top of this, you will find online professional resume writing services can give you tips on how to go about choosing the right type of company to work with. They can show you how to structure your job search as well as what companies are looking for. This is very important because there are so many companies out there who will look at your resume and then ask you to interview for the position.Another thing that makes using the services of online professional resume writing services to be a good choice is that they are customer focused. These companies are willing to help you find a job when other people have failed to do so. This means that the companies can help you select the right company that is most likely to hire you. This mea ns that you get to focus on the benefits of working with a specific company and not other companies.A final thing to keep in mind is that these online professional resume writing services are very well established and reputable. The company you're working with will be able to provide you with the best kind of help and information. They know how to set up and use professional resume writing services, and they are also good at teaching you how to write your own resume, which makes it easy for you to learn and remember important details.Overall, if you need help finding a job, then hiring an online professional resume writing service can be a great choice. They have experience and expertise in the field of resume writing, which means that they can get you the job you want.