Career Advice

10 Ways Highly Successful People View Life Differently

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10 Ways Highly Successful People View Life Differently
Here’s what you can learn from how ultra-successful people live their lives and run their businesses.
Link to Article

BY PAUL GROSSINGER
Entrepreneur, investor, and speaker

 

Have you ever wondered what drives self-made, ultra-successful people to such incredible heights?

Why are they different?

Ultra-successful people view life differently from other people, and its reflected in how they live, work, save, invest, and give.

Here are 10 highlighted ways ultra-successful people view life differently and behave differently, many of which you can successfully incorporate in your life.

1)      They think big

Ultra-successful people look at problems and think about big solutions. They don’t look for incremental ways to solve minor problems, or shy away from big challenges because they look too difficult, or require too much risk.

Tim Draper, the famous venture capitalist, hit this point on the head at a recent lunch, where he explained to young entrepreneurs that he only invests in people solving huge problems, because only major issues lead to real change and incredible opportunities.

2)      They bring the best talent around them

My friend Katherine O’Neill, who runs Jumpstart New Jersey Angels, often says of founders pitching us: “do they want to be king or do they want to be successful?” A desire to be surrounded by great talent, rather than be king of an unsuccessful and sycophantic sandbox, often separates those who truly are successful from those who merely wish to be.

3)      They take huge but calculated risks

Calculated risk is very different from gambling. Often, you read that ultra-successful people “take risks,” which is true but often belies the deeper truth: they are clear eyed about assessing the challenges, risks, and benefits and then are willing to take the risk if it is worth it.

Steve Jobs is a perfect example. In the late 1990s, it was a huge risk to return to Apple, and risk his reputation – again – on the company that had unceremoniously thrown him out and was on the edge of collapse. But Jobs assessed the risks, decided he could turn it around, and dove in headfirst.

4)      They execute

Being ultra-successful requires being good at follow through. You can’t just have great ideas, or be a great talker. Most ultra-successful people are capable not only of having good ideas and identifying opportunities, but galvanizing others behind them.

5)      They read

Great minds like to read what other great minds think, and do, and learn from them. The first lesson that one ultra-successful person taught me years ago was: “sure, I know what I don’t know, but I want to learn as much of it as possible – and there are others who can teach it to me.” Ultra-successful people are life-long learners and respect the knowledge others have in their domains and what they can learn. The mantra among most I know is: ‘if you know everything, you learn nothing.”

6)      They negotiate hard–but smart

There is an old adage that wealthy people didn’t make it by spending it. This is certainly true. Although many ultra-successful people are incredibly philanthropic and generous of time and money, in business they tend to be shrewd negotiators with great attention to detail. Indeed, as they grow more successful, this tendency appears to increase, rather than lessen, despite their reduced need to sweat the details.

7)      They have routines

Most ultra-successful people have clear, repeatable routines that they can vary when necessary but tend to stick to whenever possible. Continually changing routines upsets the body and creates added stress, which can in turn reduce rest and complicate decision-making. Using routines to increase your comfort level can help increase your success.

8)      They focus on relationships, not transactions

Ultra-successful people, particularly the most successful entrepreneurs, typically develop a relatively small set of highly valued relationships with people they work with again and again. Once mutual trust is built, it becomes much easier to have repeat success together.

Indeed, many of the most successful startup teams have worked together on multiple projects, and went to the same group of investors for each one!

9)      They cluster

Ultra-successful people usually want to be around other people who they feel are similar. Those clusters of individuals then tend to build more meaningful relationships and work together with more frequency and success.

10)   They care

Just yesterday, I brought a project to an ultra-successful investor who told me, “this seems very compelling, but I’m not going to do it because I can’t bring myself to care.” Mercenary reasons rarely ever work. Ultra-successful know they need to care and have passion to be engaged enough for something to be successful.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
PUBLISHED ON: MAY 23, 2016

May 2016 Newsletter for Accounting & Finance Professionals in Houston

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire


 

May 2016

Industry News and Updates:

Boom or Bust? Neither! The first question I seem to get when I speak to both hiring managers and candidates is: “How is the market doing?” My answer is: It’s not 2014 where every company in Houston seemed to be hiring, but it is also not the 80’s bust either (I personally have only heard stories about this time). Houston has come such a long way and has diversified from being just an oil town since then. We are so much more! Don’t get me wrong there are industries in Houston that are truly hurting, but there are also industries that are doing just fine. The price of oil does impact our economy directly and indirectly, but I am so excited to report that it seems to be ticking up every week. Today the price is around $45 a barrel. Most economist will tell you that we need to get to $60 dollars a barrel and a lot of them have predicted we will hit that number by the end of the year.

It is harder to find a job today and you have to use multiple resources. You cannot simply go online, upload your resume to CareerBuilder and wait for the phone to ring. First, you have to make sure that you have a good resume (there are some links listed below with resume writing tips) and then you have to use great recruiters, your network, LinkedIn, networking functions, ads, niche job boards and yes CareerBuilder. One source is not enough in the present job market. The great news is that our unemployment rate is still below 5%; which technically speaking, means that we are at full employment. As you know, I always like to see the bright side of things!

See you again in July 2016

Local Statistics:

  • National Unemployment Rate: 5.1 (last year 5.6)
  • Houston Unemployment Rate:  4.9 (last year 4.3)
  • Oil Rig Count: 437 (last year 976)  
  • Price of Oil: 45.9 (last year around 55)
  • Industries hiring: Consumer Products / Service related companies, Chemical, Real Estate, Non Profit, Legal, Public Accounting Firms!!!! 
  • Positions in demand: Staff &  Senior Accountants, Tax, Audit, Management level roles in Accounting

Interesting Articles:

Local Searches:

Galleria area:

  • Financial Reporting & Consolidations Senior – must have public – Galleria
  • GL Accountant – 59 & Main
  • Associate Manager / Manager – Professional Services Firm – Consulting on high profile projects – full time role – need at least 2.5 year of public accounting and maybe a splash of industry to qualify
  • Senior Compliance / IT Auditor
  • Senior Federal & State Tax Accountant
  • Payroll Manager with PeopleSoft
  • Senior Internal Auditor – low travel
  • Reduced work week hours: Tax Manager or Supervisor – small public accounting firm
  • Senior Accountant, Great Plains preferred 

North Houston:

  • Senior Accountant – NW Houston
  • Senior Insurance Accountant – NW Houston
  • Staff Auditor – Woodlands
  • Senior Staff Accountant – Woodlands
  • Senior Auditor – Woodlands
  • Junior Property Accountant – Greenspoint
  • Accounting Manager – Real Estate – Woodlands

Downtown/Central:

  • Senior Auditor, Downtown, 40% travel
  • Staff Accountant (big 4) – 2 openings
  • Audit Manager – Non Profit – 10M dollar Budget
  • Tax Staff Accountant – Galleria
  • Senior IT Auditor – Galleria
  • Tax Supervisor – CPA Firm – are you a senior ready for the next step?
  • International Controller
  • Director of FP&A (must have MBA)
  • Treasury Analyst, DT, Must have Big 4 Audit
  • Billing Specialist with Elite

West Houston/Energy Corridor:

  • Accounting Director (public accounting background)
  • Payroll Coordinator – Rosenberg
  • Audit Senior – 70% travel – West

Consulting & Temporary Roles:

  • Accounting Assistant – Hospitality
  • 4 Fixed Asset Accountant – West
  • Interim Controller with Dynamics – West
  • Contracts Analyst – Sugar Land
  • Receptionist, Southeast
  • HR / Recruiter – Non Profit
  • Receptionist – Non Profit

San Antonio Openings:

  • Bank Auditor-Top San Antonio Employer (Up to 122k)
  • Staff Bank Auditor- Top San Antonio Employer(up to75k)
  • Audit- Sox with Exotic Travel (Insurance Industry, up to 75k)
  • Tax Analyst- Federal & State Tax, (Renewable Energy, ~70s)
  • Controller- Implement new policies & procedures (Automotive Industry, 120-150k)

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Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

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“If you think you are beaten, you are,

If you think you dare not, you don’t.

If you like to win, but you think you can’t,

It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,

For out in the world we find,

Success begins with a fellow’s will –

It’s all in the state of MIND.

If you think you’re outclassed, you are,

You’ve got to think high to rise,

You’ve got to be sure of yourself before

You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles, don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man

But soon or later the man who wins

Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”

― Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich

5 Things on You Should NEVER Say or Do on a Resume

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

MAY 12, 2016 BY

http://bullseyerecruiting.net/5-things-on-you-should-never-say-or-do-on-a-resume/

 

Sometimes when I am reading resumes I feel like I should be a third grade English teacher rather than a recruiter.  Why do I say this?  I am simply amazed by the mistakes made on resumes.  The misspellings, the run on sentences, the formatting, and the blatant lack of attention to detail are simply astounding.  I need a red pen to mark up the resume.  As I have said more than once, even in the age of social media and LinkedIn, resumes are essential in your job search.

Do you know the song by Tim McGraw called “I Like It, I Love It” where he says “I throwed out my shoulder”?  Even if you aren’t a fan of country music, that song has been played on every radio station across America for the past decade.  Every time I hear it, I feel like someone is running their fingernails across the chalkboard.  It is “I threw”, not “I throwed”!  Why, oh why, would he say such a thing?!!  That is EXACTLY how I feel when I look at resumes that aren’t done well.

There are common errors that need to be eliminated.  I want to share with you some of those common errors and hopefully you will NEVER make these mistakes.  After all, a resume is a first impression and you may never get to an interview if your resume isn’t done correctly.

Here are 5 things you should NEVER say or do on a resume:

  1. Apply to a job that you have NEVER done without a Cover Letter or explanation. I am really struggling with this one.  This is my #1 pet peeve.  It is kind of like putting diesel in a car that only takes unleaded.  Why? Okay, if you want to change careers, that is cool, but tell me why you want to make a change and how you are able to do the job. Simple enough?
  2. Never apply to a job without a LinkedIn URL. Why in this day and age would you not have a LinkedIn account?  I just don’t get it.  If you are in the job market, don’t you know I am going to check your social profile? Also, if you want to hear more about how I feel about this, read here.
  3. Never compromise your resume & career by trying to cram everything on one page. The one page rule in my mind is ridiculous.  Who cares?  If you have had an established career and want to highlight what you have done, then please, by all means make it longer.  I think 2-3 page resumes are the norm today.  With all of the technologies and skills that are required of candidates, you better make sure you list the right skills the company is looking for in a candidate.  Do you think they care how long their job description is?  No!
  4. I don’t need your physical address or home phone. Guys, this is not 1995.  Everything is electronic, on social media, or on your mobile device.  I need your e-mail, phone number, blog site, LinkedIn (I’ll say it again), Twitter account, or whatever relevant information you can give me so I can research you.  I need to know what city you live in, but I don’t need to know your physical home address.  I really don’t want your home number either.  A cell is all I want and need.  I don’t need your grandmother answering a phone call and taking down your phone number.
  5. Please tell me CLEARLY what you did at your job (in CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER), what you accomplished, and what skills you have acquired. I don’t need all of your skills jumbled together with your company name and dates of employment at the bottom of your resume!  What are you hiding?  Look, if you have gaps in your employment tell me what you have been doing.  Have you been consulting?  Have you been going back to school?  Just spell it out for me.  I’ll likely pass on your resume if I can’t figure it out in 6 seconds, so make it simple!

Of course I am only scratching the surface here, but this is a good start.  Next week I’ll give 5 more pointers.  Please whatever you do, don’t “throwed” out your shoulder between now and then.

@willrecruits 

 
Read more at http://bullseyerecruiting.net/5-things-on-you-should-never-say-or-do-on-a-resume/#dZ0S27ZIkksZMw8w.99

10 Ways to Boost Your Productivity at the Office-Article written by Lori Lynn Smith for Lifehack

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10 Ways to Boost Your Productivity at the Office

Article written by Lori Lynn Smith for Lifehack

You stagger into the office five minutes before your are suppose to start, you have a coffee in your hand. You do like your job, but it is hard to hit the floor peppy and productive every single day. It feels even harder when you find yourself sitting for so long at one time. That is the nature of the job, but how can you change things up a little to create an environment that is more productive and more enjoyable?Here are ten strategies that can set the tone and keep you motivated to be productive:

1. Plan
Get to your desk about 15 minutes early and write out a daily list of tasks and plan out your day before it begins. This will help to keep you focused and on track throughout the day. Set out your top three most important tasks to do first.
2. Power hour
Commit! Dedicate the first hour to getting as much done as you can. Avoid your email inbox, favorite blogs, and voicemails, and get right to work. This sets the tone for the day and gives you a great sense of accomplishment that can follow you through to home time.
3. Recess
When we were kids we probably loved recess more than school, but our teacher knew that we needed small breaks to help us learn better. The same is true for working. Allocating specific time periods when it’s okay to become distracted can help make the rest of your day more productive. Just keep them short and then get back to it.
4. Time chunking
By shifting your focus between tedious and repetitive tasks and those that are more engaging, you can keep yourself more happily involved in your work throughout the day. Give each task category a time frame and alternate back and forth between them for best results.
5. Rock the clock
Rather than working on a project until it’s completed, resolve to work on a project for a set period of time, then change your focus. This will keep you productive and eliminate some of the tedium associated with working on the same project for long periods of time.
6. Organize your email
You can increase sanity by keeping your inbox organized, especially if you get a lot of correspondence on a daily basis. Use folders and filters to keep your email inbox organized and it will be as beneficial as having a tidy desk or cubicle. I personally like to strive for Inbox Zero: daily is great, but definitely by Friday afternoon.
7. Listen to music
Music can help you settle into your work routine. Low-volume music can drown out noises in the office without interrupting other people around you. Choose music that helps you focus without distracting you. It has been shown that while listening to Classical music your IQ actually increases—you might want to give it a try!
8. Drink up
Hydration is important for a variety of health reasons. Fill up a personal water bottle and keep it with you all day. Keeping a water bottle by your side will prevent you from having to get up over and over to get more water and ensures that you stay hydrated throughout the day. I love to use a 1 liter bottle, and drink one before lunch and one after lunch.
9. Leave your desk for lunch
Having a lunch break away from your desk can disrupt your productivity routine, but it does provide some much-needed relaxation and respite from your work. Enjoy your lunch break and return to your work with renewed energy and focus. Exercising during lunch, even if it is just a quick walk around the park, will also help to keep your energy up.
10. Keep it professional
Respond to personal emails and deal with personal phone calls on your own time. By clearly separating work and home, you can focus yourself better during the day to get more done. If you have important personal tasks that need to be done, use your break or lunch, but walk away from your desk.
Hit your stride
You can stay productive during work hours if you plan out your day and really think about what you’re doing at work. It doesn’t take much forethought to have a good workday, but the time you put into planning can pay off big time!

Read the original article posted on Lifehack.

9 Powerful Affirmations Successful People Repeat Every Single Day By Jeff Haden

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire
9 Powerful Affirmations Successful People Repeat Every Single Day
Successful people think about their work — and themselves — differently than most. And so can you.
BY JEFF HADEN
Contributing editor, Inc.

If you’re not achieving the success you hope for, whether personally or professionally, take a step back. The problem may not be a lack of education, or opportunity, or connections, or even luck.

The problem could be what you believe — and as a result, what you do.

What do the most successful people believe and therefore do differently? Here are some of the affirmations successful people make very day:

1. “In one way, I will always be last.”

Everyone likes to be first. But often it’s better to be last: the last to give up, the last to leave, the last to keep trying, the last to hold on to principles and values.

The world is full of people who quit. The world is full of people who pivot (pivot is sometimes just a fancy word for “give up”).

There will always be people who are smarter, more talented, better connected, and better funded than you. But they don’t always win.

Always be the last to give up on yourself.

2. “I will never equate acquisition with satisfaction.”

Psychologists call it “hedonistic adaptation,” a phenomenon in which people quickly push the buzz from a new purchase toward their emotional norm.

That “aah…” feeling you get when you look at your new house? It quickly goes away. The same is true for your new car, new furniture, and new clothes. So to recapture the “aah…” feeling, you have to buy something else. The cycle is addictive. And so you’re never satisfied. You can’t be. That’s not how we’re made.

Real, lasting satisfaction comes from doing, not from having. Want to feel good about yourself? Help someone. Knowing you’ve made a difference in another person’s life is an “aah…” that lasts forever.

It’s also a cycle that’s addictive — but this time, in a really good way.

3. “I will never mistake political gain for achievement.”

Infighting, positioning, trying to look better by making other people look worse: Playing politics can help get you ahead.

But if you win through politics, you still ultimately lose, since political success is based on the impulses, whims, and caprices of other people (often other people you don’t even respect or like). That means today’s success can be tomorrow’s failure, and success or failure is largely outside your control.

Real achievements are based on merit. They can’t be taken away by anyone.

4. “I won’t let the fear of criticism hold me back.”

Try something different. Try something others won’t try. Almost immediately, people will talk about you-and not in a kind way.

The only way to keep people from being snide, disparaging, or judgmental is to say and do what everyone else does. Then, of course, you live their lives and not yours. And you won’t be happy.

See people talking about you as a sign you’re on the right track-your track.

Your track is the happy track. Not theirs.

5. “I will go ahead and ship — and then ship again.”

As Seth Godin says, we’re naturally afraid to be “done” because then our idea, our product, or our service has to sink or swim, and we’re desperately afraid it will sink.

And maybe it will-but if you don’t put it out there, it can also never swim. No product can be successful until it’s shipped. No application can be successful until it’s released. No service can be successful until it’s in the field.

When in doubt, ship it out. Then make whatever you produce next is a little better. And ship that. And keep going.

You can’t feel proud until you ship. So ship — a lot.

6. “I will see my rsum as the journey, not the end result.”

Many people collect jobs and experiences in pursuit of crafting a “winning” rsum.

That’s backwards. Your rsum is like a report card: It’s just a by-product of what you’ve accomplished, learned, and experienced.

Don’t base your life on trying to fill in the blanks on some “ideal” CV. Base your life on accomplishing your goals and dreams. Figure out what you need to do to get to where you want to be, and do those things.

Then let your rsum reflect that journey.

7. “I will refuse to wait.”

For the right time. The right people. The right market. The right something.

And life passes you by.

The only right is right now.

Go.

8. “I won’t collect stuff; I’ll “collect” people.”

Walk around your house. Or look around your office. Look at your stuff.

Now have your extended family over for dinner. Or get together with friends. Look at your people.

Which is more fulfilling?

Thought so. You can love your stuff, but your stuff will never love you back.

9. “I will always maintain perspective.”

Close your eyes and imagine I have the power to take everything you hold dear away from you: family, job or business, home, everything.

And I exercise that power. All of it, everything, is gone.

Would you beg and plead and offer me anything to get that life back? Would getting that life back mean everything to you? Would you realize that what you had was so much more important than what you didn’t have?

Would you realize that what I just took away was pretty freaking awesome?

Of course you would.

Now open your eyes, literally and figuratively, and never forget how much you’ve accomplished — and how proud you should be.

PUBLISHED ON: MAY 11, 2016

Tax Analyst – Growing Power Services Company – Houston – dlemaire@cfstaffing.com

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Are you a Tax professional looking to join a dynamic corporate tax team? Our client, a reputable and rapidly growing organization, is looking to add a strong Tax Analyst to join their team. Do you enjoy problem solving and being an integral part of a growing team? If yes, then this is the position for you!

Why take a Tax Analyst role with this company?
• Exposure to a growing, multi-billion dollar global Fortune 500 company
• Key part of the corporate tax team
• Opportunity to work with a high-performance team
• Ability to grow within the tax/accounting department and/or move to other area of the organization (financial reporting, business analysis, etc)

What the Tax Analyst will do:
• Assist in the state tax provision process
• Prepare state tax payable/receivable reconciliations
• Prepare state tax returns, estimated tax payment and extensions
• Track state tax attributes including state NOLs and valuation allowance

 What the company needs in a Tax Analyst:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance
• Minimum of 1-2 years of public accounting (Big 4 preferred) or corporate tax experience
• CPA Eligible or CPA Certified required

Perks of the Tax Analyst role:

• Competitive base salary up to $80K
• Strong benefits package
• 401-K with match

Time saving tricks for your job search via www.cfstaffing.com

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

Time saving tricks for your job search

People tend to exhibit impatient tendencies; we like things to happen quickly. Unfortunately, the job search process is very rarely associated with being a quick or an easy one. Don’t fret though; here are 5 time saving tricks that can help speed up the process.

Get Organized

Organization is essential if you hope to be efficient throughout this process. Tammy Power, Staffing Manger of CFSBakersfield, advises keeping all of your resumes, cover letters, and all other application materials in one place. Create a folder on your desktop dedicated to your job search efforts. Label your resumes by company, date, and anything else that will help you identify them at a later point. In addition, creating an excel file to keep track of all active applications ensures that you don’t miss any deadlines and reminds you when to follow up. It also serves as a great place to store all of the contact information from any hiring managers you have spoken with.

Utilize Job Alerts

It’s time to start using job search boards more efficiently. Shannon Wagner, Director of Staffing at CFS Oakbrook, suggests utilizing websites such as Indeed, CareerBuilder, etc. to enhance your search by signing up for job alerts, saving you the hassle of scrolling through all the job postings on each site. She also recommends creating a separate email that you can use solely for job search purposes. This guarantees that your current inbox won’t be flooded by the daily email alerts. After all, staying organized is key.

Narrow Your Search

In order to best utilize your time, “focus your efforts on applying to jobs that are right for you based on skills, rather than ones that you are interested in but not qualified for,” says Power. Doing so will not only cut down on the time you spend sending out resumes, but it will maximize the number of responses you receive. When it comes to job hunting, the saying “quality over quantity” remains true.

Position Yourself on Social Media

In today’s society, social media is inescapable. In fact, many recruiters and hiring managers will screen your social media accounts before they even meet you. LinkedIn has become an essential part of building this social media presence; if you do not have a professional or highly visible profile, then your application may be rejected. Having a strong online presence will not only help push your current applications to the top of the pile, but it will help potential recruiters find you in the future. If you promote your skills throughout your profile and focus on using key terms from your industry, you will have a greater chance of being discovered.

Network, Network, Network

As you apply for various positions, don’t forget that sometimes the best way to learn about new career opportunities is through your network. Go to networking functions or grab lunch with a former colleague. As you put yourself out there, you will meet new people and continuously expand your network. After all, a strong network is always a great thing to have, but it is especially helpful when searching for a new job opportunity.

What time saving tricks do you use? We want to hear it so please comment below!

Are you on the job hunt for a new career? Our recruiters are here to help! Check out our latest job postings here, or find a CFS office located closest to you here.

7 ways to break the job-hopping streak Written by: Tatiyana Cure, Executive Recruiter, CFS New York

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7 ways to break the job-hopping streak

Written by: Tatiyana Cure, Executive Recruiter, CFS New York

Most recent graduates find themselves with a mountain of student loans and feel obligated to accept the first offer that provides them a decent paycheck. With not much prior experience, they tend to change jobs quickly and often while trying to discover what they are good at, enjoy doing, and need to earn to afford living costs while also paying off student loans.

We have grown to accept the 1-3 years of job-hopping after graduation. However, the job-hopping streak also happens to those who feel pressured to make more money, want to change career paths, are looking to relocate, or simply do not get any satisfaction out of what they are doing. Before you take a new job, consider these steps to break your job-hopping streak:

Determine exactly what you would change about your current situation

Before you seek employment outside of your current organization, speak to your boss. If you’re looking for a higher salary and good at your job, you will get a counteroffer when you put in your resignation, which is tempting to take. However, your loyalty will be questioned and nobody wins in that situation. So, have that conversation before you start applying to other jobs. If you want a promotion but feel that there is no room for growth, voice that you would like to be challenged in your role. You may be surprised to find out that the firm already has a promotion lined up for you or even created a new role.

Identify your ideal situation

This can include: salary range, job title, industry, organization size, culture, benefits, long term incentives, working hours, and anything else you think is important to your long-term success. If you’re currently employed, why would you accept a new job that does not address all the items on your wish list? If you are currently unemployed, you are better off taking on temp gigs or freelance until you find the perfect situation.

Invest back with the company who invests into you

Before you look outside of your organization, ask yourself if the firm has invested in you. Have they provided training, mentorship, and all the tools needed for you to succeed? Most companies have rotation programs, succession plans, and continued development but are only willing to do that if they think their investment will pay off. If your background screams “job-hopper,” it’s unlikely that you will find an outside company to invest into you.

Deepen your experience

If you have held 5 jobs in the last 5 years, realize that you do not have 5 years of experience. Instead, you have 1 year of experience 5 different times. It takes a full year to understand the ins and outs of an organization, and it takes another year to be able to make contributions to the organization. Before you jump ship, ask yourself: “What are my major accomplishments with this organization?” If you’re having a hard time coming up with at least 3 quantified accomplishments (for example: you cut down on cost, increased revenue, or streamlined processes), you haven’t given that job enough time.

Ask the right questions

What do you wish you would have known about your current company before you accepted the job? Was is it the hours? Culture? Personalities? Make a list of the things you wish you would have known, and ask these in your next interview. This will prevent you accepting a role with an organization where you don’t see a long-term career path.

Meet your potential colleagues and peers

Most companies will arrange peer and colleague interviews, but if they don’t, ask to be introduced before accepting the job. Don’t always believe the reviews you read online as most of those come from disgruntled former employees. Speak to those who are currently employed with the organization and ask them about the challenges that they face, how long they have been there, what attracted them to come on board, and what keeps them there. If the company that you are interviewing with prevents these conversations, it should raise a red flag. If you notice that most employees have worked less than a year with the organization, realize that this position will probably not help break your job-hopping streak and consider avoiding it.

Avoid making the same mistakes

If you continue to job hop, you will regress in your career. Some people think that by working in a variety of industries and in diversified roles, they gain additional experience that they otherwise wouldn’t. They try to spin their short-term gigs into a positive, but hiring managers see right through it. Before you accept a new role, make sure you are not repeating the same mistakes that you have made in accepting your previous role(s). Don’t make any rash moves and think things through.

How were you able to break the job-hopping streak? We want to hear it so please comment below!

Are you on the job hunt for a new career? Our recruiters are here to help! Check out our latest job postings here, or find a CFS office located closest to you here.

7 Surprisingly Common Interview Mistakes That Cost Smart People the Job BY MINDA ZETLIN

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

 

7 Surprisingly Common Interview Mistakes That Cost Smart People the Job

Any of these goofs will send your application to the reject pile.

BY MINDA ZETLIN Co-author, ‘The Geek Gap’

You’re ultra-qualified for the job and super-prepared for the interview. You’ve done your homework, researching both the company and the hiring manager you’re about to meet. You’re prepared with intelligent questions and great examples of past accomplishments that prove you’d be a great fit for this position.

You may think all systems are go, but there’s still a lot that can go wrong, according to career development expert Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions. In fact, she says, research shows that most interviews go south because of social blunders not poor qualifications.

When you interview, the person you’re talking with will extrapolate from your conversation to try and guess what it would be like to have you around every day. Keep that in mind and be careful to avoid these all-too-easy errors:

1. Arriving late, even with a good reason.

Yes, there may have been an accident that caused a traffic tie-up, but it might not matter. “Walking in late, even when you have a legitimate excuse, will test your interviewer’s patience,” Oliver warns. As a practical matter, this means you should plan to be at least a half hour early, and then wait in a nearby cafe, park, or even your car until you can show up five minutes before the appointed time.

“Even worse is showing up late and unprepared,” she adds. Your only hope is to wow the interviewer with your relevant observations and insightful questions. If you can’t do that, you likely won’t get the job.

2. Failing to make eye contact or having a weak handshake.

“Much can be determined about a job candidate’s character from the initial handshake,” Oliver says. “When you have a weak grip, a clammy palm or won’t make eye contact, you imply a lack of confidence and timidity that would make a bad fit in most work environments.”

While failure to make eye contact is not necessarily a sign of meekness or dishonesty, most people instinctively perceive it that way. So practice looking the other person in the eye while shaking his or her hand firmly until it becomes second nature. It will serve you well in all sorts of social situations.

3. Distinctive clothing.

You may love that novelty tie or those big, unusual earrings, but leave them at home when heading to a job interview. Yes, they’ll be memorable — but you want the hiring manager to remember you for your intelligence and personality, not your attire.

“Your professionalism comes across immediately through your choice of interview attire,” Oliver adds. Even in a casual workplace, showing up to a job interview in casual clothes may lead the hiring manager to believe you’ll be casual about your job. Likewise, if your clothes look like they’d be in place at a party, the interviewer may assume you don’t know how to dress for business.

4. Slouching.

Most of us are guilty of this at least some of the time, but don’t let it happen during a job interview. “Body posture conveys a great deal about an applicant’s personality,” Oliver says. “Slumping signifies lack of confidence, leg swinging equates with nervousness, and arms folded against the chest demonstrate belligerence or arrogance. Pay close attention to the cues communicated through your body posture. Hiring managers will read them accordingly.”

5. Talking too much.

If you’re anything like me, you tend to rattle on when you’re nervous but that will work against you in a job interview. “Interviewees who pummel the interviewer with questions, prattle on in their answers, or feel compelled to fill any silence with chit-chat will have hiring managers recoiling from their unchecked verbosity,” Oliver warns. Right or wrong, the hiring manager is liable to assume you’ll be a nonstop chatterbox if you get the job.

6. Bad grammar or excessively informal speech.

Poor grammar signals poor communication skills to most hiring managers, Oliver explains. “Candidates who use colloquial phrases or are very informal with language can’t cut it in the professional world where written and verbal skills are paramount.”

Even worse is profane, derogatory or otherwise inappropriate language, which, she notes, “shows a lack of sophistication or self-censorship.” Make any of these errors and you can expect the interview to end quickly.

7. Unprofessional communication channels.

Your personal email and phone are your own business. Still, Oliver says, if they see “hotmama” or “partydude” as part of your email address, they may think twice before extending a job offer. The same holds true, she says, if your voicemail message features loud music. “No question they’ll move on to their runner-up candidate and you’ll be back to the resume-submitting stage again.”

 

Job Seekers, Learn These 5 Time-Saving Job Search Tricks By Arnie Fertig, MPA,

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/articles/2016-03-22/job-seekers-learn-these-5-time-saving-job-search-tricks?src=usn_tw

Job Seekers, Learn These 5 Time-Saving Job Search Tricks

Posting your contact information on your LinkedIn profile makes it easier for recruiters to get in touch.

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One advantage of LinkedIn’s Groups is that you can communicate directly with anyone in a group of which you are a member, even if you aren’t linked to them.

You’ve probably heard countless times that you should consider looking for a job to be a job in and of itself. In truth, to do it well, it takes a good deal of time and patience. With that said, wouldn’t you like to take some of the drudgery out of the process and use your time more efficiently to connect with the people who can help you and be more organized in your overall approach?

Here are five tips to help you along the way.

1. Name your resume. The document central to any job search remains a resume. But do you have any idea how many people circulate this central piece of their personal brand saved simply as “resume.doc?” It is a pain for people to have to rename your document to save and later retrieve it.

Instead, make a new folder on your hard drive called “Resumes.” Save your resume into it using this formula: “{firstname lastname} resume for.doc.” Each time you are about to send it out, click “save as” and add the name of the person or company you are sending it to. Keep all the versions of your resume in this one folder, without deleting any of them.

2. Save search result links. Whenever you conduct a search – on Google, within a job board or a company site – the results page is a unique URL.

Create a spreadsheet in Excel, Google Sheets or Apple’s Numbers. Create one column for your search terms, another for the URL of the results page and a third for any other notes you want to make about the search. As time goes on, you may think of more things to track, but this is a good start.

Copy the links of all your search results into the appropriate spreadsheet column, then go back on a regular basis and copy that link back into your search engine, and you’ll find the latest updated results to your searches. You’ve saved time and organized your searching.

3. Use LinkedIn’s Groups to communicate directly with people in your target companies. One often overlooked advantage of LinkedIn’s Groups is that you can communicate directly with anyone in a group of which you are a member, even if you aren’t linked to them.

Do a “People Search” on LinkedIn to see with whom you want to speak. If you don’t know them or aren’t connected, you may be limited in your ability to reach out directly. However, as you review their profile, scroll to see in which LinkedIn Groups they are enrolled. Join one or more of those groups to be connected to your target person, and likely many more people like him or her. Once you are a member, you can then message them through LinkedIn, even if you don’t have InMails available.

As a side benefit of this hack, you’ll likely discover a number of groups to join and people with whom you should be connecting.

4. Make yourself easy to locate on LinkedIn. How much better is it to have people reach out to you directly with employment opportunities than for you to continually be pro-actively reaching out to introduce yourself? Of course, that’s why you need a well-optimized LinkedIn profile. But if you happen to turn up as an answer to someone else’s search query, and you are a third-degree connection, your name and contact information will be blocked unless they have a premium account.

A very simple workaround is to put your name and email address in the very first line of your Summary section on your profile. That way, you’ll be contacted by the people who seek someone like yourself for a role to be filled.

5. Be realistic when applying for jobs. You can apply to your dream jobs all day long, but remember to do a reality check. Is there a realistic reason to believe that the hiring authority will see you as a good fit for the role beyond your conviction that you can fulfill the responsibilities entailed in it?

It’s always fine to apply to a few “stretch” positions, but remember that you have to make a really strong case in your cover letter to explain specifically how and why you would be a good fit.

It will be a major time saver to focus your energies on the jobs that are realistically possible. The shortest route to getting hired will always be applying to jobs with descriptions that most closely resemble what you have already been successful in doing.

Happy hunting!

 

Arnie Fertig, MPA, is the founder & CEO of Jobhuntercoach. He coaches clients nationwide on the nuts and bolts of job hunting. You can connect with him on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter @jobhuntercoach, or circle him on Google+.

Advice from older and probably wiser people……

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

I am not sure where I found this, but worthy of sharing!!!!! 

  1. The most important person in your life is the person who agreed to share their life with you. Treat them as such.
  1. You might live a long life, or you might live a short one — who knows. But either way, trust me when I say that you’re going to wish you took better care of yourself in your youth.
  1. Stuff is just stuff. Don’t hold onto material objects, hold onto time and experiences instead.
  1. Jealousy destroys relationships. Trust your significant other, because who else are you supposed to trust?
  1. People always say, ’’Make sure you get a job doing what you love!’’ But that isn’t the best advice. The right job is the job you love some days, can tolerate most days, and still pays the bills. Almost nobody has a job they love every day.
  1. If you’re getting overwhelmed by life, just return to the immediate present moment and savour all that is beautiful and comforting. Take a deep breath, relax.
  1. Years go by in the blink of an eye. Don’t marry young. Live your life. Go places. Do things. If you have the means or not. Pack a bag and go wherever you can afford to go. While you have no dependents, don’t buy stuff. Any stuff. See the world. Look through travel magazines and pick a spot. GO!
  1. Don’t take life so seriously. Even if things seem dark and hopeless, try to laugh at how ridiculous life is.
  1. A true friend will come running if you call them at 2am. Everyone else is just an acquaintance.
  1. Children grow up way too fast. Make the most of the time you have with them.
  1. Nobody ever dies wishing they had worked more. Work hard, but don’t prioritize work over family, friends, or even yourself.
  1. Eat and exercise like you’re a diabetic heart patient with a stroke — so you never actually become one.
  1. Maybe this one isn’t as profound as the others, but I think it’s important… Floss regularly, dental problems are awful.
  2. Don’t take anyone else’s advice as gospel. You can ask for advice from someone you respect, then take your situation into consideration and make your own decision. Essentially, take your own advice is my advice…
  1. The joints you damage today will get their revenge later. Even if you think they’ve recovered completely. TRUST ME!
  1. We have one time on this earth. Don’t wake up and realize that you are 60 years old and haven’t done the things you dreamed about.
  1. Appreciate the small things and to be present in the moment. What do I mean? Well, it seems today like younger people are all about immediate gratification. Instead, why not appreciate every small moment? We don’t get to stay on this crazy/wonderful planet forever and the greatest pleasure can be found in the most mundane of activities. Instead of sending a text, pick up the phone and call someone. Call your mother, have a conversation about nothing in particular. Those are the moments to hold onto.
  1. Pay your bills and stay the hell out of debt. If I could have paid myself all the money I’ve paid out in interest over the years, I’d be retired already.
  1. If you have a dream of being or doing something that seems impossible, try for it anyway. It will only become more impossible as you age and become responsible for other people.
  1. When you meet someone for the first time, stop and realize that you really know nothing about them. You see race, gender, age, clothes. Forget it all. You know nothing. Those biased assumptions that pop into your head because of the way your brain likes categories, are limiting your life, and other people’s lives.

5 Tips on Changing Careers – Creative Financial Staffing

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

5 Tips on Changing Careers

It’s time for a change…a career change that is! Your current position is no longer cutting it and you’re in need of something new. Before you make any hasty decisions, evaluate your motives. If you’re simply seeking a higher salary, then consider speaking with your manager about a raise first. However, if you want a more challenging role, a specific company culture, or something different altogether, then a change may truly be best. Follow these tips from our expert recruiters on making your career transition as easy as possible.

 

Reflect

As you begin to search for a new position, take a moment to think about what you really want in this next opportunity. John Jameson, Executive Recruiter of CFS Chicago, says to determine what you enjoyed about your previous positions in order to help you find the right fit in your next one. Looking at the people you worked with, the traits of your past supervisors, how you were engaged, and the various projects you worked on will help you realize exactly what you like and dislike.
Having this clarity is essential for you to make the right career move. Utilize resources like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, interviews, etc. to provide you with the best information possible to help you decide whether or not the company would be a good fir for you.

 

Create a Plan

Knowing what you want is one thing, but putting it into action is another. Start by creating a plan with SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timed) goals. Jameson urges you to share your goals with someone who will hold you accountable, such as a recruiter. This helps ensure that you don’t slack off at any point and provides you with an additional support system as well.

 

Determine Your Strengths

Self-assessment is key; you must reflect on the skills you have already developed. Patrick Senn, Managing Director of CFS Minneapolis, says you have to determine how your background and experience applies to the opportunities you’re interested in pursuing. In addition to understanding the skills you have acquired through your work, it is an added bonus if you can identify your true personality strengths as well. Tools such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and “strength finder tests” can help you with this.
Now that you have identified all of your skills and strengths, it is crucial that you incorporate them into your resume. If you are looking to change career paths completely, Senn reminds you to look for parallels between what you’ve done and what you are hoping to do. You need to communicate with potential employers that you have what it takes to succeed.

 

Engage Your Network

Change isn’t easy, but no one ever said you had to go through this process alone. In fact, you shouldn’t be. You should be talking to people who are currently in the roles that you aspire to be in to gain as much information as possible. Senn suggests attending industry related gatherings, networking events, or conferences and reading industry related articles to gain more knowledge. Jameson adds that conducting informational and mock interviews is another great way to engage your network. These efforts will not only help you gather an immeasurable amount of advice, but support as well.

Be Realistic

It’s important to remember that if you’re planning “to completely change careers, you may have to take a step back before you are able to take a step forward, as you are considered entry level due to lack of hands on experience in this area,” adds Senn. You can’t expect that jumping from one type of career to another to be as easy as changing your clothes- it takes work.
Do you have any additional tips for changing careers? We’d love to hear them in your comments below!
Are you on the job hunt for a new career? Our recruiters are here to help! Check out our latest job postings here, or find a CFS office located closest to you here.
Posted by at 2:40 PM No comments:

Spring clean your resume! Creative Financial Staffing

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

Spring clean your resume!

No matter where you are in your job search, it’s always a good time to spruce up your resume. Every job application relies on this one document, and your fate could be decided in a matter of seconds because of it. Make it count!

Start by updating your contact information. There’s nothing more frustrating for a hiring manager than finding a strong resume and not being able to contact the applicant. Tatiyana Cure, Executive Recruiter of CFS New York, says that she can typically track down those applicants but that many hiring managers “don’t have the half hour to try to investigate and will most likely move on to another candidate.” Don’t let this happen to you!

Next you need to delve into the content. As you grow and develop professionally, you are continuously acquiring new skills and your resume needs to reflect that. Add in any new projects that you’ve recently worked on, skills you’ve learned, and promotions that you’ve received. This will bring your experience up to date and allows you to cut anything that is no longer relevant.

Jennifer Greenberg, Executive Recruiter of CFS Baltimore, suggests including 2-3 accomplishments per position. Although difficult to adhere to this rule, it helps you choose your best accomplishments to include. “You need to make the hiring manager excited about you, which means that your bullet points should be strong and illustrate what you can bring to the table,” adds Cure. The interview is where you can elaborate more and discuss anything that you left out.

Now that you have everything up to date, it’s time for the quick fixes. Greenberg recommends printing your resume out so that you can physically look at it and make notes with a pen or a pencil. It’s a lot easier to catch your mistakes on a hard copy version versus on the computer.

As you look over your resume, keep in mind these quick fixes:

  • Scrub it for typos. Nothing is more unprofessional than submitting a resume that has typos. It shows that you didn’t take the extra time to evaluate your work and could lead the hiring manager to question your attention to detail.
  • Check for grammatical errors. When discussing your experience, it’s a common mistake to mix up tenses. Beware of this issue, and make sure you are consistent.
  • Check for formatting consistency. This is the time to “make sure that all of your bullet points are the same size and properly aligned. Double check that things are consistently bolded, italicized, underlined, etc.” says Greenberg.
  • Declutter your points. You do not have a lot of space, so you have to be concise. Avoid being too wordy and cut anything that isn’t necessary.

After the quick fixes have been made, go back to your computer, make the edits, and don’t forget to save! As a rule of thumb, when working on your resume Greenberg advises you to follow the K.I.S.S. rule (Keep It Simple Stupid). Make sure each point is simple, succinct, and easy to understand. If you keep these ideas in mind, then decluttering your resume will be as easy as 1, 2, 3.

Have any questions about updating your resume? We’d love to hear them in your comments below!

Are you on the job hunt for a new career? Our recruiters are here to help! Check out our latest job postings here, or find a CFS office located closest to you here.

Posted by Creative Financial Staffing at 2:51 PM No comments:

Job Interview Questions – The 5 Things Candidates Must Address By tony Restell

Posted on by Dianedelgadolemaire

Job Interview Questions – The 5 Things Candidates Must Address

by Tony Restell

http://www.social-hire.com/career–interview-advice/1325/job-interview-questions—the-5-things-candidates-must-address?utm_content=buffera1744&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Preparing for the job interview questions you might face has to be one of the more stressful aspects of changing jobs. Here we share insights you can put to work in your interview preparation right away.

 

Job Interview Questions

 

What does your job interviewer want to uncover about you?

The starting point for success in responding to job interview questions is to understand why those questions are being asked. So what reassurances is your interviewer looking for during your interview?
– Can you do the job?
– Are you someone who’d fit in and be a good addition to the team?
– What risks are being taken by employing you?
– Will you take the job?
– What would be your motivations for taking the job?

Can you do the job?

Sounds obvious right? Yet unless you are moving between two competitors to perform the exact same role, your ability to do the job needs to be established. Your challenge in preparing to face job interview questions on this topic is to understand the job as thoroughly as you can.
Firstly this means revisiting the job advert and picking through the key requirements specified. Try to play detective and figure out why those criteria are important. What can you infer by reading between the lines? What contacts do you have who may be able to shed additional light on the role and the company? Have you researched the LinkedIn profiles of people in similar positions at the company, their descriptions of what they do – and their recommendations – may prove very telling. Who can you find who has recently left the company and who you could reach out to for insights?
What you’re most interested in identifying are i) the factors that are of greater or less importance than at your existing company (so that you know which strengths to play to in the interview) and ii) the differences that exist between you performing strongly in your current role and in this potential new role.
Examples would be there being greater political infighting to deal with; poor morale to contend with; different systems than you’re used to working with; different sales challenges to overcome; organisational challenges or deficiencies in capabilities that you’ll need to learn to work through.
In all respects that the role is similar to the one you already hold, your answers should pretty much take care of themselves. It’s the aspects that differ from what you’ve shown you can do that need to be bridged.

Are you someone who’d fit in and be a good addition to the team?

One key function of job interview questions – and the hiring process more generally – is to establish that there would be a good personality fit between you and the company. This takes two forms. Firstly companies have characters and an ethos that your earlier research may well have uncovered. It may be a very goal-focused business; innovative; focused on work-life balance… Whatever it is, you being a fit rather than a clash with that culture is a key hiring consideration.
Secondly – and no less important – you will be slotting into a team somewhere within the company. That team will have its own personality and traits that are a function of the existing team members. How you are likely to blend with them is another key consideration.
The topics so far are best addressed by doing your research before the job interview; and by asking as many questions as you can during the interview to fill in the gaps in your knowledge. As far as possible, you want to know the answer the interviewer would like to hear before you answer any question or show your hand.

What risks are being taken by employing you?

Everyone involved in the hiring decision is taking a risk with their careers by rubber-stamping you as the best person to hire. The candidate who looks best for the role may not always be the least risky hire. The most talented candidate may be likely to become dissatisfied in the role (and leave for greener pastures). They are more likely to be in the running for other openings and drop out of the recruiter’s interview process altogether. This explains why those willing to take a demotion and paycut to get back into work are often left frustrated. They’re considered overqualified precisely because they could become dissatisfied or receive a better offer once hired.
Similarly, those with inconsistencies in their application or unexplained developments in their careers can generate anxiety that undoes an otherwise strong performance. That’s why you need to think carefully about your shortcomings and how best to handle any anxieties these may cause. It’s better that you address these concerns directly than leave your interviewers to stew on them behind closed doors. And related to this point you also need to address…

 

Will you take the job?

Come the final stages of the hiring process, your interviewers probably have a number of candidates they’d be happy to hire. What they’ll be loathe to do is offer the role to someone they think may well not accept it. In doing so, they risk losing all the other candidates in the running. This doesn’t reflect well on the interviewers and could be a serious setback for the company if they find themselves without a key hire for an extended period as a result.
In answering job interview questions, I’ve seen good candidates come unstuck if they’ve left the interviewer with the impression that they might not accept an offer. It’s fine to challenge an interviewer on why you should think their role is more compelling than your other career options. But unless you’re the only candidate in the running, you probably don’t want the interview to come to a close without having made your interest in the position clear.

What would be your motivations for taking the job?

Your reasons for being interested in the role can also be very telling – and make you a better or worse fit for the position. During your research you may have uncovered what makes employees in this organisation tick; or when asking your own questions you may have gained some insights. Be wary of revealing motivations that are not consistent with what you have learnt about the organisation. They could be your undoing.
So now you have a better understanding of what your interviewer may be trying to uncover with their job interview questions. You know how to tailor your answers for a better chance of achieving a successful outcome. You may also want to read our pieces on the job interview questions you should ask as a candidate and examples of the job interview questions you may face.
Wishing you every success!

Finally

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