Steps for changing your job

Step 1 - Detach Yourself from your Current Job

To move on and change jobs you need to detach yourself from your existing job. The more emotionally attached you are to your role, your environment and its traits the more difficult it is to move forward. This emotional baggage is like heavy weights on your shoulder which can paralyse you from making a decision.

The decision is either to remain in the job or to change jobs, a decision in between means you will continue to remain attached to the current job.

Before making the big decision to change jobs, it is recommended that you list the compelling reasons WHY you should change jobs (find the positive reasons) and why you should stay. If the reasons for the change outweighs the reasons against the change this should work as a tipping point to change jobs. HOW to change jobs will then miraculously follow.

Is it a combination of boredom, lack of challenge, working environment, stress, remuneration, misaligned values, other? Take some time to assess your current situation.

Step 2 - The Destination as a Motivation

If you have made up your mind to change jobs, you will now need to know or have an idea of where you want to go that is, a destination, without a destination there is no clear action.

Do some research on where and what your next job could be. If you can find and narrow in on a job or industry that interest, challenges and excites you, this will motivate you further to make that change into your desired career.

Step 3 - Standout Resume and Cover Letter (First Impressions)

Given that a recruiter is likely to receive multiple resumes, your resume must stand out from the competition.

From a recruiter and employer's perspective, the first thing that they see is your resume and cover letter therefore, you must polish off your writing skills and create a standout resume and cover letter.

A standout resume simply addresses what the employer is looking for. If the employer is looking for a checklist of 10 requirements then ensure that those key points are notably and clearly addressed n your resume.

Consider also the following:

Customise your resume for each new role. There should not be a one resume fits all approach. Make some changes to mirror what the employer is looking for even if it may be just some minor adjustments.

Use bullet points to address their requirements and your experiences.

Be concise and get straight to the point.

If you have a long working history, leave out any previous roles that are totally unrelated to the role that you will be applying for (from the employment history section of your resume). For example, if you're applying for a Finance Analyst role, there is no reason to list your previous positions as a Teacher or a Personal Trainer. The exception would be if you are new to the industry then it helps to display your working history.

Other points to consider are preparations for the Interview and etiquette.

Step 4 - Three Key Personality Traits (Apart from Experience)

Apart from experience, employers will more likely be interested in you if you are naturally enthusiastic about the position. If you are going to the interview, ensure that you are 100% committed (leave any doubts at home, you can cast any doubts after the interview) and ensure you bring with you three essential qualities that they are seeking for from job candidates:

A) Aptitude - Your ability, readiness and intelligence or quickness in learning.

B) Motivation - Your drive and enthusiasm for the position

C) Optimism - Your confidence, 'can do' and positive attitude

For any given position it is likely that you will be up against competition for the role, so if you possess the above qualities more so than your competitor then you are in the lead.

Step 5 - Cast a Net

To accomplish your ideal job there is the fast way and the slower way. Using fishing as an analogy, to catch fish the fast way would be to cast a wide net into the ocean versus the slower way which involves using a single rod to cast a hook one at a time.

In relation to job hunting this mean to contact multiple recruiter's and organisations that you have an interest in simultaneously and as many as you can. It is likely that you will be rejected several times depending on how far you are trying to reach however, your acceptances are likely to be the great catch. So expect rejections, the harder something is to catch the more satisfying it is once caught, the easier it is to catch the lower the satisfaction.

Step 6 - Timing

Timing is quite important based on the laws of supply and demand. Generally if you are looking to change jobs during tough economic conditions there will be fewer supply (jobs) with more demand (job seekers). In this case, as a job seeker you are more likely to be disadvantaged as your bargaining power is lower. For this reason, it is prudent to be aware of current economic conditions before making that move, weigh up the options in whether it is the right time to move for you.

Gordon Chen - Motivational Speaker, Career Consultant, Business Analyst

http://www.sparklife.com.au/blog

Entrepreneurship secrets

It's more important than ever to continuously assess how we're moving ahead with our plans and vision. Not to say that my eye isn't on that ball all of the time, but there's a difference between running full out, looking over my shoulder and sitting down to have some time to contemplate what has occurred. With the world moving and changing so quickly, it helps to know rather than assume I'm on track.

This is not a time to judge. More of an opportunity to acknowledge what worked, what surprised me, what was created with intention and all that I learned to move forward with. In my personal quest to be better, to become an Unforgettable Brand, there are elements that my eye can see with greater clarity in hindsight.

It's also the time when I begin to think about the months and years ahead. There's a process to designing our future with intention and purpose, which I thought I'd share a piece of with you. It's impossible to fit it all here, but a few tips can give you a start.

1. Decide. Decide the kind of lifestyle you want to have. How many hours you'd like to work and from where. Is it home or office, virtual or brick and mortar? How did it go this past year and what changes would you like to make?

2. Look. Look inside yourself to see how much you enjoyed the year. Is this your idea of living your passion and purpose? Or is there something missing that could expand you and your reach? Which areas were fun and effortless? Can you do more of that and clear out some of those that didn't feel as enjoyable?

3. Learn. Where is most of your revenue coming from? Can that revenue be increased by repeating or expanding those services? What additional services can you provide that will provide additional solutions for your clients and provide you with additional revenue streams? What did you do over the last year that was really great for you and for your clients? Where can you strengthen your skills?

4. Plan. Now is the time to solidly plan the next 6 to 12 months. Begin to imagine yourself being wildly successful. Only when that piece is defined can you create the action that will accompany your vision. Want to reach thousands more people? Begin to see the path forward. Plan in a deliberate and constructive way.

5. Serve. Service to yourself and others will position you as an expert. Creating an Unforgettable presence in your market can only come to fruition when you're out there, in service, meeting the needs of your market. Look at how your service can be elevated, so that you are the only choice in your niche. Pulling clients towards you will be much more graceful when you come from this place. Try something new. Use video. Write an article, get a speaking gig, attend an event. Get out there!

Growing your brand is truly the opportunity to address your whole business in a manner that serves you as you serve others. It's not something to do when you have the time. It's done so that you have more time, so that you're better aligned with your personal mission, and able to have the energy to build your life from ease and grace. Your brand will give you a solid foundation for an Unforgettable business and most importantly, an Unforgettable LIFE!

Judy Winslow is an avid entrepreneur who has spent her whole working career partnering with business owners to build authentic brand platforms to showcase their services and products. Her new book, The Guide To Getting It: Branding & Marketing Mastery, written with 8 other nationally known business coaches has recently been released, and her classes, consulting and coaching are available to anyone ready to break free of the expected in order to live their dreams. Find out more and sign up for her newsletter for F.R.EE, at http://www.JudyWinslow.com

Live your dreams. Design your life. Choose to be your best. - Judy Winslow

What's Not Being Said About Branding

The business world is a buzz with the term "Branding." Executives are using it. Sales professionals are using it. Marketing professionals are preaching it from their pulpits. Still, the general public continues to ask, "Yeah, but what is it?"

So, the explanation begins, "Well, back in the day, cattle ranchers seared the flesh of their bovine property claiming legal ownership." That is true, and elements of that practice are still relevant today. Yet, the general public continues to ask, "Okay, but what is it?"

What if we abandon the term 'branding' for a moment, with its many definitions and curious history?

Imagine with me, if you will, that you are on a journey in a distant land. You have been on foot for many days. You are cold, hungry and tired. You need shelter, food, and a place to sit and rest. You check your coin pouch and discover you have little money left to procure what you need. Through the evening fog you see a village emerging. A small, dingy and gray cottage on your left bears a flag that reads, "Good Meat in Bread." On your right a little, clean and painted cottage bears a flag with a symbol. The symbol is a yellow colored M. 'Golden Arches. Could it be like the establishment I know back home? Can I have faith that they will provide the nourishment I already know, like and trust?'

What just happened? You have allowed yourself to believe the promise of what you see.

The happy ending to this story is that you are not disappointed. You receive the warmth, food, and rest you seek. Plus, you receive a sense of satisfaction in your decision when you observe a man coming out of the dingy, gray cottage holding his belly and loosing his dinner in a nearby bush.

What is not being answered for the general public in the term 'branding' is whether or not their hopes, expectations, and trust will be disappointed.

We are human beings. It is not natural for us to accept disappointment. It is a pain that we learn to endure.

What though if we have no need to endure such pain? What if we can rightly expect the happiness of knowing we can make good decisions about what we need, because individuals and organizations have built strong reputations of delivering what they promise? And that promise is represented in a symbol?

Does the representation of that symbol end with the banner waving overhead? No. Walk inside and you will find the walls painted in the banner colors. You will also see workers wearing uniforms dyed to match the banner colors, and the symbol of that banner is clearly marked on their head and over their heart...

Yes, the promise is everywhere you look.

Will the establishment deliver on that promise? Are you that establishment? Will you deliver on what you promise?

Let's go back to the term 'branding.' What is branding? It is YOUR promise. How will you craft and create your promise?

Paula Sykora is an experienced artist and graphic designer living near Boulder, Colorado, USA. To learn more, please visit http://www.realworldartstudio.com. You may also contact Paula directly at paula@realworldartstudio.com.

Branding for better life

I had the opportunity this past week to speak to a group of entrepreneurs about personal branding. As you might imagine, I was delighted to share my experience and its significance with the large crowd. Much like a prizefighter, I was warming up back stage, as I was getting ready to deliver a knock out talk to a packed room.

Shortly after I began, an older man in the back of the room raised his hand with a question. He asked, "Is this personal branding stuff nothing more than me just setting up a Facebook page and doing some of the Twitter stuff?" I could not help but laugh to myself at the timing of his question. It occurred to me at that moment that the direction that I was about to head with my talk would have been a complete disaster. Why? I assumed that this group had a reasonable grasp on what personal branding was and were more so looking for some specific ways to leverage their brands to drive more exposure, attention and differentiation in the marketplace. I had planned to discuss and highlight all the great tools now available do build a bulletproof brand. I was fortunate to get that question early in my talk as I was about to take these folks on a road trip along an unpaved highway.

The majority of the group had no real concept of what personal branding was or why they should pay attention. It became even more apparent that there were quite a few folks who very skeptical about personal branding and its relevance for them. They showed up for one reason and that was to see and hear whether personal branding was nothing more than smoke and mirrors. That being the case, I guess I was David Copperfield for the day expected to dazzle people with one trick after another. Nothing against Mr. Copperfield but I was never a big fan of pulling rabbits from my hat. Instead, I did something a tad bit more provocative. I announced to the room that 50% of them would be out of business or barely in business if they continued to ignore personal branding. At this point, an eerie silence took over the room and I noticed that I now had everyone's attention. I scrapped the slides, left the podium and went out into the audience to talk about the realities of the digital marketplace. It ended up being a great experience for me and the audience based on the feedback that I received after the talk.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. In my rush to tell the how and what related to personal branding, I almost forget to highlight the "why", "why me" and "why right now": Context is indeed king and without it, people are often not moved to act or listen. The idea of maintaining one's personal brand may be obvious to some, but certainly not everyone. We still have some work to do. Keep in mind, It is about progress not perfection!

Devin Hughes, The Chief Inspiration Officer is a former college basketball player, sales, marketing, leadership and personal branding aficionado, professional speaker, and frequent eclectic thinker. He draws on a variety of ideas, disciplines and trends to inspire "Big Thoughts" and facilitate conversations as a catalyst for meaningful change. He is a graduate of Colgate University; he lives in Southern California with his wife and four daughters. Follow him on Twitter. Connect with him on Facebook and LinkedIn. His website is http://www.devinchughes.com/ He is available upon request for consultation.