What are soft skills

What are soft skills by Michael Cheary Worried that your lack of skills is letting you down? Soft skills are important in a range of different roles, helping you do everything from negotiating and selling through to managing your schedule. In fact, you probably have a number of attributes already that you’re simply not using to your advantage. You just need to learn how to back them up.To find out how to make the most of them, here’s our guide on soft skills â€" and how they could help land your next job:  What are soft skills? Soft skills are general attributes that aren’t specific to a job or industry.They’re usually self-developed, meaning no training is needed to build them. And because they can be applied to a number of different roles, soft skills are always desirable â€" no matter what field you’re working in.What are transferable skills?  List of soft skillsSoft skills are a combination of many different things, including social skills, character traits and employment qualities. As a result, the number of soft skills is almost endless. Some of the most common examples include:Communication skillsLeadershipProblem solvingCritical thinkingTeam workingFlexibilityResilienceNegotiation skillsWhy are soft skills important? Although hard skills might be important in some industries, soft skills are important in all of them.They’re what help us bond with other people around the business, and fit well within the company culture. Without them, even someone with the right qualifications could end up alienating themselves in their role, or not having the right mindset to do their job effectively.They’re also what help distinguish us from other potential candidates when we look for a new position.Skills based CV template  Five CV skills employers look for in every jobseekerWhat are the advantages of soft skills?One of the biggest advantages of soft skills is that they don’t limit you to working within one industry.They are transferable skills, allowing you to demo nstrate your personality and effectiveness to prospective employers, even if you have limited experience in their field.For example, your excellent communication skills may have made you good at selling. But many other sectors outside of sales require people who can communicate well â€" whether it’s by attracting new customers, building relationships with suppliers or working effectively in a team.Also, everyone has some form of soft skills. They require no formal training, and are usually picked up through previous positions or experiences â€" meaning you might already have some great attributes you can use to your advantage.Six ways to make your CV stand out from the crowdWhat words should I use on my CV?What are the disadvantages of soft skills?Although they’re valuable, soft skills won’t always be enough to get you the job.Some industries require more formal qualifications or experience to get your foot in the door, and without these prerequisites your soft skills may not be enough.Soft skills are also extremely difficult to measure, meaning some employers don’t appreciate their true value until you’ve actively been able to demonstrate them.Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills  How do I demonstrate soft skills on my CV?  It’s never enough to say you have soft skills â€" you actually need to back them up.When it comes to writing a CV that means adding practical examples to show times when you’ve put your soft skills to good use.For example, stating you have good problem solving skills sounds fine. But saying ‘good problem solving skills, demonstrated when I successfully overcame X’ will come across much better to employers â€" not to mention add value to your CV.And the best part? A list of desirable skills will already be provided for you in the job description. All you need to do is prove them.If you struggle to think of good examples, use the STAR technique to help get you started.Five lines that are killing your CVCan I learn soft skills?Soft skills are self-developed. But that doesn’t necessarily mean they can’t be taught.There are a wide range of courses out there to help you improve everything from your organisation skills through to your public speaking. So, even if it’s not something you’re particularly strong on right now, there’s no reason you can’t get better.Figure out what skills you think you need to improve, find a course and get started.Need more CV advice?It takes an employer just seven seconds to save or reject a job applicant’s CV. This means creating a succinct CV is absolutely vital if you want to land that all-important interview. To find out how to make your CV stand out from the crowd, buy James Reed’s new book: The 7 Second CV: How to Land the Interview. Ready to put your skills to good use? View all available jobs now.  Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the What job suits me?

What are the Pitfalls of Social Recruiting

What are the Pitfalls of Social Recruiting Social recruitment has turned into a norm from an exception that it was two years back. With everyone looking to find ways for using the ubiquitous social networks for their benefits, it doesn’t come as a surprise that social recruitment has caught on like anything. While some might argue over the “unmatched” benefits of social recruiting, the truth is that it comes with its own set of perils. The 2013 Jobvite Social Recruiting survey offered convicting proofs about the relevance of social  recruitment. As per the findings, 94% of the companies were either using or planned to use social media as recruitment tool. In fact, a whopping 78% had already met with success while using social media, making at least one hire through it. 3 out of 4 recruiters take a look at the candidate’s social media profile before proceeding further with hiring him. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter remain recruiters’ social networks of choice, while emerging channels include Instagram, Youtube, GitHub, Blogs, Yammer and Stackoverflow. Given that a majority of working or employable population is actively using at least one social network, using social media as a part of the sourcing strategy does make a lot of sense. However, while social recruitment has its own benefits, there are some potential pitfalls that every recruiter must be aware of before pushing recruitment through social media. Encroaching upon a candidate’s right to privacy Barring LinkedIn, all other social networks aren’t meant to serve any professional purpose. People share everything and anything they find worth sharing on their profiles as the last thing they expect is some recruiter sneaking on their profile to find whether he is a worthy candidate for a vacancy. Therefore recruiters need to be careful to respect an applicant’s privacy. Most of the major economies of the world have a law in place to protect the privacy of an individual. Once you review a candidate’s online profile, according to law you are aware of the candidate’s “protected characteristics” such as age, sex, ethnicity amongst others. Such information, known through the social profile of the candidate should not be made a reason to deny him or her job, or at least an interview. According to David Baffa, labor and employment partner at Syfarth Shaw, LLP, “If you choose to review social media as part of your hiring practices, it’s a better practice to wait until afte r you’ve met a candidate face to face,” We see plenty of advice on the web about how important profile pictures are for a candidate’s job search efforts. This works as a double edged sword for job seekers as some recruiters confess to drawing inferences about the candidate from their Facebook profile pictures, subjecting them to unfair scrutiny or bias. According to a survey, 30 percent of respondents would consider taking legal course if they had been declined an interview or job based on a potential employer viewing their social media profile. If you decide to not hire a candidate after viewing the profile, even if the reason is legitimate, simply having viewed such protected information can leave you vulnerable to legal risks. Social recruiting is time consuming as well as resource-heavy Setting up Facebook or Twitter account is one thing, while using them effectively for recruitment is another. In order to turn these channels into a significant recruitment tool one has to feed them with a steady stream of content.  Organizations have to dedicate separate resources for ensuring a continuous and healthy social media presence. Creating and managing online communities is a painstakingly time consuming process and thus requires constant efforts and special attention, which would obviously add to the cost to company. Social media research works both ways. New applicants and hires could be searching for you and therefore it would be ideal to have a strong social media presence to create a strong brand. However, not every company has the time or resources to generate a social media marketing plan and online content strategy. Either they will have to hire HR heads those already have such expertise or recruit separate social media experts for managing the recruitment efforts on social media. Going anti-social All social networks are built differently, having different audience and dynamics. A mistake that most recruiters do is bombarding all social channels with same, generic job postings. If you do want to make the most of social media revolution, firstly get to grips with the networking site you are using. LinkedIn is apt for sourcing white-collar, mid-senior level candidates, while Twitter is great for joining in, having conversation, generating brand awareness and not much sourcing. Once you have a clear understanding of the differences and the similarities, real candidate sourcing can begin. Otherwise, you risk going anti-social. Risk of excluding applicants without social media profiles There are still a sizeable chunk of professionals who are averse to social media. After all there are many evidences out there that suggest one is better off without social media than being on it.  So what happens to such candidates? Recruiters always run the risk of not hiring such candidates even if they are qualified and suited for the position. Thus, as a HR decision-maker by using social media you might be disadvantaging candidates who do not have access to it. Keeping in mind all these points is necessary while dedicating your social media efforts for sourcing hiring. Author: Saurabh Tyagi is an author for  http://www.naukri.com.

HELLO Did You Even Hear What I Just Said

HELLO Did You Even Hear What I Just Said I took a little survey amongst my peers at work who I speak with 1-5 times a week about areas of mine which could use improvement.   What can I do better at?   Where do I struggle? Well, youre a little scattered.   You ask me questions about topics we have already discussed.   Sometimes I can tell you are typing while I am talking to you. How insulting!   Do I really make people feel this way?   I wouldnt want to do business with someone  who wasnt listening while  I speak. We all do it: multitask.   We are praised for efficiency and  completing a lot  in the smallest amount of time.   Yet, cutting corners while on the phone can lead to unintentional results, leaving friends, clients, and peers feeling unimportant. I decided ENOUGH!   I live presently, aware in each moment in my daily life.   I am going to bring the awareness  to the phone during conversations. HERE IS WHAT I DID TO PAY ATTENTION ON THE PHONE:   I bought a while marble heart.   I collect hearts so it wasnt that weird.   I keep it at my desk and whenever I get on the phone, I hold the heart.   Its a rule, when Im holding the heart, I am fully focused on my phone conversation.   Not to mention, I cannot type if I am holding the heart. It works!   I have found my conversations have been awesome!   Its difficult enough to connect with someone over the phone versus face-to-face.   Buy a heart, a rock, a troll, whatever!   Keep it at your desk, pick it up, and ensure NO ONE questions your attentiveness again!

7 Areas To Focus On To Grow Your Business in 2019 - Classy Career Girl

7 Areas To Focus On To Grow Your Business in 2019 There are a million things you could do in 2019 to grow your business. But what steps will actually make a difference? Today, I’ll break it down for you and share with you the seven focus areas that I recommend to make a noticeable difference in your business. These are the seven focus areas of Corporate Rescue Plan PLUS (CRP+), my group coaching program with accountability and personalized business coaching from me. Doors will open tomorrow at 8am EST about how to join CRP+. Doors will be open until Wednesday, Jan 2nd at 8:59 PM Pacific / 11:59 PM Eastern. Add your name to the advance notification waitlist here. 1. Build Your Email List Social media changes. The only thing you really have control is your website and your email list. You have to make building your list a priority. LET’S PRETEND: Visualize yourself taking a break for three months. You want to take a break, go on a trip, take care of a loved one or have a baby (in my case). You want to collect enough leads in those three months to come back and launch your new product/business/service.  You don’t have to work so hard. Set this up, and you can take those three months of growing your email list.  Read #4 on this list of maternity leave tips. IF YOU AREN’T BUILDING YOUR EMAIL LIST, STOP WHATEVER YOU ARE DOING AND SPEND ONE WEEK TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN.  Your business WILL grow as soon as you get this up and leads coming in. 2. Build Your Team You can’t do everything, especially if you are still working a day job or have other priorities (family, etc.). You have to make delegating and doing work you love (and delegating the rest) a priority. One of my first hires six months into having a blog was my virtual assistant, Lor. She helped me replace myself by giving her the work I couldnt get done. When you are working a full-time job, you have to start delegating and outsourcing tasks you dont have time to do.  I would never be here today if I hadnt started outsourcing early on to Lor. 3. Build Your Content Your content will attract your ideal clients. It’s about quality over quantity and knowing what your messaging is first. There is so much noise right now. You need to stand out. You have to put more time and thought into making it great. Why is this important? You want to elevate your brand above the rest. This will allow you to charge the prices you are worth. In the beginning, it’s about getting that first post up. Just start somewhere. But, if you have a post up already, I want you to be more thoughtful about your next post. Maybe take a couple more minutes to make it great rather than ok. BOOKS: I recommend all these if you are building a website EVEN IF you are working with a website designer. Don’t expect a designer to get your brand. Be prepared by doing the hard work first. How to Style Your Brand Brand Brilliance StoryBrand 4. Build Your Systems Make your life easier. Make your client’s life easier. Systems will pave the way for freedom, revenue, and happiness. We once tried to work with a Financial Planner. We wanted to hire her, but for months we went back and forth on details and little things like what our address was and what our financial goals were. We even had in-person meetings and many phone calls. After months, we were ready to move forward with a plan. We were sent documents to sign and the paperwork at our wrong address. We were very upset and told her that we would not move forward because  her systems and processes were taking way too much time. This is not what you want to do to your customers. You want to eliminate stress and overwhelm and guide them through the process of working with you with no headaches. 5. Build Your Recurring Revenue Everything changes when you have consistent income every month that you can count on. This decreases stress and brings more clarity and fun. The reason that I was able to quit my job and have a steady income coming in each month is because I started to build my recurring revenue. I could go to my husband and show him the numbers and say Id be able to replace the income from my day job because my recurring revenue was growing each and every month. When you rely on big launches, one month  your revenue may be huge,  but the next month you might not make enough to pay your bills. This is why I always recommend building recurring revenue into your business model. 6. Build Your Fulfillment We need to continually re-evaluate if we are happy in our businesses. Your business model might change. You might outgrow something. This is totally normal! Initially, I did a lot of individual coaching until I realized it didnt excite me. What I loved was building communities and leading a group of women to change their careers. So, instead of doing individual coaching packages, I moved to group coaching, online courses,  and membership sites. Everything I do in my business I have to make sure I love doing. If I dont, I change things up! 7. Build Your Freedom Your business can allow you more time for your passions and more time for the people you love. You can control your calendar and what goes on it. What are some of your hobbies? What did you use to enjoy when you were younger? Think about what you havent had time to do in your busy schedule. Your business should give you the freedom to do what you love. Now, in the beginning, youll be working your butt off and may not have time on your hands. But, just take one hour per week and do something you love. You are worth it and it will motivate you to work harder to create the funds and more time and freedom to do more things you love in the future. In Corporate Rescue Plan PLUS, we focus on one of these 7 focus areas each month. That means by the end of 2019, you could have a profitable freedom-based business machine and be able to do what you love every single day. Would you like to watch your business grow in 2019 or continue to be stressed and overwhelmed trying to figure out how to earn more money. CRP+ is a small community for a reason. Each month I provide QA group coaching calls and hot seats and strategy sessions. My coaching program is designed so I can go deep with a small group of people. I hope youll be able to join us tomorrow if this speaks to you. Doors will open tomorrow at 8am EST about how to join Corporate Rescue Plan PLUS. Doors will be open until Wednesday, Jan 2nd at 8:59 PM Pacific / 11:59 PM Eastern. Another post you might love: 25 Ways To Make Extra Money  

What You Need to Know About Resume Services

What You Need to Know About Resume ServicesToday there are many resume services available in Portland Oregon that are working towards helping employers get a good look at the resumes of job seekers. These services employ some form of technology to help filter out all those resumes that are not qualified to apply for a job, thus saving both time and money for employers. This is very important if employers want to get their hands on only the best candidates who can work well with others. It also ensures that the right people are applying for the jobs that need to be filled.All resume services have used the latest tools and software available in the industry today. The technology helps to screen out resumes that do not contain the required information for an employer to take further action. The most important information required by employers includes the ability to communicate well with others, the knowledge of a specific subject or topic and the ability to demonstrate a work ethic to match. All of these requirements are needed for the success of any person who wishes to apply for a job.All resume services in Portland Oregon have complete collections of resumes available to clients. They will first use a standard database search technique to sort through the resumes to find the best candidates. These candidates are then evaluated to find out whether they are suitable for the company that is looking for the services of the individual. This information is then gathered into a single resume file that can be distributed to interested employers or used by individual applicants to sign up for a service to be used later on.This entire process can take a lot of time if multiple people are submitting the same resumes. The optimization technology helps in eliminating the duplicated information and filters it to help filter out the resumes. This means that more candidates can get their share of attention when they have similar information on their resumes.The system's use o f filters also means that there is less chance of an applicant getting stuck with the same resume. Those who use the system are then able to fill out the entire resume from scratch rather than leaving information on the outdated resume that they can then proceed to be sent out on to potential employers. Having a good working knowledge of the kind of job they are applying for will also improve the chances of getting the job. This helps a candidate to be more focused on the type of work that they are applying for.All resume services in Portland Oregon use a grading system to determine the quality of a resume. This is done to ensure that the high priority positions get the highest grades while the back office employees of the company gets the lowest. This is the reason why the technology of the job seeking process has to be highly sophisticated to make sure that only the best candidates for each position to get hired for the opening.All of the companies also undergo a selection process before they are hired for the position of hiring. This will include choosing the person who is responsible for reviewing the resumes. This person will give the most important feedback on a resume and if the application is of a high enough caliber, the decision will be made as to whether the candidate will be hired.To find out more about resume services in Portland Oregon, one can browse the internet. There are many websites that offer this service that will let you know more about how and where it works. This can help you decide if the services are worth the cost or not.

What You Need to Know About Resume Services

What You Need to Know About Resume ServicesToday there are many resume services available in Portland Oregon that are working towards helping employers get a good look at the resumes of job seekers. These services employ some form of technology to help filter out all those resumes that are not qualified to apply for a job, thus saving both time and money for employers. This is very important if employers want to get their hands on only the best candidates who can work well with others. It also ensures that the right people are applying for the jobs that need to be filled.All resume services have used the latest tools and software available in the industry today. The technology helps to screen out resumes that do not contain the required information for an employer to take further action. The most important information required by employers includes the ability to communicate well with others, the knowledge of a specific subject or topic and the ability to demonstrate a work ethic to match. All of these requirements are needed for the success of any person who wishes to apply for a job.All resume services in Portland Oregon have complete collections of resumes available to clients. They will first use a standard database search technique to sort through the resumes to find the best candidates. These candidates are then evaluated to find out whether they are suitable for the company that is looking for the services of the individual. This information is then gathered into a single resume file that can be distributed to interested employers or used by individual applicants to sign up for a service to be used later on.This entire process can take a lot of time if multiple people are submitting the same resumes. The optimization technology helps in eliminating the duplicated information and filters it to help filter out the resumes. This means that more candidates can get their share of attention when they have similar information on their resumes.The system's use o f filters also means that there is less chance of an applicant getting stuck with the same resume. Those who use the system are then able to fill out the entire resume from scratch rather than leaving information on the outdated resume that they can then proceed to be sent out on to potential employers. Having a good working knowledge of the kind of job they are applying for will also improve the chances of getting the job. This helps a candidate to be more focused on the type of work that they are applying for.All resume services in Portland Oregon use a grading system to determine the quality of a resume. This is done to ensure that the high priority positions get the highest grades while the back office employees of the company gets the lowest. This is the reason why the technology of the job seeking process has to be highly sophisticated to make sure that only the best candidates for each position to get hired for the opening.All of the companies also undergo a selection process before they are hired for the position of hiring. This will include choosing the person who is responsible for reviewing the resumes. This person will give the most important feedback on a resume and if the application is of a high enough caliber, the decision will be made as to whether the candidate will be hired.To find out more about resume services in Portland Oregon, one can browse the internet. There are many websites that offer this service that will let you know more about how and where it works. This can help you decide if the services are worth the cost or not.

5 Job Search Links for College Grads - Do You Have a Job Yet - CareerAlley

5 Job Search Links for College Grads - Do You Have a Job Yet - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Congratulations to all of you College Seniors who are graduated in May (or will be graduating in December). How quickly four years (five years for those of you who are on the extended plan) flies by when you are having fun (and maybe studying too). If you already have your job lined up, well a double congrats for you! if you dont, time to focus on that job (because the last thing you want to hear from your parents is the last six words of this blog title). For all of you Juniors, you still have a year but why wait? And for everyone else still in college, time to think about internships and your college career office. Covering four main topics in this post: Alumni (and soon to be Alumni) Resources College Internships and Summer Jobs College MBAs Students, Recent Grads and your College Career Office Alumni (and soon to be Alumni): It can be tough finding your first job out of college. Leverage sites that specialize in entry level positions: Alumni Central Register on this site by selecting your school, followed by the usual information required by a job search site. College Central allows students and alumni to register with their school to post their rsum, and search jobs (as well as receive career development advice). There are two sites for this, StudentCentral.com is for students while AlumniCentral.com is for alumni. You can take advantage of whatever services have been provided by and through your school. Once youve registered, you can upload your resume, search their job database, create a career portfolio and search internships. Internweb.com In addition to the internships you can search at Alumni Central, this site has a bunch of internships as well. Its a very good idea to have as many internships during your college education as possible, but if you are graduating this year and dont have a job, you could certainly still do an internship over the summer until you find full time employment. This site has tabs near the top for Intern Listing, Intern Jobs, College Intern and Intern Board. Below this there is an Intern Search bar to the left and below that is a section for students with plenty of resources. Center section is your main search area where you can subscribe or look at some internships now. MBA Careers The name is self-explanatory. This site has links at the top for Job Seeker, Post Resume (register first) and Search Jobs. Job Seeker provides some tools and links, but you should also click on Search Jobs. This link provides a simple search engine on the left with a list of featured employers on the right hand side. CampusCareerCenter.com Jobs, Guidance and Networking is this sites tag line. There are links at the top of the page for Post Resume and Students. On the left hand side of the screen is the Student resource center with a number of links, including Job Search, Resources and Tools. Center page is a listing of featured employers while on the right hand side of the page is a rotating Whos Hiring logo. Click on Search Jobs (under Job Search) to search for jobs (you need to register first in order to do this). EntryLevelJobsite.com This site is a job search site (owned by Beyond.com) that focuses on entry level jobs (Im sure youve figured that out by the name). There are tabs at the top of the site for Post Resume, Search Jobs and Career Resources. This is followed by a job search box, with advanced search and a job search directory to the right of the search box. Below this is a section for Search Top Entry Level Jobs on the left and recent job postings on the right hand side of the page. There were over 20,000 job opportunities posted when I checked the site. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Job Search job title, keywords, company, location jobs by

Summary Sunday Advice to Make Your Job Search More Social

Summary Sunday Advice to Make Your Job Search More Social Searching for a job is becoming more of a  social activity. Submitting your resume on a job board is one way to look, but often you fall into the big black hole. Dont you want better results? Social job search is about using social media to garner attention and build new relationships. This round up of post includes ideas for how to connect with people online, changes to LinkedIn you need to know about and and how to create visual content! Social Job Search 25 Powerful Ways to Connect With People Online by Sean Gardner on LinkedIn This is a list of ideas for how you can build online relationships. Its simple stuff. You just need to start doing it! The Latest Round Of LinkedIn Changes: What You Need To Know by William Arruda on Forbes By the way, I am still a free user and can still do almost everything I need to. You should be OK with the free version to, IMO. If you are looking for a quick overview (video) of some of the recent changes, please see Viveka von Rosens video. Viveka is well respected for her LinkedIn knowledge. In-Depth Guide On How To Create Awesome Visual Content That Gets Noticed by    Karol K on Jeff Bullas This is an in-depth guide for sure. You will find helpful tips on how to create visuals for your online content (posts, tweets, etc.).